Results for "téléphone+ou+internet+|+50+>+257"

DE RETOUR HOTEL CAMINO DEL SOL ET PARAISO DEL SOL Bonjour Je rentre tout juste de PUERTO PLATA cote nord Séjour de 9 jours 7 nuits du 01/12/04 au 0912/04 par TATI VACANCES=KARAVEL=PROMOVACANCE=GO Prix : 399 €+ 98 € taxe + 78 € single + 19 € dernières minutes = 595 € A ajouter 10 $ de taxe d’entré du territoire et 20 $ de taxe de sortie. ATTENTION payable quand liquide si pas de dollars américain payable en euro 10 € et 20 € mais vous perdez au change 1€= 1.33 $ Transport avion : Nouvelles Frontières CORSAIR vol direct décollage 14h, 8h30 de vol, Arriver heure local 17h50 transfert autocar 1/2 heure, Arrivé hôtel la première chose que l’on fait c’est de vous mettre un bracelet autour du bras comme pour un marquage pour les bœufs, très désagréable cette sensation. 10 mn après grande chambre spacieuse au rez de chausse à 3 m de la piscine avec 2 lits de 1.60 m salle de bain avec baignoire, clim, télé 2 chaînes en français TV5 et euro sport demander la télécommande a la réception. Serviette de plage prêter gratuitement. Location de coffre 17 $ la semaine La monnaie le Pesos faire le change a la banque POPULAR de Cabaret meilleur taux de change que dans la rue ou circule des faux billets, ont peux également payer en dollars américain partout 1€=0.36 Ps 1$=0.28 Ps Nourriture : pas terrible, bonne qualité mais répétitif et aucun effort de présentation .Restaurant italien que 2 plats au choix pizza magarita ou lasagne. Meteo 3 jours de pluie sur 8 prevoir un parapluie et une creme anti moustiques Transport : Navette gratuite pour Cabaret 4 Kms et pour Sosua 20 Kms 2 fois par jours voir horaire à la réception. Si pas de navette ATTENTION au taxi devant l’hôtel c’est la vrai mafiaVOLEUR 600 PS =17€ un aller pour Sosua au lieu de 20 PS =0.55€ par les transport collectif qui se trouve a 300 m de l’hôtel sur la route principale. Si dans la nuit vous voulez sortir et prendre un taxi payer au maxi 100 PS pour Sosua et 50 pour cabaret à 5=10 PS par personne cela ne vaux pas plus et ne céder pas, le dernier jour ont a payer pour un taxi SOSUA HOTEL 30 PS.Faite passé le message trop de personne se sont fait avoir ! Location de voiture déconseiller trop dangereux. Route en mauvais état et conduite dangereuse des dominicains Si vous voulez passer outre a l’aéroport chez Alamo 275 $ la semaine TTC Animation : La plus part du temps les animateurs passe leur temps a draguer les touristes et aucune ou presque pas d’animations. Le soir spectacle de danse assez bien mais plus rien après disco au bord de la plage nul et Cabaret et Sosua soirée et boite animées seulement le vendredi, samedi, dimanche soir les autres soir de la semaine désert. Pour les hommes seul, le portier de l’hôtel vous propose des filles pour 1000 PS les 2h et perçoit sa commission. ATTENTION en boite ne rien laisser dans les poches. Les filles sont TRES TRES TRES racoleuse. Prévoir préservatif de bonne qualité SIDA très très présent dans l’île. Excursion : 2 fois plus chères par les hôtels qu’a l’extérieur. Surtout demander les temps de transport ex : 9h de bus pour paradise island hôtel =80 € extérieur trouver a 45€ Pour la plonger pas de barrière de coraux sur la plage de l’hôtel grosses vague. Pour voir des poissons il faut aller a Sosua louer des masques tuba et palmes 46 Ps les 2 h, barrière de corail a gauche de la plage fond sombre a 250 m du bord très beau boissons prenez le matin du pain mettez le dans un sac plastique et 50 a 100 poisons de toutes les couleurs viendrons manger dans vos mains. Téléphone très cher 1€ la mn et Internet 10€ l’heure. Sécurité : trois garde armés avec des pistolets fusils a pompe surveille les abords de l’hôtel, en ville rien a redire population sympat en général et souriant Normalement il est prévu dans votre séjour sur le voucher de l’hôtel une demi journée de cheval et une excursion en catamaran. La représentante promo vacances nous a fait le lendemain notre arrivé un très bref topo sur le pays et était surtout intéresser de vendre les excursions hors de prix pour le pays 2 fois plus cher qu’a l’extérieur des hôtels .Et surtout a fait totalement l’impasse sur la demi journée de cheval et la journée de catamaran inclus dans le séjour ? Et personnellement je ne l’ais revu que 2 jours avant le départ donc pour réclamé trop tard ? Pas très professionnel. J’ai rencontré des canadiens qui était venu dans cette hôtel au moi de mai et était très content de leur premier séjour mais il ont été très déçut cette semaine ci car la qualité des prestations avaient rien avoir entre les deux séjours et ont beaucoup diminuée. En conclusion séjour très cher pour les prestations propose, a par les personnes intéresse par le tourisme sexuel homme ou femme. J’ai passe des semaines en Turquie pour 150€ la semaine avec des qualités de prestation 2 fois supérieurs. A part la chambre. D’après les habitués de Rép Dom les prestations sont supérieures dans les hôtels du sud de l’île et les plages plus belle. Je vous conseil SAMANA 30 $ et le QUAD 3h 50 $

Quelqu'un peut il me renseigner au sujet des liaisons aériennes de GHAT à TRIPOLI ou autre transport ; ainsi que des transports de Tripoli au cites antiques sur la côte.

Serait il préférable de louer une voiture

En indépendant peut on trouver facilement des hôtels, restaurent

Le ministère de l'intérieur conseille de ne pas rentrer dans les souks et même Tripoli (éviter les foules) Pensez vous qu'il y a vraiment du danger, nous serons avec un enfant...

Merci pour vos réponses

Que pensez-vous de l’arrivé de ce nouveau grossiste dans le marché Québécois. Il élimine du paysage le rôle des agents de voyages traditionnel, il fait baisser les prix et brasse la cabane quoi…

Voici un article paru dans la Presse de Montréal à leur sujet :

Go Travel Direct, Le trouble-fête de l'industrie du voyage

André Désiront

collaboration spéciale, La Presse 15 septembre 2004

Go Travel Direct, le grossiste d'Ottawa qui vient de se lancer à l'assaut du marché montréalais, met le feu aux poudres dans l'industrie du voyage. Depuis une semaine, il inonde les quotidiens et les ondes de publicités qui promettent aux consommateurs des économies s'ils réservent directement chez lui un forfait pour les destinations soleil.

« À catégorie de produit égale, nos prix sont de 20 % moins élevés, en moyenne, que ceux des grossistes qui vendent leurs forfaits par les agents de voyages «, affirme le président, Hugh Boyle. Ce n'est pas une affirmation lancée à la légère. Lorsqu'on compare ses produits à ceux des principaux voyagistes, on relève des différences de tarifs variant de 15 % à près de 40 %, et cela, pour des hôtels identiques.

Le truc? Réduire les coûts en supprimant l'intermédiaire traditionnel- l'agent de voyages- et en incitant les consommateurs à réserver par l'entremise de son site Internet. « Internet est un formidable outil de distribution: les coûts d'exploitation sont minimes et on peut y afficher une masse considérable d'informations et de photos à très peu de frais, remarque Hugh Boyle.»

Lorsque nous avons lancé notre entreprise à Ottawa, il y a quatre ans, nous écoulions 25 % de nos forfaits sur le Web. L'hiver dernier, la part du Web avait grimpé à 60 %, et je suis persuadé que d'ici deux ans, nous en serons à 80 %. Le reste se vend par l'entremise de nos lignes de réservations téléphoniques ou par les agents de nos bureaux de ventes d'Ottawa et de Montréal. Quant aux vols de notre compagnie aérienne pour Paris ou le Royaume-Uni, c'est 85 % des sièges qui sont vendus par le Net. »

Go Travel Direct est étroitement associé à une compagnie aérienne- Zoom Airlines- qui est également la propriété de Hugh Boyle. Ce transporteur a desservi la route Montréal/Paris deux fois par semaine au cours de l'été. Zoom exploite trois Boeing 767 de 268 sièges. Deux de ces avions sont loués à Air France et le troisième, commandé spécialement pour desservir le marché montréalais, est loué à KLM.

Le grossiste Go Travel Direct proposera l'hiver prochain sept destinations au départ de Montréal: Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Plata, La Romana, Varadero, Santa Lucia (à Cuba) et Las Vegas. Deux vols seront assurés à partir de la mi-novembre, six à partir de la période des Fêtes et le septième- pour Las Vegas- sera offert dès la mi-février. Au total, ce sont 50 000 sièges que le nouveau joueur compte vendre au Québec, de novembre à avril. L'an prochain, Hugh Boyle a l'intention d'affecter un second appareil qui permettrait d'augmenter la fréquence au départ de Montréalet également de desservir Québec (probablement Puerto Vallarta et La Romana dès cet hiver pour Québec). Au Royaume-Uni, Hugh Boyle exploitait, en association avec son frère John, un grossiste du nom de Direct Holidays, également spécialisé dans la vente en direct. L'entreprise faisait voyager 280 000 personnes par année. En 1998, les deux frères l'ont vendue à la multinationale My Travel, pour l'équivalent de 200 millions de dollars, et Hugh est venu s'installer à Ottawa où il a lancé Zoom Airlines et Go Travel Direct. « En Europe, 40 % des voyages sont vendus en direct et c'est une tendance qui ira en s'accentuant», assure Hugh Boyle. « Les grossistes traditionnels vont devoir réviser leurs méthodes de distribution pour faire face à la concurrence d'acteurs comme nous. »

En attendant, ceux-ci ne prennent pas la menace à la légère et ils promettent de répliquer. « Il est encore trop tôt pour dire comment nous allons réagir, mais nous allons le faire », affirme Yvon Michel, président de Tours Mont-Royal. « Personnellement, je ne crois pas que la vente en direct permette de réaliser de telles économies. Il faut dépenser énormément d'argent en publicité pour attirer les consommateurs et entretenir une centrale téléphonique où travaillent des agents qualifiés, car les consommateurs ne sont pas encore prêts à réserver sur le Net des produits complexes, comme des forfaits, sans se faire rassurer sur la validité de leurs choix par des professionnels. « Pour sa part, Sam Char, directeur des ventes de Vacances Signature, observait que l'éventail de produits hôteliers proposés par le nouveau venu reste assez limité. Nous allons les suivre de près, mais il n'est pas question pour nous de revoir le modèle d'affaires axé sur une distribution des produits par le réseau des agents de voyages », assure-t-il.

