Blog s Contents 

I Pourquoi faire un tour de l'eurasie?    (en francais)

II Préparation du voyage  (en francais)

III Récits avant le départ (en francais)

IV Itinéraire (en francais)

V Comments of the trip (just click on the destination)

1    Espana  14 aout au 27 aout 2007 (en castellano)

2    On the way towards the Balkans - 1st october - 22th of october 2007  (in english)

3    Moldova 23th of october - 4 th of november 2007 (in english)

5    Belarus 5th of november - 12th of november 2007 (in english)

6    Lithuania 12 th of nov - 19 of nov and 23nov - 7 dec 2007 (in english) 

7    Latvia 19 th of november - 23rd of november 2007 (in english)

8    Poland 8 dec - 15 dec 2007 (in english)

9    Thailand 1st- 12 january and 23 - 29 january 2008 (in english)

10    Philippines  12 to 23 of january 2008 (in english)

11    Cambodia  29th of january to 4th of february 2008 (in englsih) 

12     Vietnam 4th of february - 24 th of february 2008 (in english)

13      China 24 th of february - 14th of march and 29 of march to 11 of march 2008  (in english)

14     South Korea 15 of march - 28 of march 2008  (in english)

16    Russia   11th april - 18th may 2008   (in english)

End of the trip - I started a new job in moscow as project manager the 19th of June

VI Artigos em Português

VII Articulos en Castellano

VIII Articoli pe Româneste

IX Comments - Address

I ve been three weeks working in moscow.

I ve been taken on by a canadian ingeneering company  www.snclavalin.com

I m project manager for  the construction of a Danone factory in the suburbs of Moscow.

It s pleasant to work in english french and russian. 

THe 28th of april, i got moscow by train...really huge city of 10 or 13 millions of inhabitants (depends the source). Here, rich people are really rich...so poor people are ...

I m staying in a friendly hostel, Galina flat, it remind me my five year at the house of colette when i was student in Caen. Galina flat is a dingy soviet style flat. THere are 3 cats living in the flat and plenty of pigeons at the window waiting for food. Many crazy travelers join that cheap place before starting the transiberian trip.

Moscovites are really busy, people don t care about foreigner (not like in siberia), anyway i could attend to the ceremony of the 9th of may. Here it s not a day for the peace , it a day for the victory against germans. poeple send postcard to their friend to celebrate that important day. There was a massive parade in the red square in front of the new president Medvedev. THis day is really important even for the young generation...russia lost 27 millions lifes in the 2nd world war.

A french teacher contact me to give a lecture at the moscow state university...in french about FRance. Inteesting.

IN russia, the gaz is free or better to say it s a fix price per month, so people let light on the gaz all day long because matches are not free. Incredible to see that.

I went to lenin mausoleum...I don t think it s lenin...he s so white.

An ingeneering candian company suggested to take me on...they really need  ingenner...i m still thinking about the proposition.

 From haerbin, an industrial city in the north of china i had 5 hours break. IN the middle of the chinesse crowd you can distinguish few russians , they came here at the beginning of the 20th century because of the revolution, they haven t mixed up with chinesse (not like the russian community in Nice- FR).

 In the train, going to the russian border in china , i met four fellows travelers. they was coming back of a 9 months trip around asia. THey was really interesting, i stayed with them for two days.

At the chinesse border, the police controled our luggages for five hours (me and those of the four rusians). The russians had a tibetan flag and things from tibet in their staff...really bad in that time ..After many questions ans researchs, the police didnt find anything out of  law, so they released us in the middle of nowhere, we missed our bus so we had to hitch hike in the countryside of siberia. I t was night and - 5 degree.....welcome to russia. We got zabaikal the first russian village. We stayed in a resting room at the railway station, there we had a deserved dinner (vodka, siberian fish, bread, cheese,...). New tastes for me.

IN chita , it was interesting to visit the museum i appreciated the bouriate culture (people with mongolian face but russian nationality).

After chita, i went to slyudenka, there i walked on the icy lake baikal!! In winter it s a motorway...3 meters of ice. In irkust i was hosted at the russian homestay. I stayed one night also in a wooden house. The siberian landscapes are awesome....virgin landscapes without houses. In irkust it s six hours before moscow time, but everywhere it s written with moscow time...in your train ticket, it s moscow time!!!...you have to add 6 hours on your departure time.

In siberia , i noticed that most of the boys have scars...it s usual to fight when you re drunk.

In Irkust i visited the art museum, tasted Omul, pierniki, blinis,...Actually at this time of the year we are changing of season from winter to summer, that s why in the same week i had - 8 degree and 21 degree. THe climate is extreme here, no sea influence.

In russia there re not lot of foreign influence, i mean you don t find macdonalds, not lot of international chain, nothing is written in english...it s not a consumption society...russian enjoy simple things well at least in siberia...that s really nice. Russians are really friendly even if they seems cold...once you ve break the ice , they invite you easily to their house. I was invited several times. I ate caviar for the first time of my life.

IN russia, nothing is free...you ve to pay for toilets, for sugar in you coffee, for megabytes used in internet connection, for sourcream in your soup, for bread.

Actually i ve been exactly 17 days without slepping two nights in the same bed. Tonight i gonna pass the border between asia and europe. I m in ekaterimbourg, capital of oural region.

As you can see in the last articles, i m spending lot of time in the train. I enjoy staying in plaskart class, more tghan in kupe.  People share teas, biscuits, noodles, it s a really friendlyt athmosphere.

Time          TRip                                      bed or seat                            price                  class    train or bus

8  h            beijing -   harbin                   seat                       270 rmb               fast train

14 h           haerbin manzhouli                   seat                    120  rmb              slow train - third class

7 h            zabaikal - chita                        seat                    650 RB               mini bus

13 h         chita - slyudentka                      bed                    650 RB              plaskart  train

2h            slyudentka - irkustk                    seat                   100  RB            mini bus

17 h        irkustk - krasnoyark                     bed                   690  RB            platskart  train

12 h        krasnoyark   - tomsk                    bed                  531 RB             plastkart   train

15h        tomsk  - omsk                             bed                    730 RB             plastkart  train

11 h        omsk - yekaterimbourg                 bed                  660 RB             plastkart train

14 h       yekaterimbourg - kazan                 bed                    1650 RB            Kupe  train

13 h         kazan  - moscow                         bed                     600 RB            platskart train

 Conclusion :   Beijing - Moscow took me  148  hours (6 jours complets) and cost me 209  euros. I spent 8 nights in the train

Mais pourquoi quitter mon confort quotidien ?

