Europe » Belgique

Kyrgyzstan - Tips and adresses

ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE COUNTRIES !!

PASSPORT AND VISA: In Belgium, embassy: Rue de l’Abbaye, 47, 1050 Bruxelles. Tel.: (+322) 6403883, 6401868. Duration of the visa: 1 month.

CLIMATE AND GOOD TIMING TO VISIT THE COUNTRY: we were there in the end of May. The best time to go is between mid-June and mid-September. Kyrgyzstan is 94% hilly (over 1000 metres) and a lot of the wonderful alpine lakes are accessible only when summer is really there. Otherwise you might miss some places blocked by heavy snow falls.

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM, COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM: This type of tourism has known a very positive development in Kyrgyzstan, partly due to the work of the Swiss development agency and their Kyrgyz partners. Community-based tourism is particularly adapted to this country which has few modern tourist infrastructures but so much to offer in terms of natural beauty, culture, contacts,…We were very impressed by the quality of their work. In our view, it is very interesting to travel with them and to sponsor their program. They offer trekking, home stays,… CBT can arrange about anything you want. You just need to be very clear on your wishes and make sure what is and what is not included in their final price! Their main (and most efficient) office is in Bishkek. See address below. Their website is very good as well.

http://www.cbtkyrgyzstan.kg/
58 Gor'kiy St. (intersection with Matrossov St.), Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
phone: (**996 312) 540069, phone / fax: (**996 312) 559331

HOTEL IN BISHKEK: our option was the cheap rooms located in the building of the Bishkek International School of Management and Business (BISMB). It’s close to the center, clean, not very charming and hot water was an option. In 2005, price was around 12 EUR for a cheap double. You can take a breakfast at the student’s cafeteria.

Eating in Bishkek: good pizza and coffee at the Italian place just next to the Tumar Art Salon,. Yusa has good Turkish food.

KYRGYZ CRAFTS: Kyrgyz Style in Bishkek. See http://www.kyrgyzstyle.kg/about/index.htm
Also see “La Maison du voyageur” in Bishkek, held by a Kyrgyz French teacher and Philippe, a French man. They do fair trade and also organise trips. Contact them at : kyrgyzdos@elcat.kg or 122, Moskovskai street in Bishkek. Tumar (136 Chui Avenue, Bishkek): very nice but more expensive. You can also buy some nice krafts in the local community shops of some villages, including in Koshkor.

TREKKING AND WALKS: We LOVED the trekkings around Kochkor (Kara-Suu to Kol-Ukok – sleeping with Altimbek’s family, unforgettable experience, 2 days by horse + Sarala-Saz jailoo and Tunduk), the wonderful horse-ride around Sary-Chelek (2 days with CBT, recommended !!). We can’t say much about Karakol as the weather was nasty.

Don’t forget to test the Russian baths, available in most hotels and villages!!

CROSSING OVER TO CHINA: we took the Irkeshtam pass, an amazing “road” which can be extremely bumpy at times. It’s recommended to take a strong jeep, the Russian UAZ. Buses can be very tricky as they stay blocked in case of bad weather and when the big trucks that go to China are stuck and block the road. Our formula: First from Osh to Sary Tash. A night in Sary Tash in a CBT homestay, great experience again and Sary Tash is a strangely fascinating place. Early wake-up to be at the border for the opening (between 8 and 9). In Osh, we found a jeep for 120 USD to the border including the night in Sary Tash. When we where there in May, there were not many tourists around and we found it rather difficult to find other people with whom to team up. The jeep offers were not numerous…Once you’re on the Chinese side, no worries, the roads are perfect, if you have time, you can negotiate a taxi for a fair price to Kashgar.

Yurt Stay in Kyrgyzstan

Around Koshkor

Illimited space

Sary Chelek

Europe » Belgique

Indonesia : tips and addresses

Bali, Lombok and North Sulawesi

BALI

Kuta

Around the Kuta area, the Blue Ocean Seaview Cottages, Legian Kaja Beach, might still be your place. Tel: 62-361-730289

Ubud

www.okawatihotel.com : Good value hotel in Ubud, although not really on the cheap side, the plus is the swimming pool and the good food. View on some rice fields.

If you’re looking for a very cheap place in Ubud, Raka’s guesthouse is the place. We paid 5 dollars for a double including breakfast (pancakes and fruit). Raka has 5 double rooms in the backyard of his family house, just behind the family temple. Address: Maruti Lane n° 108

We particularly liked the food at the Bumbu Bali restaurant and the massage at the Nur Beauty salon on Hannoman street.

