Je viens épisodiquement sur le forum, lorsque j’ai des infos à glaner quoi ! 😛 J’ai beaucoup écumé les carnets du Maroc, pour chercher à construire mon voyage.
Nous avons donc fait en famille, fin avril, un beau voyage dans les montagnes de l’Atlas. Je me décide à partager avec vous ce que nous avons vécu, et moi aussi vous apporter ma petite expérience 😉.
Nous étions déjà allés, mon mari et moi, faire un premier voyage , un trek dans le désert marocain en 2013. Nous y avions rencontré un guide, que nous avons pu recontacter pour ce nouveau voyage. C’est décidé, cette fois nous allons cette fois découvrir le Maroc en famille !
Jour 1 : 20/04/2017 : Dole – Marrakech
Décollage à 12h25, à l’heure prévue à l’aéroport de Dole, à 2h de route de la maison, nous habitons en Haute-Saône. Nous arrivons 3 heures plus tard à l’aéroport de Marrakech-Ménara.
Nous passons un premier contrôle, puis nous remplissons les fameuses fiches d’entrée qui nous avaient tant posé problème la première fois ! Il faut en effet impérativement se munir d’un stylo pour remplir des fiches de renseignements, ce coup-ci on ne s’est pas fait avoir ! Et on l’a même prêté à d’autres qui ne savaient pas, ON DEVIENT DES PROS !
Nous passons au guichet pour changer nos euros contre des dirhams, puis dernier contrôle des bagages. La douanière nous fait une fouille complète des valises … Elle tombe sur le comté que nous avons acheté pour offrir à Khalifa notre guide. Elle demande ce que c’est, on lui explique, et ça passe … ouf !
Nous sortons de l’aéroport, première claque, il fait chaud, bien qu’un peu couvert, ça tranche avec les -4° de ce matin au départ de la maison ! On regarde les personnes qui viennent chercher les touristes avec des petites affichettes. On regarde bien partout, hélas, on ne voit pas notre nom, ni celui du Riad qui était censé venir nous chercher.
Heureusement, j’ai dans mon téléphone le numéro du patron du Riad, je lui téléphone, et il nous envoie quelqu’un. Le chauffeur nous emmène donc directement au Riad Wardate Rita, réservé via internet.
Encore quelques instants à attendre, et on nous montre finalement notre chambre. Un lit double pour nous, un lit à étages pour les enfants, avec toilettes et douche à chaque bout de la chambre. Franchement, pour 40 euros la nuit avec le petit-déj compris, rien à redire.
Maintenant que les bagages sont posés, y’à plus qu’à aller se balader pour faire découvrir Marrakech aux enfants. Nous n’irons pas très loin avant de nous faire alpaguer par le patron d’un petit restau, muni d’une jolie terrasse. Il nous invite à y faire un tour pour admirer la vue. Il faut admettre que c’est plutôt pas mal. Il nous montre ce qu’il propose pour le repas du soir, ça donne envie ! Menu complet pour 90 dirhams, c’est-à-dire 9 euros. Comme il n’est pas encore l’heure de manger, nous partons en lui disant qu’on reviendra peut-être ce soir.
Une quinzaine de mètres plus loin, nouvel arrêt. Nous avons très soif et un vendeur de boissons a ouvert son étal. Nous prenons un bon jus d’orange frais pressé sous nos yeux, un régal !
Nous voilà maintenant d’attaque pour marcher un peu, direction la Place Jemaa El Fna. A Marrakech, tout converge vers cette place. Nous reconnaissons en chemin la Place Dar El Bacha, pas loin du riad où nous étions logés lors de notre premier séjour. Nous arrivons sur la place et regardons un peu, mais là encore plus qu’ailleurs dans la médina, nous sommes sollicités à chaque instant. On essaie de regarder de loin les charmeurs de serpents, un monsieur qui en tient un à la main fonce vers nous et veut que je le touche ! Je m’enfuis en courant ! J’ai trop peur de ces bestioles !🤪🤪
Nous décidons de rebrousser lentement chemin, tout en essayant de téléphoner à Khalifa notre guide, que nous devons retrouver à Marrakech, mais on ne sait pas quand ni où… Pour l’instant, il ne répond pas. Mais bon, on vient d’arriver !
Nous décidons de retourner à notre petit restau avec la terrasse, où nous prenons notre premier repas. La serveuse est très sympa, dommage elle ne parle pas très bien français, mais elle nous prend en photo tous les quatre. Le repas est énorme, on a du mal à finir ... Nous retournons tranquillement à notre riad pour dormir.
Hélas, la nuit est très moyenne, il n’y a pas de volet à notre fenêtre qui donne dans le patio, constamment éclairé, et nous sommes tout près de l’entrée du riad. Nous entendons toutes les autres personnes qui arrivent au riad jusque tard dans la nuit, et ne sont pas très discrètes, c’est le moins qu’on puisse dire...
Voici la suite ... nous allons consacrer cette journée à Marrakech, avant d’entreprendre notre circuit dans l’Atlas demain ...🙂
Jour 2 : 21/04/2017 : visites à Marrakech
Nous avons mal dormi, voir très mal dormi … Pas très cool pour commencer les vacances. 🤪 Les enfants, eux, ont super bien dormi, et n’ont rien entendu … je sais pas comment ils font ! Heureusement, le petit-déjeuner est là pour nous redonner des forces, il est plutôt copieux, tant mieux.
Avant d’entamer nos visites, nous décidons d’aller voir à l’aéroport notre location de voiture, voir si tout est OK et où elle se situe car hier dans la précipitation de l’arrivée, on avait pas vu où était l’endroit des locations.
Notre riad se trouve dans le quartier Bab Doukkala, proche de la gare routière, où nous décidons d’aller voir si on peut prendre un bus pour rallier l’aéroport. Même pas le temps d’inspecter les panneaux, on se fait interpeller par un chauffeur de taxi qui nous propose de nous emmener directement tous les 4 pour moins cher que le bus ! Il nous montre le panneau, effectivement, le ticket de la navette est à 40 dirhams/personne, donc à 100 dirhams la course, c’est plus simple et on n’attend pas. Il nous emmène vers son véhicule, hum ! Un espèce de mini-van tout déglingué, mais bon, pour aller jusqu’à l’aéroport, ça devrait aller! A l’intérieur, on a l’impression que le pot d’échappement va directement dans l’habitacle, et ça secoue un peu (beaucoup) et les ceintures sont inexistantes ! ça fait beaucoup rire mon fils ! Nous arrivons très vite à destination. C’est l’essentiel.
L’entrée de l’aéroport est très règlementée, pas le droit d’entrer si on a pas le billet d’avion ! Mais en expliquant, seul mon mari aura le droit d’entrer, mais seul, pour se renseigner. Au bout de 15 min, il revient et tout a l’air OK pour demain.
Nous pouvons maintenant aller vers notre premier lieu de visite, le jardin Majorelle. Nous trainons vers l’arrêt de bus, quand un nouveau chauffeur de taxi vient nous chercher ! On a eu 100 dirhams la course pour venir ici, même si le jardin Majorelle est un peu plus loin que la gare routière, nous exigeons le même tarif. A notre grande surprise, il est d’accord.😉
Cette fois, la voiture est beaucoup plus belle et confortable, ici il y a de tout ! Tout près de l’arrivée, le chauffeur se fâche presque avec un policier dans la rue du jardin, lui il veut nous déposer pile-poil devant l’entrée, pas ailleurs ! Nickel pour nous, comme ça, on a pas besoin de chercher.
Devant l’entrée, il y a une file d’attente assez imposante, mais ça passe vite. Il faut dire que ce jardin est assez célèbre, on entend parler toutes les langues dans la file. Il porte le nom de son fondateur, l’artiste peintre Jacques Majorelle qui l’a crée en 1931, en s’inspirant des jardins islamiques. Il a été racheté en 1980 par Yves Saint-Laurent et Pierre Bergé. Nous dirons que ma fille a 11 ans, la visite étant gratuite pour les enfants de moins de 12 ans, ça passe sans problème.
La visite du jardin est belle et paisible, des cactus, des bambous, des palmiers, des plantes et des fleurs, le tout dans une atmosphère propice à la détente, avec le « bleu Majorelle » omniprésent. C’est superbe. On espère toujours que notre guide, Khalifa, va nous rappeler, car notre forfait est déjà quasiment épuisé à force de tomber sur son répondeur. Toujours aucune nouvelle....
En ressortant du jardin, nous achetons des cartes postales et passons faire quelques courses dans un genre de supermarché dont le logo ressemble à celui d’Auchan. Nous achetons des fruits et des gâteaux, pour subsister au cours de notre journée. Nous trouvons l’ensemble très cher.
Après un rapide passage à notre chambre, pour déposer nos affaires, nous recherchons un petit restaurant pour ce midi. Nous tentons un qui s’appelle chez Yassine, les prix affichés sont très raisonnables, entre 40 et 60 dirhams les plats à la carte.
Finalement, nous ne serons pas déçus ! La serveuse est hyper sympa, et les rations énormes ! Une fois de plus, nous ne finissons pas nos assiettes ! Couscous en plat du jour pour nous, spaghettis bolo pour les enfants. Il nous faut juste un petit thé à la menthe pour digérer tout ça ! En prime, je repars même avec un petit sac bourré de sachets d’épices pour refaire un tagine à la maison ! Trop bien !
L’après-midi est consacrée à la visite des souks de Marrakech, et je souhaite aussi qu’on aille visiter la Médersa Ben Youssef. C’est une ancienne école coranique, que l’on peut maintenant visiter, il paraît que l’intérieur est très beau.
Dans le dédale des petites rues, divers commerces s’offrent à nous. Premier arrêt vers un monsieur qui nous fait visiter son magasin, il y a de tout ! Une vraie caverne d’Ali Baba! Nous regardons les poteries, le cuir, les tissus etc… et prévenons poliment que nous n’achèterons rien, car nous n’avons que chacun une petite valise en cabine déjà pleine, et pas de bagage en soute. C’était sympathique. Il nous emmène ensuite chez un herboriste, qui nous fait lui aussi l’article. Il nous explique les différents produits et nous fait sentir différentes choses, confortablement installés dans un canapé, ça repose un peu ! Je lui achète un peu d’huile d’argan, que je compte offrir à ma maman en rentrant.
Nous arrivons non sans mal tout près de la Médersa. A ce moment, un autre rabatteur nous emmène dans le quartier des tanneurs. Hélas, celui-ci est assez loin, il nous fait visiblement tourner en rond dans la médina pour nous perdre, cela nous fâche un peu, mais maintenant qu’on y est, autant voir leur travail. Ici, on nous donne chacun des branches de menthe à la main, car ça sent très fort, c’est horrible par endroits !
Puis vient l’inévitable magasin de poufs, tissus, et autres objets en cuir provenant de ce quartier. Le vendeur nous fait évidemment l’article, nouvelle explication et nouveau refus de notre part.
C’est alors que nous recevons enfin l’appel tant espéré de notre guide ! Il nous donne rendez-vous ce soir à 20 h à la gare routière, on connaît et c’est tout près de notre riad. Nous ressortons vite du magasin, le vendeur est visiblement déçu. C’est alors que celui qui nous avait emmené réapparait pour toucher sa commission de guide !! Nous tenter d’abord de refuser, il se fâche ! Nous lui donnons quelques pièces, il dit que ce n’est pas assez, mais ce sera ça ou rien, car nous on a rien demandé !
Nous le quittons très fâchés l’un et l’autre ! Pff ça nous apprendra à nous laisser entourlouper…😠😠
Sauf que maintenant il est tard, on est perdus et nous mettons très longtemps à retrouver notre chemin. Trop tard pour la Médersa, et on est très fatigués de toute cette marche, et des diverses sollicitations. Nous rentrons au riad nous reposer. Comme nous n’avons rendez-vous qu’à 20h, nous en profitons pour prendre une bonne douche, et écrire les cartes postales achetées ce matin au jardin Majorelle, au moins ce sera ça de fait !
Nous ressortons direction la gare routière pour y retrouver notre guide. Là encore pas facile, nous mettrons près de 10 min avant de nous rencontrer enfin. Les retrouvailles sont chaleureuses. On va tous ensemble boire un coup dans le bistrot de la gare routière. Khalifa nous expose l’itinéraire qu’il a prévu pour nous pour cette semaine, ça a l’air chouette ! Au cours de l’itinéraire, nous irons à Anergui, le village où il habite. Il nous propose aussitôt de venir passer la nuit chez lui ! Super gentil et ça fera l’occasion de connaître sa famille.
Mais il y a un seul problème, Khalifa est attendu à Casablanca lundi matin pour avoir les papiers de son visa pour venir en France. Depuis des années qu’il essaie, il a enfin une opportunité avec une association française de venir travailler 15 jours en France dans le cadre d’un partenariat.
Khalifa a tout prévu, il nous propose de commencer le voyage avec son neveu, également guide, qui s’appelle Mohamed. Il l’appelle et il arrive dans les 5 minutes suivantes. Nous proposons d’aller manger tous ensemble, ils refusent et disent qu’on aura bien le temps pendant cette semaine. Ils nous raccompagnent au riad où ils nous nous retrouverons demain matin à 8 h. Mohamed viendra avec nous les trois premiers jours et nous rejoindrons Khalifa chez lui à Anergui. Tout est bien planifié.
Nous décidons de retourner ce soir chez Yassine, le restau de ce midi, pas envie d’aller voir ailleurs et en plus c’était sympa. Cette fois, nous allons dans la salle du haut. La serveuse nous reconnaît et nous propose de faire une pizza pour 2 pour les enfants, afin qu’il puissent finir leur plat ! Moi et mon mari avons envie de gouter la pastilla, autre spécialité marocaine. Encore une fois, nous avons très bien mangé !
Nous rentrons ensuite au riad, impatients d’être à demain et de commencer véritablement notre voyage. Nouvelle nuit très agitée, décidément ce riad est très bruyant. 😠Moi qui avais réservé ce riad pour la fin de notre voyage, je me dis que sur le wifi de l’aéroport j’annulerai ma réservation....
Jour 3 : 22/04/2017 : Marrakech – cascades d’Ouzoud–Zaouiat-Ahansal (276 km) (Gite « Oued Ahansal »)
A 8 heures tapantes, Khalifa et Mohamed sont là au riad. Nous disons au revoir à Khalifa, qui doit nous retrouver dans 3 jours, et partons avec Mohamed direction l’aéroport avec le chauffeur du riad que nous avions réservé. A l’aéroport, seul mon mari entre, on connaît l’histoire. Je reste avec les enfants et Mohammed derrière les vitres de l’entrée. Nous attendons … et nous attendons encore … Je gère l’impatience des enfants, et discute un peu avec Mohamed, mais je ne suis pas encore à l’aise avec lui.
Au début, je pense que c’est long parce qu’il y a du monde, mais je ne comprends pas … au bout de presque 2 longues heures d’attente, mon mari revient enfin, la mine déconfite… y’a un problème … ouais je m’en doutais un peu…
« On a pas le 4X4 et les 500 euros déjà payés, on les a dans le c.. ! » 😮 Non, c’est pas possible !! Je vous passe tous les détails et les négociations, nous finirons, par dépit, par louer un Dacia Duster, seulement 2 roues motrices pour encore 300 euros de plus que prévu… pas cool le début des vacances.🏴☠️
Cette matinée commence mal, mais bon, on finit par quitter ce satané aéroport. Tous les bagages sont dans le coffre, le voyage vers l’aventure peut enfin commencer. Côté aventure, on se serait bien passé de celle-ci au départ, mais comme dit Mohamed, les choses comme ça arrivent toujours aux personnes gentilles, mais ensuite il leur arrive de belles choses ! 🙂 J’espère qu’il a raison, car là on est un peu refroidis pour l’instant, même si le soleil tape fort aujourd’hui à Marrakech.
Il est maintenant presque 11h30, nous nous extirpons petit à petit de la jungle de cette ville, complètement anarchique niveau circulation. Ca klaxonne toutes les 10 secondes, ça tasse, ça double, mais ça passe…
Au bout d’une heure de route, je demande à Mohamed où il a prévu qu’on s’arrête manger, car ça commence à creuser. A la base, on aurait du s’arrêter pique-niquer aux cascades d’Ouzoud, notre premier lieu de visite, mais on en est encore loin … et puis on a rien acheté encore pour le pique-nique.
Nous nous arrêtons dans un village où il y a un souk, c’est-à-dire un marché. Nous poursuivons nos interrogations, on va acheter quoi pour pique-niquer ?? Nous sommes des habitués du sandwich jambon-beurre, saucisson et chips ! Autant dire qu’ici nous n’aurons rien de tout ça ! 😉
Khalifa nous avait conseillé, à juste titre, de donner de l’argent à Mohamed, et c’est lui qui se chargerait d’acheter dans le souk pour nous, ce qui nous simplifie grandement la tâche, car ces personnes ne parlent évidemment pas français la plupart du temps, et pour les touristes, c’est forcément plus cher !
Premier achat : du pain. Ici se sont des pains ronds et plats, et pas la peine d’essayer de trouver autre chose, y’a que ça. Ok pour le pain. Ensuite, des tomates, ah oui tout le monde aime ça ! Après Mohamed nous propose d’acheter des boites de sardines, aie, ça coince personne n’aime ! Lui aime et a l’habitude de prendre ça, donc une seule pour Mohamed.
Il fait chaud, on sait pas quoi acheter d’autre sur les souks, alors Mohamed nous propose l’inévitable vache qui rit, que l’on mange ici en toute circonstances, du petit-déjeuner au dîner, alors pour le pique-nique d’aujourd’hui, ça va le faire. Nous achetons aussi une réserve d’eau de 5 litres, car dans le pays impossible de boire de l’eau du robinet, pour nous européens, sous peine de tourista garantie ! Il y a aussi des fruits au marché, donc on prend aussi des oranges, quelques bananes, et le tour est joué.
On reprend la voiture et on s’arrête quelques kilomètres plus loin, en bordure de route, sur un banc à l’ombre pour manger. Pas vraiment le pique-nique attendu, surtout de la part des enfants. Avec ce début de matinée mouvementée, le service est un peu rude, mais bon ça ira mieux après !
Après ce repas vite avalé, direction les cascades d’Ouzoud ! Nous les atteignons enfin après une bonne centaine de kilomètres encore… Ici les kilomètres sont longs, la route pas toujours en bon état, assez étroite. Il faut bien souvent se tasser sur le bas côté pour croiser les autres voitures. Il faut aussi souvent klaxonner quand on voit des gens au bord de la route alors seulement ils se serrent. Ici c’est comme ça !