Pourquoi quitter une vie plutôt agréable, une famille unie et des amis incroyables ?

Pourquoi vouloir se retrouver à des milliers de kilomètres de là, éloigné de tous?  avec le repas de la veille se faisant sentir dans mes intestins, mon dos courbaturé me rappelant la nuit passé sur une planche de bois, les piqûres de moustiques accélérant ma circulation sanguine….

Peut être parce que les satisfactions sont multiples et variés et valent au centuple les petits désagrément rencontrés sur le bord de la route, finalement à l’origine de bons souvenirs, et parfois même source d’enrichissement .

•             pour  aller à la rencontre d’autres cultures  avec qui nous partageons la même planète (un peu bateau comme argument!!!je vous l'accorde),  
•          découvrir nos différences culturelles avant que tout s’uniformise sur ce monde (et oui les indiennes quittent leur sari pour mettre des jeans, les africains se mettent au coca, les casquettes nike fleurissent sur les têtes des petits mongols, les magasins espagnols ouvrent le dimanche,…).
•           pour se perdre, perdre ses repères et ses habitudes, pour être transporter et se laisser vivre au fil des rencontres.
•           prendre le temps de vivre , faire une pause, vivre sans horaire sans montre et ne plus entendre ce satané réveil chaque matin.
•           parce que la vie est courte et le monde est grand tout simplement.
•           parce qu’il faut que jeunesse se passe (la mienne n’est pas du tout passé) et que les voyages forment la jeunesse.
•           parce que j’en ai envie tout simplement.
•           pour apprendre le roumain pour parler anglais , espagnol….
•           pour avoir le temps d’apprendre et de lire.
•           pour toucher du doigt cette liberté de faire ce que l’on veut, être où l’on souhaite quand on veut… par exemple... après tout je ne suis pas obligé de suivre l'itinéraire que j'avais pensé faire au début.
•           pour mieux apprécier mon pays ma famille et mes amis au retour.

Hello from Beijing

ON monday i get on the fast train running from seoul to BUsan, in two hours we crossed South KOrea from north to south. I ve done that trip with VIrginie, a french girl living in malaysia. Busan is the second biggest city in korea and the fourth biggest harbour in the world. Once in BUsan, we went to the fish market, we saw so many kind of disgusting fishes. We had lunch late, a seafood barbecue.  After thaT we climb up a small hill, the cable car was already closed, we was too late.  Afterward we went to take picture in the most famous beach of korea (HUndaie).

ON tuesday i took a train to reach Giang JU, small city, but really important for koreans, it s the old capital. I stayed in a dingy hostel there. I met an american writer, he s writting a book about korean culture, he gave me one of his book, his website is www.madisonmorrison.com

THe second day in Giang JU i went with a guy from switzerland hiking in the mountains and visiting temples in te countryside. I would like to write down the name of that attractions and that places but i ve already forgotten. 

I came back one day and one night to seoul to say byebye. This time i stayed in Itaewon, there s an american army base

 On friday 28th, i take the boat to tiajin, 26 hours...i just bought some food before boarding. In the ship , an american couple is running out of money, i changed with them USD, it helped them to survive, they could buy some noodles soup. In the boat I learnt russian language. We got Tiajin at 8 pm , it was overwhejling to sse this huge harbour, many cranes thoussands of containers....the clothes and the toys are pack to be shipped to the western country. 

After 16 hours reading, sleeping and drinking green tea in the huge ship, I got at last Incheon (The terminal international Harbour). I m staying in a friendly place called staykorea close to Hongik University, plenty of french because sun the owner stayed 15 years in Paris, as you could know fench don t like to speak english so they stay there. I m hanging out and having a relaxing time here in Korea. It s forbidden to bip here, no bycicles, a clean and a efficient subway, a cosy guesthouse, i don t need to take care of my belongings,....well after china and vietnam its coming in a good time. Koreans are helpfull and kind people,..It s one of the safest country in the world, so natyrally I feel safe.

Its pretty easy to live in korea, in every subway station , you can find clean bathroom . You can find a place to clean up your glasses for free. You can recharge your batteyr s mobile phone for free everywhere.

Actually I tasted the differents korean experiences...the differents bangs (means room) as the jimjilbang..that s a sauna. KJoreans as russians use to go to the sauna, sometimes they even sleep inside (the cheepest accomodation in Seoul).  They go there in familly with friends. ARound the sauna , you can enjoy the differents facilities (hair dresser, bar, fitness room, massage,...) 

Korean Food is definetly delicious, first the kimchi this kind of fermented cabbage is served with every meal (it s the secret of the healthy korean life), second you can taste to the bibimpap or kimpap. But the best, the must is the korean barbecue..First you take off your shoes, second you put on a apron, fourth you sit on the floor and fifth after cutting your meat with scissors you cook it on the hotplate  situated in the middle of the table. .you add some vegetables and spice of course...with that you can drink typicals korean drinks like Tenamu Tong JIu, SO Jui, Makoli, Shitke.  

IN seoul, I ve been to INsadong, to see the different palaces (Changdeokgung, changgyeonggung). I also climb up Dobongsan mountain in the Bukhansan national park. We saw so many old people over-equiped with "the north face equipement'' climbing that mountain too. That s the main hobby for retired persons.

As you could notice, i m loving south korea: the life style, their own culture, the people.

Hey

Desole, je n envoie pas beaucoup de news, et oui les connections sont lentes et puis je suis a fond dans mon voyage...bref aujourd hui pas d excuse...je vais vous raconter un peu...donc je suis en chine ce pays dont on commence a parler mais qu on ne connait si peut.

Et oui je n esperais pas beaucoup de la chine pourtant ce pays et les chinois m impressionnent enormement....Je traverse la chine du Sud au Nord.

La chine est cette unique pays :

- ou l on construit partout et en permanance... la nuit, le dimanche ..24h/24 7/7j...on m avait dit la chine c est un melange de moderne et de tradition moi je n ai vu que le moderne!!! la moitie du beton utilise dans le monde est utilise en chine.

- ou il n est pas impoli de se moucher avec les mains, de peter ou de roter, cela peut etre fait en public sans que personne ne soit deranger

- ou l on coupe 60 000 arbres par jour pour fournir 80 000 000 de baguettes journalieres.