Ceux-ci sont inquiets. « Dans l'Outaouais, nous goûtons à la médecine de Go Travel Direct depuis quatre ans et j'estime que les agences de la région d'Ottawa, la mienne y compris, ont perdu 15 % de leur marché Sud », dit Oumzil Elhachmi, propriétaire de Voyages Carlson Wagonlit El Air à Gatineau. « Le seul argument dont nous disposons est celui du service: les clients de Go Travel Direct entrent souvent dans nos agences pour obtenir des informations sur ses hôtels, parce que les employés de ses centrales limitent les conversations au minimum. Il va falloir que nos fournisseurs, les grossistes, nous proposent des solutions de rechange. »

L'association des agents de voyages du Québec (ACTA-Québec) a déposé une plainte contre Go Travel Direct à l'Office de la protection du consommateur. En effet, le grossiste d'Ottawa n'inclut pas les taxes dans les prix qu'il annonce, contrevenant ainsi à la loi. Le montant de ces taxes varie de 99, 70 $ à 165, 05 $, selon les destinations. Go Travel Direct a ouvert un bureau de vente rue Émery à Montréal et y a affecté huit agents pour desservir la clientèle de passage. Mais le voyagiste incite ses clients à réserver par Internet en leur offrant une réduction de 25 $ par personne.

Bonjour,

Je souhaite reserver un week end a londres sur lastminute.com, j'ai trouvée une offre qui me parais tres interessante : eurostar aller/retour + 2 nuits d'hotel 3* avec petits dejeuner dans la city de Londres pour 188 euros par pers. 😎

Mais je n'ose pas encore reserver car cela ne me parait pas cher, j'ai peur de me faire avoir en passant par une agence en ligne. 😕

S'il y en a parmis vous qui sont parti avec cette agence, donner moi votre avis. 😉

Merci d'avance

Bonjour je suis une fille de 18 ans qui part pour San Jose (Costa Rica) en fin mai toute seule. Voilà, j'aimerais avoir un hotel sécu et pas cher près de l'aéroport (Si il y a des choses à voir absolument à San Jose, dites-le moi!!!)😎

De plus, je vais le lendemain à Rivas au Nica (j'ai déjà passé 3 semaines pour un projet de dev. là-bas). Je compte voyager au Nica pendant 3 semaines ( Corn Island, Managua, Granada, Masaya...)

AVEZ-VOUS DES ENDROITS (villes, resto, hotels) À ME SUGGÈRER AVEC LE COÛT???😕

S'il-vous-Plaît, donnez-moi pleins pleins d'info!!!!!!

Léa

p.s. pour ceux qui pensent peut-être aller au Nica, c'est vraiment un endroit génial, pas mal moins cher que le costa et moins touristique aussi!

je lance un appel à ceux qui ont eu la chance d'aller en australie ou qui projetent de le faire

Je souhaiterai partir là bas pdt quelques mois pour travailler et visiter

si vous avez une expérience à me raconter...ou des sites à me conseiller

Bonjour à tous,

Avant toutes choses, bravo pour ce site !! c'est un mine d'or!!

Bon voilà le pourquoi du comment... bon ok cet email va etre trés trés trés long... et si vous arrivez à la fin.. et bien nous vous en remercions d'avance!!

Voilà, ma petite famille et moi meme (3 enfants de 3, 6 et 9 ans et bien sur une femme ) allons surement rejoindre Montréal dans le cadre d'une mutation professionnelle.

Ma question est la suivante : Je souhaiterez savoir si notre premier budget prévisionnel tient la route?

Je vous le soumez donc à la critique

* Loyer : Nous prevoyons d'acheter une maison ( environ 4 ou 5 chambres ) entre Dorval et Boucherville, d'une valeur de 215 000$ (taxe incluse), avec un crédit de 105 000$ sur 180 mois à 6.5% (le taux vous parait il correcte?) soit donc des mensualités de 900$

* Pour chauffer cette maison : électricité 100$ / mois * L'eau : je crois qu'elle est compris dans les charges mais là je ne sais pas trop estimer les charges donc..... si quelqu'un à une info * Alimentation : 500$ ( pour 5 ça me parait pas beaucoup mais bon....) * Telephone : 50$ (bon on appellera belle maman et la famille en France quand meme) * Essence : 200$ par mois pour les 2 voitures ( le fameux 4x4 trop cher en France mais que oui monsieur je veux avoir à Montréal et la fourgonnette pour maman et les 3 enfants ) occasion bien sur * Plaque automobile : 255$ x 2 soit donc par mois 42.5$ * permis de conduire : 86x2 soit donc 7.2$ * assurance automobile : 800$ x2 soit 134$ * assurance maison : 60$ * Cable inetrnet : 30$

* taxe fonciére : ??? oups pas d'idée... * l'école pour la petite derniére de 3 ans : 3000$ par an je pense ? donc 250$ mensuel

Voilà ou j'en suis mais dites moi ce que vous en pensez et si j'ai oublié des choses...

De plus le salaire proposé est de 43 000$ annuel brut (c'est 33% de baisse par rapport à mon salaire en france !!!) mais comment cela se situe par rapport au salaire moyen ?

L'imposition est de 31% ai je pu lire à droite à gauche soit donc sur 43000$ brut annuel, un net de 29700 $ soit 2475$ mensuel ? qu'en pensez vous ?

De plus je pense que dans un premier temps afin que les enfants puissent s'intégrer (arrivée possible vers aout 2004) ma femme ne travaillerait pas avant janvier 2005.

Bon voilà, nous laissons ses données entre vos mains expertes et nous sommes impatient de vous lire...

A bientot

Virgine et Eric, Mathieu Marie et Maya

Here are some tips from our 6-week trip (summer 2026) to China, Vietnam, and Cambodia. We traveled as a family of four with two kids aged 15 and 12. I hope these notes help other travelers!

CHINA General You’ll need to download and set up a few apps: - Alipay and WeChat for payments (I didn’t withdraw a single bill the entire trip) - Didi for taxis - Amap = Chinese Maps (works great, especially for subways) - A translation app (we used Papago, but it sometimes gave weird results) - Google Lens for translating menus or signs—super handy. - HelloRide for bikes - Gemini and ChatGPT for everything: understanding daily life, enhancing visits, checking the weather, finding things. - HomeExchange if you want to lower travel costs (few listings in Asia except in big cities, often expats) - Trip.com is very useful, even essential, for trains, domestic flights, and hotels. Like Booking.com, the more you book with them, the more perks you get. So I’d even suggest checking flight tickets on this site, even if it’s a bit pricier. However, buying train tickets is complicated because (1) they only open 15 days in advance, and (2) they sell out fast. Trip.com just promises to buy them as soon as they’re available but doesn’t always succeed. It’s stressful and might force you to change your plans, especially if you’re aiming for a sleeper car and there are no seats left. Watch out for station names—many cities have multiple stations, including a high-speed rail one outside the city. For internet, we got the Asia plan from Holafly. It worked but seemed much slower than Chinese internet. I regretted not buying a Chinese SIM card because without internet in China, everything is VERY complicated (money, transport, etc.).

For the firewall, we used ExpressVPN, but it wasn’t always reliable. A bit disappointing. Ask ChatGPT for tips with screenshots to improve the settings.

Since we only had one SIM card with internet, we couldn’t rent shared bikes. If I were to do it again, I’d get a SIM for each person, even the kids, because distances in cities are huge. We walked *a lot*. Same goes for buses—it’s tricky with just one internet connection. Better to have a phone per person with internet. Book your visits as far in advance as possible—they often sell out. Watch out for power banks: if they don’t explicitly say "3C," they’ll confiscate it. Even if there’s a little airplane logo.

Shanghai In the evening, the streets leading to the Bund from the metro were so crowded that police were out in force blocking roads. Arrive early. We went around the north side.

Suzhou Be careful—there are two stations (common in China), and the high-speed rail one is 45–50 minutes from the old town. The Humble Administrator’s Garden was *packed*—we don’t recommend it. It turned into a marathon day from Shanghai (almost 4 hours from our hotel to the garden).

Beijing Forbidden City: Don’t go—I know it’s a shame, but it’s too crowded. I couldn’t buy tickets on the official site because of the kids’ passports. We ended up with a guided tour, the only way to get in (tickets sell out fast). The visit was disappointing—bad guide *and* massive crowds. You’ll queue a lot to enter and see certain areas. You’ll be checked often, so pack your bags carefully. Great Wall at Mutianyu: Crowded. Two hours by bus, and even though we arrived early, people were already leaving! I really think the best option is to leave your big bags in Beijing and stay overnight near the Wall. That way, you’ll have it to yourself a bit more. For transport: get off at Tiananmen Square metro and look for buses with official guides in bright yellow-green vests. No need to buy tickets online—they made me cancel mine to rebook on the spot. Buses leave when full. Note: the cable car and chairlift are separate—if you want to go up one side and down the other, you’ll need different tickets. The endless queue for the toboggan ride put us off. Quick tip: Incredible swimming spot in Beijing—on the north shore of Houhai Lake, you can swim by crossing the barrier. We did it twice with about ten other people. Bring a swimsuit!

Shapotou Desert Amazing, but it gets *very* hot in the afternoon. We had a tent (not an air-conditioned bungalow), which was unbearable during the day. We hung out in the restaurant. The paid activities are fun, except the camels—they look sad. The real highlight is the evening and sunset. The only downside: you can’t explore the desert alone or far—they don’t rent 4x4s, for example. We stayed at "The Desert Camping Hotel of the Proprietress of Shapotou." They were lovely.

Zhongwei Gaomiao Temple and its underground: Fun and short—you’ll see quirky Buddhist hell paintings.

Xi’an Terracotta Army: We took a Didi because for four people, a car was almost the same price as four shuttle tickets. It was packed—chaotic to see properly. We visited the halls in order: 3, 2, then 1—a good choice. Hua Shan Mountains: Left before sunrise to arrive when the ticket office opened (7 AM, I think). We were shocked to see so many people already coming down. 45 minutes by bus to the west cable car, then 15 minutes up. We did the west, south, east, central, then north peaks (in that order) before taking the other cable car down (you can buy the ticket at the top). A beautiful day. In the city, check out...