If you’re into yoga, healthy vegetarian food, … go check the Bali Spirit centre & restaurant. Address: Hannoman street 44b. Site : www.balispirit.com (map : http://www.balispirit.com/find_us.html)

Sideman

We loved this relaxed place in the middle of the rice fields ! Pondok Wisata Lihat Sawah, Homestay Rice Field View. Tel : 0366-24183

LOMBOK

Beautiful trekking on the Rinjiani volcano. Very different atmosphere that in Bali. Nice beaches totally empty. If you have to spend a night in Sengigi, a beach resort which we didn’t find very charming, we can recommend the Raja’s Bungalows. Tel: 08123770138 They have contacts with guides for the trekking to the Rinjiani volcano and can help arrange the package (at a cheaper price than in Bali : 100 USD per person for 4 days, cheaper can be found also).

NORTH SULAWESI / Diving in Bunaken

Diving in Bunaken and Lembeh Strait are definitively worth the flight! You need to fly to Manado, rather a depressing city, try to avoid sleeping there. In Bunaken, we stayed at a very cheap and simple hotel: Panorama Cottage, Liang Beach. Room with a view + full-board = very cheap ! More cosy and much more expensive: hotel and dive center : Bastianos. We did our diving with them and were happy with the service and quality. They can take you for a day to Lembeh: unmissable!

At the Airport

There is now a ‘Visa On Arrival’ fee for most foreign travellers – US$10 for a maximum of 3 days and US$25 for a stay of up to 30 days. This visa fee must be paid on arrival at your first Indonesian airport and applies to all travellers, even children who may not have needed their own seat on the aircraft. It is rather difficult to renew such a visa in the country. So either, take a longer visa at home or you will have to get out of the country and come back in (for example by going to Singapore and back). I recommend that you get the US dollars required before you leave home for quick processing although changes to the system will now allow you to pay in your local currency or with credit cards. This fee is in addition to the Indonesian Departure Tax of Rp100,000 which must be paid at the airport when you depart and it must be paid in the local currency, Rupiah

Dining at the Bumbu in Ubud

View from the hotel in Sideman

View from Panorama GH in Bunaken

The Ringiani trek

Europe » Belgique

Laos - Tips and addresses

From South to North:

Si Phan Don Region: very relaxed and laid-back atmosphere on Mekong islands. Activities: walking and biking along the shores of the islands, relaxing, having beers watching a good sunset on the Mekong. A couple of waterfalls to see. Hotel: on Don Det island: Guesthouse Souksan: nice and clean, good views for the sunsets. The Chinese food is ok.

Champassak: sleepy village along the Mekong. Good base to visit the Wat Phu temple (http://www.watphu.com). The temple is worth the visit if you are in the South of Laos but not a must if you’re not planning to go South. Hotel: Suchittra. Good views from the restaurant. Rooms are ok but there are a lot of cockroaches around.

Pakse: Capital of the South. Good base to take a trip to the Bolaven plateau. Hotel: Sabaidy. Address: n°24 Road Ban Thalung (phone: 856 31 212 992). They also organise tours to the plateau, waterfalls, coffee plantations.

Vientiane: Besides the classic things to do, it is funny to go and have a traditional lao massage at Wat Sok Pa Luang, a temple located in a forest. We were there in November and all the cheap and clean guesthouses were full…so don’t hesitate to book in advance even if you hate the idea. So we went to a more expensive alternative Joe Guesthouse (12 US$). It’s a modern, spotless guesthouse overlooking the Mekong. Address: 112 Th Fa Ngum. tel/fax: +85621241936. Other good address (same price): Saysouly Guest House: tel: +85621223757, email: saysouly@hotmail.com, 23 Thanon Manthatulat. For a lunch: try the viet-lao snacks (sandwiches and Vietnamese soups) at the RVO restaurant.

Luang Prabang: To Do: all the classic stuff in the centre, a lot of sunsets along the Mekong, eating at the stalls in the night markets, a day of relaxing at the Tat Sal waterfall. We were at the Sok Dee Guest House (4-5 US$). Ask for directions, I can’t remember the address. It is in a small street coming up from Khem Kong Road. We tried the Sayo Guest House but it was full (tel: +856 71 252614). It’s on the higher range of price (20 US$). Sayo's few rooms are often full, particularly in the high season. It's no surprise, as they are lovely and the building, an old French colonial building is as well. There are loads of good restaurants. It’s nice to have a drink and read some books or magazines at “L’étranger coffee shop” on Chao Sisophon Road.

