I don't get this

So I blogged about my ordeal. Here’s the deal. My luggage NEVER left the airport of initial departure. Aaaaaargh. Good news is, I get my clothes tomorrow. Me happy.

Today… nothing of note happened. I did have eggplant juice a lunch, with spicy mango salad. Does that count? Since in Indonesia, the variety of available juices is mind boggling, I’ve resolved to try them all while I’m here.

So far I’ve had:
- Carrot juice (yummy) ;
- Avocado juice (delicious, seriously, there’s chocolate in there, it’s sinful) ;
- Starfruit juice (a bit bland, but whatever) ;
- Eggplant juice (dutch eggplant. It’s surprisingly pleasant).

I’m still struggling to put up the pics of my trip to Europe. My connection sucks. I’m sorry for the delays, really.

The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

At last, in the city of Joy (Bilingue)

ENGLISH VERSION IN ITALICS

Photos : Click here

Il est encore très tôt pour que je puisse donner des nouvelles vraiment intéressantes de l’Inde. Pour le moment, je suis à Calcutta, dans la province du Bengal Oriental. J’ai passe moins de 24 heures a Dehli et n’ai presque rien vu – sur la route de l’aéroport a l’hôtel il faisait sombre comme dans un four et je n’ai pratiquement rien vu. J’ai cru déceler sur un rond-point un mini-bidonville, mais dans l’obscurité, c’était presque un vision fantomatique. Dans la journée précédant avant-hier donc je suis arrivée a 1h du matin a Delhi, j’ai passe quelques heures a l’hôtel, je suis allée passer quelques heures au bureau, et a 16h je partais pour l’aéroport prendre mon vol sur Calcutta. En passant, j’ai manque mon vol, le chauffeur ne savait pas ou était l’aéroport !!!! This is India, I guess !

With regard to India, it is still very early for me to give you guys really interesting news. For the moment, I am in Calcutta, in the province of West Bengal. I have spent less than 24 hours in Dehli and so have almost not seen anything considering that on the road from the airport to the hotel the it was dark as in a furnace. I believe I noted on a roundabout a mini-slum, but in the darkness, it was a ghostly vision. The day before the day before yesterday I arrived at 1AM in Delhi, I spent a few hours at the hotel, I went to spend a few hours in the office, and at 4PM I left for the airport to take my flight on Calcutta. However, I missed my flight because the driver did not know where the airport was!!!! This is India, I guess!

Depuis mon arrivée à Calcutta, je n’ai pas vu grand-chose, je fait la navette entre le bureau et l’hôtel. Les Indiens (devrais-je dire les Bengali) sont très gentils, très serviable. On sent en eux un désir de plaire et de faire plaisir très palpable, c’en est par moment même un peu gênant, je dois l’admettre. Calcutta pour le moment me semble très loin des stéréotypes qu’on a en tête lorsqu’on évoque la ville. En arrivant de l’aéroport, je ne pouvais pas m’empêcher de me demander : mais ou sont les gens ? Papa aurait été déçu (ou soulage?) : j’attends encore les grandes foules et les rickshaw promis par la Cite de la Joie.

Since my arrival in Calcutta, I did not see much, I have just been shuttling between the office and the hotel. The Indians (should I say the Bengali) are very nice, very obliging. One feels in them a desire to please which is per moments even a little awkward, I must say. Calcutta for the moment seems to me far from the stereotypes that one has in mind when the city is evoked. While arriving at the airport, I could not prevent myself from wondering: but where are the people? My dad would have been disappointed (or relieved?): I am still waiting to see the large crowds and the rickshaw promised by the City of Joy.

En ce qui concerne l’insalubrité et les odeurs, je ne constate pour le moment rien qui soit bien différent de ce que nous connaissons de nos expériences africaines. Les odeurs ceci dit sont peut-être plus fortes que je ne le pense : je suis enrhumée jusqu’au front – donc je ne sens pas grand-chose pour le moment. Par contre, la légendaire humidité de Calcutta est très visible, les immeubles sont noircis par la mousse, un peu comme à Conakry. Tous les matins, je suis réveillée par les cris des corbeaux. C’est un peu sinistre, mais ca a l’avantage que je ne suis pas en retard au travail !

With regard to insalubrity and odors, I do not note for the moment anything which is quite different from what I have experienced in Africa. The odors however are perhaps stronger than I think: I have been down with a bad cold for a while - thus I do not smell much for the moment. On the other hand, the legendary moisture of Calcutta is very visible, the buildings are blackened by moss, as in Conakry. Every morning, I am awakened by the cries of the crows. It is a little sinister, but it has the advantage that I am not late at work!

