18/05/2010 Going to Burma and Laos

3rd day of our trip. Now we are in the very very very north of Thailand. Mirmar (Burma) and Laos are just 5 minuts away.... so lets cross the boarder!

But first, we went to a cave temple with a lot of monkeys and only 1000 stairs... but... we are trained... Est-ce quelqu'un fatigue? no- ...

It is amazing, very beautiful. And we are the only people there.

In Burma, things are different. Thanks to my big amount of new dollar notes, we saved a lot money by crossing the boarder. The whole procedure with picture, and passportstamp and so and so took only 5 minuts and than.... are we in the biggest fake shopping market I have ever seen. Everything is available... and everything is faked. Even the Koala-Cookies are faked.

We walked around and have had a look on everything... A friend of us got really offended, when they offert him Saddam Hussein Poker cards.

To understand,it needs a bit background information. Almost all of our group are magrebians. People, living in France, but with an immigration background from Algeria, Morokko, Arabia, Egypt, muslime countries. And a big part of our group is really practising their faith. Since we left Moscow, I have not missed one of the 5 prays a day. in the middle of the jungle, in the airplane, in the car, everywhere. I adore this disciplin and have high respect therefore. But I absolut understand them to be offended, when someone offers Saddam Assessoires to them.

After this shock, we went for lunch and entered Laos by boat. It was not real real Laos, it is a island, where we do not require the expansive visa. A island full of souveniers and tourists. We discovered lot of strange drinks and enjoyed our speed boat trip. All in all: a great day!

Direct after the Trek we took a private Bus and went to Chang Mei, where we want to split up our tour in central Thailand and Phuket for the island guys.

17/05/2010 Walking walking walking

Still in the jungle and walking. crossing rivers, bathing in giant waterfalls, enjoying the view. It is great!

And the boys are awesome... when nothing work anymore, they start french army songs... est-ce quelqu'un fatigue? no, n auqun est fatigue. :-)

16/05/2010 Riding the Elefants

9:00 our trek starts. (as noticed in the program)

10:00 some of the boys are sleeping, we others take relaxed a breakfast... it is holyday... :D

Somewhen, we started the trip. First we went by boat to the elefant camp, where we bought banas for our elefant. In pairs of two we were on the seat and strated our trekk in the jungle. After a while we get brave and left our seats and ride on the elefants' neck and head. Our Elefant was a 42 years old lady. With "Bon Bon Bon" we motivate her to raise her trunk and gave her the bananas.

After that, we went again by boat to the other side of a river, and continued our trekk by foot. In a small village, we have had lunch and tried bloody rice with qucumber and chili. I loove blood. Bloody sausages for example... super yammy. and this rice... hmmmm :D

Later we learned how to shoot snakes, and how to hunt birds. Every one of us get a walking stick, which was very sharp at the end, so that we can kill snakes, who might attak us. But so far, there were no snakes.

After a very long walk, we get in the night to a lonely village, where we stayd in simple shats. It was a wounderful eveing, sitting together, eating, chatting, than somewhen, the energy was out and we go on with candels.

15/05/2010 Starting the adventure

Arrived in Chang Rei, Thailand. In the north of Thailand. In the very north. Me and 7 "strangers"... Cool people from Paris, most of them with magrebian background. 6 boys and 1 girl. We took a Taxi from the airport to the busstation and there we fellow the hint from my travel book: "Just stay there with your big back pack and look stupid and helpless... It will take les than 5 minuts and you have an accomodation." Well. it tooks less than 30 seconds and the Tuk Tuk drivers come to us with prospects, offering us good rooms for cheap money. So we found our guesthouse - after we walked 30 min in the wrong direction... with 20kg backpacks and 37 degrees.
The place was great. first thing, after inspecting the rooms: jump in the pool! Than, we organized a 3 day trekk. Here, I copuld see, the arabians, they are really masters in bargaining. Poor Kim, who was our negotiation partner. We gave him a very hard time.
In the eveing, we went to a streetfestival. It seems in Chang Rei, there are not that many tourists. We met 2 other french guys, but this was. All others were Thais, singing, daning and having fun. We learned some of the traditional dances (Audrey changed it to a makarena) and have had our first expiriences with Thai food. new mussles. Even the other were suspective, I ate them (without any problems the days after). Our guys were brave and eat a bench of different bucks, we found new fruits which were delicious and very sweet and strange fanta tasted. Than a absolut heavy rain started and all was suddently over. We waited some minuts unter one of the umbrellas of the sellers, but after 20 minuts, it did not get better. So we started our way home by walking. This monsum was getting more and more heavy, somewhen, a kind police man picked us up and dropped us off at our guesthouse. Wounderful!
On the last 2 meters, me, the lucky one slipped and felt on the floor. my hand and my hips were very hurting. nothing serious, but I have had a hand-biiiiiiiiiiig dark blue for the rest of the holidays.

