From Paris to Saigon 15 May 09 / 19 June 09

Paris (with a short trip to the country side in Rennes -even drove a tractor lawn-mower, first time in my life) was really not as exciting as the first three months I had been there. Mostly because I knew I was leaving so I wouldn't commit to anything at all. However, dancing was fabulous (on boats on the river, in clubs and other studios). Eventually, the D-day arrived and it was time to pack my life in a 100L backpack again. A thing I hate doing. However, I hate goodbyes even more and it keeps on happening these days.

Short stay in Hong Kong, saw some of my dear friends and dancers (more goodbyes, sigh) and 2 days later I was once again in the plane, heading for Saigon.

Here I am, sitting on a table at Megan's house, writing on this blog (and chatting on facebook with Megan while she's sitting on her laptop right opposite me). It feels strange, being in Vietnam -my country of origin, and very unexpected. I don't know what I'm doing here, where I'm going and obbviously how I'm going to get there... Kinda lost at the moment and I miss my close friends already. Magri, Seahorse, Bun, E, Ib, Quati, Princess!!! Come and visit!!! I never thought I'd feel this way to be honest. I guess it's part of the reason I went travelling 1 year and 5 months ago. I'm currently learning heaps about myself.

Having said that, as soon as I arrived, Adam and Isabelle took me to meet the Saigon Swing crew and friends at Donia's birthday party, what an awesome bunch of warm and welcoming peeps who immediately made me feel like home. Thanks guys, you're bringing me back to the VLX, and I loved the 3am food!!

I think I do want to settle in Saigon, but for some reason something really strong deep inside is slowing me down. Whatever, what's deep inside is always creepy and I've never listened to it anyway. I'll go to the end of it, I hate doing things half way:
- learn vietnamese
- be a local
- start a new life as a fitness trainer
- become a millionnaire,
and in that exact order.

Will keep you posted on these!

Saigon / Mui Ne / Hong Kong 18 March 09 -15 May 09

It had been almost a year since I had left Hong Kong, passing through different cultures, learning about people's lives, their thoughts, their views on the world. I had learnt, made friends, changed in a way I hadn't anticipated and each time, darn it'd hurt to have to leave yet I would be excited to move on to another destination. I miss all the ones I've met and all the things I've seen:
- Two weeks in Chile: my fellow racers
- A week in Bolivia: the gang in our jeep rocked! too bad none of us spoke spanish, made it kinda hard talking to the driver...
- Two months in Salvador de Bahia: Dogão!!! Yoshi, Rússia, Chefe, Walkyria and all the people from Idioma. Avé Maria, Baianos: saudades!
- Two weeks around Brazil: the Pantanal crew... I will try to make it to Kyoto! The hundreds of gators...
- Two weeks in Cuba: the salsa teachers who spoke german better than english!
- Three months in Rio: my oh my, Flávia and all the dancers, Benedito and all the capoeristas, the gym, Damião, the beach crew, Cariocas meu Deus! The kids from Rocinha, their main teacher Cidinha. Copacabana!!!
- Three months in New York: My family and my dear dear friends that I already knew before coming to the Big Apple <3
- Three months in Paris: the dancers who made me feel comfortable in the city I didn't feel I belonged to anymore. And of course my family. A couple of my high school friends. John!!! Princess!!!!! The vélib'. THE FOOD!

Connecting / reconnecting with you peeps has been amazing and I'm glad we've kept in touch. It hasn't been superficial and we'll meet again!

By March, I felt it was the right moment to head back to Asia. And also my flight ticket was expiring...

So I headed to Saigon for a Lindy Hop exchange. Those who don't know what Swing/Lindy Hop is aren't really my friends. Wow, what an awesome place to be at! It made me feel like re-exploring my vietnamese roots. It is during that trip that I decided of my next long term destination: Vietnam!!! That made my mom proud... Honestly, of my past year, this is going to be the week-end I will remember. The Saigon crew rules!

As for Hong Kong, it was good going back to my ancient routine, the way it was when I was living there. I was glad to hang out again with the Axé Capoeira crew and to go back to dancing at Grappa's. I even managed to fit in an adventure race! However, Hong Kong did not feel the same. After 9 years living there, I thought I'd be more attached to it. I guess I wasn't, and that's why I had left. We easily get trapped in our comfort and we forget what we love and why we're here. I still love Hong Kong but I feel it is not going to teach me a lot more, for now.

Oh well, things change. Let's move on!!!

Jericoacoara / Salvador de Bahia / Rio de Janeiro Carnival 09

I'm posting this just to remember I was there. It was great to be with friends and reconnect with the people I had missed since I had left Brazil, but the carnival wasn't what I expected. At least in Salvador. I had kept great memories of my first carnival trip (in Rio), so I guess my expectation were a little too high.

