Take a walk on the wild side...

Hey everybody,

I picked the last apple of Tasmania on the 18th of may..in the rain! Then, after telling good by to the Calvert Bros Farm, packed my van and... hit the road on and on, cross all Tasmania to catch my ferry to the Mainland. In Melbourne I  joined Sylvain to spent the day in town, had a great meal in this associative restaurant " Lentils as anything" ( honesty box restaurant..). Had some shopping aswell ( bought a bow and some arrows, why not! for fun..). Then I left the big town to join my 2 friends Leo and Thibaut near Shepparton ( 3h up north of Melbourne).. where I was supposed to pick with them the last apples of an italian farm for 10 days but... I got saccked after 1 day and a half!!! "broosing" he said... But I didn't more then the others!! Leo dared me before I started.. the boss is sexist!! Ah ok!.. And he didn't need anymore people so.. "shoot the girl first" ( ref "doberman"..). Well, anyway I was seek and needeed a rest so. I spent 2 relaxing weeks with them then I left to join Wayne in Sydney, blue mountains, for a week.. some music to play, the van to fix.. ( again!).. I'll leave in 2 days with Sylvain ( he is everywhere this one!:-)) to Byron bay where I'll visist Albert (phillipin drummer met in NZ 3 years ago), Dave ( english dj met in Nz 3 years ago aswell), Owen ( aussie guy met in France 7 years ago!). Then I'll keep going my trip up north to Gayndah, near Brisbane in Queensland to pick some mandarines from beginning of july till september.  That's it!!  a picker gypsy life.. where the wind is blowing! following fruits to pick and friends to hug!!  Love this life..  Much love and light on your path..  Laurette

Coucou tout le monde!!

J'ai ceuillie la derniere pomme de Tasmanie (!) le 18 mai.. sous la pluie! Puis, apres avoir dis au revoir a la ferme Calvert Bros,preparer mon van et.. pris la route encore et encore, traverse la Tasmanie pour attraper mon ferry pour le continent. A Melbourne j'ai rejoinds Sylvain ( pote francais) pour passer la journee en ville, avoir un chouette repas dans ce resto associatif ' Lentils as anything" ou tu pays ce que tu peux. On a fait qq achats aussi ( j'ai achete un arc et des fleches, pourquoi pas?! pour rigoler..) Puis j'ai quitte la grande ville pour rejoindre 2 amis, Leo et Thibaut pres de Shepparton ( 3h de route au nord de Melbourne) ou j'etais supposee ceuillir avec eux les dernieres pommes d'une ferme italienne pour 10 jours mais.. je me suis faite viree au bout d'1 jour et demi!! " tu abimes" il a dit.. mais je n'abimais pas plus que les autres! Leo m'avait prevenu, le patron est sexiste! Ah ok.. et il n'avait surtout plus besoin de travailleur donc.. " shoot the girl first'! ( ref: "doberman"..). Bien , de toute facon j'etais malade et avais besoin de me reposer alors. JJ'ai passe 2 semaines relaxantes avec eux puis je suis partie pour rejoindre Wayne a Sydney, Blue mountains, pour une semaine.. un peu de music a jouer, l van a reparer ( encore!).. Je pars dans 2 jours avec Sylvain ( il est partout celui la! :-)) pour Byron Bay ou je reverrai Albert ( phillipin percutioniste rencontre en Nz il y a 3 ans), Dave ( Dj anglais rencontre en Nz il y a 3 ans), Owen ( Un ami australien rencontre en France il y a 7 ans!). Ensuite je continuerai mon voyage vers le nord jusqu'a Gayndah, pres de Brisbane dans le Queensland pour aller ceuillir les mandarines de debut juillet a septembre.. Voila!1 La vie d'une gitane ceuilleuse.. ou le vent souffle. Suivant les fruits a ceuillir et les amis a etreindre! J'aime cette vie.. Beaucoup d'amour et de lumiere sur vos chemins!                  Laurette

Entre deux pommes a cueillir on a de longs week-ends, voire des semaines pour s'enfuir un peu des champs et se reposer entoures de lieux paradisiaques, visiter.. festivals..