Arrivés aux cascades, le spectacle vaut vraiment la peine. Les cascades font environ 100 mètres de haut, et il y a plusieurs points de vue, qui permettent de les admirer. Et pour les enfants, une super attraction, des petits singes, qui vivent là, et auxquels on peut donner à manger. Un homme offre des poignées de cacahuètes aux enfants pour qu’ils les donnent aux singes. Je pensais qu’il allait ensuite nous réclamer de l’argent, mais on y a semble t-il échappé …
Cette région d’Ouzoud est déjà montagneuse, nous sommes ici à 1000 m, mais vu la chaleur, on ne dirait pas.
Pour continuer notre route, direction Azilal, c’est une succession de virages. Court arrêt dans cette ville pour faire le plein, car après il n’y aura plus rien ! Ce sera l’Atlas, les montagnes et les petits, tout petits villages, sans commerces !
En chemin, le ciel s’assombrit un peu, dommage, car c’est vraiment beau. Mohamed nous explique que bien souvent des orages éclatent en fin d’après-midi dans l’atlas. Nous continuons à monter, dans un beau décor de montagne. Avant l’averse, nous décidons de faire une courte pause goûter, on avait acheté des gâteaux à Marrakech vendredi, ça nous fera du bien, car il reste encore pas mal de km avant d’arriver au gite de ce soir.
Oui, la pause sera très courte, il y a ici un vent pas possible, et ça caille un max, changement de temps radical avec ce qu’on a pu avoir aux cascades où on crevait de chaud ! Une fois remontés dans la voiture, Mohamed nous dit qu’ici on va passer un col à 2600 m environ. Ah oui, je comprends mieux pourquoi il fait froid !! 😮 C’est assez bizarre, on a du mal à estimer l’altitude car comme le paysage est déjà assez désertique, même à altitude moyenne, alors on voit pas trop la différence à plus haute altitude.
Une fois passé ce col, la route est de moins en moins carrossable, les virages toujours plus nombreux, ça n’en finit pas ! Moi qui suis à l’arrière depuis Marrakech, je commence à me sentir moyen-moyen ! 😕 Nous redescendons, pour arriver enfin dans le village de Zaouiat-Ahansal, notre première destination, à environ 1600 m d’altitude. Il était temps. Il est déjà plus de 20h …
Encore quelques centaines de mètres à parcourir sur un chemin de terre pour arriver jusqu’à notre gite. On se gare, le gite est en contrebas, il y a plusieurs maisons en pierre, on nous fait entrer dans l’une d’elles. Khalifa nous avait réservé l’étape, et Mohamed connaît aussi ce gite, il y est déjà venu.
On dépose nos bagages dans l’entrée de la grande salle, on nous prépare le thé de bienvenue, il nous réchauffe et nous fait du bien.Nous n’avons pas été aux toilettes depuis un certain temps, je demande où elles se trouvent avant de passer à table. On ressort dehors, un genre de cabane en pierre abrite des toilettes … à la turque … aie, ma fille et moi ne sommes pas très à l’aise avec ça, toujours peur de se pisser dessus ! Mais là, pas le choix …😉
Nous retournons dans la salle commune où nos hôtes ont déjà mis la table, c’est vrai qu’il est tard, il fait déjà nuit.
Nous mangeons une bonne soupe en entrée, suivi d’un tagine de légumes, et en dessert des oranges à la cannelle. C’était super bon, le menu typique de la semaine, mais qui plait moyen aux enfants à cause des légumes, il va falloir s’y faire.
Une fois le repas terminé, on nous indique nos chambres, il faut ressortir dehors et aller dans un autre bâtiment. Attention c’est le moment de vérité ! Comment et où va t-on dormir ?
En entrant dans le gite où sont les chambres, c’est le soulagement ! Les enfants auront une chambre rien que pour eux avec deux lits, avec des WC « normaux » et une douche dans une petite pièce, rien que ça ! Nous dormirons en face dans une autre chambre. On fait vite les lits, et on se couche ! Voilà une première journée bien remplie...
Jour 4 : 23/04/2017 : Zaouiat-Ahansal (17km marche)
Dans cet endroit, nous avons super bien dormi, ça nous change du Riad de Marrakech ! Aujourd’hui, nous restons à Zaouiat. Khalifa nous a prévu une journée randonnée, et pour les enfants, la balade se fera avec une mule, le programme leur plait beaucoup.🙂🙂🙂
Après un solide petit déjeuner, composé de crêpes marocaines, de pain, accompagné de beurre, de confitures et de vache qui rit (eh oui, l’inévitable). Il y a aussi un petit ramequin qui ressemble à du miel, ah mais non c’est de l’huile d’olive !! Euh, c’est pour quoi faire, me direz vous ?? Eh bien, Mohamed me donne la réponse sans que je lui demande c’est pour mettre sur la crêpe ! Ouille, comme si elles n’étaient déjà pas assez grasses … Bref, on va dire que ça donne des forces !😊
Vers 9h30, nous voici prêts à partir, nous rencontrons le muletier, qui nous accompagnera tout au long de la randonnée, il nous attend avec la mule. Il s’appelle lui aussi Mohamed … on va pas être dépaysés…
Nos deux montures !
Aujourd’hui il fait beau ! C’est génial pour la balade. Les enfants montent sur la mule, on y ajoute l’eau et le pique-nique du midi, et hop c’est parti.
A partir de Zaouiat, il n’y a plus de route, seule une piste continue. Bientôt elle se transforme en tout petit chemin, impossible d’y faire passer un quelconque véhicule, sauf la mule qui passe partout ! Nous marchons le long de l’oued « Ahansal », entouré de jolies montagnes, le paysage est splendide. En contrebas de notre chemin, des jardins et des cultures, le long de la rivière c’est le seul endroit où il est possible de cultiver.
Au bout d’un moment, nous entendons les bruits d’une pelleteuse ! Ici comme dans beaucoup d’endroits au Maroc, ça travaille dans des aménagements routiers, ici c’est la création d’une piste reliant Zaouiat au prochain village. Nous contournons les travaux en traversant l’oued sur des cailloux ils cassent littéralement un bout de montagne pour créer la piste, travaux titanesques, dangereux, et de longue durée…
Les enfants descendent de temps à autre de la mule, pour certains passages délicats, et Mohamed les fait remonter ensuite, c’est le rêve pour eux !
Nous débouchons un peu avant midi sur un village, complètement isolé, composé de quelques maisons. Je ne sais pas comment les gens font pour habiter ici … l’autosuffisance doit certainement être importante.
Nous poursuivons, jusqu’à arriver à la source de l’oued. Les montagnes se resserrent, et c’est la fin du chemin ! Nous sommes arrivés pour la pause pique-nique !Nous mangeons avec nos guides, tandis que la mule peut enfin vadrouiller un peu à sa guise. Nous parlons musique ! C’est sympa d’échanger avec eux, bien que les échanges soient rudimentaires avec le muletier, car il ne parle que quelques mots de français, mais il semble content.
Il est maintenant temps de faire le chemin retour, pour retourner au gite. La rando s’effectue assez facilement, malgré la longueur. J’ai enregistré la rando sur une appli, 17 km au compteur à l’arrivée pour 5H de marche (hors pause du midi). Les paysages rencontrés sont grandioses et superbes, et avec le recul sera une de nos randonnées favorites.
Au retour, nous prenons un petit thé bien mérité. Mohamed, qui avait vu un jeu de cartes marocain qui trainait, nous apprend à jouer. Ensuite, nous lui apprenons à jouer au UNO, il ne connait pas ce jeu.
Vient ensuite le repas. Nos hôtes nous avaient ce matin demandé ce qu’on voulait manger entre couscous et spaghettis : unanimité des enfants pour les spaghettis !! 😉 En entrée, il y a aussi de la soupe comme hier soir, puis un plat de spaghettis genre bolognaise, mais avec une sauce faite maison. Ils nous servent aussi un autre plat avec du poulet grillé (ultra bon !!) accompagné de frites !
Après le repas, nous discutons encore un peu avec Mohamed avec la carte, voir quel trajet nous allons emprunter demain, ensuite on dévie, et on finit par regarder toute la carte du Maroc...😮
bonjour,
Continuez c'est intéressant. Je suis votre carnet même si je n'avais pas souhaité intervenir. Il y a plus de 200 affichages, vous n'êtes pas toute seule. Merci.
Jour 5 : 24/04/2017 : Zaouiat-Ahansal – Rocher Cathédrale - Anergui (90 km de piste prévus, 250 réalisés)
Après un petit déjeuner très sympathique, le même qu’hier, c’est-à-dire toujours aussi copieux, nous prenons le temps avant de partir de faire une photo avec la dame du gite, qui, bien que ne parlant pas français, a été aux petits soins avec nous, surtout côté cuisine !
Nous réglons la facture 150 dirhams (=15 euros) par personne et par jour : pour le repas du soir, le pique-nique, l’hébergement et les petit-déjeuner ! Ce n’est vraiment pas cher.
Nous partons aujourd’hui pour environ 90 kms seulement, mais que de la piste, direction ANERGUI ! Notre premier guide Khalifa nous a invité à passer une nuit chez lui, en compagnie de sa famille. D’ailleurs nous n’avons pas trop de nouvelles de lui, mais on le verra surement ce soir !
Nous repassons dans le village de Zaouiat, c’est le jour du souk hebdomadaire. On s’y arrête, car Khalifa avait demandé à Mohamed de lui acheter 2 kg d’oranges pour lui rapporter chez lui. A Anergui, un seul souk aussi par semaine, et il n’y a pas toujours de tout, alors c’est sympa de lui en ramener. Nous on achète rien, nos hôtes nous ont encore fourni notre pique-nique de ce midi !
Nous prenons la route, je commence à être malade, depuis hier soir j’ai le nez qui coule … 😕Heureusement, j’ai du Doliprane avec moi et aussi des mouchoirs ! La piste est pour l’instant bien roulante. J’ai demandé à Mohamed pour me mettre à l’avant cette fois … je verrai mieux le paysage, et j’évite ainsi le mal des transports. Les paysages sont superbes, nous traversons la réserve naturelle forestière de TAMGA ça ressemble un peu au sud de la France, avec beaucoup de pins.
Nous arrivons en vue du « rocher Cathédrale », immense bloc de roche au milieu du paysage ! Drôle de nom pur ce rocher en pays musulman, mais bon … Nous faisons quelques photos pour immortaliser l’endroit, en plus on a l’impression d’être seuls au monde on a pour l’instant croisé personne sur cette piste ! C’est top.
Non loin de là, nous tombons sur un groupe de motards italiens, on s’arrête. Ils nous demandent de les prendre en photo. Ils prennent la même direction que nous par la piste, et nous demandent si « ça passe ». Mohamed nous dit que normalement c’est bon, la piste n’est pas très difficile. Les motards repartent dans un nuage de poussière … Très peu de kilomètres plus loin, nous rencontrons deux marocains qui voyagent en VTT, on échange quelques mots, ils se prennent un selfie avec nous. Nous leur souhaitons bon courage pour la suite.
Nous pique-niquons au bord de la rivière. Une fois le ventre plein, on reprend la route, enfin la piste.
Après quelques kilomètres, nous bifurquons sur la piste de droite, au niveau d’un pont en construction. La piste devient plus étroite et caillouteuse, mais plutôt bonne. C’est parti pour la « vraie piste ».
Les kilomètres s’enchainent, tout va bien. Au bout d’un moment, première difficulté pour notre Duster, 2 roues motrices seulement je le rappelle. Tout le monde descend, on observe le terrain, on bouge quelques grosses pierres, on bouche les plus gros trous, et ça passe facile…
Quelques minutes plus tard, nouveau passage plus délicat. Il faut de nouveau préparer le terrain, tout le monde s’y met. Mon chauffeur s’en sort magnifiquement grâce au travail collectif ! C’est ça l’aventure !🙂
Mais alors qu’on en est à plus de la moitié du trajet de cette piste, nous arrivons sur un passage complètement effondré : il y a un gros trou, le vide à côté, une grosse pente à remonter en dévers… Les motards italiens de ce matin sont en train de finir de passer, un par un, avec l’aide ce ceux qui sont de l’autre côté. C’est difficile pour eux. Et pour nous, ben ça passe pas ! On a beau réfléchir, retourner le problème dans tous les sens, avec le Duster, on prend pas le risque de passer là, on peut pas se permettre de le casser ou de rester plantés on aurait tout gagné…😠😠
La décision est prise, il faut rebrousser chemin et tout refaire en sens inverse jusqu’au pont en construction., de là on reprendra une route qui contourne toute la montagne par le barrage de Bin El Ouidane, environ 150 kilomètres de détour sur les routes de montagne ! Autant dire qu’on va arriver tard à Anergui …
Nous sommes arrivés au pont, ici aussi passage très craignos, où j’ai eu une belle trouille ! On passe sur un pont en bois complètement délabré, avec des planches posées dessus, qui bougent, dont certaines sont cassées…
Mohamed descend et guide mon mari pour poser les roues au bon endroit… limite je ferme les yeux ! J’en suis quitte pour une bonne trouille ! 🤪 Un peu dommage pour les souvenirs mais dans ces deux passages difficiles, ça craint tellement, qu’on a même pas eu le réflexe de prendre une photo, pourtant ça aurait valu des points ! Tant pis, cela restera gravé dans notre mémoire perso, c’est bien là l’essentiel.
Le passage vers le lac de Bin El Ouidane est très beau, on a pas tout perdu… Mais la route est encore longue.
Sur la route, à l’entrée d’un village, nous serons également contrôlés par des policiers, qui nous font passer un contrôle assez long, tout noter de nos identités, nos passeports et veulent savoir où on va passer la nuit. Heureusement Mohamed est avec nous pour expliquer tout ça et tranquilliser ces policiers un peu suspicieux … Encore un avantage d’avoir un guide avec nous. Sinon, je pense qu’on aurait été bons pour leur donner un bakchich … Mohamed confirme que ces pratiques sont courantes.
Encore beaucoup plus loin, les routes sont belles, enfin surtout niveau paysage, car niveau revêtement, ben c’est le Maroc quoi … nous arrivons enfin en vue d’Anergui !
Il nous faut encore noter nos identités sur une feuille, que nous donnerons à l’entrée du village pour le « caïd », autrement dit le chef du village. Tout est sous contrôle ici …
Pour arriver chez Khalifa, il faut encore prendre une piste en terre sur 5 kms. La piste est assez difficile et très étroite, oh là là que c’est dur… Mohamed avait téléphoné pour prévenir de notre retard, il nous informe aussi que Khalifa n’est toujours pas rentré … on ne le verra pas ce soir alors qu’on est invités chez lui !!😕
Les deux plus grands enfants de Khalifa nous attendent là où il faut laisser la voiture, j’ai bien cru qu’on arriverait jamais. Il est tellement tard qu’il fait quasi-nuit. Moi qui pensait être enfin arrivée, que nenni !! Pour aller jusqu’à la maison de Khalifa, il faut encore emprunter un tout petit sentier de terre qui chemine à droite, à gauche, on monte, on descend … ça n’en finit pas … Et en plus il fait nuit, on y voit plus rien.
Les gamins, habitués à la montagne et à leurs petits chemins galopent comme des lapins ! Inévitablement, je finis par glisser et me vautrer lamentablement … 😏 Bon, pas grave, je me suis pas fait mal. Dire que j’ai une frontale dans mon sac, ah si su, j’aurais pu la sortir !
Au bout de 10 minutes, nous sommes ENFIN arrivés ! Ben je vous le dis, Anergui, ça se mérite …Nous entrons chez Khadija, la femme de Khalifa, qui nous présente toute la petite famille. Il y a Yassine (10 ans), Aimat (8 ans) et la petite dernière Hajar (prononcer raja, 1 an et demi).
Khadija est très accueillante, et nous offre bien sûr le thé de bienvenue dans la pièce principale, très très grande, avec une toute petite table basse et quelques coussins, et c’est tout ...
Je dois dire que je suis un peu surprise, je ne m’attendais pas à une maison comme ça… Khalifa, qui gagne relativement bien sa vie comme guide, je pense, par rapport au revenu moyen des habitants de la montagne, chez lui il n’y a pas d’eau courante. Les toilettes sont à la turque seulement, avec un seau et un récipient pour tirer la chasse. Il y a tout de même l’électricité et une télé dans une pièce qui je pense doit être la chambre de la famille. La maison est très grande, mais presque vide… ça fait un peu bizarre.
Mais on sent ici que l’hospitalité n’est pas un vain mot. Nous aurons droit à un très bon repas. D’abord un tagine, toujours très bon ! On en reprend deux fois, pour faire honneur au plat. Nous pensions arriver ensuite au dessert, ah ben non ! Il y a ensuite un deuxième plat, comme nous l’explique Mohamed. Il s’agit d’un plat de pâtes, genre spaghettis, mais beaucoup plus fins, que l’on saupoudre de sucre glace ! C’est pour le moins inhabituel pour nous.😮 On goûte … Oh, mais c’est super bon ! Mais après le tagine, ça fait tout de même beaucoup… Khadija nous dit qu’il faut manger, l’expression est « Tich-Tich », ce qui veut dire en gros « allez mange» !!
A partir de ce jour là, nous répéterons souvent ses paroles, pour nous rappeler notre hôte d’un jour : « tich-tich » !😏😏
Nous offrons ensuite à Khadija le morceau de Comté que nous avons ramené de France. Je pense qu’ils ne connaissent pas. Tout le monde en prend un bout pour goûter. Les enfants aiment bien, je ne sais pas si Khalifa reviendra chez lui avant qu’il n’y en ait plus ...
Khadija nous propose de rester avec elle demain, elle veut nous préparer un couscous pour le midi !! C’est tentant …
Entre temps les enfants sont partis se coucher, il est bien tard, et demain, ils ont école… Nous aussi, on est cuits, alors hop au lit. Khadija nous a préparé une chambre, à côté du salon, avec chacun un matelas posé sur le sol, des draps et deux grosses couvertures de laine chacun, je pense qu’on va pas avoir froid.
Les habitué(e)s de ce forum ne lâchent pas le forum Maroc ainsi. Même en plein été. Et même lorsqu' ils ou elles sont au Maroc. Du coup on a du direct live.... contrairement à moi qui n'écris absolument rien au bled!
Votre récit est tout à fait charmant, intéressant, vivant. Sans prise de tête. On voit que vous êtes heureux même si vous êtes fatigués.
Vous avez choisi une façon de voyager au Maroc qui n' a jamais été la mienne mais qui visiblement vous a donné toute satisfaction et de grands et beaux moments. Vous avez pris un guide et à vous lire je vous comprends.
Grâce à lui vous avez parcouru des pistes et là c' est le top. Et en effet sans lui, sans équipementet, sans expérience , seuls, il est peu recommandé de se lancer à l' assaut des pistes.
Vous êtes mûrs pour un retour au Maroc dans d' autres contrées !!
Merci pour votre recit.
Je continue de vous lire avec plaisir.
Non tu n'es pas seule , je te lit depuis le début , même si je me balade en ce moment .
