Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Isn’t My Daughter Pretty?
Last Friday I went to try and salsa dance, I say try because I royally suck at it and I never remember the steps. I don’t mind, I usually spend most of the evening listening to the music and watching those who can actually dance well.
This time was no exception, I spent most of the evening talking to people and looking at the experienced couples dancing. When the salsa dancers started deserting the place, the DJ starting playing some old soul/funk sounds that I love so I went on the dance floor. I few minutes later a women came and started dancing with me, I could tell by the way she was looking at me that she found me attractive. She asked me for my age and then gave me hers: she was 70 years old (and really didn’t look like it). It was her first time in La Reunion and she enjoyed every minute of it. She made the hmm sound on numerous occasions, I guess she wanted to make sure I got the message even though her husband was seated not too far from us. She later said: you see the girl in the red dress, she is my daughter, isn’t she pretty, she’s 45 years old! The girl was wearing an amazing red dress that was fitting her in all the right places, she also didn’t look her age and was gorgeous. I can only wish to all the women on this planet to age as well. It was weird because I had the feeling that the mother was advertising the daughter, two men where seated next to the husband so I guessed one of them was the daughter’s boyfriend. I felt a little embarrassed by the situation but it was also terribly funny, I congratulated the mother on a job well done and thankfully for me the song ended.
La suite!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Things You Don’t See When You Wake At 8 In The Morning
I was driving my scooter yesterday morning on my way to work around 6 AM when I witnessed the amazing view you can see below. For 5 full minutes I stopped regretting being up so early in the morning, I then hopped back on my scooter to go to work...
As I am on an island I can’t help thinking of the TV Show lost when I look at this shot.
La suite!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
It's been a while since I posted a good electro sound: Etienne de Crecy - Fast Track Live Vs We Are Your Friends.
La suite!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
I like this DJ that can produce strong elecro beats as well as good hip-hop tunes: RJD2 - Here's What's Left.
La suite!
Monday, December 6, 2010
A Day Of My Life
My fourth trip to La Reunion is everything but relaxing. Here is how my work days usually go lately.
Gobies De Feu
The alarm rings at 7:45 AM but I have been awake for roughly one hour and I have tried every position possible in the bed to go back to sleep. Even though I have moved a lot, my feet find the exact spot where my slippers are when they get out of the bed. I walk to the living room to grab the phone and stop the alarm, put a bowl of milk in the microwave oven and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I have breakfast while watching a Japanese anime then drive to work with my scooter. I have to be very careful on the way because people only use the turning light when they have already started turning, they have no clue what to do when it comes to entering and exiting a roundabout and that creates a lot of traffic jam but most of all a lot think that it is a good thing to drive much slower than the maximum speed limit allowed.
Merou Croissant Jaune
I get to work at 9:OO AM and I learn that the network went down the day before or is down, I have to take care of it A.S.A.P. or find out what went wrong. As I am looking for the root of the problem my phone reminds me of the things I wanted to do during the day. After a while I stop postponing the reminders to later in the day to avoid being disturbed and set all of them for the next day. My phone doesn’t stop ringing during all this, I am asked what is happening, if I have a solution or when it will be solved: this is exactly what I need to stay focused. When I look at the clock for the first time it is almost time for the lunch break, I complete my analysis and use the little time I have left to read and send some emails.
Epervier Strie
Back from the lunch break at 12:30 PM I still have to finish reading my emails to be able to finally start doing what I had planed for the day. I have to explain why it is not moving forward as planed to my bosses, I have to explain why problems occurred and how I dealt with them, I have to remind people that they are supposed to help me on a specific issue that I have, I have to give some information I don’t have to the people who ask me for it. I can finally start working till the end of the day on what I have been sent to this island for. If I am lucky no new problem will occur and I will be able to move forward with my schedule.
