Results for "Mayotte"
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Logement à Tananarive (Madagascar)
bonjour 🙂
je prepare en ce moment avec mon ami un voyage a madagascar.nous partons 3 semaines entre fin septembre et debut octobre.
nous avons un vol sec paris/tana.nous aimerions prevoir un logement sur tana pour les 2 premiers jours de notre sejour. Si qq'un peut nous conseiller... merci d'avance😉
je prepare en ce moment avec mon ami un voyage a madagascar.nous partons 3 semaines entre fin septembre et debut octobre.
nous avons un vol sec paris/tana.nous aimerions prevoir un logement sur tana pour les 2 premiers jours de notre sejour. Si qq'un peut nous conseiller... merci d'avance😉
Corsair augmentation: les Reunionnais ne payent pas
Les reunionnais qui ont déja payé leurs billets et qui les ont en main, ont reçu un courrier leur demandant de passer payer la somme de 30 euros sous peine d'annulation du billet
Heureusement que les pauvres réunionnais qui n'avaient déjà pas les moyens de se payer un billet sur une compagnie répondant à de vraies prestations de vol(pas de retard, pas d'avion avec des siéges troués), se sont mobilisés et ont refusé de payer
Ils ont allerté les médias et ont saisi une association de consommateurs
résultat: Personne ne devra payer ce surcout vache à lait
Bravo pour cet élan de solidarité
Pour info air austral vient de recevoir un appareil neuf que 3 équipes ont remmené de Seattle (20 h de vol), et cette compagnie ne fait pas voler ses passagers sur des ruines, au passage il n'y avait ni lance à incendie qui s'excitait pour acceuillir l'avion, ni de manifestation exubérante et superflue de la population 😉
Enfin Air france a décidé officieusement de réduire d'un vol par semaine pour commencer, celà face à la concurrence qui se durcit
Il était temps, vivement que le vent tourne 😄
Heureusement que les pauvres réunionnais qui n'avaient déjà pas les moyens de se payer un billet sur une compagnie répondant à de vraies prestations de vol(pas de retard, pas d'avion avec des siéges troués), se sont mobilisés et ont refusé de payer
Ils ont allerté les médias et ont saisi une association de consommateurs
résultat: Personne ne devra payer ce surcout vache à lait
Bravo pour cet élan de solidarité
Pour info air austral vient de recevoir un appareil neuf que 3 équipes ont remmené de Seattle (20 h de vol), et cette compagnie ne fait pas voler ses passagers sur des ruines, au passage il n'y avait ni lance à incendie qui s'excitait pour acceuillir l'avion, ni de manifestation exubérante et superflue de la population 😉
Enfin Air france a décidé officieusement de réduire d'un vol par semaine pour commencer, celà face à la concurrence qui se durcit
Il était temps, vivement que le vent tourne 😄
Troisième Boeing 777-200 ER pour Air Austral
Depuis le jeudi 19 mai 2005, Air Austral est officiellement en possession d'un troisième Boeing 777-200 ER. Accompagné de 40 de ses collaborateurs, Gérard Ethève, dirigeant de la compagnie régionale, est allé prendre livraison de l'appareil à Seattle (Etats-Unis) où se trouve le siège de Boeing.
L'avion doit ensuite voler de cette ville américaine à La Réunion sans escale. Une grande première
La «remise» de l'avion, tout frais sorti de l'immense usine Boeing, est donc aussi l'occasion d'une rotation totalement inédite dans les annales de l'aviation réunionnaise. Piloté par un équipage d'Air Austral, le B 777-200 ER doit rallier sans escale Seattle à La Réunion où il est attendu le lundi 23 mai après 19 heures 40 de vol. Une performance qui restera sans doute longtemps unique, «ou du moins jusqu'à la prochaine livraison d'un Boeing à la compagnie» selon la réflexion de l'un des membres de la délégation d'Air Austral. Ce qui n'était pas pour déplaire à Lars Anderson, directeur des programmes chez Boeing. Jeudi 19 mai, lors du dîner officialisant la remise de l'avion, il a espéré que «cet appareil ne sera pas le seul qu'Air Austral nous achète et qu'il y aura une poursuite de nos relations». Un souhait partagé par Hamid Zeghmi, directeur des ventes à Boeing, qui s'est déclaré «ébahi par le succès d'Air Austral». En réponse, Gérard Ethève, dirigeant d'Air Austral, s'est dit «particulièrement fier pour la compagnie de prendre livraison de cet appareil». Il a ensuite remercié Boeing et ILFC «pour la confiance qu'ils ont toujours témoignés à Air Austral». Il faut en effet savoir, qu'une majorité de compagnie aérienne n'achètent pas directement leurs avions. L'acquisition d'un nouvel appareil est en fait une transaction entre le constructeur, Boeing en l'occurrence, la compagnie et ILFC (International Leasing and Financial company). C'est cet organisme qui achète l'avion et qui le loue ensuite à la compagnie. Cette dernière, outre le montant de la location, prend en charge tous les frais d'assurance, d'entretien, de maintenance etc. Doté de toutes les dernières innovations technologiques et spécialement configuré par Boeing aux normes d'Air Austral en termes de confort, d'espacement des fauteuils etc, l'appareil sera affecté à la nouvelle rotation Réunion - Comores - Marseille effective dès la mi-juin. Les deux autres «gros porteurs», également des B 777, restent affectés à la rotation quotidienne Réunion - Paris
