Le Sri Lanka en famille

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Je voudrais tout d’abord remercier ma mère et ma grande sœur Claire pour ces beaux jours passés ensemble sur cette superbe île qu’est le Sri Lanka, c’était vraiment magique de pouvoir partager un bout de mon chemin avec vous et ça m’a redonner pleins d’énergie pour la suite de mon aventure autour de l’Asie. Claire ça m’a fait vraiment plaisir de pouvoir passer des moments avec toi, ça faisais vraiment longtemps qu’on ne s’était pas retrouve comme cela, j’ai vraiment aimé danser, boire des coups et discuter avec toi, j’ai l’intime conviction que ça nous a rapprocher tout les deux. J’espère France que tu pourras également venir me voir et pourquoi pas avec Papa ça serait vraiment génial !!! Merci encore pour tout, vous me manquez tous terriblement, je vous aime très fort !

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I also want to say thank you to Felicia and Anton (one of the best travel mates I ever met during my travel, I will never forget you guys) for all you did and for all the good time passed together. I will see you when you see me ! Tchai Tchai Tchai Tchai !!!!

Oui j’ai rédige cet article en français car j’aimerais en dire beaucoup plus que les autres et aussi parce que je suis un peu fatigué par mon anglais et par mon manque de vocabulaire Clignement d'œil

Je suis donc arrivé de bon matin a l’aéroport de Colombo où ma mère et ma sœur Claire m’attendaient sagement devant un écran de télévision entourées par des dizaines de Sri-Lankais. Ce fut court mais très intense, j’en avais presque les larmes aux yeux et Maman était elle aussi a deux doigts de pleurer. Apres les retrouvailles nous sommes allez en direction de Colombo ou Maman nous avais booker un Hôtel vraiment très chic avec piscine sur le toit, baignoire et des lits vraiment trop confortable (ça change des planches en bois et des hôtels miteux). Le soir nous sommes allez dîner dans le restaurant d’un Hôtel encore très très chic avec un buffet qui n’en finissait plus … Super soirée, merci Maman !

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Notre première destination fut Mirissa sur la cote au sud de l’ile, une petite station balnéaire pleine de touristes et de restaurants sur la plage. Comparer a l’Inde, le Sri Lanka est vraiment très chère et ce n’est pas vraiment une destination faite pour les Backpakers mais c’est une des destinations préféré des surfers. Nous avons ce soir la ouvert la bouteille de Saint-Émilion et le camembert “le petit” qu’elles m’avaient rapportées de France, je peux vous dire qu’après 18h dans l’avion et 5h dans le bus le caltos était fait archi fait !! J’en ai encore le goût dans la bouche. Et super surprise, Felicia et Anton nous ont rejoins a la fin de l’apéro et nous sommes tous allez dîner au bord de l’eau, je ne m’attendais pas du tout a les voir aussi rapidement.

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Le lendemain je me suis essayé au Surf, après une petite leçon de théorie et de pratique sur le sable avec mon prof je me suis jeté à l’eau et sans être prétentieux je me suis levé sur la planche a ma toute première vague, BG Edouard !!! C’était une petite vague je vous l’accorde mais tout de même il faut souligner la performance Sourire

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Apres deux jours passés au bord de l’eau nous avons Maman, Claire, Felicia, Anton et moi loué une voiture avec chauffeur pour nous diriger dans les montagnes vers une charmante petite ville du nom d’Ella. De la nous avons empruntés la petite voie de chemin de fer et son train qui longue toutes les plantations de thés, nous avons croisés des paysages magnifique, à couper le souffle: c’est l’une des voies de chemin de fer les plus belle au monde selon le guide du routard. Nous sommes arrivé en fin de journée en bas du pic d’Adam (Adam’s Peak) après 2h passées debout dans un bus infernal. Le lendemain, nous sommes partit a l’ascension de ce pic vers 2h du matin afin d’arriver au sommet pour le levé du soleil, 5000 marches environs et même après un mois de trek au Népal et le Yoga en Inde j’ai eu mal aux mollets pendant les jours suivants, bon peut être pas autant que Maman et Claire mais quand même Sourire

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Nous avons rejoins la ville de Kandy ou nous avons prit une route différente d’Anton et Félicia car nous voulions allez dans le Nord afin de monter le rocher de Segiriya. Nous nous sommes donc retrouver tout les trois en famille et même si pour moi le lieux n’était pas vraiment magique, les moments passées avec Claire et ma mère l’ont étés. Nous avons décidés de repartir sur la cote pour passer les derniers jours, ça m’a permis de pouvoir refaire du Surf, de revoir une dernière fois Feli et Anton et aussi de passer des super moments avec Claire, a boire des coups et a danser jusqu’au bout de la nuit.

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Je suis maintenant dans ma chambre d’Hôtel pas très loin de l’aéroport, ma mère et ma sœur ce sont envolées ce matin pour Paris, mon avion pour les Philippine est dans 8h et je me devais de finir cet article avant de partir. Je vais essayer de compléter cet article une fois arrivé aux Philippine car en me relisant j’ai l’impression d’avoir résumer très voir trop rapidement ces 10 jours magique passés en famille.

