Gujarat... A state not as well known to us Westerners as are other ones such as Rajasthan, Goa, Kashmir, etc... And it makes it very interesting because I can really feel like this is a more authentic indian place, where people are not as used to tourists as they are in more tourist-oriented places. It is not that remote, but still, it is far from the big markets you find in Goa, or the 10 page menus you see in restaurants trying to cater to everybody with american, italian, chinese and israeli food all in one place. Gujarat is very close [View Full Entry]

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So I am back in the country of the holy cow (and the holy cow shit!!!) and really happy to be here. Waw, it's been only 3 days and it feels like weeks! I was busy! After the long flight straight from Newark, I spent one brief night in Mumbai. It's funny how Mumbai feels so familiar now, I was even able to tell my taxi driver how to get to my hotel!!! And going back to my "traditional internet place", I was welcomed by the same young and friendly guy who asked me right away "Do you remember me?". Of [View Full Entry]

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Well, here I am again... Somewhere new, with my backpack. Waw. I love it already. I left 2 days ago, drove down to Skagway with Harvey and it was just a perfect day. Nice and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. The Yukon Gold is not all in the river beds... It's also in the trees! It was so beautiful with the fresh snow on the mountain tops and the gold, green and red colors, fall at its best. The Carcross Road is just one of the most beautiful places in the north I think. We went for a walk [View Full Entry]

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Two years ago, I fell in love with Cuba. I liked the energy there, the music, the people that seemed mostly happy and hopeful, welcoming, curious about outsiders and how life is outside the island. A country with a fascinating history, unique culture and ideology. Of course, I had noticed the omnipresent propaganda, the nearly empty markets and the lack of freedom, but 2 years later, these things not only got worse, but a more dramatic change seems to have occured: there is no joy in Cuba, Cubans lost hope. The first few days, I didn't notice so much, I was [View Full Entry]

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After a few weeks of winter in Quebec, I now find myself enjoying the sun in... Cuba. I first landed in Varadero where I met a friend. We promised each other 2 years ago that we would go to Cuba again together, where we met doing a Spanish immersion program. My friend was in Varadero already for weeks, but I really can't say I enjoyed it there. It is a place full of tourists, some stay for a long time and all they seem to be doing is drinking and talking about each other. I left after 2 days, and travelled [View Full Entry]

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Waw! Times flies and again, I neglected my blog... So here is the story of the last few weeks, but first, I wish you a happy 2009 with a lot of happy adventures! Mid-December, I was still in Goa, and although I could hear the Christmas music, it really didn't feel like Christmas to me. My trip to Africa was cancelled, and I really had no plans for the rest of the winter, and even though part of me still wanted to be in India, I thought about doing something special for my family for Christmas... I changed my tickets and [View Full Entry]

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Every Friday I go to Mapusa, a real little Indian city in this touristic Goa. But Mapusa is great because it really feels like the real India, with a little bit of tourist stuff mixed into it. I wrote about the Friday market before, but I just don't get tired of it. It is so colorful and full of life. Last Friday, as I came in, I was very surprised to hear Christmas songs... It was so strange. Of course Goa is partly christian, so they do celebrate Christmas, but for me Christmas comes with cold weather, less daylight, snow... So [View Full Entry]

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First I should apologize for being very lazy recently. I didn't take the time to write anything on the blog for a few weeks... Well, probably because I didn't do much in the last few weeks! But I am at least safe in Goa, and thanks to people who sent me e-mails wondering if I was OK after what happened in Mumbai. I was in Mumbai recently, but now I am in Goa, and although I heard about what happened, nothing seems to be different in Goa. It is still a quite relaxed, slow paced place in India. And it is [View Full Entry]

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Here I am again, in India! Varanasi this time. I arrived about a week ago and landed in a guest house that looked really nice on the internet but is somewhat more basic in person.... I wanted a room big enough to do yoga, I got it, but of course it's also big enough for other critters to live in too... Mostly ants, but also a nice gecko that probably eats the ants. But it's fun when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is try to find the gecko! It's a little game. The place is [View Full Entry]

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My favorite time to walk in Kathmandu is in the morning. Thamel, the tourist area of Kathmandu, gets up late. I like to be up early. I come out of my hotel room, and walk down the streets to the few cafes that are open early. On the streets, I meet the women that are sweeping the road, the dogs that will soon go back to sleep, and this morning I even saw a cow that was eating some white powder. I was hoping it wasn't concrete. I see also the shop keepers slowly dusting off their merchandise, putting everything back [View Full Entry]

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