L'avion doit ensuite voler de cette ville américaine à La Réunion sans escale. Une grande premièreLa «remise» de l'avion, tout frais sorti de l'immense usine Boeing, est donc aussi l'occasion d'une rotation totalement inédite dans les annales de l'aviation réunionnaise. Piloté par un équipage d'Air Austral, le B 777-200 ER doit rallier sans escale Seattle à La Réunion où il est attendu le lundi 23 mai après 19 heures 40 de vol. Une performance qui restera sans doute longtemps unique, «ou du moins jusqu'à la prochaine livraison d'un Boeing à la compagnie» selon la réflexion de l'un des membres de la délégation d'Air Austral. Ce qui n'était pas pour déplaire à Lars Anderson, directeur des programmes chez Boeing. Jeudi 19 mai, lors du dîner officialisant la remise de l'avion, il a espéré que «cet appareil ne sera pas le seul qu'Air Austral nous achète et qu'il y aura une poursuite de nos relations». Un souhait partagé par Hamid Zeghmi, directeur des ventes à Boeing, qui s'est déclaré «ébahi par le succès d'Air Austral». En réponse, Gérard Ethève, dirigeant d'Air Austral, s'est dit «particulièrement fier pour la compagnie de prendre livraison de cet appareil». Il a ensuite remercié Boeing et ILFC «pour la confiance qu'ils ont toujours témoignés à Air Austral». Il faut en effet savoir, qu'une majorité de compagnie aérienne n'achètent pas directement leurs avions. L'acquisition d'un nouvel appareil est en fait une transaction entre le constructeur, Boeing en l'occurrence, la compagnie et ILFC (International Leasing and Financial company). C'est cet organisme qui achète l'avion et qui le loue ensuite à la compagnie. Cette dernière, outre le montant de la location, prend en charge tous les frais d'assurance, d'entretien, de maintenance etc. Doté de toutes les dernières innovations technologiques et spécialement configuré par Boeing aux normes d'Air Austral en termes de confort, d'espacement des fauteuils etc, l'appareil sera affecté à la nouvelle rotation Réunion - Comores - Marseille effective dès la mi-juin. Les deux autres «gros porteurs», également des B 777, restent affectés à la rotation quotidienne Réunion - Paris
Rejoindre la côte africaine par bateau depuis Madagascar
salut a tous
je cherche a rejoindre l'afrique depuis mada en bateau
je n'ai rien trouve sur internet pour les lignes maritimes en partance de l'ile
savez vous si c possible, quels pays sont desservis et eventuellement les tarifs aproximatifs ?
merci d'avance ben
je cherche a rejoindre l'afrique depuis mada en bateau
je n'ai rien trouve sur internet pour les lignes maritimes en partance de l'ile
savez vous si c possible, quels pays sont desservis et eventuellement les tarifs aproximatifs ?
merci d'avance ben
AIR AUSTRAL: Chronique d'une mort annoncée?
Depuis quelque temps il y a beaucoup de remous autour de la recomposition du capital d'Air Austral.
En effet, Air France se désengage de la compagnie réunionnaise (30, 36%)parce qu'ils sont en désaccord avec la stratégie de développement de UU de la concurrence sur la ligne Paris-Réunion.
En 2 mots AIR FRANCE s'est bai.... par Air Austral. Et AF n'aime pas se faire bai... Alors qu'en cela arrive par UU, qu'Air France soutenait, je ne vous fait pas dire.
Si Air France se désengage c pour mieux contrer les strateges fait par UU (notamment la mise en service d'un 3eme 777-200 en juin). Beaucoup s'y sont essayer (AOM, Air Liberté, Air Lib, Air Bourbon....).
Air France veux etre le Maître du monde (il est déjà bien partie), et pour cela aucun n'obstacle ne doit se trouver sur chemin, sinon......🙁
A mon avis Air France va lui faire sa faite a Air Austral. Elle va vite regretter. Ils auraient du rester a leur place (marché régional).
Et pour ceux qui n'ont pas arreté de critiquer le 747-400 de Corsair, préparer vous. Parce qu'a mon avis vous en aurez besoin après.🙂
En effet, Air France se désengage de la compagnie réunionnaise (30, 36%)parce qu'ils sont en désaccord avec la stratégie de développement de UU de la concurrence sur la ligne Paris-Réunion.
En 2 mots AIR FRANCE s'est bai.... par Air Austral. Et AF n'aime pas se faire bai... Alors qu'en cela arrive par UU, qu'Air France soutenait, je ne vous fait pas dire.
Si Air France se désengage c pour mieux contrer les strateges fait par UU (notamment la mise en service d'un 3eme 777-200 en juin). Beaucoup s'y sont essayer (AOM, Air Liberté, Air Lib, Air Bourbon....).
Air France veux etre le Maître du monde (il est déjà bien partie), et pour cela aucun n'obstacle ne doit se trouver sur chemin, sinon......🙁
A mon avis Air France va lui faire sa faite a Air Austral. Elle va vite regretter. Ils auraient du rester a leur place (marché régional).
Et pour ceux qui n'ont pas arreté de critiquer le 747-400 de Corsair, préparer vous. Parce qu'a mon avis vous en aurez besoin après.🙂
Hébergement à Rodrigues
Je pars dans quelques jours pour Rodrigues. Petit inconvénient imprévu : le vol arrive tard à l'aéroport (vers 21 h). Connaissez-vous un hébergement dans cette région de l'île, pour la première nuit, je ne trouve rien dans ce coin sur internet.
Et aussi, savez-vous quel est le cours approximatif de la roupie mauricienne actuellement ?
Merci
Et aussi, savez-vous quel est le cours approximatif de la roupie mauricienne actuellement ?
Merci
L'avion et le réchauffement planétaire
Juste histoire de lancer le débat :
Est-ce que vous avez conscience quand vous prenez l'avion pour partir en vacances, de contribuer asse fortement à l'effet de serre et donc au réchauffement de la planète ?
Est-ce que ça vous incite à moins le prendre, à privilégier le train pour les trajets de moyenne distance en Europe ?
Faut en effet savoir qu'un long courrier consomme en moyenne de 3, 5 à 4 litres de kérosène par passager et par 100km : faites le calcul pour un trajet de 10000km ! Consommation d'ailleurs probablement plus forte encore pour un court ou moyen courrier...
Bien sûr le transport aérien est loin derrière la voiture en terme d'émissions de CO2 au niveau planétaire, mais c'est celui qui augmente le plus rapidement. De plus le kérosène est un des carburants les plus polluants, et lâché à 10000m d'altitude il a un effet beaucoup plus fort pour l'effet de serre...
Moi ça me fait quand même réfléchir, même si je reconnais que je prends assez souvent l'avion...