- ou l on peut se promener tout une journee  dans une ville de 4 millions d habitants sans voir un etranger ..mais en etant regarder par des milliers de chinois (voir pris en photo certaine fois).

- ou l on copie tout...les ferreros rochers sont copies et non pas du tout le meme gout, les starbucks coffee sans des fausses enseignes, des faux scooter avfec le meme design Piaggo, j ai meme vu un clochard avec un sac Louis Vuitton.

- ou dans la matinee j ai porte des gants et une echarpe et l apres j ai pris des coups de soleil

- ou l on trouve des toilettes publics sans separation ou tout le monde fait ses bessoins en se regardant dans le blanc de l oeil.

- ou l on mange tout ce qui a 4 pattes sauf les tables, d ailleurs je ne prands jamais le plat le plus cher dans un restaurant , c est mon seul moyen d eviter de manger du chien.

- ou l on peut aller sur internet a 3 heure du mat et trouver  plus de 1000 jeunes connecter dans un cyber cafe immense

On a une mauvaise image de la chine , mais la chine nous rattrape et nous depassera dans tres peu de temps, les blancs mangent leur pains blancs!!

Maintenant je suis a Qingdao, sur la cote, je prends le bateau vendredi pour rejoindre la coree du sud...20 heures de raffiot.

Vous pouvez retrouver mes aventures sur mon blog http://rickchaw.uniterre.com c est en anglais car cela permet de la faire partager au gens que je rencontre.

Cela fait maintenant 5 mois que je voyage, tout les jours ce voyage me reserve de nombreuses surprises et  rencontres, il se peut que cela se prolonge.

Merci pour vos messages, cela me fait chaud au coeur.

Je vous embrasse et je pense bien a vous tous.

Pierrick

I was little bit lazy to write down my news discoveries this last times, i gonna try to sum up the mains events the last 2 weeks. 

I stayed two days in the a youth hostel, close to the west lake in Hangshou, I visited the chinesse tea museum, walked around this wonderful lake. I hiked by night in the suburbs of Hangshou with a russian-polish girl Katarina, we went in that ghost district under construction. Hangshou is a modern city of 6 millions of inhabitants.

I took a fast train to go to Shanghai, city supposed to be international, well for me it s a chinesse city with only chinesse and few foreigners. I met Mrs Panda, a french guy who launched a business, he is making gadget for magicians, he showed me several tricks. I spend 4 days in Shanghai, I visited the bud, the shanghai museum.

As sightseeing, i enjoyed one of the highest scyskrappers of the world. I stay one night at Lara flat, a french girl who hosted me in her nice flat in the french concession district through couchsurfing association. I met back Yarri, a shanghainesse, that I met in Vietnam. He invited me in a retaurant where I had to choose among thoussand of fish in an aquarium which fish  I wished to eat. THe cooker killed in front of us, 10 minutes later we was savoring this fish.

From Shanghai i decided to go directly to Qingdao, a coastal city. The downtowm is composed of german architecture buildings, built during the german occupation. The famous beer Qingsdao is made here. My first job there was to book a ship ticket to Korea.

From Guilin I had a night in the sleeping train to get changsha. I got in changsha at 6 am , it was still at night. A student tried to help me. I took a local bus to get a university, it was supposed to have beds availables for 30 Yuans. Once there, only private room really expensive, i came back in the center. After having the runs (stomackhache) in naning, i ve a cold now. I went to the chemistry, i didnt understand nothing, they gave me something after showing them my throat, i don t know how many pills i ve to take, but i trust in them, i take 2m sounds good number?.

Changsha is a really big city, 4 millions of inhabitants, i walked all day long , i haven t seen one foreigner...i think it the only country in the world where it can happen. I visited the home where lived Mao Zedong. I tasted a tea with chrysantem. I ve been also in a restaurant own by a arab family (they are muslims). Actually they look like more to algerians people that to chinesse...but they have been living here in china for severals centuries.  

At the train station, i trusted also a student to buy my train ticket. THe trip was supposed to last the night. INstead of that, the trip lasted 4 hours. I arrived in Nanchang at midnight. I cheched hotel in my guide, i take a taxi to get the cheapy hotel. I woke up the receptionist, he told me that is was full. I was supposed to sleep all night long in the train instead of that i m ealking in a big city, looking for accomodation in the middle of the night (because of the poor english of this chinnesse student)!!! I found a top end category hotel, 16 euros , I bargained i got it for 12 euros...but it was really nice. No english channel on the TV. It s impossible to find international channel in china.  In the travel agency, top end category hotel, tourist information...staf don t speak english.

 Next morning, I applied by internet for an russian invitation in order to get the russina visa in Beijing.

 I ve been 5 days now without meeting the least foreigner!!! Why they are so many tourists in vietnam? Chinesse are so much more friendly and  honest ? I feel great with them.. THat s mysterious!!

 I would like to discover the tradional china so on sunday i took tow buses to go to wuyuan, after i took another bus to go to licken, a small village in the mountains. People are excellents, the village has traditionals houses.

That s a so peaceful place. I pay 2 euros for a room in a homestay, the housewife never stop to speak to me in chinesse!!, i ve my hot water to make my own green tea..great 

In china, you ve to be ready to be a star, people ask to you in the street to take a picture of you with them. Now i m in Hangshou, i m so impress about the number of cranes, site builiding everywhere: Bridges, roads, thoussands of building,...it s unbeelivable. You can see 50 buildings (the same design), under construction in the same time. Even on sunday, at night..thoussands of workers....working, pouring concrete,..

To finish that article i give you a number: 60 000...its the number of trees which are cut every day to supply the daily chopsticks for chinesse.

From Hanoi i took a bus to nanning (south china). I ve got a three months visa (2 entrance) in hanoi chineese consulate.

At the chinnese border, a french couple adviced me to hide my lonely planet guide book. They told me that the chinesse don t want that travelers go in china witrh that, they take you off that book. Because in that book it s readen that taiwain doens t belong to china. My first step in china...Nanning..ouah..a schock....another planet.

My first felling are : many young people, clean , modern, only chinesse character, hugeness of the city, efficiency,.... Nanning has two millions of inhabitants, there are only few foreigners. people don t care about you, just few students give you a discret smile. Nanning is a big city (as big as Lyon or valencia or manchester) but nobody knows that city in europe, there are 30 bigs cities in china (from 2 to 20millions) of inhabitants but most of them are unknow by westeners.

