On the road ... (english version)

For my friends from all over the world and as I wrote my blog in french, let's find a brief summary of my last 8 months.

First, let me just precise than after months speaking with low english speakers (from Indian to Russia), my english (and other langages) has been impacted to become poorer. At the end I finally get the following level (the most basic and pedagogic I could) :
I (want) food
How much? (after a while) Price?
What's your name? (after a while) Name?
...

Flight to Asia :
I left Paris in October 2009 with a one way ticket to Hong Kong to meet Greg ("the Stephanois, companero mexicano, jeune et large d'epaules). My plan was not defined : South East Asia until the end of the year, meet (my lovely) Elise in India for X-mas and then Sylvain for the rest of the trip.Nothing was planned but I felt like discovering Pakistan, Iran and the silk road. However an other story would be written ...

South East Asia : the easy way ...

Vietnam : After HK, I flought to Vietnam to discover alone the country. Alone was not the case : meeting so many people, creating good contacts (israeli, german, hawaian,...), avoiding anglo-saxons and their way of enjoying Asia (big parties and meetings in places, where you have more the feeling to be in Australia or Ireland than in Vietnam...). Thus I shared good times biking in the mountains of Sapa, drinking rice alcohol and singing karaoke in vietnamese wedding parties, discovering the other face of the Halong Bay and the rich historical past of this proud civilisation (they kicked off the ass of chinese, french and then american soldiers).

Father and son : Laos and Cambodia
What a great memory : backpacking with my father in these two lovely countries - we fell under the spell of the lao mood, the buddhist atmosphere, riding in the countryside, trekking in the Akha area and relaxing in the 4000 islands like 2 old hippies ...And of course Angkor : I went there with the prejudice of going to the cultural disneyworld. The reality was much better : it is such an impressive place and you can not be not impressed by the human genius (so big, so fine) ...

Thailand : Bangkok, meditation and beach
After Bangkok and its backpackers atmosphere (all is dedicated to turism), I experienced the extremes : the quiet Vipassana meditation in the North and then the party atmosphere of the islands.

Malaysia : tea time
It was the raining season, it was impossible to join the wonderful Pernathian islands, however I enjoyed my stay there, and especially in the Cameron Highlands, so famous for their tea plantations and this amazing flowers.

India, Nepal and Pakistan

Increible India :
2 months there and you can not be neutral, sometimes hating this dirty environment and oppressive indian people (so many people) and on the other side enjoying such a rich culture, with such different rules from ours, mainly inspired by hindouism (what an experience in religious places like Rameswaram or Haridwar and the Kumb Mela 2010) and the system of castes. Fascinating.
India was also a big diversity of landscapes and atmospheres, from the hindu places to the Goa beach via tea plantations in Darjeeling, Munnar, mountains in Sikkim, magic atmosphere of Hampi ... And I fell in love with the indian food (thali, chiapati, porota,...) where as I was disgusted with this food in France...I spent the first month in the south with Elise and the second one in the North with Sylvain before going to Nepal.

The Annapurna trekking
During the month in Nepal, with Sylvain, we spent 15 days trekking in the Annapurna, reaching summit higher than 5000 meters from a starting point at 800 meters. Great lanscapes!

Pakistan : speaking about Pakistan evokes bomb blasting and unsafe area. This reality exists ; however Pakistan is the most friendly country I visit (you can spend your whole day being invited). I did not go to the mountains, but spent most of my time with my friend Julien making a movie about sufism. As you can imagine, it was both a rich human as well as a cultural experience : Pakistani sufism.

Change in the road map : as I never succeed getting my iranian visa, I changed my plan and went to China.

China : I met up with Sylvain again and Anne, coming from France. After the classical Great Wall and forbiden city in Beijing, we discovered the chinese mass turism in sacred mounts and finally the quiet and nice atmosphere of the Wudang shan, well know by the fan of Tai-chi.

The japan love ride (May 2010) : for the 2nd part of my trip with Elise, we took the crazy decision to cycle in Japan for one month. A first 10 days cycling trip in Hokkaido (this north part of Japan is more similar to Alaska than the traditional Japan) leads us to mountains, fishers'villages and finally to cherry blossom. Then we cycled in the traditional Japon from the west coast to the East (Tokyo airport), enjoying the rice fields mixed with green mounts, shinto sanctuaries and buddhist temples. We particularly fell in love with Kyoto, the Biwako lake, camping everywhere as well as sleeping in the luxurious Ryokan and the japanese food (so good bento boxes and extraordinary Kaiseki, the top of the finest japanese food).

The transsiberian experience : end of the trip. June : it is time to go back home and what an opportunity to spend 7 days crossing all over Russia from Vladivostok to Moscow ! From the window of the train, let's enjoy the majesctic baikal lake, the taiga landscapes and share meals with your russian roommates.

End of the road ...

German version (auf Deutsch)
Nach 8 Monaten habe ich viele Erinnerungen : viele Zeit unterwegs zwischen Zuge (7 Tagen in Russland, viele Stunden in India - mehr als 200), Schiffen, Fahrrad (1544 kms in Japan und ein bischen uberall), Autobusse in Sudasien und (leider) Flugen.

Es ist immer schwer die lokale Bevolkerung zu treffen (wegen der Sprache hauptsachlich), sondern habe ich wunderbare Treffen gemacht : Reiser sondern auch Leute in Vietnam (wahrend Hochzeit), Pakistani (so freundlich), India (bei dem Direktor einer Teefabrik), Japan (Toyota Angestellte, japanischen Radfahrer), ... und habe ich wirklich gut gegessen : in 8 Monten habe ich einmal 1 Pizza und zweimal lokalen Hamburger gegessen.

Was fur eine gute Uberraschung : indischen und nepali Thali, Thai nuddels, vietnamischen Pho, chineschichen Momo, japanischen Yakitori, Sushi, Fleisch, ... Und Getränke : viele Tee, Biere (aber keine in India, habe ich ebenso vegetarisch gegessen) und eigene schreckliche Reisalkohol!

Es gab so viele schone Orte : Halong Bay, Angkor, Annapurna, buddischen Tempel in Laos, Thailand, Japan, pakistanischen Moschee (Lahore, Uch Sharif), die chinesische Mauer, das Kremlin und so viele verschiedene Atmospharen : Sand in Thailand, India und Vietnam, islamische Wärme in Pakistan, Zen in Japan, buddistichen Einflusse in Sudasien, Bergenatmosphären in Nepal und India, japanische Höflichkeit und Zartheit, ...
Und jetzt : Heimat !!!

Spanish version (en espanol)
Volver a casa despues de 8 meses, es una mezcla de tristeza y de feliz (ver de nueve amigos y familia).
De toda manera me ha encantado este viaje! Me fui hace 8 meses sin saber exactamente donde ir ; tenia el proyecto ir a Iran, Uzbekistan ... Y no se fue (la politica del gobierno frances tiene por consequencias que tener un visa irano o pakistano es muy dificil ...).
Asi tiena la suerte ir a :
- China, pais impresionante, se vuelve tan poderoso. El turismo se desarollo tan rapidamente ...
- Japon por un proyecto bien loco con mi novia Elise : 1 mes ciclando por el pais : muchas sorpresas y recuerdos (dormir en tento en parques de ciudad, aprovechar de los calientes banos : Onsen, discubrir los pueblos con los pequenos templos, ...)
- y por fin volver a casa desde japon en 10 dias con un cargo de 2 dias, el transsiberian tren (una experiencia que vale la pena) durante 7 dias y quedarme en Moscow antes de toma el ultimo vuelo hasta Paris.
Antes, he discubrito el ambiente budista del Asia del Este, su comida, su gente tan amable ; India i su impresionante choc : sucio, una cultura tan diferente con otro valores, Nepal y sus montagnas y Pakistan por un poquito de cultura islamica y sufo.
Ahora todo se ha pasado, con tan velocidad ... : Una otro aventura tiene que escribirse : la vida de todas las dias en Paris ...
Voy a dejar mi barba, mi chancletas i de nuevo aprender a hacer un nudo de corbata i usar un traje.
Pero no olvido que "La vida es un carneval"!

Japanese version
Sugoi ! (Great! Super!)

Russian version
Vodka, vodka, vodka ....