Chengdu Panda Research Center: Like Hua Shan, plan to arrive when the ticket office opens. Already *tons* of people, and it moves fast to see the big pandas before their nap. Have them drop you at the west entrance (not south), or you’ll have to walk uphill. Leshan Giant Buddha: Interesting. The trip is a bit long (metro, then train, then city bus, then shuttle on-site). We didn’t take the boat option but walked. In the end, you only spend a few minutes at the Buddha’s feet, but it’s a nice day out. Hotel tip: Panda Enjoy Home Hotel Apartments (Chengdu East Railway Station Dongda Road Branch). The view is insane, and the neighborhood is super convenient and nice. 646 CNY for 2 nights. Swimming: The municipal pool is an interesting experience, but don’t expect to swim—no one does. Everyone just splashes around where they can stand. The hours are a bit odd, with a break in the late afternoon.

Kunming The bike path along Dian Lake is pretty and often well-protected from cars. But like everywhere in China, it’s *packed*. Not much to say about visits—the flower market is a wholesale market, not very interesting. The ethnic minorities museum closed right in front of us. All the big malls are good for shopping.

Dali We thought we could bike around the lake in two days. Wrong on two counts: First, the lake’s edge is blocked to traffic and reserved for bikes (or tourist mini-buses). So you’re stuck on the main road, which never gives you a view of the lake, with all the trucks and cars. Doing 120 km like that wouldn’t make sense, in our opinion. The rice fields around are nice but not as impressive as elsewhere, so Dali isn’t worth it for that. The old town, all restored, is pretty but *packed*—thousands of people, especially in the evening.

Hekou (Vietnam border) Comfortable train from Kunming. In the parking lot, a bus (not well-marked, but Didi is an option) takes you to the border in 15–20 minutes. Short wait at both border posts. Fun to see the two lampposts near the border line: the Chinese one is new, modern, with a surveillance camera (of course), while the Vietnamese one is old and a bit rusty.

VIETNAM General: - You’ll need the Grab app for taxis - Very disappointed with 12Go—it doesn’t show all buses, never connects you with the company, and refuses refunds. Try booking directly with companies like FUTA Bus instead. - Credit cards are often accepted (supermarkets and modern stores), otherwise, you’ll need cash

Lao Cai 2 km between the border and the train station. The sleeper bus to Hanoi with Sao Viet is well-organized—it works.

Hanoi Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum closes early (10:30 AM, I think). Women’s Museum: Very good, not too long Temple of Literature: Beautiful, fairly quick This is where you should buy souvenirs, clothes, and knockoffs—the prices are reasonable, and the sellers are nicer than elsewhere. We recommend Cho Dong Xuan.

Tu Long Bay We did 2 days, 1 night (so really 24 hours on the boat) with Parfum d’Automne (French-speaking agency), which put us on a Cycad Cruise boat. Cost: 300 € per person—expensive, but it was amazing, super luxurious, and the buffet meals were delicious. We don’t regret the splurge. The only downside: no swimming in the bay (but there’s a pool on the boat). To swim, you’d need a 3-day, 2-night trip to an area not protected by the maritime park.

Phong Nha If you didn’t do the northern mountains due to time or weather (like us), Phong Nha is a great stop for a motorbike ride. It’s beautiful, especially the mountains west of the city toward the caves. There are two (small) swimming spots at the Botanic Garden—a pleasant 45-minute walk without stops. Hotel tip: Sunbeam Village (very friendly, pool, breakfast by the river, motorbike rentals)

Da Nang Hotel tip: Meridians by Hsuite—you’ll have the beach almost to yourself. You’ll still need to walk 15–20 minutes to the hyper-touristy area if you want to rent surfboards (150–200k VND per hour). The beach is beautiful, and the water is 30°C—great for a break on a long trip, especially since all transport goes through Da Nang.

Hoi An 45 minutes from Da Nang, so it’s easy to visit in a day, especially since the city isn’t that big and it’s *very* hot. Cooking class: MS Hanh cooking class—great (the market tour is a bit useless). We don’t recommend the "basket boat" tour—it’s a bit sad on a big brown pond with elderly guides.

Ho Chi Minh City Ben Thanh Market is a nightmare: starting prices are exorbitant, and the vendors are aggressive. Don’t go. The War Remnants Museum can be really tough for kids.

Can Tho Avoid this city. We made the mistake of going to see the floating market—don’t.

Chau Doc No Grab in the city, but regular taxis. One day is enough if you go early to the forest and the mountain in the late afternoon. 250k VND per person for the forest and its canals (45 minutes by motorbike) The sunset at Victoria Nui Sam can be magnificent if the clouds cooperate. Cheap and good restaurant: Quan Nem Nuong Sau Hiep Hotel tip: Homestay Khoa (2,250,000 VND for 3 nights)—adorable hostess, full of tips, clean rooms.

The speedboat to Cambodia is more comfortable than a bus. Book with Hangchau a few days in advance—payment in cash on the day (1,640,000 đ).

CAMBODIA General: - Issues with the "Bakong Tourists" app—we had to go to a big bank to load money onto it. We barely used it afterward.

Phnom Penh For us, a day and a half is enough if you want to spend more time elsewhere. Markets close early (around 6 PM) and are less interesting than in Hanoi, for example. The Royal Palace has a break from 11 AM to 2 PM, but there aren’t many people in the afternoon.

Siem Reap Trip with Capitol company—the bus is basic but cheap. Departs at 10:15 AM, 7-hour ride. Angkor entrance fee: 62 USD per person for a 3-day pass. Tickets are picked up at Angkor Enterprise. Renting two 125cc motorbikes: 10 USD each, plus 7 USD for gas. By bike, it took me 25 minutes to reach Angkor Wat’s pools. A basic city bike rental was 1 USD per hour. Short circuit by motorbike (in reverse): 7 hours with stops everywhere. Grand tour by tuk-tuk: Only 5 temples, 4.5 hours. If you want to see lots of monkeys, they’re grouped west of Bayon. For the temples, we asked Gemini (AI) at each stop to point out details that might interest kids (who can get bored with the repetition). It gave fun facts and things to look for—great for the little ones. Hotel tip: The Five Senses, run by a Frenchman, Bruno, who knows Cambodia inside out and organizes tours. Restaurant tip: Wild (only spring rolls, but *so* many varieties—delicious and cheap) Watch out: 1 hour to the airport, 50 km from the city. Show tip: The Phare Circus

Hi,

Right now, with the war raging in Iran and affecting all the neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf, many airports are completely closed to all traffic.

Several airlines like Qatar Airways, Emirates, and others have almost completely halted their operations.

Whether in the Middle East or Africa, many travelers are stranded—maybe for a long time... A heartfelt thought for them and the struggles this will cause.

Four months ago, I was in Kenya with a flight booked through Qatar Airways... I can’t even imagine how I’d react if I were stuck there now. ??

Wishing all these travelers courage, patience, and success in making it back home.

...

Doha Airport on October 21, 2025:



...

I'm starting a new travel journal in Italy. It's about a month-long trip (from September 3, 2025, to October 4, 2025), or rather a part of it. This section matches the title: an opera festival in Verona (one evening) and the Dolomites in the Veneto region. I'm posting the part of the trip I think will interest French-speaking readers the most (since this is where I saw the most French travelers). Here’s a quick summary: - Trip in September 2025 - Solo travel with camping (caravan) - Small geographic area: besides Verona, the surroundings of the Marmolada massif and Cortina d'Ampezzo. - Main but not exclusive activity: hiking.

Since I have limited internet access where I am now, I’ll be writing slowly. Here we go!

Day 1: Thursday, September 4, 2025

I arrived in Veneto under the sun and with warm weather. I drove to Verona and tried to find a spot at the campsite (Verona Village) located south of the city. Unfortunately, it was full. Booking on the website was mandatory, but when I tried to reserve a few days ago, the site never moved from the "reservation" step to the "payment" step (I don’t know why—it’s always like that in these cases). I found another solution over the phone; the drive from southern Verona to the northeast was a bit long, but I finally settled at the "Oro Verde" campsite. It’s an "agricampeggio" (farm camping or rural campsite) on the outskirts of the city, and its name (green gold) suggests they produce olives there. Since it wasn’t late, I biked to the Adige River, following the recommended route into the city.

Hi everyone, Okay, here I go—I haven’t done a cruise review in ages, and even longer since I’ve posted one on this forum. So, this is kinda your fault, Catherine, if I’m getting back into it... I just hope I haven’t lost my touch!

It’s a transatlantic cruise, so there are a lot of sea days. That means this review will mostly focus on the ship, especially the "Haven" section, which doesn’t get much coverage on this forum. There’ll definitely be some comparisons with MSC’s Yacht Club, since they’re direct competitors.

This will be my third cruise with NCL—a company I really love—but my first in The Haven.

My two previous cruises were on smaller ships: the NCL Sun for the Chilean fjords and the NCL Spirit in February 2025 in Asia, departing from Taiwan and arriving in Korea. I *loved* the Spirit.

Alright, let’s get started!

This trip was booked almost last-minute in early October for late November, after I had to cut short my August trip for medical reasons.

At first, when I looked at this cruise, I hadn’t specifically decided to go for The Haven. I wanted a relaxing cruise but still with destinations I hadn’t been to before. I kinda stumbled upon this one, and the itinerary appealed to me. I also found the balcony cabin price pretty good—around 2800 € for a balcony cabin (for two), all-inclusive package included. Not including flights, of course. In the end, we decided to try The Haven (obviously not the same price), but I think we got a great deal for the promised perks.

Itinerary: Departure from Lisbon, arrival in Galveston, Texas. Stops: St. Martin, St. Thomas, La Romana, Cabo Rojo, Falmouth in Jamaica.

Hi there, I’m planning a trip to Russia and Mongolia, starting from France. Crossing the border at Poland/Belarus or Georgia/Russia—other borders seem either closed or complicated. Tourist visas for 3 months with multiple entries. Do you have any info on Russian companies that cover a 4x4 vehicle for 3 months, and what prices in rubles or euros you’ve paid?

Which bank did you use for expenses? (EuroMastercard and Visa cards no longer work.)

Regarding Russian SIM cards, a new system called "Gosuslugi" has been introduced. How long did it take you to get one, and what steps did you follow?

Thanks

Hi there,

I'm urgently planning a trip to Tunisia in November, backpacker-style (no agency, no guide or taxi, public transport, youth hostels or small hotels, local restaurants). I'm not interested in the beach, and I like to take my time at archaeological sites and museums (twice as long as the average visitor). I'm aiming for about two weeks, give or take.