Faut en effet savoir qu'un long courrier consomme en moyenne de 3, 5 à 4 litres de kérosène par passager et par 100km : faites le calcul pour un trajet de 10000km ! Consommation d'ailleurs probablement plus forte encore pour un court ou moyen courrier...
Bien sûr le transport aérien est loin derrière la voiture en terme d'émissions de CO2 au niveau planétaire, mais c'est celui qui augmente le plus rapidement. De plus le kérosène est un des carburants les plus polluants, et lâché à 10000m d'altitude il a un effet beaucoup plus fort pour l'effet de serre...
Moi ça me fait quand même réfléchir, même si je reconnais que je prends assez souvent l'avion...
Budget tour du monde à la voile
Bonjour,
nous avons en projet de partir a deux pour un tour du monde d'environ 4 ans. Nous avons déjà le voilier (c'est deja pas mal!) mais nous comptons bosser encore quelques années avant de partir afin de réunir l'argent nécessaire.
Je recherche des informations concernant le BUDGET d'une telle aventure, on m'a parlé de 15 000€ / an, est-ce dans la moyenne, sur-estimé ou pas ? le travail aux escales (quel type de job peut-on esperer trouver, est-ce facile de bosser dans un pays étranger...)?
Merci de me faire part de vos expériences.
Eglantine
nous avons en projet de partir a deux pour un tour du monde d'environ 4 ans. Nous avons déjà le voilier (c'est deja pas mal!) mais nous comptons bosser encore quelques années avant de partir afin de réunir l'argent nécessaire.
Je recherche des informations concernant le BUDGET d'une telle aventure, on m'a parlé de 15 000€ / an, est-ce dans la moyenne, sur-estimé ou pas ? le travail aux escales (quel type de job peut-on esperer trouver, est-ce facile de bosser dans un pays étranger...)?
Merci de me faire part de vos expériences.
Eglantine
Vos plus beaux souvenirs en avion
bonjour à tous
Nombreux d'entre vous ont eu des retards, bagages perdus, correspondances loupées. Mais j'en suis sûr, vous avez tous eu de très agréables moments pendant un ou plusieurs vols. Quels sont vos plus beaux souvenirs ???
Nombreux d'entre vous ont eu des retards, bagages perdus, correspondances loupées. Mais j'en suis sûr, vous avez tous eu de très agréables moments pendant un ou plusieurs vols. Quels sont vos plus beaux souvenirs ???
Liaison Ile de la Réunion-Ile Maurice par bateau
Bonjour à tous ceux qui alimentent ce forum.
Je cherche un bon plan pour faire l'aller-retour en bateau à peu de frais depuis la Réunion. Vu le prix de l'avion entre les 2 iles....Je n'ai pas trouvé de website où un providentiel navigateur aurait pu lire ma demande. Merci de vos tuyaux (contact capitaineries, asso diverses...).
Départ moins 1 mois pour 1 mois.
Cordialement.
Philippe
Je cherche un bon plan pour faire l'aller-retour en bateau à peu de frais depuis la Réunion. Vu le prix de l'avion entre les 2 iles....Je n'ai pas trouvé de website où un providentiel navigateur aurait pu lire ma demande. Merci de vos tuyaux (contact capitaineries, asso diverses...).
Départ moins 1 mois pour 1 mois.
Cordialement.
Philippe
Madagascar et un cyclone
nous voila débarqués à nosy-bé tout va bien, pas de retard dans les horaires, la douane nous a laissé passés. Dehors un manifique soleil. Même notre taxi est là. En route pour notre chambre dans une petite maison surplombant Hell-ville. Ce qui nous donne un magnifique point de vue sur toute la baie avec ses boutres qui naviguent sur une eau splendide. Mais à peine quelques heures après notre arrivée le ciel se couvre et une pluie fine commence à tombée. C'est à ce moment qu'un autre touriste nous informe de l'arrivée imminente du cyclone Galifo. Et efectivement dans la nuit les choses se sont aggravées une pluie diluvienne, avec un vent terrible balai l'île et le nord de Mada. Nous avons assisté pendant 24h de notre point de vue à la destruction de maisons, de voiture, d'antenne téléphone littéralement pliées par le vent, d'arbres arrachés. voila comment nous nous sommes retrouvé coincé sur nosy-bé pendant 4jours. Car plus aucun bateau ne prenait la mer. Et la route reliant diego-suarez au nord était détruite. Mais au bout du cinquième jours on nous a affirmé que tout allé bien et que diego était accessible par la route. Résultat au lieu de 5h de voiture nous avons mis 13h en changeant 3 fois de véhicules pour cause la route était coupé et même une fois un pont détruit, nous avons du traversé à pied avec sac à dos et valise à la main pour rejoindre l'autre côté. mais au moins nous avons eu la chance de monté, dans un mini van de 12 places normalement, à 28 personnes pendant 4h sans arrêt. Arrivé à diego toutes sorties touristique étant impossible à cause du passage du cyclone nous avons passé une semaine au bar. Et pour repartir, for de notre expérience voiture, nous avons choisi l'avion avec air mada. Sachez que leur ordinateur de réservation est toujours en panne et qu'ils vendent des billets sans savoir s'il y a des places ou non dans l'avion. Prévoir d'arriver tôt à l'aéroport surtout quand le vol est avancé d'une heure sans prévenir personne. et pour finir j'ai attrapé le palu et passé mais trois dernier jour à mada avec 40 de fièvres. Sans pouvoir me soigné à diego. Il a fallu que j'attende le quatrième jour de mon palu, c'est à dire jour de notre départ pour être soigné à l'arrivée à mayotte. Mais pas découragé j'y retourne en juillet.
Ile Maurice avec enfants
J'hésite entre l'île Maurice et le Mexique pour le mois de juillet. Même si ce n'est pas le même genre de destination, pouvez-vous me conseiller? Je suis fan de plongée, j'ai un enfant qui adore les animaux marins, trouvera-t-on notre bonheur à Maurice? Merci.