L’hôtel a Calcutta est très confortable – il y a un gym que j’ai teste hier matin – j’ai couru un beau 20 minutes avant le petit déjeuner, et j’ai recommence ce matin. J’ai du mal a trouver des repas légers par contre – me croiras-tu si je te dis que ca fait deux soirs de suite que je mange de la soupe, faute de trouver de la salade? J’ai décidé d’essayer d’arrêter de fumer hier. Comme en Inde il est socialement inacceptable pour une femme de fumer, le contexte se prête a une tentative.

The hotel in Calcutta is very comfortable - there is a gym which I tested yesterday morning - I ran a beautiful 20 minutes before breakfast, and again this morning. I however am having trouble to find light meals - will you believe me if I tell you that two evenings in a row I ate soup, since I can’t get my hands on any bunny food? I decided to try to stop smoking yesterday. As in India it is socially unacceptable for a woman to smoke, the context lends itself to an attempt.

Ce dimanche je prends encore l’avion pour un trou perdu du Nord-Bengal du nom de Siliguri – je vais y passer 4 jours avec un partenaire. Comme il y aura une journée fériée dans le milieu de mon séjour, je vais passer une journée en visite dans la province voisine de Darjeeling, ou je pourrais visiter un hospice tenu par un prêtre canadien. Ca devrai être intéressant. Dans la province de l’Ouest Bengal, le gros de nos activités se définit en distribution de nourriture aux indigents. Notre plus gros sous-récipient : les Missionnaires de la Charité de Mère Theresa – je m’attends donc à voir des lépreux et autres miséreux pendant mes visites de terrain. En quelque part, c’est bien. Je pousse mon intérêt pour l’humanitaire à l’ extrême.

CLICK ON THE MAP FOR LARGER IMAGE

This Sunday I still travel by plane for a godforsaken hole in North-Bengal by the name of Siliguri - I will spend there 4 days with a partner. Because there is going to be a statutory holiday in the middle of my stay, I will spend one day visiting the nearby state of Darjeeling, where I will visit an hostel held by a Canadian priest. It should be interesting. In the province of West Bengal, our largest activities is food distribution to the needy. One of our larger sub-recipients are Mother Theresa’s Order of the Missionaries of Charity - so I expect to witness leprosy and other miseries during my field visits. In a way, it is fitting. I am pushing my interest for humanitarian affairs to the extreme.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Africa and Burundi in Pictures

I uploaded some more pictures for you guys. Here are in order....

Some pictures I took on the way back to Bujumbura. Beautiful landscapes of Ethiopia and Uganda from the plane...



Here is the link to the full set of my Flight over Ethiopia and Uganda

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Some pictures I took on the field while working. More specifically, this was a picture taken at a local market while hunting for red beans. I eventually found them but the bag broke at the office. Weeks later, we could still see the trail of red beans from my office to the office of the red bean lover who had requested this purchase !



Follow the link to more pictures from the Field Visits.

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Some pictures that reflect the nighlife in Bujumbura, and the weekends at the beach (by Lake Tanganyika). I really had good times in Bujumbura and already miss the lifestyle. This is a picture of the Havannah, a night club I went to regularly. The sign reads "tenue exigee" which can be liberally translated to: CLOTHES REQUIRED !!!! Other such examples are in this set.


Click to see more Fun moments in Buja

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

How the Beaver went away and back again

Ok, so I've been rather silent recently.

I have an excuse. I was away travelling to see my family.

So anyway, my last weekend in Buja, we celebrated Naya's Birthday by going to dinner, to a fashion show, and watching some traditionnal dancing.

It also involved clubbing until the wee hours of the morning.

The following wednesday, I was flying on Ethiopian Airways through Addis Ababa to France where I was to meet my family. The plane first stopped in Kigali, though, and I had the chance to take some superb airshots of Rwanda, the land of the 1000 hills.

After a long flight in Business class (I never do this - but then I truely needed to splurge), I got to my aunt's house. I want to take 2 seconds and pay hommage to it because it was the last time I saw the house, and though I didn't live there, I feel like part of my roots have gone with it being sold. So here it is, my home away from home:

The following days were spent catching up with the family and hanging out. On Saturday, I took a road trip with my cousins to go the place where the celebrations were held, in Silly-en-Gouffern (I know, it ressembles "Silly, I'm goofing!" - but what can I say, it's the name of the place.) Along the way, I enjoyed some wonderful french landscapes.

Of course, we also had the inevitable "we're lost and we're late moment". Although my cousins were getting all racked up, I though it was really hilarious.

We finally made it and I had the pleasure of spending a night of partying, eating, and singing with my aunts and uncles, most of whom I had not seen in years. This really did me good to feel the family connection. It was nice to see those familiar faces, and to feel that affection. I like my french family. And of course, there was the cake !

Well, more to come soon, but for now... da da da that's all folks !

Full photoset can be viewed here.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Bilingue... Catch up !