Luang Nam Tha: The town itself isn’t special at all but it’s a good base to explore other villages, minorities around or take a trekking or kayaking trip. Hotels: We were at the Palanh Guest House, not very charming but the other options were not much better. We took a 1-day trekking and 2-days kayaking trip with “Green Discovery” and were very pleased with the service. We walked to a Lenten village, slept there, then continued the next two days on kayaks up to Na Lae. The newt day, we jumped on a small motor boat and continued to Pak Tha (has at least 2-3 guest houses). From Pak Tha, we took the 2-day really touristy slow boat which goes from the Thai border to Luang Prabang, with a stop in Pak Beng. This long boat trip gets a little boring in the end. In Pak Beng, a lot of rats or mice around…no good sleep.

Europe » Belgique

Cambodia - tips and addresses

Angkor/Siem Riep

Be careful with the scam buses from Bagkok to Siem Riep. It's cheap but long and unconfortable. Corruption at the border crossing...You arrive late in Siem Riep so they drop you without you having the choice in a hotel out of the center of the little city. This will force you take the guided tours with them, eat at their hotel,...We left the place the next morning and were hasseled by the 10 or so young men sitting around to pay 2 nights...just not a good experience.

Angkor is definitely worth the 3-days pass.

Can’t remember the name of our hotel in Siem Riep…It was on Wat Bo Road in front of Mom’s guest House. In this street (5-10 minutes nice walk to the old market), there are a few cheap and clean accommodation options.

In Phnom Penh:

Don’t miss: the National Museum, the Royal Palace, the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, walking along the Mekong and biking through the busy streets.

If you arrive by bus, be prepared to “confront” the dozen tuk-tuk drivers who want to take you to the hotel in which they receive a commission.

- Royal Guest House: located in town, not too far from the Mekong. Clean clear rooms, sometimes a bit noisy. The owner offers no commissions to tuk-tuk drivers.

- Restaurant “Friends”: NGO helping street kids, food and service are great. Address: #215 Street 13 (North of the National Museum). (http://www.streetfriends.org/)

- Restaurant “The Boddhi Tree”: fine cuisine, relaxing place in front of the Tuol Sleng genocide Museum. (http://www.boddhitree.com/). Also a guest house. Address: #50 Street 113

- Café and Bakery “The Shop”: for those who need to indulge in a gooood continental breakfast after months or days of abstinence. Address: Street 240

To Laos

Possible to catch a mini-bus to Stung Treng, near the border. Ask info at your guest house. Used to be possible by boat also, but not sure if it still exists. By bus, it only takes 6-8 hours with the new roads. From Stung Treng, take a bus or a speed boat to the border. Beware, the speed boats are VERY fast. The chances are high you will have to pay a little “backshish” at one or both borders.

Stung Treng

Difficult to advice a hotel, they are all (or were all) a bit dodgy or slightly dirty but cheap.

Europe » Belgique

Our favourite links

Travels & World Pictures

www.a2L.be : Personal website of Tito Dupret: beautiful pictures and panographies (360-degree imaging) from all over the world.

www.world-heritage-tour.org : Splendid panographies of sites registered on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

www.tourdumonde.be : Website in French of Pierre, a Belgian guy who did a world tour in 2001-02, the website is full of information on how to get prepared,…

http://routedelasoie.skynetblogs.be : Travelogue of Belgian friends who did Brussels-Almaty-Brussels along the Silk Road in an ambulance in 2005.

http://gandjib.blogspot.com/: Travelogue in English of Gaetane and Jean-Baptiste, 2 Belgian honeymooners on the silk road in summer 2006.

www.escapelab.com.au : Photographic travelogue, 2004 world tour, great design.

http://www.heisop.blogspot.com : Emma and Hans around the World from July 2005 to August 2006.

www.abm.fr : “Aventure du Bout du Monde”, Association of French travellers with a website full of info’s on travels, a list of travel sites.

www.jacaranda-es.org : Meeting social entrepreneurs around the world (2005-2006) and tips on how to organise and obtain financing for a project-trip.

www.80hommes.com : “Tour du monde en 80 hommes” : Around the world meeting 80 people who are pioneers in sustainable development.

http://www.manoamano.asso.fr : It started by a world trip meeting partners in fair trade.

http://bonheurauboutduguidon.com : World tour of Christophe Cousin by bike. 30.000 km in 833 days. I can’t help admiring those who have the strength and courage to do it by bike.

www.naturalguide.org : One of the best ECO-guides to Bali, promotes responsible ecotourism and community-based development projects.

www.passplanet.com : A free, independent, objective web travel guide from backpackers to backpackers. Useful for some Asian countries such as China, less complete and up-to-date on others.

www.estanciaelvalle.com : Adventure lodge in Argentine Patagonia, for people who love huge open spaces, horse-riding, atmosphere and delicious Argentinean meat.

In Belgium

Good music by Belgian friends:

www.mariewarnant.com : Marie beautifully sings nostalgic and poetic tones

www.sauleetlespleureurs.be : website of a band with simple tones and great simple lyrics

Others in Belgium:

www.arriere-scene.be : a good friend who opened a cosy “café-théâtre” in Brussels with an interesting and varied program.

www.billykite.be : Great kite (kitesurf, kiteboard, ..) shop in Brussels.

www.futureshorts.be: Short film evenings in Brussels.

www.bewebcreation.be : our webmaster’s website.

www.juliedrion.org : an NGO in which AC is active and who has opened a house to accommodate the family of people treated in the Bordet hospital in Brussels.

A bit of everything

www.matieresareflexion.com : Leti & Cyril who make unique hand-made bags and accessories in Paris (http://matieresareflexion.blogspot.com : their blog with fashion shopping tips in Paris)

http://favoritechoses.typepad.com : Creative, bobo alternative, cultural website, plenty of funny links

Amérique du Sud » Argentine

Proches du Pôle Sud, la tête à l´envers

Amérique du Sud » Argentine

Boites aux lettres du BOUT DU MONDE

Amérique du Nord » Etats-Unis

La Meduse - Aquarium de Monterey - Californie

La méduse appartient à l'embranchement des cnidaires (dans la nouvelle classification, la notion d'embranchement a disparu mais celle de cnidaires s'est maintenue).

La méduse des eaux peu profondes se nourrit de plancton grâce à ses tentacules qui servent de pièges. La classe des cnidaires se composent de 3 sous-classes : les scyphozoaires, les hydrozoaires et les anthozoaires.

Suite dans le dico. Merci d´avoir tout lu !!

Asie » Philippines

Une île ...

Une île, une île au large de l'espoir

...Où les hommes n'auraient pas peur...

...Et douce et calme comme ton miroir...

BOUM !!

Asie » Laos

Le Laos est bourre de papillons !

Pres des chutes du plateau de Bolaven

Luang Nam Tha

Luang Nam Tha

Papillion de nuit / Bolaven

Asie » Laos

Communique - Je fais ce que je veux avec mes cheveux !!

Nous avons récemment reçu plusieurs messages calomnieux sur la coiffure de Jack et la difficulté de distinguer Jack d'AC sur les photos...La plaisanterie est pour le moins douteuse. Pour ceux qui hésiteraient encore, le mec c'est celui qui porte le bandeau. Jack revendique son droit à la différence ;-)

Qui est Qui ???

No Comment !!!

Le bandeau....c'est Jack

Une autre epoque...sans bandeau

Asie » Indonésie

Surf Attitude

Derrière les lunettes et le costard tiré à quatre épingles de l'avocat d'affaires se cache une star méconnue du bodysurf... Séquence frisson !

La plage est à lui

Celui qui lit la vague

Celui qui boit la vague

Le mythe est ne... tout est dans la surf attitude !

Asie » Tibet

La Friendship Highway !

La route qui relie Lhassa à Kathmandou est appelée la "Friendship Highway" et fait partie de ces routes mythiques qui ne s'oublient pas!

Durant les +/- 800km, on part des hauts plateaux désertiques et arides du Tibet, on longe les sommets enneigés de la chaîne Himalayen que l'on traverse finalement via des cols de 5.200m, pour redescendre à pic les falaises sur des petites routes sinueuses et arriver finalement dans les verdoyantes vallées du Népal!
Splendide et impressionnant...

L'Himalaya...

La Friendship Highway... pas toujours tres amicale!

He oui !

Premiere panne au Nepal!

Asie » Tibet

Tibet - Bouddhisme : ce qu'on ne vous a pas montre!

Lhassa 2 x plus jaune : beurre de yak (rance) et les dents en or

Carcasses de... on vous laisse deviner

Un peu de Bouddhisme tantrique!?