Alors en petite tribu internationale, comme d'habitude, Poncho ( quebecois),Antonio (chilien), Sylvain et moi ( "jfaislatroncheland", petit emprein a supacrissotte..) sommes partis quelques jours dans l'ouest de la Tasmanie a la recherche de montagnes portant leurs echarpes de nuages.. de plages sauvages.. De fin de pistes pour y dormir.. " le bonheur est a la fin de piste" comme disait Steph!

Entre deux pommes a cueillir on a de longs week-ends, voire des semaines pour s'enfuir un peu des champs et se reposer entoures de lieux paradisiaques, visiter.. festivals..

Alors en petite tribu internationale, comme d'habitude, Poncho ( quebecois),Antonio (chilien), Sylvain et moi ( "jfaislatroncheland", petit empreint a Supacrissotte..) sommes partis quelques jours dans l'ouest de la Tasmanie a la recherche de montagnes portant leurs echarpes de nuages.. de plages sauvages.. De fins de pistes pour y dormir.. " le bonheur est a la fin de piste" comme disait Stef!

Et puis un autre week-end en festival aborigene sur Bruni Island, petite ile aud sud ouest d'Hobart ( Capitale au sud de la Tasmanie a 40 km d’ou je me trouve). Trois jours de musiques, ateliers yoga, discussion, meditation, se guerrir par les plantes et par les sons, cercles de paroles de femmes et d'hommes, films de See Shepherd.. tout ca rythme par les ceremonies aborigenes. Concerts de Xavier Rudd et Oka.. le nom du festival: "Nayri Niara" qui veut dire " bon esprit".. Et croyez moi c'etait le cas!! Quelle belle experience..

Alors voila! plus quelques jours de pink ladies a cueillir et j'attrape mon ferri le 2 mai pour rejoindre mon pote Leo et peut etre finir la saison de pommes sur le " continent" avant de prendre la route du nord..

In between two apples to pick, we've got longs week-ends end even weeks to escape a bit from the fields and to chill surrounded by paradise landscapes.. visiting.. festivals!

And so as the usual small international tribe, Poncho ( French canadien), Antonio ( Chilien), Sylvain n me (“ I’mnothappyandIletyouknowitland”), are gone to visit the west part of Tasmania, searching for mountains, wearing them cloudy scarves.. for wild beaches.. for ends of off roads to sleep cause as Stef were used to say : “ Happyness is at the end of the dirt road!”

And another week-end to an aboriginal festival on Bruni Island, small island down south west of Hobart ( Tasmanian Capital, 40 km from where I’m staying). Three days of music, yoga, discussion, meditation, hilling with the sounds and plans workshops, movies from See Shepherd.. and all festival long, some aboriginals ceremonies in the background.. Xavier Rudd n Oka lives.. The name of the event? “ Nayri Niara ”  which means “Good spirit”! Such a beautiful experience..                                                                                                        

So that’s it! Still some apples to pick here then I’ll catch my ferry on the second of  may to join Leo my mate and maybe finish the apple season over the mainland before to hit the road up north!!

Big love kisses n hugs to everyone!

 French:

La voila repartie seule la crevette en bicyclette ( cette fois!) sur la planete! maintenjant plus d'un mois qu'elle y est.. Apres de supers retrouvailles avec " The Lord of Narrow Neck", Wayne bien sur, dans les blues mountains ( 1h de route a l'ouest de Sydney) pendant presque 2 semaines. Le temps de reprendre mes repaires, reinvestir le van, me preparer pour...

Partir mille km au sud prendre un ferry a Melbourne pour la Tasmasnie!!! "ma" si belle ile.. mais avant ca, sur le trajet Sydney ( ou j'ai eu le bonheur de recroiser greg et kate) Melbourne, petit arret a Shepparton ou Leo mon poto siege en ce moment.. ensemble pour un super festival interculturel avec les peuples de alentours d'Australie ( Maori, indo,samoa,fidjis...). Meme pas eu le temps de dormir pour aller attraper le ferry!!

La Tasmanie.. que j'aime tant! quel bonheur de te retrouver! Toi et ta lumiere..

Et me voila a ramasser les pommes encore. Dans la ferme ou l'on avait travaille il y a 2 ans maintenant, avec Sam. La plus belle ferme, le meilleur boss, les plus belles pommes.. bonheur.

Je ceuille entre 7 et 9 bins par jour..quelques tonnes! J'ai une chambre confortable.. bonheur.