Je suis très agréablement surprise de votre adaptation aux différentes situations .
Ton carnet de voyage est bien construit .
J'avais une question pour la fin , mais je vais la poser de suite : avec quel loueur vous vous êtes fait avoir à l'aéroport ? Je pense que c'est important pour les autres voyageurs et en lisant d'autres forums je me rends compte qu'une certaine pratique se développe qui consiste à gagner de l'argent sur le dos des clients .
Pour le reste je connais cette superbe region , j'ai rencontré des motards il y a trois ans quî ont eu un accident vers la cathédrale . Meme avec un vrai 4X4 , au vu des difficultés que tu décrit sur la piste , il aurait été difficile de passer il me semble .
Bon , j'attends la suite .
Cordialement , Hannah
Ah, ben non tout le monde n’est pas en vacances !!😉😉
Oui sans guide, je pense que nous n’aurions clairement pas vu les mêmes choses. même si ce n’est pas notre habitude de voyager de cette manière.
Pour la location de voiture, nous avions pris sur internet, c’était location-auto.ma, un truc du style.
Pour la piste vers Anergui, un autre 4X4, mais un « vrai » est passé quand nous y étions, donc c’était possible. mon mari a un 4X4 d’habitude, et là il voyait nettement qu’on était pas à la hauteur pour passer à cet endroit.
A quel dommage... Il y a sur le forum des "experts" es-location qui vous aurait conseille 🙂
Sinon je vous lis aussi.
Sympathique sejour.
Je revois pas mal de lieux connus, d autres que je decouvre.
Ha.. Maroc quand tu nous tiens !
Je continue de vous lire.
🙂 🙂
Oui c’est vrai que sur le coup de la location, on s’est pas bien débrouillés. J’avais lu que Medloc était bien, mais hélas ils n’avaient plus de 4X4 disponible sur nos dates, , pourtant plusieurs mois à l’avance, donc on avait cherché autre chose de pas trop cher... hélas mauvaise pioche !
D’autres loueurs nous ont expliqué qu’ils louaient plus de véhicules qu’ils n’en ont, et qu’ensuite ils font croire aux gens que leur carte bleue ne passe pas...😠
C'est tout à fait ça la méthode , la carte bleue ne passe pas .... Du coup louer chez un local auprès duquel on ne paye qu'à réception évite bien des ennuis .
Ce seras pour la prochaine fois 😉
Jour 6 : 25/04/2017 : Anergui – Lac de Tislite – Imilchil – Gorges de Todra (178 km)
En effet, nous avons très bien dormi. Moi, un peu moins à cause de mon rhume, mais ça va. Khadija nous prépare un bon petit déjeuner, avec, comme dans les familles berbères, des crêpes ! Tout le monde en raffole, ça tombe bien.
Elle nous invite à rentrer, dans la « cuisine berbère » comme elle dit. Encore une fois, la pièce est quasiment vide. D’un côté un frigo, de l’autre une petite gazinière, et quelques ustensiles. C’est vraiment pas le grand luxe.
Je découvre que les crêpes ne sont pas réalisées avec de la pâte « liquide » comme chez nous, mais avec une sorte de pâte à pain, étalée dans la paume de la main, et cuite directement dans une petite poêle. Khadija a les mains qui trempent dans l’huile en permanence, pour éviter que la pâte ne colle. Tout est fait à la main, sans ustensile, au moins y’a pas trop de vaisselle à faire !
Nous demandons à faire un brin de toilette. Après la cuisine, c’est « douche berbère », c’est–à-dire avec un seau d’eau (chauffée au préalable tout de même) dans une pièce avec un carrelage au sol (la seule de la maison), un trou pour que l’eau s’évacue, et le tout sans lumière. Bon, ça va le faire, je peux me laver, même dans le noir !
Pendant ce temps, les enfants jouent ensemble, avec un petit chien, tout mignon. Khadija nous repropose de rester manger le midi ! Hélas, nous déclinons son offre. Déjà nous ne voulons pas abuser de son hospitalité, et de plus nous avons encore pas mal de route et aussi de la piste à faire aujourd’hui, alors si on part trop tard, on risque de galérer encore et d’arriver tard, à force ça commencerait à faire beaucoup, c’est fatigant pour nous tous.
Nous donnons un peu d’argent à Khadija pour la dédommager de nous avoir reçu, elle ne nous l’a pas demandé, mais il nous semble normal de donner un peu d’argent, car quand même ils ne roulent pas sur l’or…
Après avoir remercié chaleureusement Khadija, nous reprenons le petit chemin de la veille dans le sens inverse pour regagner notre voiture. Ce coup-ci ça monte ! J’arrive déjà transpirante en haut ! L’effet de la douche se dissipe déjà …😐
Nous prenons la route, enfin la piste, direction Imilchil. En chemin, toujours de beaux paysages, quelques villages où les enfants font coucou lorsque nous passons. Je pense qu’il ne doit pas y avoir beaucoup de voitures qui passent, alors c’est un peu l’attraction.
Petit passage un peu délicat pour le Duster dans la boue. Nous descendons et mettons les pierres que nous trouvons dans la principale ornière, histoire d’éviter le plantage… C’est bon, ça marche.
Pour l ‘étape de midi nous atteignons le lac de Tislite. Nous sommes à 2000 m d’altitude environ. C’est super joli, et encore une fois l’impression d’être seuls au monde… Nous mangeons notre pique-nique habituel : pain, tomates, œufs durs, vache qui rit et oranges. Nous faisons quelques clichés supplémentaires, les enfants jouent au bord du lac. Un âne sorti de nulle part viens près de nous et repart.
Allez hop, il est temps de reprendre notre route, nous dépassons la ville d’Imilchil, célèbre pour son moussem.
Nous continuons dans des paysages de montagne, petit à petit le vert est remplacé par l’ocre. Sur le chemin qui descend jusqu’aux gorges, nous croiserons des familles de nomades, qui changent d’endroit. C’est toujours impressionnant de les voir déambuler ainsi, avec leurs ânes, chèvres et chameaux.
En milieu d’après-midi, nous atteignons les gorges de Todra. Sur quelques centaines de mètres, deux pans de montagne très hauts (environ 300 m) de resserrent pour laisser un étroit passage. C’est un lieu très touristique du Haut-Atlas. Impressionnant, mais trop fréquenté pour nous on prend quelques photos et on repart.
Ce soir Mohamed ne sait pas où nous dormirons, il n’a rien réservé, car il y a ici de nombreuses offres d’hébergement. Mohamed passe quelques coups de téléphone, et nous essayons de nous arrêter à la maison d’hôtes Anissa. En fait c’est plutôt un hôtel. Mais les chambres sont très bien, le prix correct, alors c’est validé, on reste là. Il n’est pas très tard, alors on va pour voir se relaxer un peu. Et ça tombe bien car il y a une très grande terrasse ombragée, à proximité de la rivière. On se prend un petit coca bien frais, ça fait du bien.
Ici, l’altitude a chuté, alors il fait beaucoup plus chaud. Nous discutons avec Mohamed pendant que les enfants jouent un peu plus loin au fond du grand jardin de la maison d’hôtes.
Vers 20h, nous prenons le repas dans la salle à manger, entrée de salades de crudités, tagine, et fruits en dessert. Après ça, tout le monde au lit, moi de toute façon je suis HS, le rhume est à son apogée , pfff, moi qui ne suis jamais malade, faut que ça tombe quand on est en vacances !😕
C’est clair, nous qui voulions « assurer » en louant d’avance, c’est clair qu’on s’est bien faits avoir... le loueur sur place c’est mieux ! On a gardé leur carte pour une prochaine fois ... inch’allah comme ils disent là-bas !
Oui, continue à poster, même en vacances les amoureuses/amoureux du Maroc que nous sommes liront jusqu'à la fin ton road trip.
C'est très bien de ta part (et je dirais même que c'est tout à fait "normal"), d'avoir insisté pour rétribuer Khadija de son hospitalité... Ton "comportement-raisonnement" nous prouve que tu es une personne qui a du savoir-vivre !
Oui bien sûr il était hors de question de repartir sans donner quelque chose, c’est normal, on est pas des sauvages !
J’aime pas donner pour donner, de nombreux enfants nous ont réclamé des dirhams, on a jamais rien donné, on a cherché pas trop cher pour nos hébergements, etc ... mais là ce n’est pas pareil, on nous offre l’hospitalité, il est normal de donner en retour.
Une autre solution , c'est de faire des courses et de les donner en arrivant , on peut bien entendu en faire un peu plus que nécessaire pour compenser .
Bonjour
Votre récit enchante tout le monde!
Savez- vous qu' il est rare de lire une telle unanimité dans les messages ?
C' est donc trés plaisant. Merci pour les photos!
Bonjour
Votre récit enchante tout le monde!
Savez- vous qu' il est rare de lire une telle unanimité dans les messages ?
C' est donc trés plaisant. Merci pour les photos!
ça me fait vraiment chaud au coeur de lire un message comme le votre ! merci beaucoup.
Allez hop, on continue !
Jour 7 : 26/04/2017 : Gorges Todra - Gorges du Dadès- Oussikis (126 km) + 7km marche (Gite d’étape Oussikis chez Saïd)
Le matin, nous voulions partir assez tôt, manque de bol, ils ne servent pas le petit dej avant 8 h. Nous faisons tous les bagages avant de descendre manger, comme ça on ne perd pas trop de temps.
Ici le petit-déjeuner est beaucoup plus classique, avec du pain seulement, pas de crêpes comme dans les auberges familiales.😕
Nous prenons la voiture, passons la ville de Boulmane-Dadès, dernière ville « importante » avant les gorges du Dadès. Nous en profitons pour nous ravitailler en pain, eau, tomates et achetons des boites de thon à la tomate, pour changer un peu. On va essayer !
Petit arrêt photo peu après dans un endroit nommé les « doigts de singe », où les roches ont des formes bizarres. Nous poursuivons en suivant l’Oued Dadès, qui se tortille en contrebas. Il alimente les cultures, les palmeraies, c’est un véritable serpent vert au milieu des montagnes.
Nous commençons à reprendre de l’altitude, et nous faisons un stop au point de vue mythique, où l’on peut voir un nombre impressionnant de lacets de la route en même temps. Mais là haut, il y a un vent ! Yahouuu !
Nous poursuivons en direction de M’Semrir. Notre lieu pique-nique du jour sera implanté en contrebas d’une route en travaux. Il y a des arbres et un peu d’ombre, donc on s’arrête ici.
Le sandwich au thon à la tomate est une révélation pour nous, c’est vraiment hyper bon.😛🙂🙂
Il ne nous reste plus beaucoup de route, avant de prendre une piste en direction du village d’Oussikis, notre étape d’aujourd’hui. C’est chouette, on arrive tôt !
On pose nos valises au gite, on s’installe au salon et nous buvons le thé de bienvenue. Ensuite Mohamed nous propose une balade ça tombe bien, le temps est magnifique. Petit sac à dos avec de l’eau, et c’est parti mon kiki.
Quand on a déjà marché un peu, Mohamed nous explique la balade. On va monter tout en haut des montagnes devant nous, descendre de l’autre côté vers un barrage, et revenir en longeant l’oued. Ah bon, on va monter là-haut ? Alors ok !
Il n’y a pas vraiment de chemin, Mohamed le trace pour nous, au milieu des pierres. En route nous croiserons des femmes avec un troupeau de chèvres, elles semblent avoir un peu peur de nous croiser, et se demandent sans doute pourquoi on marche ici juste pour se promener alors qu’elles sont obligées de monter ici s’occuper du troupeau … Chacun reste de son côté…
Par contre, le paysage est absolument époustouflant ! La roche des montagnes est zébrée de couleurs différentes, c’est vraiment étonnant et magnifique, mais la montée un peu raide ! ça râle un peu, mon fils est fatigué, et il a faim ! Mince c’est vrai il est déjà 4 h, et il ne mange vraiment pas beaucoup le midi. Je n’avais pas trop anticipé la longueur de la balade, et j’ai rien pris à manger. On a seulement une bouteille d’eau…
Arrivés en haut, ça souffle tellement qu’il faut absolument tenir nos casquettes, sinon elles s’envolent ! On redescend vite vers l’autre versant pour se mettre à l’abri du vent. En chemin, j’essaie de faire diversion, et chasser la fatigue avec des fossiles de coquillages que l’on trouve en nombre sur cette montagne ! Un peu insolite de trouver des coquillages dans ces paysages si désertiques.
Tout en bas, nous apercevons le barrage, mais il y a encore un bon bout de chemin, heureusement, maintenant ça descend ! Au bout de 2h de balade, nous arrivons au barrage. En fait Mohamed estime qu’on a fait à peu près la moitié du parcours. On prend quand même le temps de monter sur le barrage, on y accède par une centaine de marches d’escalier.
Nous repartons en direction du village, en longeant l’oued. Maintenant c’est plat, il suffit (juste) de rentrer. Finalement, le trajet retour s’effectue rapidement, c’était plus facile, donc plus rapide. Finalement, c’était une super rando, avec des paysages qui déchirent, une fois de plus !
De retour au gite, on nous offre à nouveau le thé, cette fois dehors sur une table au soleil, avec des bons petits gâteaux qui vont avec ! Les enfants se ruent dessus, mais bon il ne faut pas trop en manger sinon ils auront plus faim pour le repas du soir !😏
Dans la cour intérieure, le soleil s’est à présent caché, alors ça rafraîchit vite. N’oublions pas que nous sommes à 2000m… Nous retournons dans le salon. Le patron du gite, Saïd, nous apporte le livre d’or, ainsi qu’un registre à compléter avec nos identités. Nous regardons le livre d’or, il y a des messages de personnes du monde entier, ça nous impressionne beaucoup. Mais à Oussikis, il me semble aussi que c’est le seul hébergement. Nous échangeons aussi avec Saïd et Mohamed des photos de notre région. Saïd connaît le Jura !
Pour le repas du soir : d’abord une soupe, ensuite un couscous, en dessert des oranges. Ensuite, nous proposons à Mohamed de rejouer au Uno. Il a l’air d’adorer ce jeu ! Nous demandons à Saïd et sa famille s’ils veulent jouer avec nous. Lui jouera avec nous, mais je pense qu’il n’a pas été relayer l’invitation à sa femme et ses filles … problème culturel sans doute… 😐
Mohamed lui explique le jeu, et c’est parti pour quelques parties, bien disputées ! C’était très sympa, car avec ce jeu, pas besoin de parler la même langue ! 😉
les coquillages : présence de la mer sur les plaines alluviales (ex fonds des mers) qui ont donné naissance à l'Atlas. On en trouve dans a peu près toutes les régions de l'Atlas au Maroc.
et aussi tout plein de très beaux fossiles marins.
tiens je vais aller relire tout ça 😉
Votre récit est bien agréable mais votre"guide" bien amateur ne fait pas rêver! Embarquer toute une famille sans vivres avec très peu d'eau et sans avertir de la durée du trek...on trouve mieux dans la région. Heureusement que vous prenez les choses du bon côté!
Si si nous avions de l'eau, c'est juste qu'on avait pas pris de goûter pour mon fils ... Parce qu'il suit un traitement, qui lui coupe un peu l'appétit et que les pique nique c'est pas son truc, alors il a eu faim ! Mais pour les autres membres de la famille, on a juste gouté un peu plus tard, rien de grave .. rassurez-vous 🙂
Toujours aussi belle la balade .
Je ferais juste la même remarque que Gaura , une bouteille d'eau pour 5 sur un trajet de 5 heures ca me parait léger de la part du guide de montagne , un seul pépin et la partie de plaisir se transforme vite en galere .
Jour 8 : 27/04/2017 : Oussikis - Bou Tharar (piste par Ait Youl 70 km) (Gite Kasbah Amnay)
Nous avons super bien dormi à Oussikis, toujours avec deux couvertures chacun, 😉 Moi qui suis un peu frileuse, ça me convient tout à fait !
Le petit déjeuner est encore une fois très bon, comme tous ceux qu’on a eus depuis le début. Je tâte le terrain, il y a aussi de l’eau chaude dans les douches. Royal ! Et aujourd’hui y’a pas que nous qui prendrons une douche ! Depuis hier Mohamed avait dans l’idée que nous devrions laver la voiture, du moins avant de la rendre à Marrakech, car il faut avouer qu’elle est méga sale. Il en a parlé à Saïd qui nous propose son jet pour laver la voiture. Nous acceptons en pensant qu’il nous mettrait juste le jet à disposition. Et bien non, il a insisté à mort pour nous le faire lui-même !
Personne n’a eu le droit de toucher à la brosse, sauf Mohamed ! Et bien sûr il n’a pas voulu qu’on lui file la pièce. C’est tout ou rien au Maroc, des arnaqueurs qui te vendent « du vent » à Marrakech pour une fortune, ou des gens qui font tout pour toi sans rien attendre en retour… C’est un peu déboussolant.
Nous repartons donc avec une voiture toute propre, direction Bou Tharar. Nous repassons d’abord par la route empruntée hier, les gorges du Dadès. Mais avant d’arriver sur Boulmane, Mohamed nous dit brusquement de prendre à droite. Euh oui, mais où ? Entre ces deux maisons ??😮😮😮
Oui, il faut tourner ici ! C’est l’entrée de la piste pour Bou Tharar ! Non sans blague ? Jamais, mais alors jamais on aurait osé prendre par là sans Mohamed. Même si on avait un GPS, on aurait dit qu’il se trompait ! C’est incroyable...😉
Le début de cette piste est vraiment très étroit sur quelques kilomètres. On roule au pas. Mais petit à petit le paysage se dégage : de grandes étendues désertiques, caillouteuses, avec en toile de fond le Haut-Atlas, et son troisième plus grand sommet, le M’Goun, qui culmine à un peu plus de 4000m, avec quelques traces de neige.
C’est encore une fois très beau. Vers midi et demi, nous trouvons enfin un petit coin avec un peu d’ombre, car ici y’a vraiment pas beaucoup de végétation ni d’arbres. Nous ne faisons pas trop de route aujourd’hui, mais nous n’avons pas d’hébergement réservé.
Nous dépassons Bou Tharar, Mohamed dit qu’il ne connaît pas trop de gites, le seul qu’il connaît bien, ne fait que l’hébergement, pas le repas. Nous poursuivons jusqu’au prochain village. On s’arrête près d’une maison où il y a une pancarte gite d’étape. On décide d’aller voir…
Le prix n’est certes pas très élevé, mais ici ça paraît quand même un peu crado … ça ne nous emballe pas trop, on décide d’aller voir un peu plus loin.
