Category: Short stories

After Emilie and I met back in Thakek, we mounted a motorbike to ride through the light green ricefields entrapped between high karstic cliffs covered with dark jungle. We loved the authentic smiles and shy waves of young children, the amazing caves sometimes drowned into milky coffee colored water, the slalom between cows and goats wandering on roads. Special credit for the huge scorpion and leechers (and the swarm of tiger-striped mosquitos) we encountered on a small trek into the jungle.
What an adventure!
Tomorrow: we leave Laos to Vietnam.

After a challenging border crossing, I dive into the calm and slow Laos. “Holidays” again? Not 100% certain, but relaxing times for sure. World largest waterfall, bicycling on one of the 4000 islands in middle of the Mekong river, meeting the history of the old king capital and the friendly local children in Champasak. Then I went to discover wild areas up on the Bolaven Plateau and its amazing waterfalls.
Now: long journey to the Central Laos city of Thakhek!

Two weeks only in Cambodia. I liked to compare my souvenirs to the changed lifestyle of the city and people, try again the same restaurants and be surprised by the rapidity of ever growing new venues.
And most of all, I loved to be part of the team that is starting new activities in energy efficiency and environmental performances in the country. Such a huge work still to accomplish, but very promising and interesting.
Now, I’m on my journey to Laos, and am ready to get back to the traveller lifestyle and rythm.

Holidays? oh no, already the end. The month I spend in Thailand was revitalising. Good bye preserved sceneries and landscapes (without plastic waste, or so few), good bye paradise beaches, delicious food and well balanced diet, good bye easy transport and accomodation.
I’m back in Cambodia. Last time was two years and a half ago. Now, I’m here to be part of a two weeks project: help a local company to assess the energy efficiency potential in Cambodia, and start a new activity.
Let’s get back to work and do it!

I always thought I wouldn’t like Bangkok. Well, I was wrong. I discovered a charming and vibrant city with wonderful monuments, temples and palaces. And an active and dynamic swing community 🙂
Our getaways to the Kanchanaburi province and the old royal city of Ayutthaya were good surprises as well: preserved and wild landscapes, the magnificient Eravwan falls, and ancient ruins from the Khmer empire.
Most important of all: we’ve got our Chinese visas! (for the Russian one, well, that’s a long story).

Here we are, in the (epic fail) night bus to Bangkok for the next country visas. But we spend such an amazing time in the Ao Nang region! Railey white beaches, Hong Island remote creeks, snorkeling in the crystal clear Adaman sea with its nemo protector fishes and yellow black striped curious fishes.
And… the opportunity to learn how to cook delicious thai meals with the talented Ya!

We are ready to challenge the wild island! Nothing there correspond to the TV show. So we enjoy the quiet and relaxing accomodation close to the sandy beaches, lonely creeks, cocktails our feet in the sand, local concerts. Holidays? Yeah!
Kayak, motorbike, swimming, snorkeling, life is great.
We particularly loved ou trip to Koh Rok (the real island that hosted the TV reality show) and its amazing coral reefs and fishes.
Now? Back to the continent towards Ao Nang.

Four days that we left Malaysia and crossed the border already. Tremendous change in our travel organisation. Now we’re in ho-li-days… In Krabi, we feed our bellies with delicious and cheap thai food, we take care of our head by going to the hairdresser, we upgrade our electronic equipment for blogging.
And… we enjoy the surroundings: motorbike trip to natural hot springs where we relax in small pools in a waterfall, bath in blue and emerauld ponds, and hike to the Tiger Temple at the top of a karstic rock overseeing banana and rubber plantations.