Le corps est une enveloppe et il faut savoir s'en detacher... un jour (cfr. photo 2)!

Asie » Chine

Mao, toujours un grand homme,... de propagande

En Chine, il y a quelque chose qui frappe, c'est le fossé entre le discours tenu, l'image qu'ils veulent donner et la réalité. Pour les chinois, il est primordial de ne pas perdre la face, quitte à embellir la réalité ou à la contredire platement avec un sourire naïf.
La survivance du culte de Mao en est un des meilleurs exemples. Comme l'a établit Deng Xiaoping, le successeur de Mao Zedong: "Mao a fait 70% de bonnes choses et 30% de mauvaises, et le bon prévaut largement sur le mauvais"! Mao est donc toujours considéré comme un grand homme en Chine et est très peu critiqué.

Dans ce que Mao a fait, voici ce qui est perçu comme positif:
- avoir unifié le pays (et avoir "pacifiquement libéré" le Tibet !!??),
- avoir débarrassé la Chine de la domination des étrangers occidentaux et des japonnais,
- avoir doté son pays de l'arme nucléaire et donc d'avoir mis la Chine à l'abri de nouvelles agressions,
- avoir radicalement amélioré le niveau de l'alphabétisation (20% à 90%) et l'espérance de vie (35 ans à 70 ans),
- avoir amélioré le statut de la femme qui est considérée égale de l'homme.

Mais à quel prix:
- Le "grand bond en avant" (1958-60), politique de développement basée sur la collectivisation massive qui devait quadrupler la production agricole et sidérurgique en Chine, et la famine qui s'en est suivie a fait +/- 30 millions de morts.
- La rupture des relations avec le grand frère communiste, l'URSS de Kroushchev en 1960. La Russie a des lors interrompu toute aide financière et rappelé tous ses experts
- La Révolution Culturelle (1966-76), dont le but était de purifier la société chinoise en éliminant la "vermine bourgeoise" et de faire table rase des "mauvaises" traditions a conduit à des purges massives de milliers d'intellectuels et d'opposants. Cette chasse à l'homme a créé une horrible situation de chaos et a aussi mené à la destruction de la majeure partie de l'héritage culturel et religieux chinois.
- Les essais nucléaires ont fait des centaines de mort et de mutilés dont personne n'entendra jamais parler.
- L'unification du pays grâce à la dictature militaire, à une propagande omniprésente et à un esprit critique quasi inexistant. (Peu savent ce qui s'est passé a Tienanmen, surtout chez les jeunes, et on parle toujours d'une libération pacifique du Tibet).

HARMONIE
Ces points négatifs n'ont pas empêché le gouvernement de promouvoir le culte de Mao ces dernières années. Ça renforce le discours politique en inadéquation totale avec le libéralisme triomphant qui a cours en Chine. Ils sont même allés jusqu'à décréter 2005 : "l'année du tourisme rouge" pour inciter la population à se souvenir de son passé révolutionnaire! (4 millions de visiteurs en 2004 dans la petite ville de Yan'an, lieu d'arrivée de la Longue Marche).

Même si Mao a sans doute contribue à faire de la Chine ce qu'elle est aujourd'hui, cad un pays unifié et une puissance économique montante, est-ce sain de taire une partie de l'histoire et d'aduler un homme genocidaire, un homme pour qui le développement ne rimait pas avec respect de l'humanité. Mais peut-être que ça aussi fait partie de l'identité chinoise : la capacité de privilégier "l'harmonie" et de taire les conflits pour se concentrer sur l'avenir!

Faut en avoir au moins un chez soi

Mao, Grandeur propagande

Maomaniaque?

Il se cache meme derriere le Wal-Mart

Asie » Chine

Kidzzz Cool

Pour le plaisir des yeux

Star Kid - tres populaire en Chine!

Karate Kid - un futur revolte...?

Monster Kids

Kid Devil, in princess' disguise

Asie » Chine

Fashion in China

Mini apercu de la mode qui fait rage aupres des ados dans les villes chinoises. Dress Code : Colore, hyper accessorise et tres girlie... tout le contraire de l'uniforme unisexe Mao.

Pekin - Canari du summer palace

Sous l'ombrelle - Place Tienanmen

Les poseuses du Kunming

Pekin - Des fans au concert de Jay (superstar taiwanaise)

Europe » Belgique

Mise à jour effectuée

Cette rubrique a été remplacee par un "Melting Pot" photos - textes!