I shared a room we a french man Fabrice, and an israeli boy Ronen because accomadotion is expensive here and nobody can help us because of the language barrier. Fabrice 53 old man is travelling for two years, every day he sends to  france a piece of art  that he find in different place (local objects, amzing waste,...), he calls that ''post art''. A friend of him collects that every day...to make a kind of museum.

In Nanning i met an english speaker, Jack from singapore. he showed us nice local place, He took us to the night market, we tested so many stranges stuff. He helped me to buy a SIM Card

My first goal here, is to learn how to show number. For example, To pay 6 yuans, they don t show you 6 fingers, they make a special gesture (It s looks like t the gesture when you want to imitate a phone, or the famous gesture of the soccer player Ronaldinho). IN the street nobod speak english , if you llof your way, you ve to point the name of the strret in chinesse. So you can count till 20 with one hand. 

Chineese are really friendly... i had lot of bad experiences in vietnam. People give you in most of the case local price...they smile and they arenot as hateful as vietnamese towards the foreigners. From Nanning I travelled with Mickael a canadian boy (He s english teacher in china). In the train to GUilin, we was considered as star, a old lady gave us chocolate, two students  take us till the hotel.

In GUilin, we tested the famous green tea and we climb up two peaks. Mickael taught me that if i want toi avoid to eat dog, i just to never order the most expensive dish.

Two things really shocked me in china for now:

- when you go in a cyber cafe to send an email in the middle of the night, and you find at least 1000 youngs people playing in the same time at the computer games. In Paris a typical Cyber cafe has 10 computer but not 1000.

- At the bank clerk, you have to give your appreciation about the worker after he attends you. You can see the total appreciations that he got previously.

On Saturday, a friend of mine arrived to travel one week together  in the north of vietnam. I want to sse the ethnicals minorities, those who leave in the mountains. Actually SAPA is a really famous place for that. Most of the travel agencies offer many tours there. I met lot of foreigners in hanoi, they told me how disapointed they was after this kind of tour. It was cheap but it s not private at all. A bus of tourist arrive in a village, you can imagine...there are more tourists than indigenous. MOreover SAPA is 1400 meter hight, so in winter it s usually rainy and foggy. So I decided to make a private tour in a different place, we rent a four while drive with driver...and a local guide. It pricey but the only mean to be independant with total self reliance. After having a night in the train, we reach lao cai (city at the chineese border). The first day we went to Si mai cai market, and we came back to Bac Ha, in the afternoon we trecked  in the mountains around the rice paddies. People there re not use to see white people.The second day we went in Coc ly market, really muddy, women wore the traditional clothes. Among the minorities, we can find 5 kinds of hmongs, thai minoroties,.... THey don t mix up, they have differents customs. Most of this minortities are from china , they moved in vietnam three centuries ago. We went to assist to a karaoke with your guide, the only entertainenent in the city, you rent a room and you can sing as loud, as long and as off key as you want. That really popular in asia to sing love songs. It s the main attraction on the top of all. On the background on the TV screen you can admire rainfall .They do it so seriously. Who say that france is the most romantic country?

The second night we stayed in homestay. We slept in the same home and same room that thai minorities. Interesting to see how they leave. 3 generations under the same roof. Actually even among them, they don t speak a lot, they don t say hello , bye bye, thanks you, its n t in their culture. They speak their own language. The third day we left Taunegdo village , we came back to hanoi by the night train.  WE left our guide ZIONG, this skimpy guide fussed over us for three days (good cooker , good cultural knowleges). We enjoyed this trip, the only place in vietnam where people approach you without materials morivations., just curious to see foreigners. Many People invited us to have a tea or a shot of happy water.

We carried on our trip by a two days tour in halong bay. Halong bay is the most touristic place in vietnam.... thoussand of stone peaks in the middle of the sea....We slept on the boat, nice athmosphere among the travelers. We made a kayak tour when sunsetting....wonderful. We played cards with the other fellows while drinking whisky. On the boat i take the opportunity to read my china guide book and to prepare my future trip. In halong bay we past a floating village. YOu can find a school in a boat. 

From Hue I went to NInh Binh, i took a night bus, in that bus you don t find seat, only beds.

I get off the bus its 5 oclocl in the morning. I m with an irish couple. we lloked for a cheap hotel till someone suggested us to follow him. i didn t want to take a room , i waited for the day, rent a motocycle. Cau doc (10 km from Ninh Binh) offer the same landscapes that Halong bay...exept that the rocky hills are surronded by rice paddies and rivers, not by the sea. In the afternnon, i m quiet freezing , i decided not to stay in that dirty old town (the pogues)...lets go to hanoi....

I got in hanoi at 5 pm, i took a motocycle taxi to get the guest house, after bargaining i got one room for 8 dollars, staff is groovy. They can make my chinesse visa, it gonna take one week. I spend half day in the clothes shop to buy a new pan, a jacket, socks. It s 10 degree outside (inside too). Hanoi is not so as crowded as HCMH but it s not quiet neither.

I stayed two days at the home of relatives to my brother in law Laurent, it was nice to see how a expat family live in a so crazy city as hanoi. I really apreciated their hospitability and to eat chocolate, sour cream, sweet breakfast, bread....(western food), i use to eat only local food in south east asia . Instead of attended a water puppet show (hanoi speciality), it was full , we went to the circus together.   

I m following my way, always eager to discover more.

I met Yerry a chinese boy, we visited the war museum together, by the way we realized the painfull american atocities against the vietnameses during the war. After we met Anni a friend of him. They are from sanghai, we assisted to the mew year fireworks together.

 Agter saigon, i went to Vung Tau by speed boat. It s plenty of off shore drilling oil there, and two lovely beaches. There re a russian community there, working in the offshore platforms to extract oil. Amazing to see a russian supermarcket in vietnam.

On wednesday (the 1st day of the year for asiatics) i walked around, people was gathered for familly meeting. two famillies invited me to have a beer (viewing that i was alone for the holy day), at last i met youngs people they invited me to join us to have the dinner, we ate  banchung, kind of steam rice boiled for 10 hours.

This week , vietnamese are burning false dollar note in the street, for luckyness.

I had the week end in Nga Trang, I had my first mud bath...i didn t notice any change in my skin after that....indeed there, you can find hot spring water.