Chirurgiens Bagnard
I am back to my place around 7:00 PM, I fall in the sofa as soon as I have closed the door. I am so beat sometimes that I have a really hard time getting up to shower and then head out for diner or cook something. The evening is gone in no time and it takes me less than a minute to fall asleep when I am in bed.
Thankfully I can spend at least 40 minutes at 20 meters underwater each week-end and that is more than enough to give me all the strength I need for the coming week.
La suite!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
Music should be free! Kanye West launched a music program called G.O.O.D. Fridays (G.O.O.D. Music is the name of his label) that releases a new song every Friday. Here is my favorite song of them all: Kanye West - Lord Lord Lord Feat Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, Raekwon & Charlie Wilson.
La suite!
Monday, November 29, 2010
A Geek? Sometimes...
This week-end I watched a UFO called Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. The following video was the intro of the movie and I just couldn’t help giggling in my sofa while watching it.
For those who have no clue what I am talking about, this video is made in the 8-bit style of the video game console of my youth.
La suite!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
I won't be seeing my wife for a month so this song is for her: Bill Withers - Just The Two Of Us.
La suite!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Azureus Rising
This video introduces the animated movie and video game Azureus Rising, the quality of the CGI gives a good idea of what is to come, lets just hope that the story will be of the same caliber.
La suite!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
This week-end I was at a party where i heard this song that I like so much: Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well.
La suite!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Gozo Part II
Once we were back at the centre I was told that the weather wouldn’t improve and I wouldn’t be able to dive on the Sunday. If I really wanted to dive they were offering to dive in the afternoon but it would be at the same spot we had been in the morning. I wanted to dive in the Blue Hole, around the Azure Window or in Xlendi but It would be for another time. The drive back to Xlendi was much easier as I was starting to know my way around. When I entered the city I spotted a minivan that was in the same spot we had dived in the morning and after parking the scooter I passed by another diving centre. I can at least say that I know my way in Gozo now and that I know where to find some diving centres.
Azure Window
The afternoon was dedicated to touristic activities, my wife had planed a few things for us to see. We had a quick lunch and I bought a 50cl ice tea bottle that cost 3€; that is the most expensive ice tea I have ever drunk. The ride to Azure Window was very bumpy, the road was so bad when we passed through the small villages that we were jumping all over the place. I can say that Azure Window is as nice as people say and that the Blue Hole deserves its name. I would have loved to dive there but I was told in the morning that there was too much wind in that part of the island: there was absolutely no wind at all when we were there and it was not raining. To really piss me off I could see some divers gearing up in the parking lot and some ready to dive on a boat. I was not supposed to dive in the afternoon so it was not too big of a deal just a small disappointment. We then headed to the Ta Pinu church, the road leading to it was in perfect state as it was paid for by the European Union. It is funny that a place with a lot of offshore banks needs the European Union to pay for its touristic roads. From there we drove to Victoria where you can visit the citadel, there is not much to see there except for the cathedral and the great viewpoint on the island. If you have the right camera or the right software you will be able to make a 360 panoramic picture. Our next stop was Calypso Grotto near Marsalforn, my fuel gauge was around 25% so I wanted to get some gas but there was no station in Marsalforn. We either had to go back to Victoria or drive up the hill on the way to Xaghra, the grotto was also up the hill hence the decision was easy to make.
Ta Pinu
We were bummed when we finally found the station because it was closed. It was one of those old stations you would find in French cities when I was young. In Gozo the gas stations are closed on the week-end starting Saturday noon but you actually have a way to get gas. There was a booth where you could pay and choose what kind of gas you needed. You couldn’t use a credit card of course it would be too easy, no coins either the booth only accepted bank notes and the minimum was 10€. It was not an issue if we needed to fill up our car but it was something else for our scooter. I think I used at most 3€ out of the 10€ I put in the machine, don’t expect to get a refund there is nothing for it on the machine. If you wanted your money back you had to come back in the week with the receipt within a maximum of 15 days. That’s a very good way to rip of the tourists!
