Odds and ends
When I think of things to share while travelling, I don’t always remember them later: so instead of too many “what was it I wanted to write about earlier in the day?”, I take some notes on my phone. Of course then I don’t always check my phone when writing my daily log, or it…
Oranges, apples, dragon fruit and snake fruits, oh my.
I bought a few oranges. The skin is green-orange, the size is one of a small orange as we know them, they can be peeled like a mandarin and taste like one. Maybe they are giant mandarins! I also bought apples, they make good snacks. Last week I bought a dragon fruit. It is pink…
Earthquake in Indonesia: I wasn’t there.
In case anyone saw the news and worried, I am far from today’s earthquake in Indonesia and out of its zone of impact.
Transportation
So I have raved about the luxury buses. Here is a picture of the latest: There are only three seats to a row, two on one side and one on the other side of the aisle. They are extra large, and with ample leg room, my knees are far from touching the seat in front…
Useful game
Do you know this game where you have these tiles piled up in a tower and you have to take out as many tiles as possible, one at a time, before the tower falls down, preferably when it’s someone else’s turn? Well, that game is the perfect height to hold a charger up. Because really,…
Things travels are fun for
– Learning your passport number by heart. – Never forgetting again the code to your padlock. – Trying new foods, just because, and regretting it -or putting it on your list of must-have. – Walking into a shop and going out bewildered without having bought anything, because nothing was remotely familiar. – And being convinced…
Cooking
I miss cooking. And supermarkets. Here, buying food on the street is so cheap that travellers don’t cook. Hostels don’t offer a kitchen. I haven’t really seen supermarkets: you have mini-marts, and they are closer to highway rest stations than small convenience store. They will sell you an amazing range of drinks (…including juice from…
The land where the scooter rules
So I’ve spoken a bit about the scooters and motorcycles that rule the world here. Basically, most people don’t drive a car, they drive a two-wheeler (and seldom a bike). Traffic rules varies between “the biggest go first”, like Vietnam, and “the fastest go first”, which is more Thailand. Red lights are often more a……
Good evening Laos
Day 31, Luang Prabang, Laos Let’s sum up: – 3 busses (a shuttle bus, which was caught up on a large avenue by a scooter and its passenger, a fellow traveller apparently late, a sleeper bus, a mini-bus) – 1 scooter – 1 tuk-tuk – 27h – 1 meal – 2 border controls – some…
French reputation
Local people, when chit-chatting, ask where I’m from. France, I tell them. Oh, your English is so good, they tell me!