First, I'm trying to roughly outline a route/schedule so I can book my flight as soon as possible (no desert in the south this time—I went there years ago and want to stay independent). I’ve sketched out the following itinerary, knowing that apparently, there are quite a few towns without budget-friendly hotels (even on Airbnb), which means I’ll be staying longer where they’re available. Three questions: 1. Does this seem reasonable overall (time spent in each city)? 2. Should I add other cities, maybe in the northwest? 3. For hotels, in November, is it better to scout options on booking sites first, then book on the spot for cheaper rates (no site commission + possible negotiation)? Also, are hotels not listed online and found randomly on-site much cheaper?

ROUGH ITINERARY (order to be confirmed)

TUNIS 5 days (cheap accommodations: 13 or 19 €) 2 days: Medina, souks, Bardo Museum, Royal Mausoleum of Tourbet El Bey, Zitouna Mosque (exterior) 1 day: Sidi Bou Said 1 day: Carthage 1 day: A-R Dougga (bus to Tebersouk 2h + taxi) – pack a picnic + option: hike to Zaghouan (750m+, 10km round trip) – worth it? Doable alone?

KAIROUAN 2 days (very expensive room: 40-50 €!) Great Mosque, Medina, Three Doors Mosque, medieval cemetery, Sidi Sahbi Mosque...

SOUSSE 3 days (room 15 €) 2 days: Medina, archaeological museum, Port El Kantaoui, the Ribat (fortress), Contemporary Art Museum Dar Am Taïeb, Dar Essid (17th-century traditional house) 1 day: A-R El Jem (60km away) + option: 1 day A-R Monastir? Worth it? + option: 1 day A-R Mahdia (or 2 days sleeping there)?

OPTIONS -> Gabes to mix things up? But is it easy to find cheap lodging and get around/visit alone? -> Other sights or stops to sleep: Sfax, El Kef, others? -> Kerkenna Islands (easy accommodation?)

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions on these options. Once I’ve adjusted the duration, I’ll book my tickets for early November! (By the way, do you think I should arrive and depart from two different airports?)

Hi Voyage Forum members,

My wife and I took American Airlines flight no. 63 on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 9:30 AM, with a scheduled arrival in Miami at 1:30 PM local time.

After about half an hour of flight, a young passenger had a medical emergency. They were given care, and a flight attendant went to get an oxygen bottle. Then, an announcement over the loudspeakers informed passengers that the plane was diverting to London.

Once at London Heathrow (LHR), we were waiting to depart again. But a new announcement asked us to disembark because the plane wouldn’t be able to take off until the next day. (American responded to my follow-up, saying they’re required to limit their staff’s working hours to a certain number per day.)

A crowd of travelers gathered at the American Airlines counter, where they were told to follow instructions to get to a hotel. Meanwhile, I called the airline’s customer service to find a replacement flight that same day, since I couldn’t afford to leave the next day. If I had, I would’ve lost my hotel and car rental reservations due to late cancellation, which would’ve cost me a significant amount.

After discussing in English with customer service and the counter staff (who I handed my phone to), we managed to get two seats on British Airways flight BA 0209, which was leaving about 2 hours later.

That’s how, after a stressful wait unsure if we’d get our luggage back, and once we did, we hurried—heavily loaded—to reach the far-off terminal for our new boarding on foot and by train shuttle.

We finally took off for Miami and landed around 7:30 PM, which was 6 hours later than the originally scheduled arrival time of American Airlines flight 63.

On top of the stress, there were the costs of meals in the meantime, and I had to notify the hotel and car rental company about our delay.

As a result, I requested compensation for a flight delay of at least 3 hours (and I’ve involved my insurance’s legal protection to pursue this claim). American Airlines argued that exceptional circumstances prevented them from compensating me.

What do you think? Is my request unreasonable?

Hotel La suerte loca in Sidi Ifni. Move along quickly! LIAR AND DISHONEST. Not to mention the state of the rooms. That’ll come later.

I booked three nights on-site without a bathroom in room (No. 16). I had called the day before to check availability. The next day, they told me I couldn’t stay in that room on the third night but offered to move me to another room—even more run-down than this one—and without a bathroom. They claimed there had been a mistake and the room was already booked, which is completely false. I’ve been traveling for 20 years and can spot hoteliers’ tricks. The woman running the place checked all her online sites and her schedule before confirming the room was available. She was sure. Especially since they display the booking schedule in front of each room to avoid mistakes. So, a pure lie. For what reason?

For me, two options: either take the run-down room for cheaper without a bathroom or leave. Great customer service. I found another hotel, Safa, a bit further away, at the same price with breakfast—100 times more luxurious and comfortable than this place. Or just down on the beach, Hotel Aït Baamrane, same price or even negotiable, and still much more comfortable.

When I left in the morning, they barely said goodbye, not a word of apology, no gesture to make up for kicking me out. NOTHING, NADA!

The woman running the place, with her fake friendliness and hypocrisy, only cares about one thing: money.

Otherwise, the place could be great if it were properly maintained. Instead of repainting the balconies, they should replace the mattresses, which are completely wrecked. The only good thing about this hotel is its location above the sea.

Otherwise, Room No. 16 was recently repainted. Every time someone uses the water, there’s a huge noise from the pipes and vibrations. The walls are paper-thin (figuratively speaking)—when neighbors talked or coughed, it was like they were in the room with me.

I had to wait to check in because of cleaning, but once inside, the bedside tables and the table were filthy (see photo). In the bathroom, there’s a stale smell of old urine and sewage due to the worn-out toilet pipes (see photo), with minimal lighting. The showerhead is disgustingly dirty. The gray duvet is dirty and very old, as are the blankets, which are dusty and grimy. The Wi-Fi worked in the room the first day but not the next.

And finally, the worst part: the mattress is completely wrecked and sagging. The springs dig into your body. Horrible! Instead of repainting, they’d do better to change the mattresses.

As for meals, the prices are outrageous. This hotel relies on its old popularity, but it’s not worth 190 dirhams for this room. I’d say it’s barely worth over 100 dirhams. Since I’ve been in Morocco, I’ve stayed in palaces for 130 dirhams with breakfast.

So, my advice: don’t trust the reviews and avoid this place. You’ll find much better at the same price, as mentioned above.

Bonjour voici un petit compte-rendu rapide de notre séjour en Corse en cet été 2020 un peu particulier. On le repétera jamais assez : c'est LA bonne année pour découvrir la Corse en haute saison. Le plus dur sera peut-être d'arriver à mettre le pied en Corse, les vols et ferrys étant en service minimum cette année. Mais une fois là-bas vous pourrez découvrir la Corse sans la foule. Plages de rêve, restaurants, hôtels, gîtes à moitié vide... La Corse sans personne en plein été ? Vous en rêviez la covid l'a fait !

Seul dans l'eau à Palombaggia, qui l'eût cru ?

Nos points de chute : Berbi Rosse (gîte) à Saint-Florent/Oletta On a adoré. On recommande. Hôtes très accueillants et disponibles. Prêts à rendre service si besoin. Gîte 1 chambre bien rénové, tout en bois. Moustiquaires aux fenêtres :) Belle terrasse ombragée. Terrain arboré. Pas au bord de la mer mais bien situé, à 5 minutes de la plage en voiture, à 2 min du supermarché.

Lisa Maria (centre de vacances) à Favone Bof. Côté plus : Appart correct et grand. Avec clim. Belle piscine et presque personne ;) Côté moins : Pas de wifi ! Meubles pas adapté à la loc. (3 penderies dans le logement et aucune étagère... euh c'est pour les costards des vacanciers? ) Route dangereuse à traverser pour aller à pied à la plage. Grande terrasse mais orientée plein sud. Même avec le parasol après 11h le matin c'est surchauffé. Bon plan : logements numéro 53 et 54 ont la terrasse ombragée ;) Pas mal situé si vous voulez faire surtout de la plage ou rester aux environs de Porto Vecchio. Pour visiter le sud c'est un peu excentré : Bonifacio à 1h de route, Cucuruzzu 1h30, Palombaggia 50 min...

Déplacements Europcar Nombreuse voitures, pas de pénurie. La flotte est constituée de Renault neuves. RAS si ce n'est que le siège bébé ne correspondant pas à mes attentes en matière de sécurité. Toutes les voitures proposées à la loc sont compatibles isofix (ce qui pour moi est le miminum en matière de sécurité) mais les sièges proposés sont avec le vieux système d'enfilade de la ceinture...

Volotea Le gros point noir du voyage Vol retour Bastia-Toulouse annulé sans nous en informer !!! Je m'en suis rendu compte en me connectant pour imprimer les cartes d'embarquement du vol aller 3 jours avant le départ. Pratique tout simplement inacceptable ! Panique à bord : Car notre réservation a été reportée sur un autre vol 2 jours plus tôt. Sans aucune option : ni bagages, ni sièges, ni bébé ! J'essaie de les remettre moi-même via le site internet mais notre dossier est bloqué, avec une mention "en attente". Il faut trouver une autre solution. Pas de chat disponible, il reste donc le téléphone. Je passe donc la journée de vendredi au téléphone pour essayer de joindre Volotea. Une dizaine d'appel plus tard, et 52 euros de facture de téléphone !, je réussis finalement à avoir quelqu'un pour faire rétablir les options manquantes. J'en profite pour changer la date. On rentrera 2 jours plus tard que prévu, au lieu de 2 jours plus tôt. Ce n'est pas cette bande de goujats qui nous gâchera les vacances. Rester 2 jours plus longtemps est plutôt positif in fine. Mais c'est bien la seule chose comparé aux emm**des engendrées, car il faut aussi modifier la loc de la voiture, trouver un hébergement...Et accessoirement rallonger d'une cinquantaine d'euros car cette date est plus chère.

Arrivés à l'aéroport de Toulouse on se présente à l'embarquement : pas de bébé enregistré ! Et l'employée ne peut pas le faire sur son ordinateur, il faut aller au comptoir Volotea à l'autre bout du hall ! Re-panique à bord. C'est semble t-il un oubli de la personne que j'ai eu au téléphone. Mais cela s'arrange... moyennant 30 euros à payer sur la champ. Ah bon mais dans ma réservation initiale (que j'avais pris le soin d'imprimer) il y a bien un bébé avec 2 adultes. Mais apparemment ce n'est pas le problème de l'employée de l'aéroport. Il faut payer pour pouvoir décoller, et faire réclamation plus tard. Donc en gros on pays ou pas de vacances... L'employée me précise qu'il faudra faire la même manip avant le vol retour, donc ne pas oublier d'arriver un peu en avance à l'aéroport de Bastia.