Legend says that the Calypso Grotto is the place where Calypso has kept Odysseus for 7 years after his shipwreck. Once you get there you will have to step down small and steep stairs and … nothing. There is indeed a grotto but you won’t see anything if you didn’t bring your own light because there is no lighting at all. In case you did bring a light source you will still see nothing because there is nothing to see at all! We had to stop here and there because it started to rain but in all we were quite lucky the weather wasn’t as bad as forecasted. We had dinner in the evening on a terrace, my tortellini a la marina had no taste if I didn’t put parmesan cheese on them and my wife’s chicken wings looked as if they had stayed much too long in cooking oil: my belly really didn’t enjoy the food.
Blue Hole
We enjoyed a nice breakfast on Sunday morning we then decided to go spend the afternoon in Comino to see the Blue Lagoon. We had to fill up the scooter before leaving it at the ferry terminal, lucky for us their was a gas station just in front of the terminal but it was the same racket as the day before and this time we had even less gas to put in. We inserted the 10€ note, selected the pump and no pump delivered any gas; this time there was no ticket so that I could complain. A Guy driving a motorbike came in the station put money in and managed to get some gas from another pump (there was four in total) so after he left we put another 10 and selected the same pump he did and this time gas was flowing. We left the scooter with the helmets and the keys on the parking of the terminal and went looking for a boat to Comino. We wanted to go straight from Comino to Malta but were told that the only boat going that way was at 5 PM. We didn’t want to stay that long on Comino so we bought a return ticket Gozo-Comino and 20 minutes later we were dropped on the Blue Lagoon. I see a blue lagoon this way: clear blue water and white sand; the water was indeed very clear and blue but there was no sand in sight. The waterfront was only rock the same way it is in Malta, someone wanting to lie down would need to look for a soft spot somewhere or rent a deck chair. I saw a boat heading to Malta, on it was written that it was going from Malta to Comino every hour: we had again been ripped of probably like a lot of tourists before us just because those assholes wanted to sell their return boat trip. Thanks for being honest! We decided to take that boat on its next stop but as we were waiting for it ours came back and we boarded it because the other one was nowhere in sight. As you have read we have been quite lucky during that week-end so the other boat appeared as soon as the boat we were on left the wharf. At least we got a visit of the rest of the Blue Lagoon before going back to Gozo to catch the ferry back to Malta.
Blue Hole
It was a weird week-end but I can now say that what makes Malta nice is also its weak point in many situations. The lost in time feel of the island is really great up until a point: the bad roads, the old hotels, the out of time gas stations and the run down building don’t always give a good impression of the island when one is staying there for a while but it is part of the island charm when you are there for a few days. Come to Malta to enjoy the narrow streets, the city as big as a district of Paris, the fireworks in the week-end, all the Italian restaurants, the old fortifications. This island is worth a visit.
La suite!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
A nice song in the vein of my post of last friday: Friendly Fires - Paris Feat Au Revoir Simone (Aeroplane Remix).
La suite!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Gozo
Sometimes you feel like you just ended up in another dimension. You just need to add a few events which have no meaning by themselves but that paint a strange picture once put together.
We went to Gozo for the week-end, my wife had booked an hotel in Xlendi and found a diving centre for me to go scuba diving Saturday and Sunday morning. A few hours before leaving I called the centre to get the address and the directions, I was surprised to discover that it was located in Marsalforn. We didn’t know if we would move around the island with the public transportation or with a rented car or scooter, my wife had never driven on the left side of the street (me neither) so public transportation was my favourite choice but the idea of crossing the island to go to Marsalforn forced me to change my mind. My wife was very clear when she asked for the phone number of a diving centre in Xlendi but it seems it was more interesting that I go dive in Marsalforn for the person who gave her the phone number. The renting agency I called was also located in Marsalforn but luckily for me vehicles could be delivered all over the island so I asked them to meet us at the ferry terminal.
