South America, the last chapter

Four days ago I touched ground in Santiago de Chile for what is the last chapter of my trip. It is probably the most exciting chapter because Asia I did it to learn backpacking (and I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did) while Oz and NZ were great but there was hardly any culture shock.

South America is for me (before arriving)

-a challenge to speak Spanish whereas I have never learned except the one lesson per day I did with my book in the last 3 months,

-a culture shock,

-a discovery because I barely know anything about these countries (history, food, habits...), and

-a challenge again because that's the only place I go to I was told to be careful with my safety.

After 4 days of being a gringo I really like it. I more or less digested the jetlag (my December 10th lasted 40 hours, my longest day ever) and I am about to go South to see lakes, volcanos and other natural beauties. I've had a wonderful welcome by Ricardo who introduced me to his family and friends so I already met more Chileans than I would have imagined in my whole trip. My Spanish is really bad especially my hearing but somehow I have managed to get what I wanted so far, thanks to French for being so close to Spanish.

The Northern Island of NZ

I would lie if I would say that I had a time as good in the North as I did in the South. First because I was pretty unlucky with the fallout of pulling out my wisdom teeth that meant teeth pain for a week (gone by now) and the worst weather in 35 years according to the locals. Secondly because I visted first the Southern Island, and sometimes I felt a bit like drinking a good beer just after drinking a good champagne...(to use a comparison that everyone can relate to) so you understand that I was a bit struggling to get excited. Thirdly I did a skydive from 3,600m (12,000 feet) but I would need to do another one simply because I could not really breathe during the freefall (my nose was scratched to my face) and then I had motion sickness when the instructor pulled out the parachute. So the idea would be to do it again in Nazca in Peru so I could see the drawing when I jump. For those who think I was disappointed I would say just a bit because for the 5 mns that represent the freefall + opened parachute, I had 20 mns when the pequeño plane went up and I had an amazing view on the Bay of Island with no clouds. Furthermore I will take a pill against motion sickness next time so it should be perfect.

In short here are a few pictures of what I saw:

When I was not in the sky overlooking it, this is what i saw of the many bays of the Bay of Island.

Cape Rienga is where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea (hence the waves). It is a holy place for the Maori. Personaly I loved the difference of the blue on the water (right) just because one part was overcast and the other not.

Taupo, Rotorua, well the weather was too bad and these places felt too touristic for me so I more or less skipped them. Just went to see the big Huka Falls, nice!!

The most popular one day trek in NZ: the Alpine Crossing that goes between two cones of a volcano. It was even used in the movie Lord of the Rings and is supposed to have great views at the top. Well, on the left you "see" a sapphire lake. It sums up well the day: rain, wind and poor visibility. I'll do it again but the 3 days version next time (with sunshine)

But the sun came back for my last stop, the Coromandel peninsula and it followed me to Chile!!

I did again everything with hitch-hiking (more than 3,000 kms in total in NZ) and I met wonderful people. I got picked up only by locals so I got to know many sides of the Kiwis (their work, their opinion on many things) that I would never had seen if I had taken buses. My favourite story is this man who went to travel in the late 70's in Europe and did some organised tours of the USSR (Soviet Union). He told me how they smuggled jeans (one per person not to be caught) into the USSR and sell them for the equivalent of a year salary. Since tourists were not allowed to take money out of the USSR they would then live as kings because they had to spend everything. But hitch-hiking is also demanding. First you usually need to walk a couple of kms on a big journey because you do not usually start at a convenient place to get picked up (especially in big cities) and secondly you need to talk to the people who pick you up, whether you are tired or not or worse, whether you feel you have something to say to them or not. For instance I was once picked up by an accountant whose accent I could not understand at all (and I really mean at all) and I had to pretend to talk with him for 20 mns. God I was exhausted when I got out of the car.

Finally I know that I will come back, start with the Northern Island, and this time I will get good weather and I will go to many places a bit less touristy. Then I know I'll enjoy it even more than I did.