Hurghada ou Sharm el Sheikh pour le snorkeling? (Egypte)
😊 bonjour
nous aimerions aller en egypte en decembre pour faire du snorkeling.
nous hesitons entre hurghada et sharm el sheikh ?
que me conseillez vous ?
connaissez vous un hotel avec une plage sympa pour faire du snorkeling ?
merci beaucoup
vero
nous aimerions aller en egypte en decembre pour faire du snorkeling.
nous hesitons entre hurghada et sharm el sheikh ?
que me conseillez vous ?
connaissez vous un hotel avec une plage sympa pour faire du snorkeling ?
merci beaucoup
vero
Snorkeling à Cuba
Bonjour,
à Cuba, entre la Havane et Santa Clara, quels seraient les meilleurs endroits pour la plongée/le snorkel?
On m'a parlé de Playa Larga ou Playa Giron, qu'en pensez-vous?
à Cuba, entre la Havane et Santa Clara, quels seraient les meilleurs endroits pour la plongée/le snorkel?
On m'a parlé de Playa Larga ou Playa Giron, qu'en pensez-vous?
June 2026 Theme Thread: Such a Beautiful Landscape
This is where we chat.
Havana, Cuba / January 2026
I got into music with the will
To light up many hearths like Che could do,
To circulate ideas, to advance utopia
Alternating barricades, sharp thought, and poetry.
Mc Solaar, Guérilla
Subscribing without a fight to the slightest line of my itinerary sometimes feels like an illusion. Because there are countries where, despite the fever and enthusiasm, despite the triumphant revolution, certain elements block my path. And if I had planned, for F. and me, a beautiful ascent up Tabouret Hill (Loma del Taburete, 453m), it was without accounting for vegetation as dense as it was thorny, which barred our way after just a few quarters of an hour of walking. Exhausted, I had to face the facts: we wouldn’t go any further. I needed to come up with some kind of Plan B.
But what is this country, an unwitting laboratory of the worst that white civilization has done during its reign? What is this magnificent place—yet another—entrusted to the care of oblivion, just 150 km from the land of freedom? According to Donald Trump, a country supporting terrorism; according to the locals, the vast battlefield of 20th-century ideologies; according to the average tourist, a hot country, a beautiful country, a country where the last illusions of a lost paradise are dying.
On the other side of Havana Bay, we love that statue of Christ blessing the city. There’s something gentle, soothing, in that patriarchal gesture. You’d almost be tempted to forget that at the dawn of the 16th century, those who claimed to represent the Church had no scruples about eradicating the Ciboney and Taíno populations. Worse, you’ll find magnificent this cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary, right in the heart of the old city. Under the guise of a civilizing necessity, Havana became, like so many other places, the gilded seat of European pretensions, at the expense of local populations doomed to extermination, then enslaved populations—more or less indigenous—who, you can imagine, didn’t often set foot in this holy place.
Lost in my thoughts, I try to push through this tangled vegetation. Nature reclaims its rights; nature abhors a vacuum. Yes, the well-trodden path of revolution couldn’t stay free of weeds! The road is buried. We give up and turn back, until that fork I’d noted before leaving, which would let us reach the top of the hill by skirting its northern slope.
So the white man arrives, settles, and gets rid of everything that bothers him. He has two unstoppable forces at his disposal: gunpowder and the spiritual certainty of being on the side of an all-powerful god. While the first gives him an unmatched material advantage over his new enemy, the second lets him use the first without feeling too guilty. That’s the magic of this supreme Church: it condemns all forms of pleasure—calling them impurity—while promoting plunder and crime under the cover of evangelization.
Walking through the city, you find a bit of Algiers, except that here, the decay is almost irreversible. You feel the splendor of the past, a disconcerting image of all vanity, from an era when men knew how to build beauty—especially if they didn’t have to share it. We’ll debate the benefits of colonialism for a long time, while glossing over the fact that those benefits often stopped at the city limits, limits all too obvious to the indigenous people. Havana isn’t just one or a few buildings; it’s an impressive collection of works of art built one after another, in what I think was a spirit of healthy competition. Yes, you find Algiers in this exuberance. As if these distant cities were the receptacle of everything that was best in the lands of origin. Atlantes and lintels, golds, blues, ogives, and monumental windows—exceptional architecture in an exceptional place.
Some streets are clean, swept with care; others are not, scattered here and there with potholes filled with water. A rather persistent smell of urine invades us regularly. We move on. And we look up: Havana is visited with your nose in the air. Because the beauty is truly up there, on those magnificent balconies and terracotta arches. Also because it’s not impossible that a piece of that balcony might suddenly detach, hurling our ends into an overseas tragedy we’d rather avoid. On the ground, here and there, rubble. Inexorably, this city is returning to dust.
My Plan B turns out to be no more successful than the first attempt. After a cheerful progression of a few hundred meters, same outcome, same struggle—the vegetation opposes any revolution: impossible to go around the hill! Once again, we have to turn back. We’ll try Plan C. I reassure myself by convincing myself to stay in the logic of this country: Cuba has been searching for itself for five centuries.
Coffee, tobacco, and sugarcane—the green gold of the colonies—so that money could flow and Europe could enjoy itself. Cuba’s history isn’t original. In reality, all the hot lands at these latitudes suffer the same fate: to serve the white man. While waiting for the awakening of consciences, UN Resolution 1514 and more or less affirmed revolutionary desires. Except that—and this reflection is just my own—if the awakening of consciences and the revolutionary will don’t play into what Resolution 1514 hides, there’s a good chance the said state will become a pariah. Those who don’t follow the American doctrine risk a lot; those who decide to follow Moscow risk everything. Independence was only the barely discreet instrument of American views. Patrice Lumumba will gladly enlighten us on the subject.
Turning back is good. Setting up Plan C is better. I won’t deviate from my goal: we will reach the top of Tabouret, whatever the cost! Near a small country road, I hesitate to change the program. Time is ticking—is it really reasonable to attempt the ascent? Then a tricycle taxi appears, a kind of tuk-tuk powered by an electric moped. I take it as a sign from fate, and we board for the starting point of Plan C.