Varkala, my last days in India

Now I need to see the sea and chill out on the beach after those five weeks in Mysore, I feel really tired so Varkala will be my last destination in India before seeing my mum and sister Claire in Sri Lanka.

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After finding my bungalow I found a yoga school which was doing Ashtanga Vignasa Yoga (Mysore style), perfect to keep stretched and also to have an additional activity over there. The courses start at 10am, it’s a bit too late for me: it’s already really hot with a lot of humidity. I’m definitely not used to do yoga in those conditions, I’m sweeting too much and it’s make my exercises really difficult.

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Oh yes I met Felicia, Aren and Anton in this Yoga school and during all this week we did a lot of things together around Varkala. We went to see the beach’s around, we did fire and some music on the beach. One night we decided at the last minute to take scooters and go to the south south of India (Kanyakumari) to see the sunrise (150km from Varkala, one way) and come back. We left Varkala at 09:00pm and arrived at 01:00am, set our basecamp near the sea and sleep four hours, wake up for the sunrise and take back the road. We had really good time all together and finally, Anton and Felicia toke a last minute flight ticket to Sri Lanka to do some surf, maybe I will see them over there.

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Varkala is tourist city without any interest, even the beach down the hill is not really nice. For me it’s not India, it’s like Disney land, a small rock road surrounded by guesthouses and Tibetan restaurants. I will definitely not come again here, it was just nice to rest here after my yoga training.

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I slept in Trivandrum for my last day because I’v got a morning flight and I don’t want to be in an hurry so I found a guesthouse well a bit expensive for India but really nice. I had an house just for me with kitchen, salon, Wi-Fi, television and breakfast … !!! Sourire

Graceful Homestay, Philip’s Hill, PHRA 20, Pothujanam Road, opposite A.J Hall, Kumarapuram, Trivandrum. (+91) 471-2444358, info@gracefulhomestay.com

 

37 days in Mysore

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After couple of days in Bangalore to work on my projects, I finally reach Mysore the city of Ashtanga Yoga. I decided to stay there for one month minimum. I don’t want a room in a hotel for that long so I need to find a flat. During my days in Bangalore I tried to contact everyone how have a flat to rent but via mail it’s not really easy. After three days in a hotel searching for a flat, I finally found it.  A lovely flat with three rooms, a salon, bathroom and bedroom, ok my kitchen is near my bed as my fridge but it much better than a room in a hotel believe me. There is a nice little garden around it and the family how live there is really nice.

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I did crepes !!! Miam !

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Lankshmipuram is a nice quarter to stay, you can find place between 200rp to 300rp a night for minimum one month. There is some few places where you can find some western food as the Heritage and the Jannaki restaurant, but I recommended you Indian restaurant as the Mahesh Prasad or simply the street food. Otherwise for 40rp you can reach the center and find good restaurant. Near the Gandy square the top roof restaurant or the hotel RRR. You can find school for 9000rp a month, for beginner the Mandala Yoga is perfect but for advanced go to Ajai school.

I apply for a one month yoga course in the Mandala Yoga center school with Chidananda as teacher. It’s two hours of Yoga per day, all the days excepted Sunday and moon days. The first week was pretty hard because I was not used to do this type of Yoga and also because the teacher was pouching me. After five weeks I was able to do thing’s I was not capable to do before and believe me Yoga is not just good for your body but also for your mind, it put you in a state of mind where you are really happy and open to enjoy everything it can happened to you in the life. Now I love doing and thinking Yoga Sourire.

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During moon day there is some yoga event at the big palace, hundred of people doing 108 sun salutation at the same time.

Costume party for the last day of Francois and Micha.

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Friends I met in Arambol, Goa, were here as Mimi with Yury, Marta, Francois, Moso and Kasha. I also met really nice people here, Severine, Sahid, Micha, Steva, Nicole, Enrique and Lianna. We where all leaving in the same quarter (Lakshamipuram) doing Yoga in different school. With some guitar courses and expedition with Sahid during the weekend my days was fully spend. Thank you all for all the times spend together, I will never forget this part of my travel Sourire

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Mysore is a nice city to visit and to discover. I really miss the Tchai and the street food, with 40 Indian rupee (less than one euro) you can eat and drink as much you can, this is really nice ! Also Mysore in February is pretty empty (of tourist) and you can feel the real India here, cows in the street, children keeping asking you the same questions (what is your name? Country ?), Indian men in sari and everybody looking at you with big eyes, you just need to smile and everybody gonna come to talk you, it’s really simple.

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It’s a little part of a life five weeks, it’s also the longest time I ever spend in the same place in all my trip. It’s already time to leave Mysore and all my routines, I have the feeling that I will come back here to do a teaching training Yoga course … maybe … We never know Clignement d'œil

The Holly City of Hampi

It’s time for us to move from this paradisiac place and take back the road again to see more about India, Hampi here we go !

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We took a night bus from Arambol to Hampi with Tom and arrived at 6:30 am in this beautiful Holly place. The landscapes here are amazing, we are surrounded by huge red rocks and green rice fields. Like it’s an Holly place there is no alcohol, no meat and no tandoor, just vegetarian restaurants.

