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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It's been a while since I wrote a blog... Not that I had nothing to say!!! The day I landed in Asia again, I had so much to say, but it's been a couple weeks now, and I probably forgot a lot of what I wanted to say. About being in the airport in Addis Ababa looking at all the different people from everywhere in the world except probably Canada, dressed in their traditional clothes. About being upgraded from economy class to business class between Ethopia and Delhi and enjoying it immensely. About having to pay extra for my heavy luggage [View Full Entry]

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This is my last night in Africa for now. Tomorrow, I am flying back to Nepal. My last group just left, and even though it was the same trip, it was very different. Smaller group but different stories... The first part of the trip, Mt Meru, was just as beautiful as always. I really enjoy climbing that mountain and every time, I find it easier. Now the part that scared me the first time seems like fun, and sleeping in the little huts is like being in my own bed, well...almost! This trip was great because there was hardly anybody else [View Full Entry]

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I am still in Tanzania, my first trip with clients in this country just ended. I now have 2 more days to relax and get ready for the next trip before the new group arrives. But I am happy to do it all again as I really enjoyed it. The group was really nice, and we had favorable weather almost all the time, especially on the summit days, on Meru and Kili. The trip is amazing. So the first part of the trip was Mt Meru, which I had done just before the clients arrived. I found it easier and less [View Full Entry]

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There is something quite amazing to start a trek and be walking next to a group of giraffes... I still have to make sure I am not dreaming all this. The trek up to Mt Meru started in the rain forest. It was very foggy, misty even, but the forest was really like an enchanted forest, with big trees, full of moss and lichen, and the sound of monkeys. I was hiking with the guide that will be working with me for the next 6 weeks, a really nice tall friendly Tanzanian and a ranger with his .306 to chase the [View Full Entry]

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