Encore quelques semaine de pommes et je remonterai doucement la Tasmanie par l'Est. Ensuite retour sur le L'Australie pour retourner voir Leo, finir la saison de Pommes la bas puis... ON VERRA!!

English:

Here she goes the shrimp in bicycle around the world!! Now for more then one month there she is..

After seing back " The Lord of Narrow Neck", Wayne of course, in the Blues Mountains, 1h n a half ouest of Sydney,for almost 2 weeks. The time to get used to again, set up in the van and then prepare myself to...

Hit the road one thousand km down south to Melbourne then catch a ferry to Tasmania!! " my " such a beautiful island.. but before that, on the way from Sydney ( wher i could enjoy to see again Kate and Greg, Love u guys!) to Melbourne, small stop over in Shepparton where my good friend Leo stand at the moment.. Together for a great multicultural festival, with many tribes from all aroud Australia ( Maori, indo,samoa,fidjis..). No even time to sleep! I had to run to catch the ferry!

Tasmania.. that Ilove so much. You and your light..

And here I am picking apples again! Where we were working, 2 years ago now, with Sam. The most beautiful farm, the niciest boss ever, the most beautiful apples... happiness!

I pick around 7 or 9 bins a days!and I have a so confy rooms keeps me dry and in good shape.. happiness!

Still a couple of week and I will go slowly up by the East Tasmanian coast to rich the north them I'll join Leo again to eventually finish the apple saison over there.. then.. WE WILL SEE!!

BIG HUG n KISSES to EVERYONE!!!   LOVE!

      The 9th of February, after  18h by bus from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian Capital, we met back an American-russian couple to prepare our motorbike trip. We rent a 250cc enduro for 2 weeks to drive on dirt roads around the huge Tonle Sap Lake. A loop of more than a thousand kms, passing by many 10th century temples such as Angkor complex…  After a « test-day »  with the bikes and the bags attached, we changed few things and get ready !  we left towards north East with 3 motorbikes (we were together on ours). We visited Sambor Prei kuk, from 7th century, the oldest temple complex, in the middle of the forest, lost.

In Cambodia, as soon as you leave the main asphalt road, it’s dusty, chaotic and long to travel. Villages are small, very simple, and quickly remote. Even with a big 4*4 car, travelling in the back country is long and uncomfortable. Big bikes is for us the best transportation, with requires a good driving experience however…

After 2 nights in Kampong Thom, we took north to Tbeng Meanchey, in the Preah Vihear province, famous for the current border conflict with Thailand…  Then we visited  the most remote Koh Ker temple, 9km long by 4 km wide with a huge pyramid and an elephant temple. We tried to reach our next destination by a small trail, but around 4Pm, we gave it up and came back, very hard and destroyed dirt road! We did it the next day with 20km/h average… to see Preah Khan temple, the widest angkorian temple, 5km2, by sunset…  Ta seng, we were the only white people in this lost small village, sleeping in a home stay, bed in wood, no mattress, very nice and smiling people.

Everywhere along the way, as soon as we stopped for a cold drink or to rest, locals are always smiling, curious and surprised to see us! Some children were afraid of us, others very excited, especially when Lorette gives them a balloon.  Sometimes, they just run until the trail to look at you passing in a dusty cloud and scream “Haaalllo!!”, always waving at us.

Cambodian children and women are simply beautifull! Very thin and delicate faces, our favorite beauty in Asia so far…  in the dry season ( from December to april), it’s hot. And the least lake, river or swamp is a meeting place to play, wash or swim for local people and us!

After 5 days in the remote center of the country, with 150 km of the horrible “bumpy” trail- road 66, the ancient angkorian road, we joined Siem Reap and Angkor complex of temples… big tourism area, big change. 20$ per day to visit Angkor wat (for sunrise), the Bayon temple (for sunset), and the Jungle Ta Prohm with its roots walls… Huge, amazing, crowed and marvelous!