New Caledonia,

My time in New Caledonia comes to an end, it has gone really really fast like all destinations before but this one is the one in which I stay the least.

Actually it started awkwardly with a lengthy path through the customs convinced, because I have messy hair, a beard and have lived in the Netherlands, that I was trying to import drugs; then there was the feeling that it was a bit like Caen (much warmer though) with the language, all brands and shops, and the organisation of buildings that I knew, and finally on my second day I heard a native (called kanaks) shouting at me "Go back home" ("Rentrez chez vous" en francais, j ai beaucoup aime l emploi du vouvoiement). For those who do nto know NC, this small island (300,000 citizens) has a strong independence feeling and is due to vote around 2014 to decide to stay French or not.

But these details have been quickly erased first by the wonderful welcome I received from my uncle, the kindness of most of the locals, the relaxed atmosphere and the beauty of the island that boasts tropical weather hence vegetation and that is surrounded by a coral reef hence has marvelous snorkeling sports.

(I swear my uncle was happy I was there)

New Caledonia is not a backpacker place so my experience here has been different from the rest.

In my 3-days trip in the North of the island I did camping, giving rides to hitch-hikers and getting absolutely soaked due to the rainy weather.

I had a car then I resorted to camping because there are no youth hostels there. And I did camp for the 1st time since I was 12/13. My pride these days has been to be able to set my tent up by myself and without the manual (I know you think it's stupid but at first I had all these parts and I really wondered how to put them together; it's a bit like driving a BMW after years of Fiat Uno, things have changed so much that I needed to sit back and figure out how to do it) and not get flooded because it was raining cats and dogs that day. Another nice thing of camping in NC is that you get awaken by cockerels (and after similar experiences in Laos I can confirm that some cockerels do not wait for the sunrise to sing). On my second night I was alone in the camping and the dog of the owner was my guardian (like in South East Asia, there are always some animals wandering around).

After getting lifts in NZ I had the opportunity to give lifts myself. The first man I picked up asked my phone number as soon as he heard I was coming from Normandy ("c est la ou on fait le calva, hein?") and wanted me to bring him some calvados the next time I would come back from France. Then I had also these two young men who were farmers and had to go to Noumea, the big city (80,000 people); they were so happy to be farmers ("we can go and walk around in the fields or go fish in the sea") and they asked me again "do you smoke?" because they told me that here in NC "it is like Jamaica!". Well I've never been to Jamaica (and I probably won't because I would die of a reggae overdose) but for sure here people like smoking if I judge by the number of people who talked about it. The last people I took were a family who could not go to the marketplace because the bus was full and they gave me a kilo of lychee just because I drove them an hour to the village.

My trip in the North of the island was very funny because it reminded me a lot about South East Asia. As I said the scenery was a bit similar, I crossed a river on a wooden platform which reminded me of the bamboo train of the similar platforms I took in several occasions there. There was also all the animals wandering around including on roads and the extremely relaxed pace of life. Due to the rain I saw big waterfalls definitively much better than most of the ones that are marked as tourists spots in many countries. The North is gorgeous with the mountains coming right next to the sea so on the one hand you have the slopes with the tropical trees and on the other side the blue sea.

(on the right, the chicken of Hienghen)

But I would say what is really incredible in NC is the sea and the life in the sea. There are snorkeling spots all around the island and some very good ones (which seem to be the result of people feeding the fish). I went to a small island south of NC main island (l Ile des Pins) and there I went to a natural pool that was simply magnifique despite the overcast weather. So I imagine what it looks like when it's clear sky.... The marine reserve (Phare Amedee) was also stunning. Here are a few pictures.