In Cuba, even before Resolution 1514, independence was assured by a pawn of the United States, Fulgencio Batista. There’s no need to go over the whole history here; we’ll just remember that if you know how to give without counting to your former masters, you can enjoy a facade of freedom. Fidel Castro, on the other hand, didn’t know how to give. It never even occurred to him. That’s why the United States harbors such terrible hatred for this rebellious state, opposed to capitalist values and political prostitution. From there to slowly killing its people for nearly seventy years, one can legitimately cry injustice. But there are other priorities. Oh yes! Greenland...
Do Cubans eat their fill? Does seeing overweight people mean opulence? Food grows, no doubt about it. The soil is fertile, the climate favorable. No, what shocks here is the absolute precarity, the feeling of a people living in survival mode, and the decay of both goods and hope. Where to go? What’s the point? The stubbornness of the United States in wanting to impose its views on the Cuban government is felt much more by an overwhelmed people than by those few elites—caricatures of communism—who instill their vision of happiness with a crowbar. The embargo imposed in 1960; the false-flag attacks—American planes flying the colors of the Cuban revolution during the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961—the exasperation of placing Cuba on the list of countries supporting terrorism. More recently, Donald Trump decided to heavily tax countries supplying Cuba with fuel. The last time I saw such long lines near gas stations was during my first trip to Romania... in 1991. It’s not for me to judge whether Raúl and his clique are playing fair by thumbing their noses at the West. I don’t hold the ins and outs of this war of egos that keeps the world’s great powers awake. I only caught a glimpse of the poverty of an island in 2026, while we in Europe are buried under an avalanche of the useless and superficial.
At the start of the San Juan baths, we find the trailhead. It climbs steeply. But the weather is relatively mild, thanks to a cold wave hitting higher up in the United States. Dallas is under snow; we’re walking in 16°C, a stroke of luck. We climb over rocks, under fairly decent vegetation, sometimes low but passable. And we succeed in the ascent in an hour. Up there, the top of the hill is somewhat maintained, at a minimum, but maintained, as if to honor Che through an awful monument erected in his glory—a stubborn specimen from those years when good taste was inversely proportional to the delusional ideas of those being honored. Birds of prey (raptors?) circle overhead; the monument is dying, crumbling, falling into ruin. *Hasta siempre*—forever—will be for the words. Nature, erosion, life itself will have the last word over all revolutions.
Back at the foot of the hill, just before a memorable swim, we talk with a family living there in miserable shacks whose stability wasn’t unlike that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The grandmother holds an animal, a rodent, by its feet. The grandfather has just killed it; she’s plucking its fur. A few steps away, water boils in a pot. She plunges the beast into the container. Tonight, the family will eat ragondin stew. Further on, another shack where, in a disorder rivaling the filth, a mother breastfeeds while sitting on the edge of a bed. Then, on the way down, we’ll meet a middle-aged man carrying a large jerrycan of water on his shoulder. Are these people happy here, far from the cities and their stakes? Is it too much to ask that they at least have access to electricity, running water, and decent, safe housing?
Outside the old city, Havana reveals wide avenues serving imposing institutions here and there. But whether in the colorful alleys of the old town or on the majestic and austere Plaza de la Revolución, the same feeling moves me: sadness. Seeing that only chaos has come from ideas crushes me. We praise, we sing the revolution—above all, we impose it in people’s minds as a necessity, when it’s nothing of the sort. Revolution is just the fruit of a few tortured minds who, once in power, do nothing better than all those before them. Enjoy power. Impose their views. It’s just a matter of color. Fidel saw red and knew how to persuade—or silence forever—his many detractors. The West sees everything in white, through the prism of human rights, and also knows how to persuade and silence its slightest detractors forever.
Paradoxically, Cuba survives largely thanks to tourism, a key element—let’s not be afraid to say it—of capitalism. And when a few players pick up the crumbs from transactions, the lion’s share and the foreign currency go to the government. So we won’t go to Varadero, the high place of relaxation overrun by Canadians. Instead, we’ll limit ourselves to crossing the ocean 30 minutes from the capital, at Santa María del Mar, to get an idea of cheaper tourism and to splash around for a few minutes in turquoise water invaded by sargassum. At the heart of the tourist season, we’ll meet few people. Like Havana, and according to its inhabitants, the high season is rather dead. But we won’t have come for nothing: we particularly love this return where, feverish, the taxi driver pushes his Moskvitch 2140 to the max on the highway, singing karaoke versions of hits at the top of his lungs from an onboard DVD player. East/West, the culture clash with a hint of Latino.
It’s time to leave this country of resourcefulness where extremes are very present. We’re leaving a 5-star hotel in front of yet another crumbling building. We’ve known restaurants at 40,000 pesos while in the street people eat for 400. We’ve seen those countless cars from another era and another culture—Pontiac, Lada, Chevrolet, Moskvitch—being overtaken by gleaming Mercedes and other Porsche Cayennes, the prerogative—if it still needed to be demonstrated—of the newly rich in search of recognition. Boarding the plane, we also understand that we’re not just traveling with tourists: there’s undoubtedly a rich and prosperous diaspora, just as there are relatively wealthy Cubans—well, wealthy enough to travel comfortably in the front of the aircraft. Meanwhile, on all the country’s roads, other Cubans try hitchhiking, their wives and children perched on a suitcase by the roadside. The father holds out his arm and holds a few bills in his hand like a card game. Where are they going? Who will pick them up?
Behind me, the gold of the Capitol. I’m told this gold comes from Russia. Like Marx and Lenin’s smoky theories? Like Stalin’s subtle and delicate paternalism? Let’s bet that, like the other buildings crumbling around it, the Capitol will also collapse one day, to avenge the Indians who perished from the diseases and guns of the whites, to avenge the Africans who obliterated their lives so Europeans could enjoy themselves, finally, to avenge all this abandoned people, left to the arbitrariness of democratic or non-democratic elections.
A sign in the street: We understand history. This is the revolution! We understand history. That’s the revolution.
No comment.