I met my wife at the hotel after work and from there we took the 645 bus to go from Sliema to Cirkewwa where we would take the ferry. We didn’t find any place to buy our tickets before getting on the boat, a man explained to my wife that the fee would be paid on arrival on the island. Once we got there no one was there to ask us to pay anything: thanks for the free ferry! We grabbed the scooter and were on the road around 7PM, with open helmets on I couldn’t stop my eyes from crying like crazy and it was tougher and tougher to see were I was going. The crying was so much that I stopped to put my sunglasses on and also took the opportunity to put on a long-sleeved t-shirt, it would have been a shame to catch a cold in the evening and not be able to go diving in the morning. Here we were on our way to Xlendi and the road was in really bad shape and in many places there was no light on the side of the street; good thing because my scooter light was so weak that it didn’t help me at all to see the street. As if things were not easy enough for us, the road was being repaired so we had to go through smaller roads with no lights that went through the fields. We finally got to our destination, it was quite nice to get to the city in the evening, you couldn’t see the bay but you could get a nice view of water front. I was quite happy with myself because I had managed to get us there with no maps without forgetting to always drive on the left side of the street.
There was no booking in our name at the hotel, we had to get it back from hotels.com to prove the room was already paid; the hotel finally got our booking the day after even though it was done 2 days earlier. The hotel had an internal courtyard and our room had a window on it, there were rooms with the street view and rooms with the bay view. We paid the price of the bay view room and ended up in the cheapest room, we paid our room 2.5 times its price when booking with hotels.com.
I woke up early on Saturday morning because I had to be at the centre at 7:45 AM, I felt like eating breakfast but breakfast only started at 7:30 AM. I went to the restaurant just in case I would get lucky and could see all the food on the tables but sadly the restaurants doors were closed and I left with the memory of the food in my mind to fill my belly. Outside I found my scooter covered with bird shit, the day before I didn’t see that I had parked it an area completely full of bird shit. I didn’t know bird shit when they sleep. When the cleaning was done I drove to Marsalforn with an empty belly hoping I would find a shop where I would be able to buy something to eat and I would not get lost on the way, in any case it would still be easier with daylight. In Gozo the small villages don’t have any directions signs so you can drive for a while not really knowing where you are going and end up in the wrong city. I was driving, trying not to get lost and turning when I found the proper indication. I found myself on a road that led to the sea, I expected to go through Victoria at some point but without any indications decided to wait until I was in a village to find out where I was. I followed the road till the end and found Marsalforn, I found the diving centre after short while.
We hoped on the minivan as soon as the gear was chosen, I was the only one who didn’t speak German among the divers, I tried to hear if I could still understand the language but they were talking much too fast for me. We got dropped close to the dive site and walked the rest of the way. On the sea shore I saw some small pools that were used to catch the salt water, I quickly took a few pictures and put the camera inside its waterproof box because it was starting to rain. What a pleasure to start gearing up under the rain, the guy next to me had a dry suit he just had to step inside the suit to be ready to go as I was still fighting with my suit. There was no wharf, we had to walk on the sharp rocks, jump in the water then put our fins and masks on. The water was quite hot thanks to the rain, once everyone was ready we went underwater; there was four of us: the instructor, an experienced diver, a level one diver and me. As we were around 3 meters under sea level, the level one diver was already 5 or 6 meters deep and not showing any sign of slowing down, the instructor had to go and grab him or I don’t know how deep he would have gone. His ears must have taken quite a beating from the pressure. I saw some tuna hunting and wanted to take some pictures but the camera didn’t power on when I pressed on the switch; I put the camera backwards when I put it back in the waterproof case and forgot to check it before going underwater. It’s a pity but I will have to use my memory to remind myself of the barracuda and the octopus I saw. I came back outside with 100 bars after 40 minutes, I had never breathed so well underwater. The exit was quite tricky, you had to remove your fins and use a rope to climb out; if you were not careful the current would shove you against the rocks so you would really have to wait for the right moment to climb out of the water. It was still raining outside at the end of the dive, I really wanted to keep my suit on because it was keeping me warm but only people in proper clothes could get on the minivan. The blanket felt great on the way back but I felt like taking a good warm bath.