Lundi, le 7 aout 2006, j'ai encore vecu un moment barbare. Quoique avec le decalage horaire, c'est beaucoup moins douloureux, m'enfin, debout a 3:30 AM pour prendre un vol, ouchie !

Monday, August 7, 2006, I lived a barbarian moment. Though with the jetlag, it was much less painful, but really, being up at 3:30 AM to take a flight, ouchie!

A Banda Aceh tôt le mardi matin, le muezzin me maintient éveillée. Des hordes de moustiques attendent que je sorte de la moustiquaire pour me vider de mon sang et m'injecter leurs cochonneries. J'ai la trouille de la dengue - je te dis que je dors sous mon moustiquaire, et avec mon anti-bibittes !!!

In Banda Aceh early Tuesday morning, the muezzin keeps me awake up. Hordes of mosquitos wait until I leave the mosquito net to empty me of my blood and to inject me their crap. I 's scared out of my wits of getting (again) the dengue - I tell you, I sleep under my mosquito net, and with my anti-sting!!!

Le lendemain, je quitte Banda car j'ai ete assignée à une mission en solo. Je pars pour Meulaboh (en helicoptere de l'ONU, encore) dans l'Aceh du Sud. Toute seule, cette fois-ci ! Ca m'inquiete et m'excite tout a la fois. Il parait que l'Internet marche bien las-bas. C'est une opportunite pour prendre des photos a vue d'oiseau par contre !

The next day, I left Banda because I have been assigned on a solo mission. I leave for Meulaboh (by helicopter of UNO, again) for South Aceh. All alone, this time! It worries me and excites me all the same time. It appears that the Internet works well there. It's an opportunity for some good skyshots though !

Je suis encore sur decallage horaire - je me leve avant le lever de soleil que j'observe du 2eme etage de la maison depassage. I am still on jetlag, so I wake up before the sunrise which I observe from the 2nd floor of the guesthouse.


Parfois, le Bon Dieu a des manières inattendues d'apaiser un coeur sensible. La beaute du monde est toujours un baume pour mon coeur. Sometimes, Good God has unexpected manners to alleviate a sensitive heart. The beauty of the world is always a balm for my heart.

Arrivee a Meulaboh, je ne suis pas tout a fait atterrie, mais l'est-on jamais? 2 jours a Jakarta, 3 jours a Banda, et maintenant une semaine a Meulaboh... Pas tres stable comme mode de vie...

Arrivee Meulaboh, I am not completely landed, but is one ever? 2 days Jakarta, 3 days in Banda, and now one week in Meulaboh... Not a very stable way of life...

Mais je trouve tranquillement des mecanismes d'adaptation. Je vis en ce moment dans une maison de passage ou les collegues sont tres sympatiques - 2 Philippins et un Croate particulierement me font un peu l'effet d'une famille quand je rentre le soir, apres un long 13 h de travail.... J'ai ete assignee a la verification d'inventaire, une HORREUR de tache qui va me prendre 2 semaines. Pour l'occasion, j'ai ete autorisee a engage 5 manoeuvres indonesiens, on m'a assigne un interprete et on a prolonge mon sejour a Meulaboh.

But I find adaptive mechanisms quickly. I live in this moment in a guesthouse where the colleagues are very pleasant - 2 Filipinos and a Croat particularly have a bit on me the effect of a family when I return there in the evening, after a lengthy 13 hour work-day hour.... I have been assignee to the checking of inventory, a HORROR of job which will take 2 weeks to me. For the occasion, I have been autorized to hire 5 indonesian laborers, an interpreter and my stay in Meulaboh is extended.

La verification d'inventaire ce n'est pas drole surtout dans la chaleur torride et humide de l'Indonesie. Heureusement, le personnel local est tres agreable, et surtout les manoeuvres sont aux anges de travailler avec une "Bulle" (prononce Boulee), rient beaucoup et ont souvent la simplicite de grands enfants. Grace a eux je fais des progres immenses en Bahasa - je sais maintenant compter jusqu'a 10 et formuler des demandes de bases (manger, dormir, se deplacer...)

Checking an inventory is not a fun gig, especially in the torrid and wet heat of Indonesia. Fortunately, the local personnel is very pleasant, and especially the laborers are elated to work with a "Bulle" (pronouncec Boolay), they laugh much and often have the simplicity of big kids. Thanks to them I make immense progress in Bahasa - I can now count until A 10 and formulate requests for bases (to eat, sleep, deplacer...)

C'est difficile de travailler ici. Sur l'echelle mondiale de la corruption (de 0 a 10, ou 10 presente l'absence totalle de corruptio), l'Indonesie est a 2.2. C'est dire que travailler ici est souvent synonime de paranoia... Oui, il fait chaud, oui, les choix culinaires sont limites... mais les couchers de soleils sont magnifiques...

It is difficult to work here. On the world scale of the corruption (of 0 A 10, or 10 represents the totalle absence of corruption), Indonesie is at 2.2. It is to say that to work here often rhymes with paranoia... Yes, the weather is hot, yes, the culinary choices are limiting... but the sunsets are splendid...

Pendant la semaine, je recoit des nouvelles un peu deprimantes. Je n'irai pas au Burundi, mais au Congo (ex-Zaire) a la place. Oh well. Je me depeche de faire les demarches necessaires pour un visa. En ce qui concerne Kinshasa, le changement etait motive par la possible embauche d'un nouvel employe - c'est mieux de commencer avec le Burundi plutot qu'avec la RDC.... Mais cette personne a change d'avis hier et je suis de nouveau assignee au Burundi. Ouf ! Les commentaires de 007 ne m'encourageaient pas a y aller... Toujours l'urgence d'obtenir un visa aupres d'embassade aux regles juridictionnelles strictes: je dois appliquer au Canada et non aux Etats-Unis...

During the week, I receive slightly depressing news. I will not go to Burundi, but in Congo (ex-Zaire) instead. Oh well. I hurry up to make the necessary arrangements for a visa. With regard to Kinshasa, the change was justified by the possible recruiting of a new employee - it's better to start with Burundi rather than with DRC.... But this person changed their opinion yesterday and I am again assigned to Burundi. Ouf! (With 007's feedback I must admit I wasn't too excited to go there...) Again the rush to obtain a visa with the embassy with strict jurisdictional rules: I must apply in Canada and not in the United States...

Ceux qui ont vu les nouvelles savent que maintenant il est interdit de prendre des baggages de cabines a la suite de l'incident de Londres. La joie. Faire ce travail devient de plus en plus difficile. Oh well. Je paierai les extras necessaires, c'est tout. Heureusement les consignes de securites semblent revenir presque a la normale. Heureusement, je ne voyage pas avec du Chanel No. 5 dans mon bagage a main ! Tant que je peux continuer d'utiliser les bagages a main, le reste ne me derange pas trop...

Those who saw the news know that now it is forbidden to take cabin luggages following the incident in London. Joy. To do this work becomes increasingly difficult. Oh well. I will pay extras if necessary, that's all. Fortunately the security regulations seem to return almost to normal. Fortunately, I do not travel with Chanel No 5 in my hand luggage! As long as I can continue to use hand luggage, I don't care much...

Il parait qu'il y a eu un tremblement de terre a Sumatra, mais nous ne l'avons meme pas senti ici. On a appris la nouvelle en meme temps que tout le monde, en ecoutant BBC.... De toutes facons, nous avons des mesures de securite pour ca, et je ne travaille ni ne dors au bord de la plage....

It appears that there was an earthquake on Sumatra, but nobody felt it here. We learned the news at the same time as everyone, on BBC.... Anyways, we have safety measures for that, and I do not work nor do I sleep at the edge of the beach....

D'ailleurs je devrais quitter Meulaboh pour quelques jours pour travailler a Medan (bien enfonce dans les terres) et retourner a Banda pour les 3 dernieres semaines de mon sejour. Il me reste au total 5 semaines a passer en Indonesie, dont 1 1/2 a Meulaboh, 1/2 a Medan, 4 a Banda Aceh et 1 a Jakarta. Je ne crains pas trop pour ma securite mais je suis prudente.

Moreover I should leave Meulaboh for a few days to work in Medan (well inserted inland) and return over to Banda for the 3 last weeks of my stay. I have a total of 5 weeks left in Indonesia, including 1 1/2 in Meulaboh, 1/2 in Medan, 4 in Banda Aceh and 1 in Jakarta. I do not fear too much for my safety but I am careful.

J'ai tout de meme pris le temps de gouter a la cuisine locale, qu'on appelle le Padang. Une orgie de plats auxquels on se sert... Apres le repas, on vous donne la douloureuse. C'est bon, le service et rapide et surtout, pas de probleme avec un menu qui est probablement en bahasa de toutes facon...

I did take the time to taste some local cuisine, which one calls Padang. An orgy of dishes to which one is expected to help themselves... After the meal, you are presented with the damage. It is good, the service is rapid and especially, there is no problem with a menu which would probably be in bahasa anyway...

On goute aussi au fruit qui pue: le DURIAN. Ouais, n'en parlons pas, du Durian, une HORREUR si vous voulez mon avis. J'ai essaye 2 fois, histoire de prouver aux Indonesiens et aux Philippins present que la blanchette n'etait pas pleutre... mais je le jure sur la tete de tous les gens que j'aime de ne jamais y etre reprise. M'enfin, au moins j'ai essaye...