Vol retour : je vais donc au comptoir Satab (qui regroupe et sous-traite les services pour plusieurs compagnies aériennes). L'employée rajoute bébé dans le dossier avec l'aide d'une collègue car visiblement elle ne sait pas comment faire. Comme je m'y attendais il faut de nouveau payer 30 euros... On se présente au comptoir d'enregistrement, et là coup de théâtre : pas de bébé dans le système informatique ! J'explique à l'employée la manip que j'ai faite 15 minutes avant au bureau Satab. Elle me répond que le bébé est dans le dossier mais n'a pas de carte d'embarquement. Il faut donc retourner au bureau et payer pour pouvoir faire embarquer bébé !!! Re-re-panique à bord, et surtout beaucoup d'énervement ! Je tape du poing sur la table, ou plutôt de la paume sur le comptoir ! (oui ça fait un peu mal, mais ça marche) Tout en exprimant clairement mais poliment que j'en ai marre de leurs histoires, que c'est pas moi qui ai annulé le vol retour est foutu le b*rdel dans notre dossier où plus rien n'est à la bonne place. La panique change de camp. Elle me répond qu'elle doit aller voir sa superviseur. S'en suivra plusieurs aller-retour entre son poste et celui de sa superviseur, l'air visiblement perdue, cela pendant 40 minutes... 40 minutes à regarder ce spectacle qui aurait pu être comique si nous n'avions pas un bébé fatigué dans les bras. A la décharge de cette employée visiblement débutante sa superviseur ne l'a pas beaucoup aidé. Cette dernière n'a pas daigné se lever une seule fois pour venir voir par elle même l'écran ou le dossier... Finalement nous embarquons sans rien payer de plus. Vol retour sans encombre mais Volotea c'est fini pour nous. Avec bébé plus jamais ! En cas de problème site internet inefficace et SAV inexistant.

Hi, I bought a flight ticket to Colombia with Lufthansa, but I’m giving up on this trip because of the pandemic in South America. The airline is only offering to refund the airport taxes. Is this normal? Has anyone else run into this issue? Thanks for your replies! Anne-Elise

Bonsoir, J ai pris une réservation pour un vol à destination de la Martinique. A cause du covid j ai bien souffert pour que l agence accepte mon report une fois acceptée ils m ont pris des frais à hauteur de 100e par billet.Je suis convaincue qu il s agit d une arnaque.

Je vais me lancer dans un énième carnet sur cette fabuleuse destination. Je ne prétends pas égaler le style humoristique de certaines ou certains (ils se reconnaîtront !). Je vais juste essayer de vous faire vivre ou revivre quelques-uns de nos beaux souvenirs en ces temps où l'on ne sait plus vraiment quand nous pourrons refaire nos bagages et pour quelle destination. Allez c'est parti, embarquement immédiat ! Mi-octobre 2019, mon épouse et moi sommes revenus d'un beau voyage de 3 semaines en Jordanie et 3,5 jours à Jérusalem. Mais pourquoi 3 semaines dans un aussi petit pays où la plupart des touristes en 'font le tour' en 8/10 jours ? Parce que... C'est la meilleure réponse... Surtout parce que nous le pouvons (pas de vacances en juillet/août) et que nous aimons prendre notre temps, visiter des sites moins connus, faire des activités parfois surprenante à nos âges. Nous avons parcouru la Jordanie de Madaba et des rives de la Mer Morte à Jerash en passant par les châteaux du désert, de Jerash à Dana en passant par Kerak, de Dana au sublime Wadi Rum en passant par la merveilleuse Petra. Pour terminer, je vous proposerai de flâner dans la vieille ville d'Aman. Et au bout du bout, je pourrai éventuellement vous raconter nos derniers jours de ce périple passés à Jérusalem. Etape 1 : Madaba



L’objectif de cette étape était de visiter tranquillement la ville et de voir les nombreuses mosaïques sur ses différents sites. Mais aussi de passer une journée au bord de la Mer Morte (objectif : repos dans un cadre sympa), de visiter quelques sites, villes ou villages tout autour et d’aller tenter le canyoning dans le wadi Mujib, nous qui n’avons jamais fait de canyoning ! Etape 2 : Jerash



Etape à 100% culturelle avec au programme les châteaux du désert (petit détour pour relier Madaba à Jerash), les sites romains de Jerash, Um Qais et Pella, mais aussi le château médiéval d’Ajlun. Etape 3 : Kerak par la route du roi.



Nous ne passerons qu’une nuit à Kerak. Une demi-journée pour visiter le château, c’est très largement suffisant (même pour nous !) et donc cela va nous laisser du temps pour aller se balader dans des wadis faciles d’accès. Etape 4 : Dana



Ici aussi nous ne passerons qu’une nuit alors qu’au départ j’envisageai de passer plusieurs jours dans la réserve. Cela a été a priori un bon choix car si les randonnées y sont probablement très belles, Justine aurait eu beaucoup de mal compte-tenu du dénivelé. Et puis derrière, il y a Pétra et le trek dans le Wadi Rum. Il fallait donc se garder un peu d’énergie. Etape 5 : Pétra



Que dire de cette étape ? Mon projet est de visiter le site en 4 journées complètes sans savoir si on pourra y rentrer 4 jours avec un Jordan Pass de 3 jours à Pétra. Si pas possible, on improvisera ! Etape 6 : Wadi Rum



Nous allons y fêter notre anniversaire de mariage. Un trek de 3 jours, des camps itinérants et les nuits à la belle étoile. Et le jour de note anniversaire, le survol du désert au lever du soleil en montgolfière… projet sympa non ? Mais chut, c'est une surprise pour mon épouse ! Etape 7 : Amman



Dernière étape en Jordanie avant de traverser la frontière et terminer notre voyage à Jérusalem Etape 8 : Jérusalem



On ne présente plus cette destination : la vieille ville avec ses souks et les 4 quartiers (arabe, juif, chrétien et arménien), le Mont des Oliviers, le Mur des Lamentations, l’Esplanade des Mosquées. Mais aussi le mémorial de la Shoah.

After several discussions on VF about travel journals from the Philippines, I decided to write this curiosity: a trip report from a journey made in 1984, when traveling to the Philippines was still an adventure.

A curiosity because writing a travel journal about a trip 35 years later isn’t common, but also (mostly?) because exploring the Philippines at that time had little in common with traveling there today.

Obviously, I’ve forgotten a number of facts, most of the details, but with the help of a few notes from that time and a stack of slides (yes, there was life before digital 😊), many memories came back and added to the highlights I’d never forgotten. The scanned slides aren’t always great quality, but there are still quite a few to brighten up this chatter. Back then, we didn’t snap photos like we do now—film was too expensive—so I don’t have pictures of every place we visited... too bad, comparing some of those spots to how they look today would’ve been interesting.

Why "Adventures"? Why call it "Adventures" in the Philippines in 1984, a word so often used for a simple exotic trip? - Because the lack of information (no *Guide du Routard*, no *Lonely Planet*, no *Michelin Guide*, nothing, and obviously no internet) gave this trip what’s at the heart of adventure: the unknown. - Because the political situation made the stay sometimes dangerous. - Because transportation conditions were always epic, often perilous. - Because the question of where we’d spend the night came up almost every evening. - And for... quite a few other reasons.

That said, we weren’t exactly explorers!

Why the Philippines? First of all, why go to the Philippines in 1984—a country not exactly set up for tourism and about which we knew very little? How could we get an idea of the beauty of the Philippines and its points of interest when we had no guides or photos?

The idea came to us from Thailand a year earlier, during our first long-haul trip. After touring the north of the country, we met a Frenchman living in Phuket, where there were only a few tourists in Patong, with just a few small hotels and guesthouses. Kata and Karon had no buildings or roads, Rawai only had three palm-thatched bungalows, including ours, and the other islands were unknown to tourists. There was plenty to discover, and we wanted to return to this beautiful country... but the Frenchman made us dream about the Philippines—a country to explore, with wild landscapes.

Long evenings of discussion over multiple Sprite-Mekong cocktails (what memories of those headaches!) finally convinced us we had to go to the Philippines.

Episode 0: Before Departure The decision was made: we’d go to the Philippines in May 1984. Our friends and family were surprised when we announced we were going on vacation to the Philippines (a bit like saying today we were going paddleboarding in the Kerguelen Islands 🤪).

These days, preparing for each of our trips takes long evenings of research, planning, and noting down good addresses... etc. But for the Philippines in 1984, preparation was quick: we had very little information about the country, we were leaving almost at random, and the discovery would only be more exciting.

We still had a few bits of info gathered here and there: the rice terraces in northern Luzon, volcanoes, Negros where we were supposed to visit an acquaintance, Cebu and its marine life (we ended up going elsewhere), and absolutely avoid Mindanao, which was practically at war with the regime. That was about it, but it was already a great itinerary.

Nothing was organized in advance; we’d see day by day. We had no idea about travel times or even the existence of transportation options. The main (and sometimes only) way to connect two islands was by overloaded, rusty ferry. Only the big cities had airports.

Let’s Go: Episode 1: Paris to Manila My travel journals always start after arriving at the airport—the Europe-to-“Other Continent” trip isn’t interesting—but the flight to the Philippines was already an adventure, so I’ll make an exception.

This was the era when only a few Asian airlines were on par with Western ones: Thai, Singapore Airlines, and Philippine Airlines. They had beautiful, brand-new planes, and to attract customers (almost exclusively “businessmen”) from the usual airlines (Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways), there was opulence on board: unlimited champagne, all sorts of cocktails... Compared to today’s long-haul flights, there was still one small difference: no personal screens, just one screen at the front of the cabin with one mandatory movie. And I don’t know why, but we only got James Bond films, both ways... that must’ve been the trend at the time.

The tourism boom to Southeast Asia hadn’t started yet, and the “Asian Tigers” weren’t a thing, so there weren’t many business trips. That meant long-haul flights made stops everywhere to fill the planes. Our Philippine Airlines Boeing 747 left London, picked us up in Paris, then stopped in Frankfurt to take on a few Germans. I don’t know why we then made a stop in Dubai—a totally exotic place at the time. There was nothing to do there... things have changed a lot since. It was a small town lost in the desert. The airport was tiny, with just one or two buildings and a supermarket. During the stopover, everyone had to get off the plane and walk to the supermarket. Photo and electronic equipment were dirt cheap—I guess that was the only reason for the stop. Maybe it was their first commercial move. Emirates didn’t exist yet, as I checked online, but anyway, the idea that such a remote place could have its own airline was unthinkable.

Online, I found this photo of Dubai Airport in 1980. Anyone who’s transited through today’s massive airport with its rows of A380s will appreciate it:

Next stop: New Delhi to drop off some Europeans and pick up a few Indians, and finally, the terminus: Manila. I don’t remember how long the trip took with its five stops—an unimaginable journey today. Despite all those stops to fill the plane, there was still enough space to stretch out on the four center seats of the 747, something that never happens these days despite all the flights in every direction.