Then 160km on main roads to reach Battambang, the doors of the Cardamons chain, a protected national park south west of Cambodia, the master piece of our motorbike trip. Next day, we started very well, good orientation in this labyrinth, thanks to the GPS! Nice rivers, we were a bit late to reach Samaraoy to sleep when a big heavy storm stroke us… the dry and dusty trail transformed in a muddy and slippery nightmare… no way to drive more than few hundred meters. So we asked the first house for shelter. Lucky they had space and food for us, very nice farmer  family, talking with hands to communicate, an authentic experience. Next day, it was nice to sleep in a guest house on a nice dirt road passing through the mountains (1700m picks).  We saw Elephant marks in the forest (broken trees), many birds, water buffalos…

We tried the next day, without success, to pass through a hill on a old trail to see Veal Vieng, ancient Khmer rouge base… and again no way! Too muddy and bushy. We pulled one bike out of the mud for half hour, get lost, and came back to the main new dirt road to reach the coast in Koh Kong. We saw the new huge Chinese dam building (in the middle of the beautiful jungle)… they gonna flood 52 km2 with some elephant migration ways… sad.  this wild forest is one of the biggest in south-east Asia with still some wild tigers, elephants, panthers, with many cobras, big spiders and hundreds of rare species of birds and mummers. The logging destroyed 60% of the forests during th last 50 years… it’s dramatic. They make huge ultra heavy tables and furniture to export…. Sad to see all these ruber and Taro (root for flour) plantations instead… However we saw few protection forestry programs but this is still hard to reach local mentalities.

The next day we wanted to cross another part of the national park, the South cardamom forest, 70kms trail. Good beginning again, nice one track trails, beautiful river crossings, but at 3pm, we lost the trail, turned and turned to find the GPS track back. We decided to follow a parallel old trail in the jungle. Hills, bamboos, mud, ferns, we go slowly but surely. At 5PM, we are in front of a hard path, which we did with the rope pulling the bikes one by one. But, the day falls we are too far to come back and the trail is getting horrible… so no choice, we camp in the jungle along a small creek for water… few cans to eat.  We came back all the way the next day…

Cardamon forest 2 / bikers 0 (…)

Next day chill out on a beach by the coast road and we came back to Phnom Penh the day after.

Very nice experience, a bit sore for the back…

Then we took a bus to Ban lung, the main big village in Ratanakiri province, north-East of Cambodia. Wild place, we met a nice Israeli couple, Mateo and Ella, whith who we camped by a volcano lake in the jungle for few nights. Relaxing time before to move to Laos, where we are now for a week.

4000 Islands on the Mekong river, Pakse and Bolovene plateau, Tha Khaek… Laos here we are!

Big kiss to you, who is reading this line!!!   XXXX

Se you soon our friends!!

sam n Lorette

          Ca y est on a quitte Tonsai Bay et dans quelques jours la Thailande... Ca a ete un mois et demi de grimpe intense  pour Sam et de tranquillite pour Lorette... ce calcaire deversant a stalagtites est vraiment dement! La On est a Bangkok, la grosse ville polluee... on a cependant trouve une auberge dans un quartier tranquille pres de la riviere et d un petit parc, tout va bien. on se repose, anticipe un peu les 2 derniers mois de notre voyage au Cambodge et au Laos. On va retrouver un couple Americano-russe (et oui c est possible) a Phnom Penh au Cambodge pour un trip moto sur 2 semaines autour du grand lac (asseche). Puis on compte remonter doucement au Laos pour quelques semaines avant de repasser au nord de la thailande pour quelques semaines avant de rentrer a Paris...

"plus que 2 mois", on sait ca fait raler, mais pour nous c est bientot...

grosses bises a tous

           We finally left Tonsai Bay and in few days thailande to... It was a intense climbing month and a half for Sam and nice and quiet for Lorette... this overhanging Lime stone full of stalagtites is simply amazing! We are now in Bangkok, the big poluted town... nervertheless we found a guste house in a quiet neighbourhood near the river and a little park, we are fine. We are resting, planing a bit the last two month of our trip in Cambodia and Laos. We gonna join an American-russian couple (yes it's possible) in Phnom Penh in Cambodia for a 2 weeks motorbike trip around the big lac (dry...). Then we plan to go slowly north to laos for a couple of weeks before to pass back in North Thailand for few weeks, and fly to Paris...

"only 2 month left", we know it's too much, but for us it's so soon...

big kisses for all

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

ALL the best for everyone for this year taht gonna be taff....   

We are still in Tonsai bay, where we did Xmas and new year eve, was great with a reggae concert by the beach...