Subscribing without a fight to the slightest line of my itinerary sometimes feels like an illusion. Because there are countries where, despite the fever and enthusiasm, despite the triumphant revolution, certain elements block my path. And if I had planned, for F. and me, a beautiful ascent up Tabouret Hill (Loma del Taburete, 453m), it was without accounting for vegetation as dense as it was thorny, which barred our way after just a few quarters of an hour of walking. Exhausted, I had to face the facts: we wouldn’t go any further. I needed to come up with some kind of Plan B.
But what is this country, an unwitting laboratory of the worst that white civilization has done during its reign? What is this magnificent place—yet another—entrusted to the care of oblivion, just 150 km from the land of freedom? According to Donald Trump, a country supporting terrorism; according to the locals, the vast battlefield of 20th-century ideologies; according to the average tourist, a hot country, a beautiful country, a country where the last illusions of a lost paradise are dying.
On the other side of Havana Bay, we love that statue of Christ blessing the city. There’s something gentle, soothing, in that patriarchal gesture. You’d almost be tempted to forget that at the dawn of the 16th century, those who claimed to represent the Church had no scruples about eradicating the Ciboney and Taíno populations. Worse, you’ll find magnificent this cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary, right in the heart of the old city. Under the guise of a civilizing necessity, Havana became, like so many other places, the gilded seat of European pretensions, at the expense of local populations doomed to extermination, then enslaved populations—more or less indigenous—who, you can imagine, didn’t often set foot in this holy place.
Lost in my thoughts, I try to push through this tangled vegetation. Nature reclaims its rights; nature abhors a vacuum. Yes, the well-trodden path of revolution couldn’t stay free of weeds! The road is buried. We give up and turn back, until that fork I’d noted before leaving, which would let us reach the top of the hill by skirting its northern slope.
So the white man arrives, settles, and gets rid of everything that bothers him. He has two unstoppable forces at his disposal: gunpowder and the spiritual certainty of being on the side of an all-powerful god. While the first gives him an unmatched material advantage over his new enemy, the second lets him use the first without feeling too guilty. That’s the magic of this supreme Church: it condemns all forms of pleasure—calling them impurity—while promoting plunder and crime under the cover of evangelization.
Walking through the city, you find a bit of Algiers, except that here, the decay is almost irreversible. You feel the splendor of the past, a disconcerting image of all vanity, from an era when men knew how to build beauty—especially if they didn’t have to share it. We’ll debate the benefits of colonialism for a long time, while glossing over the fact that those benefits often stopped at the city limits, limits all too obvious to the indigenous people. Havana isn’t just one or a few buildings; it’s an impressive collection of works of art built one after another, in what I think was a spirit of healthy competition. Yes, you find Algiers in this exuberance. As if these distant cities were the receptacle of everything that was best in the lands of origin. Atlantes and lintels, golds, blues, ogives, and monumental windows—exceptional architecture in an exceptional place.
Some streets are clean, swept with care; others are not, scattered here and there with potholes filled with water. A rather persistent smell of urine invades us regularly. We move on. And we look up: Havana is visited with your nose in the air. Because the beauty is truly up there, on those magnificent balconies and terracotta arches. Also because it’s not impossible that a piece of that balcony might suddenly detach, hurling our ends into an overseas tragedy we’d rather avoid. On the ground, here and there, rubble. Inexorably, this city is returning to dust.
My Plan B turns out to be no more successful than the first attempt. After a cheerful progression of a few hundred meters, same outcome, same struggle—the vegetation opposes any revolution: impossible to go around the hill! Once again, we have to turn back. We’ll try Plan C. I reassure myself by convincing myself to stay in the logic of this country: Cuba has been searching for itself for five centuries.
Coffee, tobacco, and sugarcane—the green gold of the colonies—so that money could flow and Europe could enjoy itself. Cuba’s history isn’t original. In reality, all the hot lands at these latitudes suffer the same fate: to serve the white man. While waiting for the awakening of consciences, UN Resolution 1514 and more or less affirmed revolutionary desires. Except that—and this reflection is just my own—if the awakening of consciences and the revolutionary will don’t play into what Resolution 1514 hides, there’s a good chance the said state will become a pariah. Those who don’t follow the American doctrine risk a lot; those who decide to follow Moscow risk everything. Independence was only the barely discreet instrument of American views. Patrice Lumumba will gladly enlighten us on the subject.
Turning back is good. Setting up Plan C is better. I won’t deviate from my goal: we will reach the top of Tabouret, whatever the cost! Near a small country road, I hesitate to change the program. Time is ticking—is it really reasonable to attempt the ascent? Then a tricycle taxi appears, a kind of tuk-tuk powered by an electric moped. I take it as a sign from fate, and we board for the starting point of Plan C.
In Cuba, even before Resolution 1514, independence was assured by a pawn of the United States, Fulgencio Batista. There’s no need to go over the whole history here; we’ll just remember that if you know how to give without counting to your former masters, you can enjoy a facade of freedom. Fidel Castro, on the other hand, didn’t know how to give. It never even occurred to him. That’s why the United States harbors such terrible hatred for this rebellious state, opposed to capitalist values and political prostitution. From there to slowly killing its people for nearly seventy years, one can legitimately cry injustice. But there are other priorities. Oh yes! Greenland...
Do Cubans eat their fill? Does seeing overweight people mean opulence? Food grows, no doubt about it. The soil is fertile, the climate favorable. No, what shocks here is the absolute precarity, the feeling of a people living in survival mode, and the decay of both goods and hope. Where to go? What’s the point? The stubbornness of the United States in wanting to impose its views on the Cuban government is felt much more by an overwhelmed people than by those few elites—caricatures of communism—who instill their vision of happiness with a crowbar. The embargo imposed in 1960; the false-flag attacks—American planes flying the colors of the Cuban revolution during the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961—the exasperation of placing Cuba on the list of countries supporting terrorism. More recently, Donald Trump decided to heavily tax countries supplying Cuba with fuel. The last time I saw such long lines near gas stations was during my first trip to Romania... in 1991. It’s not for me to judge whether Raúl and his clique are playing fair by thumbing their noses at the West. I don’t hold the ins and outs of this war of egos that keeps the world’s great powers awake. I only caught a glimpse of the poverty of an island in 2026, while we in Europe are buried under an avalanche of the useless and superficial.