(le Phare Amedee)

(la piscine naturelle a l ile des Pins)

Finally NC is also famous for its nickel ore and the country has many mines. Next to this there is what is called the "maquis minier" (mining bush) with is a low vegetation combined with the red ground. I went to a park where it was prospected some years ago and now the rivers flowing through are used to feed a lake itself used for a hydro-station plant. The lake has drowned a forest which in normal times (the lake was really low) would show only the top of the trees in a kind of surreal environment.

Finally I really had an excellent time here and as I was told it is easy to find a job well, this is just one more possibility but not top of my list. Anyway NC has many charms and I would recommend it probably for a honeymoon destination (since many of you think it is a time to settle down) because some parts of it has some taste of paradise.

Southern Island c est deja fini.

Tomorrow in Noumea it is now time to speak a bit about the wonderful time I had in the Southern Island of New Zealand. And I could have easily stayed 3 more weeks because there are many places I did not have time to visit.
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A bit like Laos I love here the incredible scenery (the best I have ever seen) with the concentration of lakes, peaks with snow, the sea not far, ferns everywhere and nature just nature.
To show you why here are a few panoramic videos I made:
in Akaroa: one side the sea and on the other one a lake.
In Arthur's Pass, views from the top and from the bottom
Lake Wanaka and my first rays of sunshine 3 weeks ago
Te Anau and its lake after a frantic hike

I did my multi-day trek in the Abel Tasman NP. 3 days and 38 kms with my backpack (quite heavy at the start and getting lighter as I was eating). I was with Jonathan and Sandra who made me revised my quebecois. We survived an early passing of a freezing river, the snorring of an old lady in the hut (reminds me some nights at my grand parents house when I was young), the sand-flies for a really nice trek.

As you can see I'm growing a beard (no idea when I will shave ot trim it). There are three weeks between the first and the last picture.

Finally after a break in Australia I found it really easy to backpack again. I met many people and finally traveled only 2 days solo. I enjoyed it a lot and if you like wild nature I would recommend anyone to go one day in NZ. Read the article about the hitch-hiking to see how I met many people.


In 2 weeks I'll visit the Nothern Island and there will be a great moment with a rugby game between France and the All Blacks (in France) that I will undoubtedly go and watch in a bar (I can't wait).

Luck follows me

That is not new but once again I have an example that not much can go against me this year.
I'm flying tomorrow to New Caledonia, the only flight outside my round-the-world ticket and therefore whose date I cannot change. To get my flight from Auckland I had a flight this morning in Queenstown.
The problem is that until last night after 20.00 I was convinced I would fly tomorrow to Auckland and the day after to Noumea. Therefore I was last night in Wanaka with the intention to hitch-hike today to Queenstown.
My stress level went through the roof went I found out and how I found out is my luck. I was cooking in the kitchen and I heard some people talking about what day it is. Then my luck was that there was a bus that would get me on time to the airport!!!
It all went fine this morning.

Over the months I had many examples like how I found my work, how I got the pick-ups hitch-hiking etc etc... so fingers crossed that it will go on.

Hitch-hiking stories

After the motorbikes chronicles in May here ate some stories about my new way to move. This is not typically Kiwi but here it is quite safe to do it and since buses are ridiculously expensive I decided to try it and I've never stopped since then.

I have just finished my trip in the Southern Island of NZ and it involved about 2,000 kms hitch-hiking.
A few anecdotes about it:
My first time it took me 87 cars and one hour to get a pick-up. I had given myself 2h before giving up. I was picked up by three French guys who did a detour in order to drop me at my destination!!!
My second time was better (10 mns and 9 cars) and my last was the best: first car!!!

But it did not always go easy and I had two times when it was hard work.
The most difficult was my trip between Christchurch and Lake Tekapo. It took me 8h for something that takes usually 3h30!! After more than 3h I was only 20kms out of Christchurch (and most of it thanks to a lady who saw me waiting for more than 45 mns next to where she worked and spontaneously offered to get me to the edge of town), walking alongside a dusty road where nobody dared to have pity of me. At that point I was in doubt to go on when I saw a minivan stopping and two friends met a week before came out. They passed me a first time and when they recognised me they turned around to pick me up. Thanks so much Theo and Olga. A few hours later I was in Lake Tekapo. In total I needed 5 pick-ups to get there.