One should also taste the stinky fruit: the DURIAN. Ouais, let us not speak about it, of Durian, a HORROR if you want my opinion. I tried it 2 times, just to prove the Indonesians and the Filipinos present that the whitey was no wuss... but I swear it on the head of all people whom I love never not to be taken again at this game... Well, at least I tried...

Hier j'ai ete au marche achete un peu de nourriture car nous avions un souper communautaire. Pour la premiere fois, j'ai ete dans un marche public ou on ne vous invective pas tous les 5 secondes. Les vendeurs etaient heureux de poser pour moi et j'ai prise quelques bonne photos dont celle-ci:

Yesterday I went to the Market to buy a little food because we had a Community supper. For the first time, I was in a public market where no-one jumps at you every 5 seconds. The salesmen were happy to pose for me so I took some good photographs, such as this one:

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Aceh at last.....

Banda Aceh, Tuesday August 8^th, 2006. 5:17AM

I’ve been in Indonesia for 3 days and know already more of the local tongue and I could learn Creole in Haiti in 7 weeks. Sure helps that I was on leave and had the time to listen to a few tapes, study a bit the phrase book.

One thing is for sure. Knowing Bahasa Indonesia is paramount. Even in Jakarta, not all the shopkeepers know English, and those who do are grateful when one makes the effort to learn their language.

This has been a rollercoaster since I left home on Thursday. With the typhoon in Hong Kong, my original itinerary was cancelled, but I was nonetheless able to leave, thanks to my quick-thinking travel agent. During the check-in process, I forgot my Swiss knife in my luggage and was thus forced to donate it by the security officers. Silly me. I know not to pack such items in my hand luggage. That really was an oversight.

Unfortunately for me, that would not be my only demise throughout my trip. On the last leg to Jakarta, my Razr phone disappeared from my purse. I begged the personnel to let me go back on the plane to check, but when I found out I’d already cleared immigration and was not allowed back on the plane to check. What happened, I don’t know, but my beautiful and pricey phone in no longer in my custody. Life sucks.

Which reminds me: friends, please email me your phone numbers. They have been lost in the course of the Lost Razr disaster.

I arrived in Jakarta on the Saturday early afternoon *local time* and I must admit I was too busy trying to cancel my roaming service to really enjoy the culture shock. Once that was done, I crashed in my bedroom and enjoyed the luxuries of Ambhara Hotel: a large and comfortable bed, a warm shower, satellite television and room service. When my colleagues arrived later from Nairobi, we met up for some Japanese food. Unable to betray my only true sushi provider (Kaede’s in Montreal) I had some salty grilled salmon that was nonetheless excellent.

On Sunday I hung out at the nearby shopping center and looked at some local arts and crafts. If I had had the money and the luggage allowance for it, I would have very likely purchased the whole store. Beautiful batiks, kimonos, masks and sculptures, name them, they have them. Unfortunately, limited possibilities confine me to small items. But oh boy is their work beautiful….

Monday morning was the barbaric moment. Up at 3:30 AM to make a 7:AM flight to Banda Aceh. None of us looked prim that morning, aside from our resident gramps, who was ready to do jumping jacks in the vestibule of the hotel.

Amusingly, our team looks like the Fantastic Four pre-superpowers. The guy I will now refer to as Mr. Fantastic earns the title because he is the leader of the group and the one with the biggest brain. (As a bonus, nobody understands what the heck he’s saying at least half the time.) An other guy in the group is hot-tempered but gold-hearted, just as the Thing is, and we have our own resident Johnny Storm/Human Torch in our youngest team member. I guess that makes me Sue Storm, the Girl, the one who needs rescuing. Oh well. It’s not like I don’t need to be rescued anyways.

To make matters worse, 3 of us have blue eyes and light hair, which makes us look related. Strange but convenient I guess, in a pre-feministic society where lone women travelers are not a common sight.

How I mourn for Jakarta now. In Banda Aceh on an early Tuesday morning, the muezzin keeps me awake. Hords of mosquitoes are waiting for me to leave the safety of the mosquito net to suck the life out of me. Smoking is prohibited for women. It’s freaking hot and I have to wear a scarf.

To make matters interesting, next week I just got assigned to my own solo mission (as the Thing would say, I am being exiled). I am being sent on my own to Meulaboh, where I will be examining their operations on my own for 2 full weeks. I will miss the guys, but this is an occasion to prove myself, and I am not unhappy about that.

After I wrote the better part of this, I went on the terrasse and watched the sunrise.

Sometimes, the Big Dude has unexpected ways of soothing an aching heart. :o)

Anyway, more to come soon,

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

P.S. Friends, please email me your phone numbers. They have been lost in the course of the Lost Razr disaster.

On the road again...

I kissed my mother goodbye and walked mournfully to the gate. My heart is heavy with missing her, my boyfriend, and all the wonderful friends I re-discovered in Montreal.