At the start of the San Juan baths, we find the trailhead. It climbs steeply. But the weather is relatively mild, thanks to a cold wave hitting higher up in the United States. Dallas is under snow; we’re walking in 16°C, a stroke of luck. We climb over rocks, under fairly decent vegetation, sometimes low but passable. And we succeed in the ascent in an hour. Up there, the top of the hill is somewhat maintained, at a minimum, but maintained, as if to honor Che through an awful monument erected in his glory—a stubborn specimen from those years when good taste was inversely proportional to the delusional ideas of those being honored. Birds of prey (raptors?) circle overhead; the monument is dying, crumbling, falling into ruin. *Hasta siempre*—forever—will be for the words. Nature, erosion, life itself will have the last word over all revolutions.
Back at the foot of the hill, just before a memorable swim, we talk with a family living there in miserable shacks whose stability wasn’t unlike that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The grandmother holds an animal, a rodent, by its feet. The grandfather has just killed it; she’s plucking its fur. A few steps away, water boils in a pot. She plunges the beast into the container. Tonight, the family will eat ragondin stew. Further on, another shack where, in a disorder rivaling the filth, a mother breastfeeds while sitting on the edge of a bed. Then, on the way down, we’ll meet a middle-aged man carrying a large jerrycan of water on his shoulder. Are these people happy here, far from the cities and their stakes? Is it too much to ask that they at least have access to electricity, running water, and decent, safe housing?
Outside the old city, Havana reveals wide avenues serving imposing institutions here and there. But whether in the colorful alleys of the old town or on the majestic and austere Plaza de la Revolución, the same feeling moves me: sadness. Seeing that only chaos has come from ideas crushes me. We praise, we sing the revolution—above all, we impose it in people’s minds as a necessity, when it’s nothing of the sort. Revolution is just the fruit of a few tortured minds who, once in power, do nothing better than all those before them. Enjoy power. Impose their views. It’s just a matter of color. Fidel saw red and knew how to persuade—or silence forever—his many detractors. The West sees everything in white, through the prism of human rights, and also knows how to persuade and silence its slightest detractors forever.
Paradoxically, Cuba survives largely thanks to tourism, a key element—let’s not be afraid to say it—of capitalism. And when a few players pick up the crumbs from transactions, the lion’s share and the foreign currency go to the government. So we won’t go to Varadero, the high place of relaxation overrun by Canadians. Instead, we’ll limit ourselves to crossing the ocean 30 minutes from the capital, at Santa María del Mar, to get an idea of cheaper tourism and to splash around for a few minutes in turquoise water invaded by sargassum. At the heart of the tourist season, we’ll meet few people. Like Havana, and according to its inhabitants, the high season is rather dead. But we won’t have come for nothing: we particularly love this return where, feverish, the taxi driver pushes his Moskvitch 2140 to the max on the highway, singing karaoke versions of hits at the top of his lungs from an onboard DVD player. East/West, the culture clash with a hint of Latino.
It’s time to leave this country of resourcefulness where extremes are very present. We’re leaving a 5-star hotel in front of yet another crumbling building. We’ve known restaurants at 40,000 pesos while in the street people eat for 400. We’ve seen those countless cars from another era and another culture—Pontiac, Lada, Chevrolet, Moskvitch—being overtaken by gleaming Mercedes and other Porsche Cayennes, the prerogative—if it still needed to be demonstrated—of the newly rich in search of recognition. Boarding the plane, we also understand that we’re not just traveling with tourists: there’s undoubtedly a rich and prosperous diaspora, just as there are relatively wealthy Cubans—well, wealthy enough to travel comfortably in the front of the aircraft. Meanwhile, on all the country’s roads, other Cubans try hitchhiking, their wives and children perched on a suitcase by the roadside. The father holds out his arm and holds a few bills in his hand like a card game. Where are they going? Who will pick them up?
Behind me, the gold of the Capitol. I’m told this gold comes from Russia. Like Marx and Lenin’s smoky theories? Like Stalin’s subtle and delicate paternalism? Let’s bet that, like the other buildings crumbling around it, the Capitol will also collapse one day, to avenge the Indians who perished from the diseases and guns of the whites, to avenge the Africans who obliterated their lives so Europeans could enjoy themselves, finally, to avenge all this abandoned people, left to the arbitrariness of democratic or non-democratic elections.
A sign in the street: We understand history. This is the revolution! We understand history. That’s the revolution.
No comment.
Help with Bangkok flight on Oman Air
Hi, I’m looking for a solution for my flight—I’ll explain my situation.
I live in the French overseas territories, so I have a flight from St. Martin to Orly. Early September is cyclone season. If there’s an alert or cyclone, my flight could be postponed.
I’m considering connecting with a flight from CDG to Bangkok. I’d have to buy my second flight as open-ended, otherwise I’d lose it—it’s not the same airline. I found a good price on Oman Air, Economy Comfort option. Change fees are only 20 OMR—basically nothing. Then there’s the option for a paid upgrade: would that mean the price gets adjusted on the day of the flight?
If I’ve made myself clear, do you have any other solutions? Please—thanks!
I live in the French overseas territories, so I have a flight from St. Martin to Orly. Early September is cyclone season. If there’s an alert or cyclone, my flight could be postponed.
I’m considering connecting with a flight from CDG to Bangkok. I’d have to buy my second flight as open-ended, otherwise I’d lose it—it’s not the same airline. I found a good price on Oman Air, Economy Comfort option. Change fees are only 20 OMR—basically nothing. Then there’s the option for a paid upgrade: would that mean the price gets adjusted on the day of the flight?
If I’ve made myself clear, do you have any other solutions? Please—thanks!
Travel: A Right for All? Reflections on Global Freedoms and Inequalities
Hello fellow travel enthusiasts! 🌍
As a traveler and blogger, I’ve often been struck by the huge inequalities tied to freedom of movement. While some cross borders with ease, others face major obstacles due to their nationality, background, or the restrictive policies of certain countries.
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, I wrote an article reflecting on this issue: 📖 Travelers' Rights: A Reflection on Freedom of Movement and Global Inequalities
In this article, I cover topics like:
Inequalities between passports ("strong" vs. "weak" passports). The specific challenges faced by travelers from marginalized communities. How to take action to promote more inclusive and equitable travel.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! 😊 Have you ever experienced these inequalities while traveling? How do you think we could raise more awareness about this issue? Feel free to share your experiences or ask questions in this thread. I can’t wait to discuss this with you!
Travel is also about building bridges between cultures. So let’s make sure it becomes a reality for everyone. ✈️🌎 Thanks for reading, and I look forward to exchanging ideas with you!
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, I wrote an article reflecting on this issue: 📖 Travelers' Rights: A Reflection on Freedom of Movement and Global Inequalities
In this article, I cover topics like:
Inequalities between passports ("strong" vs. "weak" passports). The specific challenges faced by travelers from marginalized communities. How to take action to promote more inclusive and equitable travel.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! 😊 Have you ever experienced these inequalities while traveling? How do you think we could raise more awareness about this issue? Feel free to share your experiences or ask questions in this thread. I can’t wait to discuss this with you!
Travel is also about building bridges between cultures. So let’s make sure it becomes a reality for everyone. ✈️🌎 Thanks for reading, and I look forward to exchanging ideas with you!
Photo Contest, September 2020: Departure or Arrival Scenes and Places
Hello everyone, 🙂
This month’s theme is: places, departure or arrival scenes.
The places include: train or bus stations, passenger ports, and airports.
Here, for example, is Beijing West Railway Station
This is Beijing West Railway Station.
You can submit a photo of the whole place, a part of it (inside or outside, the platforms), or a detail (like a station clock) as long as it clearly shows it’s a departure or arrival spot—such as a timetable display.
Or here’s another example:

Even if you’re not in one of these places, a departure or arrival scene is welcome: Example: Early morning departure from a pagoda at Inle Lake (Myanmar) as people head back to their villages in the surrounding hills
A vehicle about to leave:
People are also allowed, as long as they’re clearly identified as travelers about to depart or who have just arrived. Bus station in Thailand (a photo I’d shared for the "solitude" theme)
Another example: in the foreground, a boat docked, and just above, another that has just left (Rangoon, Myanmar—these boats serve cities in the Irrawaddy Delta, and in some areas, they’re still the only means of transport for locals).
You can also include departures or arrivals from races, but again, it must be at the start or finish, not during the race: Boats before the start of the Route du Rhum in Saint-Malo:
Participation: Each participant can submit up to 3 photos, until Tuesday, September 22 at 11:59 PM Paris time. Each photo must be posted in a separate message, with its number (1, 2, or 3). Don’t forget to add a short description (comment, location, etc.).
Voting: Every VoyageForum member can vote for the 4 photos they think are the best, based on their own criteria and the theme (I’m trying this format this month). Voting will take place from Wednesday, September 23 to Tuesday, September 29 at 11:59 PM Paris time.
Photos should be ranked in order of preference: - 1st photo: 4 points - 2nd: 3 points - 3rd: 2 points - 4th: 1 point
Each member can vote only once for 4 photos. No ties for 4th place with half a point each.
The winner is the photographer whose photo receives the most points. Results will be announced on September 30. In case of a tie, the number of first-place votes will decide. The winner will have the honor of organizing October’s contest.
Give me two or three days to put together the slideshow—I’ll definitely reach out to Masterpo via PM for advice if I’m stuck (and if he’s willing).
Good luck to everyone—may the best photographer win! Let’s get started! For discussion, it’s here
This is Beijing West Railway Station.
You can submit a photo of the whole place, a part of it (inside or outside, the platforms), or a detail (like a station clock) as long as it clearly shows it’s a departure or arrival spot—such as a timetable display.
Or here’s another example:

Even if you’re not in one of these places, a departure or arrival scene is welcome: Example: Early morning departure from a pagoda at Inle Lake (Myanmar) as people head back to their villages in the surrounding hills

A vehicle about to leave:

People are also allowed, as long as they’re clearly identified as travelers about to depart or who have just arrived. Bus station in Thailand (a photo I’d shared for the "solitude" theme)

Another example: in the foreground, a boat docked, and just above, another that has just left (Rangoon, Myanmar—these boats serve cities in the Irrawaddy Delta, and in some areas, they’re still the only means of transport for locals).

You can also include departures or arrivals from races, but again, it must be at the start or finish, not during the race: Boats before the start of the Route du Rhum in Saint-Malo:

Participation: Each participant can submit up to 3 photos, until Tuesday, September 22 at 11:59 PM Paris time. Each photo must be posted in a separate message, with its number (1, 2, or 3). Don’t forget to add a short description (comment, location, etc.).
Voting: Every VoyageForum member can vote for the 4 photos they think are the best, based on their own criteria and the theme (I’m trying this format this month). Voting will take place from Wednesday, September 23 to Tuesday, September 29 at 11:59 PM Paris time.
Photos should be ranked in order of preference: - 1st photo: 4 points - 2nd: 3 points - 3rd: 2 points - 4th: 1 point
Each member can vote only once for 4 photos. No ties for 4th place with half a point each.
The winner is the photographer whose photo receives the most points. Results will be announced on September 30. In case of a tie, the number of first-place votes will decide. The winner will have the honor of organizing October’s contest.
Give me two or three days to put together the slideshow—I’ll definitely reach out to Masterpo via PM for advice if I’m stuck (and if he’s willing).
Good luck to everyone—may the best photographer win! Let’s get started! For discussion, it’s here
Discussion sur le thème (concours septembre 2020): lieux, scènes de départ ou d'arrivée
Rebonjour, 🙂
C'est ici que l'on discute , échange, sur le thème: lieux, scènes de départ ou d'arrivée.
Pour revenir au concours, c'est ici