So here we are, finally at Manila Airport around midnight.

Episode 1: Manila and Baguio To start, a quick note on the political and economic situation in the Philippines in 1984, which had consequences for us as tourists, as we’d soon realize upon arrival.

After several centuries of Spanish colonization, the Philippines became American at the start of the 20th century, then independent. In 1966, Marcos took power, and little by little, his regime sank into corruption and mismanagement, becoming a dictatorship with martial law, all for the benefit of his family and friends, who enriched themselves endlessly. The peak was the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino in August 1983, which triggered harshly repressed protests. So we arrived a few months later in a very poor country, with omnipresent corruption and an extremely tense political situation, as we’d soon see for ourselves. Major protests took place in the main cities during our trip—I’ll come back to that. Two years later, Marcos fled to Hawaii after being forced out of power following rigged elections. This historical context explains a lot of the situations we found ourselves in over the following weeks.

Arriving in the middle of the night isn’t very cheerful. Manila was already a huge city with many slums, where you could find a few business hotels like the Hilton or Intercontinental—way out of our budget—and plenty of run-down hotels. Luckily, two Indians we’d chatted with on the plane offered to take us to their usual hotel. They came to Manila twice a year for business. We accepted their offer, relieved not to have to look for a place to stay in the middle of the night, figuring the address must be good since they came back every time... we were wrong 🙁

We left the airport and immediately got a taste of the local vibe when we got into the taxi: the police asked for our passports. We thought: what’s more normal than police in a dictatorship?

But that wasn’t it at all. Our two Indian friends explained that the police were noting our names along with the taxi number and time. Crime in Manila was so bad that the taxi driver would be held responsible if anything happened to us... welcome to the Philippines 😎 😎

Historically, the Philippines was a very violent country, where everything was settled with guns or machetes. Previous governments had banned carrying weapons, but Marcos later allowed the free sale and carrying of guns, and disputes were settled with pistols again (or worse, as we’d discover later). Since he’d released most of the criminals from prison to form a paramilitary militia at his service (I’ll talk about our encounter with these “heroes” later), it was pretty dangerous to go into many parts of Manila, where these “tonton macoutes” ruled.

We arrived at our hotel without incident... and then things started badly. The room was infested with big cockroaches—exactly what I hate most in those kinds of countries. No way to find another hotel at that hour. After the long flight, the urge to take a shower was so strong that we squeezed into the bathroom as best we could. After that, I don’t remember—I guess we must’ve fallen asleep exhausted under the sheets in the heat... air conditioning wasn’t widespread yet.

The next day, we just wanted to leave that dump as soon as possible. So we decided to head north right away, stopping in Baguio, and we’d visit Manila a bit on the way back.

When we stepped outside, we discovered a pretty run-down neighborhood with potholed streets. But we also discovered the jeepneys. They were everywhere, flooding the streets.





They had crazy sound systems, each one blasting louder than the last. The interiors were kitschy but fun. There weren’t many private cars—almost all transportation was by jeepney, with buses reserved for intercity trips.





Before heading to the bus terminal for the north, somewhere on the outskirts of the city, we needed to exchange some money. I don’t remember how we ended up in a policeman’s jeep who offered his services: - Exchange money on the black market at a better rate than the banks. - Take us wherever we wanted, in this case, the bus terminal.

We accepted both offers (we’d still checked the official exchange rate from dollars to pesos). So we found ourselves in his jeep. After exchanging money, we left in his vehicle and stopped for gas. Without turning off the engine, he calmly smoked a cigarette while filling up. Since we were in a jeep with no doors or roof, we were ready to jump out if things went south, our travel bag in hand.

But we weren’t done with surprises yet. Once we left the small streets, we ended up in a neighborhood with wide avenues and not much traffic, which didn’t justify his incredible behavior. At every intersection, he made the sign of the cross, closed his eyes, and crossed without looking. I was more stunned than terrified! It wasn’t until we got out of the car later that I told Anne-Marie what had happened. I’d seen everything because the cop had put me in the front seat. Luckily, A-Marie hadn’t noticed anything from the back. Crossing Manila by trusting God rather than the rules of the road was ultimately effective. We were lucky—the trip was off to a good start. 🙂 🙂

We then passed through a neighborhood where slums stretched on for a while, and we left our policeman—friendly but a bit crazy—with relief.

A few hours by bus later, here we are in Baguio, cool in the mountains. My memories of Baguio are pretty fuzzy. I remember a small town. After some research while writing this journal, I found that the population was 120,000 in 1980. Given the population density in each home, that confirms my memory of a smallish town. Outside the “official” district with the president’s summer residence and government buildings, there were two or three paved streets with nice houses. The rest was very dirty and very poor, with lots of slums and dirt roads.







People we met on the street invited us to stay with them. These days, we wouldn’t just show up at strangers’ houses, which we should’ve done in Baguio—it would’ve saved us from an unimaginable and dangerous situation... which I won’t say anything about... !😊

The simple wooden house was on stilts at the edge of a hill with a view of the mountains. Since it was the start of the rainy season in a city that gets a lot of rain, we saw a lot of water. Our outings in town happened between downpours.

View from our lodging:

Episode 2: Baguio to Bontoc Aside from the situation briefly mentioned above, it was on the next leg to Bontoc that the adventure really began: an endless and dangerous road, a bus from another era, breathtaking landscapes, and surprising people.

We didn’t know the distance or how long it would take to get to Bontoc. When we arrived after about ten hours, we learned that Baguio to Bontoc was 140 km.

We got on a bus with wooden seats and settled in, two to a seat meant for two. As the bus filled up, passengers squeezed in three or four per seat, with chickens and baskets full of all sorts of things in the aisle. A little embarrassed, we didn’t know if we should squeeze in three on our seat. The seats were super tight (luckily, Filipinos are small), and I didn’t know where to put my legs given my height. I don’t remember if we stayed alone on our bench or if we ended up sharing with others.



The “road” was a dirt track (or rather, a mud track) with endless turns. We held on as best we could to our slippery wooden seats—it was shaking in every direction. The woman behind us was carsick and throwing up... gross... but what were we doing there? Then we plunged into the Sierra Madre... just the name is dreamy!

Rice terraces started to appear:



they took up more and more space along cliffs where we weren’t always reassured,



with lots of waterfalls (all that water had to go somewhere).

A few miserable villages stretched along the track, most often just a few houses balancing between the road and the drop. The bus stopped in every village—people got on or off and settled inside or on the roof. Street vendors offered their products to the bus passengers—a common sight in Asia, even today.



We were in another world—villagers were in loincloths, others had spears. The atmosphere was strange... but all good, we wanted exoticism, and we got it:

This so-called traditional outfit was everyday wear—it wasn’t for tourists since there weren’t any.

Nous sommes le xx xx xxxx, jour de votre déconfinement, vous êtes guéri ou n'avez jamais été en contact avec le virus couronné. Qu'imaginez-vous faire en premier ? 😛

(Par simplicité, nous allons partir du principe que votre région est redevenue comme avant à défaut du monde.)

Bonjour, Il n'est jamais trop tard pour rendre compte de son voyage. Le confinement me laisse enfin du temps pour le faire. Je suis parti le 17 août 2017 et je suis rentré le 7 février 2018. Entre temps, je suis allé en Argentine par cargo puis une fois sur ce continent, j'ai visité l'Uruguay, l'Argentine et le Chili. Durant tout ce voyage, j'ai tenu un carnet journalier. Je me propose de vous le livrer.

INTRODUCTION

Des vidéos sont insérées tout au long du résumé. Veuillez cliquer sur l'image pour démarrer la vidéo.

En novembre dernier, nous avons séjourné 2 semaines sur l'île de Curaçao afin d'en découvrir les différents attraits touristiques.

Comme la plupart de nos précédents voyages, plusieurs semaines ont été consacrées à la création de notre itinéraire afin de pouvoir être en mesure d'atteindre parfaitement nos objectifs.

Lors de notre séjour, nous avons utilisé l'application Maps.me, une application mobile qui fournit des cartes hors ligne. Cette application s'avère très précieuse lors de nos déplacements en voiture, en randonnée et même lors de nos circuits à pied dans les grandes villes.

J'avais préalablement téléchargé les coordonnées GPS de toutes les attractions prévues à notre itinéraire dans l'application Maps.me, ce qui a facilité grandement nos déplacements.

La réservation de l'hébergement ainsi que la location d'une voiture ont été effectuées sur internet avant notre départ.

Pour faire une histoire courte, Curaçao se trouve dans la mer des Caraïbes entre les îles d'Aruba et Bonaire, à une soixantaine de kilomètres des côtes du Vénézuela.

Cette île n'est pas très grande puisqu'elle mesure 60 km de long par 11 km de large. Willemstad, sa magnifique capitale, est inscrite au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco.

Elle jouit d'un climat tempéré et est reconnue pour ses splendides plages, ses eaux limpides, ses parcs nationaux, ses grottes et ses fameux flamants roses.

Bonjour tout le monde, Je lance cette discussion pour évoquer un aspect douloureux de notre pratique cycliste qui est le risque d'accident. Prés de 200 cyclistes ont trouvé la mort sur la route en 2018, dans la plus part des cas cela résulte d'une "rencontre" avec une automobile ou un poids lourd.

Il est évident , tout cycliste le constate, que le comportement des automobiliste est parfois (souvent ?) la cause de ces accidents mais nous cyclos nous pouvons contribuer à diminuer le nombre d'accidents.

Comment ? - Nous rendre plus visible: Rouler avec au moins un haut visible, fluo Adopter un feu de jour clignotant à l'arrière , voire à l'avant choisir des couleurs voyantes pour nos sacoches

- Apprendre à bien nous comporter sur la route éviter de rouler à plusieurs de front utiliser les bandes et pistes cyclables quand elles existent Ne pas rouler à droite dans les ronds points respecter le code de la route (s'arrêter au feu rouge !)

Ce sont quelques pistes pour ouvrir le débat...

Hi there,

We’re heading to Puglia from July 30 to August 31, 2020. I’ve booked a rental with a pool in Locorontondo.

But the more I read guides and forums, the more I regret booking the flight to Bari. I can still cancel the other reservations, but I’d face penalties for the flight.

It’s packed, avoid August at all costs—traffic jams, stifling heat, price hikes… I’m really having second thoughts. Our goal isn’t necessarily to hit the beach. I’m thinking we’ll get up early to go where we want and head back during the hottest part of the day.