I also met many nice people, as many Kiwis as tourists. For instance I met a hunter who almost proposed me to work as an agent for him with French hunters; I met New Zealanders who let me stay in their cars when they were stopping (the trust Kiwis have in others is so incredible for us Europeans); I met tourists that told me they would never pick-up anyone at home but here they do it because it is quite common. Thanks to all of you for all these experiences.

I have convinced three people here that they could do it. For those interested try there are two major tricks: be at the right place (not easy in big cities) and always smile whatever happens. In fact there are many friendly people who make signs even if they do not pick you up but there are also the ones who look straight as if they had not seen you or the ones who drive off you as if I would try to jump on their cars.

I might try one day in France but I am quite sure I'll never get picked up ;-)

I love NZ mentality

Te Anau, Ti amo

I will start with a small anedocte to explain why I knew I would love NZ. When Alberto wants to convince me to go to any place, he usually says the following: "Benj, we should go there, this is super good, there are blabla... and there is even a park there!!!!!" Well, for me NZ and especially the Southern Island is a place with only parks!!!

I arrived 4 days ago and I am already in love with the country, this is the most stunning nature I have ever seen.


After a ahort day in Queenstown where I'll be back in 2 weeks, I went to Te Anau, a place famous because it is on the road to the Milford Sound, one of the highlights of the Southern Island. I did not go there but to another one called Doubtful Sound because there are less tourists and it is deemed to be even more beautiful. Before getting there I did a half-day trek on a famous track and I saw some astonishing views of the lake that was my site of the night. Check the photos here as well as the video (for my parents so it's in French) I did and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Today I arrived in Wanaka on a clear sunny day and to be honest I got once again amazed by the beauty of the landscapes. See the video and the pictures and hope you enjoy it.

This is just so true

and it's Oscar who said it!!!

Bye bye Australia

Things have gone so fast. Lionel arrived (lionel, thanks so much for taking care of me when I was half dying and it was great to travel a bit with you), my ears got crazy, no time to rest and we are on our way to Melbourne and Cairns, saw Nemo and his family (check the photos of Lionel) and a shark (AWESOME) then back to Sydney and hop, it's time to board for Queenstown.

It has been hard to leave Australia because I really had a nice time there and I met really nice people but most importantly I had time to know them and this makes it even harder to leave.

I have spent my last night with my flatmates, we went to an oktoberfest party. Ahhhh those Germans having fun (singing weird songs, hammering nails in logs or dinging bells)!!! Well, I guess this is the nice diversity of Europe.... Anyway really good evening, the photos are in the Sydney album.

I was asked where do I put Australia with regards to the other countries I have visited. Well, since I had a life more similar to what I would do in Amsterdam I would say that I would put it next to Loas and Cambodia simply because it would not be fair to compare my experiences. I was not really backpacking like in South East Asia and I got much more time to know people which as I said made it hard to leave. Overall I had a really good time in Oz, I saw beautiful landscapes, a orange/red sky that did not happen since 70 years, surfed, saw lot of wildlife but more importantly my batteries are now ready for another half year if intensive traveling which will no doubt bring me a lot.

As for the bread and except the good bakery my flatmate knew this is not good and NZ is pretty much the same so far so I would put them just above Thailand.

Finally I wish I could have stayed in Australia and if I had to start my round the world trip now I would take 2 years, spend one in Oz (and work 6/9 months) then continue my journey. This is to show how I liked living in Australia.

I have updated the photo links on the right hand side. Check the end of the pictures of the trip of Lionel they include the pictures under the water from the Reef and check Sydney for the pictures of the sand storm and the BMWs.