Nous arrivons à Amejgag. Ici l’ambiance est bizarre, tout le monde nous regarde bizarrement lorsqu’on passe dans les rues. On va voir un autre hébergement : euh, non plus ! C’est encore pire que l’autre ! Là il faut vraiment qu’on dise à Mohamed qu’on aime bien l’aventure, mais bon pas trop quand même !🤪🤪
Nous quittons ce village dans lequel nous ne nous sentons vraiment pas à l’aise pour retourner à Bou Tharar. Nous trouvons un hébergement qui nous conviendra enfin. Il s’appelle Kasbah Amnay.
Ici il fait vraiment chaud, nous avons bien baissé en altitude. Nous sommes presque au bord d’une rivière. Je promets à mon fils que nous irons au bord de la rivière et qu’il pourra jouer. Il est vraiment impatient, car il faut dire qu’on a pas eu beaucoup de temps morts durant ce voyage, ça fait peut-être un peu beaucoup pour lui.
Nous installons nos affaires dans la chambre, et cet aprèm on met les shorts. Je fais part à Mohamed de l’envie de Vincent d’aller à la rivière. Nous commençons par marcher un peu, les enfants trouvent le chemin long, ils pensaient aller directement au but en 30 secondes...
Au bout d’une grosse demi-heure, nous arrivons enfin à la rivière, que nous longeons pour l’instant. Mohamed cherche un endroit où la traverser. A un endroit il y a deux bras de rivière. Traverser sur des cailloux c’est impossible, il nous faut donc enlever les baskets et marcher dans l’eau. Là ou nous traversons, il y a pas mal de cailloux et du courant ! L’aventure ne nous quitte pas dans ce pays. Mohamed donne la main à mon fils. La hauteur de l’eau nous oblige à mouiller un peu les shorts, mais comme il fait très chaud, aucun problème, ça nous rafraichit et ça séchera vite.😎
Dans le deuxième bras de rivière, plus calme, nous laissons les enfants patauger. L’eau est couleur marron, le sable et la terre descend de la montagne, mais tant pis. J’invite Mohamed à s’asseoir et à attendre, car les enfants ont vraiment besoin de jouer. Il ne s’en rend pas compte, car il n’a pas trop l’expérience des enfants, il est jeune et fait plus des accompagnements sportifs !
Au bout d’un certain temps, il est temps de sortir de l’eau, les enfants râlent, mais on aurait pu rester 3h, ils auraient quand même dit « oh non pas déjà « ...
Depuis l’autre rive, nous entamons le trajet retour. Un peu plus tard, nous traverserons une nouvelle fois la rivière, cette fois sur des pierres. Nous longeons des petites digues de terre, qui délimitent des champs de cultures (orge notamment).
En contrebas, un terrain vague, de pierres et de buissons, avant la rivière. C’est très beau, mais pas beaucoup de place pour mettre les pieds. Comme d’habitude, je demande à tout le monde de faire attention.Mais à un moment, mon fils dérape, et tombe directement dans le trou ! Je n’ai même pas eu le temps d’essayer de le rattraper, qu’il était déjà au fond … 😮 Bonne chute de 2 mètres environ, et une bonne trouille aussi. Il est un peu écorché au genou, mais rien de grave. Plus de peur que de mal. La fin de la balade se déroule bien, nous sommes en vue du village.
(Je n’ai pas pris mon appareil photo, seulement le portable pour cette balade, alors je ne peux pas insérer mes photos, elles ne passent pas...)
Après un bon thé sur la terrasse pour nous remettre de nos émotions, direction la douche, car avec après le passage dans l’eau boueuse, la poussière et le soleil, elle est bien méritée. On n’y voit pas grand-chose dans la douche, mais bon, c’est peut-être un avantage ? !
Chacun vaque à ses occupations, nous retrouvons Mohamed pour le dîner. On aurait bien mangé sur la terrasse, mais c’est à l’ombre, et le vent s’est levé, donc on ira au salon. Le mur est agrémenté d’une magnifique carte de la région peinte à la main. Nous retrouvons avec joie le tracé des pistes que nous avons empruntées.
Nous mangerons une salade marocaine, composée de tomates et échalotes (autant d’échalotes que de tomates !!), un tagine évidemment, et des fruits en dessert.
J’ai du mal m’exprimer, nous n’avons pas marché durant 5 heures. En tout je pense que nous avons du marcher environ 3 heures, (2h pour aller jusqu’au barrage car il y avait pas mal de montée et 1h pour revenir au village en longeant l’oued, ça a été vite car c’était plat).
Et puis la présence d’un guide ne nous empêche pas de prévoir ce qu’il faut pour nous ! Je ne peux m’en prendre qu’à moi sur ce coup-là ...
Pour moi quî voyage seule , en voiture , ça me paraît étrange qu'un guide ne pense pas à ca et ne retienne pas les hebergements , c'est une impression générale que j'exprime à la lecture de ton voyage , car finalement j'avoue que je n'ai pas tout à fait compris le rôle exact du guide .
Cordialement , Hannah
Ben en fait on aurait pas du avoir ce guide là, à la base ... l’autre étant beaucoup plus expérimenté. Son rôle était normalement de nous accompagner jusqu’au troisième jour, mais on a fini la semaine avec lui ! Oui j’avoue que c’est un peu compliqué, mais c’est pas facile à exprimer tout ça par écrit.
Les jours où les hébergements n’étaient pas réservés, c’était là où il a avait une offre plus large, donc assez facile de trouver au dernier moment...
Pour nous, le guide est surtout là pour nous indiquer les routes, les pistes, et les randonnées. Il nous a permis aussi de nombreuses fois, de part sa présence, d’éviter de nous faire solliciter par d’autres guides plus ou moins véritables (même si les faux-guides sont parfois aussi super), il était aussi là pour négocier les prix...
ça fait un peu rock and roll ton récit 🤪 : avec un guide, tout de même dommage ce truc d'un enfant qui fait une chute de 2mètres dans un trou... il était ou le guide ?
+ la rivière où on mouille les shorts : courts ou longs les shorts ? ça fait bizarre tout de même.
je ne trouve pas ça fun du tout.
excuses moi ... je dis pas ça pour être négative ..
Merci beaucoup, Anne, de ce récit si bien écrit, des superbes photos et de... votre bienveillance à l'égard d'autrui!
Cela fait du bien.
De la part de quelqu'un qui a fait ses premiers pas au Jardin des Oudayas à Rabat, il y a... bien longtemps!
J’ai raconté cette anecdote de mon fils qui tombe, car ce récit je ne l’ai pas écrit juste pour ce forum , mais d’abord pour moi et ma famille, c’est juste pour le fun et raconter nos petites péripéties !Lorsque mon fils tombe dans un trou, le guide était juste devant lui ... mais encore une fois, je ne mettrai pas la faute sur lui. ça arrive de glisser ! Certes il aurait pu glisser ailleurs, faute à pas de bol !😛 Même moi, sa maman je n’ai rien pu faire alors que j’étais dans ses pas !
non, non, la faute n’est à personne, c’est juste une mésaventure, et si vous lisez tout jusqu’à la fin, vous verrez que ce n’est pas la dernière 😮
Ce voyage était placé sous le signe de l’aventure du début à la fin 😄😄
et pour la traversée de la rivière, seuls les shorts longs comme moi ont été mouillés, eh oui, que voulez-vous, je n’ai plus trop l’âge des shorts « ras-la moule » et puis au maroc, je ne trouvais pas ça très discret !! 😉 . La traversée de rivière c’était un peu voulu par tout le monde, on avait chaud ! Les enfants se sont bien amusés dans la rivière ...😛
le short, c'était pour connaitre la profondeur de l'eau ...😉 c'est tout.
bon, si tu le dis : moi je l'aurais saumâtre que mon gamin ait fait cette chute, mais bon, je ne sais pas si le trou était visible etc ... un guide doit connaitre son chemin, anticiper les obstacles et adapter son aide à l'âge des personnes qu'il emmène. c'est ce que je voulais dire.
pour moi "l'aventure" ne consiste pas à récolter plaies et bosses (il peut y avoir pire) sur 10 jours de vacances avec un enfant.
Bonjour
Ne vous inquiétez pas des dames qui trouvent à redire sur votre guide, la longueur du short pour connaitre la profondeur, l' eau de la bouteille ( il n' y en avait pas assez) la faute du guide qui aurait dû anticiper la chute du petit, la longueur de la rando....
Voilà ! Ça vrille!
Je me disais que c' était trop beau de lire quelque chose sans lire les critiques des routardes expérimentées!
Certains ont en effet toujours quelque chose à relever!
Racontez nous la suite mais bientôt c' est fini!
La tortue c' est avant Msemsir.
Merci pour votre commentaire, c'est vrai qu'en aucun cas je ne me suis plainte du guide, mais bon, on ne peut pas plaire à tout le monde, c'est bien connu.
Sinon, avez vous une photo de cette "tortue" ? J'aimerais bien savoir à quoi elle ressemble 🙂
Pas de probleme , le recit me plait , justement c'est pour ça que j'ai demandé des explications sur le rôle du guide qui n'a l'air d'en avoir que le nom , quî ne te montre pas la " célébrissime " tortue du Dades décrite dans tous les guides .
C'est normal d'échanger sur un forum non ? De plus ça s'appelle l'esprit critique et ce n'est pas anormal d'en avoir un peu .
Sinon , du béni oui-oui c'est toujours possible ...
1 ) Oui ...ce recit me plait ,
2) Non ...je n'aime pas la façon dont ce guide (quî ne doit pas en être un , plutôt le cousin du cousin ) fait son boulot , disons que ça peut inciter des touristes qui ne connaissent pas le Maroc à croire qu'ils sont tous comme ça , et heureusement ce n'est pas le cas . Il s'agit d'un métier qui se professionnalise et tant mieux .
Apres , si cet echange dérange Anne je lui ais confiance pour nous le dire .
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After as many weeks as I have fingers on my right hand, we're hitting the road again, fully recovered from our pharaonic adventure. Back in France to drop off our daughters (sorry, girls!), this time it's just the two of us, ready to be welcomed by a new destination. They say it offers one of the richest cultural heritages in the world for those willing to put in the effort. It's the land of the ancient Silk Road, where we'll follow a journey steeped in history and discoveries straight out of *One Thousand and One Nights*. A former Soviet bloc region independent only since 1991, we'll be walking in the footsteps of Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Alexander the Great, Marco Polo...
Another fun fact about this country: it's strictly forbidden to import porn on your phone. True story. The same goes for painkillers! Unless it's about sodomy—though the two don’t seem connected, that’s just how it is. Don’t ask me why! Anyway, I’m getting off track. Here’s the big question: Where do you think we’ve just landed?... To give you a hint, the locals are known for being incredibly welcoming. No sooner said than done—our first taxi driver, proud to transport French travelers, refused to let us pay for the ride. Great vibes for these two weeks ahead. So, any guesses?
Uzbekistan!!!
"So, my little wanderers, back at the decks? What’s this mystery destination you’ve got in store for us at the start of the year?"
Yes, the schoolyard bell’s ringing again! We’re hitting the road... or rather, the skies! At first glance, our destination might surprise more than a few. First off, simply because I was here exactly twenty years ago, and I don’t usually like retracing my own footsteps. Secondly, because the name of this place screams mass tourism—basically the opposite of what Flo and I look for.
Despite that, in this land of backsheesh, I’d promised myself I’d come back one day to experience it my way. And since Flo told me, during our wanderer chats, that this destination straddling Africa and the Middle East was in her top 2 travel dreams, the stars aligned for this roots-style trip to quickly make it onto our pharaonic festivities program! Unless you’re totally clueless in general knowledge, you’ve probably guessed by now—we’re off to Egypt! Of course, a few classics will be on our itinerary, but above all, we want to soak up a culture that can’t be appreciated in four-star resorts or on a Nile cruise boat. And let’s be clear, these next two weeks won’t be a walk in the park—neither for our two daughters who are joining us, nor for our bodies!
And that’s clear from the get-go: after our first flight, eight hours of trying (and failing) to sleep on Milan airport’s metal seats, our second flight, landing, passport stamps, our Uber ride, and our first Cairo kilometers, we finally drop our exhaustion at the little guesthouse we booked in Giza. Doesn’t all that energy deserve a little reward?
Oh, absolutely! And here it is: a full-on slap in the face for everyone! But just look at this view from our hotel terrace? For 20 € a night for four, even with this incredible view, I figured the room must be pretty shabby, right? Nope... Is the staff rude, then? Nope... Okay, so what’s the catch? You’re gonna tell me breakfast is included too? Well, yes! Honestly, this Egypt trip is off to a great start.
And the rest of the afternoon, spent rubbing shoulders with locals, only confirmed this vibe. After digesting our pyramid view, we dove into the hustle and bustle of our neighborhood with the goal of exchanging money, eating at street stalls, and testing the hospitality of the locals. Ten out of ten!
Eight little sun breads with baba ganoush and falafel? 80 pounds, or 1.5 €. A dozen Middle Eastern pastries? Same! 80 pounds! Two hawawshis, those little pita breads stuffed with meat and spices? 10 pounds each, or about twenty cents! Not to mention all those smiles and free "welcomes" left and right!!!
What a welcome! We end this first day with a sunset over the three sisters of Giza—where we’ll obviously be gawking tomorrow...
If I close my eyes and think of the Sultanate of Oman, I first smell a light scent of incense, feel the warmth of a sunbeam on my skin, before sand slips through my fingers. I taste the sweetness of a date, a real candy, then the flavor of coffee with a hint of cardamom and rosewater... I hear the desert wind whistling in my ears, the distant call of a muezzin, then the murmur of water. I open my eyes to see smiles, welcoming gestures, a turquoise sea, rocks ranging from ochre to purple, deep wadis where torrents burst forth, orange dunes, white sandy beaches where tiny crabs scurry at full speed. I see incredible oases emerging between arid mountains. I see abandoned villages that I’d dream were full of life, imposing fortresses overlooking valleys, and lively souks where offers are delicate and negotiation is a mutual courtesy.
All that, and so much more.
This is what I tried to capture in my illustrated travel journal, which I’ll fill in here and there with photos.
I drew this journal “cold,” after my return (actually, I made it this summer, while our trip was last winter). It’s a pretty special format—I bought it in Japan without really knowing what I’d do with it. Well, it found its purpose! Below is a photo of this accordion-style journal: here, it’s only partially open, because when fully unfolded, it’s 5 meters long!
For drawing enthusiasts: The accordion format is both a constraint (each sheet is 9 cm x 27 cm) and a freedom (you can create a fresco). The paper is also a bit special: it doesn’t allow for fine lines, but it takes ink well (liner pen). However, everything has to be done almost in one go (with a very light pencil sketch) because it erases poorly. It absorbs too much water for coloring with markers or watercolors (unless you avoid soaking it), but it works well with oil pastels and their use with a brush and solvent. Since it’s yellowish, it allowed me to create contrasts even with white pastel.
On the right, the "welcome marker"—those dates offered everywhere as a sign of hospitality. On the left, a tribute to those stunning doors worn by time, admired all over the old quarters, including the abandoned ones.
Oman is one of the world’s largest producers of frankincense resin. Incense burners are everywhere, from the simplest clay ones to the most precious handcrafted silver ones...
Hospitality will often lead you to accept a small coffee, an "Omani coffee," very light, subtly flavored with cardamom, maybe a touch of saffron, and occasionally rosewater.
Here, I’ve depicted a man in the common everyday attire of Omanis: the dishdasha, mostly white (during the week and daytime; colors are more common in the evening or on Fridays and Saturdays). While you’ll see some men dressed in Western clothes, they’re very few. The white dishdasha is truly the shared attire of all men. The dishdasha, which has no hood, is distinguished by a small pom-pom attached to the collar, the furakha, which is soaked in perfume. And believe me, Omanis go overboard with it! "It smells like the pom-pom" is an expression that’s now part of our shared language, my husband and I.
Another must of men’s attire is the kuma, a small round head covering, usually white with brightly colored patterns. The keffiyeh is also worn (but without the cord called an agal in Arab countries), and it’s mostly worn by those with roots in the desert, from what I understood.
And what about the women, you might ask? Some are veiled, some in full black (but not a burka—more like a chador + abaya), due to the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whereas the traditional outfit used to be a layering of very colorful dresses. Most of the women we saw wore neutral clothing, a plain veil over their hair, but with their faces uncovered. We also saw many saris and colorful veils—don’t forget that 40% of the population consists of Indian, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi immigrants, who work a lot in tourism, hospitality, restaurants, services, and construction.
Just to clarify, as a tourist, there’s no pressure to wear a veil, and never any disapproving looks. Of course, you’ll save the mini shorts, plunging necklines, bare shoulders, and midriffs for the hotel terrace—but I’d say that’s the same for men and women, and with the sun being strong, it’s better for your skin too.
Here’s the introduction! In the next post, I’ll tell you about my itinerary, and we can dive in!
"How about a Christmas market this year, huh? A little romantic weekend getaway...
- Yes! That’d be cool! Strasbourg? Colmar?
- Feels a bit déjà vu, doesn’t it? Plus, slim chance of snow there... And I’d love something a bit more exotic with a touch of originality..."
"Okay, Google, give me the list of the five most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe.
- In fifth place, the Christmas market in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
- Save your breath! Lithuania, here we come!"
We wanted cold, and cold is exactly what we got the moment we set foot in this new, unknown land. As for landscapes, forests and lakes stretch as far as the eye can see across this vast plain, its vegetation scorched by the frost of a winter that’s clearly already well underway here.
Lakes, in fact, set the scene for our first visit to Trakai Castle, whose brick-red towers and walls rise proudly against the azure sky of our first day. Lakes, because this castle was built on an island and is only accessible on foot via a series of walkways spanning half-frozen lake offshoots. I couldn’t have picked a better spot to build my castle! Translation: We’re totally sold! Proof is we spend two hours hiking around the area, alternating between forests, reeds, and cozy houses tastefully decorated for Christmas.
I’m sharing a little recap of this new 4-week trip to China—nothing fancy, just my experience.
We’re taking advantage of the extended visa exemption to return to China for the 4th time. I loved last summer’s trip so much that I’m a bit worried about being disappointed this year. Plus, I’ve had a few hiccups before this departure: my WeChat account got blocked, and I couldn’t recover it (luckily, Alipay still works fine); I couldn’t verify my 12306 account for weeks; Trip.com failed to book our second train; and I’ve got an injury that’ll slow me down during the trip... Ugh, I hate starting a trip with these kinds of issues. Then, oh surprise! Just before leaving, my 12306 account got verified! Super easy to use from that point on—I could book a few train tickets without fees.
We’re sticking with Free’s e-SIMs, which work great in China.
August 2–3
Anyway, on the morning of August 2nd, we took the RER to CDG. As usual, we couldn’t check in online. It’s always a bit frustrating, especially since we didn’t have any checked luggage. We flew with Air China. We arrived at the check-in counter at 9:50 AM, 2 hours and 40 minutes before the flight. The line for our check-in stretched 300 meters across the airport in both directions. What a joke!! We spent 1 hour and 45 minutes in that line just to reach the counter and get our boarding passes. By then, it was 11:35 AM, and boarding had already started at 11:20 AM. The screens showed a 25-minute walk to our gate—on the other side of the airport, of course—plus we had to go through passport control and security... Long story short, the plane didn’t leave without us 🙂 We boarded among the last passengers, and we took off at 12:30 PM. We’d flown Air China four times before, but this time, it felt *really* low-cost. The check-in chaos, the cramped seats (12 seats per row), no music by artists known outside China, mediocre food, and a boarding area at Beijing Airport with only 10 seats—worthy of Ryanair or EasyJet. And yet, the price was sky-high. Again, D.’s vacation requests were denied outside of July and August, so we’re traveling from August 2nd to 30th. We couldn’t have picked a worse time for inflated prices, and with the situation in Iran, we got hit with a 390 € fuel surcharge. I’ve never paid so much for flights—I felt like I’d bought business class, but nope, far from it!!
We landed in Beijing around 4:15 AM. It was 28°C with thick fog. We drove and drove and drove for 20 minutes, as usual in Beijing. Then we went through a first check, a second check, a third check, and waited for our connecting flight at 6:40 AM. A small Airbus A320, but way more space than in the Boeing 777 from the first flight. We landed in Kunming, Yunnan, around 10:15 AM in the rain.
We headed to the subway. You can’t pay at the machines with Alipay here either, so we set up the transport QR code directly in Alipay to scan at the subway gates. The process is a bit long the first time if you haven’t entered your info before, but once it’s done, it’s *so* much easier! We took Line 6 to the terminus for 6 yuan each.
We’d booked a hotel nearby, on the 16th floor. It’s actually studios on different floors of a huge residential building. The view’s pretty nice from here. We settled in quickly—back to those wooden beds, or rather, mattresses as hard as wood, which we *hadn’t* missed...
Then we went out for our first bowl of noodles of the trip and wandered through the shopping streets of the old town.
It was crowded, and the weather was cool—around 19–20°C. We tried a local specialty: milk skin, thick, dried, then grilled with rose jam. Yeah... we won’t be having that again. The taste and texture of the milk skin... no thanks.
We saw a lot of wild mushroom hotpot too. It’s on our list for later. We also passed through the Jinma and Biji gates, where I played with reflections in puddles. I *love* doing that 🙂
At the end of the day, we headed to a temple advertised as open 24/7 on Amap. Of course, when we got there, it was closed. We’ll go back tomorrow. That was the first of many disappointments with Amap this trip—I hadn’t had that issue on previous visits.
We were exhausted after that sleepless flight. Night was falling, and we decided to grab a quick bite without much appetite. We shared a delicious vegetable fried rice for 12 yuan—we even left half of it. The portions are *huge*.
After a couple of small purchases, we headed back at 9 PM, wiped out, after walking 17 km between the airports and these first steps in Kunming. I expected to see quite a few Western travelers here, but we didn’t spot a single one. Instead, we met lots of curious Chinese people, many of them super friendly and helpful—almost *too* eager, like when they’d run to serve us as fast as possible. It’s a bit much, but it’s great to be back!
Hi everyone, I’m Patrick, 67 years old, a seasoned traveler (already 22 trips outside Europe).
In autumn 2025, I took my first 3-week trip to Japan, with stops in Tokyo, Kamakura, Matsumoto, Kamikochi, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Koyasan, Tokyo again, and Nikko.
I wanted to go back in May 2026 and explore some lesser-known places to complement my first trip.
Last year, there were four of us traveling together to discover Japan (a fairly classic itinerary). This time, I’ll be traveling solo for part of the trip and with a couple of French friends for the rest.
The weather was gorgeous in May, averaging around 25°C, with two very hot days in Kyoto and only two rainy days.
As usual, I organized everything myself, gathering plenty of information from various sites, including this one.
Transportation:
An ICOCA card is essential.
I got a 5-day Kansai-Hiroshima pass because I took the shinkansen between Hiroshima and Osaka three times, and it paid for itself quickly.
Accommodations:
Mostly through Booking. No issues at all. Average cost was 46 € per night.
Meals:
For breakfast, I alternated between buying food at a konbini to eat in my room or on the train and grabbing something at local cafés.
For lunch and dinner, I tried to vary my meals as much as possible—lots of sashimi, sushi, and ramen.
Okonomiyaki in Osaka and Hiroshima.
Oysters in every form (raw, grilled, fried) in Onomichi and Hiroshima.
A variety of seafood (shrimp, shellfish) in Hiroshima and Matsumoto.
Fish whose names often escaped me, but notably mackerel and eel (unagi).
Tempura and gyoza.
Chicken skewers (yakitori) and one teppanyaki meal.
One omakase meal (9 different dishes).
In the end, not much meat aside from a few yakitori skewers. No splurges on super expensive wagyu or Kobe beef.
Average dinner cost: 4,800 yen, drinks included.
The Itinerary:
Day 1: Departure from Brussels
Day 2: Arrival in Osaka
Day 3: To Himeji, then Kurashiki
Day 4: To Fukuyama, then Tomo no Ura, then Onomichi
Day 5: Cycling the Shimanami Kaido
Day 6: To Takahara, then Hiroshima
Day 7: To Kyoto to attend the Aoi Matsuri parade
Day 8: To Miyajima
Day 9: Hiroshima, then Kyoto
Day 10: Southern Kyoto
Day 11: Northern Kyoto
Day 12: Final day in Kyoto, then to Nagatsugawa
Day 13: Start of the Nakasendo Trail (Magome to Tsumago)
Day 14: Second day of the trail (Kiso Fukushima)
Day 15: Third day of the trail (Narai), then Matsumoto
Day 16: To Mt. Fuji (Kawaguchiko)
Day 17: To Tokyo
Day 18: Excursion to Enoshima and Kamakura
Day 19: Flight home, with a 10-hour layover in Hong Kong
Day 20: Arrival in Brussels
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.
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.
Hi everyone, we're back from a DIY USA road trip we organized from July 31, 2026, to August 26, 2026.
The destination: The Southwest USA, including Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Roughly 7,000 kilometers covered.
The car: A Chevrolet Equinox for two, rented through BSP Auto and Avis. Inside, we had 2 suitcases, a travel bag, two carry-on bags, a Walmart cooler, photo gear, and water bottles (a 40-pack).
The route: Dallas DFW, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Alpine, El Paso, Tucson, Sedona, Albuquerque, Amarillo, and back to Dallas to finish with a departure from DFW.
The travelers: Two seniors well advanced in years (73 and 75) but still active (nothing too physically demanding—to stay alive and fund our trips), fully independent physically, though a bit less so mentally. Big USA fans, a country where anything is possible. More walkers than hikers, preferring 3-star hotels over roadside motels, Italian restaurants over US food, frequent stops for photos, museums over nothing, naps over forced marches. Not too whiny, just enough to stay French in the land of the "great Satan," as they say.
Not great with languages—street English (but handy), and my Spanish is non-existent except for: "Hola! Una cerveza por favor!" That’s about it. My wife understands everything but refuses to speak.
The cost of the road trip: Around 12,000 €, including AF flights, the car, gas, gifts, visits, and everything else. Well managed, since we’d budgeted 13,500 € initially.
The positive side: A delight, with those endless open roads. Museums to discover. The realization of the Hispanic presence and its important history in this part of America. Lovely locals. Tourists who were more or less friendly. A terrible Texan accent that was hard to understand. Gas stations that were like real stores, with prepared food, alcohol sold in Arizona and New Mexico, and employees who were always up for a laugh!
The negative side: The heat throughout the trip... 43°C in Dallas at the end. Impossible to walk the streets. Lots of homeless people in downtown Dallas. Hotel breakfasts that were always the same. You get used to it.
So, it was positive overall, but the concept is starting to wear us out. We might rethink the DIY road trip model for next time. If the man upstairs grants us more time.
Next up, we’ll wait for the first batch of sorted photos to go through the wringer.
Here we go!!!
I left home at 4 AM on October 31st and headed to Barcelona. Driving through Barcelona on the ring road stresses me out a bit, but at 6 AM the traffic is smooth, and I arrive at the airport without any issues. I call the valet, who quickly comes to pick up my car. He takes photos of it from all angles before letting me go.
Baggage check-in hasn’t started yet, and there are already several of us waiting.
Once free, everything happens very quickly. The flight to Abu Dhabi is on time and goes smoothly. I’ve never had any problems with this airline, which I’ve been using for several years.
The flight to Bangkok arrives at 7 AM as scheduled. This is my first time in Thailand and Bangkok. I’m used to traveling in India, and I notice that everything here is well organized—the customs process is quick, and the luggage is already on the carousel.
I booked a taxi on Booking. All I have to do is find the right exit and door based on the agency’s instructions. A large sign with the names of people who booked is posted on a wall. A hostess greets me and calls the taxi, which arrives 5 minutes later. I booked one night at the Lost Inn BKK hotel in the Phra Nakhon district, and we arrive at 9 AM. The welcome isn’t warm, and I have to wait until noon, sitting on a chair, before I can check into my room. I’m exhausted, and sleeping sitting up isn’t ideal. Noon finally arrives—the room is small but clean, which is fine for one night. I quickly take a shower to wake up because I plan to spend the afternoon visiting the Grand Palace. First, I need to exchange some money, and the banks are all close together on the same street, which is very convenient. When I enter one, a hostess gives me a ticket and invites me to sit down. There are about twenty counters, and I wait quietly until my number is called. The exchange is quick, so I can head out to find the Royal Palace. It’s actually very easy, and the walk is pleasant.
Entry to the Royal Palace (500 baht).
It’s magnificent and grand, and there are quite a few of us visiting. The sky is gray, it’s very humid, and a shower interrupts the visit. It’s a vast complex of temples and palaces. The buildings are colorful and sparkling, with a great sense of serenity (without the tourists, of course). I quietly enjoy the place and try to take photos without tourists, which isn’t easy.
Very close to the Grand Palace is Wat Pho, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the capital.
It’s very famous for its 46-meter-long reclining Buddha statue.
Walking around the temple, you can see different representations of Buddha, all covered in gold leaf.
Inside the temple, on one side, monks recite their prayers, while the other side is reserved for tourists who come to meditate in silence.
Before returning to the hotel, I have dinner at an Indian restaurant. I go to bed early because tomorrow’s wake-up call will be very early again.
Saturday, November 2nd
Wake-up at 4 AM, departure from the hotel at 4:30 AM. The taxi I booked via Booking is waiting for me and takes me to the airport. The trip is fairly quick—he takes small roads, and at this hour, there’s no traffic.
The flight to Phnom Penh is on time. Before boarding, I realize I left my fleece jacket on the carousel, but it’s too late to go back for it.
The flight goes well, and customs is quick.
At the exit, I take a tuk-tuk to Julieka’s GH near the museum. The welcome is friendly. I won’t be able to check into my room until noon, so I take the opportunity to exchange some euros on the market street. The street is lined with restaurants, and I’ll have my first meal there.
The museum is right across the street, so I don’t waste any time visiting it.
The representations of Hindu deities are very different from those in India, and I don’t recognize them. Many beautiful Buddhas are on display.
The museum is very pleasant, and there aren’t too many people, which is a plus.
At the exit, I return to the GH, settle into my room—which is decent and clean.
The Royal Palace is 1 km away. I walk along a garden, and at the end of the street is the Tonlé Sap, but I turn right. I arrive at a large esplanade and see the buildings with tiered roofs and glazed tiles. The entrance to the palace is a little further away.
At the entrance, I notice there isn’t the same crowd as at the one in BKK.
Khmer architecture is magnificent. The complex consists of gardens, palaces, pagodas with golden roofs, and slender spires.
The Silver Pagoda houses the small Emerald Buddha, which is actually made of jade. The silver flooring is covered with carpets. Photos are not allowed.
The walls surrounding the pagoda are covered with frescoes depicting scenes from the Ramayana.
My partner and I traveled from Sunday, July 5, 2026, to Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
We spent a long time debating whether to rent a car or use public transportation. In the end, after reading so many posts about travelers getting scammed by police or rental companies—even those recommended by blogs and reviews—we decided to stick with public transport. It worked out really well. Sure, we had a little less freedom to go where we wanted, but it was way less stressful for us.
Sunday, July 5:
Arrived at Cancun Airport. Withdrew cash from the ATM in the terminal just before exiting. The ADO bus counter (they pronounce it "A-Jee-O") is right behind you when you're facing the ATM. Bus to downtown Cancun cost 145 pesos per person.
Stayed at "Rose 5," booked on Booking. The studio was super clean and perfect for one night. The owner’s instructions for accessing the place were very precise, with photos included. Check-in was self-service with a code. The ADO bus terminal isn’t far, and there are shops and restaurants nearby. We really appreciated that the AC was already on when we arrived. By the way, I’d recommend always booking places with AC—it’s *really* hot in Mexico.
Monday, July 6:
Bought a SIM card with data from a TELCEL store. My partner, who’s on Free Mobile, was able to use her regular plan. Just so you know, I found the network pretty unstable. As soon as we left the cities, neither of us—me with TELCEL or her with Free—had any signal.
Another thing to watch out for: roaming charges. I had to turn my SIM back on for less than 30 seconds to get a bank SMS code, and my phone apparently connected to the internet—resulting in an 8-euro roaming fee.
Left on an ADO bus to Chiquila for 278 pesos per person. During our trip, ADO buses were always on time, comfortable, and clean. The AC is *cranked* though, so bring something to cover up with—it gets cold. Some routes were fully booked even in the low season, so try to reserve 1 or 2 days in advance either via the app (when it works) or at the counter.
When we arrived at the ADO terminal in Chiquila, the ferry company counters were right next to it. Ferries leave every 30 minutes, alternating between companies, so no need to book ahead. Just take whichever one is leaving next (330 pesos per person).
When we got to Holbox (pronounced "Hol-bosh"), we’d booked a place via Booking called "Casa de Nana." It was a huge studio with a fridge, cooking plate, and utensils. The best part? The *location*. It was 100 meters from the beach and 200 meters from a Chedraui supermarket. They provided bath towels and beach towels, and the AC worked perfectly. There’s a key box so you can leave your keys inside when you go out. The only downside was that no one was there to let us in when we arrived, so we had to wait a while. The Wi-Fi was good, which was lucky because during our 4-day stay in Holbox, the phone network *never* worked. According to locals, that’s pretty common in Holbox, along with water outages.
Luckily, I’d had the good idea to download an offline map, which helped us find our way back to the place more easily. You can walk there from the dock.
The restaurant next to our place (La Barracuda) was great if you like seafood—I’d recommend their octopus dishes.
Tuesday, July 7:
We did a kayak tour in Holbox’s mangroves at 6 AM. We were looking for a sunrise kayak tour with a French-speaking guide. That’s exactly what we got with "Kayaking Holbox," where Diego, the owner, speaks English and French. He was joined by Gustavo, another guide.
We’d booked for a group tour, but we were the only ones. Diego still went ahead with it instead of canceling due to lack of participants, so we got a private tour at the group rate—really professional of him. They showed us this amazing ecosystem for over 3 hours. We saw all kinds of birds: pink flamingos, pelicans, egrets, frigatebirds... rays, a horseshoe crab, and a little crocodile that was *so* well hidden. Diego and Gustavo have a real eye for spotting animals—I could’ve passed by the crocodile 100 times and never seen it, it blended in so well. Their explanations about the flora and fauna were super interesting. We also got a little break where we tasted mangoes and bananas that taste *nothing* like the ones in France. A real treat—those little Mexican yellow mangoes! I’d definitely recommend Diego and his agency for a French-language kayak tour (1000 pesos per person).
In the evening, we walked to Punta Coco to see the bioluminescence. No need for a guided tour—if you really don’t want to walk, you can take a taxi. At Punta Coco, you have to pass the beach bar/restaurant and then go left into a kind of inlet that forms a lagoon. You have to wiggle your feet or move your hands in the water to create movement, which makes the light appear. Just don’t expect the kind of photos you’ve seen online—they’re all edited! It’s fun to see, but you won’t be dazzled by the light...
Wednesday, July 8:
Whale shark tour with "My Holbox Tours." Why recommend this agency over others for swimming with whale sharks? Simply because Valérie surrounds herself with top professionals to make your experience unforgettable. We were with Captain Fernando, who does everything to position the boat perfectly and make your swim easier. In the water, we were with Humberto, who also goes above and beyond to make sure you have an incredible time. He doesn’t just "supervise" like some guides from other companies who leave you on your own. No, Humberto reads the whale shark’s trajectory and guides you—all you have to do is follow him. He really puts in the effort, even holding your hand to guide you through this quick but intense encounter. Humberto also films the moment and will offer to show you the videos and sell them to you. His footage is really high quality.
Fernando and Humberto also prepared food for us. Special mention for their guacamole! Valérie is there to make sure everything goes smoothly on the boat and to answer your questions in French, English, or Spanish about these animals. If you choose My Holbox Tours, you can be sure you’ll get a top-notch experience.
About the tour itself: before you go, you should know that the sharks can be *really* far away. The day we went, it took 3.5 hours by boat to reach them. The boats are small, and let me tell you—on the way there, when we weren’t going with the waves, it was *rough*. Out of 9 passengers, 4 got seasick. But once you’re face-to-face with the shark, you forget all about that. Even if swimming with a whale shark isn’t exactly a walk in the park—they swim pretty fast, so you need some endurance to keep up. You’ll usually get 2 turns. Our first swim lasted a little over 4 minutes, and the second about 2 minutes because the shark was moving fast and we were still tired from the first swim. It might seem short, but when you’re swimming, it feels *long*. Either way, it’s an experience you *have* to do—but choose your company wisely. On the way back, there’s a stop at Cabo Catoche. Honestly, the snorkeling is pretty disappointing if you’ve done it elsewhere in the world. But the lunch stop at Cabo Catoche is really nice for relaxing (white sand and hammocks).
Thursday, July 9:
Short morning walk to Punta Mosquito at 6 AM. Really nice.
Ferry to Chiquila (330 pesos per person) + ADO bus to Valladolid (300 pesos per person).
In Valladolid, we booked "Casa Lucia" via Booking. The hotel is gorgeous, with a colonial style, and very close to the ADO bus terminal and downtown. It’s super quiet and clean. There’s a shared kitchen you can use with a fridge, microwave, and water dispenser, plus a big table by the pool and a nice indoor terrace. Breakfast was simple but included. The only small downsides were the tiny room and bathroom, no mirror in the room, and a noisy fan.
Friday, July 10:
Not far from the ADO bus terminal is the colectivo station for Chichen Itza. They offer a round-trip to Chichen Itza with an option to stop at Ik Kil cenote on the way back and then drop you off in Valladolid for 370 pesos per person (Ik Kil entrance included).
For the Chichen Itza visit, we’d booked a tour with a guide often mentioned in groups—his name is Juan Pat. He’s a Maya who lives near the site and speaks excellent French. He reserves spots in advance for you and queues up to be the first on-site. It cost 500 pesos per person + entrance fees. His tour lasts 2 hours and focuses mainly on the main pyramid and the ball court. He’s passionate and fascinating, even if some of his claims, as a Maya, might be a little biased. I think it’s *really* important to have a guide—otherwise, you’ll miss so much. You can contact Juan Pat on WhatsApp at +52 985 121 2381.
Afterward, we went to Ik Kil cenote (showers and life jackets mandatory, lockers available). It’s *very* crowded, but still really beautiful with its lush vegetation.
Saturday, July 11:
Since we didn’t have a car but still wanted to visit other cenotes that seemed hard to reach by public transport, we decided to book a taxi for the day. We agreed on 1200 pesos to take us to 3 different cenotes and wait for us at each one. (To find taxis, just look where they park near the ADO bus station.)
He picked us up at Zaci cenote, which we’d walked to. We got there at opening time and were the first ones there—had the place to ourselves for a while! 150 pesos per person. A pretty cenote in the city center with lush vegetation. It’s a bit like Ik Kil but without the deep cylindrical effect.
Cenote Xcanahaltun: the most beautiful cenote we visited. Entry 250 pesos per person. It’s a closed cenote with a hole that lets light in—a cave-like setting. You can kayak inside. There are little fish at the edge that nibble dead skin off your feet. Since it’s closed, the water is *freezing*!
Cenote Palomitas: entry 250 pesos per person. Another stunning closed cenote, even more enclosed than Xcanahaltun. The hole in the ceiling is smaller, so it was pretty dark when we arrived—kind of an eerie vibe. But when the staff turned on the lights, it looked like a "Gothic cathedral" full of bright stalactites.
Cenote Sac Aua: entry 290 pesos per person. The ticket includes a guided cave tour (tip-based). This cenote is really unique with its central island and way less crowded than Suytun. Just so you know, the water is *really* cold in cenotes. In these three, in July, we had the place to ourselves for a while and never saw more than 2 families at once—so peaceful!
Sunday, July 12:
ADO bus to Bacalar (536 pesos per person).
In Bacalar, we stayed via Airbnb with a host named Luli, who offers several rooms with shared bathroom and kitchen.
The room is nicely decorated in a pleasant setting. It’s ideally located near the lagoon and downtown. The shared kitchen is handy. The mosquito net over the bed is useful because there are *a lot* of mosquitoes in Bacalar. Luli provides a water jug, which is really nice. The only big downside is the lack of water pressure in the shower—we had to rinse off by filling a bucket. Also, there’s no real door separating the room from the bathroom. We never met Luli in person, but she was very responsive via messages. The terrace in the middle of the vegetation is lovely.
From the ADO terminal to the place, we took a taxi for 40 pesos. Since this driver was honest about the price (we’d checked beforehand), we decided to use him every time we needed a taxi in Bacalar. Here’s his WhatsApp: +52 983 184 3585.
Monday, July 13:
We did a boat tour on the lagoon with "Bacalar Francophone Activities." Since we were just the two of us, it cost 3500 pesos. If we’d managed to be 4 people, it would’ve been 1000 pesos per person.
We had a private 4-hour tour on the lagoon with Steeve and his very comfortable boat. He’s from Quebec, so his French is perfect. During those 4 hours, Steeve showed us the lagoon’s iconic spots *and* places other boats don’t go. He told us about the lagoon’s history and gave great tips on where to go and where to eat. As a little bonus, he gave us a video taken with his drone during our swimming break.
Tuesday, July 14:
We went to Los Rapidos by taxi (400 pesos round trip) and entry was 225 pesos per person. It’s *very* touristy but really beautiful. You can eat there (expensive), relax, and go down the "rapids" as many times as you want. It’s worth it if you spend a few hours there. You can’t bring in food or drinks—you leave them at the entrance and pick them up on the way out.
Wednesday, July 15:
On Wednesdays, navigation is banned on Bacalar Lagoon, so we’d planned another excursion.
Visit to Calakmul from Bacalar with ABCtours (WhatsApp +52 983 319 8359).
This agency organized a trip from Bacalar to Calakmul with a French-speaking guide. Communication beforehand via WhatsApp was smooth. Mr. Checo, the driver, and Fernando, the guide (who spoke great French), picked us up on the day. Mr. Checo drove very carefully on the long road and always made sure we were comfortable. Fernando is passionate about flora and fauna—he’s a biologist with a degree in ornithology, so he knows *everything* about animals. The slightest sound or song, and he knows what it is. He’s got an eye for spotting them, from the biggest to the smallest.
During the trip, we stopped at km 27 for a short forest walk, then went to see the two main pyramids on the site. On the way back, we stopped at the bat cave for the magical spectacle of millions of bats flying out at dusk. In the end, we saw or glimpsed (some briefly) spider monkeys, howler monkeys, a toucan, 2 tapirs, turkeys, 2 deer, and lots of birds. If, like us, you’re more into flora and fauna than archaeology, I’d *highly* recommend this agency and tour with Fernando.
It’s not cheap, but the road between Bacalar and the site is *long* (3.5 hours). Price: 3900 pesos per person for 2 (3500 for 3, 3200 for 4).
Thursday, July 16:
ADO bus to Playa del Carmen (614 pesos per person).
In Playa del Carmen, we stayed in an Airbnb. The building is on the town hall square, next to the casino.
The best thing about this place is the *location*—super close to Fifth Avenue (La Quinta). The kitchen is pretty basic, but the fridge works well. There are supermarkets nearby. The rooftop pool is really nice. The two big downsides, though, are the soundproofing (you can *hear* the neighbor’s alarm and all the events on the square) and the *total* lack of water pressure in the shower. We had to fill a trash can with water to pour over ourselves. When we told the owner, he said it wasn’t normal and someone would come fix it, but we never heard back. Based on previous reviews, this seems to be a known issue that never gets resolved.
Playa del Carmen is *very* touristy on Fifth Avenue, but in a fun, musical vibe—we never felt unsafe. There are *tons* of little souvenir shops for tourists on this street. There’s a beautiful monumental sculpture on the beach (the two figures meeting in the air), next to which you can see the Voladores show (men climbing a pole, tying themselves with ropes, and descending headfirst while "flying" around the pole). The show is tip-based and happens several times a day. In our opinion, Calle 38 is prettier than Fifth Avenue—it’s lush, green, and quieter, with the sea at the end. Great for an early evening stroll. We had really good meals at great prices at "El Tio Noy" tacos, just a few meters from Fifth Avenue in a side street.
For souvenirs, we’d recommend going to Walmart instead of Fifth Avenue—you’ll find skulls, tequila, mezcal, keychains, mugs, glasses... at good, fixed prices.
Friday, July 17:
We did the excursion to Isla Contoy. Isla Contoy is an uninhabited, highly protected island. Only 200 people are allowed to land per day on a rotating basis, so only a few companies have permission to dock there. Most agencies subcontract the day to a third-party company.
We booked through VRM (Viviendo Riviera Maya), but it was Ocean Tours Mexico that handled the tour. Contoy is a little paradise. We were accompanied by multilingual guides, including French speakers, throughout the day. Steffy gave us info about the island during a short walk on the marked trails, and Leño Tlatemoa kept the mood up on the boat rides with music and dancing. Isla Contoy is *truly* stunning, and the lunch was delicious: grilled fish and chicken, guacamole and tortilla chips, rice, fruit, drinks (everything is brought and taken back by the guides). The snorkeling part was pretty disappointing if you’ve done it in Cozumel, though. The stop at Isla Mujeres isn’t very interesting either—it’s too short to explore, and the island is *extremely* touristy. Still, the excursion was very well organized, and we had a great day (2970 pesos per person).
Saturday, July 18:
We wanted to go snorkeling in Cozumel but thought the prices from French-speaking agencies were too high. Plus, for snorkeling, we figured we didn’t *need* a French-speaking guide.
So we found a much cheaper solution by taking the ferry from Playa del Carmen ourselves and choosing an agency in Playa. The round-trip ferry cost 663.50 pesos per person. Then we took a taxi to the snorkeling boat (100 pesos). The agency we chose is called Mystic Snorkel—they don’t have a physical office. The tour cost 1400 pesos per person. It was a small boat, but that day we were the only ones, so we got a private tour at the group rate. We stopped at 4 different sites, all very different and beautiful. We saw all kinds of fish, corals, a nurse shark, and turtles. El Cielo, with its huge starfish, is *exceptional*. If you’re going snorkeling in the Yucatan Peninsula, this is *the* tour to do—the other sites are pretty "poor" in comparison.
Sunday, July 19:
Morning dive with Triton Diving. I chose the Cozumel dive option. Great experience.
Booking via WhatsApp was easy. On the day of the dive, Selene, who speaks French, was our guide. She’s *very* attentive to the group’s safety. The briefings are clear and precise. In Cozumel, we did 2 very different sites: the first was a drift dive with lots of life—beautiful corals and fish. The second was a wreck, the C53, a 56-meter boat you can enter. Not much marine life, but a beautiful wreck intentionally sunk for divers—still in great condition. An unforgettable moment. Selene even took videos during the dive, which the club sends you for free afterward. I’d *highly* recommend this club.
Just so you know, in Playa del Carmen, the beaches were full of sargassum during our stay, despite barriers and daily cleanup. Locals told us the problem is getting worse and the sargassum is arriving earlier in the season. Tourism has taken a *big* hit this summer, and they’re wondering if tourism can even survive the sargassum season anymore. A lot of tourists are heading to the islands—Isla Mujeres and Cozumel—to enjoy the beaches, as the west side of those islands is sargassum-free.
Monday, July 20:
Colectivo to Puerto Morelos. First, a colectivo toward Cancun that drops you off between Puerto Morelos town and Puerto Morelos beach (40 pesos per person), then another from that junction to the beach (10 pesos per person).
In Puerto Morelos, we’d booked a room via Airbnb at "Piedra del Caribe." *Best* place we stayed in Mexico. It’s an aparthotel. Our room was ready before check-in, so they let us in early. The place matched the description—spacious, with a comfortable king-size bed. The shower had *great* pressure, which isn’t a given in Mexico. The staff was super friendly and welcoming. They let us use the pool, restrooms, and rooftop shower after check-out while we waited for our ride to Cancun Airport. They even kept our luggage. I *highly* recommend this place.
In Puerto Morelos, there was *way* less sargassum than in Playa del Carmen—it was actually swimmable.
We did the snorkeling tour with the fishermen’s cooperative for 450 pesos per person for 2 hours. The reef is close to the beach (you’re not allowed to swim there), so the boat ride is short. It’s not as pretty as Cozumel, but it’s nice and affordable. On Puerto Morelos’s page, you can also access a small, not-very-well-preserved reef. There’s also a cenote in the sea where fresh water mixes with saltwater—the water is murky there. We had a great dinner and excellent cocktails at "La Choza del Puerto."
Tuesday, July 21:
Wandered around Puerto Morelos (check out the church and read everything—it’s entertaining!), relaxed by the hotel pool, and left for Cancun Airport by taxi (400 pesos) booked via InDrive to head back to France.
Our highlights:
- Holbox
- The whale shark tour
- The cenotes
- The local flora and fauna (so present!)
- Isla Contoy
- Cabo Catoche (except for the snorkeling)
What we liked least:
- The bioluminescence (barely visible despite good conditions)
- The food—we found it not very diverse in taquerias
- The constant tipping
- The lack of water pressure in showers (fixed, wall-mounted, no hose or showerhead)
Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions while it’s still fresh in our minds.
Traveling with just one spare pair of underwear, considering a hot shower a miracle, never staying in the same place too long by sleeping wherever night catches us, taking whatever local, improbable, and rickety transport we can find—this is the DNA of us wanderers. Except this time, the script for our movie is going to be a whole different genre. On paper, the destination doesn’t exactly scream epic adventure: Réunion! And what’s more... we won’t be two, or four, or even ten. We’ll be a solid thirty. All from the same family. Yes, thirty. At this point, it’s not just a trip—it’s a summer camp on the move! Why inflict this on such a peaceful island? Because my brother decided to get married there with his lovely bride. A great idea, you might say... especially when it involves relocating the equivalent of a small Ardennes village 10,000 kilometers from home for three weeks! So who’s stepping up to be the guide and wave the little flag?
So, for an exceptional trip, exceptional stories! Don’t worry, the debates at the supermarket over whether to choose plain chips or roast chicken chips, the beach picnics washed down with ti’ punch, and other rougail sausages to digest by the pool will only make it into the family archives. Here, I’ll stick to the tales of our beautiful escapes, the ones where we explore the wild corners of this little volcanic rock planted in the middle of the Indian Ocean. So where exactly are we headed?
For the first week—the subject of this first installment—we’re taking it easy. We’ll start by rediscovering the coastline, from the Souffleur in Saint-Leu to the Hermitage lagoon, before a little trip to the Cirque de Cilaos and its legendary road with 400 turns, just to get our legs warmed up.
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 three years at most in Thailand, and I’m not a big expert on the country.
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 piece together a puzzle, mainly for those who want to get an idea of the country here and for those who miss 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 guards 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 property, be careful at night, and be careful when they’re in packs.
It sometimes crosses our minds that Thailand isn’t really 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, are 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 broken for years.
You’ll often see dogs sleeping on the side of the road, sometimes right on the road. When you arrive, they move aside nonchalantly—or not at all. It’s less funny when they suddenly appear from thick vegetation, which reminds 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. Seeing a small pack roaming freely in the countryside, you might think it’s best not to cross paths with them at the edge of a field.
A darker side of this is that euthanasia isn’t often practiced. Twice, we saw dogs at temples on the brink of death, enduring terrible suffering. No one did anything about it. The image (and the smell) of one of them, dying and emitting 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 well-fed animal quickly became a happy, 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 in them 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 a gimmick—it’s just that 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.
It was winter, a winter with beautiful weather,
A season that only exists in the southwest of America,
I remember very well what I told you that morning
A month ago... A century ago, an eternity ago...
We’ll go... wherever you want, whenever you want...
Well, yeah, back from our adventure in our enchanting American West just a month ago, we’re already taking a bite out of one of its lesser-known competitors. "Flo, if you had to pick just one reason to justify your love for the U.S., what would it be?" The greasy, dripping burgers? No, I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by saying it’d be the wide-open spaces... And that’s exactly what our new quest is taking us to—a land on the other side of the globe where the horizon also seems endless, where silence tastes like salty wind and sand, where freedom is measured in kilometers of desert tracks, where the GPS is mostly there to confirm you’re lost in the middle of nowhere... Add to that magic formula the fact that you’ll see more zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, and elephants than people per square kilometer, and you can imagine us setting foot in Southern Africa for the first time, more precisely at the small airport in Windhoek, capital of... of...? Brush up on your geography, damn it! We’re landing in Namibia!!!
To be honest, Namibian landscapes have been flirting with me for ages. So how did I resist this island of temptation for so long? First, the budget. Let’s just say that for the same amount of effort (and kidneys), the bank lets you choose two other adventures almost anywhere else on the planet. Then there were my girls. Yeah, back then, they were too little to dose up on Malarone, the only malaria remedy at the time... Long story short, ten years later, all the planets have aligned. First, I won the Euromillions! Well, almost... Let’s just say my girls are now old enough... not to take Malarone, but to stop following me on all my adventures! Jackpot! "Flo, how about a little two-person caprice, just the two of us, tackling the Namibian tracks?"
As we landed on the runway, first wow effect: The horizon is immense. It’s flat as can be, incredibly flat... So much flat space! Did I mention it was flat?... Looking into the distance, it feels like your gaze could circle the Earth without hitting a single obstacle—until you end up staring at your own backside. "Oh, what a nice view!" Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen my butt from this angle! Touching moment... Sorry, I’m rambling—must be the exhaustion from the three-flight marathon we just powered through via Ethiopia and South Africa... And yet, no time to philosophize about my anatomy. As usual, we want to rack up our first kilometers to be front and center at dawn tomorrow. After wrapping up the tedious Namibian immigration formalities and meeting the 4x4 that’ll be our companion day and night for the next fifteen days, we’re off! We’re not exactly fresh, but we’re ready to tackle the next five hundred kilometers in night mode, cruise control set due south! Just outside Windhoek, the local wildlife—a jackal—welcomes us with a smile: "Welcome to Namibia!" That’s what it said! Honest... Okay, first endless straight road, first flaming sunset, first corrugated dirt track, first Milky Way with zero light pollution... You get it—it’s definitely the day of firsts... First night camping, too, in the big trunk of our Toyota Fortuner parked by the side of the track... The real adventure, the kind that smells under the arms, can finally begin...
Here we go—finally, the big day has arrived! A trip the whole family (my two kids, my husband, and me) had been looking forward to for so long.
To keep it short, we left from Nice, arrived in Namibia on June 25, 2025, and left again on the 21st—four weeks later.
We used an agency for all the camping reservations, activities, and the car rental. At least that side of things was taken care of. Michaël was our contact throughout the planning and the trip itself.
We spent our first night at Londiningi BB. A bit out of the city center but very quiet. The rooms were spacious and clean, and we could eat on-site that evening. Perfect for recovering from the flight.
This travel journal is our second on VoyageForum, following last year’s where we recounted our four weeks in Vietnam.
The goal remains the same: since some members on this site share tips, experiences, and great deals that help us prepare for our trips, we do the same after returning—both to give back a little and in the hope that our experiences might be useful to others in some way.
Our route was as follows: Bangkok, Siem Reap, Krabi, Suratthani, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Chumphon, Bang Saphan, Prachuab Khiri Khan, Sam Roi Yod, Hua Hin, Phetchaburi, Bangkok.
Beyond rediscovering Bangkok, our objectives were the long-held dream of seeing Angkor and exploring southern Thailand, much of which isn’t overly touristy.
A quick big thank-you to Barbot, who took the time to answer several of our questions.
12/07/2013
The cheapest flight we found earlier this year was a Paris-Bangkok route with a layover in Moscow for 1440 €, total for two people.
So, this time we tried Aeroflot. Airbus A318 for the first leg, A330 for the second. Nothing particularly annoying to report—the passengers were very calm, the cabin temperature was comfortable, and we had enough legroom.
That said, the quality of the meal trays was pretty mediocre, and the flight attendants weren’t exactly comedians.
We’d like to remind everyone that it’s best to exchange as little money as possible at the airport upon arrival, since the rate is about 5% worse than at city banks.
Of course, we made sure to take the airport exit where you can catch official taxis to avoid getting scammed. So, we queued up, a little lady gave us the ticket, and off we went with the driver.
