http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/laetitiaaroundtheworld/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from laetitiaaroundtheworld en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:53:03 +0000 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:53:03 +0000 A small detour of 400 km north of Etosha Reserve and we reached the town of Opuwo in the far North West part of Namibia.Why Opuwo Well outside of the fact that it brought us next to Angola which is getting higher by the minute on my wish list the area is known as the home of the Himba Tribe a fascinating semi nomadic pastoral tribe that somehow seems to move through time unaffected by http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Namibia/Kunene-region/Opuwo/blog-785898.html And somehow trying not to be eaten by a hungry lion in the process or disturb the large group of elephants passing along our car Welcome to Etosha national park a jewel when it comes to wildlife diversity and abundance set in a middle of a quite atypical landscape. 20000 sq km in the center of which lies an immense salt desert the Etosha pan that gives the name to the park the great wh http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Namibia/Etosha-National-Park/blog-782091.html Another mission and yet another country after North Korea and Iraq here I am for the very first time in my life working in West Africa Fully settled in time to write my first entry about Liberia my new home for a little while no security issues here so I am very much determined to discover step by step this part of the world Many things have happened during my first few weekends in Monrovi http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-762506.html Walking through the little pueblo of Barichara nested in the Santander area I had to redefine my conception of tranquility. Until now I would find peace quiet in remote natural areas or exploring the underwater world but Barichara had this very same effect on me. With little more than 4000 inhabitants Barichara remains a tiny town but one that has understood that protecting its architectur http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Santander/Barichara/blog-754110.html When it comes to outdoor sports in Colombia dont look further San Gil is the destination to head to and as I rarely miss an occasion to go white water rafting rappelling or trekking here I was slowly making my way toward it from the Caribbean coast. A 10 hours bus ride south from Santa Marta all the way to Bucaramanga followed by another 2 hours and half on curvy mountain roads later I fin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/San-Gil/blog-753003.html We are both by now having a really large smile on our faceWhy Well after having nearly passed out while on foot in the middle of Colombia Guajira desert gave up hopes to spend yet another exciting day in a melting pot of dilapidated transports we are seated under the shadow and standing in front of us is the 4x4 car that will bring us to the next stop and yes I am finally enjoying my first http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/La-Guajira/Punta-Gallinas-/blog-751659.html Getting off the grid even further leaving the civilization behind us for wellnot sure for how long actually and that is very much part of any trip to the Guajira peninsula the Wild Wild East of Colombia you know when you go there but never when you might manage to come backThis huge deserted area at the northern most point of South America is the land of the Wayuu tribe fierce proud t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/La-Guajira/Cabo-de-la-Vela/blog-747933.html Blame it on my Disney land experience of Cartagena but as I made my way along the Caribbean coast toward Venezuela I was definitely in the mood for a more remote tourist free type of experience. Palomino a tiny undiscovered gem along the Caribbean coast was simply perfect pristine beach intense agate blue sea fishermen and breathtaking view of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain from the beach. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Santa-Marta/Palomino/blog-746429.html Three weeks already that my Colombian adventure started and after bustling Bogota precious Salento and its coffee area and a week filled by Colombian salsa in Cali time to head to the Caribbean coast First stop Cartagena de Indias that is said to be one of the jewel of Colombia with its colonial architecture and cobbled streets a travel through historyArrived around 9pm after an hour and h http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Cartagena/blog-744939.html Cali one the place I had been dreaming of going to for yearsnot so much for the city in itself but for its salsa culture that shapes every beat of it and when it comes to Salsa well Cali is the most famous city in the world Over 100 salsa schools in Cali 800 places where you can party and every single salsa world champion prize going to Cali this is THE place if you want to discover or w http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Cali/blog-744699.html Second part of my Colombian experience and discovering a bit further everyday just how different Spanish is here To some extend reminds me of China where one word can mean just so many different things and in Colombia it is no different Ask for a Perico and chances are that you end up with everything but a coffeeas it means as well cocaine parrots and scramble eggs Talking about coff http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Quindio/Salento/blog-742775.html The spirit of any city is quite often found in its streets a mix of the people you encounter the food stalls the architecture the music well not the least of all its urban art. After Berlin here I am again in place where the streets speak to every day peopleIn Bogota there is a wealth of it intense quite often taking strong stance on politics war the power of media or intra family vi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-739722.html A few days in Berlin and absolutely not in the mood for yet more museum churches or traditional architecture guess it was a good thing as when it comes to art the streets of Berlin are the galleries. Now I didnt feel like joining one of the numerous street art tour but rather like going and explore on our own and go along the way slightly more underground the great thing was that Chr http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Berlin/Berlin/blog-739545.html And here comes Venice Although a must see I had somehow always managed to skip it to go for less touristy destination having this pre conceived idea of a place where one could only find hordes of tourist and honeymoon couples Well time to time guess it is a good idea to ignore whatever you might have heard before and give it a try ok and it was kind of on my way to Austria too Ah the f http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/blog-737583.html After 18 months in Baghdad where my concept of personal freedom had been somehow scaled down the idea of a road trip around Europe was very tempting. A month to explore enjoy life meet new and old friends most of all cheer every moment definitely something I relate toMartas annual party in Poland was the trigger to this trip I would not have missed it for anything in this world but dec http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lombardy/Milan/blog-733223.html After nearly one year and half in Iraq mostly in Baghdad this Saturday morning felt special. On the road for a 10 days trip across South Iraq visiting our different structures this is the one day where I am actually about to go out not to visit one of the projects got a few of them already lined up during week days but to go and visit the one and only Babylon. Never thought that this opportun http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/East/Babylon-/blog-717609.html After stunning Munnar and its sea of tea plantation time to go back to the Indian coast white deserted beach and quiet backwaters are on the program before catching up with one of my closest friend Pauline at Amma Ashram. Far from the hustle and bustle of Indian cities Kerala country side has this special something that makes you feel serene. No rush here or jumping from one tourist spot to ano http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Alleppey/blog-705601.html Kerala gods own country as you can read on every street sign tuk tuk buses and travel agency window is at the image of India diverse vibrant. So diverse that I simply cannot summarize my trip to this part of India into one blog so here we gopart 1 going inland in a lookout for peace and quiet ready to discover Munnar tea plantation and its heartwarming sea of green and silent mo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Munnar/blog-693098.html Over the years when thinking of Sarajevo I somehow always recall the tragic events of the 90s. My understanding of the events people went through during those years was quite modest but I always wished I could one day walk in its streets meet chat with locals and along the way grasp a bit more knowledge about Sarajevo complex history while discovering the new Sarajevo.Without going back t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bosnia-and-Herzegovina/East/Sarajevo/blog-658795.html White water rafting might not be the first thing that come to your mind when you think of Bosnia Hercegovina but the minute we found out that there was indeed great rivers it didnt take us much time to make up our mind Like a gem hidden deep into narrow valleys rivers sculpt the Bosnian country side giving him colors intensity while once on it it offers one of the most beautiful scenic http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bosnia-and-Herzegovina/East/Sarajevo/blog-651330.html