EN FRANCAIS PLUS BAS Time has come for closure. I have been home for more than a month. I have reconnected with family and most of my friends. My backpack is still lying in a corner of my studio, but it's empty (I think). It's summer time. I have celebrated my return with dignity, attended many picnics in Parisian parks, splashed in the inflatable swimming pool with my three nieces, and enjoyed the pleasure of sleeping in my own big bed, wearing different clothes everyday, and sitting on my flushing toilet. Time has come to sum it all up. Time has come for closure... Many of you have asked questions, and I have tried to answer them here for everyone, with links to the related blog entries, or videos, so you can go ahead and read ... read more

EN FRANCAIS PLUS BAS MORE PHOTOS HERE Iguazu means big water in Guaraní. You bet it does. Big water is actually something of an understatement when you look at these billions of liters of water crash in a thunderous noise. Hypnotising… Sam and I arrived at the hostel early in the morning after a short morning flight from Buenos Aires, almost straight from the Fabulosos Cadillacs concert—for once, I had decided to fly to avoid wasting another day in a boring 20-hour bus ride, and I was anxious to get to Brazil now. We had slept a total of 3 hours over the past two days, and with the accumulation of partying and little sleep for three weeks, I could do little more than crash for a dreamless nap. We planned our exploration of the falls ... read more

EN FRANCAIS PLUS BAS MORE PHOTOS HERE I spent only a week in Argentina, half of it trekking in the mountain, disconnected from the people and culture. Yet, Argentina feels so familiar, so "known," that I cannot help but wonder if I wasn't an Argentine in a previous life. Whatever the case may be, my eyes are new to the beauty of Bariloche´s surroundings. To take it all in from above and enjoy the sunny weather, I go paragliding on my first day there--breathtaking... After that, true to my wish of slowing down, I let the warm and sunny weather invite me to farniente, and I spend the next few days going up the surrounding hills on chair lifts, laying on the beach, sipping coffees at a terrace, having small picnics on the grass, an evening ... read more

EN FRANCAIS PLUS BAS MORE PHOTOS HERE "C'est mignon comme tout!" ("cute as a button" maybe?) was the first thing the French people in the bus said as we arrived in Calafate, a small, touristy town, its tidy streets lined with chalet-like houses surrounded by fragrant roses and lavender. Not much else to do though, than go admire the Perito Moreno glacier, one of the very few advancing glaciers in the world, and one of the largest too. As recommended by another traveler, I went for a full-day glacier trek, rather than a cheaper trip to gaze at the glacier from the miradores, waiting for a chance to see a break off. Contrary to what one could think, break offs happens because the glacier is advancing, not receding. During the 30 minutes we spent on the ... read more

EN FRANCAIS PLUS BAS MORE PHOTOS HERE Valparaiso is not as touristy and "sanitized" as I expected, given its classification at the UNESCO World Heritage. Its traditional zinc-covered houses lean sideways, most are not renovated for the tourists' benefit and many are rusty, its endless stairs smell of piss and garbage, its steep streets are lined with artful improvised graffittis, its harbour bustles with container-lifting cranes, its plazas are swarming with bums, musicians, idlers, sleeping dogs and hurried yuppies. It's a merry, livey, colorful mess, a photographer's paradise... Dwellers are in love with their city, like my host Harry who takes me for a long walk at dusk around two of the city's many, many hills, before going to a local "picada" to eat "chorrillada", the poor's dish: fr... read more