Generally, this system works well because these drivers are registered, know their duties, and the risks they face if they break the rules. Except that day, right off the bat, we got the scammer of the day. His first move was to snatch the ticket from my wife’s hands—the one you’re supposed to keep in case of a complaint. My husband saw it, but after a full day of travel, we were a bit out of it, and honestly, there was no reason to be suspicious. But once we started driving, the guy refused to turn on the meter. We insisted more and more firmly, but nothing. So, I used the famous method of opening the door and starting to step out of the car. At 40 km/h, that scares the driver more than the passenger. He finally turned on the meter, but that didn’t calm him down—quite the opposite. For the next half-hour, he ruined the ride by demanding extra fees here and there. Having dealt with several scam attempts last year in Vietnam, this wasn’t exactly new, and we were proud of ourselves for staying pretty zen. Still, this guy was a little scary—he was completely wired and aggressive. Honestly, it was hard not to think he was on something. He’d be perfect for a *Scarface* remake. When we finally arrived at the hotel, he followed us to the entrance. We paid the two tolls (25 and 45 baht), gave him the usual 100 baht extra for the ride, and stayed polite but firm. So, meter: 245 baht + 100 baht + 25 and 45 baht for tolls—we paid the exact amount, no way we were tipping this guy. He left furious, but he was already like that before picking us up... Anyway, avoid Mr. Chartree Chidchen, number 089 826 7308, car E2663!
We were so relieved to finally settle in at Feung Nakorn Balcony hotel in the temple district. 42 € per night, great reception, all the staff is friendly. The AC works fine, the bed seemed hard at first but turned out to be comfortable. The hotel is quiet, away from the nightlife, but at this time of year, many places are less crowded than in high season. Even with a nice fish pond and outdoor breakfast area, it’s a decent hotel, though we felt we could’ve found something better.
After a night on the plane, the first afternoon is always a bit of a slog. We napped for a few hours, and when we woke up—guess what—we were starving. We visited a temple across from the hotel (nothing special) and then decided to take the Chao Phraya Express, the river shuttle that serves many piers along the river. It was a really enjoyable experience. The steel gangway wobbles when you board and disembark, the boat sits low in the water, and sometimes you get splashed. During peak times, you’re packed in like sardines, but most of all, there’s that exotic urban landscape passing by, especially the temple rooftops.
At that exact moment, the boat was packed. We didn’t see a ticket booth at the pier, and we tried in vain to pay the few baht for the ride. The cashier on the boat was too busy, and another employee we called didn’t have time to help us. Oh well, we weren’t going to force the issue. Still, this mode of transport is super practical for avoiding traffic, and at the piers, the lines with station names are clearly marked, with colors matching the flags on the boats. Combined with a map like the *Routard* guide, it’s easy to navigate.
We easily made it to the restaurant *Harmonique*, located near one of these piers. It’s a unanimous favorite on this forum, and let us tell you—it’s well-deserved. What a wonderful experience that evening! We only saw the outdoor gazebo because there was no way we were dining inside. It’s not flashy, so those looking for a luxurious setting should look elsewhere.
That night, the staff was a bit slow, and we had to track them down several times to move things along. But oh, my friends—what a feast on the plate! Start with the appetizer platter for two at 250 baht, featuring four specialties, each more tempting than the last, followed by their famous crab curry for 200 baht. There’s *so much* crab in there! The dish is so delicious and rich that when you finish, you feel—how to put it—like it was almost *too* good, to the point where you’re almost put off eating for days. And also, oh yes, we *will* be back. Their satay chicken is just as amazing, and it would be a crime not to mention their generous dessert with ice cream, warm banana, and chocolate, plus their *excellent* almond milkshake.
Later, we took a taxi to Kao San Road, mainly to book a Ko Tao-Chumphon trip for 600 baht per person at the Lomprayah counter. In hindsight, we should’ve booked all three of our trips there right away.
Kao San Road is *ultra*-touristy—better for younger crowds, but it’s still worth seeing. There’s rock ‘n’ roll, hippies, and crowds everywhere.
We walked back to the hotel, and when we got a little lost near a canal, a really nice older Thai man spontaneously appeared out of the night to kindly point us in the right direction.
Finally, a real long night of sleep ahead—we cranked up the AC. Sweet, the vacation has begun!
Hi there,
I just got back from a trip to Sri Lanka from December 18th to January 1st with 2 adults and 2 kids (12 years old).
If it helps, here’s my itinerary.
We left on December 18th from Madrid with Qatar Airways. No complaints. I booked my tickets back in March for 800 € per person. (I flew from Madrid because I live near the Spanish border and was too worried about strikes in France.)
We arrived on December 19th at 4 PM (local time). Before leaving France, I’d booked a taxi through MyTransfer for 59 € to Sigiriya. A van was waiting for us at the airport exit.
A never-ending 3-hour drive to Sigiriya. We stayed at Samana Guesthouse—very simple, clean, with a pool and an excellent Sri Lankan breakfast. Shower and straight to bed.
Friday, December 20th: Beautiful weather, but very humid and hot. We visited Lion Rock (36 € for adults) and then Pidurangala.
I loved both sites—they’re a must-do in my opinion.
Spent the late afternoon by the pool.
Saturday, December 21st: Another gorgeous day. The guesthouse manager offered us a free 2-hour tuk-tuk tour. We first visited a lake, rice fields, the temple, and the Sigiriya market, plus the usual tourist trap—the botanical garden (no pressure to buy anything at the end).
Then we took a tuk-tuk to Dambulla Temple, the Golden Buddha, and the wholesale market.
Sunday, December 22nd: Still beautiful weather. I’d booked a taxi for 8 AM. We did all the long trips by taxi to save time. I’d ask for prices from 2 or 3 WhatsApp taxi agencies 2 days or the day before—super responsive, always got replies within 5 minutes. We headed to Ella (4-hour drive) for 22,000 LKR.
Arrived in the afternoon at Rest Full Homestay—a small, family-run guesthouse. Clean, cozy, and an amazing Sri Lankan breakfast.
In the afternoon, we went to Nine Arches Bridge. It was a Sunday, a Sri Lankan holiday, so it was *packed*—mostly locals and very few white tourists! Even though it was crowded, it was cool because it was all Sri Lankans. We waited an hour for the train. It’s worth seeing, but honestly, I didn’t think it was that amazing.
Then we headed to the station to check if we needed to book tickets for the train to Haputale—turns out, no.
Monday, December 23rd: Beautiful weather. We hiked Ella Rock—a gorgeous trek. The final stretch is steep but shaded, so it wasn’t as tough as I’d read. The whole hike is stunning from start to finish. We saw the train pass twice (one blue, one red) and lots of women picking tea.
After that, we did Little Adam’s Peak. It’s not hard, but it was *packed* with tourists—meh. Luckily, at the top, you can walk a bit farther (down one side and back up) to get some space to yourself.
What I *didn’t* like was the commercial vibe at the big café/restaurant with a pool at the entrance of Little Adam’s Peak. Loud music, all that money being made right next to little souvenir stands run by Sri Lankans or tea-picking women. Felt off.
Ended the day buying souvenirs at one of the few shops we found during the trip.
Tuesday, December 24th: Beautiful weather. Took the train to Haputale. We got to the station 30 minutes before the 9:30 AM train. We could’ve taken 2nd or 3rd class—I went with 2nd (160 LKR per person).
It was crowded, but we managed to get seats—first 2, then 3. Only a 1-hour ride, but I *loved* it—windows and doors open the whole time.
Arrived in Haputale around 11 AM, and the mist was already rolling in.
We walked to our guesthouse, The Mist Holiday Bungalow. Simple but clean, with a great view of the tea plantations. The owner’s wife is Vietnamese and used to work for French tour operators, so her French is still pretty good—helpful for us since our English is terrible. They booked us a tuk-tuk for 4:45 AM the next day (2,000 LKR) to Lipton’s Seat.
Spent the afternoon wandering around Haputale. Not much charm, but there’s a nice fruit and veggie market and a short walk through the tea plantations.
Wednesday, December 25th: Beautiful weather. The tuk-tuk was on time to take us to Lipton’s Seat. We were the first ones there—the sky was just starting to turn pink. In the end, only about ten of us watched the sunrise. The guesthouse had packed us breakfast, and we walked back down (half on the road, half through the plantations). Didn’t see any tea picking since it was Christmas, but the walk was still incredible. We took detours through villages full of kids.
After that, we visited the tea factory. The tour was really interesting, and we took the bus back down to Haputale. Such a great moment—whole families were heading to mass, dressed up and made up. All so beautiful.
At noon, we left for Udawalawe National Park. Taxi for 14,000 LKR. Stayed at River Inn Safari Cottage. *Warning*: It’s the same place as Eagle Safari Cottage. I don’t recommend it. We’d always stayed with families before, but here it was just staff—totally different vibe. The pool was nice but not very clean (water was murky). The bungalow was big and fine, but it was brand new—so new the asphalt floor wasn’t fully dry. It’s in the middle of nowhere, so we had to eat on-site. Couldn’t leave a review on Booking because they never confirmed we’d stayed, and they canceled our reservation the next day.
Thursday, December 26th: Beautiful weather. I’d booked a safari through the hotel for 5:30–10 AM for 54 USD. Honestly, yes, there are a lot of jeeps, but it was great. The kids loved it—we saw everything there was to see.
Left by taxi at 11:30 AM for Welligama (12,000 LKR).
We didn’t stay in Welligama city but at Coconut Beach, between Welligama and Midigama. *Total crush* on the guesthouse: Sky Mountain Café with View. Such a lovely family. The mom makes amazing meals at reasonable prices. The view from the hill over the sea is unreal.
Spent the afternoon walking along the beach.
Friday, December 27th: Beautiful weather. My kids are surfers. Unfortunately, there weren’t any boards their size to rent at Coconut, so we took a tuk-tuk to Welligama Bay (1,000 LKR). They surfed from 8 AM to 5 PM—rental was 5,000 LKR for the day. Meanwhile, we walked the beach and swam. Water was 29°C.
Saturday, December 28th: Beautiful weather, rain from 4 PM until midnight. Same surf day. They were so well-behaved the whole trip, so this was their reward.
Sunday, December 29th: Beautiful weather. Beach day at Coconut. *Warning*: It’s a reef break. For surfers, there are three spots (Coconut Left, Middle, and Right). The boys bodysurfed (with fins) all morning, and at 1 PM, we took the bus to Hikkaduwa.
Stayed at Hotel Universal Beach. Nothing special—right on the water, but the rooms were dark even though they were clean. The manager was super nice, but the rest was meh, and breakfast was mediocre compared to what we’d had before (2 eggs and 3 slices of toast). Plus, it was late—8 AM.
First impression of Hikkaduwa wasn’t great—way too many Russians for our taste.
Monday, December 30th: Beautiful weather. Spent the whole day exploring. Turtle Beach, then the other side of the beach (toward Galle) near the fishing port. The beach there is much wider, with scattered hotels and super quiet. It’s beautiful—I should’ve booked somewhere in that area. Ended up having a great day away from the crowds.
Tuesday, December 31st: Overcast, then beautiful, rain at 4 PM. Had to end the year (and the trip) with some surf. Rented boards for the kids (3,000 LKR per board for the day). Bad luck—the waves were on a reef break but small. Not great for them, but no big deal. They still got out of the water by 2 PM. Walked the beach (which is gorgeous), had a juice, and went for a swim. Then back to surfing in the rain at 4 PM.
Wednesday, January 1st: Left by taxi at 5 AM (18,000 LKR). Flight at 10 AM. Arrived in Madrid at 8 PM.
I could have titled my travel journal like Carmen: "Some trips are born twice." Indeed, we had considered this destination back in February 2020. However, an honest tour operator advised us against traveling at that time due to the climate. So, we gave up and opted for Guatemala instead (see "On the Mayan Lands" on this site).
So, why this title? When I was in primary school, over 65 years ago, the illustrations in my history books (Machu Picchu) and geography books (Lake Titicaca) made me dream, and those images stayed in my mind. It took until 2026 to finally make this dream come true!
We prepared our trip with Tout Pérou, a French-speaking "agency." Everything was handled via email and WhatsApp exchanges with our contact: Laurent, who was both competent, friendly, and full of good advice.
For 200 €, Tout Pérou provided us with drivers and guides whenever we wanted, helped us buy our domestic flights (cheaper when purchased in Peru), booked shuttles between airports and hotels, and got us a discount on the train ride to Aguas Calientes, as well as on the buses between Chivay and Puno and between Puno and Cusco. In short, Laurent took care of all the logistics and the Machu Picchu tickets. It was up to us to book our hotels. Tout Pérou provided a list, but we weren’t obliged to follow it. Another advantage of the package: we didn’t have to pay in advance; we paid the service providers directly day by day.
We didn’t meet Laurent in person because he was on vacation in Europe. Before his departure, he gave us a briefing, provided a summary table with the entire program, the service providers, their phone numbers, their fees, the schedules, and gave us plenty of advice (money, exchange, safety, etc.). After returning at the end of our stay, he kept checking in on us.
Lastly, we had also gathered information from Arnaud Lagadec, who runs a hotel in Cusco and offers tours of the region. He gave us a lot of useful information. Another contact: Thomas Montaigne, very friendly, who runs an agency in Arequipa (Agence Pérou Exclusif).
Day 1 – Paris to Lima
Foreword
I’ll share our trip without any pretension—I don’t have the talent of some contributors on this forum—and I’ll illustrate it with a few photos (taken with an ordinary smartphone). My comments are personal and only reflect my own views. So, please be kind! Feel free to comment on my story as you like, but let’s avoid pointless debates.
Even though we live in the south of the Paris region, true to our habits when the flight is in the morning, we chose to spend the night before our departure in a hotel near CDG and parked our car in a parking lot in Garches. This way, we avoid the stress that often comes with traveling around Paris (accidents, roadworks, traffic jams, etc.).
Check-in and border control went smoothly on that Sunday morning. Our Air France flight was uneventful. In Lima, border control took a particularly long time, and for the first time, we didn’t get an entry visa stamped in our passports.
As planned, a driver took us to the Miraflores district, where our hotel was located. We were surprised by the numerous signs about possible tsunamis, having forgotten that Peru is prone to such events and regularly experiences earthquakes. We’d see the consequences of these during our journey.
Exhausted from the early wake-up, the 13-hour flight, and the 7-hour time difference, we had dinner at the hotel before a restful night.
Note that this day was Peru’s presidential election day. As a result, we weren’t served beer—the sale of alcohol was banned that Sunday.
We did the Langtang trek (hike) from September 10th to 17th, with the first and last days being the trip from Kathmandu and back—so 6 days of actual walking. It’s a fairly well-known trek but certainly not as famous or crowded as those in the Annapurna or Everest regions, which is why we chose it.
In theory, it’s mandatory to have a guide for this trek. In reality, it seems there are ways to bypass the regulations: we met at least two people hiking without a guide—a South Korean, a New Zealander, and possibly also a couple of English women and an American couple, though we’re not sure if they had a guide.
The agency we booked with had told us it was an affordable trek for relatively older people in good shape—which is our case (I’m 72 myself). I have to say upfront that we found it quite challenging, maybe because we didn’t have good weather—it was the end of the monsoon season. To be clear, no matter your fitness level, I’d say doing this trek in the middle of the monsoon season would be suicidal.
Day 1 – Journey from Kathmandu to Syapru Besi
On Monday, September 8th, there had been violent protests in Kathmandu against the government, which had, among other things, blocked access to social media and been accused of nepotism and corruption. There were 19 deaths. The situation was very tense on the day of our departure, Wednesday the 10th. The agency warned us that public transport was very unreliable. So, we decided to take a jeep, at an additional cost of $100 ($160 minus what was already budgeted for the bus).
We left a little before 7 a.m. and it took us a good hour just to reach the outskirts of Kathmandu. Along the way, we saw several houses and vehicles set on fire by protesters.
The road to Syapru Besi is only 120 km, but it’s frankly awful. It’s always narrow, winds through endless mountains, and the shoulders range from bad to confusing to nonexistent. Several sections are just dirt tracks. We didn’t regret opting for the jeep, as we could stop several times at our convenience—if only to let Y (my Thai partner) throw up everything she had. She’d taken her usual motion sickness medication, but the constant turns, accelerations, and braking eventually made her terribly carsick.
In Nuwakot, we stopped for breakfast at a nice little restaurant, Jimbu. It was around 8:30 a.m., and we’d barely covered 60 km. The restaurant has a lovely garden overlooking the Trishuli Ganga, the river flowing down from Syapru Besi. First photo: the river in the bottom right corner, mist and clouds over the mountain on the other side.
An hour later, my second photo: the hills along the Trishuli Ganga. You can see the different crops—lush green rice paddies in the lower right and corn, already yellowed and likely harvested, in the foreground on the left. And of course, the mist and clouds through which you can glimpse the mountain on the other side of the river.
When we started looking for a summer destination a few months ago, our first criterion was to avoid extreme heat and heatwaves. We had already been to Norway two years ago and are considering going back in the future for other occasions. So, we had some fun asking ChatGPT which destinations enjoyed a mild climate during the summer without going too far. Among the list provided by the AI were the Canary Islands... The idea of a place we wouldn’t have thought of first, both not too far away and exotic enough, appealed to us: “Hmm, why not?”
This destination had never really attracted me, though Magali was a bit more interested. Five years earlier, COVID had caused a short break in my professional activity, and I had planned a trip because the flight price was attractive, and I was looking for a destination different from what usually appeals to me, more than out of deep interest. From a distance and with a social judgment I acknowledge (it’s not great, but it’s not completely wrong), I had the image of a destination for party-goers enjoying the sun without the slightest interest in local culture, with concrete coastlines and denatured landscapes—everything I detest the most. Still, I had done some quick research on the different islands and spotted Lanzarote for its beautiful volcanic landscapes, hiking trails, beaches, and the impression of a good balance between activity and fewer crowds than Tenerife or Gran Canaria. Then I dropped the idea of going, without ever reconsidering traveling to the Canaries...
Until now! Because we started researching the different islands of the archipelago to see which ones might appeal to us the most. It was La Gomera, the third smallest island of the archipelago, more praised for its hiking trails and preserved nature than for its beaches, away from mass tourism (fifty times fewer tourists than Tenerife) but still a bit more developed than its wild neighbor El Hierro, that caught our attention. Contrary to what might be suggested later, I’m not at all addicted to AI, but I use it from time to time to synthesize quick research or simply for experimentation. Since ChatGPT had started anticipating my tastes lately as if it had become my buddy (often successfully, sometimes off the mark), I asked which Canary Island would suit me best for a trip with my family. The tool answered first with... La Gomera. So, I tested it and teased it a bit to see if this suggestion was well-founded, as the method sometimes makes it contradict itself. But no luck: “You’d appreciate the wild nature of El Hierro, but with family, you’ll find little activity for the kids. You won’t like the touristy vibe of the big islands like Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. You could consider La Palma, but it’s really La Gomera that will suit you best, based on your interests and the criteria given.” So, we dug deeper into our research and were convinced without a shadow of a doubt that this island was the one waiting for us.