So here I am, at Gate 79 of Trudeau Airport, waiting for my flight to Banda Aceh, in the Province of Aceh, on the Island of Sumatra, Republic of Indonesia.

In the meantime that I have some of my own, I borrowed a new header (promise not to use it for too long!)

My mum heard on the radio yesterday from a representative of Care Canada that there are over 420,000 people that are still homeless in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing day Tsunami.

Think about it.

Half a million people have been homeless since December 26th, 2004. It's been 18 months. Wow.

A few other quick facts:

Before the ocean broke loose, Aceh was the site of endless civil war, once again based on religion. Aceh is 2,500km away from Jakarta, the capital. While JKT remained unscathed despite the disasters, all the infrastructure in Aceh has been destroyed, making it very difficult for humanitarian organizations to effectively conduct relief efforts.

To the side, a picture found on the Musicianaries' website.

This time, I can't say I'm leaving home with much enthusiasm. But thinking of the work ahead is keeping me motivated. There is so much to be done... and so little means.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

SAGA PART 4 – BENIN, AT LAST !

The next day, I took my flight to Cotonou and landed there, exhausted and eager to get some work done.

I went in the office on Friday, only to find out that they were closing at 2! So this left me with a Saturday to rest, and a Sunday to visit the very poetic town of Ganvie :

It was amazing to visit the town on water, and to wave hello to all the children screaming “Yovo! Yovo!” (Apparently, that’s what whiteys are called, here.)

The ride to the town itself took about 40 minutes, on a small canoe hailed with a makeshift sail:

When you get to the village of Ganvie, it’s like an apparition out of a dream:

On and around, we weave in and out of canals. The village of Ganvie was built in the 18^th century by locals that were fleeing the slave trade. Since, the population has grown to a 30,000 inhabitants. Ganvie has a primary school and a small hospital, but of better lack of a welcoming infrastructure, all older kids who wish to pursue an education need to leave. The people of Ganvie live mostly of fishing, but there has been a growth in tourism recently.

On the way back, the sun was setting and I marveled at the poetry of the scenery, as we slowly made our way back to shore:

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

SAGA PART 3 - Air Maybe? Definitely!!!

But the eclipse did not only save Tintin from getting burned at the stake. It also saved me from a whole day of work….

At noon on the 30^th of March, I landed in Abidjan, only to find out that Air Ivoire had forgotten to mention that our flight had been cancelled.

I must say that flying with any airline in West Africa is folkloric at best. First, on arrival, one has to board the plane by walking on the tarmac and walking on these:

Second, (and this is where Air Ivoire’s reputation is made true) flights get cancelled ALL THE TIME.

Lucky for me, there was a flight the next morning, and Air Ivoire was sweet enough to accommodate the other cancelled travelers and myself at the very lofty Hotel Ibis Plateau.

I did not visit Abidjan though. In fact, I made arrangements with the hotel’s driver to visit, but he cancelled… because he had to go pick up more cancelled passengers!

I nevertheless had the pleasure to see the skyline of Abidjan, and to observe the city during the 30 minute drive.

Despite Cote-d’Ivoire’s troubled events of last year, the city appeared unscathed and relatively peaceful. Nevertheless, I was not inclined to tempt my fate and go around. The troubles of 2004-5 were a recent memory, and I had no intention of being another casualty on the already long list of expats that got hurt in this violent town.

That night, I had dinner and got tipsy on account of Air Ivoire, in the gracious company of my petulant American colleague, a cynical and amusing Croatian doctor, and a warm and funny businesswoman from Cameroon.

The Beaver


Thank you Emmanuel.K.Bensah II in Accra, GHANA, for posting on my guest map!

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

SAGA PART 2 - ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

Leaving Accra:

The next morning, I woke up at 5AM to make my connecting flight to Abidjan. I was both lucky and unlucky: while I was in Ghana on the day of the eclipse, I was also unlucky because I was flying DURING the eclipse, and thus, missed the whole thing. Here is what I missed:

(Courtesy of Middle-East News)

This raises some amusing thoughts for me, as I would remember the famous eclipse that saved the Cartoon hero Tintin from being burnt at the stake.

When we got out of the airplane, the light was strange, but what tipped me off on the eclipse (sharp as I am) was that passengers and crew alike were :

1) wearing paper sunglasses;

2) snapping pictures at the sun with the paper sunglasses over the objective.

No, it wasn't a blue moon that day, but never the less, on a black sun day, things happen...

The Beaver

Thank you, Adrianna and Will in Australia, for posting on my guestmap!

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

SAGA PART 1 - IN THE NICK OF TIME

Well, here I am.

I finally made it to Cotonou, after a grueling 29 HOURS of travel.

Like I mentioned earlier, the sequence was planned to be this way:

Tuesday: Monrovia-Accra (2 hours)
Wednesday: Accra-Abidjan (1 hour), 10 hours of boredom and Abidjan-Cotonou (2 hours).