You will get the end of the story next week.
La suite!
Friday, October 22, 2010
I Love Paris
Here is a time-lapse video of the most beautiful city in the world where i have the chance to live. It was shot by The Seventh Movement. Enjoy.
La suite!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
I was starting to be interested in music when this song came out: Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls.
La suite!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Birgu Nights
This week-end you could go to the Birgu Fest, the event was taking place during 3 days in Vittoriosa (Birgu in Maltese). We went there on Saturday evening to see what was happening.
The little town of Birgu tried to attain the Guinness Book of Record for having the city lit with a huge number of candles. The candles would lit the city as the sun set. Located in front of Valletta, Birgu is a small town with many little streets, it is the perfect place to have this kind of event. Walking through the narrow streets is nice, you spend most of your time in the dark. You can have fun with the shadows, play hide and seek or scare the people passing by. The orange red atmosphere that is created by the colour of the recipient that holds the candles adds a little something to the whole city. You feel like stopping at each corner to take a picture but you need to have the good camera or something to hold it still otherwise you will only make blurry pictures.
The candles were not the only thing to see, there was a stage in the main plaza were you could listen to traditional music as well as the latest song sung by local artists. You could of course find food everywhere and I regretted not having someone from Malta explain to me what the different dishes were, I wanted to try something bud didn’t feel like doing a blind test. It was also possible to visit the touristic places of the city as they stayed open quite late. Everything was there so people would have a good time.
The Guinness Book inspector must really have a good time going through the streets and counting the candles. Did he count all of them twice to make sure there was no cheating or did he need a team of inspectors to do the job quickly and more efficiently? I couldn’t find if the town was successful or not but I really like the idea. I should try and organize something like this where I live it would be fun. Here are more pics.
La suite!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
I just love this song, it always makes me think about my wife: Donell Jones - You Know That I Love You. The video is in the complete post.
La suite!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Malta Force
If you are in Malta this december, you have to see the Maltese Blockbuster of the year: Malta Force.
La suite!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I Can’t Dive!
I went scuba diving this Sunday in Malta waters and I can tell you it wasn’t that easy.
I found a diving centre at a walking distance from my hotel. Up until now I have always been scuba diving in French speaking countries, the equipment size is always the same but that was not the case this time. I had to adapt to what was available, It is important because the quality of the dive also depends on you choosing the right things to wear. There was no ride on a boat with the gear before jumping in the water, here you hop in a pickup truck with the gear in the back and go for a ride. We went to Valletta and stopped on the bank at the far end of the city, we put all the gear on shore before going in the water. You start with the boots, the suit and the stabilization vest fitted with the full air tank, you then step down the stairs that lead to the shore with your fins and mask in one hand. The sun is so strong that you feel like running into the water but you make sure you start wearing the gear when everyone is ready.
Once in the water I put on my mask as well as the fins and we would meet underwater as soon as everyone would be ready. I just couldn’t go under, my stab vest was completely empty of air but my head was still above the water. I acted like snorkelers who want to go under, my head was facing the bottom on the ocean and my feet where in the air. This allowed me to go down to where my diving buddies were but as soon as I stopped moving my legs and tried to stabilize myself I would go up like oil in water. I tried 3 times and was still unsuccessful, the diving instructor came up and asked me how many extra kilos I had with me; I had 2kg because that was the weight I was taking each time I would dive with a full suit in La Reunion but the Indian Ocean is not the Mediterranean Sea. The instructor gave me his car keys and I had the pleasure of getting out of the water with everything on and walking back to the car to get 6 extra kilos. I wanted to hurry up the stairs to get them but it would tire me and I would then breathe too much underwater. I grabbed 3 weights, put them in my right pocket and slowly went back down the stairs.
I almost drowned when I went back in the water because I had forgotten to inflate my vest before jumping back in the water and I was much more heavy. After inflating my vest I just couldn’t stay on my back to properly put my mask and the fins; I had 3 weight in my right pocket and only a new diving case for my digital camera in the left pocket, I didn’t want to put some weight in the right pocket to avoid damaging the box but I quickly changed my mind. I finished equipping myself as soon as the weight was even and I went under quite easily. Next time I go scuba diving I will wear a shorty and have 4kg with me, this way I will be sure to sink like a stone.
La suite!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Who’s Hungry?
It is my first time in Malta and i am very happy about it. I like those places that smell of old stones and sun. It looks that I will have a lot of work here but thankfully the week ends are there to go visit.
My stay started well as I woke up Wednesday morning with more than 75 bites on the arms and the torso (my wife counted each of them). I concluded right away that the bites where from the previous evening and that the mosquitoes were not bothered by the mosquito repellent I had applied on my skin. My wife discovered later some blood drops on my bed sheet and then found a bug full of blood. You really like it when you stay in a hotel and you get stung by bugs while you are sleeping! It is not the first time that I have slept in sheets with bugs but I have never been stung that much before! We have changed room and I haven’t been stung at all during the night, to be fair I am sure I wouldn’t see the difference.
Who wants to come to Malta?
La suite!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Aaaaahhhhh!
Here are 3 Heineken ads. It is funny how the companies that sell the worst beer make the best ad campaigns.
La suite!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I Did It!
It took us three trips to La Reunion to go to "le Piton de la Fournaise". It is no wonder that the volcano is the first touristic place on the island, the area is truly amazing.
You have to know that one has to deserve the volcano, we woke up at 4:30 AM to meet some friends and get there as soon as possible. If you don’t like waking up early it is ok too, it is not mandatory to be up at the same time as chickens do to go see the volcano but the weather changes quickly out there and the clouds often come down quite quickly. Moreover the later you get there the more people there will be on the way to the top, you may think it is not that important but it truly isn’t the same thing when all is quiet next to the crater.
Before getting to "le Pas de Bellecombe" to start hiking you will drive through "la Plaine des Sables". I have to say that this area is quite amazing, I could say that it looks like you are on the moon but I have never been there. I can at least say that it is the most astonishing landscape I have ever seen, on first look you would think that the ground is dark but when looking closely you will see here and there some red and orange. This place deserves a short hike to fully enjoy its beauties.
I like the fact that you have to drive for 2 hours to know whether you can go hiking our not. Once we arrived at "le Pas de Bellecombe" we could see that "l’enclos" (the plain that leads to the volcano) was covered by the clouds but the volcano was not. It is funny to be walking in the clouds and see them disappear as we walk. Don’t expect to find a nice little track, don’t forget that once you have come down in "l’enclos" you will be walking on cooled volcanic rock; you will have to follow little white dots painted on the rock to reach your destination.
Things start to get serious when you start climbing the volcano, powdery rock replaces the hard volcanic rock and you feel like you are walking on sand; you will then walk on sharp rock and will have to be very careful not to trip. The walk is not too difficult but you always have to watch where you step. You will see truly unique landscapes on the way: some green here and there, cloud movement, secondary craters...
Getting to the crater is the reward, the picture speaks for itself. You are at 2450 meters above sea level, it is cold but you don’t care because you are so happy to be there. The picnic we ate up there was the best picnic I ever ate.
No need to tell you that the walk back is easier but this doesn’t prevent your knees from working hard. At the end of the hike, you will have to climb all the stairs you came down to get to "l’enclos", you will really love this.
These days the pressure is building up in the volcano and a volcanic eruption is to be expected, it would have been great to be able to witness that while we were on our hike.
La suite!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Everything Is Green
Last week-end we followed the riverbed of "la rivière des Marsouins" to go to Takamaka, this week-end we followed the riverbed of "la rivière du Mat" to enter the Salazie Circus and we discovered a little part of paradise.
You will get a good view of the gorgeous tropical vegetation on the way; La Reunion has quite a diverse vegetation, you just need to drive for a few miles to see it change. If you are lucky not to be the driver you will get to enjoy it as well as numerous waterfalls like "le Voile de la Mariée" that you can see below. Those of you who like being surrounded by lush vegetation will be fulfilled and will not want to exit the circus.
When you get to Hell-Bourg you will enter a little village full of charm, it is a member of a very select club called the club of the most beautiful villages of France. It is indeed full of charm because you don’t live there, I would want to kill myself if I had to live there for a full year. Take your time to walk through the streets and use the opportunity to walk in the middle of the street because there won’t be many cars to force you to be on the sidewalk. Stop for a while when you pass by those famous "cases Creole" with their pastel colours and if you are interested you can buy one for when you want to spend your holidays in a quiet place. Hell-Bourg is definitely the town where many would enjoy growing up but where few people could actually live.
The village is well known for offering many hiking trails. Whether you are a beginner, an average walker or a pro, you are certain you will find something to your liking. So even if the village doesn’t offer much to do you can still stay a few days to have time to explore the different hiking trails.
You must visit « la maison folio » before leaving, for 5€ the owner will show you the place. This house was built when the area became a spa and the high society started to come to relax. You will visit the house as well as the garden, you will learn that vanilla is in fact an orchid and that curcuma is very good to prevent Alzheimer's if eaten cold (it loses its properties when it is cooked). The garden is full of beautiful plants and you will see some nice flowers depending on the season. The guide talks about everyday life in the "case Creole" and of the food of course with the ingredients most commonly used around here.
When the road allows you to (it is not often the case), don’t hesitate to make a quick stop to look at nature, it is quite stunning in the valley.
La suite!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Shoot A Bear
Tippex just released a new ad campaign, watch the ad below and select "Shoot the Bear" at the end. You will get different videos depending on what you will type between "a hunter" and "a bear", i really like the idea.
La suite!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
There are some frenchies who know what groove is all about: Ben L'oncle Soul - Seven Nation Army.
La suite!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Takamaka
There always come a time when the place I am staying feels like a second home and when that happens it gets more and more difficult to get out of the house on the week-end.
In La Reunion, we have been staying in the same apartment since my first assignment started in may. As my trips to Paris were very short I could leave stuff in there instead of travelling back and forth with everything. The landlord is extremely nice and it is a treat to be located at a 5 minutes walking distance from the beach and a 2 minutes walking distance from the city centre. We are starting to feel at home and we are not always in the mood to go visit something or to have an activity during the week-end. There is still a lot of things we haven’t seen: le "Piton de la Fournaise", le "Piton des Neiges", le "Cirque de Salazie", le "Cirque de Cilaos", la "Plaine des Palmistes"... The whales are staying quite close to the shore these days because it is the time when they give birth, you really have to be careful to what is going on at sea when you are driving along the coast line and if you are lucky you might see something. There are so many things to see but since our arrival we feel the urge to stay home or go to the beach far more than the one to go visit the island.
We went to visit the eastern part of the island this week-end, it was the first time since our arrival and we went to Takamaka. As soon as we drove out of Saint Denis we could see that the vegetation was quite different, the East is much greener than the West. There were sugar cane fields in every direction and you could also see some wind turbines on the side of the mountain. Takamaka is one of those beautiful viewpoints you can find on the island, you will have to go through the winding roads that my wife loves so much. Even though she dislikes those roads they are always a good training to improve her driving and in La Reunion those roads are mandatory to get to see the beautiful places. Takamaka is a must see, once you get to the viewpoint you will see the lush and green mountains with some waterfalls. It is possible to go for a walk on the side of the mountain but the area is quite damp so the track is often muddy. I really wanted to use the small cable car to go down in the valley but it can only be used by the dam workers. You have to go to Takamaka even if you don’t stay a very long time; the waterfalls may seem far but the panorama is amazing.
La suite!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
This Or That
"You can get with this, or you can get with that", i love this commercial from Kia that uses the great Black Sheep song "This Or That" as soundtrack.
La suite!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Ants Don’t Like Bowls
I am back for the third time in La Reunion, I know I am quite the lucky guy and as always I plan to make the most of my stay here.
I used the short break between my stays here to go spend 4 days in Los Angeles to attend the Rock The Bells festival with a friend, there I got to listen live to one of my favourite hip-hop group: A tribe Called Quest. They haven’t released anything since they split in 1998 and it was great to see them for the first time on stage. They even played in its entirety one of their best album if not the best: Midnight Marauders. I can’t even describe how I felt when they first appeared on the stage, I can now remove them from my list of artists I want to see live.
This week-end was the first edition of "Les Guinguettes De Saint Gilles", there were things going on in the streets as well as concerts and theme parties. Unlike "Le Grand Boucan", this event was sponsored by the city of Saint Paul from which Saint Gilles is a part. If it wasn’t for the hitchhiker that my wife took we would probably have spent the whole week-end on the beach not knowing that something was happening in the city. There was almost no poster in the city to promote the event and there was even less outside of the city. I don’t know about you but when I spend a lot of money to setup an event I will make damn sure that as many people as possible come. Only at my scuba diver club did I find a huge pile of leaflets detailing the week-end activities: that is a little weird. It seemed like the city hall didn’t want any population outside of the people living in Saint Gilles to be in the know. On Sunday the main street was closed to the cars which is a good thing for pedestrians but the restricted area was so huge that it was easier to see that there were not that many people in the streets of the city centre. The organizers blocked some streets which could have been used as parking space or a concert area. The event gave this vibe of being a good idea but being setup at the last minute.
There were a lot of nice activities. A fest-noz was organized on Saturday evening near the beach, we had the opportunity to listen to traditional music from Brittany; I discovered that there was an association that promoted the songs and dances from Brittany because there is a lot of Breton on the island. I have to be honest I really can’t stand traditional Breton music but I love watching people dance, the type of dance would be announced before each song to tell the audience what step to follow on the dance floor. My ears really hurt but it was nice to watch people have fun. There was a salsa party on Sunday evening also near the beach that was very popular but for aesthetes the tango party was the place to be on the marketplace. My dear wife would love it if we could take tango lessons together one day but one can’t do everything so in the meantime we watched the people beautifully dancing to the rhythm. The advantage is that tango doesn’t hurt my ears.
There were a lot of other things to see but the best was undeniably the fashion show. 6 shops selling clothing for women in Saint Gilles gave some clothes from their latest collection for the show, that was very nice. Those shops found a good way to increase their revenue with some extra publicity, sadly they didn’t think of having the shops opened to welcome the customers interested in buying something after the show. In any case the women were beautiful and you can see my pictures of the show here.
For those who are wondering where the link is between my title and what is in this post, there is none. I discovered this morning that when you put sweet food in a bowl you will not find it later full of ants. I thought it made for a good title.
La suite!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
A little dance floor piece that i heard in La Reunion: Central Avenue - Keep Me Coming Back (Panevino Remix).
La suite!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
My Sound Of The Day
This band as a silly name but it doesn't stop them from making some good music: Vampire Weekend - Run.
La suite!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Mountain Bike
I tested this week-end the video camera I bought to film my mountain bike hikes. The camera was fixed to my right temple to record everything I would see. The result is not perfect but is still ok for a first attempt.
Here are a few videos of the route, narrow tracks:
Dirt tracks:
Through sugar cane fields:
La suite!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)