Is it *that* bad? Thanks for sharing your experiences.

bonjour, j'ai l'intention de me rendre prochainement à Xian afin de visiter outre l'armée de terre cuite, les divers tombeaux impériaux (quinling, maoling, zhaoling, etc). ainsi que le temple de famen. Pour des raisons de timing et notamment pour arriver à la première heure à l'armée de terre cuite avant l'arrivée de la foule, j'envisage d'utiliser le taxi plutot que le bus. Mais j'ai cru comprendre qu'il y avait pénurie de taxi à Xian et qu'il était difficile d'en reserver. Quelqu'un peut il m'éclairer? Merci

Preamble:

For summer 2019, the idea was to return to Africa. We had already been to Namibia in 2017 (+ a few days in Botswana and the end of the trip at Victoria Falls), which we loved, and a trip to Asia in 2018 (Borneo, Perhentian, and Singapore), a nature-focused trip but a bit disappointing due to environmental destruction. The desire to return to Africa was very strong. We wanted a change of scenery, nature, discoveries, to step out of our little comfort zone (a bit, anyway!) and experience travel differently. In short, we dreamed of authenticity, and we weren’t disappointed.

We traveled as a family of four with our daughters, aged 19 and 17. When the urge for Africa hit, Uganda quickly stood out, especially for the chance to see rare animals, particularly the famous mountain gorillas. When I looked into the budget, I was quickly disheartened. It’s really expensive. Too expensive… Then, after reading a few trip reports on "VoyageForum" (thanks Muriel J!), I decided to ask a local agency for a quote. The first contact was very friendly and responsive, and the initial offer for two weeks fit our budget :). A few images gathered from the internet (especially Sipi Falls) finally convinced us all. I asked for an adapted offer with a few more sites to extend the trip to three weeks and cover a fairly complete visit to the country (which, of course, increased the budget! To stay within an acceptable range, we prioritized activities over accommodations and regularly chose the cheapest options, with 2-3 nice lodges in between). It’s booked! We were in October 2018, and the first thing to do was reserve permits to see the gorillas and chimpanzees. Then, the agency took care of all the bookings except for the international flights, which we booked with Ethiopian Airlines. A few months of waiting to look forward to… and a little worry too! Two events didn’t reassure us: the kidnapping of an American tourist by four men at the DRC border and the Ebola outbreak in Congo, with confirmed cases in Uganda by mid-June…

Here we are in July, and departure is approaching. The suitcases are packed (warm clothes, long, short, dark, light, practical, sun, rain, hiking/trekking shoes, flip-flops—clothes for every situation! Don’t forget: headlamp (essential!), binoculars, cameras), and we’re ready.

One day before departure, our agency Mpolampola, through its manager Paul, informs us that he won’t be the one taking care of us during the trip but another guide named Moses. He has a big problem with a vehicle and can’t do otherwise. For us, as long as everything is okay, no worries, especially since I had read glowing reviews about Moses, who turned out to be a very pleasant guide, cautious (most important) on the road, clear about all the activities, and an expert on birds, his specialty. We briefly met Paul in the middle of the trip, who is also very friendly. In short, we 100% recommend this agency. Flights to Entebbe went smoothly; we arrived around 10:30 AM, filled out health forms (Ebola information signs everywhere), visas, baggage claim, and met Moses, who took us directly to the vehicle. It was in pretty good condition with huge tires (we’d understand why later!), but it had quite a few miles (400,000 on the odometer!). Just missing a seatbelt… Okay, it’s Africa!

Now, here’s our day-by-day itinerary, which I’ll summarize briefly with ratings for each activity: ****TOPISSIME (Amazing) ***Very good **Good *Meh

Day 1) Departure from the airport at 11:45 AM for some currency exchange. Stop along the way at the equator for a meal and souvenir photo! Arrival at Lake Mburo Park *** around 5:00 PM. Even before entering the park, we saw lots of antelopes, zebras, elks, etc.—it’s magnificent. On the way, we had already encountered many goats and cows, and we were impressed by their enormous horns. We enjoyed a nice game drive until about 7:00 PM, when we reached our lodge, one of the nicest of the trip, Eagle’s Nest ****, with a magnificent view, a tent with a nice bathroom/shower, and a very good meal.

Day 2) Departure at 7:00 AM for a game drive; we encountered many animals again, especially antelopes, zebras, and birds. There are no giraffes, lions, or cheetahs in this park. We didn’t get lucky enough to see a leopard… :-) Then, we continued to Lake Bunyonyi ***, where the road and views are very beautiful, but we were shocked to see locals (mostly women and children) breaking stones by hand on the mountainside in very precarious safety conditions. There are regularly dramatic accidents because, over time, entire sections detach and cause landslides. These stones are then used for road construction… Another world… This was the only place we saw this. Lake Bunyonyi is a nice stop (but less exotic in our opinion since we have many lakes back home too!). We took a boat to our accommodation, Byoona Amagara ***, which has a lot of charm. We stayed in huts called "geodomes," completely open to nature, so it was very cool at night. To reach the toilets located below, you had to be brave! The meal consisted of lake shrimp—good but a bit bland.

Day 3) After a good breakfast, departure at 9:00 AM to visit three islands. We took several nice walks with beautiful views of the lake and islands. A local meal was served on the last island. At 1:00 PM, we met Moses for the rest of the program and headed to Ruhija in Bwindi Forest****. The landscapes are breathtaking. After two hours of driving and many photo stops, we arrived at our accommodation near the trekking starting point, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort **. We stayed in a room instead of the initially planned tents, which was just as well because there was a lot of wind during the night. We still had time for an activity and decided to meet the Bwata pygmies despite the bad reviews in the guide… The first part of the visit was quite nice, with a visit to a school where the children gave us a very joyful welcome. We had a great time listening to them sing and dance! Then we met the Bwata pygmies who live on the edge of the forest. When Bwindi Forest was declared a national park, they had to leave their habitat because their activities weren’t compatible with nature and wildlife protection. We left on a somewhat sad note… The visit ended with a local doctor explaining different medicinal plants, and we watched the making of local beer from sorghum. Good meal. We had butterflies in our stomachs—tomorrow was a big day! I admit I was a bit stressed, not entirely confident in my physical abilities…

Day 4) After a short night due to excitement, breakfast, and departure at 7:30 AM. First, it started calmly with singing and dancing. Then, a 15-minute briefing and group assignments. No one asked if we had any physical problems or anything (when booking, I had inquired a bit, and they told me groups were assigned based on physical abilities). We were assigned to the Mukiza group. At first, I was pretty happy—it was a fairly large group with babies :). The ranger explained that for now, they didn’t know where the gorillas were… the trackers couldn’t find them… Oh… (that’s not a good sign!!!) We set off at a good pace, first on a reasonably sloped path. We were accompanied by a family of four Italians and five porters (four for us!). After an hour, the ranger stopped us and informed us they still couldn’t find them—they had fought with another group the day before and scattered throughout the forest, so they were very far away, and we needed to move faster… Hmm… we picked up the pace (we weren’t going slowly before!!!) and walked for another good hour—down, up, down again, up again, we kept going, but always more or less on paths. Then another stop. A 10-minute break waiting for news. The news wasn’t very precise, it seemed! The ranger decided to cut through the forest—machetes were used to clear the path. We descended unimaginable slopes, then climbed back up. Our stick kept getting stuck; luckily, our porter helped us, held our hands, and the terrain was vertical! An hour later, another stop: we heard gorilla cries (yay!!!). False hope—we waited again for news from the trackers, who informed our ranger that it was a non-habituated family, so we couldn’t see them. Cold shower—we had to go all the way back up and return to the starting point to maybe see another group. But time was running out… We arrived around 1:30 PM; all the other groups had already left long ago. Our guide was worried because we still had a long drive ahead. We quickly ate a banana, and off we went for another trek (I was exhausted!). Luckily, this group was close—about 45 minutes of steep descent (I was already thinking about the climb back and considering being adopted by a gorilla ). The forest was sublime, with magnificent tree ferns—the place was truly splendid. Finally, we were there. The porters stayed behind, we grabbed our cameras, and followed the ranger. The progress wasn’t easy, but suddenly, a female was in front of us, curled up in a little ball, eating—so cute. The emotion overwhelmed us. But she moved away—it’s hard to observe them; they move constantly, and the terrain is very steep and uneven. We saw a female descending from a tree with a baby on her back—too adorable. Then, here was the silverback, enormous, incredible, yet so calm and peaceful. He ate quietly and gave us a nice demonstration of nostril exploration! We could observe them for a good hour, but photographing them wasn’t easy because they kept moving, and we could barely stand! Toward the end, a large male (black back) suddenly stood up and decided to pass right where I was! I ended up in the bushes, and the male passed in front of me just a few centimeters away (he stepped on one of my daughters’ feet!) followed by the whole family. Just an exceptional moment. It was time to leave; we had to climb back up. I dreaded it because, I admit, I was exhausted. We finished the hike after 4:00 PM, exhausted but happy. The ranger gave us diplomas, and we didn’t linger because we still had a long drive—we needed to reach Ishasha before nightfall. Our guide was a bit stressed. If we were to do it again, we’d spend an extra night in Bwindi. However, it seems finishing so late is exceptional—it never happens, according to our guide! The road between Bwindi and Ishasha is sublime, with extraordinary landscapes, and despite the late hour, we regularly asked our guide to stop for photos. We arrived at Enjojo *** Lodge around 6:00 PM. The huts are located quite far from the reception and the bathrooms, a bit far from the huts, but otherwise, it was very nice.

Day 5) Departure at 8:00 AM after a good breakfast with the hope of seeing tree-climbing lions (no luck!). Overall, there weren’t many animals, and we arrived around 12:45 PM at our next stop, Parkview Safari Lodge ****, with a magnificent view, a beautiful family bungalow, and a good meal. We enjoyed a short relaxation by the lovely pool. At 4:00 PM, we left to see Kyambura Gorge *** and hike there. Unfortunately, this activity is no longer available, so we walked around the area—it was very beautiful. Back at the hotel, a little rest after the previous day wasn’t a bad idea! Reading, swimming, meals, and dances made the end of the day enjoyable.

Day 6) Departure at 6:30 AM—one of our daughters was sick (stomachache, cold sweats…). Safari in Queen Elizabeth ** (Kaseny Plains)—a bit disappointing. Stop by the salt lake with a nice view. A small market, but we weren’t thrilled by the crafts (overall, apart from some beautiful baskets/plates, there wasn’t much, and the wooden objects were, in our opinion, much less pretty than in Namibia). Then we took the crater road (27 km long) **** with magnificent landscapes. However, you absolutely must close the windows because it’s infested with tsetse flies. At noon, we arrived at Mweya, where we stayed in basic rooms, but the restaurant was well-placed with a beautiful view of the Kazinga Channel. At 2:00 PM, we enjoyed a magnificent cruise **** on the channel. Elephants, antelopes, crocodiles, hippos (including adorable babies), buffaloes, all kinds of birds. Wow!!! Two hours of pure bliss. Quiet end of the day playing cards with a view of the channel and elephants.