What really happened:

Leaving Monrovia:

On my last day in Monrovia, I took the time to take photograph my loyal Youpi in Monrovia:

We did make it to Accra on Tuesday night, although we really could have missed our flight. While my colleague thought we were scheduled to leave on the 29th, I thought we were meant to leave on the wednesday. So between the 2 of us, we were really going to miss our flight out of Monrovia. Thank god, the assistant caught it and we made it to the airport on time.

Now this got confusing, because we thought our flight was a 12. In fact, it was a 10:30. We made it there by pure luck as we took a leap of faith and went through the queue, thinking that at worse, we would get kicked out and put on the 12PM airplane. Turns out, it was our flight that was early. We really got lucky.

Arriving in Accra:

Arrived in Accra, a bad surprise was awaiting us: although my colleague J. had made sure to make reservations for us, the hotel gave our rooms away, leaving us homeless in Accra. Thankfully, we found rooms elsewhere to settle for the night.

The Beaver

Thank you , Easter Butterfly in Sweden, for posting on my guestmap!

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

PAC MAN

Once again, I am ready to embark on a new journey.

In fact, a conversation with SFTC has made realize how hectic the weeks to come are going to be. Tonight, I am packing because tomorrow morning I am flying out.

I will be flying on SLOK AIR.

My colleague says it sounds like something nasty in a bucket, which it does.

My cousin, who has been in the flying business says it might stand for Sometimes Lands OK.

Me? I don't care, man. It's getting me where I need to go.

It'll be my 3rd flight with them so I know what to expect: an overbooked flight, a stampede at boarding, bad food and lousy service. What ever. The flight is only one hour anyway.

First, I'm flying to Accra in Ghana. I'll spend tomorrow's night there and then take a flight to Abidjan in Cote-d'Ivoire where I will sit and rot for 10 hours until my flight on Air Ivoire, SLOK's distant cousin, , also referred to by the locals are : Air Peut-Etre (Air Maybe) to Cotonou, in Benin.

I'll work 11 days in Cotonou and then fly to Paris in France (duh) where I'll be meeting up at last with my only love.

10 days and 2 buckets of tears later, I'll fly out again to Miami where I'll spend an overnight before my flight to Port-au-Prince, in Haiti, where i'll be working 6 weeks before I go home to Montreal, Quebec, Canada for 2 weeks of rest (and then it's back out again - but let's not go there yet).

I calculate that I will pack and unpack another 6 times before I get home 2 months from now. That means I go through this about every 2 weeks.

And even after I get home, I'll have to pack again 2 weeks later.

(Maybe I just just start living in my suitcase.)

Oh boy. I need to get real. I'm way too big.

I'm getting pretty good at this though.

1. For example, I know to always have a spare change in my hand luggage in case my main stuff gets lots by the morons at the airport company.
2. I have those cool anti-air bags to make sure I don't lose any space in my luggage.
3. I know not to unpack too much.
4. I know exactly what goes where in my suitcase.

Nevertheless, whenever I pack up, I always have the same comment:

"! Good grief, I carry way too much crap ! "

The Beaver

Thanks, Chris in Puebla and Ryan in Madison for posting on my guestmap!

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Pakistan, here I am.... (me voila!)

Donc me voila, un mardi après-midi à Islamabad, Pakistan. Ce nom de ville est, hormis Kaboul, probablement la ville la plus annoncée en Asie du Sud-Est. Mon collègue et moi sommes arrivés hier aux heures petites du matin, après ce qui est, jusqu'ici, le plus long voyage que j'ai jamais fait.

So here I am, on a tuesday afternoon in Islamabad, Pakistan. This city name is, aside from Kaboul, probably the most publicized city in South-East Asia. My colleague and I arrived yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, after what is, to date, the longest trek I have ever taken.

Vendredi après-midi, j'ai pris un vol de 8 heures de long de DC de Washington à Londres. Le vol lui-même était très agreable: j'ai dormi et eu une conversation animée avec une dame espagnole qui était charmante et amusante....

Friday afternoon, I took an 8 hour long flight from Washington DC to London. The flight itself was pretty good: it involved sleep and an animated conversation with a spanish lady who was charming and amusing....

Puis, arrivé à Londres, j'ai dû litterallement traverser l'aéroport a la vitesse grand V pour attraper mon vol vers Abu Dhabi. Le vol de 5 heures était très agreable - je partageais 3 sieges avec un monsieur britannique qui avait la capacité etrange de dormir assis tout droit, ainsi je me suis effondree et j'ai dormi encore plus.

Then, arrived in London, I had to litterally cross the airport at Mach 3 to make it to my connecting flight to Abu Dhabi. The 5 hour flight was pretty good - I was sharing a 3 seater with a british gentleman who had the uncanny ability to sleep upright, so I just nuzzled up and slept some more.

