Me revoila a la case depart…. Delhi, a peine 2 jours a profiter a fond de ces ambiances indiennes….
Je reviens ou j’en etais…
Le cinema c’etait quelque chose… salle tres moderne et tres propre, j’aurais prefere un film romantique vraiment typique de Bollywood, celui ci DOOM tait un film Bollywood d’Action… une espece de Taxi a l’indienne avec des motos, un film plutot “hot” avec filles peu habillees dansant sous la pluie…. Le Kitsh indien etait bien au redez vous avec des buitages et des ralentis a n’n pus finir, comedie musicale….les gens criant et appaudissant dans la salle… Un regal !!
2eme jour a Jaipur bien rempli, la forteresse d’Amber est effectivement superbe et tres imprssionnante, ca fait aussi du bien de quiter le brouhaha des avenues de Jaipur…
Je m’offre le soir un peu de viande, y avit longtemps… mais pour le carnivore que je suis ca ne me manquait Presque pas ! Le poule tandoori est succulent, avec les sauces.. un grand luxe, le repas a 250 Rs, 5 euros, 3 fois le prix habituel…!
Me revoila sur liste d’attente pour le train pour Agra, 19 eme cette fois… total je decouvre que l’on est 2 sur une banquette de couloir, soit moins longue que celles de compart ! je m demande comment j’ai fait pour dormir ! et heureusement je me reveille en sursaut a 5 h00 en arrivant dans une grande ville apparement, Agra je suppos, impossible de savoir si mon voisin de couchette dit oui ou on, je descend en me disant que je pourrais tjours remonter… c’est bon j’y suis…
Vite sans plus attendre, je me rends au Taj pour profiter des moments calme… deja du monde a 6h15 ! Meme si on connait par coeur l’image du monument, de le voir en vrai, la pour de bon, l’emotion est au rendez-vous ….sur son socle dans cette ecrin de verdure… quelle contrste avec l’exterieur de l’enceinte. Les decorations en Piera dura m’impressionnet, surtout celle de l’interuieur du tombeau, pas moins de 63 pierrs precieuss incrustees dans le marbre blanc ! je ne resiste pas a reproduire les principaux motifs, ce qui permet d’apprecier encore plus le travail !
Evidement, je ne peux le quitter sans croquer Ze carte postale, le Taj se refletant dans le bassin….
Assis sur les marchs prêt de l’entrée, je ne passé evidement pas innapercu ! j’enchaine avec le fort et le tombeau d’Akbar a Sikandra, superbe aussi. Creve je decide quand meme de voir le Taj de l’autre cote de la riviere, a pied… c n’st ps la bonne saison pur voir ZE coucher du soleil derriere le Taj… mais bon c’est amusant, je traverse les champs, me trouve nez a nez avec un buffle. Celui ci n’apprecie pas a photo et semble vouloir me charger !! pas fait gaffe, j’ai une tunique Presque rouge !! heureusement de jeunes bergers sont pas loin, morts de rire font recuer la bete en furie… ouf !
Le reflet du Taj dans la Yamuna pas tres haute… bof, je rentre en cycle rickshaw.. quels mollets !!!
whaouh grasse mat 8h30 !! tour du cadran !!
Dernier bain de pollution sonore et reelle en rickshaw jusqu’a la gare routiere… dans ces trycicles a moteur on est juste a portee des pots d’echapement !!! Bus pour Fatehpur Sikri. Me revoila a la campagne, petit village avec des monuments etonnants ou j’ai en fait passé 2 jours, enfin Presque 3 meme… Le palais abandone et la mosquee sont superbes et j‘y ai passé evidment beucoup de temps, mais aussi beucoup de rencontres, des jeunes dans la rue qui me regardaient dessiner et surtout je suis alle chez le barbier le soir…moment bien sympa, et en discutant je rencontre un prof et lui dis qu j’ai 2 boites de cryons de couleur a donner, et lui dis que j’aierais bin voir l’ecole… donc le lendemain je pars a l’ecole avec lui a pied, sympa comme chemin pour aller bosser, on traverse les ruines fastueues de l’ancienne cite, tiens quelques singes nous regardent passent oisivment…. Je decouvre qu’en fait ajourd’hui est un jour ferie donc pas d’ecole !!!
Donc je decide de rester un jour de plus pour profiter de ce village bien sympa… pas envahi par les tourists…je me ballade dans les champs et croque un buffle a l’ombre d’un arbre en compagnie d’un vieux et son fils, qui veut me fair gouter son maigre repas… j’aime beaucoup ce tte tour de l’elephant, toute herissee de defenses en Pierre.. l’elephant prefere d’Akbar y repose en dessous… elle figurera aussi sur mon carnet !
Le barbier, Said {ici cela change, la plus part sont musulmans… dans le salon la TV pakistanaise crahe des qawalis, ces chants soufis poularises par Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan…] m’a file rencard a midi et m’invite a manger dans sa famille… toute la famille est la au grand complet, genial ! l’occasion de gouter aux excellents cookies faits pour ce jour de fete et l’halwah, sorte de semoule au raisins, sucree…
Bien sur Said demade a ce que je mote mes carnets a toute la famille…la mere me montre alors un portrait de sa mere, la peinture a l’huile est manquante par endroit…elle voudrait que je le restore ! Ce ne pourra etre que mieux donc je me lance… les crayons aquarelles ne sont pas tres indiques pour ca mais bon j’arrive quand meme a lui faire son 2eme oeil manquant… Pas convaicu du resultat ils me proposent de refaire un portrait !!
bon, c’est pas tout j’ai du boulot moi.. je me lance dans le croquis de la porte monumentale de la mosquee, en compagnie des jeunes vendurs de soda.. sympa il me donne un bout de gomme, les yeux exploses je termine croquis dans l’obscurite….
Decide a me coucher, je trouve sur la terrsse d ma guest house, un joueur de tabla exellent qui nous joue et chante des morceaux en hindi et en arabe, nous c’est un couple de Belges et moi… voila le moment musical du voyage…
…j’ai tellement vecu de chose que j’en avais oublie ma soif de musique !!! Deguster ces Malai kofta avec un joueur de tabla et la jeune flamande qui s’essaye a la danse indienne, je me sens comme un Maharadja ! Malgre mais yeux exploses, je ne resiste pas a croquer le musicos, dans tous mes carnets j’ai des instrumens de musique alors il ne faut pas rater l’occasion !! dans l’obscurite pas evident ! je me trompe meme de crayon et luifais une peau rouge !
Ce matin,
Petit dej chez mon ami le Barbier, je dois montrer mes nouveux dessins, tout le monde y a droit…son pere est la, imam de la mosquee…bien moins cher et hautement plus sympa de dejeuner dans la rue que dans l’hotel … chai a 2Rs , gateaux et bananes… moins de 10 roupies !!!
Je me rends donc a l’ecole avec Bashir, le prof, decouvre les gamins sans uniforme, il me demande de leur montrer les dessins et je fais pleins de photos que je lui promet de lui envoyer…les gamins sont tout excites….200 eleves pour 3 profs !!!
Je quitte donc Fatehpur Sikri avec la satisfaction d’avoir vu bien au dela des attraits touristiques du lieu…
Finalement pas de Bharatpur ni Mathura mais je ne regrettes pas…
Bus Fatehpur Sikri – Agra – Delhi…. Petites frayeurs… joli derapage pour ne pas enboutir un rickshaw ! Musique a fond la caisse, petit arret chapatti – dhal, a un feu Il suffit de tendre le bras par la fenetre pour avoir un petit bout de coco, …
6 heures plus tard me revoila a Delhi….
Plus qu 2 jours.. pour voir un peu plus de la ville et achetr plein de choses….
Quel haletant récit, écrit sous le coup des émotions... Pas un instant de perdu dans cette course frénétique dont tu nous décris si bien l'atmosphère bourdonnante... et l'extrême hospitalité des indiens.
Pour un premier bain dans cet immense pays, quelle réussite ! Tu en as bien pour une année à nous livrer ce somptueux Carnet rajpoute....
Bonnes journées à Delhi. Bon appétit ! A bientôt, sur ce forum...
Fabricia -
Comme une eau, le monde vous traverse et pour un temps vous prête ses couleurs... ("L'Usage du Monde" - Nicolas Bouvier)
Enfin des nouvelles, on commençait à se languir....
mais tout va bien, on déchiffre tes messages codés avec le plus grand plaisir 😉
j'ose à peine te souhaiter un bon retour 🙁
Seshat
Aimer s'instruire, être curieux, attentif, admirer, s'émouvoir, essayer de comprendre ce qui nous entoure... essayer de se coucher un peu moins con chaque soir !(Anna Gavalda)
Bon, tu es pardonne. Il faut bien en garder pour les annees qui suivent : Mathura, Bharatpur, Ajanta, Ellora, Mandu (tu vas adorer), Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Maheswar et tant d'autres cites merveilleuses.
Merci a vous tous pour vos reactions qui font bien plaisir...
journee bien rempli a DElhi...
Le Qutab MInar est reelement impressionnant j'ai adore... n'en deplaise au rickshawallah je n'aipas resiste au croquis... le red fort, bof... apres les merveilles deja vues j'aurais pu m'en passer ! Bien aime le temple Sik, petit oasis au milieu de la fourmilliere de Chandi chowk... a ecouter les qawalis accompagnes de tabla et harmonium... pas possible de finir l'aquarelle dans le temple, comme dans les temples jains l'eu n'est pas autorise...
Palais en feu avec un chicken masalanon spicy soit disant !!! heureusement un bon petit chai dans la rue fait un bon petit dessert, j'aime bien les regarder faire, la dexterite ave laquelle ils mixent the sucre lait... un regal, toujours pret a vous faire assoir... bon mon pantalon n'a pas trop aime le old delhi, je ne sais pas si je vais pouvoir le rattraper... a se faufiler entre les cycle rickshaw..bonjour le cambouis !! Quels enbouteillages... il faut les voir ces hommes a tirer et pousser des charettes avec des tonnes de sacs dessus, j'en ai vu avec sacs sur la tete !!!
je viens de marcher dans une p.... de m..... de vache !! Il y avait longtemps !!!
Bon demain, derniere journee en inde... consacre entirement aux achats, il faut voir les prix ici c'est hallucinant !!
Gros bisous a tous
oui jaisalmer ce voyage etait bien riche a souhait....
j'arrive a toulouse a dimanche, Mu vient me chercher et nous partons aussitot a un salon du livre entre toulouse et pau !! difficile de reprendre plus vite le boulot !! et lundi matin a l'agence... ca ca me plait moins deja !!
Et notre Philoud va nous revenir les yeux et la tête pleins de merveilles et de belles illustrations sur un super Carnet que nous allons tous lui acheter, n'est-ce pas, les forumistes ???
Bon retour à Pau, où tu vas retrouver ta gentille Mu. Bisous à vous deux...
A bientôt, sur les réseaux français... sans les ’.....
Fabricia -
Comme une eau, le monde vous traverse et pour un temps vous prête ses couleurs... ("L'Usage du Monde" - Nicolas Bouvier)
Bien content que ta visite au gurdwaara de Chandni Chowk t'ait plu. Les touristes sont rares à s'aventurer dans les sanctuaires sikhs, mais ceux qui en franchissent le pas en ressortent souvent ravis.
Juste pour ta gouverne et au cas où tu chercherais à te procurer des enregistrements, les chants que tu as entendus s'appellent des gurbani ("paroles de gourou"). Ne les cherche pas au rayon qawwali !
Enfin, c'est dommage qu'on ne t'ait pas laissé peindre dans le temple. Avais-tu demandé une autorisation ?
Bon retour !
Pyaasa
« Si ouverte que soit matériellement l'Inde aux Européens, aux voyageurs, aux commerçants, voire aux simples touristes, elle est loin, au sens profond des choses, d'être d'un accès facile. »
Maurice Maindron, 1898
Déjà rentré, dommage car nous aimions lire tes posts si pleins de bonnes choses et des couleurs de l'Inde.Mais les "carnets" sont là, tu vas pouvoir continuer à les alimenter 😎
Dernier jour à Delhi… il a fallu que je me fasse avoir….
Tout le voyage, j’ai tellement rencontré des gens sympas que je pensai à nouveau faire une super rencontre…mais bon rien de trop méchant finalement…
Arrivé un peu tot a Conaught place, tous les magasins sont fermés, un homme m’interpelle et me demande ce que j’atends, je lui parle d’un magasin de musique… il me dit qu’il est musicien, joue de l’harmonium et connaît un endroit ou il y plein de boutiques d’instruments de musique, moins cheres que le magasin ou je veux aller.. il habite pas loin et rentre en bus, se propose de m’y conduire…Tres sympa, il me parle de son boulot (alimenter la locomotive en charbon pour les trains de marchandises), de sa famille, on passe du temps dans les boutiques effectivement intéressantes, j’achete des tablas, des flutes… on va boire un chaï.. discute vraiment longtemps puis il me dit qu’il veut m’inviter chez lui a manger, me montrer son harmonium.. veux que je lui avance de l’argent qu’il me rendra a la maison, il veut acheter des bières sans alcool assez cheres, il veut que je lui prete 600 Rs, je trouve que ca fait beaucoup mais bon…surement manque de temps pour y réfléchir un peu plus, il part acheter ca et me laissées le rickshaw a attendre… une demi-heure plus tard, toujours pas revenu, le rickshawallah me demande alors si je le connais vraiment… quand je lui dis que je lui ai passé de l’argent et que je le connais que depuis ce matin.. il me dit qu’il ne faut plus compter le revoir… je patiente encore un moment puis fini par admettre qu’ils ont raisons !
Ah le salaud il m’a eu.. je n’en reviens pas…il a gagné la journée… pour moi ce n’est pas trop grave cela fait que 12 euros de perdu mais bon, je me sens comme un couillon et j’ai du mal a m’en remettre… Il aura fallu que ca m’arrive le dernier jour, c’est tant mieux !!
Mais cette petite mésaventure ne me fera pas changer mon opinion sur les indiens, ça non…
D’ailleurs dans l’avion, mon voisin intrigué de me voir écrire sur mon carnet, le consulte puis super sympa, me traduit tous mes messages en hindi, tache qu’il finira le lendemain, à 5h00 du mat à l’aéroport d’Amsterdam !!!
Et voilà, tout est bien fini…un voyage bien riche, peut être au delà de ce que j’en attendais, des images plein la tete et plein l’ordinateur maintenant !
Et l’envie de retourner dans ce pays magique…de toute façon toutes les choses ramenées sont là pour me rappeler l’Inde.. dans toutes les pièces de la maison…
J’ai modifié les messages codés en supprimant les codes pour un confort de lecture… (n'en déplaise à Nawal...😛)
Quand j’aurais le temps j’étofferai un peu les pages de ce carnet Indien, mais pour l’heure il me faut boucler le carnet Egypte Petra et faire le nouveau calendrier 2005.
En tout cas merci à vous tous et toutes, mes amis Fabricia, Parvat Simba, Snounit, Nawal, Lapetitmarie, Sofly, Nancy, Sawadeekha, Seshat, Mile, Sandrine, Cheryl, Douya, Vilcanota, Francois, Jaisalmer, Naaokth, Lepiaf, Pyaasa, Alan… pour votre soutien, pour vos petits mots qui faisaient bien plaisir à lire là bas et à relire ici un peu plus au calme…
Malheureusement je serais moins présent ces temps ci sur VF car je ne peux plus l’utiliser au boulot, j’en ai trop abusé !!!
vraiment il n'y a pas de quoi nous remercier, tout le plaisir était pour tes lecteurs, à qui tu livrais quasi en direct tes plus beaux moments.
J'ai ainsi pu voyager sur tes pas, et tu as un peu enfoncé le clou pour un futur voyage dans ce pays.
Seshat
Aimer s'instruire, être curieux, attentif, admirer, s'émouvoir, essayer de comprendre ce qui nous entoure... essayer de se coucher un peu moins con chaque soir !(Anna Gavalda)
😉 ...... Voyons, voyons ..... Cambodge certainement de nouveau, le Viet Nam quasiment sur, le Canada pour Voyage forum ...... hé non, je ne vois pas encore de place pour l'Inde l'année prochaine ....... c'est pas vrai, je dois le faire exprés ...... 😏
J'avoue qu'ici, j'ai un peu de mal parfois a penser aux pays qui ne sont pas ceux ou je suis en ce moment. J'ai commence a lire ton message et ... je n'aurais pas du. J'ai l'impression que les 4 annees qui me separent de mon dernier sejour en Inde n'ont pas existe, et que tout est la, a portee de main, les chants envoutants, les images, les sensations ...
Je regarde a cote de mon ecran apres avoir lu tes posts et je suis surprise de ne pas voir une vache ruminant un bout de carton, un vendeur de chai pas plus grand qu'un metre, un sari beau a couper le souffle...
C'est bien agreable et doux ce voyage haut en couleur que j'ai fait avec toi grace a internet, j'ai comme un gout de safran sur le bout de la langue ...
merci de nous avoir fait partager tes emotions indiennes !!
merci d'avoir fait remonter a la surface de ma memoire mon tout premier voyage : au rajasthan. c'etait il y a 10 ans tout juste. au fil des annees j'avais un peu oublie toutes ces merveilles pour ne retenir que les moments difficiles....
Et voilà, c'est enfin fait, je l'ai lu!!! Et quel bonheur de prolonger les récits commencés ce midi, pas étonnant de n'avoir pas vu le temps passé... Je comprends mieux ta dédicace (hé oui tout le monde, j'ai été la première à acheter son magnifique calendrier 2005 😛) et j'espère ne pas être envoûtée par mon prochain voyage là-bas, au point de vouloir y retourner chaque année au détriment de toutes les merveilles que j'ai encore à découvrir...