Day 7) Departure at 6:00 AM—still sick, we weren’t sure if it was due to the preventive treatment (Malarone) or something else… Another game drive in Queen Elizabeth (Kaseny Plains) and breakfast by the salt lake. Overall, we were a bit disappointed by this park. Then we took the road to Crater Lakes***, again with very beautiful landscapes. A hike of about an hour and a half allowed us to discover these beautiful crater lakes (the water mainly comes from the Rwenzoris). We crossed pretty villages and had nice encounters. End of the day at Tinka’s Home ****, with a family. We loved this place—very welcoming, where we took a cooking class with our hosts. A really great time. After the meal, we enjoyed African stories and dances. Really awesome.

Day 8) Departure at 7:30 AM for another highly anticipated discovery—the chimpanzees in Kibale Forest ****. We went to the meeting point and were split into groups of six, each with a guide. We saw three different groups, and for the last group, we followed a chimpanzee (slightly more comfortable running in the forest than we were!) that led us to the group. Their cries are very impressive, and we could observe them well, even though they were often high up in the trees. We were lucky enough to see two on the ground, very close to us. It was magnificent. End of the encounter and return to the starting point—it was noon. We went back to Tinka’s Home for the meal (delicious!). At 2:00 PM, we hiked in Bigodi Swamp ***, a marsh surrounded by beautiful vegetation, especially huge papyrus, and inhabited by many birds and monkeys. We saw, among others, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red colobus monkeys, and vervet monkeys. We also visited a basket-weaving workshop where we bought two beautiful baskets. Then a short stop in Fort Portal, where we stayed for two nights at Ruwenzori View Guesthouse ***, a nice place with a family room and very good communal meals.

Day 9) Departure at 8:00 AM for a hike in the Rwenzori****—it was a bit chaotic today. First, we had to exchange shillings because we wouldn’t have another chance in the following days. At the bank, employees went to get the bills by motorcycle from other buildings—it was quite surreal! And it took time! Then there was a misunderstanding between the organizer and me… I really wanted to see the region where chameleons are found in the Rwenzori—this region is south of the mountain range, and we were in the north! Anyway, the program included an ascent in the northern part with a positive elevation gain of over 1,500 meters… Talking to the guide scheduled for this hike (Noah), we explained that we really wanted to discover the vegetation and these famous chameleons, not necessarily achieve a physical feat… (we’d had enough!). The decision was made to go south, which meant quite a bit of driving. The hike was really enjoyable, with magnificent vegetation by the river. We saw three of the four chameleon species present, including the famous three-horned chameleon. The region is superb. We ended with a drink at Ruboni Camp, which has a magnificent view of the region (ideally, we should have stayed there). Two hours of driving to finish, and a good meal :).

Day 10) Departure at 8:00 AM—we had a long drive to Ziwa Rhino Ranch****. We passed through Hoima, had lunch in Masindi, and arrived in time for the rhino tracking walk. We could approach them closely on foot—it was impressive. We saw eight. Since we were staying on-site in the guesthouse **, we received precise safety instructions for moving between the rooms and the restaurant. And we quickly understood why!

Day 11) Departure at 6:00 AM for breakfast—surprise, in front of our room, several large rhinos were sleeping (we had also heard a lot of animal noises during the night—rhinos but also what seemed to be predators). So we had to take a detour to reach the restaurant! Second surprise—next to the restaurant, just three meters away at most, two mothers and their baby were also sleeping! Memorable! Then we had an appointment for the shoebill trek and canoe ride **** (package with the previous day’s walk). So there we were, in our boots, splashing through 30 cm of water in search of the shoebill (I really wanted to see one :))! It was really fun, and luck was on our side—a shoebill had just landed in the distance! We approached as best we could and observed it from afar. What a strange bird! There are very few left, and Uganda is one of the countries where the chances of seeing one are quite good. The tour continued with a canoe cruise where we saw a herd of cows (the famous ones with enormous horns) being swum as a dowry to the father of the future bride! A funny spectacle. This stop wasn’t the most anticipated, but we all thought it was really worth the detour. Road to Murchison Falls Park, and arrival around noon at Red Chili Rest Camp **, where we stayed for two nights (family banda). Good meal. Then a cruise to Murchison Falls*** where we disembarked and continued on foot. It was pretty. Back to Red Chili.

Day 12) This morning, early departure for a cruise in search of the shoebill*** (booked in case we didn’t see one at Ziwa). The landscapes were pretty, but there weren’t many birds in the end. We spotted the chosen one from afar after the first 10 minutes—so the suspense didn’t last long :-) It was a nice activity but quite long—5 hours. In the afternoon, safari in Murchison Park****—this park is sublime, the landscapes fabulous. Really one of our favorite parts of the trip. Lots of animals and even a leopard spotted with binoculars because it was far away! Night at Red Chili.

Day 13) Departure for the first morning ferry—it was drizzling, the sky was threatening at first, so the landscape was spectacular! Beautiful contrasts. In the middle of the morning, we were lucky to observe a whole group of lions, first from afar, then with a little patience, the whole group approached until they passed beside and in front of our vehicle. What emotion and excitement! We could then observe large groups of giraffes. They were magnificent. The morning was incredible. Then we headed to our lodge, Fort Murchison ****, and on the way, we saw a whole group of elephants—the view was magnificent. We had a very good meal and enjoyed the pool a bit. We also met Paul, the organizer of our trip. Very nice :). In the late afternoon, off for a short safari in the park. We slept in very well-equipped tents.

Day 14) Today, we had a long drive to Kidepo Park. It was raining, which didn’t help our guide—according to him, the tracks near Kidepo turn to mud with rain and become difficult to navigate. We saw, among other things, a bus in a bad situation in the ditch. Some sections were really tricky, and we were glad to have a driver. The end of the trip—the landscape was spectacular and original, and we saw some traditional villages. We arrived at Kidepo quite late. Short safari in the park before reaching the accommodation. We booked two simple bandas in the park camp**. It was clean but didn’t hold up well in the rain . The restaurant was very nice, though.

Day 15) The day was dedicated to discovering Kidepo Park **** where the landscapes were again superb. First encounter with a lioness resting on a rock. We saw other lions later and observed them for a long time. There were almost no other tourists in the park. Our daughter wasn’t feeling well, and by the time we arrived at the lodge, she had a temperature of 39.5°C (103.1°F)… A nap was necessary. In the late afternoon, we returned to the spot where we had seen the lions that morning, and they were still there—they weren’t happy because rain was threatening! It was a great photo opportunity. Then came the downpour, and our driver urged us to return quickly because the tracks were becoming impassable. Indeed, a jeep was in the ditch… The return was eventful, and several times we slid without being able to do anything… Wow, what a day!

Day 16) No safari this morning because of impassable tracks—the road to Kotido*** was longer than expected as we had to take a detour. The landscapes along the way were surprising. We finally arrived around 1:00 PM at the accommodation and left at 3:00 PM to visit the largest manyatta in East Africa with two translators. It was incredible—a very beautiful experience. The manyatta is immense and has 28,000 inhabitants. Night at Karamojaarts guesthouse*—very average meal.

Day 17) Departure for Moroto****—on the way, we saw many bird species. Moroto doesn’t look like other Ugandan cities. Life there seems very pleasant. We arrived at Kara-Tunga and had a bite to eat. At 4:00 PM, we left to visit a Karamojong village. We enjoyed beautiful dances and watched communal games—it was fun and so authentic. Then we headed to a kraal (where shepherds and herds are) to set up our camp. Moses had to get used to the idea of sleeping in the tribe in a tent! It was incredible to find ourselves in this universe. The place was beautiful, and we had a great time with the Karamojong. Some had never seen white people… had never been in a car… Their culture is incredible. During the evening, around the fire, to our guide’s dismay (a bird enthusiast), they grilled hornbills! On our side, we ate a meal prepared by Kara-Tunga for our sensitive stomachs! Night in a tent.

Day 18) Dawn wake-up in the fog—the atmosphere was quite strange. Our daughter was attacked by a cow—fortunately, more fear than harm, but she ended up with a lot of thorns in her buttocks and thighs ! Then we left for the Mount Elgon region, specifically Sipi Falls****. Lacam Lodge****, perched on the edge of the cliff with a direct view of one of the falls, was just magnificent. The view and landscapes were fabulous. Big favorite. We had dinner and then went for a hike to visit the three falls in the region, partly in the rain. The landscapes were breathtaking! Sunset at Lacam Lodge with the sun setting over the waterfall. We couldn’t get enough and stayed to admire until nightfall!

Day 19) Visit to coffee plantations*** where we were given all the useful explanations to understand the culture and the incredible work required for this product, which is ultimately not very glorified. The visit was very interesting, and we drank very good coffee with the owners. Last photos at Lacam Lodge, and then departure for Jinja, where we arrived in the middle of the afternoon. We took a small cruise to see the source of the Nile*. Very touristy and not at all to our taste… Then a meal at Jinja Base Camp** where we enjoyed guacamole. Our guide Moses left us because another group was waiting for him!

Day 20) Road to Kampala***, the market, the Gaddafi Mosque. Short but interesting visit. Last meal in Entebbe by Lake Victoria, where we almost felt like we were by the sea. Transfer to the airport and return to Switzerland…

Epilogue: All four of us were enchanted by this trip, which will undoubtedly remain one of the most beautiful we’ve ever taken. Talking about it gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes. It was simply a magnificent experience. However, I wouldn’t recommend this trip to everyone because you often have to overlook small inconveniences like toilets (the worst of my life) and certain comfort details that, for us, remain details but could be important to others.

Our favorites: - The gorilla trek - The cruise on Kazinga Channel - The Fort Portal region - The Rwenzori Mountains - The chimpanzee trek - Murchison Falls - Kidepo - Spending time with the Karamojong tribe - The Sipi Falls region - The accommodations: Eagle’s Nest, Byonna Amagara, Parkview Lodge, Tinka’s Home, Rwenzori Guesthouse, Fort Murchison, Night in the kraal, and Lacam Lodge

What we liked less: - Queen Elizabeth Park - Jinja - The accommodations: Ziwa Rhino Ranch, Karamojaarts Guesthouse

I’ll try to post some photos later. If you have any questions about a future trip, I’d be happy to answer them.