Without knowing it, we had Canarians in our circle who revealed their origins when they heard about our travel plans. One from Tenerife insisted we’d be better off choosing Tenerife (obviously...) because it also has preserved spots and that La Gomera, “you can explore it in two or three days, you’ll get bored quickly...” The other, a colleague from Gran Canaria who had never visited La Gomera, still recommended it without hesitation because it turned out her parents had just gone there on vacation: they loved it and had encountered few tourists. She also tended to think this destination was usually the subject of short stays, but according to what her parents told her, taking your time there was also a great idea. However, in our research, the idea that La Gomera is an island you can explore in three or four days max kept coming up. So, we considered combining its visit with La Palma or El Hierro, the other two that caught our eye. But hopping between islands by ferry represents a significant budget for non-Canarians, even more so for a family of four. Then, scrutinizing Google Maps, it seemed obvious that two weeks were too short to discover two islands as they deserve, and that there seemed to be plenty to see in La Gomera, given its very unique culture. After all, we read that some people spend several months a year there, others never even leave... Finally, these landscapes and this atmosphere, which seemed to us a mix of Europe, North Africa, and Latin America, tempted us. So, it would be two weeks in La Gomera, deal!
La Gomera is therefore the second... well, the third smallest island of the Canaries since La Graciosa was recently recognized as a fully inhabited island. It has the shape of a rough circle about 20 to 25 kilometers in diameter and has just over 20,000 inhabitants, half of them in its capital, San Sebastián de la Gomera, the only real town. Like its Canarian sisters, La Gomera is a volcanic formation that rose about 10 million years ago. The island is very mountainous and rugged, covered with red and black rocky landscapes. Geological activity has shaped, between the sprawling massifs that end in steep cliffs in the ocean, six coastal valleys with tropical vegetation that have favored human settlement. They divide the island like slices of a cake; from the north clockwise: the agricultural Vallehermoso, the rustic Agulo, the green, humid, and fertile Hermigua, the sunny capital San Sebastián de la Gomera, the southern and isolated Alajeró-Santiago, and the seaside Valle Gran Rey. They constitute the six municipalities (more like cantons to our French understanding) of the territory.
The large solidified magma massifs that shape the heart of the island have created a large depression more protected from the sun at its center, allowing the growth of a vast laurel forest, today grouped within the Garajonay National Park, La Gomera’s green lung, which has earned it the status of a World Biosphere Reserve. Its completely European appearance contrasts sharply with the rocky and tropical landscapes of the rest of the island. Thus, the climate varies greatly from one point to another on the island: in summer, you can quickly go from a dry and sunny valley at 35°C to a humid forest area at altitude at 18°C.
La Gomera was populated late. As with the rest of the Canaries, human presence is thought to have begun about 2,000 years ago. Groups of animist Berbers, probably fleeing persecution, gradually populated the archipelago, especially the western islands and La Gomera, becoming its small aboriginal population: the Guanches (or later Gomeros). The animist and pastoral civilization of the Guanches thrived until the Spanish takeover in the 15th century, which, after a short period of harmony and mixing with the indigenous people, suddenly ended in bloodshed... La Gomera later became the “Columbus Island” after Christopher Columbus’s stopover, increasing the blending of populations. In the 20th century, many Gomeros emigrated to Cuba and other Latin American countries in search of a better life, bringing back a mix of cultures and traits quite palpable in today’s Gomeran culture. It is, however, in La Gomera that the vestiges of Guanche culture seem to have left the most traces, in the language, gastronomy, social practices... Moreover, most Gomeros, especially in remote villages, have a particular identifiable type and proudly claim their ancestral roots, even making La Gomera a bit exotic in the eyes of other Canarians.
Perhaps that’s why it has never really wanted to develop its tourist infrastructure too much. If we set aside the tourists who visit for the day by bus or boat from Tenerife on a marked itinerary (and whom we ultimately rarely encounter), La Gomera has remained a hidden gem, a destination focused on nature discovery that attracts hikers, nature-loving divers, and scientists for its fauna and flora, and to a lesser extent, beachgoers who don’t seek overly developed coastlines. Tourist activity is therefore limited. Roughly speaking, you’ll find a majority of Spaniards, including a substantial number of residents from other Canary Islands, many Germans who have a particular fondness for La Gomera and spend long stays there or own second homes, to the point that the German cultural footprint is clearly noticeable in some places (it’s said to be Angela Merkel’s favorite holiday spot), and still quite a few French. The presence of other nationalities seemed negligible to us. Most travelers come mainly for hiking, but it’s also a prime spot for whale watching. Additionally, the seaside resorts of La Gomera—San Sebastián, Santiago, and especially Valle Gran Rey—are well-known destinations for hippies, especially German ones, ranging from chic boho hippies to old-school hippies who’ve been there for decades, quite similar to those you’d meet in India in Goa, Rishikesh, or Paharganj. Thus, practices like naturism, vegetarianism, and local organic production are quite well established in some areas.
Some practical info:
- The round-trip flight from Paris to Tenerife cost us 365 € per person (outbound with Transavia, return with EasyJet), including checked luggage and three seats reserved side by side.
- We chose two bases to explore the island: one week in Valle Gran Rey, reputed to be the most pleasant of the three seaside resorts, and one week in Hermigua, more mountainous and close to the natural park. We booked two houses with balconies and views: the first at 120 € per night, the second at 99 €.
- The round-trip ferry between Tenerife and La Gomera cost us 270 € with the company Baleària Canarias, including discounts for children aged 4 and 12, but I don’t have the exact details. It was a bit cheaper than with the other company, Fred Olsen.
- Finally, we rented a car through the agency Cicar for 360 € for 16 days, which comes to 22.50 € per day.
- Apart from that, we didn’t plan anything and decided the day before or even the morning of what we wanted to do. We didn’t invest in any paper guide on the Canaries, as information on La Gomera was scarce, but we used the very comprehensive site La Gomera Travel, a travel guide published by the Canary Islands Tourism Council, a real goldmine of almost exhaustive information on the island.
Alright, off we go for 16 days of adventure discovering La Gomera!
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.
I hesitated about writing this travel journal...
This summer, we only did the classics (the 3 northern parks and Zanzibar) and let a local agency take care of everything from start to finish.
No craziness, no risks, no sleeping under the stars, no self-drive, no venturing off the beaten path, no incidents, and not even any delays in the pre-planned itinerary...
But don’t think we were disappointed!
The whole family (there were 6 of us) came back with smiles and memories of great moments spent together.
So, if you're looking for a "classic" way to discover Tanzania, this is the place to be.
Our 2-week itinerary:
- Arusha (1 night upon arrival)
- Tarangire (1 night)
- Ngorongoro (2 nights in Karatu then Irmisigiyo)
- Serengeti (3 nights in Robanda, Togoro Plains, and Seronera)
- Zanzibar Stone Town (1 night)
- Zanzibar Matemwe (3 nights)
- Zanzibar Jambiani (3 nights)
Come along, I'm taking you to this country where it's so nice to wander and slow down...
This trip was in 2023, but when I wanted to write my travel journal, VF was still closed to contributions...
So, now that I've just finished my Japan travel journal here, I figured it was high time to honor this destination we came back from so enchanted.
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 take her revenge. The upside for you, readers, is that you can slip away anytime without offending Aunt Nicole. I won’t even notice!
Anyway, since I love 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 still work), and we prefer taking our time over rushing around like crazy.
In broad strokes, it was very classic:
First, we “settled in” at 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 about km!
Then we flew south to Paksé, letting ourselves drift down to the 4,000 Islands while stopping by the pre-Angkorian archaeological sites.
We wrapped up with the Bolaven Plateau.
A few practical notes: We arrived via Bangkok, then took a Bangkok-Luang Prabang flight, having picked up 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. Quick, but to be fair, we were on a “small” plane, and the big flights had arrived earlier, so we weren’t too crowded in line!
At the end of our trip, we didn’t fly out of Paksé but from the nearby airport in Thailand, Ubon Ratchathani (a 2.5-hour drive from Paksé), then Bangkok and Paris.
You’ll notice we skipped Vientiane to stay longer in Luang Prabang. That said, there’s now a high-speed train 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 intro out of the way, let’s dive into the heart of the matter.
To be continued: Slowing down the pace... in Luang Prabang
It’s an ancient city that breathes, a living spring.
Here, no kitschy signs like “I miss you in Fengyu,” nor mass-produced fake antiques.
The century-old houses still bear the marks of wind and rain; in the morning, you hear roosters crowing, and at dusk, smoke gently rises from the kitchens.
This city doesn’t try to please anyone—like the spring water flowing through it, it simply keeps living at its own pace.
Located in Eryuan County, in the Dali Prefecture of Yunnan, the ancient town of Fengyu is a nationally designated historical and cultural city. It’s nicknamed the “land of scholars and ink”—during the Qing Dynasty, the Fengxiang Academy produced four *jinshi* and eleven *juren* in the imperial examinations. The Bai families made studying and farming a true legacy. Even on market days, you’ll find stalls of calligraphy and paintings, while lintels and screen walls are covered with family mottos.
Fengyu was also an important stop on the ancient Tea Horse Road. It preserves the second-largest Bai architectural complex in China, just after Xizhou. The famous traveler Xu Xiake spent seven days here and compared it to the “peach blossom paradise.”
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 pop up in 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 mix of tourists, pilgrims (thanks to nearby Senso-ji 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 like 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, Nishiki Market:
The latest travel journal about Turkmenistan dates back to 2019. Here’s a quick update on this vast desert country, which is now a bit easier to visit than before.
This is my first travel journal. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. The country is slowly opening up, but it’s still possible to visit sites where you’ll be completely alone. In five days, I saw two Hongkongers, a few Germans, and a Chilean at the crater, ten Chinese people in a capital bazaar, and that’s it!
It’s possible to visit Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan. The easiest and most economical way is to take a taxi to the border from Bukhara. The trip takes a little over an hour.
Crossing the border takes quite a while because many Turkmen bring back items bought in Uzbekistan to resell in Turkmenistan. For example, diapers, baby products, or beauty products.
It took me over 2.5 hours to cross the border. To visit Turkmenistan, it’s mandatory to have a guide and go through a travel agency. British agencies often offer three-, five-, or seven-day trips for over 1,500 or 2,000 €.
But if your budget is more limited, you can contact a few Turkmen agencies directly by email, and they’ll make you an offer between 700 and 1,300 € for three to seven days. I took a five-day trip from Turkmenabat in the northeast of the country to Dashoguz in the north. The goal was to visit the main UNESCO-listed sites, including Merv, and archaeological sites like Nisa or Gonur Tepe.
Your guide will also be your driver. They’ll pick you up at the border. The formalities are very long because customs officers have to stamp multiple documents, and obtaining the visa you previously requested from your travel agency requires several checks. But the process goes relatively smoothly, even if each step takes a while.
Once on the other side, the first surprise is the brand-new highway all the way to Turkmenabat. A very long line of trucks stretches for several kilometers on the Turkmen side to cross the border into Uzbekistan. According to my guide, Turkmen trucks transport gas and cotton (though not this season, since the harvest is in September), but they mainly fill up their tanks because fuel is much cheaper in Turkmenistan. A full tank for a car costs about 3 €, which is unbeatable.
From the Farap border post, the goal is to reach the city of Mary, which is home to the UNESCO-listed site of Merv in its suburbs, about thirty kilometers away. This city is known as a foundation by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC under the name Alexandria of Margiana. Several fortresses are visible.
After more than three hours on the road, we have lunch at a Turkish restaurant called Aladdin. Several quotes from the president are visible along the highway, but the road is in good condition, and we move along easily. This will be by far the best road in the country—things will get much worse later.
Roundabouts are particularly interesting because they feature emblems of Turkmen culture, like the dog, a carpet, the Ahal Teke horse, or Muslim symbols, even though the presence of Islamic artifacts is quite limited.
Preamble:
Africa was calling to me, so a year ago, with our usual travel companions, we decided to return to the continent we love so much.
Where to go?
Uganda quickly caught our attention—wildlife we’re used to seeing, plus gorillas and the shoebill we missed in Zambia.
We got in touch with Paul, who’s been mentioned several times on the forum back in September, booked our flight tickets, secured the gorilla permits, and by early October, the most important things were done.
We still had plenty of time to hold our "prep meetings" for the final itinerary.
Three days before departure, I sprained my ankle (my weak spot, as you’ll recall from our Colombia trip).
I wasn’t in great spirits, but after a year of waiting, nothing was going to stop me.
We’d see how it goes!
Off we went for our new adventures
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!
It often happens that we're asked what to visit in Belgium.
And the answers usually point to Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels—and rightly so, as these cities are well worth visiting ;).
However, Belgium, though small, isn’t just limited to these four cities.
I live in one of them (Brussels), enjoy spending time in the other three, but I’d like to highlight some lesser-known spots that could add to the trip for those who want to see a bit more or something different.
Between trips, I like exploring one or two corners of the country where I live.
Hence the idea for a travel journal of walks.
Most of the places I’ll talk about can be visited as a day trip from Brussels, whether by public transport or car.
In chronological order of the topics covered:
- The Gileppe Dam (Liège province) - message 2, page 1
- The Domaine de La Hulpe (Walloon Brabant) - message 3, page 1
- Mechelen (Antwerp province) - message 4, page 1
- The coast - message 5, page 1
- The Westhoek, from De Panne - message 6, page 1
- The Zwin, from Knokke - message 7, page 1
- Lier (between Mechelen and Antwerp) - message 8, page 1
- Mons (Hainaut) - message 9, page 1
- The Florenville region - message 12, page 1
- The East Cantons - message 13, page 1
- Dinant - message 18, page 1
- The Japanese garden in Hasselt - message 24, page 2
- Leuven - message 29, page 2
- Louvain-la-Neuve - message 32, page 2
- Ostend - message 42 (page 3) and message 166 (page 9)
- The floralies of Groot-Bijgaarden - message 43, page 3
- Halle Forest - message 44, page 3
- Pralines - message 54, page 3
- Charleroi - message 68, page 4
- Namur - message 92, page 5
- Le Bois du Cazier (Marcinelle) - message 95, page 5
- Couques and gosettes - message 96, page 5
- Liège - message 99, page 5
- Tournai - message 115, page 6
- Oudenaarde - message 121, page 7
- Meise Botanical Garden - message 124, page 7
- Tongeren - message 125, page 7
- Beersel Castle (Flemish Brabant) - message 126, page 7
- Brussels in lockdown (messages 150 and 154, page 8)
- Notre-Dame à la Rose Hospital in Lessines (messages 161 and 162, page 9)
- Westende (message 167, page 9)
I’ll keep updating this list as the journal progresses...
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 rental options kept making me postpone the project.
And then, everything suddenly fell into place—I told myself, it’s time!
The preparations took longer than usual; the destination is still far from mainstream.
A bit of Kazakhstan?
Not in the end.
The south or not the south?
Yes, in the end.
Pre-book or go with the flow?
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 about this destination (the guide has been updated since).
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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!
(Steak for my partner’s mischievous nephews...)
You’ll find here a post with some practical information.
And here, the version of the travel journal without comments.
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As a supplement, the route track.
Not necessarily ultra-accurate since Google has serious gaps for this destination...
Nos deux montures !
Nous arrivons en vue du « rocher Cathédrale », immense bloc de roche au milieu du paysage ! Drôle de nom pur ce rocher en pays musulman, mais bon … Nous faisons quelques photos pour immortaliser l’endroit, en plus on a l’impression d’être seuls au monde on a pour l’instant croisé personne sur cette piste ! C’est top.
Arrivés en haut, ça souffle tellement qu’il faut absolument tenir nos casquettes, sinon elles s’envolent ! On redescend vite vers l’autre versant pour se mettre à l’abri du vent. En chemin, j’essaie de faire diversion, et chasser la fatigue avec des fossiles de coquillages que l’on trouve en nombre sur cette montagne ! Un peu insolite de trouver des coquillages dans ces paysages si désertiques.
On the right, the "welcome marker"—those dates offered everywhere as a sign of hospitality. On the left, a tribute to those stunning doors worn by time, admired all over the old quarters, including the abandoned ones.
Hospitality will often lead you to accept a small coffee, an "Omani coffee," very light, subtly flavored with cardamom, maybe a touch of saffron, and occasionally rosewater.
Here, I’ve depicted a man in the common everyday attire of Omanis: the dishdasha, mostly white (during the week and daytime; colors are more common in the evening or on Fridays and Saturdays). While you’ll see some men dressed in Western clothes, they’re very few. The white dishdasha is truly the shared attire of all men. The dishdasha, which has no hood, is distinguished by a small pom-pom attached to the collar, the furakha, which is soaked in perfume. And believe me, Omanis go overboard with it! "It smells like the pom-pom" is an expression that’s now part of our shared language, my husband and I.
Another must of men’s attire is the kuma, a small round head covering, usually white with brightly colored patterns. The keffiyeh is also worn (but without the cord called an agal in Arab countries), and it’s mostly worn by those with roots in the desert, from what I understood.
And what about the women, you might ask? Some are veiled, some in full black (but not a burka—more like a chador + abaya), due to the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whereas the traditional outfit used to be a layering of very colorful dresses. Most of the women we saw wore neutral clothing, a plain veil over their hair, but with their faces uncovered. We also saw many saris and colorful veils—don’t forget that 40% of the population consists of Indian, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi immigrants, who work a lot in tourism, hospitality, restaurants, services, and construction.
Just to clarify, as a tourist, there’s no pressure to wear a veil, and never any disapproving looks. Of course, you’ll save the mini shorts, plunging necklines, bare shoulders, and midriffs for the hotel terrace—but I’d say that’s the same for men and women, and with the sun being strong, it’s better for your skin too.
Here’s the introduction! In the next post, I’ll tell you about my itinerary, and we can dive in!
The large solidified magma massifs that shape the heart of the island have created a large depression more protected from the sun at its center, allowing the growth of a vast laurel forest, today grouped within the Garajonay National Park, La Gomera’s green lung, which has earned it the status of a World Biosphere Reserve. Its completely European appearance contrasts sharply with the rocky and tropical landscapes of the rest of the island. Thus, the climate varies greatly from one point to another on the island: in summer, you can quickly go from a dry and sunny valley at 35°C to a humid forest area at altitude at 18°C.
Last October, we landed in Marrakech to spend a few days with family exploring Morocco’s roads.
Transport: a rented Dacia.
Accommodations: small guesthouses.
Come along, I'm taking you to this country where it's so nice to wander and slow down...
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.
And in Kyoto, Nishiki Market:
Roundabouts are particularly interesting because they feature emblems of Turkmen culture, like the dog, a carpet, the Ahal Teke horse, or Muslim symbols, even though the presence of Islamic artifacts is quite limited.
A little sneak peek?