Tu as un style vraiment sympa. Tant pour le dessin que pour les textes. On a l'impression d'y être. Détails visuels, sonores... Ca permets aux petites gens comme moi qui ne peuvent voyager comme ils le souhaitent de partager un peu de tes expériences. C'est vrai que si tu jouais de l'harmonica ça nous simplifierait la tâche pour le 04/12 😉... tu ne veux pas t'y mettre d'ici là 😏 ?
Gros bisous petit globecroqueur et à très bientôt.
Tentez de vivre comme si chaque seconde était la dernière, en prenant conscience que nous ne sommes que locataires de notre belle planète...
Aye, j'ai fini mon periple a travers le fabuleux rajasthan.... j'ai decouvert a la fois un pays, l'inde, mais aussi son histoire... des monuments sompteux... mais surtout une population haute en couleur et le coeur sur la main... bref, je suis sur mon petit nuage depuis plus de 3 semaines...
Merci pour les infos pour ranakpur, je pense que c'est la plus belle chose que j'ai vu depuis que je voyage.. j'ai ete sidere par ce site... j'en ai de frisson rien qu'en y pensant ! et je regrette enormement de ne pas y etre reste dormir car Jodhpur a l'inverse nous a tellement assome que ns sommes partis direct à Udaipur ... mais qu'est ce que c'etait beau...
La foire aux chameaux de Pushkar est indescriptible.... bon ok ya plein de chameaux... mais a cote de ca tu retrouves la vie des hommes du desert... a Jaisalmer nous avions fait un camel safari de 2 jours (4 occidentaux sans aucun touristes... fabuleux) et nous avons retrouve la meme ambiance a pushkar pour te situer le niveau d'authencite de cette foire. Fabuleux !
Nous avons decide d'y aller au debut du coup la foire etait a nous !
Les pelerins commencaient a arriver... toutes les femmes rivalisent de couleurs et de chants... fabuleux... et j'ai bien pense a cette petite ville sur ma terrasse a Delhi ce vendredi 26/11 car c'etait le pleine lune....
En clair, c'est a faire !
Le rajasthan est Magic ....
Encore merci pour toutes tes infos...😏 ainsi qu'a tous ceux qui ont donne leurs avis sur VF.
Maintenant c'est a mon tour de rendre l'appareil !😉
"Toutes ces vaches sur la route", "j'apprécie le calme de l'endroit", "à profiter à fond des ambiances indiennes", "des contacts incroyables", "j'ai tellemnt rencontré de gens sympas", "j'ai tellement vécu de chose j'en ai oublié ma soif de musique", "j'ai encore ces chants envoûtant dans la tête", "toujours en charmante et agréable compagnies", "dernier bain de pollution sonore et réelle en rickshaw jusqu'à la gare routière", "je regrette déjà mon paradis", "cette petite mésaventure ne me fera pas changer mon opinion sur l'inde", "à part ça que du bonheur", "bon c'est pas tout j'ai du boulot moi...je me lance dans le croquis.."
Petite compilation (bric à brac) de tes ressentis et émotions qui témoignent bien de la richesse de ce pays tout aussi captivant que déroutant, merveilleux et pleins de paradoxes....en tout cas riche de sa population et son atmosphère bien particulière....merci Phil très joli carnet de route tout en simplicité et sensibilité................
Inde, attends moi.....bientôt je te rejoindrai...
"Il y a assez sur Terre pour répondre aux besoins de tous, mais pas assez pour satisfaire l'avidité de chacun" GHANDI"
"Heureux le voyageur, qui en parcourant le monde trouvera son âme et en s'ouvrant à lui trouvera son coeur"...
Bon quand est-ce que tu arrête de bavarder sur le forum avec les uns et les autres dont moi qui peut etre une incroyable bavarde dans les message privés.
Non sans blague, 😛 voilà plusieurs mois que tu es rentré, tu nous à tous fait baver d'envie en lisant ton récit, (même que je me demande ce que je vais bien pouvoir f.... en australie) tu parle d'aquarelles, de croquis, de dessin, d'un carnet à sortir...et, et, et ....tu te grouille SVP, moi je pars le 1ier novembre, alors j'espère que d'ici là, il sera sortie ce carnet plein de couleur, les couleurs de l'Inde. J'ai pas l'impression que je suis pas la seule, à attendre ça sortie.
Alors, vous autres forumistes est ce qu'on lui envoie une délégation, pour le surveiller, est ce qu'il faut qu'on l'enchaine à son travail???
😊😊😊 Euh, tu le prend pas mal? ???
J'ai tellement apprécié, ce que j'ai entrevue sur ton site que je me suis laissée emporter😛
Cool Zabinouk, reste cool, le Phil faut pas le brusquer...
Bon c'est vrai que chaque soir, en feuilletant le carnet Egypte/Petra, en regardant les dates sur le calendrier 2005, on se demande : "demain, est ce que demain notre divin globe-croqueur, demain, aura-t'il fini le tant attendu carnet indien?"
Et chaque matin, point de bonne nouvelle dans la boite au lettre ou sur le site, point de carnet indien...La faute a l'album du Mali, la faute au dessin a faire pour Mu, la faute au site web a mettre a jour, la faute a la faute...
Mais patience, un jour mon carnet viendra, un jour....
Bon, Phil, tu te grouilles un peu oui?! 😉
"Lorsque quelqu’un te blesse, tu devrais l’écrire sur le sable afin que le vent l’efface de ta mémoire mais lorsque quelqu’un fait quelque chose de bon pour toi, tu dois l’écrire sur la pierre afin que le vent ne l’efface jamais."
Proverbe Touareg
😛C'est de sa faute.... entièrement de sa faute....
Fallait pas qui me pousse à lire ces carnets de voyages sur le forum😛😛😛. J'aurais pas eu envie d'en voir plus, des couleurs, des couleurs, je veut des couleurs, Siouplais môssieur Philoud, vite😏😏
J'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à lire ton carnet de voyage.
Malheureusement, je n'ai pas pris autant de plaisir que toi lors de mon voyage. Je suppose que je suis encore trop jeune. Toute cette pauvreté, et surtout l'attitude de la plupart des touristes qui semble ignorer tout ça. Je sais que la pire des attitudes est d'avoir l'air compatissant mais de là à ignorer tous ces gens qui souffre!
Je pense avoir vu le vrai visage de l'Inde en voyageant par les moyens locaux et en privilégiant les Guest house aux hotels excentrés. Mais qui dire de ces TO qui évitent soigneusement tous les lieux qui pourraient choquer ou blesser le troupeau de touristes qu'il transporte.
C'est un pays que je compte refaire mais d'ici quelques années.
Merci, j'ai pû enfin dire ce que j'avais à dire, j'espère que tu me comprends.
moi qui étais impatiente d'aller en inde cet été....maintenant je le suis encore plus.
je te dis un grand bravo et un grand merci car tu sais captiver l'attention avec tes histoires envoutantes. je te remercie aussi d'avoir si gentillement répondu à mes questions sur VF.
bonne chance pour la suite de tes aventures que je pourrai suivre désormais car malheureusement ça fait peu de tps que j'ai découvert ce forum.
merci pour ta gentillesse je suis entrain de lire tes récits et c'est vraiment génial, je sens déjà des odeurs et vois certaines couleurs.................a plus tard
merci pour cette info.........je pense aux milliers de personnes mortes de bombay............c'est vraiment tres triste, les plus pauvres sont toujours touchés par les catastrophes naturels...
a bientôt LEPIAF
Octobre 2005 :
Le Carnet de Route Inde-Rajasthan de Phil64 que nous attendions tous est enfin édité !
C'est un vrai plaisir de lire ce long récit : style d'écriture vif et sensible, magnifiques dessins en couleurs, descriptions très pointues des monuments grâce au regard du spécialiste en architecture.
Et puis tous ces messages écrits par les nombreuses personnes croisées en chemin par l'auteur ajoutent une note chaleureuse tout au long des pages.
J'ai retrouvé dans cet ouvrage la gentillesse, la curiosité, l'attention aux autres et le respect que Phil témoigne à tous, jeunes ou vieux, pauvres ou riches...
Fabricia -
Comme une eau, le monde vous traverse et pour un temps vous prête ses couleurs... ("L'Usage du Monde" - Nicolas Bouvier)
Depuis peu je me suis inscrite sur ce site et je me régale de lire à vous tous et toutes vos carnets de voyages.
Je vais dans quelques mois, à mon tour, (enfin !!!) fouler cette terre indienne dont je rêve depuis tellement longtemps. Je vais aller au Rajasthan en Mars prochain avec une jeune femme que j'ai rencontré dans ce forum et il me tarde tellement.
En attendant ce moment je me contente de participer à des manifestations organisées en France comme la journée France-Inde de Samedi dernier à la Courneuve.
Au plaisir de te lire. Puis-je avoir de ta part quelques conseils, adresses d'hôtels qui t'ont branché ???
Sylvie
Ecrire est un acte d'amour. S'il ne l'est pas, il n'est qu'écriture
Pour ceux qui les découvrirait maintenant, voici le recit de mon voyage en 2004, à la suite et sans trop de fautes, je rappelle que cela a été écrit sur place, donc pas retravaillé...
il y est fait quelques réferences au messages postés ça et là par les amis de VF...(que vous pouvez lire plus haut...)
22 août 2004
Namaste,
Ca y est me voila a Delhi... Je vais faire bref pour profiter au maximum de tout ça...
Juste une impression : arrivée tardive hier soir, toutes ces vaches sur la route vu du taxi, et encore plus nombreux, les rickshaws wallahs qui dorment dans leur gagne pain...
Et la ce matin, découvrir la vie grouillante des rues de Delhi....
le pied !
Bisous à vous tous,
A bientôt
Phil
23 août 2004
Seul ombre au tableau le clavier américain et en plus quand les touches sont effacées...
A part ça Que du bonheur !!!
Je reviens d’une cérémonie "Om Shiva....." J’ai pensé à toi Parvat, ils m'ont laissé assister a la cérémonie, que de couleurs ! Des hommes ont décoré un autel avec des fleurs oranges, blanches, jaunes, fushia... et tout autour femmes, hommes, musiciens, chantant, tapant dans les mains...des chant superbes ! J’ai pu croquer ça en direct... Les gens sont adorables partout, ils vous font goûter leur bouff dans le train... Même a Delhi, franchement, rien vu de tout ce que j’avais lu ou entendu...
Jaisalmer était la à la gare cet aprem, 3 heures a poireauter, car le train a eu 3 h de retard... Amusant d’avoir un ami de VF qui vous attend ici, au bout du monde... !
La citadelle est stupéfiante de beauté, il me tarde demain pour découvrir tout ça...
2 jours à peine et déjà tant de choses a raconter...
L'image la plus forte pour l'instant c'est de voir ces femmes avec leur saris magnifiques aux couleurs stupéfiantes au milieu de la crasse et des enchevêtrements de rickshaws, taxis, charrettes dans les rues de Delhi... Etonnant !
Mais la cérémonie, c’était quelque chose aussi... J'ai encore ces chants envoûtants en tête...
Bon je vous laisse car il faut que j’écrive tout ça sur mon carnet...
Bisous a vous...
Namaskar
Phil
27 août 2004
Et oui l'Inde c'est aussi ça... Je viens de taper un long message et pufff coupure de courant !!!
Je disais donc...
Namaste !
Jaisalmer , son nom de Carcassonne du désert n'est pas usurpé, mais il faut rajouter les femmes en saris multicolores, les hommes si beaux aussi avec leur moustaches, leur turbans colorés et leur boucles d'oreilles... Les vaches, les odeurs bonnes ou mauvaises... Encore que la cité soit relativement clean... Et puis franchement la finesse de l'architecture surpasse de loin Carcassonne...
Oui, Mile, tu as raison... Devant la Patwon ki Haveli, j'ai bien hésité avant de sortir le crayon, devant une façade pareille... Mais bon, je m'y suis risqué...
Si je continue sur la lancée, le carnet 2004 sera plutôt un bon cru et coloré for the first time... Déjà 33 pages, et presque 10 fois plus de photos.... Tout est si esthétique ici !
C'est Sandrine qui va me gronder, car je n'ai pas encore croqué de femmes ou d'hommes... Moins évident qu'un temple ou une façade...
Nancy, avec ce que j'ai vu du temple Jain de Jaisalmer, j'ai hâte d'être à Ranakpur !
Je reviens de Khuri, village du désert sympa, nous étions les seuls a y dormir avec 2 barcelonais
Merci pour tous vos petits mots sympas, ça fait plaisir à lire d'ici...
Gros bisous a tous !!
Je vais boire un makanya lassi à votre santé... [ la mienne tient bon pour l'instant pourtant je ne me prive pas pour manger local...]
Phil
30 août 2004
Me voici a Jodhpur !
J’ai fait une rencontre incroyable !
Hier je visitais le fort de Jodhpur. Le panorama des remparts est hallucinant, voir toutes ces maisons bleues, impressionnant... J’ai fait une aquarelle des meurtrières du petit temple hindou.. Tout le monde venait me voir, les gens voulaient être pris en photo. J’ ai une toute une classe d’écoliers et leur prof, puis des jeunes d’une école Rajpoute spéciale... Des femmes avec leur saris jaunes oranges violets... Toutes les couleurs !
J’ai eu un bon contact avec le personnel de l’entrée du fort, spécialement avec une charmante jeune fille. J’ai donc montré mon dessin a tout le monde, du coup, ils sont allés chercher un monsieur...
Ce monsieur est un homme respectable, artiste, conteur, il écrit des poèmes, raconte des tas d’histoire sur le fort et surtout, il est très respecté car il est de sang royal, puisque le père de son grand-père était le Maharadja de Bikaner, rien que ça !
Me voilà donc à me balader avec cet homme que tout le monde salue et touche la jambe en signe de respect.. Aujourd’hui, jour de Durghadas, on célèbre un grand guerrier Rajpoute, alors me voila avec mon nouvel ami convié à me joindre a la procession avec fanfare (heureusement la musique est plus près des bandas de Bayonne que des marches militaires...), les écoliers devant, les écoliers rajpoutes avec leur turban orange, la fanfare, nous et quelques gens du palais et une jeep qui transporte un grand portrait du guerrier en question... et des messieurs respectables...
Vraiment étrange de se retrouver là, tout le monde super bien habillé et moi, comme on peut l’être quand on voyage ici.... Mais pas de problème selon mon ami qui arbore une superbe moustache blanche et un turban coloré magnifique ! Nous descendons le fort par derrière et sillonnons la ville, tout le monde nous regarde passer aux fenêtres, dans la rue, certains viennent saluer, offrent des fleurs, des graines de cardamomes à sucer... Une bien particulière façon de découvrir cette ville aux maisons bleues ! Nous traversons la vieille ville et une voiture ambassador climatisée nous emmène à l’hôtel de ville, en compagnie de Monsieur le directeur de la culture de Jodhpur, himself !
Me voila à l’hôtel de ville, dans les premiers rangs, vous allez rire, juste derrière la maharani que plein de photographes viennent mitrailler… Car le Maharadja est là et c’est pas tous les jours qu’on peut le voir... Après des discours à n’en plus finir ou ils récompensent différentes personnalités de la ville, on a droit à des scènes de théâtre, moi je m’endors presque sur ma chaise... Je suis arrivé du train à 5h30 ce matin !
Et aujourd’hui, mon ami m’a invité à prendre le breakfeast chez lui dans le fort (dahl. paratha et rice), puis je lui ai fait son portrait et il a tenu a me faire une aquarelle du petit temple hindou dans mon carnet. Il m’a aussi permis de monter sur les remparts fermés aux visiteurs, d’où la vue sur les maisons bleues est exceptionnelle... Puis il m’a offert une de ses peintures…
Enfin, je suis bien content de voir qu’ici en Inde je peux aussi vivre ce pays à ma manière, différemment de ces touristes qui se plaignent du harcèlement. Moi, tout le monde me salue, me sourit… Le pied quoi !!
Alors, c’est sûr, je n’aurais pas vu tous les trucs à voir ici à Jodhpur, mais bon, ces moments valent bien une visite...
Demain matin, 5h30, bus pour Ranakpur, la campagne et surtout un temple Jain merveilleux...
Bisous a tous
Phil
02 septembre 2004
Me revoilou….
Bon, ça va être dur de faire bref et pourtant vous comprendrez aisément que je ne tiens pas à passer la soirée devant l’écran…. Mais j’ai pitié de vous qui êtes si loin alors voila la suite…
Il se passe trop de chose… Sitôt sorti du net café, je m’assieds dans la rue, face a une de ces belle façade bleue de Jodhpur.. Evidement je ne reste pas seul longtemps, on m’offre le chai, de la fenêtre au dessus de celle que je dessine, une jolie demoiselle ma fait un sourire comme les indiennes savant si bien faire… Je lui montre le dessin de loin, elle sourit de plus belle et m’invite a monter dans sa maison ! Le temps de finir, un homme arrive, se dit artiste et veut me faire un dessin dans mon carnet. Ok, puis je rentre dans la maison… Toute la famille est là, chai, gâteaux, épices, elle me montre toutes les pièces de la maison. Je reste 3 heures a discuter, elle et son frère dessinent aussi super bien, donc ils laissent une trace dans mon carnet…
Bus pour Ranakpur…. Je dors tout le trajet et me réveille, surprise en pleine montagne, tout est vert, il fait bon… Le désert parait si loin…
Je suis le seul à descendre… Je pensais trouver un village… Pas du tout, juste l’ensemble de temples et un petit boui boui… J’y déjeune : chai et pakori, délicieux beignets au piment et aux herbes… Excellent !
RANAKPUR… J’y suis resté 3 jours !!! Donc, j’ai peur de ne pas être objectif en en parlant…. Lieu magique, assurément l’une des plus belles choses qui m’ait été donnée de voir avec Petra et Borobudur….
Et je me suis forcé à en partir, car je veux aussi voir d’autres choses… Mais j’étais tellement bien !!! Pas un bruit, pleine nature, des singes partout… Des gens adorables et l’un des plus beaux temples, ou monuments du monde…
Imaginez… Une foret de 1444 piliers de marbre ciselés comme de la dentelle soutenant des coupoles, une orgie de décors floraux, géométriques, éléphants, singes, oiseaux… personnages, dieux, musiciens…. Et le tout sans lourdeur aucune, de quoi en avoir le vertige, tout en marbre blanc !
Je quitte Ranakpur avec la sensation d’avoir profité à fond du site où tous les gardes, prêtres, grand prêtre, moines, sont devenus mes amis… Autant de moments magiques en si peu de temps cela ne m’était jamais arrivé ! Boire le chai avec les gardes, discuter de longs moments avec le grand prêtre et sa famille… J’ai dormi dans le dharmasha, la où dorment les moines et les pèlerins... Cellule de 2m sur 2m pour 10 Roupies (1.20 F), J’ai mangé les meilleurs repas pour l’instant en Inde au réfectoire pour 17 Rs !! J’ai déjeuné 3 matins de suite dans le même petit boui boui au bord de la route et chaque fois, des jeunes attendant le bus m’on fait partager leur repas et ont voulu que je les prenne en photo…
Des contacts incroyables… Leur hochement de tête en souriant quand je leur montrais mes carnets… (ce qui ont été en Inde comprendront ce que je veux dire)
Je n’ai jamais dessiné autant qu’ici : 13 aquarelles en 3 jours… Assis confortablement sur le marbre, toujours en charmante et agréable compagnie, de nombreux écrits en hindi en témoignent dans mon carnet… Oui, le carnet indien est un bon cru et je me demande pourquoi je n’ai pas utilisé la couleur avant… Il faut que je retourne à Petra, Borobudur, l’Alhambra et les autres avec mes crayons… c’est tellement plus facile et le résultat tellement plus… J’ai réussi a m’affranchir totalement de l’encre : dans mes premières aquarelles, j’ai jugé nécessaire de souligner a l’encre, mais maintenant, touché par la grâce de Ranakpur, c’est fini ! J’ai même pour la première fois dessiné de mémoire la vision magique du temple se découpant sur le ciel couvert de milliers d’étoiles… Allongé sur le marbre, seul…
Enfin je suis pas resté longtemps car hier soir, un léopard est venu dans l’enceinte même du temple et a dévoré 3 chiens ! Eh oui, on est en Inde… De même, ils ont vu un grand cobra noir pas loin. Mais le grand prêtre m’a mis un bracelet à chaque bras en récitant des mantras pour me protéger contre les serpents pour que je puisse croquer le temple du petit sanctuaire… Ca a marché !!
De toutes facon je ne peux pas vous raconter tout, car chaque instant fut vécu a 300 % !
Bus entre Ranakpur et Udaipur, paysages superbes, montagnes vertes, végétation florissante, des taches roses, mauves, jaunes dans les champs , des buffles par centaines, des charrues, des norias….
Me voila à nouveau à la ville, je regrette déjà mon paradis… Et en plus, le lac est à sec paraît-il… Pas encore vu, je verrai demain…
Bon je vous laisse…
Bon courage a vous
Gros bisous
Je comprends mieux les carnets de Parvat où elle semblait sur son petit nuage : tout le monde il est beau, tout le monde il est gentil… Mais pour moi, c’est la même chose, je plane complet !!
Je pense que pour le prochain voyage, je n’ai pas à beaucoup chercher… Bilan des 12 jours : 100 euros à peine de dépensés , 73 pages remplies, 30 dessins et aquarelles, plus de 600 photos !!!! Combien de mains serrées, de sourires, de chai offerts… Là, je peux pas conter… et la santé qui tient bon !
Bon allez, je vous laisse cette fois !
Phil
04 septembre 2004
Me revoilou en direct de Jaipur, la cité rose !
Mais avant... Udaipur, que j’ai découvert hier. Effectivement, le lac est quasi à sec… Drôle de vision que de voir des buffles paîtrent au fond du lac !! Je me suis fait une bref ballade : je pensais faire le tour du lac pour voir le city palace en face, je pensais visiter le city palace…, mais rien de tout ça ! Quasiment rien vu d’Udaipur à cause d’une charmante tchèque, Katerina, rencontrée dans un cyber café. Nous avons passé la journée ensemble, une bonne partie dans une boutique de cuir, à regarder ses amis, des jeunes, confectionner des carnets… Couverture cuir, motifs réalises au poinçon, papier fait main… Superbe !! Je me suis fait faire une couverture pour mon carnet, sur mesure… et me suis laissé tenter par des albums photos magnifiques. De quoi mettre en valeur les photos ! Il va falloir trier vu le nombre et ça va être dur ! Beaucoup plus de photos de scènes de rues, de portraits, que de cartes postales touristiques... Les gens adorent se faire prendre, surtout avec le numérique ! Après un petit tour dans les rues de la vielle ville, nous sommes allés découvrir les merveilles des miniatures.
Udaipur est la ville spécialisée dans l’art des miniatures.. et là, c’est bluffant ! Pour moi qui m’intéresse au dessin et à la couleur, c’est énorme le travaille ! Quand on prend une loupe, on n’en croit pas ses yeux ! Le portefeuille a accusé le coup de cette journée mercantile, mais je ne regrette pas : plein de petits cadeaux en perspective ! Dommage, Katerina n’as pas voulu m’accompagner à Jaipur…
Génial, le carnet d’adresses s’élargit : Barcelone, Pologne, Angleterre, Prague…
Les trajets en train sont bien efficaces, au lieu de dormir dans une guesthouse, paf, on se retrouve 500 km plus loin au petit matin !
JAIPUR, capitale du Rajasthan, trafic énorme où se côtoient motos, vélos, rickshaws , quelques rares voitures, charrettes tirées par des vaches, dromadaires… Tiens, un éléphant !
Evidemment, le palais des vents, le monument le plus célèbre vaut le coup d’œil, même si on préférait le découvrir au détour d’une ruelle : il est sur le bord d’un grand boulevard !! Si je suis en forme, je lui tirerai le portrait demain, mais j’avoue qu’elle m’impressionne la bête !
Ville de 2.5 millions habitants, mais la montagne n’est pas loin... Rien à voir avec Delhi ! D’une des portes de la ville rose, on se retrouve en quelques minutes en montagne : Vallée de Galta, lieu paisible à 10 000 lieue des avenues bruyantes, temples enserrés dans une gorge, des singes par centaines et même milliers ! Partout des macaques et les fruits : banane et délicieux jus d’orange dégusté le temps que le gars me recousait mes sandales à même le trottoir…
Demain, forteresse d’Amber et environs… Train de nuit pour Agra… Je pense que je vais écouter la polonaise rencontrée à Ranakpur et aller à Varanasi .
Voilou la suite des aventures…
Gros bisous a tous
Phil
09 septembre 2004
Me revoilà à la case départ : Delhi. A peine 2 jours à profiter à fond de ces ambiances indiennes… Non, je n’irais pas a Varanasi, car ça fait trop de train pour si peu de temps.. Je le garde pour un autre voyage pour ne pas le bâcler… Pas de Barathpur comme prévu, ni de Mathura.
Je reviens ou j’en étais…
Le cinéma, c’était quelque chose : salle très moderne et très propre. J’aurais préféré un film romantique vraiment typique de bollywood… Celui-ci était un film d’action, une espèce de « Taxi » à l’indienne avec des motos et des filles peu habillées dansant sous la pluie. Le kitsch indien était bien au rendez-vous avec des bruitages et des ralentis à n’en plus finir, style comédie musicale. Les gens criant et applaudissant dans la salle… Un régal !!
2eme jour à Jaipur bien rempli : la forteresse d’Amber est effectivement superbe et très impressionnante ! Ca fait aussi du bien de quitter le brouhaha des avenues de Jaipur…
Je m’offre le soir un peu de viande, il y avait longtemps ! Mais pour le carnivore que je suis, ça ne me manquait presque pas ! Le poulet tandoori est succulent, avec les sauces… Un grand luxe, le repas a 250 Rs (5 euros), 3 fois le prix habituel !
Me revoilà sur liste d’attente pour le train pour Agra : 19 ième cette fois ! Total : je découvre qu’on est 2 sur une banquette de couloir, soit moins longue que celles de compartiments ! Je m demande comment j’ai fait pour dormir… Et heureusement, je me réveille en sursaut à 5 h00 en arrivant dans une grande ville. Apparemment, Agra je suppose… Impossible de savoir si mon voisin de couchette dit oui ou non ! Je descends en me disant que je pourrai toujours remonter… C’est bon, j’y suis !
Vite, sans plus attendre, je me rends au Taj Mahal pour profiter des moments calmes. Déjà du monde à 6h15 ! Même si on connaît par cœur l’image du monument, de le voir en vrai, là, pour de bon, l’émotion est au rendez-vous ! Sur son socle, dans cette écrin de verdure, quelle contraste avec l’extérieur de l’enceinte ! Les décorations en « pierra dura » m’impressionnent, surtout celle de l’intérieur du tombeau. Pas moins de 63 pierres précieuses incrustées dans le marbre blanc ! Je ne résiste pas à reproduire les principaux motifs, ce qui permet d’apprécier encore plus le travail… Evidement, je ne peux le quitter sans croquer Ze carte postale : le Taj se reflétant dans le bassin.
Assis sur les marches près de l’entrée, je ne passe évidement pas inaperçu !
J’enchaîne avec le fort et le tombeau d’Akbar à Sikandra. Superbe aussi ! Crevé, je décide quand même de voir le Taj de l’autre côté de la rivière à pied. C’est pas la bonne saison pur voir ZE coucher de soleil derrière le Taj, mais bon… C’est amusant, je traverse les champs, me retrouve nez a nez avec un buffle ! Celui ci n’apprécie pas la photo et semble vouloir me charger !! Pas fait gaffe, j’ai une tunique presque rouge !! Heureusement, de jeunes bergers sont pas loin. Morts de rire, ils font reculer la bête en furie… Ouf !
Le reflet du Taj dans la Yamuna pas très haute… Bof, je rentre en cycle rickshaw.. Quels mollets !!!
Whaouh ! Grasse mat’ jusqu’à 8h30 !! Tour du cadran !!
Dernier bain de pollution sonore et réel en rickshaw jusqu’à la gare routière. Dans ces tricycles à moteur, on est juste à portée des pots d’échapement !!!
Bus pour Fatehpur Sikri. Me revoilà a la campagne : petit village avec des monuments étonnants où j’ai en fait passé 2 jours, presque 3 même. Le palais abandonné et la mosquée sont superbes et j’y ai passé évidement beaucoup de temps, mais aussi beaucoup de rencontres : des jeunes dans la rue qui me regardaient dessiner et surtout, je suis allé chez le barbier le soir. Moment bien sympa… En discutant, je rencontre un prof et lui dis que j’ai 2 boites de crayons de couleur à donner et lui dis que j’aimerais bien voir l’école. Donc, le lendemain je pars à pied pour l’école avec lui.
Sympa comme chemin pour aller bosser… On traverse les ruines fastueuses de l’ancienne cité. Tiens, quelques singes nous regardent passer oisivement. Je découvre qu’en fait aujourd’hui est un jour férié donc, pas d’école !!! Donc, je décide de rester un jour de plus pour profiter de ce village bien sympa, pas envahi par les touristes. Je me balade dans les champs et croque un buffle à l’ombre d’un arbre en compagnie d’un vieux et son fils qui veut me faire goûter son maigre repas. J’aime beaucoup cette tour de l’éléphant, toute hérissée de défenses en pierre… L’éléphant préféré d’Akbar y repose en dessous. Elle figurera aussi sur mon carnet !
Le barbier, Said {ici cela change, la plupart sont musulmans. Dans le salon, la TV pakistanaise crache des qawalis, ces chants soufis popularisés par Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]. Il m’a filé rencard à midi et m’invite à manger dans sa famille. Elle est là au grand complet, génial ! L’occasion de goûter aux excellents cookies faits pour ce jour de fête et l’halwah, sorte de semoule sucrée aux raisins…
Bien sûr, Said demande à ce que je montre mes carnets à toute la famille. La mère me montre alors un portrait de sa mère : la peinture à l’huile est manquante par endroits. Elle voudrait que je le restore ! Ca ne pourra être que mieux, donc je me lance. Les crayons aquarelles ne sont pas très indiqués pour ça, mais bon, j’arrive quand même à lui faire son 2eme oeil manquant… Pas convaincus du restant, ils me proposent de refaire un portrait !!
Bon, c’est pas tout, mais j’ai du boulot moi… Je me lance dans le croquis de la porte monumentale de la mosquée, en compagnie des jeunes vendeurs de soda… Sympa ! Ils me donnent un bout de gomme. J’ai laissé la mienne à Amber… J’ai les yeux explosés : je termine le croquis dans l’obscurité…
Décidé à me coucher, je trouve sur la terrasse de ma guesthouse, un joueur de tabla excellent qui nous joue et chante des morceaux en hindi et en arabe. Nous, c’est un couple de Belges et moi. Voilà le moment musical du voyage ! J’ai tellement vécu de choses que j’en avais oublié ma soif de musique !!! Déguster ces malai kofta avec un joueur de tabla et la jeune flamande qui s’essaye à la danse indienne, je me sens comme un Maharadjah ! Malgré mes yeux explosés, je ne résiste pas a croquer le musicien. Dans tous mes carnets, j’ai des instruments de musique, alors il ne faut pas rater l’occasion !! Mais dans l’obscurité, pas évident ! Je me trompe même de crayon et lui fais une peau rouge !
Ce matin, petit déjeuner chez mon ami le Barbier. Je dois montrer mes nouveaux dessins, tout le monde y a droit : son père est là, l’imam de la mosquée… Bien moins cher et autrement plus sympa de déjeuner dans la rue que dans l’hôtel ! Chai a 2Rs , gâteaux et bananes : moins de 10 roupies !!!
Je me rends donc à l’école avec Bashir, le prof, et découvre les gamins sans uniforme. Bashir me demande de leur montrer les dessins et je fais plein de photos que je lui promets de lui envoyer. Les gamins sont tout excités : 200 élèves pour 3 profs !!!
Je quitte donc Fatehpur Sikri avec la satisfaction d’avoir vu bien au-delà des attraits touristiques du lieu… Finalement, pas de Bharatpur, ni Mathura, mais je ne regrette pas !
Bus pour Fatehpur Sikri, puis Agra, Delhi… Petites frayeurs : joli dérapage pour ne pas emboutir un rickshaw ! Musique à fond la caisse, petit arrêt chapatti et dhal à un feu. Il suffit de tender le bras par la fenêtre pour avoir un petit bout de coco… 6 heures plus tard, me revoilà à Delhi&. Plus que 2 jours pour voir un peu plus de la ville et acheter plein de choses… !
Bon, je vous laisse, j’ai envie de viande…
Gros bisous
Phil
10 septembre 2004
Dernier message !!
Merci a vous tous pour vos reactions qui font bien plaisir...
journee bien rempli a DElhi...
Le Qutab MInar est reelement impressionnant j'ai adore... n'en deplaise au rickshawallah je n'aipas resiste au croquis... le red fort, bof... apres les merveilles deja vues j'aurais pu m'en passer ! Bien aime le temple Sik, petit oasis au milieu de la fourmilliere de Chandi chowk... a ecouter les qawalis accompagnes de tabla et harmonium... pas possible de finir l'aquarelle dans le temple, comme dans les temples jains l'eu n'est pas autorise...
Palais en feu avec un chicken masalanon spicy soit disant !!! heureusement un bon petit chai dans la rue fait un bon petit dessert, j'aime bien les regarder faire, la dexterite ave laquelle ils mixent the sucre lait... un regal, toujours pret a vous faire assoir... bon mon pantalon n'a pas trop aime le old delhi, je ne sais pas si je vais pouvoir le rattraper... a se faufiler entre les cycle rickshaw..bonjour le cambouis !! Quels enbouteillages... il faut les voir ces hommes a tirer et pousser des charettes avec des tonnes de sacs dessus, j'en ai vu avec sacs sur la tete !!!
je viens de marcher dans une p.... de m..... de vache !! Il y avait longtemps !!!
Bon demain, derniere journee en inde... consacre entirement aux achats, il faut voir les prix ici c'est hallucinant !!
Gros bisous a tous
oui jaisalmer ce voyage etait bien riche a souhait....
j'arrive a toulouse a dimanche, Mu vient me chercher et nous partons aussitot a un salon du livre entre toulouse et pau !! difficile de reprendre plus vite le boulot !! et lundi matin a l'agence... ca ca me plait moins deja !!
15 septembre 2004
Me revoilà....
Dernier jour à Delhi… il a fallu que je me fasse avoir….
Tout le voyage, j’ai tellement rencontré des gens sympas que je pensai à nouveau faire une super rencontre…mais bon rien de trop méchant finalement…
Arrivé un peu tot a Conaught place, tous les magasins sont fermés, un homme m’interpelle et me demande ce que j’atends, je lui parle d’un magasin de musique… il me dit qu’il est musicien, joue de l’harmonium et connaît un endroit ou il y plein de boutiques d’instruments de musique, moins cheres que le magasin ou je veux aller.. il habite pas loin et rentre en bus, se propose de m’y conduire…Tres sympa, il me parle de son boulot (alimenter la locomotive en charbon pour les trains de marchandises), de sa famille, on passe du temps dans les boutiques effectivement intéressantes, j’achete des tablas, des flutes… on va boire un chaï.. discute vraiment longtemps puis il me dit qu’il veut m’inviter chez lui a manger, me montrer son harmonium.. veux que je lui avance de l’argent qu’il me rendra a la maison, il veut acheter des bières sans alcool assez cheres, il veut que je lui prete 600 Rs, je trouve que ca fait beaucoup mais bon…surement manque de temps pour y réfléchir un peu plus, il part acheter ca et me laissées le rickshaw a attendre… une demi-heure plus tard, toujours pas revenu, le rickshawallah me demande alors si je le connais vraiment… quand je lui dis que je lui ai passé de l’argent et que je le connais que depuis ce matin.. il me dit qu’il ne faut plus compter le revoir… je patiente encore un moment puis fini par admettre qu’ils ont raisons !
Ah le salaud il m’a eu.. je n’en reviens pas…il a gagné la journée… pour moi ce n’est pas trop grave cela fait que 12 euros de perdu mais bon, je me sens comme un couillon et j’ai du mal a m’en remettre… Il aura fallu que ca m’arrive le dernier jour, c’est tant mieux !!
Mais cette petite mésaventure ne me fera pas changer mon opinion sur les indiens, ça non…
D’ailleurs dans l’avion, mon voisin intrigué de me voir écrire sur mon carnet, le consulte puis super sympa, me traduit tous mes messages en hindi, tache qu’il finira le lendemain, à 5h00 du mat à l’aéroport d’Amsterdam !!!
Et voilà, tout est bien fini…un voyage bien riche, peut être au delà de ce que j’en attendais, des images plein la tete et plein l’ordinateur maintenant !
Et l’envie de retourner dans ce pays magique…de toute façon toutes les choses ramenées sont là pour me rappeler l’Inde.. dans toutes les pièces de la maison…
J’ai modifié les messages codés en supprimant les codes pour un confort de lecture… (n'en déplaise à Nawal...😛)
Quand j’aurais le temps j’étofferai un peu les pages de ce carnet Indien, mais pour l’heure il me faut boucler le carnet Egypte Petra et faire le nouveau calendrier 2005.
En tout cas merci à vous tous et toutes, mes amis Fabricia, Parvat Simba, Snounit, Nawal, Lapetitmarie, Sofly, Nancy, Sawadeekha, Seshat, Mile, Sandrine, Cheryl, Douya, Vilcanota, Francois, Jaisalmer, Naaokth, Lepiaf, Pyaasa, Alan… pour votre soutien, pour vos petits mots qui faisaient bien plaisir à lire là bas et à relire ici un peu plus au calme…
Malheureusement je serais moins présent ces temps ci sur VF car je ne peux plus l’utiliser au boulot, j’en ai trop abusé !!!
Me voila en direct de Delhi, minuit passe, au moins 30 degres... Je voulais poster le debut de ce carnet de France mais je n'ai pu trouver le temps, donc le…
Ca y est me voilà parti pour un nouveau voyage...Cela m’a bien plu de vous le faire partager en direct l’an passé, recevoir vos petits mots sympas, alors…
Me voilà depuis 3 jours dans la région Tamil Nadu, en solo et en indépendant: sac à dos (enfin petite valise cabine + petit sac à dos), transports publics,…
1 an autour de la planete, et nous basculons des montagnes nepalaises dans l'envoutante spiritualite indienne... (pour les photos www.lespiedssurterre... Mardi…
Nous voici de retour de 15 jours dans le nord de l'Inde. Pour notre 6ième visite dans ce pays, nous avons navigué entre l'Uttar et le Madhya Pradesh et on peut…
If you're looking for great tips and offbeat spots, if you love exploring uncharted parts of a country, if the exotic is your adrenaline, then move along!
Our 15 days in early May in this part of Turkey (a country I first discovered during a city trip to Istanbul in 2017) will only tread well-worn paths and revisit popular routes. Simply because I kept hoping until the very end that our flight to Jordan wouldn’t be canceled. Events in the Gulf proved me wrong, so we left with:
Zero preparation.
Not a single hotel booked (well, except the first one), no visits planned, just a flight ticket bought three weeks earlier. No guidebook, no app—just the desire to explore southern Turkey and Cappadocia, whose images and the chance to stretch our legs had caught my eye.
Oh, wait—I did bring along a new guide: Gemini! Yes, my friends, generative AI was my chief advisor throughout the trip for sites to visit, accommodations, routes, and even restaurants! An experiment I wanted to try to form my own opinion on using this new technology. And what better way to test it than a Turkish getaway?
The verdict? You’ll have to wait for the trip recap to find out!
The main idea of the trip is also relaxation.
So, the plan is Antalya for a few days, the Turkish Riviera for a few more, Cappadocia as the highlight, and a return via Antalya to wrap up the trip. And it was all planned by AI!
So, if you're ready, fasten your seatbelts—cabin crew, doors to automatic and cross check—boarding for Turkey now!
This trip had been on my mind for about fifteen years.
But the discomfort of overnight stays, the difficulty of communication, and the prices of the few car rentals kept making me postpone the project.
And then, everything fell into place—I told myself, now’s the time!
Preparations took longer than usual; the destination is still far from mainstream.
A bit of Kazakhstan?
Not in the end.
The south or not?
Yes, in the end.
Pre-book or play it by ear?
Only two stops were a leap into the unknown.
To help me find the ideal route, I made great use of this forum (thanks to everyone for patiently answering my questions!), pored over travel journals and blogs (Christian, Jeff), zoomed in on Google Maps and Yandex, and bought the guide published by OunTravela on this destination (the guide has been updated since).
---/---
You’ve got your passport, international driver’s license, bank cards, and euros?
Off we go to Lyon—just one night left before our early morning flight.
Tomorrow night, we’ll be sleeping in Bishkek!
(‘Beefsteak’ for my partner’s mischievous nephews...)
This trip was in 2023, but when I wanted to write my travel journal, VF was still closed to contributions...
Now that I’ve just finished my Japan travel journal here, I figured it was high time to pay tribute to this destination we fell in love with.
Disclaimer 1: This is a written travel journal. There’ll be text! Too much, for some!
Disclaimer 2: This is an illustrated travel journal. There’ll be photos! Too many, for some!
I have to say, every time I try to discipline myself, to keep it shorter, to include fewer photos... I end up adding more. It feels like my dear Aunt Nicole, who exhausted us with her slide-show evenings in the 70s/80s, decided to get her revenge. The upside for you, readers, is that you can sneak away at any time without offending Aunt Nicole. I won’t even notice!
Anyway, since I like maps, here’s one to give you an idea of where I’m taking you. As you can see, we only saw a tiny part of Laos (the areas circled in red); we only had 3 weeks for ourselves (my husband’s newly retired, I’m still working), and we prefer taking our time over rushing around like crazy.
In broad strokes, it was very classic:
We first “settled in” in Luang Prabang (8 days), because we wanted and needed to.
From there, we took three days to venture a little further north—not far in kilometers, but as we know, distances aren’t just measured in km!
Then we flew south to Paksé, letting ourselves drift down to the 4,000 Islands while stopping at the pre-Angkorian archaeological sites.
We finished with the Bolaven Plateau.
A few practical tips: We arrived via Bangkok, then took a Bangkok-Luang Prabang flight, having collected our luggage in Bangkok to check it in for Luang Prabang. No issues—the Bangkok airport, which many of you know, is very well organized.
We got our visas on arrival in Luang Prabang. It was quick, but we were on a “small” plane, and the big flights had arrived earlier, so we weren’t too many in line!
At the end of our trip, we didn’t leave from Paksé but from the nearby airport in Thailand, Ubon Ratchathani (a 2.5-hour drive from Paksé), for Bangkok and then Paris.
You’ll notice we skipped Vientiane to stay longer in Luang Prabang. However, there’s now a high-speed train (TGV) between Vientiane and Luang Prabang—good to know—and soon the (Chinese) train will go all the way to Bangkok and even Kuala Lumpur!
With that introduction out of the way, let’s dive into the heart of the matter.
To be continued: Slowing down the pace... in Luang Prabang
I’m diving into a recap of our loop—pretty classic, really—Denver-Yellowstone-Denver this past summer, from July 24 to August 17. Given the sheer number of trip reports already out there (or in the works), and since I don’t have the writing chops or the photography skills of many of you, I’ll keep it practical—well, I’ll try, at least—to share our take on some of the less-visited parks and spots.
First off, a huge thank you to everyone whose trip reports, blogs, websites, comments, and more helped us put together this itinerary. Looking back, it could’ve been even better optimized: a few disappointments when we missed out on some great discoveries, often because we were short on time. Plenty of reasons to come back to the area!
We’re traveling with our four (almost) teens—18, 16, 14, and nearly 12 years old. To keep the trip enjoyable for everyone, we had to make compromises on both sides: cutting a visit short to spend more time swimming, waking up at dawn, and so on. But logistics also played a big role—things like laundry, grocery shopping, and keeping luggage organized could’ve quickly become time-consuming without a little planning.
And honestly, I think we visited every Walmart along the way! Blame it on the lack of fridges in some accommodations and, more importantly, the *very* limited space in the car, which made it impossible to bring a proper cooler. I’ll come back to the car saga later.
For accommodations, this year we alternated between basic cabins in KOA campgrounds and Yellowstone (when staying more than one night in the same place) and hotels. Always with a pool (except in Yellowstone, of course), which let the kids burn off energy—because they always have reserves, even after packed days!—and, let’s be honest, gave us a chance to relax. No Wi-Fi issues either; we all had plans with 25 GB of data (a big thanks to Gilles for the amazing deal at 0.99 €). It worked perfectly, even for texts and calls between phones—no extra charges.
Now, onto our route: as I mentioned, a classic Denver-Yellowstone-Denver loop. To avoid rushing through the parks or spending all our time on the road, we prioritized staying as close to them as possible, with at least two nights in each place. And I’ve got to say, it’s really nice to settle in, even if it’s just for two nights. It also helped us deal with the weather, which wasn’t always great during this trip. The trade-off? With vacation time being limited, some driving days ended up being long. We knew that going in, but since we kept a relaxed pace with no time constraints (don’t ask me for timings—I don’t keep track of the clock on vacation, except in the morning to get everyone up before noon!), we sometimes ended up with marathon days.
With that said, I’ll dive into the trip itself in the next post.
I’m inviting you on a stroll through my drawings—a completely subjective, far-from-exhaustive, and totally personal take, since it’s based on my own sketches. I put this travel journal together after returning in late 2024, mostly using felt-tip pens and pencils, with a few collages thrown in. I worked from our personal photos.
Let’s start with the shotengai...
Our first "wow" moment came as we stepped out of the subway in Asakusa, the Tokyo neighborhood where we’d booked our hotel for our first five nights. Exhausted after our long flight, we finally arrived and took an exit that led straight into a shotengai—one of those covered shopping streets that dot city centers and flourished between the 1950s and 1980s.
It was an instant aesthetic shock, like a close encounter of the third kind between the modern city, a typical Asian market with its street stalls, the "vintage" vibe of the arcade, the sheer abundance of goods, and the bustling crowd—a colorful mix of tourists, pilgrims (thanks to the nearby Asakusa Temple), and locals (it’s a very working-class area).
In the end, it set the tone for a feeling we’d experience throughout the trip. Wherever we went, shotengai turned out to be fantastic spots for finding little restaurants, shops, or even fresh produce. Some are real mazes, like in Kyoto, where we spent ages trying to relocate a restaurant we’d loved ;-)
In Kanazawa, the Omicho Market:
And in Kyoto, the Nishiki Market:
We all have two lives. And the second one kicks off the day you realize you only have one, with the determination to spend the time you have left on what truly adds sparkle to your life, Kevin! I like to elegantly introduce a trip with a philosophical quote. First, it gives you the illusion that I’m some kind of deep thinker, and second, it lets me fill up the first few lines of my blank page when I don’t know how to tell you I’m diving back into what really lights up my life: another adventure beyond the horizon! And nearly every other year, like a toxic relationship, my horizon tends to take shape in Uncle Sam’s backyard. And this, despite his cousin Donald calling the shots. Speaking of which, it was partly that impulsive guy who pushed us to be just as impulsive and snag our four flight tickets at a ridiculously low price—a direct result of foreign tourism taking a hit from BetaMax’s repeated antics... Four tickets? Who are the other lucky ones? In this case, our lucky ones are actually lucky ladies: My Flo, always up for exploring the world with me on foot, camelback, or scooter, is obviously in on the fun. The other two seats went to our daughters, Sasha and Luna, both thrilled to be part of this new American adventure...
But what’s the American West like in February?... A gamble. Let’s call it Russian roulette since we’re not landing during peak weather season. That’s why we encouraged our transportation and accommodation to get cozy and produce a little camper van, so we can stay ultra-flexible in the face of any weather tantrums. We’ll be roaming in Kara the van with the motto "Follow the sun!" Bad weather? We bolt. Snow? We speed up. Sunny? We act like it was the plan all along and soak it up.
"Okay, but why keep coming back to the same corner of the globe? After ten American adventures, you must be tired of seeing the same things, right?" But I’m not crazy, you know!... The American West is like making love to your gorgeous wife over and over, always enjoying it just as much. And contrary to what you might think, the American West isn’t just the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Las Vegas, and Bryce Canyon. Proof is, after ten trips to the U.S., my retinas are still untouched by three-quarters of the places I scribbled on a napkin for this adventure... Oh, and add to that my wife, who I’ve easily converted to my religion, and boom... relapse is even easier! Because yes, we’ve landed in Los Angeles after a sunny flight over Greenland, still under Danish flag for now. And we’re already heading east through the XXL traffic of L.A.’s eight-lane highways, eager to dive into our first discoveries. But first, night is taking over the sky, and second, we’ve been officially awake for 24 hours, so I suggest wrapping up this intro. I’ll tell you more tomorrow morning. Sound good?
And we still haven’t seen everything!
Before setting off for new horizons at the end of this year, it’s time for me to share my trip to Cape Verde this summer 2025.
I particularly love these spontaneous trips, and our stay in Cape Verde is one of those because it was only at the beginning of April that we decided on this getaway, which had been catching our eye for a while, given our love for the mountains.
As always—well, when it’s open—I turned to VF, and I want to immediately thank Marie, aka ptitortue, who helped me a lot in planning this trip through her travel journals and our exchanges!
Because Cape Verde is both small and vast! We decided not to rush from one airport to another, to enjoy the places and the people, but also to relax, since the work backlog from being stuck in May (see my previous travel journal 😅) had to be caught up on in June.
So, 4 islands will be our winners from 06/28 to 07/19:
Santiago first for logistical reasons, as round-trip flights from the capital Praia were the cheapest (650 €/person from Lyon via Lisbon with TAP, still!)
São Vicente, because it’s the gateway to the next one but ultimately more than that...
Santo Antão, pretty much the main goal of the trip since Marie (and the photos) had really sold it to me.
And finally, Sal Island, for some rest—a non-negotiable condition for my other half—and we’ll see that I should’ve listened to Marie...
That said, what a chatterbox I am—buckle up, flight attendants at the doors, off we go on new beautiful escapes! (Thanks to Sophie for the easy loan)
Last note for my eager fan club 😏: yes, there will be alcohol—how could there not be in the land of grogue!
Hello,
Since I enjoy not only the countryside but also everything related to rail travel, I’m starting this photo thread dedicated to trains in Thailand (I’d guess most of us have taken one at some point...).
Feel free to post your pictures here as long as they fit the theme: rolling stock**, stations**, platforms, tracks (even without a train on them), technical equipment, engineering structures (bridges, viaducts), etc.—all in Thailand.
For each photo, I’ll (or you can) note the station or line where it was taken.
Comments and questions are welcome.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I inherited my love of travel from my parents and some of my grandparents. A strong passion, but one that was unfortunately limited by our family’s modest resources. Back then, living in northern Alsace, a simple trip to the southern part of the region—with the Wine Route as our destination—felt like an extraordinary journey to a land of plenty for the little boy I was in the late 60s and early 70s.
Everything seemed so huge when you were still just a kid.
Back then, I was overwhelmed by countless sensations—I was already highly sensitive, with a keen mind and a nose and taste buds that were developing like a pro’s. Which, as I’d later realize, wasn’t always an advantage.
Those magical days always began with a gentle late-spring or midsummer morning. The interior of the white Peugeot 404, license plate 210 LZ 67, had already soaked up the sun before the engine purred to life, and the cabin gave off a scent I could still recognize today—a fragrance I found so pleasant. Back then, I had no idea it was just the smell of warm plastic from the car’s interior.
Yes, the scents of the 404 on sunny days became my madeleine de Proust...
What’s more, the whole family was unusually cheerful because those moments of relaxation and leisure were rare. Everyone worked, and no one had an easy job or was well paid. Without the *Trente Glorieuses*, these experiences might never have happened.
Once we crossed the canton’s borders, I felt like I was light-years away from my everyday surroundings, and every kilometer plunged me deeper into *terra incognita*. It was thrilling. Far from my so-called "medium-sized" town, wheat fields, cornfields, and cabbage patches stretched out, punctuated by tall poles connected by long wires and topped with vegetation—like giant clotheslines without laundry, where magical beanstalks might grow to touch the sky. Back then, I was still far from tasting their product, which was simply beer. At the time, there was still a significant local hop production. Fun fact: it wasn’t until 2002 that Anglo-Saxon scientists proved hops and cannabis belong to the same biological family.
After the fields, the landscape took another step up as it rolled past the little boy’s eyes, often glued to the windows. First came modest hills, then a succession of rolling slopes that soon formed an unbroken chain. Their 700 meters in altitude felt like Himalayan peaks to me—impressive, inert giants, a whole new world. Gazing at them, an intense emotion welled up somewhere between my stomach and lungs, nearly taking my breath away. What mysteries, what treasures did these heights hold?
And then there were the cherries on top—the crowning touch that made the scene even more magical: proud, majestic castles perched on the summits like impassive sentinels. Monuments from the past, yet firmly rooted in the present on their rocky spurs.
The little boy’s eyes sparkled—he’d been given a castle for Christmas, complete with battlements, towers, a drawbridge, and fully armed knights. He’d watched and lived *Ivanhoe* on the only French TV channel that existed back then.
Only once did my paternal grandfather join us on one of these trips. A tall, intelligent man with a face that could shift from stern to mischievous, clearly full of humor and charisma. Sadly, his relationship with alcohol had taken a toll on his life and, by extension, those of his loved ones. He had a strong personality—if his boss crossed the line, he wouldn’t hesitate to punch him, which meant he went through a lot of different jobs. Back then, you could quit one job and easily find another. It was quite something to see him in his final stages, hallucinating pink elephants and even drinking perfume when he had nothing else left. The last time I saw him, he’d slipped away from the doctors and nurses while hospitalized in pretty bad shape—at least, I assume his liver was the issue. We were sitting down for a family lunch when the door burst open, and there he stood in his pajamas, eyes twinkling with mischief, clearly pleased with the dramatic entrance. That theatrical moment didn’t spare us from burying him a few months later at the age of 71. One day, my mother told me the family doctor had quietly remarked that it was a shame—with his robust constitution, he could’ve lived to be a hundred. Yes, the family doctor—this was the man who’d come treat you any day, at almost any hour, just for a phone call. It really existed, it’s not a myth!
That day, his wife—my paternal grandmother—was also along for the ride. Everyone agreed that Jeannette was a good woman. She worked as a waitress at *Le Tigre*, the biggest brasserie in town, right in the center. Most customers preferred to be served by her, including local dignitaries and even the mayor. As a kid, I didn’t find her very fun, open, or warm—she seemed a bit stern. Back then, women in their fifties already had the face and build of grandmothers. Same went for men, don’t get me wrong. I had no idea about the struggles she faced because of her husband. I didn’t know that 30 years earlier, she’d had to flee Alsace while pregnant, under threat from Nazi fighter-bombers. I didn’t know she’d had several miscarriages, and that my father—her only surviving child, born prematurely in March 1940 at the other end of France—weighed less than a kilo at birth and was so tiny he could fit in a shoebox. Hard to imagine he’d grow into a strapping man nearly 1.80 meters tall, tipping the scales at 100 kilos.
When you come back from summer camp in early August and ask why she didn’t pick you up with your parents, and they gently tell you she’s "in heaven," you don’t realize she passed away at 54 after suffering greatly from stomach cancer that had spread.
Back to that family outing, that enchanted parenthesis. I even remembered where we’d had lunch when I passed through Dambach-la-Ville decades later. One of those charming, flower-filled towns Alsace produces in abundance—and preserves so well. This one sits high on a hill, and I was a bit stunned on the parking lot because the view stretched far, revealing the Alsace plain below—its fields, villages, hills, and forests. The world seemed so vast and enticing that day, even though I was only glimpsing a tiny fraction of it.
The region was already very touristy, but I wouldn’t notice the downsides until much later. That Sunday noon, I discovered a large restaurant filled with diners. I can still see the enormous piece of meat they served me, decorated with a little wooden skewer topped with a flag. I kept that one for a long time. Those were the golden days of rich, flowing, thick sauces—so flavorful—and the era of the world’s best fries, made on the spot with the best potatoes. To top it off, I was *exceptionally* allowed a small bottle of apple juice, Orangina, or—even better if possible—Sinalco. Yes, Sinalco—like Orangina, but better. A brand that must’ve disappeared in the 70s, but why, and what a shame! Since then, Orangina’s little bubbles have taken the brand to the other side of the planet—it’s now Japanese.
Year after year, I’d eagerly await that ecstatic moment when the most beautiful castle in Alsace, the Haut-Koenigsbourg, appeared in my field of vision. The perfect model, the archetype that blended into the landscape at the height of a child’s dreams.
The trip home always felt like a reality check—less jarring than an alarm clock, but more diffuse and melancholic. From then on, there was only one wish: *When do we leave again?*
Hi there,
Here’s a recap of a trek through the Balkans covering three countries: Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo. I was with a friend, and we didn’t do the full route (only one day in Kosovo).
It was a wonderful trek through snow-capped mountains and vast flower-filled meadows, meeting incredibly welcoming people.
At the end of the travel journal, I’ll share what I loved and what I liked less.
Day 1: Flight from Paris-Beauvais to Tirana with Wizz Air.
Since Albania isn’t part of Europe when it comes to phone service (at least not yet! :-)), we had to buy a physical SIM card—otherwise, the bill would’ve been sky-high if we’d used our French plan! We got one from Vodafone AL at the airport. You can buy online before leaving with a virtual SIM (e-SIM) for compatible phones, so you don’t have to swap cards. But given the uncertainty about choosing a plan online, we preferred buying one directly at Tirana Airport. Cost: 31 € for 100 GB. That’s way too much—100 GB is overkill. For 40 GB, it’s 27 €, and the plan lasts 21 days. The price difference isn’t huge, and it was cheaper than online. This plan covers all the countries along the Balkan range.
Money tip: All guesthouses and accommodations accept euros. The local currency in Albania is the LEK. In Montenegro, it’s the euro. Bank fees for withdrawing money from an ATM in Albania are pretty steep: 8 € for a withdrawal of 600–700 LEK (about 200 €)! So it’s better to withdraw cash (euros) in France. Oh, and we booked all our accommodations before leaving, but payment is always in cash. Budget around 400–500 € for 9 days of trekking.
Then, a transfer the same day to Shköder, about a 2-hour bus ride. Cost: 10 € per person. Tickets bought directly on the bus. We spent the night in Shköder at a very clean guesthouse, Open Doors B&B. It had a small balcony overlooking the city.
I really liked Shköder, especially its pedestrian street lined with restaurants and lit up at night. It’s a great place to stroll and eat. The food isn’t expensive—two big salads and two beers: 14 € :-) . Fruit prices are also very reasonable: 3 € for a kilo of cherries, compared to 9–10 € in France.
Religions coexist peacefully in these countries—Catholics and Muslims. From our balcony, my friend heard the call to prayer for the first time, coming from one of the city’s mosques.
Day 2: Bus ride to Theth, about 1,100 meters in elevation gain, the starting point for our hike the next day.
The trip took 2 hours and 40 minutes with a break in the middle. The bus was affordable, but taxis also make the trip—though they’re very expensive.
We slept in the heights of Theth at a new guesthouse, "Mountain Vista Shkafi," with an amazing view.
The family was adorable. The husband is a handyman and built almost everything himself. Their baby is named "Sky"—such a cute name, right? :-) Throughout the trek, I found the guesthouses very clean, and the hosts think of everything—no need to bring soap or shampoo; they provide it.
Lunch in Theth at a traditional restaurant on the main road. We tried "Tave Dheu," an Albanian dish with beef, cabbage (very common), and cottage cheese. Delicious but not quite filling enough. For dessert, a honey cake that was perfectly moist—such a treat! Desserts like this are rare; sometimes they serve watermelon instead.
We took a small private bus for 5 € to the "Blue Eye" parking lot, then walked for about 45 minutes to reach a stunning natural site—a kind of lagoon with incredibly blue water. The bravest can swim, but the water’s freezing!
That evening, we dined at "La Montagne Blanche"—excellent! A delightful mix of grilled meats with potatoes and grilled peppers. Some watermelon slices (which I’m not a fan of) and the famous Raki, a brandy served in Turkey and the Balkans! It was my first time drinking brandy "bottoms up." 😉
I’d like to share my family trip to Colombia with kids aged 8. After spending hours browsing the forum and only having two weeks there, we decided to focus on two regions: the Coffee Zone for one week and the Caribbean coast for another. We traveled from August 8 to 23.
Day 1 – First stop: Bogotá
We arrived in Bogotá in the evening on an Air France flight—nothing to complain about, decent service, comfortable, and on time. However, the first night was a miss. We’d booked a hotel near the airport (Abitel Prime) for convenience, but the soundproofing was almost nonexistent; we heard planes as if we were on the runway. Luckily, exhaustion helped us sleep well anyway.
Day 2 – Off to the Coffee Zone and Salento
The next morning, we headed to the airport for a domestic flight to Pereira with LATAM. No issues: punctual and efficient, and in 30 minutes, we landed in Pereira. The landing already set a different mood: lush valleys, endless plantations, and humid air.
We picked up our rental car from Localiza. Unfortunately, the experience wasn’t smooth—the paperwork took forever, and the wait tested our patience. Finally free, we hit the road to Salento, one of Quindío’s gems.
We arrived in the late afternoon and discovered a colorful village bustling with artisan shops and cafés. Our first stroll helped us soak in the atmosphere before dinner at Bambú restaurant—a great surprise with careful cooking and local flavors. We spent the night at Casa Serafín, a charming little hotel, nicely decorated and well-located… but unfortunately very noisy.
Day 3 – The magic of Cocora Valley
This was one of the trip’s highlights. We set off early for Cocora Valley, famous for its giant wax palms, Colombia’s emblem. We chose the 12 km loop recommended by the *Routard*. The landscapes were spectacular: towering palms, rivers, suspension bridges. It felt like walking through a postcard. The weather was perfect.
That evening, we dined at Barnabé restaurant—pleasant setting, decent food, but the bill was a bit steep for what it was. Back to Casa Serafín.
Day 4 – Coffee and panoramic views
The plan was a visit to Finca El Ocaso. For 1.5 hours, we followed a passionate guide who explained the entire coffee process, from harvest to cup. Very educational, accessible for both kids and adults, all in a stunning setting. The tour was in English for us, and we translated for our kids, who aren’t bilingual yet.
In the afternoon, we climbed to Salento’s viewpoint. The valley view was superb. That evening, we ate at Veggie Garden, a simple and pleasant spot that was a nice change from the heavier meals of previous days.
Day 5 – Horseback ride to Santa Rita Waterfall
We booked a horseback ride with Cocora Magic. It was a real success: calm horses, a beautiful trail, mountain and meadow landscapes, and finally the refreshing and wild Santa Rita Waterfall. Without a doubt, one of the best moments of our time in the region. We even got a bonus ride up a 300-meter hill.
We then headed to Filandia, less known than Salento but just as charming. We spent the late afternoon enjoying the pool at MuchoSur Filandia. The hotel is beautiful, in an idyllic setting. However, we also had soundproofing issues and could hear our neighbors.
Day 6 – Rainy detour through Filandia and Manizales
Rain caught up with us in the early morning: torrents of water made it impossible to go out. We stayed at the hotel, reading quietly. By noon, the rain let up: a quick walk in Filandia, a quick lunch, then off to Manizales. We chose to stay at El Otoño hot springs. Great choice: as soon as we arrived, we plunged into the hot pools, perfect after hours on the road.
Day 7 – Hiking and hot springs
In the morning, we hiked the Camino de Super Coco (found somewhat randomly on Google). A pleasant trail with mountain views and a peaceful atmosphere. The afternoon was spent in the hotel’s thermal pools, with a short marked hike down to the river. Dinner on-site at the hot springs’ restaurant. A simple but very relaxing day.
Day 8 – Rain, jacuzzi, and games
We continued to Finca Los Alpes. The rain greeted us again, but this time it turned into an asset: nothing like a steaming jacuzzi with a view of the misty mountains. The kids enjoyed the facilities too: mini-golf, ping-pong, billiards. Dinner and night at the hotel, cozy vibes.
Day 9 – Off to the Caribbean coast
Back to the airport to return the car (still a bit long). Flight to Cartagena with Avianca: punctual and comfortable. Upon arrival, we picked up another car and headed straight to the Hyatt Regency, a modern hotel with a pool. That evening, we dined at the hotel—practical after a travel day.
Day 10 – Colonial Cartagena
We set off to explore Cartagena’s old town. It was enchanting: colorful facades, flowered balconies, colonial charm—just magical. However, the heat was stifling and very humid. Afternoon relaxation by the pool. Dinner at Gestlani, a good restaurant in town.
Day 11 – Road to Barú
A hearty breakfast, then one last swim in the pool before heading to Barú. We checked into Las Islas Hotel. The setting was enchanting: wooden cabins nestled in the vegetation, a private beach, turquoise sea, impeccable service. Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
Day 12 – Beach and relaxation
A full beach day in Barú. Warm water, white sand, coconut trees, peace and quiet. A real postcard scene with iguanas and birds.
Day 13 – On to Santa Marta
Another morning at the beach before hitting the road to Santa Marta. The drive was a bit long (6 hours), especially with traffic jams in Barranquilla. It was the longest car ride of the trip. We spent the night at Villa María Tayrona, a beautiful place near the park.
Day 14 – Tayrona Park
We left early for Tayrona Park. We entered through **El Zaino**, parked the car, and set off on a hike to La Piscina (about 2 hours). We stopped along the way at Playa Arenilla, a stunning little beach, to rest. Lunch on-site, a swim, then back by 4 PM. The hike was a bit tiring, but the nature was spectacular: dense jungle, the sound of waves, and even a monkey encounter along the way. Evening and dinner at the hotel.
Day 15 – Last swim and return flight to Bogotá
Our last morning was split between the pool and the beach (the hotel has direct access via a 7-minute trail through vegetation and flowers)—hard to leave this paradise. We drove to Santa Marta’s airport to return the car, then flew back to Bogotá. We spent the night at Casa Dann Carlton, a comfortable hotel. We simply ordered room service, arriving too late to go out.
Day 16 – Bogotá and the end of the trip
Our last day in Colombia. After a good breakfast, we explored La Candelaria. Its cobbled streets and colorful houses were worth the visit. We visited the Botero Museum (free) and the Gold Museum, both fascinating. Back to the airport for our 11:55 PM Air France flight.
That’s a wrap on a varied trip—lush mountains, colorful villages, dream beaches, and tropical jungle.
The pace was pretty relaxed, well-suited for our kids. They absolutely loved the trip to Colombia.
Driving in Colombia was very easy, and we didn’t regret renting a car at all—it gave us more freedom to get around.
If I were to do it again, here’s what I’d change:
- I’d spend less time in the Coffee Zone to stay a bit longer on the Caribbean coast, which was more relaxing for the kids. Or I’d head to Medellín, but I didn’t think the city was very kid-friendly.
- Bogotá is a city that deserves a day’s visit, but it’s not a must-see. Maybe I’d have taken the KLM flight from Cartagena to Amsterdam instead.
With my girlfriend Christelle, we’ve chosen South Africa for our first trip to Southern Africa, focusing on safaris—after a long debate with a Cape Town/Kruger combo.
But that would’ve meant cutting out St Lucia, which would’ve been harder to fit into another trip.
And St Lucia—thanks to Michel and all those travel journals—we really wanted to go there.
So our 11-night itinerary ended up like this, mostly shaped by school holidays:
- 3 nights in St Lucia
- 1 night in Hluhluwe
- 1 night at Mkhaya Game Reserve (Eswatini)
- 1 night at Hlane Royal National Park (Eswatini)
- 3 nights in Kruger (Berg en Dal / Satara / Tamboti)
- 1 night at Shindzela Tented Camp in the Timbavati private reserve
- 1 final night in Kruger at Lower Sabie
All of this in the off-season and rainy season, just a month after catastrophic floods that killed over 150 people and seriously damaged Kruger’s infrastructure.
I’ll jump straight to St Lucia and skip the loooong journey to get there (with a layover in Frankfurt, landing in Johannesburg, a domestic flight to Durban, and the rest by rental SUV—First Car Rental, perfect, no complaints).
To motivate readers—especially some familiar faces here—I’ll drop in a first photo.
Since I didn’t have time to write a proper travel journal, I thought I’d share a few photos of Bologna—a really lovely city I discovered in 2017 while stopping on my way to Tuscany.
Around Piazza Maggiore, which was packed with a stage and chairs for a show, stands the Basilica of San Petronio, massive and Gothic in style, with an unfinished façade (a common sight in Italy).
Another building near the square:
But Bologna’s real charm lies in its porticoes, which were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2021: 62 km of arcades running along buildings, letting you walk sheltered from the sun or rain. Back in 1288, the city required houses to include private arcades for public use. In the city center, you can stroll under 32 km of porticoes in all sorts of styles—some plain, some ornate—with a strong presence of red tones.
After a pretty disastrous weather-wise trip to Gran Canaria, we're hoping this time the sun will be out in Puglia.
It’s not looking great since the weather isn’t great across Europe at the start of May.
Saturday, May 16:
This time we’re flying from Charleroi (Brussels South): the ticket prices, flight schedules, and proximity all worked for us.
The airport (Ryanair) was recently redone... but it’s not very well organized—there are very few seats in the boarding areas, and... the restrooms are pay-to-use!!!
The flight goes smoothly, though, and we land in Bari with a slight delay.
We quickly pick up our rental car, a very locally styled Pandina (even more so than the Fiat 500 in this region), and hit the Italian (high)ways... and their unique driving quirks (notably, the countless road signs in towns and along roads seem to be purely decorative 😏, and Italian cars don’t have turn signals 😮... except for rental cars).
About an hour later, we arrive at our first accommodation, right in the middle of the countryside near Monopoli.
The owner isn’t there, but they left us a ton of info via messages and even turned on the space heater, which is a nice touch.
We check out the property:
And the next morning before breakfast, its immediate surroundings:
Sunday, May 17:
After our "seaside" experience in Gran Canaria last weekend (packed with people and locals), we decide to start with the inland areas.
After a hearty breakfast,
we head toward Alberobello, a super touristy village famous for its trulli—those stone houses with conical roofs.
We easily find free parking on a street near the Aia Piccola district, where some trulli are still lived in year-round.
We almost immediately come across the Trullo Sovrano (the only two-story one), which you can visit (but we skip it—it’s opening time, and there’s already a line).
From there, we head down toward the Basilica of Cosma e Damiano... but we don’t go in because there’s a mass.
Now we’re on the main Piazza del Popolo, which connects the two districts of Alberobello: Rione Aia Piccola and Rione Monti, the more touristy one.
Okay, it wasn’t a total disaster either. Actually, I hesitated before starting this travel journal: is it even worth writing about a holiday that won’t leave an unforgettable memory?
In the end, I went for it (there aren’t many recent travel journals about this destination).
So, read on... or don’t .
Every time we’ve been to the Canary Islands, it’s been by default (basically: where can we go in winter or early spring when we only have a week—so not too far, not too much jet lag, but with decent weather?).
This time, we had two weeks, but the winter plan kept changing: first Thailand (dropped for personal reasons), then Martinique (dropped because of work leave dates that weren’t up to me), and finally, the Canary Islands.
We’ve already been to Tenerife (which we really liked) and Lanzarote (which we liked a little less).
This year, two options: Gran Canaria or one of the smaller islands west of Tenerife (La Palma, or even La Gomera or El Hierro).
We chose Gran Canaria... not sure it was the right call!
Whose fault is it?
Storm Thérèse’s!
Yes, Storm Thérèse followed us on arrival, and its effects lasted quite a while. We had to adapt, cancel visits, change activities...
But even without Thérèse...
Saturday 21/03
Departure from Orly at 6:10 AM with Transavia.
The plane took off on time and landed a little early, tossed around by strong winds before touching down.
It had just rained, but it was (almost) no longer raining.
We quickly picked up our luggage and then the car at the Cicar counter.
We got a Seat Arona instead of the Corsa we’d booked. Well, while the driving position didn’t feel great at first (I got used to it), the engine’s smoothness and power were much appreciated on the island’s winding and sometimes steep roads.
It was only 10 AM, and we couldn’t theoretically check into our accommodation until 3 PM (the owner promised to message me if it was ready earlier).
So, we headed to the (big) *Jardín Botánico Viera y Clavijo*, where we planned to spend a few hours.
We found a huge parking lot... empty.
The passenger in the car in front of us (yes, we weren’t the only ones at the closed gate—there was a car in front and one behind) went to ask for info: it was closed due to the storm 😕.
So, we calmly headed toward Puerto de las Nieves, on the northwest coast of the island.
The plan: go to a restaurant, visit the village, and do some shopping while waiting for early afternoon.
As soon as we got out of the car, it started raining... we took shelter under the awning of a shop, waiting for it to pass. But the rain turned into a downpour, and within minutes, awning or not, Gore-Tex or not, we were soaked!
Since we were already wet, we might as well go to the restaurant—they weren’t far! But here’s the thing: contrary to what Google Maps said, they all opened at 1 PM, not noon!
Back to the car, wading through 5 cm of water because all the village streets were flooded .
The rain let up, we did some shopping, went to eat, and I got a message from the owner saying the accommodation was ready 🙂.
So, off we went to La Suerte, a few kilometers north of Agaete.
The downside of the place, especially with luggage, is that you have to climb several flights of stairs via an outdoor staircase (after parking more or less far away on a steep street) to get there 😛).
Of course, on the way from the car to the apartment, it started pouring again—the bags got soaked!
Enough rain for today! We settled in quietly, and by late afternoon, we could (finally!) go admire the view from the terrace.
Trip Planning
My partner and I are heading to the Canary Islands for a week at the end of September, specifically to Lanzarote. We chose this island over the more crowded ones for its volcanic landscape and the variety of hikes it offers.
I booked everything through Expedia: our hotel stay, car rental, and Ryanair flight tickets departing from Marseille. It was the only way to get a direct flight. To make getting around easier during our stay, I picked a hotel located in the center of the island from the wide selection available. It’s part of the Barceló chain, specifically the "Barceló Teguise Beach Adults Only" in Teguise Beach, which turned out to be an excellent choice.
The Trip
Sunday, September 21 - Monday, September 22
Departure
It’s 2:15 PM, and we’re at the Avignon TGV station. Danielle picked us up earlier due to the weather—thunderstorms and heavy rain all the way to the station. The TGV was on time, and it only took 30 minutes to reach Marseille Saint-Charles. The shuttle to the airport is quick and convenient, right behind the station.
The bus leaves for the airport in the middle of the storm, with flooded roads and cars stuck in some spots.
We get soaked making our way to the terminal. Two hours to wait before the flight. The plane finally takes off at midnight, but just before landing, the pilot announces that the destination airport is closed, and we’re being diverted to Tenerife. Ryanair will re-route us as soon as possible.
We end up waiting 2 hours, and Ryanair kindly gives us a 4 € voucher.
We re-board around 5:15 AM and take off at 6:00 AM. About 45 minutes to reach Lanzarote. After collecting our luggage, we head to the car rental desk. The counter in the terminal is closed, and we’re directed to parking lot P4—it takes us a while to find it.
I’m a bit worried about the rental company’s reaction since the car was supposed to be picked up 7 hours earlier, but it’s not a problem. A woman next to us is furious because she’s in the same situation, and her rental was canceled. Anne-Marie translates for her, but nothing changes.
We pick up a brand-new Toyota Aigo and head to the hotel.
After checking in, we cross the garden, walking alongside the large pool to reach our room.
A lovely first-floor room with a jacuzzi and a sea view.
It’s early, so we head to breakfast—a generously stocked and varied buffet with everything you could want.
Afterward, we drive to Cueva de los Verdes, but it’s packed with people and a long wait. We decide to come back another day.
Next, we visit Mirador Del Rio. This rocky viewpoint at the edge of the island has breathtaking cliffs plunging 500 meters into the ocean. The view is stunning and impressive.
A panoramic bar lets you cool off while enjoying the scenery.
We return to the hotel for a short walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the beautiful pool with its pleasant water temperature. Relaxing by the pool, sun loungers, and all.
In the evening, a very varied buffet at the restaurant. Then early to bed to recover from the sleepless night before.
Tuesday, September 23
After a restful night, we enjoy another varied and hearty breakfast. The terrace seating is very pleasant. We take an inland road leading to Timanfaya National Park.
The road near the park runs alongside vineyards where the vines are surrounded by lava stone walls to protect them from the prevailing winds.
Our first stop is at the visitor center, where the island’s volcanic activity is well-documented. Next, we stop at an area where you can take a short camel ride—two seats are installed on either side of the camel’s hump. This little ride offers a great view of the volcanic landscape from a higher vantage point. A fair price of 11 € per seat for a 20-minute ride.
We then head to the park entrance via the road leading to the parking lot, where only authorized buses can take the winding route inside the park.
It’s crowded, and we wait about 45 minutes with several stops before reaching the parking lot.
We board the bus, and the route offers beautiful views of this volcanic area and its many craters. The journey is very interesting, with several stops for photos.
At the parking lot, a guide shows us how the heat from the rocks beneath the surface can ignite dry vegetation. Water poured into holes in the ground immediately creates geysers and jets of steam.
The building next to the parking lot has a restaurant where meat is cooked using the heat from a well dug into the volcanic rock.
On our way back, we drive to Playa Blanca, a seaside town with a small sandy beach.
Back at the hotel in the late afternoon for dinner.
Wednesday, September 24
We wake up early and have a quick breakfast—few people are around at this hour. Two days ago, we booked a 10:00 AM visit to Los Verdes, lava tunnels created by eruptions and lava flows from the La Corona volcano, which extended all the way to the coast.
When the lava came into contact with the air, it solidified on the surface while continuing to flow underneath. The lava tunnels stretch for 8 kilometers to the volcano, but we only walk one kilometer.
The inside of the tunnel is impressive, with narrow passages and larger chambers.
You can see traces left by the flowing liquid lava—varied colors and twisted shapes.
At the end of the path, a large chamber has been turned into a concert hall with perfect acoustics.
Next, we visit Jameo Del Agua.
This is a continuation of the lava tunnel, developed by Manrique.
There are beautifully designed bar and restaurant areas, as well as an underground lake where you can see small blind white crabs—a protected species in this very pure water.
Higher up, there’s a lovely space with a central pool that could double as a swimming area, surrounded by beautifully designed white pathways that contrast with the blue water.
Further on, you reach a large space inside the lava tunnel, set up as a performance hall with perfect acoustics.
Stairs let you view this beautiful space from above. A gap in the lava landscape reveals the ocean on the horizon.
We head back toward the village of Yé, at the foot of the La Corona volcano.
A 160-meter walk from the church, a path crosses vineyard plots and then climbs to the top of the volcano’s crater in about 30 minutes. It’s the island’s highest volcano.
When you reach the edge of the crater, you see how deep it is, with steep slopes inside forming a large circular opening. The place is breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
We drive back to the hotel via a road that climbs quickly, offering a beautiful view of the island’s northern part.
Thursday, September 25
After another enjoyable and varied breakfast, we head to the center of the island toward the volcano park and stop at a roadside parking lot where a path leads to the Montana Cuervo volcano.
This is a crater that opened on one side. During an eruption, an explosion created a breach in the crater.
Huge blocks of rock were thrown dozens of meters away. The path goes through the breach and descends into the crater, allowing you to walk around it. It’s impressive, and you really feel small and fragile in this environment.
The crater walls, with their different colors, highlight the rock formations. The crater is surrounded by a sea of lava with sharp, jagged rocks.
You can walk around the outside of the crater, but it’s not very interesting. We then head to the west coast, stopping at a spot with a small green lake next to a beautiful black sand beach.
Next, we stop at Salinas de Janubio, a lovely viewpoint overlooking the salt marshes with different water colors. A small shop sells various local products.
We then head to the famous Papagayo beach.
The road ends at a booth where they charge 3 € to continue.
From here, the land is private, and you have to pay to drive down a 3-kilometer rocky dirt road.
Quite a few cars are driving along it, kicking up clouds of dust. The car gets a dusty makeover.
We arrive at a large parking area, with several paths leading to different small beaches.
We go to Papagayo, a small blonde sand beach surrounded by red rocks.
The beach slopes gently into the water, which is a pleasant temperature. The setting is charming and peaceful.
We stay for a while before heading back to the hotel.
Friday, September 26
We start with a visit to the César Manrique Foundation in Tahiche. This was originally one of his homes. The modern construction spans several levels and is integrated into the lava flow, using the gaps to create living spaces. Large windows make the rooms bright and open to the scenery. The place is pleasant, with flower-filled gardens outside. It’s well worth a visit.
Next, we drive to Las Grietas, where a path leads to a narrow crack in the volcanic rock, forming a tight passage where only one person can walk at a time.
The passage isn’t very long, but progress is slow due to the endless selfies being taken here.
We then stop at Casa Del Camposino, a renovated farm that houses several artisan shops.
We taste a local wine recommended by a charming woman and buy two bottles of Lanzarote red wine on her advice.
Now, we head to Tamara beach, a beautiful and wide beach at the foot of high cliffs. There are always great waves here, making it a surfer’s paradise.
On the way back to the hotel, we stop at the cactus garden, César Manrique’s final creation. Designed with a great sense of aesthetics around an old windmill, it features 4,500 varieties of cacti in various shapes, all in a beautiful setting.
We return to the hotel in the late afternoon for the evening.
Saturday, September 27
After another hearty breakfast, we head north to Haria. We stumble upon another of César Manrique’s homes, where he lived for a long time. This house is more traditional than the previous one but still has large, modern, and very pleasant rooms. At the back of the garden is his large studio, where he created his works.
Next, we visit the craft market—this was our original plan. Various stalls offer local items, and it’s very crowded. No room at the café terraces to sit down.
We then return to Famara beach for a long stay. There are always great waves here, much to the surfers’ delight. The water temperature is pleasant, and we enjoy it.
On the way back to the hotel, we stop at a gas station to refill the car, which has been very fuel-efficient. Gas is also much cheaper here than in France—1.16 € per liter of SP95.
We also wash the car, which was very dusty after the long dirt road to Papagayo beach.
At the hotel, we enjoy a farewell cocktail before dinner.
Sunday, September 28
We spend the morning by the hotel pool before checking out at noon. For lunch, we go to a restaurant called "Dona Lola," near the hotel, with a terrace offering a view of the coast. We order tuna carpaccio, which is delicious.
We then head to the airport, just 15 minutes away.
We return the rental car and go to the airport.
A long line to check in our luggage.
The return flight is on time.
A shuttle bus takes us to Saint-Charles station.
We then head to our overnight rental. The boulevard slopes down, making it easier with the suitcases.
The rental is between the old port and the train station.
Once there, we pick up the keys and make one last effort to carry the luggage up to the third floor.
The studio is nice, clean, and simply equipped—perfect for one night.
After summer 2022 left me with a sense of unfinished business, here I am back in Swedish Lapland for summer 2024, ready to attempt the Sarek crossing again—and this time, trek part of the Kungsleden too.
After much hesitation, my companion Jean Marie and I decided to start with the Kungsleden, which, from what we’ve read, is stunning but very crowded (and it really is!!), and finish with the wilder option: Sarek! This park is known as Europe’s last true wilderness—sounds like a dream to me!!
The downside of this choice is that there’s no way to resupply in Sarek, and the Kungsleden isn’t exactly set up for long treks either, so we’ll have to carry a lot of food for the first part of the trip to prepare for Sarek.
Oh well, we’re motivated!
Our plan is to start in Abisko (classic) and head to Vakkotavare (also classic, but with some detours to avoid the official route and the crowds). Then we’ll continue the Kungsleden from Saltoluokta, and before Aktse, we’ll set off on an east-to-west crossing of Sarek (weather-dependent, since aside from the Skarja hut in the center of the park, there’s no shelter if conditions turn bad).
At least we’ll be on the right side of the park to climb Skierfe and enjoy the jaw-dropping view of Rappaladen if we have to abandon the Sarek crossing.
This adds up to 17 days of trekking, including 1 rest day + 1 buffer day for weather delays.
If you’re interested, I’ll be sharing updates as we lug our overstuffed backpacks along the way.
08/03 - Abisko – 5km before Abiskojaure
Some info (guides we used for prep, SFT map, sending food to Saltoluokta)
08/04 – 5km before Abiskojaure – on the east shore of Lake Alisjavri
08/05 – East shore of Lake Alisjavri – just before Tjaktja
08/06 – Just before Tjaktja – above the Salka hut via Nallo
08/07 - Salka – just past Singi + side trip to Djalson Lake
08/08 - Singi – Teusajaure
08/09 - Teusajaure - Vakkotavare (end of the first section of the Kungsleden)
08/10 – rest day in Saltoluokta + round trip to the Sámi village of Pietjaure
08/11 – Saltoluokta – Sitojaure
08/12 - Sitojaure - Skierfe – Sarek or no Sarek?
Coming up:
08/13 – Skierfe – somewhere above Rapadalen
This travel journal is therefore intended solely for my photos, to present a consistent style.
All the shots were taken with a simple Samsung Galaxy smartphone and with whatever was at hand.
All stays combined, I’ve spent the equivalent of a year at most in Thailand, and I’m no great expert.
However, after many trips, lots of reading on VoyageForum and other sites, and conversations with many locals as well as expats, my view of the country is becoming clearer, though it’s constantly evolving. You never stop discovering and learning.
I guess I wanted to deliver a puzzle, mainly for those who want to get an idea of the country here and for those who feel nostalgic about it.
I don’t know if this minimalist sharing will interest anyone, but it’ll do me good to put it together. After so many months without traveling and then these other long months with VF closed, there’s plenty of material available.
There’ll be a mix of places, periods, and subjects, but it might well be intentional.
I suspect many Thais have dogs because they make excellent guardians for the home. Nothing better to deter burglars or to signal the presence of a snake. You’ll often see Thais tapping the top of their dog’s head, but don’t be fooled: it’s a sign of affection from them. Judging by the dogs’ reactions, they’re used to it.
Thailand is one of the countries on the planet where rabies is still present, so keep that in mind. It’s not just bites that can be dangerous, so don’t let just any dog lick you. Especially on a wound, of course.
Even though dogs often fear humans—this dangerous and unpredictable predator—we still need to stay cautious.
Be careful when walking into alleys because the dog will defend its master’s big yard. Be careful at night, and be careful when they’re in packs.
It sometimes crosses our minds that Thailand isn’t all that made for walking around, and dogs are one of the reasons.
That said, it’s not uncommon to see them chasing bikes or scooters. Cars, though? Much rarer—they’re too big.
It seems Thais prefer to give their dogs freedom by not locking them behind gates. Though sometimes the gate is closed, the little side door is wide open. Oh, and sometimes there’s no gate in front of the property, or it’s been full of holes for years.
You’ll often see dogs sleeping on the roadside, sometimes right on the road. When you approach, they move aside nonchalantly—or not at all. It’s less funny when they suddenly appear from thick vegetation, reminding visitors not to drive too fast. As a result, you’ll notice that dogs with injuries or missing legs aren’t that rare.
Since they believe in reincarnation and respect for all forms of life, they don’t chase dog packs away too much, and they don’t sterilize them enough. When you see a small pack roaming freely in the countryside, you think twice about running into them at the edge of a field.
A darker side of this is that euthanasia isn’t often practiced. Twice, we saw dogs at death’s door in temples, enduring terrible suffering with no one to help. The image (and the smell) of one of them, agonizing and exuding the stench of death, still comes back to me sometimes.
Some of you may have seen the YouTube vlog of a French woman living in Phuket who was given a little pig by her Thai friends. The animal, well-fed, quickly became a happy and enormous beast with its own garden. Yet it didn’t take long for it to fall seriously ill and become incurable. In her video, the French woman described how difficult it was to find a vet willing to perform euthanasia.
You’ll often see bowls by the side of the road. Thais leave food and water there for stray cats and dogs. Overall, they have a big heart for animals.
If you ever pop into a shopping mall, you might see people pushing their small dogs in strollers. It’s not just for fun—these strollers are provided for customers to put their pets in, otherwise you can’t bring them inside. It looks a bit odd when you expect to see a baby.
I’m a newbie to this forum, passionate about wildlife, the landscapes of East Africa, and Tanzania in particular.
This June 2024 trip/safari is our 7th visit to Tanzania and our 5th in the south, which has drawn us more than the north ever since we discovered it in 2015.
In 2024, the entrance fees for the reserves and services have gone up again since our last visit.
I chose to return first to Mikumi Reserve, which was the very first one we visited in the south. Then, we’ll head to Selous (J. Nyerere N. P.) as usual.
Initially, we wanted to spend 2/3 days on Mafia Island at the end of the trip, but it made the total cost too high, so we gave up...
We usually go to Ruaha and Selous, but I wanted to mix it up a bit—also to save some money...
As for the timing, June is a new experience for us. I thought it might be interesting to come just after the lodges reopen... hoping for some great wildlife encounters??
The trip starts in Marseille with our first flight on Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa, then continues to Dar es Salaam, where we’ll finally set foot on Tanzanian soil again.
In Addis... "our" A-350.
.....
After arriving in Dar, we spent one night at a hotel near the airport. The next morning, we headed to the domestic flights terminal, which hasn’t changed in years.
By mid-morning, we boarded a Cessna 208B Caravan with Safari Air Link, heading to the Kikoboga bush airstrip in Mikumi, which we reached 45 minutes later.
Fun fact: the pilot was the same one as on our return flight two years ago.
Welcome on board:
Of course, a driver/guide team from our chosen lodge was waiting for us upon arrival:
I was surprised to see so many aircraft parked there... even twin-engine Embraer Brasilias??
As a fan of vintage planes, I loved it...
On the other hand, the light was incredibly harsh.....!!
Our guides only speak English. We knew that in advance. In the south, it’s very rare to find someone who speaks French. This’ll force us to dig into our high school English memories... from 60 years ago... at least.
It’s noon, and we head toward the lodge.
Near the airstrip, next to the Mikumi rangers’ base, there are quite a few herbivores. They find a bit more peace here—the big cats don’t venture this way...
Our first encounter was a group of Masai giraffes.
Rarer (for us), a savanna monitor lizard basking in the sun right in the middle of the track...??
A large gathering of impalas (mostly males) along with a few blue wildebeest:
Also unusual: a African crowned hornbill taking a dust bath in the middle of the track...!!
When it comes to identifying mammals or birds, I don’t know everything... so I might make mistakes. Please forgive me.
I’m counting on my friend Blesl’s active participation... 😉
Last February, I made a trip using "public transport" from France to southern Senegal via Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania.
It’s a journey of about 5,000 km, where I took trains (as far as Marrakech), ferries (to cross Gibraltar and then to reach Casamance from Dakar), and mostly buses on the long desert straightaways. I hadn’t planned any stops in advance or booked any hotels, except for the very first train to Spain, which left plenty of room for the unexpected.
Why travel by land and sea? In recent years, flight-free travel has been gaining popularity. On social media, posts explaining how to cross Europe by train as quickly as possible go viral. Traveling without flying—and making sure people know about it—has become a great way to earn a badge of eco-responsibility: an essential totem for anyone wanting to prove both their dedication to the ecological cause and the wisdom of slow travel.
I haven’t flown in years, and this journey to West Africa could easily be filed under "responsible travel." But it wouldn’t be honest to say that: in reality, it wasn’t really my aversion to flying that motivated this long trek. I see overland travel primarily as a way to experience the world’s geography at a grounded, earthly pace—the pace of the locals. Besides, I’ll be flying back, which disqualifies any claim to being a model of sustainability.
So no eco-badge, and no adventurer’s badge either: you won’t find any heroic tales of camel rides in lost lands or mineral train wagons in this account (popular with influencers, the Mauritania iron ore train now attracts tourists from all over the world, turning "the experience" into something you "have to do at least once in your life"). This five-part story, written on the road, has no other ambition than to recount a journey through places and people, and to share the thoughts they inspire in me. As simply and, I hope, as humbly as possible.
I’m posting the episodes here, which you can also find on my blog (with more photos) at the following links:
Episode 1: Spain, from Avignon to Algeciras
Episode 2: Morocco, from Tangier to Tarfaya
Episode 3: Western Sahara, from Tarfaya to Guerguerat
Episode 4: Mauritania, from Guerguerat to Nouakchott
Episode 5: Senegal, from Rosso to Saloulou
To help those who might want to make the same trip, I’ve also put together a summary of the route with recommendations—you can read it at the end of the story and on the blog:
From France to Senegal Without Flying: Route and Itinerary Recommendations
This time, I landed in Monastir on a direct flight from Nice, again with Tunisair. We left about ten minutes late, and the flight lasted around 1 hour 30 minutes. A meal was served on board (cucumber salad with Edam-like cheese, carrots, and two small portions of dishes I couldn’t identify—semolina with peppers, olives, and parsley, two small rolls, a square of processed cheese, and a chocolate cake). It’s worth noting because it’s not common on flights this short.
In February, France and Tunisia were in the same time zone, but now Tunisia is one hour behind. This time difference and the flight duration work perfectly for a short 15-day trip since it takes me a few days to adjust to jet lag.
Luckily, I’d asked my hotel about the taxi fare from the airport because the drivers (there were several around me) didn’t hesitate to quote outrageous prices. The actual fare is 20 dinars, but one asked for 120 dinars. I refused, and another offered 60 dinars. I replied, "That’s too expensive—I’ll take the metro!" (Having tried the Tunis metro, I had no desire to repeat the experience in Monastir with a suitcase!). I started walking toward the metro, and one of the drivers caught up with me, saying, "20 dinars is fine!" I’ll skip the details, but the negotiation took a little while.
When I arrived at the hotel, I told the receptionist someone had asked for 120 dinars. He put his hands to his head and said, "They’re awful!" He remembered our phone call two days earlier when I’d booked (he’s the one who told me I could take the metro).
The Mezri Hotel isn’t expensive. I got a sea-view room for 75 dinars (22 €). (I’d booked a balcony room for 90 dinars but wouldn’t have had time to enjoy it.) It’s well-located but noisy because there’s no double glazing.
The receptionist is a very kind older gentleman. He called a friend whose wife is from Tozeur to find out if I should take a bus or a *louage* tomorrow and what time.
I arrived at the hotel around 7:00 PM and had time to stroll along the corniche to the ribat. Despite some run-down buildings, the seaside seemed livelier and cheerier than Sousse’s.
Monastir is the hometown of former president Bourguiba. I passed his mausoleum by taxi. There are Tunisian flags along the avenue by the sea because every year on April 6—the anniversary of Habib Bourguiba’s death—the president of the Republic visits the Bourguiba Mausoleum in Monastir to pay respects.
The taxi driver mentioned other Tunisian presidents. He complained about rising prices and insecurity, blaming President Kaïs Saïed (I’d already heard that security was better under Ben Ali).
At the end of my stay, I’ll take time to explore Monastir, but tomorrow morning, I’m off to Tozeur—a long bus ride awaits me.
Just back from two weeks in Andalusia, and I wanted to share this experience with you—maybe it’ll help with planning a trip. I’ll start with a quick recap in this post and try to add photos and day-by-day details later (still sorting through them). Hope I don’t bore you too much! 😎
Trip details:
April 20 to May 4, 2019:
7 days on the Costa de la Luz (El Puerto de Santa María) in an Airbnb,
4 days at the junction of the Costa del Sol and Costa Tropical (Salobreña) in an Airbnb,
3 days at Cabo de Gata for some rest at a campsite in Los Escullos.
Two families of four, each with our own car: three 9-year-old boys and a 6-year-old girl. One family was more into city exploration (not us, but we’re working on it), and the other preferred relaxation and nature (that’s us). We speak a little Spanish.
Over 5,000 km, including 2,500 km for the round trip from Carcassonne.
The weather: Variable, but we expected better for this region in late April. The first week on the Costa de la Luz was sometimes chilly (< 20°C), and the second week was warmer but not excessive (< 25°C). At least we didn’t get much rain!
Our budget: Around 2600 € per family:
700 € for accommodations, about 50 € per night,
1000 € for meals and restaurants. We usually spent around 50 € per family at restaurants—we ate out for lunch (except for 2–3 picnics) and cooked at home in the evenings, trying to be back by 6 PM.
600 € for activities: Río Tinto, a flamenco show, visits to the Alhambra, Giralda, and Alcázar, Oasis Park with meals, and a kayaking trip.
300 € for gas and tolls.
Preparation: A few months ahead with bookings for accommodations and tickets for the Alhambra, Giralda, and Alcázar. We used a few travel guides—I like the *Évasion* guide for initial planning. *Géoguide* was okay, but our friends’ *Routard* was the most useful. We also spent three months brushing up on Spanish with Mosalingua (a great spaced-repetition method, max 10 minutes a day). Downloaded Maps.me and the Andalusia map in advance—essential. And we used Tricount to track shared expenses with friends—super handy.
What we did/saw:
3 city visits (Seville, Granada, and Cádiz) + Málaga for our friends (we vetoed Córdoba—too many cities for us).
4 white villages (Vejer de la Frontera, Arcos de la Frontera, Grazalema, Ronda) + Tarifa for our friends.
Beaches (Tarifa and Bolonia, Matalascañas, Nerja, Cabo de Gata).
Nature and fun moments: Doñana National Park, a kayaking trip along the rocky coast near Nerja, and the Wild West/animal park in the Tabernas Desert.
A little culture: Río Tinto mines, the archaeological site of Itálica, Columbus’s caravels, Nerja Cave for us, and the Picasso Museum in Málaga for our friends. Plus, seeing the ham-drying process in the Alpujarras (for our friends).
Our highlights
Nerja and the surrounding villages: The rocky coast was amazing, and we loved the kayaking trip, even if the water was freezing for snorkeling. The beaches are sheltered from the wind, the town is charming, and the cave is incredible.
El Rocío and Doñana National Park. El Rocío has a timeless, almost Wild West vibe—we could’ve stayed a day or two. The quiet and pine scents reminded us of the Landes region.
What we didn’t love as much:
Río Tinto mines: Not super exciting, and the guides’ nonstop chatter kind of ruined the "nature" experience.
Our little regrets (for next time):
Forgetting our passports and missing a day trip to Tangier from Tarifa.
Not having an extra day around Nerja to go snowboarding in the Sierra Nevada—just 1.5 hours away (the kayak guide suggested it).
Not spending at least one night in El Rocío to explore Doñana National Park at dawn.
Antequera with the Guadalhorce reservoir and the Caminito del Rey (but it would’ve meant 2 more hours of driving, and we didn’t have the energy).
My general impressions of Andalusia and Spain
Landscapes: A feeling of extreme concentration of a single activity in some areas—endless olive groves, wind farms on the Costa de la Luz (which I thought were well-integrated), rows of buildings along the Costa del Sol (yikes, glad we didn’t stop there), greenhouses around Almería (a shame to have frozen the coast for so many kilometers), and the massive industrial port of Huelva.
What surprised us compared to France was the lack of small hamlets—villages are clearly defined, and people cluster there, leaving vast landscapes without human presence. In France, you find houses scattered everywhere.
Roads: Relatively few tolls. Sure, rest areas aren’t as nice as in France, but the roads are in good condition, and our wallet was happy. The roads are pretty straight with countless bridges and tunnels—the upside (besides fast travel) is that there aren’t many secondary roads disrupting the scenery.
Tourism and activities: A huge variety and richness. Feels like everyone can find something they like, and 15 days barely scratched the surface. It’s amazing how quickly you go from the coast to snow-capped peaks (Sierra Nevada) or from farmland to desert (Tabernas). And the mix of European and Arabic architecture in the same city is really special.
One small regret: Not interacting more with locals. We didn’t luck out with our Airbnbs. But shopkeepers were great—very patient with my broken Spanish! :-)
Overall, I think our choice to stay on the Costa de la Luz and then near Nerja worked well. We could explore pretty easily (even if we logged a lot of kilometers), and the settings were fantastic. The 3 days of total relaxation at Cabo de Gata were perfect.
If you prefer shorter stops, you could try staying in El Rocío (easy access to Seville and great for an early visit to Doñana National Park) or maybe Grazalema for a hike in the mountains (weather-dependent). And of course, Tarifa for a day trip to Tangier or Gibraltar.
Sometimes fantasy and a change of scenery are right near home! I love exploring the four corners of the planet, but there can also be a whole world just a little farther than the end of your street—or even the tip of your nose! So I’ll share with you in pictures the beautiful kermesse of Ath, which we only discovered last August, even though we’re neighbors (we live in Lille).
I could have subtitled this travel journal: "Ferme eut’bouc tin nez va quer eud’dans"; it’s an expression in Picard language, literally “Close your mouth or your nose will fall in,” said to someone who’s amazed—and amazed I was!!!
Ooooooooh, giants!
Oh, how I love them! In the North, we have lots of these giants, like Reuze Papa and Reuze Maman in Cassel, or Gayant, Marie, and their children Binbin, Jacquot, and Fillon in Douai, and many more.
Huh? What? You don’t know what a Géant du Nord is?
Well, it’s a benevolent hero, a legendary figure, a protector, a symbol tied to a city that parades through it, walking and dancing during carnival or the local festival. The tradition is said to have originated in Portugal in the 13th century (at least that’s where we have the first records), then we see them in the Netherlands starting in the 15th century. In the North, the oldest are Gayant and Marie of Douai (16th century), but many new ones have appeared since the 1980s with the revival of carnivals. In practice, it’s a large character (or animal figure) several meters tall; the structure is made of wicker, the body is often papier-mâché, but the head can be wood, as in Ath (lime wood), and the clothes and accessories are made of fabric, leather, and wood. The flared robe (for both male and female giants) allows one or more carriers to slip underneath to move it using only their arms, shoulders, and legs—and even make it dance! There are over 1,500 giants in Belgium and 450 in Hauts-de-France, mostly in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments.
In Ath, there are giants—LOTS of them! I’ve never seen so many at once. And each one is carried by only one man at a time (except for Bayard, you’ll see why later), even though the structure weighs over 100 kilos—so the carriers take turns quickly! The Ducasse of Ath and its giants have been inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2008, as part of the "Processional Giants and Dragons of Belgium and France."
What’s more, the Ducasse of Ath is remarkable for its age and local roots; a procession was first mentioned in 1399, and today the many musical groups are still local (Ath and surrounding towns). The event is extremely popular: a good part of the population is there, all generations mixed together. Everyone knows the groups, floats, and giants, and each has their favorite! Originally, religious groups paraded, illustrating episodes from the Bible or the Golden Legend. Gradually, the parade became secular and kept evolving by adding new giants, historical figures, or allegories linked to local history (Ath, Belgian Hainaut, Belgium).
Finally, the beautiful floats are all pulled by magnificent draft horses, and that’s extraordinary! The town council itself rides in fine carriages that close the parade.
To wrap up this long introduction, know that the Ducasse of Ath lasts several days, but the highlight is the highly codified procession that takes place on the 4th Sunday of August (actually, the procession passes twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon).
So, let’s go!
On this Sunday, August 26th, we’re in Ath in the early afternoon to see the procession. What a popular enthusiasm! Everyone is wearing the city’s colors (purple, yellow, and white), often with a twisted fabric necklace. Everyone is happy, smiling, from the giggling toddler to the sprightly centenarian sipping beer with her rosy-cheeked cousin and the pretty freckled blonde niece. People call out to each other, laugh, hum, and congratulate each other all around.
People start positioning themselves at strategic spots along the route—wider areas where the giants stop to perform a dance to the tunes of the brass bands accompanying them. And there are brass bands—at least one per giant and float!
The wait passes quickly in this joyful atmosphere. Suddenly, the music grows louder, and here comes the first giant at last! It’s the "two-headed eagle," with a child (a real one) sitting safely on a little chair.
Present in the procession since the late 17th century, it originally had only one head (normal, right?) and accompanied the tailors’ guild. It gained a second head during the royal visit of 1854 (go figure why!). It’s 3.30 meters tall and weighs 115 kilos (without the child). All the men you see in white are carriers taking turns.
Its dance consists of spinning the bird around—you’d think that little kid up there must be getting dizzy!
Next is the "Neapolitan fishermen’s boat." It’s a magnificent float representing a ship, with handsome sailors clinging to its rigging. This float first appeared in the parade in 1856.
It’s followed by a human giant on stilts: "Saint Christopher of Flobecq," holding a flowered staff and carrying Christ on his shoulders (this time, not a real child!). It appeared in the 19th century, then disappeared from the procession before being reintroduced in 1976.
Now here come the "Blues," dressed in French uniforms. This group is the heir of the former cannon-arquebusier company, and they punctuate their parade with gun salutes!
Foreword
This text has been proofread many times.
Sorry if some points in this A to Z have already been covered on this forum.
Text and drawings by the author.