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We spend three days here to visit all the temples. We find a really good Rickshaw driver call Jeelan. If you are planning to come in Hampi I can recommended you to take him for a few days, he will take you in all great Temples and restaurants and also explain you lot of things about the history of those places. You can contact him with this number (+91)7-829-989-516.

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We found a guesthouse in the middle of Hampi Bazar, it’s really nice to take the breakfast during the morning in front of the temples and see all the monkeys playing in the palms threes. The city is really nice and calm, little streets where Rickshaws and cows try to make them own way between tourists and local people’s. We find also a really good place call Bamboo (always good places with this name) to chill out and having nice dinners.

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We spend the last day in the other side of the city across the river with Tom friend’s trying a good Israelite restaurant and eating really good Falafel. Tom and Daniel are going to Hyderabad and I’m going to Bangalore, we took a last time our favourite Rickshaw driver to go to Hostpet to take our night bus. It’s already time to say good-bye and for me to be on my own again. Thank you Tom for all the days we spend together between Arambol and Hampi, it was really nice to travel with you, I had really good times.

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I’m traveling now since five months in Asia and I just realize now that I’m really lucky to do this trip. I had this strange feeling when I was waiting my bus, alone, seating in a white garden plastic chair at 8:00 pm in front of the travel agency. Maybe I’m dreading what gonna happens next, not as much as in Vietnam during the first days but a little bit after all. Like Bob said, don’t worries man, every little things gonna be alright, I’v got also all my family and friends supporting me in this trip so I’m not afraid at all Clignement d'œil.

Welcome India and Happy new year !

We leave Pokhara on the 25th of December and I spend with Moso one more night in Kathmandu before flying to India. That day was really hard due to the travel in the bus, the fact we woke up early and need to do the bag in a hurry and also the party of the previous day, we spend the all day in Kathmandu to clean the bag, do some research for the next destination and trying to remember what’s appended last night.

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We were supposed to be in Mumbai at 1pm but our first flight was late and in Delhi the connection between the other flight was too short so after a long fight between Air India and a stupid police man we finally toke an other flight with a connection and arrived in Mumbai.

The deal was to be in Goa for the 1rst of January and celebrate it on the beach. One night only in Mumbai in Colaba quarter in the Red Salvation Army Hotel were I spend a wonderful night in a ten beds dorm between the foot of my neighbour and the smelly dirty toilet …

Colaba is one of the tourist place’s of Mumbai, it’s were the terrorist attacks append few years ago. Muslims quarter, there is not some much to see, lot of shop’s, banks, hotel and a view on the arbour. For our first day of India compare to Nepal, Indian people are not nice at all and a bit rude. Also there are everywhere, no free space even by night, they sleep everywhere …, that’s India !

We didn’t really sleep the last day in Mumbai because we needed to be at the airport at 3:30 am. To go to Goa from Mumbai it’s straight, just one hour flight so we arrived in Goa Airport at 7:00 am and take a taxi to go first to Anjuna. After a long drive we arrived there but it was definitely not what we were excepting so we decide to move to Calangute near Baga where there is all the party on the beach and night’s clubs. We didn’t know that this area was also the appointment of all Indian people’s for holidays, there are hundred and hundred of them on the beach, looking foreigners girl and trying to get a photo with them … Crazy people …

New Year eve

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We are in Goa !! We’ve made it ! The city side is really dirty, lot of dust everywhere and the quality of the air is really bad. We found a Hotel between that main road and the beach. Here the beach’s are really long and wide with lot of coconut’s threes. Talking about coconut’s three, it’s really dangerous one felt down in front of me when I was walking back to the hotel. Coconut’s kills are the biggest reasons for accidents in Indian more than car accidents

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Thousand’s of Indian people, nice savages fireworks in all the beach maybe 10km of light for one hour. Savages mean casualty also, we saw a group of people who received a firework and also the next day we heard about some dead Indian people due to alcohol and drugs. We were on the beach living all this huge activity from a Russian party, I can tell you it was really funny to see that. Nice night but completely different than Christmas.

Christmas in Pokhara

425589_468585463204419_2014947279_nMerry Christmas everybody !

I spend a really good Christmas eve here in Pokhara with all my friends. After all those treks it was really good just to enjoy the time together and have some really good food as well.
Here we have the best weather for Christmas: a little 5 degrees Sourire

Love Nepal !!!

 

 

For me it’s new, it’s the first time I spend Christmas and the new year far from my family and my friends so if you are still reading my blog be sure that I’m thinking about you all the time and my best wish were to be with you for the next days. A big kiss also for all the friends I met during my trip from Vietnam to Nepal.

Dad, Happy birthday ! I love you and don’t worry it’s just a number you are still look young and definitely not yet grandfather Sourire

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We tried to reproduce as best a good Christmas diner so wine and meat in the menu !!

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And then celebrate this special day with a really good outside electronic party. I don’t remember all of this night and I also lost my Iphone… yes again ! the second Iphone in four months Sourire Crazy night !!

It’s our last night all together, Antoine and Rebecca I will miss you guys !

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