I took a night bus to HUe (city situated more or less in the center of vietnam).   In hue I made a tour in motobike with an english boy Simon. He has been 6 months travelling. He gave me good tips. IN hue there re lot of historic  sightseeings (pagoda, a forbiden city like in Beejin, old briges,....).

Actually I ve been one month and half travelling with warm weather. Around 30 degrees. It s over. From Nga trang to Hue, we past from 30 degrees to 15. In HUe it s raining. I put it back my pull over, coat , scarf. Actually ifeverything goes weel , I plan to take it off (pull overm scarf,....) in the middle of april in russia.

Chuc mung nam moi means happy new year, this night millions of people are going to change of year (the TET). Vietnam gonna be have one week off. They gather for familly party. Amazing to see a whole fa;illy coming back from saigon to their family village in motocycles (fous peoples more the luggages)!!

As you see i m in vietnam, I ve been in Can THo biggest city on the delta Mekong. Now I stay in Saigon (secand nam e Ho chi MInh). I ve nerver seen so many motocycles in my life, it never stop, it s a forest of motocycles!!!. When you cross a road you hace to stop go stop go stop go stop...you cross a road in 6 or 7 steps.

I counted yesterday it s impossible to have a while of 20 second without hearing a bip.  In 1990 it was full of bycicles, in 2000 full of motocycles I can t imagine in 2010 the when it gonna be full of cars.

I m meeting good people too here. For instance, i asked in the bus where i had to get off to student, they didn t know english, they call a friend of them  and by phone i explained to me, when i get off he was there  to show me my way.

THat s the problem there , its like in France, most of the peole don t speak english (even the youngs).

In the reception of my hotel there was a aquarium full of snake. IT WAS SO awful ..good way to be hospitable!!!!I just hoped they didn t escaped fot the night.

I went in a VIP disco for the golden young, when you ve pee someone make you a back massage, when you move in the disco security guard show you your way, every 5 mn the waiter full up your glasses and when you leave you ve to shack the hand of the managers...

I notice that vietnamese people really love money...for instance....you re alone and you order a coffee...she askyou how many coffe do you want ( ussually i say ten , for  kidding) if you re alone you re supposed to order one!!!, after she suggest you to take some cookies at least two times. When you finish your coffee she ask you if you want another one. When it s time to pay she charge you two coffees .. i yell her and she tell me to shut up in order that the other vietname and foreigner don t notice that she is dishonest.

After six hours in a air conditionned  bus,  I got in Phon Penh. THis time I took a luxury bus for 10 dollars. An attendant from the bus company showed us the main attraction during the journey.It s a pleasure to have her own seat, to not have to share it with someone else. 

Phon Pehn has some french colonial remains (buildings, words, food, ...). Cambodians eat bread, that s not the case of the thais.

IN Phon Penh, I stayed close to the bang koak lake. It was nice  in the terrace to admired the sunset on the lake. I was really shoched about the poverty in the street od Phon Pehn. Cambodia just finshed a civil war , there s no foreign investements yet.

I negociated a room for 3.5 US dollars , just under the lake.  Some rats  rans on the terrace but the athmosphere was so peaceful that it was a good deal. It s a hassle there , tourists have around 50 taxi propositions a day, pretty exhausting.

Cambodians are really good people, actually even if  i travel alone , i don t spend lot of time alone , always you find someone or travelers to have a nice chat or to have a meal.

On saturday i rent a electrical bike to visit the killings fields. KIllings fields is a kind of extermination place, a huge number of cambodian were killed during the red kmers period. That s so moving to see this bones, thoussands of skulls....you see so many piece of clothes going out from the soil.

THe battery of the electric bike went off, i had to come back by bike. On sunday I  had a lunch with doctors in a restaurant along the mekong river thanks to klemarey, a french student girl that i met in PP who invited me. After that lunch, we went to visit a village outside PP. There, we saw a library under constrction and  a workshop where they make handicrafts  . Saram a cambodian living in PP is helping people by this way. He is in charge of that project. His goal is to give scolarisation to the youngs and to the adults in that village.They teach also local know-how, by the way the youngs don t need to go to PP, they can work and earn their life in that village and stay there.

It s 6h30 in the morning, the 4 th of february i moved to chau doc in vietnam, after taking two bus ans two boat i reached vietnam. I past the border in along the mekong river. THe boat stoped to make the formalities.

I past the border with 6 other travelers, it s 7 o clock, we tried to find a taxi to go to siam reap. We find only one car able to take us there. We choose to have the night in poipet. POipet has a weird athmosphere as every border city. Casino are forbiddens in thailand, so poipet has plenty of casino, thai come to gamble there.  

THe next day i took a truck taxi - five hours to fo to siam reap.

Siam reap is 200km from poipet. That the city where travelers stay to visit Angkor temples. 

I rent a bike to visit the temples....so many temples lost in the remote forest. it was built from the 8th to 13th century. Completly abononeted, tree grews in the temples.

THis time i take a air conditioned bus because next time i had to wash everything after my trip, even the backpack.

Travelers or backpackers in english, routards in french, trotamundos in spanish. But what is the meaning of this words.

I gonna try to give not a definition of a traveler but his ways to consume his manners to move.. . What s the characteristic of a traveler? HOw do you recognize a traveler? What s the behaviour of a travelers?

  - he doesn t use travel agency, he makes and plans her way by himself....don t forget that in the trip the most important is not the destination , the most important is the way. He can use travel agency or guide when it s not really safe (climb a mountain), anyway i gonna choose a local guide in priority.

- he eats only local food and drinks local drinks (he doesn t want to influence the developpement of fast food or international food)

- he pays the local price, he refuse to pay tourist price....indeed it can dammage the local economy....a fishman earn 2 US dollar a day, if an american give 5 US dollars for one hour in the boat to reach an island (and it should cost for local persons 0.5 US Dollars) in that case the fisherman give up to fish, they just use their boat to bribe/rip off tourists. THe fishing activity disapear!!!  BUt the american guy is still convince that he has done a good things. 

- he learns few word of the local language (thanks, hello, ...) , he try to avoid to speak directly english

- he avoids to stay in hotel  with a non-local structure or architecture.  Concrete structure doesn t suit really good in the african countryside. IN that case, a travelers prefer to stay  a wooden or bamboo structure shotel .

- He takes public transportations as local people, he avoids to take plane, to take taxi, touristic bus or to rent a car.

 If a traveler respects that conditions, he not gonna pollute too much and not  dammage so much the local culture

After the journey in philippine i m back for few days in bangkok. I met Kay (a friend of sophie), we went to have a dinner in a restsaurant on the edge of the main river in bangkok. It was amazing, because while you re eating in the restaurant you can get extra food from the small embarcation. Small boats pass close to the restaurant and stop there to sell you a kind dry fish.

 I stayed one night in Saraburi, in a crappy hotel...i didn t dare to use the towels, so crapy it was. There was pipe below the sink , so when you turn on the tap, all the water was souring on your foot.

I waited my tren in Pratchinbury four hours...during that time people was astonidshed to see a white boy in their city., from there, it took me 3 hours to get the cambodian border.

I  flew on saturday from kalibo to Manilla. I set with alexis to meet us up at 5pm in Malate. He picked me up there, he was with his girlfriend. We went to AsiaMall to have a japanese dinner, Asiamall is a commercial mall. Manila has 3 of the 10 biggest malls in the world. IN that kind of mall you can go to the dentist, buy one house, get three yogurts, go clubbing....and even go to the sunday mass. Actually as said my friend, manilla has lot of commercial mall, it s a kind of oasis in the city and around the mall you have a fucking mess....and lot of poverty. It s almost imposible to walk in the street, it s a hassle to conturn the numerous obstacles. Moreover In ther mall, you find the aircom...pretty appreciable when it s around 30 degree all year long.

I stayed five days  with alexis, i had a great time, it was great to spend time with him and his girlfriend lauren. They showed me lot of things.

In Philipinne you can eat embryon, i mean just before the little chichen break the egg to go out, they boil it , so it s an egg but you can distingate the head from the legs.

In philipine has been influenced by different wawes...

- first spanish all the philipinos have spanish name...lot of lopez, garcia, gonzalez...

- second from the locals ethnics minorities, I met a guy a the street who wear a kind of string, this community still don t know the pans.

- third from the americans, you find plenty of fast food, donuts, jeepneys...

I experimented the philippino massage, after a while in the sauna and the steamer room...it s really relaxing. I ve been to tagaitale...its a volcano in the middle of a lake and int the crater of that volcano there s a lake. 

I stayed one night in puerto galera, i didn t like that place ...lot of prostitution, beaches was not excellent, the only good thing is that my room was just in front of the sea. From my bed I could see the boats thought the big window pane. After having one day in  different means of transports i reached to cataclan. From there, I took a boat to go to the main touristic spot in philipines, Boracai is a small island, full of hotel, resort...the beach there is....no  words.... a paradise (coconut, thin and white sand). I prefered to stat one night in caticlan to save money...there my room was philipinno standart (a hole for the toilets and a bucket as shower).

In kalibo  i m participating in a yearly festival....music, dress up, dances in he street....a kind of  mardi gras.

Bnagkok, on saturday It s 7.30 in the morning, i dont want to sleep because i don t want to miss my plane.

I just came back from the disco, my plane gonna leave at 2 pm. I enjoyed the free breakfast on the terrace of the guest house.

I checked my mail on internet, i read that my friend alexis is hosting here parents in philipiinnes till the 16 th of january, I should wait fews days for him, i may take the opportunity to visit the north during this time.

I have lot of time to go to the airport and i don t want to spend 500 bath in a taxi to reach the international airport, i took a city train, one hour to cross the eastern suburb of BKK, I got off in train stop (as said me someone in the hotel) There i m the only foreigner of course, people are quiet surprise to see me here, I negociated a ride with a scooter taxi to go to the airport...amazing to be on the scooter with my pack among the huge motorways and the dense traffic....definately much more fun than a casual taxi. 

I didn t notice the three hours to go to manila...i slept really well in the plane. actually i consider manila as the most unsafe place  where i m staying in my whole year off.  I asked to a girl to share a taxic she seem german (not for the price but for my security), she could t she was taking a domestic flight to zebu, at least i found someone to share the taxi with me.  

In 30 mn I reach the Malate district I stayed to Mlate Pensione. That s really noisy outside it s saturday, even the noise of the fan doesn t  cover this city s noises.

The next day I took a bus to go to Bagio in the north of Luzon island (the main island, there re 7000 island in philippine). The lasted 8 hours dor only 230 km. FRom the bus window you can see the really famous rice terrace, a mix of nature and human work. In that city like in the country, there re lot of people in the street...especially young people. To move around you can use a jeepney kind of  big jeep,  the american heritage. There i felt the mountainous atnosphere, weather is more fresh.

I planned to go more on the north, but I was fed up with this lond bus day trip. So I came bak to Manila, thwere I was hosted by a phillipine family, I ate traditional dish, a fish rolled in a corn leaf. After we reached the house in a tricycle , a tricycle is a side car (was my fist time). IN the morning I woke up early at 6, to take the bus to batangas and then a boat to puerto gallera.

 I gonna flight on satuday from kibalo to manilla. I gonna meet up with Alexis (I met Alexis at the high school).

After having learnt some magic show (merci denis), it s hard to leave the city of chumphon but i think that my trip ll give other surprise, I ve never regretted to change of place in my trip, so i took a small train to Prachuap Khiri Kan , 200 km toward the north, along the cost.

In that city when local people see you re looking for something, they suggest you to jump on their moto and they take you proudly  to the right destination. I visited the monkey temple. On the evening i tried to have a beer in some bars but because of the mourning time (death of the sister s king) everything is closed.

In that day I m thinking to have 2 weeks in Philipines after thailand for four reasons....:

  1 I have one of my best friend leaving there (Alexis), i guess it could be a nice suprise for him...and he could teach me so many thing about Pjilipinne.

  2 Two experimented travelers really adviced me to go there (nico and a german guy),

   3 Bangkok is place where you can find the cheapest flight in asia,

   4 i don t need visa to come back to THailand (if i do that in vietnam i should need a specific vica)

The next day i took a bus to BKK, once in BKK i asked to the taxi driver to drop me in a street (i showed him the name), he explained me that this street is 30 km long!!! better to know the number of the hotel...in BKK, the street s name is not enought ...you easily get lost.

Funny in Bkk to go clubbing...in the middle of the night you take a touc touc a taxi on a moto...for one euro you change of district and of disco...when it s 7 o clock in the morning it s already sunny It already almost 30 degree...it s time to think to go to bed...but before that you take a noodle soup in the street.

BKK is defimntly a fucking mess, really overcrowded, I love that, lively at every hour of the day and the night. Most of the tourist come to thailand for the beach I prefer the lively market!!!

 People are honest here, I lost a note of 100 bath, the girl ran behind me to gave me it back.

To conclude I was really delighted by Thailand, I thought before going there that the massive tourism would have destroyed the autenticity (culture, smile,...) It s completly untrue, if you make a little effort you can discover a wonderful country with nice people (smilimng, friendly, funny, helpful).

After fews days in THailand, I m going to write fews impressions about that country.

It s a beautiful country, worth seeing it, especially if you can avoid touristic place, If you can avoid tour organizedb by pricy travel agency and if you avoid specific transportations for farans (foreigners).

In bangkok, temples are huge it s really peaceful places, good to have a fresh break in the temples after supporting pollution and the loudly noise of this capital.

I ve done identity pictures in BKK, when I took it back, i didn t recognized myself on the pictures, they just told me that they made some special effects to erase face defaults...because i had few spots on my face...so on that picutre i ve a perfect smooth skin!!! Asiatic love their skin. They use white lotion...they don t understand that french girl spend money to use UV room.

The fisrt day that i got in bangkok the king s sister died, thai are really respectful for the royal familly. I wear only black cloth they really appreciated my way to respect the died of this person (even if I didn t know that)

I ve done in BKK a wrong journalist card (in freeland) it seem really real, they can make you a false driving licence too.

On the 4/1 i took a night train to reach Surattami, in the south, tren was full, after 12 hours sitted in hard seat we took a boat to ko phan ghan, this island was supposed to be a paradise...even if there is sandy beaches with blue water I didn t like it...too many tourists and especially englisk spoker tourist. I just rent one day a scooter ...to ride around the island, it was my first time that I drove on the left side.  Even in the restaurant of that island, food is not spicy...just for the sensibility of few tourist..in thailand you have to eat spicy and thaty s all.

I went to KO tao, other island...after ten minutes in that island I ran toward the boat to take it again i didn t want to stay there. I almost missed it. well... now i  m in Chomphen and that really better....people are always smilling, realy easy-going. I eat crab, sprimgs, sea fish,...always with a fruit shake. I ve met 2 frenchs , they are leaving here they introduced  myself to local people.

The first step of my trip is over, I m starting the second one. This second ll be twice longer.

First, I really thank every one of us to support me, to have sent me this friendly messages.

Then I would like to wish you an happy new year! I wish you for 2008 : good health, to come true your dream, nice family life, succes at work, love, surpises, ...

Its 3 o clock in the afternoon, the new year eve day (31/12), I just took the train to paris to flight to bangkok. I m seaten beside a boy from KIgali (capital of rwanda).

I spent two weeks in normandy, i let my pullover to bring shorts. 

THe Roissy airport is quiet empty in this special evening, staff surely want to come back to their house to celebrate the new year.

Actually, for ,me this day is far from to be the best one of the year, so on one side i m quiet satisfied to avoid that ''compulsory party''...

I flew first to Doha (Quatar) with qatar airways, The pilot just told us happty new year and that all, no extra, I slept three hours after reading 4 newspapers. I love flighing , because you can read any kind of newspapers for free!!!

In the plane I m thinking that i ve no return ticket , I gonne come back to france only by tren. 

I made a transfer in Qatar, with a nice smile they let me seat in the buisiness class. So cool...champagne, tasty food, ...You just press a button and your seat become a bed.

Welcome in thailandia the county of the smile!!!

THe milk bar are this typical bar in poland.

They are full all day long of student, homelless and stingy french traveler!!!

I give you some tips to know How to recognize a milk bar :

 - no music, a big silence people just come there to eat and that all.not friendly at all cold athmosphere

- the staff is composed of womam (more that 40 years old) they wear blouse like nurses, broken tight

- the decoration is really kitch composed of plastic flower,,,the furnitures chairs and table are blues

- you have three step to eat: first you choose your food and you pay , second step you give your receipt and they give you on the moment the food...you try to take your hot soup till your tasble....and third you put back your dirty dish to the kitchen... as you can guess there s no waitress in this kind fo restaurant

LOt of people ask me why I travel in winter, I made a list of the advantages and disvavantages,

Avantages;

 - First if you travel fot one year you canno t travel only in summer

- you don t need to book in advance your hotel, it s always availabe

- streets are not full of tourist speaking loudly english

- local people pay more attention to the tourist- foreigners because there are not so many

- you see the real local life  (students are studing, workers are working,...) 

- it s quite charming when it s snowing

- interesting to have your coldest experience in your life

- life is more authentic

 Disavantages

- it cost you more because you eat more and you need to eat hot and to drink hot drinks

- you need to carry more cloth, you backpack is more heavy

- hard to take pictures for too reason : you don t feel like to put it off your gloves to take a pictures and after 3h30 pm it s already dark

- can t bear-stand up to visiting and walking all day long in the street , it s too cold you need to make breaks every too hours to warm you up

- it s not so nice: trees don t have leaf, flowers aren t blossomed,

For my last week , I ve been in thre city iN POland; Gdansk, Torun, Warsaw,

I had a night in a bus from VIlnius to Gdansk. Gdansk is a city on the baltic coast the main harbour in poland. This gothic style city is built with bricks. This city is famous for the riot in 1980 at least 40 persons died because they just disagree with the conditions. There, it was born the movement - trade union solidarnost for the sgipyard workers. Lech walessa was the lider of this strike, this simple worker became president of poland afterthat.

IN this last week I use couch surfing website to find host, excellent to be hosted in a different flat every day, plenty of surprise make your trip more authentic and unfforgotable!!!

On wednesday I stay one day in Totun where was born Copernicus this fgamous astronot!! This city is also famous for the giger bread (kind of cookies). It was cool to visit the museum after that to make your own cake, they cook it you get your cake when you leave the museum!!

Cool also to be invited at the grand parents home of a polish friend, ,, so much food,,,they didn t eat with us , they jsut spend their lunch time to serve us traditional polish food.

 Now I got in warsaw by car, I meet my host at 9 pm at the metro station so I enjoy the waiting time to check my mail

 I would have liked load more pictures in that blog but I cannot, there snt space or i ve to pay or to let them to put stupid advertissement!!!

Hi

I ve a long time without giving news, sorry about that, I stayed 3 weeks working as volunteer in a orphans in Vilnius, interesting experience. I ve done it for severals reasons : to feel myself useful (and not only to travel), to understand better the lithuanina mentality, to make a break in my trip,...it wasn intersting experience, I sfaff was great and we was two volunteers (me and an american girl) our mission was to spend time with childrens (plays, walks, song...). Today I m living Lithuania to reach the baltic. sea...Gdansk..Afortunately I don t have enought time to go to Kalingrad (where my grand father stayed 5 years as prisonner) because I need a russian visa to get in. 

Every day I m use to be hosted at the home of someone, i use the couchsurfing website to meet people. I can meet local people, and I can save money too. Especially in those last days, I lost my credit card. The ATM give you the cash before givind you back your CC. I let the CC in the ATM. ANyway till my return to france I just try to survive , eating  polish potatoes!!!.

I m already looking for information about the followings destination in asia. I haven t booked any flight yet. BYe BYe gloves, hot tea, coat...

I m in riga since on tuesaday, first impression ...disapointed by the people, not really friendly. As if they were fed up with the foreigners. Half of the Riga inhabitants are russian.

I had a problem in a cyber cafe, they charged me a wrong fee. I disagreed they called the police..4 cops went  to require me to pay and to go away. Cool for the first day !!!

Exept that , Riga is a mix of a medieval city and ''art nouveau style''. It worth seeing it.  I went up to the highest sky scrappers to have a general view , it was smogy.. i just saw riga clouds...

I stay at the old town hostels...good athmosphere...full of backpachers...you ve a bar in this hostel...concert and loud music all day long.

I tasted to the Riga Black Balzan, strong local alcohol, it s supposed to cure headacks. I met couchsurfers in Riga, my first impression was wrong there arenice people too.

This afternnon i get back to vilnius, i m not going more to the north. I ll visit estonia next time.

It s 11 pm, the train got in Vilnius the railway station is almost empty, I didn t have any problems on the border.

I looked for an ATM to have cash. A new country...Sometines when I wake up I just wonder me wher I am? That s weird to change again and again of language and currency. I ve still lot belarusians roubles in my pocket. Of course lithuanians have their own language, their own currency. I ve to learn really quickly how to say thank you , hello , bye bye in this unknown language. I think it s necessary to learn a minimum of a vocabulary when you re visiting a country.

After two tests at two different ATM I got money, I didnt know the rate, so I took too muck almost 700 euros. Anyway I ll change it when i ll change of country.

I looked for my bus at the bus stop, I was almost get on the bus when i saw a sign indicating a youth hostel at 300m. Quiet lucky

I reach that on foot. LOt of beds was available. I let my staff in this dormitory of 10 beds, an english boy is reading her guide book. The hostel is half full. I asked to the staff where i can enjoy a sauna, laundry,...

I went to walk around the city, looking for food..a pizza restaurant was still open.

My first impression is that is really easy to travel in Lithuania, they know the word service. People are really friendly and funny we say that they are the spanish of the baltic countries. Lithuanians are pagans, churchs are over crwoded. We feel that they are no slavic.

Vilnius is a barroc style city, I feel more in a village than in a capital. I visited the university, saint Anne church, the casttle, the national lithuanian museum, the three crosses,...

I ve been in a one day trip in trakai..ex capital of lithuania...2 castles 5 lakes...perfect place to chill out.

I went to the french cultural center, to be kept informed about the stricks...shame on the people who are on strike...if they disagree they are free to dismiss from SNCF and to find a better job. 

On monday morning I take the bus to riga the capital of Latvia.

As you can see, I ve changed again my itinerary, but that the aim of this trip (travelers advice, opportunity,...). I want to participate to the CS meeting in vilnius the 23th and to visit a friend in the same city so  i decided to go to the north and towards the baltic country. I not gonna give me time to visit romania, bulgaria and albania...so i prefer to stauy till crsitmas in the north of europe and I ll come back in the balkans after christmas....

 Anyway I m in belarus, unknow country for most of the people of western europe. The capital is Minsk. Minsk was completly destroyed in the second world war, so you can see lot of communist remains. It s a paradise for concrete lover like me. They haven t remove yet the CCCP propagand. Everything is huge here, the  architecture is quiet cold, road are so wide that you need to go in a underground to cross them. I m quiet ashtonished, viewing the immensity of everything.  Intersting to sse a cold building and to sicover inside a cosy bar.

It s quiet freezing here, around minus five. In minsk, it s snowing a lot, that s really charming to see this huge park and trees with snow. Tat the first time in my life that I use an umbrella to pretect myself of the snow. I had to buy a tight (loggin) to put below my pans. We suppose to wear it when it s minus twenty, but i need it when it s minus five, belarussians laught at me!!.

In belarus I ve pay a bus ticket with 11 notes, there s no coin in that country. I feel really rich my pocket is full of notes, you can find a note worth 1 euro cents !!!In Minsk I stay at the flat of an old lady. 

There no hostel there, so few tourists, especially in november. Moreover Louckashenko president ask a visa for tourist from western europe !! I got it in kiev.  I had to stay at the old lady s flat in the suburd in that bedroom district.

I went to see a ballet performance in the main opera of minsk (palats republiscki) , it was great and impressive. So many actors dancing in the same time....everything acompanied by an orchestr playing classical music.

Belorusians are very friendly, they speak russian. Food is really heavy, most of the dishes are made with potatoes. I ve eaten draniki kind of pancake made with potatoes....people from neighbourhood countruies call them potatoes eater!!!, .

I ve been to the house where was given the first communist meeting. Everything started there...(preparation of the revolution of october...). I visited also a musseum outside minsdk about the 19th century belorussians life style.

This night i gotta take a train to vilnius capital of Lithuania , my visa is over, i m ready to have my coldest experience in my life.

I could receive here a ''shot vodka lesson''' . Everytime, everywhere, people drink shot of vodka. Mens have to drink the shot in one strock, womens are allowed to seap  it in several time. After the shot we have to take a ''zacuzka'', a kind of snack or it could be a juice or just to smell something. People was surprise that i didn t need that. After few shots, i understood why you need to take a zacuzka. You get drunk so quickly. Girls say  that after the first shot you ve to kiss a the mouth. I havnt check yet if it s the intermnational rules..

Toilettes hommes dans  l opera de MInsk ; A l epoque commun