Sam climb a lot, Lorette relax a lot,  we are fine!

big kisses friends

see you soon or later!!

Love

After 4h in the plane, a taxi, a mini-van, a chouk-chouk and a boat.... we are in Tonsai BAY!!

This is a bay on the Railay Peninsula, south of Phuket. With mainly climbers staying there, we live in one Jungle hut in the tropical forest surounded by cliffs and monkeys! We found back Ricky, friend from mandarine picking in Australia, he stays for 3 month in Tonsai!

It s good to settle down somewhere for a while even 2 months, because we moved a lot these last months, so we apreciate that. Life there is cheap, nice poeple, beautifull landscape and many routes for Sam... it's a piece of paradise!!

I,m writing this from Penang in Malaysia... because we extended our visa for 2 months, and to do it we need to be in a consulate outside of Thailand. So 10h of bus-mini van one way, and in 2 days we are back in Tonsai... very commun here.

We gonna spend Christmas and new year eve in 35d on the beach while some of you are in the snow... strange.

We send you tropical kisses,

We are lucky, yes, but YOU can choose to be lucky as well!! 

we always have the choice.

See you, 

Sam N Lorette

PS: new album "009.Thailand"

Plongee en epave - Diving shipwreck in tulamben - Bali

MASTER BANYAN TREE IN BALI - MUNDUK

Bali, Small island on the ring of fire, has been colonised by the dutch for centuries, then by the Japanese during WW2, and the dutch tried again… before to leave indonesia independent as a kingdom in 1949.

This tropical paradise island, stroke regularly by eathquakes, tsunamis and bombing is nevertheless a beautiful mix of religions and cultures sharing in peace. With a majority of hindus, we can find here a lot of muslims and few catholics from the near islands. In every houses and shops, each day starts with prayers and offerings, which are symbols made from flakes (a plant), food (rice, sweeties or cigarettes!) and burning encents.

The official hindu calendar explains wich day is better for anything in life like building, children, open a shop, give birth, make a party… ceremonies rythms people lives here, they always prepare the next one for black, half or full moon, for birth weedings, cremations and hundreds of others reasons… These ceremonies cost a lot of money and employ many people, it’s a way of sharing in the family (sometimes 200 members) the money they earn mainly from tourism. Each family owns a temple, with a priest (“mangku”) chosen by the men, often from fathers to sons. Sharing is a way of life, we have a lot to learn from them about that…

The “casts system” exists here but it stays really lighter than in India and they pray less gods (Often 3, sometimes only one). The differences beetween rich and poor is not that obvious, they are respectfull of each other most of the time. Because of the permanent mix, people are more tolerant in Bali than in Java or in India (what we have been told…). Fights are pretty rare. The tourism brings a lot of money, which allows fast development and quite confortable life for most families.

A thing that really surprised us is that they always smile if you do! They look more happy than in rich countries… more relax and confident in there future, don’t worry be happy. The most worried here are the tourists! We think Balinese are 90% nice people, except for business game… where there is no morality, a bit like in western countries!? You can pay 10 times the price if you are naïve enough! They lie often for selling… a bit boring sometimes. So almost everything can be bargained, every price discussed, but it’s a subtil game… we learn the rules everyday.

Contrary to the commun thought, we think that we can trust some balinese! We have a good friend, ujang, 47.

Here you don’t joke with the police…  unfortunatelly  “donations” and corruption are very commun. They often stop only white people. There is death penalty for majiruana traffic! 5 to 25 years in jail for having weed on you! So it’s serious, no mistakes!

The rain season started last week and lasts until december, so we wake up early (not always…)  because it rains every afternoons in the mountains and quite often on the coast. On person died last week in floods in Denpasar  (the capital). But coming from NZ and Tasmania, it’s OK!

We stayed 5 days in Sanur, touristic town on the beach in a nice “guest house” with a lovely family, then we went in Ubud, biggest city in the mountains for a week. We met there Greg, an interesting american (yes it’s possible! ;) who took us motorbiking around in the lost places with a GPS, so nice rice fields, small villages with no tourits, they all watch us passing saying “Hallo!”. The nature is so different! Many fruits everywhere in the wild: coconuts, papaye, mangos, madarines, apples, cocoa trees… anything can grow here! (except cannabis…).

We came back in Sanur to see Ujang our guide friend, he took us in good reggae bars to drink “Arak”, local liquor from cocnut or rice and some “Bintang” the indonesian beer (not bad).

Lorette did a one day course to learn “Batik”, painting on fabric, while I was motorbiking south looking for a cliff to climb (that I couldn’t find  ;-(… 

In few words, this island is amazing!

For my birthday, we took a local transport, 2 buses and 2 boats during 7 hours until a very small and lost island near Lombok: GILI  MENO.

It’s one of the post cards island, you know the one with the coconuts trees on the  beach!?   You need 10 min to cross it walking, no car, no motorbikes, just a horse trolley.. Here we are for 3 days… hard time… we live for 25 euros a day in a local family. They took us on their boat for spear fishing and snorkeling on the reef barriere… no comment. This water is just amazing! We are here with a nice french couple from Annecy, and we enjoy life quietly… it’s a kind of “hollidays” in the travel…

we saw touthands of different fish and tens of tortles, hidden in multicolor corals… ok I stop. That was my best gift.

Thank you all for your birthday messages! I love you!

Big kiss from paradise, YOU CAN DO IT, JUST A QUESTION OF CHOICE!

 PS: 200 pictures in album “008.Bali and Gili” in the left column (very soon...)

Sam n Lorette

           Our last weeks in Aussie has been wonderful... We left Gayndah on the 4th and relaxed with good friends on the way south till Sydney where we flew on the 24th of october.
Back to Brisbane, some climbing (sometime by night!) on an "urban crag" with a view above the river on the business center, quiet strange but nice time with our friends from picking.

Then, amazing time in Byron Bay with Albert and Hijo (friend from NZ) and Owen again (Aussie friend from France). Djembe courses and N'Goni magic music in this famous alternative place.

Later, we went back to the Blue Mountains (3rd time) to stay with Wayne, our great aussie friend, some climbing, a lot of music and hapiness. Few days before leaving, Debo and Romano (2french met in NZ 1 year and a half ago) joined us until our departure... lovely. 2 nights in Louisa's flat (Wayne's daughter) in sydney center, the time to watch french rugby team loosing (but they did well!) and we were ready to take the plane. We left our van to Wayne during one year to have it when we gonna come back!

But...  2 hours before launching, we learned at the check in that we needed a flight out of Indonesia to get the 30 days visa!! Bad stressful time, we rush to the first computer to buy a cheap flight, many pbs of payment with the credit card!! no way! 20 min before the end of luggages check in we run in the air port to find an office to pay cash. Everybody told us that we can't buy a ticket in the airport!! that was not funny back then! SO Lorette went to explain our case while Sam was running everywhere in the terminals to find an open office... 2 min before closing time, the women told us that she can book for us a ticket at 42$ to singapour... rush, rush and saved just in time!
So smelling and sweating, we were the last to sit in the plane.. Happy but a bit exausted. Morality: Don't trust neither french ambassador website nor Jetstar website!

After 7 hours, we landed in Bali, with a super heavy hot weather.. no way to find a bus (cheaper) so let start the bargain game with a taxi to pay 130 000 roupias ( environ 13 $ aus) instead of 250 000 ( a fortune for them!!) to get to " Sanur" where we are now for 4 days. We sleep for 10$ for both in a guest house with a nice Balinese family who teach us the basic of indonesian language.. Tarima kasih Made! ( thank you Made). Prices are low but it's hard!!! we are already tired of saying every 2 meters in the street " Tidac mau" ( no thanks).. Or to negociate every little thing you buy to avoid to pay 5 times the normal price!

Sometimes we would like to come back home because we don't feel comfortable at all with the stereotype of the " rich white people". Switching from gypsies during 2 years( i would say a big part of my life! ahah! (lorette)) so this is very confusing.. But except this detail, people are lovely, smiling.. The beaches are amazing..

it s hard to describe.. so different: smelly, noisy, fast, messy, funny, freacky, sad and just crazy all together.. We learn slowly mistake after mistake.. we gonna move in the mountains.. see the monkey forest, less touristic places, we are a bit seek of it!! anyway we are happy again to live all this, we feel very lucky.. and we send you much love!!!!

kisses

Sam n Lorette

ps: pictures will come soon!!