Peru is still a very vast country, with so much to see, and obviously this text can't list all the attractions of the country.
*Abiseo (River)
A national park that's very hard to access and doesn’t seem open to visitors.
Includes the Gran Pajaten site (see below).
Personally, it really sparks my imagination
(not visited personally)
*Aguas Calientes
the town next to Machu Picchu, more precisely below the archaeological site.
As far as I know, you can only get there by train.
Reminds me of the market where stalls line both sides of the tracks near Bangkok.
I love it
*Altiplano: somewhere the "heart" of the Andes.
I was able to trek across it on foot, starting from Caracollo in Bolivia, and of course, it’s vast plains to explore.
This is where people live in a very rural way.
Andean populations are quite austere compared to those in the lowlands or on the coast.
You really have to appreciate the harshness of life to live there.
Life is anything but superficial.
I set a compass heading and found myself walking west toward the expanse of water near a place called La Joya.
For pitching the tent, the nights were still chilly
*Canyon del Colca
One of the deepest canyons in the world.
Personally, I hiked down and back up on foot.
The toughest stretch I’ve ever covered in my life.
*Ceviche
More or less the national dish.
A marinade of fish, shellfish, and lime.
But you can find it in some restaurants in Europe, France, and certainly in Belgium or Switzerland.
In the small restaurants of Pisco, you can eat excellent ceviche
*Cerro Sechín:
Mostly bas-reliefs. A site little known to travelers in the Casma province.
The first vestiges of a pre-Inca civilization with iconography similar to that of Chavín
(not visited personally)
*Chan Chan
A large city of the Chimú civilization and relatively vast to visit.
You can see adobe walls with bas-reliefs.
Visit from Trujillo, take a colectivo.
Plan for the whole day
*Charango: a small guitar widely used in Andean music
*Chauchilla
A necropolis near Nazca where you can see mummies exposed on the ground.
YouTubers can do paranormal experiments there.
And for anyone wondering about the fate of the soul and body after death, here’s the answer: the body remains after death.
You can imagine your own flesh and body exposed to the winds of the Pampa and before eternity...
(not visited personally)
*Chavín de Huántar (Lanzón) The site’s appeal lies in its mountainous surroundings, the Lanzón stela, and the sculpted heads on the façades.
What few people know is that the Chavín civilization began its expansion centuries before the Incas.
Unfortunately, you can’t get too close to see the Lanzón—the day I was there, it was protected by grilles.
To get there: minibus from Huaraz or trek from Olleros.
Then cross a high pass (over 5,000m). If you do it solo on foot, be careful—the path isn’t obvious from Olleros
*Chullpa: funerary tower, notably at Sillustani in the Lake Titicaca region
*Chimú: pre-Inca civilization whose center was Chan Chan.
*Chola/Cholitas (Bolivia): typical clothing style of women from the Andean plateaus
*Chompa: pronounce it *Chompaaa!* A common term for a wool sweater with vicuña patterns, often knitted from alpaca wool.
If you dress like this, it’s a bit kitschy around the edges
*Cuy That one isn’t a guinea pig like in Guyana but an actual guinea pig.
During a trip to Peru, I was hiking near a village north of Quillabamba (the terminus of the train line that passes through Aguas Calientes), and I was invited to stay in a house.
The family raised a few of these pets. Apparently, the locals eat them.
Since I’m not much of a meat-eater, it doesn’t really tempt me. How about you?
*Pacific Coast or how to talk about a place you haven’t visited?
Except for the coast near Pisco and San Andrés, I haven’t visited any coastal cities.
But that doesn’t mean these places lack interest or poetry.
For fans of clichéd images, pelicans, seabirds, and fishing boats appear by the sea.
*Gran Pajaten: also closed to the public. Features anthropomorphic bas-reliefs.
(not visited personally)
*Huaca.
Visit the Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna, especially near Trujillo.
However, you can skip them—Chan Chan is still more interesting.
Don’t forget to spend time visiting Chan Chan
*Huacachina
A small oasis in the desert near Ica.
Yes, we’re talking about an oasis because for those who’ve never traveled to Peru, the coastal strip along the Pacific is almost entirely desert, from north to south.
Peru is territorially made up of three different regions: the desert coast, the Altiplano stretching north to south with mountain ranges (the Cordilleras), and the Amazon basin to the east.
(not visited personally)
*Inca Kola
It’s neither Coca-Cola nor Pepsi but a unique cola with a slightly orange color.
Tastes like bubble gum
*Intiwatana: a carved rock shaped like a parallelepiped.
Is it a sundial?
*Ballestas Islands: a highlight in Peru, though very touristy.
You can only get there by boat from the port of San Andrés, a few kilometers from Pisco.
It’s a surreal place to me—actually islets with cavities where sea lions and fur seals live.
Since it’s a protected area, you’re not allowed to disembark.
Guano is harvested there, which can be used as fertilizer.
*Kuelap: a fortress built by the Chachapoyas people.
Rarely visited by travelers.
(not visited personally)
*Larco Museum: an iconic museum in Lima with a large collection of pieces from archaeological and pre-Columbian sites.
From what I remember, it has many pieces from the Moche civilization.
As for the Moche statuettes, the prudish might look away.
Probably a veneration of the god Priapus without knowing it.
*Nazca Lines
Discovered by German archaeologist Maria Reiche, they stretch for kilometers.
The designs in the desert around Nazca depict animals and cabalistic signs.
The question I ask myself is why the creators of these lines represented a monkey and a hummingbird—species endemic to the tropical forest, not the desert plains around Nazca.
*Machu Picchu: means "old mountain" in Quechua.
There’s also Wayna Picchu.
The ruins of the site emerge from a sort of small plateau above Aguas Calientes.
When the mist rises above the site and the bend of the Urubamba River, it’s truly magical...
Also the starting point of the Inca Trail.
*Coca tea
A decoction/infusion of the coca plant, meant to ease altitude sickness or *soroche*
*Chullo A rough translation would be a Peruvian wool hat.
*Moche: a civilization established in the Moche Valley, hence the term *Mochica*.
What characterizes this civilization are the distinctive clay pieces representing faces and erotic statuettes
*Papa a la Huancaína
A local potato dish
*Pisac: a typical market near Cusco
*Pisco Sour: perhaps the Peruvian equivalent of the *caipirinha* you drink in Brazil.
*Puya Raimondii
A Bromeliaceae that still looks like a cactus, endemic to the Altiplano
*Quechua
The language spoken by the indigenous people of the high plateaus (as well as Aymara in Bolivia)
*Quipu A knotted string used for counting. Widely used by the Inca administration.
*Sacsayhuamán (Q’enqo, Inca Bath)
From Cusco’s Plaza de Armas, take the streets that climb above the city.
Sacsayhuamán is called a fortress and is made up of large stone blocks. You wonder how the Incas could cut such huge blocks to assemble them—just like some streets in Cusco.
The Q’enqo block is enigmatic; no one really knows what it represents.
*Savia Andina An Andean folk group.
*Tambo (=> Ollantaytambo)
The Inca emperor (Atahualpa, Manco Capac) had the mission of controlling a vast empire.
An empire that was still very extensive.
Hence the importance of these *tambos* or relay stations.
Napoleon created the civil code; the Incas invented the *tambos* and *quipus*.
*Tawantinsuyu: the Inca Empire
*Tinku: a warrior dance practiced mainly in Bolivia
*Golden Tumi: a sacrificial weapon. Often featured in Peru travel guides.
See illustration
*Terra X: a documentary series from the German TV channel that aired on Arte.
Some episodes focused on pre-Inca and Inca Peru.
I must have some old recording tapes.
In memory of Gottfried Kirchner as a source of inspiration.
*Uros: I checked—it actually refers to the people who live on these floating islands.
Even if it’s touristy, it’s a must-visit because it’s incredible how people can live on islets made from nothing.
Take the boat from Puno
*Vicuña, llama, guanaco: camelids characteristic of the Altiplano
*Wayna Picchu The young Picchu mountain.
In the first minutes of *Aguirre, the Wrath of God*, you see Klaus Kinski—well, Aguirre—making his way along the Inca Trail. Werner Herzog must have broken his back filming those sequences.
Last October, we landed in Marrakech to spend a few days with family exploring Morocco’s roads.
Transport: a rented Dacia.
Accommodations: small guesthouses.
Our first stop was just a few kilometers from Marrakech, at a lovely house perfect for relaxing and recharging before continuing. It’s called Bleu House, a little paradise on the outskirts of Marrakech. The welcome was very warm, with a beautiful pool and a lovely garden.
Next, we headed toward the Tichka Pass. The road has really improved in recent years—it’s much easier to drive now. No more getting stuck behind trucks, and today, the construction is practically finished.
Morocco has turned green after the recent rains. It’s a joy for the herds and shepherds.
Leaving on Sunday, September 28, 2025, from Montpellier: I’m taking the train with my bike and panniers to Nice for the evening ferry departure to Porto Torres in Sardinia.
Nice is gorgeous.
Our decision is our decision. And it’s firm and final. Next winter, our plane will spread its great wings toward the island of Ceylon! "Wait a minute... Ceylon... Ceylon... that name rings a bell, but I can’t quite place it on the globe Grandma gave me for Christmas! Ceylon... Oh right, I’ve got it: Ceylon is the name of my tea!" Exactly. But the name on your pretty tea box is also the one used until 1972 for this island nation, a speck on the Indian Ocean at the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent: Sri Lanka!
For this new adventure, I’m exceptionally leaving my Flo behind, cowardly replaced by a double dose of testosterone. To write the book of this journey with me, I’m bringing along my brother, who’s used to this kind of thing, and... a guest star: My model of resilience. My dad! All aboard! Or rather, all aboard our tuk-tuk! Yes, you read that right: A real tuk-tuk, a little colorful rolling box that putters along at two miles an hour. The idea? Well, Sri Lanka and its winding roads overlooking the vastness of lush nature are tailor-made for this kind of vehicle. And since it’s one of only two countries in the world that allow foreigners to rent and drive these mini speedsters, we’ll be crisscrossing the island in our two-square-meter rolling box. Plus, adopting this mode of transport is a surefire way to connect directly with the locals, who’ll surely be curious to see a foreigner driving their iconic vehicle. Not to mention the... let’s say... spicy anecdotes it might generate. I mean, heading into a subtropical zone with my jet-black dad and his unpredictable digestive flora while deliberately choosing the tuk-tuk as our *only* means of transport? That’s the winning combo for an unforgettable adventure! "More seriously, Dad, Sullivan, I’m already loving the idea of living this adventure together, the three of us—brothers and father..."
So, does the intro to this new adventure get your salivary glands going? Yes? Too bad. Because unfortunately, the program handed out by the lady at the entrance has been slightly... let’s say *crumpled*. Some might even say "scrunched up and nearly tossed in the trash." First, six days ago, as the countdown echoed in us like a call to adventure, Cyclone Ditwah grabbed Sri Lanka, played with it like a rag doll, and left it battered on the ground. The toll is devastating: over a thousand dead, thousands of homes wiped out by relentless rains, roads and railways swallowed by massive mudslides. A country wounded once again, after the civil war, the 2004 tsunami, and the post-Covid economic crisis.
But as if this weather disaster wasn’t enough to shake our unbreakable adventurer spirit, fate decided to mess with us further by cutting our trio down to two. The victim? My brother, violently turned away because of a simple date on his passport that didn’t match the border officials’ expectations. Return to sender!
So now it’s just the two of us allowed to board the Qatar Airways Airbus A380 for this trip. If he were here, Denis Brognart would say, "And in the end, only one remains!" Except I know you’ll be with us, following our adventures! Right?
Here’s the itinerary for a ten-day trip through Slovenia and Northern Italy using local transport.
Saturday, May 2: Arrival
Arrived in Ljubljana on a Transavia flight from Paris. I’d spotted a bus connection to the city center, but it’s worth noting there’s no dedicated line—most buses stopping at the airport come from Bled. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the bus was already packed with people who’d headed to the lake for some fresh air. I ended up taking a shared van, with drivers actively offering transfers to travelers. I paid 12 € for the ride to the train station, then walked 15 minutes to Hotel Celica. It lives up to its description as a former prison turned hotel—close to the city center, clean, with a hearty breakfast. The rooms are basic, with beds 3 meters off the ground, accessible by a wooden ladder. For dinner, I opted for an Indian restaurant.
Sunday, May 3: Urban marathon
Good news: museums are free on the first Sunday of the month. I started with the National Gallery, then took a stroll through Tivoli Park, enjoying the outdoors. I tried grilling in the park before heading to the Museum of Modern Art and the eclectic National Museum of Slovenia, which was interesting for its architecture. Next up was the castle—you can enter the grounds for free; the only reason to pay is to access the keep for the city views.
Monday, May 4: Bled
I spent the morning exploring Ljubljana’s architecture but was disappointed by the Krakovo district, which guidebooks had hyped up.
In the afternoon, I took the bus to Bled. The hostel was right at the bus station, and I soon realized I’d be the only guest—the owner was struggling to attract visitors. I walked around the lake and searched for the viewpoint access. It’s a steep climb with a staircase, but worth it.
Tuesday, May 5: Vintgar Gorge
I headed to the gorges early in the morning via a shuttle, then walked back to Bled. It was stunning—it reminded me a bit of the Samaria Gorge I’d visited last year.
The bus took me straight to Stara Fužina near Lake Bohinj, where I stayed in a homestay. I loved it, even though there wasn’t much interaction with the hosts.
The weather was overcast and misty, giving the lake a Scottish vibe.
Wednesday, May 6: Bohinj
Rainy day, so I took the bus to Ukanc at the far end of the lake and walked back.
Thursday, May 7: Mostnica Gorge and the auto-train
I set off on foot for the gorges from Stara Fužina, taking a detour up to Planina Uskovnica, a steep and rarely used trail. The views of Triglav and the traditional alpine huts were incredible.
I then took the auto-train to Most na Soči. The passenger section has compartments, and the windows can be opened. The ride through the gorges was breathtaking. I stayed at a family-run guesthouse near the Most na Soči station—authentic and cozy.
Friday, May 8: Tolmin Gorge and Nova Gorica
I took the bus to Tolmin, then walked 30 minutes to the gorges. The trail is well-maintained but short, so I extended my hike with a scenic loop through the gorges and nearby villages.
A quick train ride later, I was in Nova Gorica for the night, positioning myself to reach the Adriatic coast the next day. I explored at a fast pace—Villa Raffut on the Slovenian side, then crossed the border to visit Palazzo Attems-Petzenstein and grab an aperitivo in the main square. You could tell I was in Italy just by the vibe. The old border checkpoint is still there.
Saturday, May 9: Piran
Three trains and a bus later, I arrived. The journey was scenic, and it was worth it.
Piran is touristy but manageable. It feels like a mix of Croatia and Italy, with both influences evident. The maritime museum was fascinating, with its detailed ship models. There’s still a local feel—there was even a great blues concert by the harbor that evening.
Sunday, May 10: Piran
I walked to Izola along the coast—a beautiful route with paths, roads, and lakes. It was Sunday, and the tip of the village was lively with families picnicking. I decided to take the bus to Koper. The regional museum was quiet, but the garden was stunning.
Monday, May 11: Trieste
The bus connection from Koper was frequent and easy. Trieste is very open to the sea. I visited the castle and the massive Revoltella Museum—good timing, since it was raining. The collection spans everything from classical to contemporary art.
I missed my connection to Stresa later that day, so I had to improvise a night in a dorm near Milan’s train station.
Tuesday, May 12: Stresa
I came mainly for the Borromean Islands. First impressions weren’t great—crowded at the dock and windy. I didn’t like Isola Bella—too many people and too flashy. I much preferred Isola Madre, with its peaceful gardens where you can find solitude. On the way back, I stopped at Isola dei Pescatori after some hesitation, and it was worth it. Finally, I explored Stresa, with its colorful houses and grand palaces.
Wednesday, May 13: Heading to the Jura
I wrapped up my trip by taking the EuroCity train from Milan to Geneva via the Simplon Pass. From there, I headed to my vacation spot, taking the train from Nyon to La Cure (on the border). The rest of the journey was private.
Returning to Curaçao is a bit like reopening a book whose pages still smell of sun and salt.
As soon as the plane descends toward the island, the familiar colors reappear: the dazzling turquoise of the sea, the pastel facades of Willemstad, and that unique light that seems to soften everything.
For this second trip, we no longer arrive as hesitant explorers, but as confirmed lovers of this warm island.
We already know that the warm wind will welcome us as soon as we step out of the airport, that the beaches will once again offer their infinite shades of blue, and that each day will have that unhurried pace that makes you forget the rest of the world.
Yet, despite this sense of déjà vu, Curaçao always manages to surprise. A new cove to discover, a different sunset, a smile shared with a local...
The island has that rare talent for reinventing itself without ever betraying what makes it so endearing.
This second trip isn’t a repetition, then, but a reunion: a chance to rediscover Curaçao with more attentive, more connected, and perhaps even more amazed eyes.
I invite you to keep reading this travel journal and watch the videos that will help you learn a little more about the island’s different attractions.
Just click on the video image to start watching.
To go to a specific post, here are the appropriate links:
Exploring Willemstad’s colorful neighborhoods
The Most Beautiful Beaches in Curaçao
Hike at Boka Sint Michiel | Flamingos & panoramic views
Climbing Christoffel Mountain
Den Dunki & Flamingos of Jan Thiel
Must-see spots in Curaçao
Snorkeling at Playa Kenepa Chiki: Turquoise Water & Tropical Fish
Snorkeling at Porto Mari: One of Curaçao’s Best Spots
Snorkeling at Mambo Beach, the Perfect Spot
Snorkeling at Daaibooi Beach, a diverse marine world