A year ago we set foot (or rather 4 feet) on China's ground, starting what would be a year full of mind opening discoveries and encounters.
354 days (i need to change this blog's name, crap!), 112295 kilometers, and in excess of 40000 pictures later, here we are!
Although many people have already asked the question, I still can't decide what was my favorite place. There is of course a long list of places which I particularly liked be it for the landscapes or the history behind it but for me it is more about moments when time feels like it is slowing down and all that matters is what is happening in front of your eyes (like a baby zebra just out of the womb taking its first steps in Ngorongoro) or the connection you instantly feel with a place or with a person beyond any language barrier.
If there is one thing that consistently make things special when you are traveling, it is the people you meet on the way. And because this trip wouldn't have been the same without them, I want to say a big thank you to a few people here:
In Mongolia:
To Shine and Bataar our guide and driver through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia
To Carles and Jordi who made that ride a lot more fun (and easier to stand the regular head bumping into the ceiling of our old russian van!)
And of course, to the people, children and teachers of Humla in Bergaun and Thehe, I will never forget you!
In NZ: to... everyone really, New Zealanders are easily the friendliest people I've ever met!
There will be more pictures and stories coming over the next few weeks so this is not an "au revoir" yet, just an "à bientot" :)
354 days (i need to change this blog's name, crap!), 112295 kilometers, and in excess of 40000 pictures later, here we are!
Although many people have already asked the question, I still can't decide what was my favorite place. There is of course a long list of places which I particularly liked be it for the landscapes or the history behind it but for me it is more about moments when time feels like it is slowing down and all that matters is what is happening in front of your eyes (like a baby zebra just out of the womb taking its first steps in Ngorongoro) or the connection you instantly feel with a place or with a person beyond any language barrier.
If there is one thing that consistently make things special when you are traveling, it is the people you meet on the way. And because this trip wouldn't have been the same without them, I want to say a big thank you to a few people here:
 |
| Jordi and his camel |
To Shine and Bataar our guide and driver through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia
To Carles and Jordi who made that ride a lot more fun (and easier to stand the regular head bumping into the ceiling of our old russian van!)
In China: to the people of Datong, for cheering after I made a fool of myself throwing some silly dance moves on a stage in the middle of the city's main square (it was either that or trying to decipher mandarin on the karaoke screen so I chose the easy solution...)
In Nepal:
 |
| Hardy, Bina, Jacinta, me and Tika |
To the team at Foudation Nepal in Kathmandu and Humla: Nirmala, Rajiv, Bina and Saurabh for the warm welcome and invaluable insight into Nepali life. To Krishna our Nepali language teacher and Ishwari from the Department of Education
To Jacinta, our fellow volunteer in Nepal and now a friend I could not imagine not having :)
To the talented Shikhar for sharing his passion of photography with me
To Neighbourhood for a much-needed live music fix @ Jazzmandu 2011 and a lovely late night chat
To Neighbourhood for a much-needed live music fix @ Jazzmandu 2011 and a lovely late night chat
To Bima our guide and to our 3 adorable and incredibly strong porters (still feel guilty for letting you carry my bag!) for making this trek in the Annapurna a little bit more special than just a trek
 |
| Kids of Humla |
In India: to our patient and always smiley driver Lakhan who took us to so many beautiful places. Hope to visit your native Punjab one day!
In Australia: To my dear friends Bianca, Sergio and Yohan for a great reunion in Sydney. Miss you guys, can't wait for our next get-together!
In Australia: To my dear friends Bianca, Sergio and Yohan for a great reunion in Sydney. Miss you guys, can't wait for our next get-together!
 |
| Yoyo, Bibi, Serginho and me |
In Chile:
To Gloria for making us feel at home in Santiago
To Jenny and Andrew from Australia and to Andrei from Germany for many nice chats
To Flavio from the Terrace Lodge in Putre for his knowledge and passion for the region of Lauca and for his many pieces of advice
In Bolivia: To Christian our ever good-humored guide and to Simon (check his beautiful wildlife photos here) for being a great travel (and rock-climbing) buddy across this beautiful land
In Rio: To Aglaia and Alexandre, our hosts in lovely Santa Teresa in Rio de Janeiro and to the strangers who made me dance samba in the streets of Lapa veeeeeeery late into the night!
In South Africa: To the people of Khayelitsha, Cape Town's largest township, for their warm welcome and to Jenny for her dedication to this people and for showing us what it really is like
 |
| Kids of Khayelitsha |
In Namibia: to Hans from the Tsondab Valley farm in Solitaire (who else can claim having a 190 square km "garden"? :) and Fernus from the Alternative Space in Swakopmund for all the story-telling
In Tanzania: to Kurwa our guide in the Northern Parks, for sharing his passion of wildlife with us. Merci!
And of course to Hardy for being the best boyfriend/travel companion/IT support ;) I can't wait to share many more travels with you :)
There will be more pictures and stories coming over the next few weeks so this is not an "au revoir" yet, just an "à bientot" :)
Great stuff, Juju! Looking forward to the next reunion as well! xxx
ReplyDelete