I think we were simply to old to endure such crowds. Fights were bursting everywhere, the army was omnipresent and it felt like there was one police officer per party-goer, still, when a million people pogo to brazilian music, believe me, no army can control it. My camera got stolen, luckily I was able to steal it back (I'm as much a thief as they were).

However, there were still fun moments and great laughs... And the beach of Barra was as beautiful as I remembered it.

The craziness of a million people dancing in the streets of Salvador

Road tripping Nova Scotia - Oct 08

A friend from Hong Kong had told me he was heading to Canada, and Halifax being a stone throw away from New York we decided to meet up with another friend from Canada. All three of us set up for a road trip from Halifax and around the Cabot trail looking for whales and mooses. We didn't find whales in Cheticamp as the weather conditions weren't favourable, but the landscapes were amazing. Yet another post with mostly pictures, hope you'll enjoy! All the cool pics are on my facebook page... ...


Yeah, that's in Canada.

A very european Canada (Halifax).



Hitting the fog

The incredible colours of automn

Random village road

Trail in Cap Breton.

Paris when it sizzles - 31 Dec 08 - 18 Mar 09

Well it wasn't really sizzling, the longest snows in 15 years, flakes so light they were falling upwards!

I had forgotten how gorgeous Paris was, I hadn't spent so much time home for 10 years! I have enjoyed rediscovering it and falling in love with it again.

There's nothing like people-watching at the Jardin du Luxembourg or dancing on jazz at the Caveau de la Huchette. How about some crèpes rue Mouffetard and or a coffee rue Saint André des Arts? Of course, a croissant or a tartine and a crème at the Deux-Magots is a must after a night out at the Café Costes or Buddha Bar, and just before going to the Louvres for their Sunday specials. Don't forget the amazing experience of riding across the city in Vélib', bicycles that are available for rent in bike parks located every 500 meters around the city, for almost nothing. You won't miss on the views, won't be polluting, and bicycle trails are pretty much on most of the streets of Paris.

It's pretty crazy to be able to do all this so easily! I hadn't missed it that much while I was away, but now I can't help to think how fortunate Parisians are. And look at the buildings, they're all a century old, at least!

It's been great catching up with my friends, as they take me around to new places. Chilling in Paris is definitely a must do, and sorry to say, but I think it's better than New York City. We're talking about chilling, not living, not working, just chilling. I'm might be influenced by the fact that I'm French...

New York New York!!! 1 Oct 08 - 30 Dec 08

What a fantastic city. What a beautiful city! This trip was definitely full of emotions...

Facts about New York City (that even wikipedia doesn't mention):
- there is one rat per newyorker in the city (mostly the subway)
- the rats of NYC are the size of cats
- the grid street naming system makes people always wonder where the hell the east is (look for the sun)
- why isn't Broadway straight like all the other streets?
- airports are so congested they use the Hudson river as a landing strip
- there are more French in NYC than US citizens
- newyorkers don't know how to pronounce Houston

Having said that, I heart NY. It has that vibe, that character and charisma that can't be explained. Now, I get emotional each time I recognise Manhattan in a movie...

- Try the belgian waffles of Trader Joe's.
- Lie down on the grass at Bryant's park and hook up on their free wifi.
- Have a coffee in one of the Wall Street Starbucks with all the traders.
- Go dancing at Swing 46. Or hell, at Cotton Club in Harlem.
- Have a run with Madonna in Central Park.
- Hang out at the MoMA and spend hours in their two gadget shops or just staring at their mesmerizing light show, lying down on their pillows.
- Have a cheap beer in a random dive bar.
- Read all the magazines of the month at Barnes and Noble.
- Plant your tent and line up overnight for the crazy sales at Best Buy.
- Listen to street musicians in the Subway.
- Go to Penn Station during peak hours and try go get out of there.
- Try some ribs at Dinosaurus.
- Take the Jitney to the Hamptons and spend Christmas perhaps with P.Diddy.

So much to do, so much to say!!! It is actually one of the cities I could see myself living in.

I miss it heaps but I know I will be back!


Brooklyn bridge

Forgot the name of that one.

Central Park West and 77th

Central Park, first snow falls of the season.

Ouro Preto / Belo Horizonte some time in Sept 08

Ouro Preto was a gold mining colonial town in the 18th century, now a UNESCO heritage site for its architecture. It is located in the state of Minas Gerais.

What surprised me most apart from the baroque churches in Ouro Preto is the hilly landscapes. Walking along the steep pebbled streets is pretty hazardous... How do old people survive this? I myself felt like 100 years old trying to walk back to my 'pousada' (guest house).



Aside from that, very pretty city, peaceful, pleasant. I had a very relaxing time there.

I visited a gold mine and that was quite impressive too. Gold everywhere!!! Still... Problem is, if you dig any more, the city right above our heads would collapse over us. Gneh, to hell with the gold, human life is more important. Or is it?

It was also my first time in a brazilian Executive Bus. Wow, in a nutshell, it's like an airline business class. They even serve food!