South America

I know there is still 3 fantastic destinations before getting to this continent but I'm getting more and more excited about South America.

The fact is I met 4 South American (Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru) and each of them has been so friendly and awesome that it gives me support to practise/improve my Spanish to be more or less ready when I am there. They all told me many things about their countries (which I admit I know really bad) and I really feel like extending my stay in South America in order either to visit more than what I have in mind so far (Chile, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia) or to take more time to visit these 4 countries.

Thank you to each of you 4 to present me your continent and countries and I hope to see you either there or somewhere else!!!

Daniela from Brazil


Ricardo from Chile


Erika from Colombia



Susan from Peru

First pictures from Road Trip

Hey All,

The raodd trip is almost over and we arrive in Melbourne tomorrow.
It has been a lot of nature and so so weather but above all a lot of fun.

Here are the first pictures without comments I hope I have time at some point to add them.
Album Leo in Oz
Enjoy!!!

Benj

Sydney

Hey all,

I have been really lazy the last month and I have not updated my blog for a while. It does not mean I have done nothing but I have rather taken a break from the pace of traveling to have a life closer to what is used to be for me in Amsterdam. What does that mean: work during the day, going out in the evening for a drink or a diner and partying during the week end. After this month I am about to resume the pace of traveling with Lionel who visits me from Amsterdam and with whom I will cruise the coast to Melbourne.

This month I have been lucky to live with 4 Australians in Sydney. This La Familia with from left to right Kim, Me, Jackie, Karps and Trent at Kim's 25th birthday!!!

I found the room through Tim I had met in Cairns (right hand pic below). When I say Australians I could even say Novocastrians (people from Newcastle, a city 2 hours north of Sydney). For them I am Frenchie which I take as a compliment but which in truth is not the best possible as here there are not so happy we did our nuclear tests in the 1960's in the Southern Pacific (I really have no idea why they are upset by this!!!). Anyway I had a really nice time, they took me to concerts, to beaches where there were no backapackers (a common plague in Sydney), out in local pubs and restaurants or introducing me to the haute cuisine of Australia, the BBQ!!!. They also invited me to parties with their friends where I usually ended up being the only non Novocastrian in the crowd!!!

The other big event of this month is that I have been working as a concierge in a BMW dealership. This meant driving cars over 3 different floors according to the needs (workshop, customer parking for pick up/drop off or wash, or storage parking), a lot of manoeuvring because there were a lot of cars in a confined space. The interview for the job was really easy, I was asked if I would show up everyday and if I was a confident driver: I answered yes to both but I omitted to mentioned that I have not driven more than twice per year in the past 6 years. Futhermore at the interview I was told that if I damage a car I would have to contribute to pay part of the repairs (which potentially would wipe out all the income I had earned). With this sword of Damocles above my head I started the job and even if BMW are really easy to drive I did myself a few scares in the first days. Then I grew better and more confident until I stupidly damaged the wheel and the rim of a car I was bringing for a customer. :-( But I got really lucky because it seems the car was still under warranty so I did not have anything to pay. Finally all went well, I had a good time but I would never do this as a permanent job simply because I do not like cars!!!!

Me at the desk, waiting for cutomers or driving a car from the roof to the customer parking.

Me driving a Z4 and using our walky-talky to communicate with the team.

I did not visit much in Sydney and because I am now really ill and for the third day in bed when Lionel visits the city by itself I will simply not visit Sydney (shame on me) but I was there when the incredible dust winds came last week. Obviously this is awesome to wake up with an orange sky not knowing what that means (did the French resume nuclear tests in the Pacific?) and of there was any danger. Here are a few pictures I took myself, you'll find much better ones on all news websites if you are interested.

Lionel arrived a few days ago and we spent his first day together before I became so ill I had to go to the emergencies (very good and efficient) and stay in bed. Here are a few pictures of our day in Sydney...

...and some I have taken over the month I spent here: Sydney at daylight, at dusk and at night: