Do they celebrate Christmas in India? Well, in the Child Haven homes, all festivals are celebrated, whether they are religious or not. Already on Christmas Eve, we could feel some real excitement in the air, and in the morning, everyone was up even earlier than usual, despite the "cold" temperature (12 C). We had breakfast as usual but the dining hall was nicely decorated and the children all came to wish me a "Happy Merry Christmas". After breakfast, the children went to their rooms and they came out dressed in their loveliest clothes, kept for very special occasions. They looked beautiful, and very, very proud. I can't remember if I mentioned it, but I arrived here with only 2 sets of Indian dresses and pants, and it didn't take long that the staff here started giving ... read more

"Sister!" This is what I hear a million times a day, and sometimes more! This is my new identity as I am settling into my new life in Gujarat, India. I am here for 3 months, volunteering for a truly amazing organization called Child Haven (please check their website, it is a fascinating story www.childhaven.ca). And with no language in common, or very, very limited English, "Sister" is not just a way to get my attention, it seems to start and end every sentence, is used alone, or in its longer versions "Sister come" or "Sister me come", or even just "Sister" with an intention to say something but no additional words coming out. Sister, Sister, Sister... Maybe they just like the sound of it... So here I am again, in this country that I fell ... read more

Today, I cycled back to the place where I took off 5 weeks ago. It's only been 5 weeks, and it can't compare to what other cyclists have done, but I have no words to really say how much I enjoyed this adventure. Until the very last day, South Africa had more surprises and gifts to offer. After a bit of a lazy morning yesterday, enjoying Aubrey and Sarita's beautiful house while there was one thunder storm after the other, Sarita dropped me off "downtown" Stellenbosch and I had a lovely afternoon walking around this beautiful city, that has a huge student vibe, thanks to its University. Really interesting, with lots of nice cafes, a few bookstores, and of course many shops and wine tasting places. But even if the city was nice it was nothing ... read more

It is starting to feel like the end of my bike trip is near. But I am still accumulating incredible memories and enjoying this trip immensely. After a night in Calitzdorp, under the stars in my hammock again, I left early after some of the other guests wished me safe travels. It was a beautiful morning, cool weather, thank God because I had a really long hill to climb. But I felt good that day and it went really well and of course going up usually means there will be some downhills eventually... Some of the people who had stayed at the same campsite as I did stopped when they passed me, offered me water, pepper spray, etc. It was fun to stop and chat for some time, I wasn't in a rush! And they were ... read more

Three more days on the road. And three pretty long ones. My body is now asking for some rest. But every day is still full of amazing moments, chance meetings, great food and wonderful scenery. Today again, the landscape was stunning and I can't remember how many times I said "wow" out loud. From Jeffrey's Bay, it was my longest day so far. I was happy to start riding on Route 62, it sounded almost mythical. There were few villages on the way, but I stopped in Kareedouw at a coffee shop where some friendly locals asked me if what I was doing was safe. I laughed and told them this was their country, they should know if it is safe or not!!! I had a huge piece of cheese cake, which gave me fuel for ... read more