When I say hilly, I mean hilly.

The sculptor of this church had lost his hands and would sculpt tying sticks to his arms... ...

Rio de Janeiro 15 July 08 - 30 Sept 08

Life in Rio is fantastic: beautiful landscapes, plenty of hikes, more beaches in the city that you can dream of, stunning women, Cariocas (that's how you call people from Rio) are so lucky...
And then there's poverty and drugs, and that ruins it all. It's not the most dangerous place in Brazil, but dangerous enough.

I had decided to volunteer in a favela. Favelas are slums that have developped thanks to loopholes in the brazilian land property laws. In Rio, they are located on hills and have the best views in town. These hills are right within the city centers, which makes areas just around them very dangerous, because Favelas are controlled by drug gangs. Drug dealers don't want trouble, so they strive to keep their favela at peace, however, gang wars are unavoidable and extremely bloody. Drug lords being teenagers (average life expectancy for a drug lord is 24 years old), they often don't value people's lives the way we do. I have walked more than once passed kids holding rifles and guns, and I had stopped wondering whether this was legal in this country, and if not, where the police was... Police can't do much in a war zone, and the army was only sent there when politicians were visiting. Too risky otherwise.

I worked as a maths and french teacher for children from 9 to 11 years old, and it felt great keeping this bunch of 15 kids off the streets. Parents don't have time to take care of them as they need to work to make a living. But to be honest, walking down the narrow streets of Rocinha (largest favela in South America, 250,000 habitants), in fact so narrow that sometimes you had to walk sidewards, did not feel safe in any way. I was happy to go back home every day, to the comfort of my flat in Copacabana.

The Washington Post has a great article about the favela I worked in. Check http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/15/AR2007041501085.html.


The view from the Rocinha favela.

Mind you, the beach of Copacabana isn't safe at night either, an italian tourist had been killed a few months before I arrived in Rio. Copacabana is one of the safest neighboorhoods of Rio. In Ipanema (the safest beach in town), in August, an 18 years old celebrity was shot dead in the back by a bodyguard outside a club in Ipanema during an argument in which he was not involved...

Such a beautiful city, such mixed feelings...

Now this should NOT prevent you from going to visit Rio de Janeiro!!! You're a warned traveller, so you'll know to be careful and everything will go fine. Pictures below.

Stairs in Lapa. They appeared in Snoop Dog's video "Beautiful" with Pharell.
Famous portuguese-style tile patterns, Copacabana.

All there is to see in Rio is there. Never got to see the mermaid though.

A normal day on the beach.

This was taken in the subway system in Rio. It says: wagon exclusively for women. Indeed, during peak hours, girls have their own wagons, separated from the perverts' (men) wagons, as they may and will try to take advantage of the ladies. Only in South America...

So I wore a wig and sneaked in to see if it was any different from our wagon. Nope, just the same...

Praia do Flamingo

And of course lots of Capoeira!

Cuba July 08

A few words to describe Cuba:

- Mojito

- Salsa cubana
- Cigars
- Praia
- No Coca Cola
- Vintage cars
- Russian cars
- Mah jong

A few pictures to show you Cuba:

He was dressed up just like me!!! Coolest cuban uncle.

Caya Leviso

Rolling it.

And smoking it.

Russian car tailing this American taxi...

Cuban "limo". It's got 6 doors...

Parati / Foz de Iguaçu / Pantanal (Brazil) June 08

Parati:
Parati is a cute coastal colonial little town a few hours south of Rio de Janeiro, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It used to be a gold export port in the late XVIIth century, being on the Gold Trail (Caminho de Ouro).

It just feels great walking along its pebbled streets, sitting down on a terrasse having some grilled fish and a caipirinha (Parati is the capital of cachaça, a brazilian rum).

Falls of Iguaçu:
Once again, no words and no pictures (especially mine) will do justice to the things I've seen. This time, the spectacular falls of Iguaçu.

They can be visited from Brazil for an overview, and from Argentina for a walk right into the Devil's Throat. I'd recommend you do both! The scenery is breath-taking and the roar of the water falling on the rocks humbling. I felt like I was in the movie Lord of the rings. Every corner during the short hike in the surrounding forrest, I'd hear myself say "wow!!!" (for real) at the sight of the waterfalls.

Hope the pics will help you see what it's like. Just imagine Elves and Orcs in there.


I just know I've seen hobbits hopping around...

Pantanal:
Located across the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, the Pantanal is the largest wetlands in the world. Its astounding biological diversity support a large number of animal species. A pretty crazy safari...

I saw too many aligators for comfort, birds that I can't name, tree parasites, parasites of tree parasites, ant eaters, piranhas, spiders the size of a fist, you name it...


Now this piranha ended up fried in my plate.

Aligators like to suntan too.

Cormoran hunting.

This tree is actually a set of two parasites and one tree. Look at the three types of leaves... Three in one... Extreme.

A whole field of spider webs.