14/05/2010 Heading Moscow

This morning is great... I moved out of my dorm in Poland (after paying for the "broken" fredge... a sratch, not even from me) and went by bus to the airport. There I have had a small discussion with the lady, how many luggage I have, how some bags have to be interpretated and what I am allowed to take with me. Somewhen, I was only bored by the discussion, grapped enough hand luggage stickers and left her yelling at her desk. Sometimes, ignoring is the effective way of problem solving.
In Moscow, I spent some time with relaxing, shopping and so on... until i get my new plane to Bangkok. While I am sitting in my row, a group of loud, noisy french guys. And I have had to smile.
Imedatly, the guys stand in my row and chat with me. The plane was half full, so we switched the seats and sit together, chat about life, traveling plans, likes and religion.
Somewhen in the night, Issam said to me: " It is scary. I met you 3 hours and 2000 miles ago. I barely know you. But every word you say, comes directly from my heard." :-) hmmmmm :-)
So, this night I slept very well, the Issam, was cute and took care, that I am as confortable as possible in my seat. He covered me, he brought me pillows, he offert me 3 seats of our 4. When I woke up the next morning, he asked me to come with them to the north of Thailand. Well, in Bangkok is a kind of civil war at the moment, I have 3 days puffer and the jungle seems to be interesting. So I agreed. Outside the plane, I met the other 6 people of the group. The boys were storing my luggage at the airport, buying me a ticket to Chang Rei and we speeded with the Taxi to the domestic airport. 1 hour later, we were loud, chatting and laughting in the plane on our way to the jungle.

13/05/2010 The last hours in Poland

Now the time is over. And I am a bit sad. I enjoyed Warsaw, the city covered by snow, the palacst of culture in the night, the parks in the spring, the clubbing in the nights, the food, my friends.

Monday I started with my good bye tour. Said bye to my JCI-fellows. Bye to my 2 best friends Marta and Pawel. Tuseday was the good bye to the professors and people from the university.
Yesterday I said thankyou and good bye to our cleaning woman. She done a great job, which was really disgusting almost every single day. But she cleaned without complaining and gave me the nice feeling using a fresh cleaned toilet. It are the small things in live, which makes you smile every day. The small things, which gives the underlying emotions. And they are so positiv for me and my warsaw.
This evening I saved for saying good bye to my room mate. (Not Anna, she moved out a week ago. since that, here it is sooo peaceful). I will miss her and hope, somewhen we will get in contact, or better, to stay in contact with her.

09/05/2010 Meeting old Friends in Budapest

16 hours bus ride. 16h with 50 polish students from Warsaw. 16h no sleeping seats. But it was worth.
Budapest is an amizing city. so beautiful, the weather was nice, the athmosphere full of romantic... It reminded me a bit to Paris, with all the nice buildings and the small bistros and cafés in the small streets. Defently a great place, which is highly to recommend.

We lived somewhat outside (30 min with the bus) in a "hotel" which was more a campingplace in the middel of the forrest, than a hotel. Funny thing: boys has had cold showers, girls only hot showers... But so hot, you could rarely use them. But it was cheapa nd we all stayd together, so we have had fun.

2 days, i spent with my very old friend Ezsti. She has her Doctor-dissertation in the next week, so she could not join the parties, but we enjoyed ourselfs with walks arround the city and a wounderful evening in a hungarian bath & Spa. I felt so relaxed. And so happy. Even we haven't had any contact the last 7 years, we recognized each others easily. And it was, as we would have never seperated. Also our very special experiences in life show several parallels. We both were in the Hospital in Samara, we both changed our profession, we both have the same private issues. So great to see somethings stays always the same.