Traveling ::: Human in progress

 

I love travelling, meeting people and discovering other cultures... travelling is probably a sort of  virus I’ve caught!

Understanding other cultures and meeting other people is a quest for me, a quest for the Universal Truth!

To me, travelling and being interested in others is a mindset more than an activity. I value the unique and the diverse, the integrity of culture - especially today when you can find manufactured food with the same Yellow "M" everywhere you go.

Travel can be local or international, it could be in my suburb on another continent, it doesn't change the joy of discovery or the sense of adventure.

That's why I speak French, English, Dutch a little bit of Spanish and a few words of Japanese.

I've lived in and visited many countries in Europe, Africa, USA, Japan and now I am getting to a few places in Australia.

Here is quick description some wonderful trips I’ve done - they were so enjoyable and significant – I want to share them!

 

Cameroon :

I lived in Cameroon for fifteen years, living in several towns: Yaounde, Buea, Douala, Maroua.

Located in central Africa, it's a bilingual country resulting from both French and English colonisation.

This country is beautiful because you can find all types of landscape, a selection of all that exists in the whole Africa:

- desert in the north

- beautiful beaches in the west

- mountains in the west (4100 m)

- equatorial deep forest in the south with pygmi peoples

- big rivers and wild animals

The people of Cameroon are very friendly, it’s very easy to meet people and have a wonderful time. They love football (soccer) and beer.

English and French speaking, Cameroon has one of the most stable political systems in Africa.

 

France :

I lived in France for seventeen years in a few different regions. As every one knows, Paris is one of the most beautiful cities of the world and I can confirm this.

France is a very lovely and diverse country thanks to all the various specific regional cultures. The beauty of this country is in the old and rich history that French people maintain very well. They have a particular pride in their local heritage.

French people love football (soccer) in general and in the south, rugby. They all love wine, cheese and fine food in general.

Food is one of the most important things in France. It is usual to spend two to four hours for a family meeting having lunch during the week-end. Sadly, the economy is not good in France and as with many of the old countries in Europe, France faces many challenges in upgrading their social and economic system. Until they take on reform, the direct consequence is a high rate of unemployment (9.4% in 2006 and 8% in 2008) this is particularly true for graduate and postgraduate students.

However it' still a magnificent place to visit for those who are well established, it offers a wonderful quality of life. And don’t forget the cultural activity in France is also very good and inspiring – art, fashion and cultural awareness has an important place in the day to day life of French citizens - which I think it's important for a balanced life.

 

Netherlands :

I lived in Netherlands in Voorhout, near Leiden (west coast) for one year, living in several towns including Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Den Haag.

Netherlands people are very very friendly and I had a lot of fun there, specially in the spring when the land is so beautiful with spreading fields of tulips separated by the canals.

Its important for Netherland people to be well organised and they appreciate good management - and they do it so well. The Netherlands are successful in their commerce and their economy is efficient.

I also enjoyed bicycling everywhere and you can do this so easily because the country is flat and they have great cycle paths.

Netherlands people love football (soccer, Ajax of Amsterdam) in general, and I must mention also that they all love beer (Heineken is an Netherlands beer). They also have this famous cheese : Gouda.

One of my favourite painters is from Netherlands : Piotr Mondrian issued from the movement “De Stijl” or “neoplastisim”.

 

Spain :

As I lived in Toulouse in the south of France for nine years, it was convenient to travel to Spain. Toulouse to Barcelona is less than 4 hours by car and 1 hour from the first Spanish city.

I went often to Barcelona, Madrid and Bilbao, to visit the Guggenheim museum. The color of Spain is red : a big symbol.

This is the country of passion - everything is done with passion as in many Latin countries. Spain is a big country which is now competitive thanks to European financial help for internal development.

After a long dictatorship (Franco) Spain had a lot of difficulties building infrastructure but today it is a modern democratic country where a lot of Europeans go to holiday and work because of the good quality of life.

For me, the Costa Brava is now too busy as too many nice beaches have attracted people from all over the world . Maybe it risks being loved to death!

I love Barcelona and many Spanish artists : Miro, Picasso, Pedro Almodóvar, Carlos Ruiz, Manuel De Falla, Granados...

 

Portugal :

I have been twice to Portugal. The first time I visited the north and the second time the south.

This country is fascinating. They had a peaceful revolution on 25th April 1974: I remember this brilliant photo of a woman holding a flower in her hand, face to face with a whole army. The carnation revolution!

So, the army joined the people. I could still feel that spirit of unity when I was there.

Lisbon is a beautiful, large city with a great quality of life. You can still easily feel a majestic past and the influence of it being an important trade port.

Porto is a pleasant city on the west coast famous for matured wine : the Porto.

I also really enjoyed eating grilled sardines in small pub on the beach. I loved the traditional Portugal music, the FADO. It’s a kind of blues, a bit sad but so nice.

The Bossa Nova of Rio de Janeiro is issued from FADO because of the colonisation...

There are a lot of special fado's pubs in Lisbon where people are so generous that they will always take time to explain you the story of Fado or anything else about their country! I love the Portugese people!

My two favorite Fado singers are Amália Rodrigues and Misia

 

Mayotte :

This little island is a French territory close to Madagascar and Comorian Islands.

Mayotte is famous for its huge lagoon and beautiful turtles,  its gorgeous nature in general.

Mayotte is Muslim and the main city is Mamouzou. I enjoyed taking a boat to some of the smaller rock or sand islands around. Mayotte is very young and not yet well developed and this is exactly  the reason to go there if you are looking for wild desert and a beautiful beach.

There is one thing very particular in Mayotte, look out for the tree on the beach: it is not coconut tree but huge baobab...that's very original - first time for me to see it.

 

Madagascar :

I travelled through Madagascar for 3 weeks.

This island is huge (second in the world after Australia) with a rich natural environment and soil. This island has one of the last primary forests of the world...very interesting to visit!

I was very fortunate to spend 10 days in a small village soaking up an amazing blue lagoon, observing turtles and colored tropical fish. People are very kind, regardless of the poverty .

I loved the people, the magnificent beach, the incredible nature and all the wonderful spices like french vanilla and cinnamon

 

 

Australia :

Of course I like Australia where I have lived since  March 2007.

I've lived so far, in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. I try to visit different parts of the country each year ...it's so huge that I'll probably need few years to actually do this! It's a fantastic country with very friendly people and lots of beautiful nature.

Aussies are relaxed, curious and open people; I have found them generous and tolerant...

Pretty much everyone here has come from Somewhere Else, at some stage, therefore it's it's pretty common to meet other people who are new to living in this country!

This brings new perspectives, ideas and energy - and all of them have an interesting story to tell....

If you've never been here, just buy your ticket NOW, don't wait.

 

USA :

I went to the USA for a Jazz workshop in 2008 and had the chance to meet excellent musicians.

I specially liked Philadelphia because of the strong presence of art. Did you know that the council of Philadelphia has to spend a percentage (I think 10%) of their budget every year on art...Great concept.

So many contrasts in this country...impressive!

 

Japan :

I've been to Japan 3 times now and I think It's just a start, I absolutely love the culture of this country and the philosophy.

Everything runs on time in Japan and people are very respectful.

I remember last year in April, I visited during the cherry blossomseason. It was beautiful, almost unreal!

I've been to Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara. My favorite is Kansai so far but I've never been to the north...