Arrivée a Abu Dhabi (dans les Emirats unis), j'ai eu un transit de 5 heures à tuer. Après un verre au Piano Bar avec mon collègue, j'ai paye le 20$ usuel et soit allée dormir sur un divan dans le salon d'affaires.

Arrived in Abu Dhabi (in the United Emirates), I had a 5 hour layover to kill. After a drink at the piano bar with my colleague, I payed the customary 20$ and went to sleep on a couch in the business lounge.

Nous avons ensuite pris eu un vol de 3 heures vers Islamabad sur Gulf Air. J'étais assise à côté très d'un drôle et tres gentil pakistanais qui vis maintenant en Angleterre et qui parlait avec toutes les expressions habituelles d'un bon Brit, comme "mates" et "Cheers".

We then had a 3 hour flight to Islamabad on Gulf Air. I was seating next to a very funny and sweet pakistani guy who now lived in England and talked to me about his "mates" in Islamabad and said "cheers" every 2 seconds.

Arrivé à Islamabad (temps local de 6:30am), nous avons péniblement traverse la ligne desordonnee des douane et alors avons attendu inutilement la voiture de fonction.

Arrived in Islamabad (6:30AM local time), we painfully went throught the messy customs line-up and then waited uselessly for the company car to pick us up.

Eventuellement, nous sommes allés au Marriott et y avons pris des chambres.

Eventually, we just went to the Marriott and got rooms there.

Il y avait ce probleme que nous aurions dû payer 2 nuits parce que c'était la politique concernant les arrivees prematurees, mais nous pouvions pas faire cela parce que cette depense ne nous aurait jamais ete remboursee et on s'est prepare a attendre quelques heures.

There was this whole issue that we had to pay for 2 nights because it was the early check in policy and we couldn't do that, so we were getting ready to wait another few hours.

Mon collègue a essayé d'entrer en contact avec le bureau local tandis que je surveillais notre bagage. Je me suis endormie pendant mon tour de garde, et ca a convaincu le commis de bureau de nous donner une chambre plus tôt gratuitement.

My colleague tried to contact the local office while I was watching our luggage. I fell asleep on duty, which convinced the desk clerk to give us an early check in free of charge.

Je suis allee me coucher et j'ai dormi... pendant 26 heures d'afilee!

I then proceeded to sleeping... for 26 hours straight!

Pour le moment, je n'ai pas vu grand chose d'Islamabad, mais je puis dire ceci: Je NE VOIS AUCUNE MENACE IMMÉDIATE DE SÉCURITÉ.

So far, I haven't seen too much of Islamabad, but I can say this: I SEE NO IMMEDIATE SECURITY THREAT.

Plus à venir sur cet nouvel endroit fascinant pose au pied de l'Himalaya:)

More to come on this fascinating new place resting at the bottom of the Himalaya :)

Once, again.... suffering from DRS...

HAPPY NEW YEAR to YOU and YOUR LOVED ONES. May 2006 be a year of PLEASANT SURPRISES and SMILY THOUGHTS.

If you don't know about DRS, click here.

So I disappeared...

In my defense, I haven't been home in 3 months, and have very little time to spend with friends and family. So I had a hard time working on my projects in the meantime, let alone put down some coherent thoughts...

So I did do a few cool things while I was gone:

I resumed my taste for movies and saw:

1. Harry Potter IV
2. Chronicles of Narnia
3. Chicken Little (hi hi hi)

I resumed my taste for international dining and:

1. Went out for SUSHI with my mum
2. Went to an Indian Restaurant with Dave
3. Went to a Korean Restaurant with my girlfriends

I also reconnected with my RPG habits and:

1. Played a barbarian NPC at D&D
2. Finished the first episode of our 7 year Star Wars Saga (in which I play an outlawed military commander belonging to the Homo Aquarius race...)

Last but not least:

1. I had coffee with friends;
2. Enjoyed intense dancing during a girl's night out;
3. Enjoyed intense partying during New Year's eve with Dave and my good friends JP and Mymy.

During the last 2 weeks, I did not:

1. Work, think about, or consider working on the project I was supposed to work on; (blushing in shame)

But I did :

1. Keep taking my work email and responding;
2. Make arrangements for my next travels out.

BUT HERE'S THE NEWS !!!!!

As of last week, my travel schedule has changed pretty drastically since September

(click the link to see the old schedule):

January 2005

I am actually going to PAKISTAN 2 weeks from now !!!!

(Of course, this is an audit)

February and March 2006

I'll be spending 2 weeks in each of these countries of West Africa in the course of follow-ups:

April and May 2006

June and July 2006

August and September 2006October and November 2006

Whewww... and it will very likely change some more over the year...

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !