North India Roadtrip – The Video!

Here is the full feature movie of our 3 weeks in North India. A roadtrip across the states of New-Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Himachala at the northernmost point of the country !

Such a great trip in many beautiful cities like Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dharamsala, and many more. Amazing sceneries, great people, dirty roads, sacred animals everywhere, and sometimes bad weather, but always a real adventure like nowhere else!

Here is the last movie of our Beautiful World Tour before we returning to Europe where other adventures are awaiting for us.

Enjoy !

Dharamsala, the Tibetan culture capital (in exile)

ENGLISH: Dharamsala is the north India city where His Holiness the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan monks and citizens take refuge, fleeing from the invasion of Tibet by China that started in 1949. The atmosphere of this city is quite unique, with a blend of indian and tibetan culture that make the place unusually peaceful compared to the rest of India. That’s why many indians and westerners have been coming here for decades to discover the tibetan wisdom, often through its well conserved Buddhist traditions.

Traditional tibetan dances in Tsuglagkhang temple

On July 6th, Tibetans, friends and devotees of His Holiness the Dalai Lama gathered in large numbers at the Tsuglagkhang temple, the main Tibetan temple in Dharamsala, to participate in the official 81st birthday celebration of His Holiness. Traditional dances, rituals and beautiful costumes where showcased, all generations being actively involved in this celebration, from very young kids to the elderly, giving a sense of harmony in this peaceful community.

2 days later, we were fortunate to see His Holiness coming back to Tsuglagkhang after his long trip teaching around the world. Many people came there to see him just a few seconds, and we were fortunate to receive a big smile from him.

We continue our discovery of the tibetan world for a few more days, the time to meet with Vincent again after his retreat.

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FRENCH: Lieu de résidence de Sa Sainteté le 14ème Dalaï Lama, Dharamsala est aussi la terre d’accueil d’une grande communauté de tibétains ayant fuit le Tibet lors de l’invasion et de la répression de la Chine en 1949. Il y règne une ambiance différente du reste de l’Inde, les tibétains sont des gens très pacifistes, généreux et d’une bonté naturelle. Beaucoup d’indiens viennent découvrir ce lieu insolite.

Dharamsala à cette époque, est plus fraîche que le reste de l’Inde, la mousson est là. Les rues se transforment alors en un torrent d’eau qui dévale les rues montagneuses de Dharamsala , drainant sur son passage tous les détritus laissés sur les routes. Personne ne semble habitué à garder et jeter les déchets dans une poubelle, les gens préfèrent jeter par la fenêtre, tout ce qu’ils consomment. Les routes sont animées et étroites alors chacun klaxonne sans cesse pour imposer son passage. Il n’y a pas de trottoir pour marcher… il faut éviter les motos, les tuk-tuks, les camions, les voitures, les vaches sacrées, les chèvres, bref c’est une aventure à chaque déplacement !!!! 

Le 6 juillet, les tibétains ont célébré le 81ème anniversaire de sa sainteté le Dalaï Lama au temple de Tsuglagkhang. Il n’y avait plus un centimètre de libre pour assister à cette fête. Les danses traditionnelles se sont succédées au rythme des musiques et des chants. Chacun a revêtu sa tenue traditionnelle, les nouvelles générations sont aussi très impliquées, les enfants vont perpétuer les traditions. 

2 jours plus tard, nous avons eu la chance d’assister au retour de Sa Sainteté à Tsuglagkhang après son long périple autour du monde à enseigner la sagesse Bouddhiste. Des milliers de gens étaient venus assister à son retour, et nous avons eu la chance de recevoir un sourire de sa part.

May Tibet be free (or an autonomous province in China) soon again!

 Notre découverte de ce monde tibétain continu pour encore quelques jours le temps de retrouver Vincent après sa retraite.

Delphine

Dharamsala Retreat

We have arrived in Dharamsala in the extreme north of India in the mountains of the Himalayas. This is the place were the 14th Dalai Lama and tibetan government have decided to live their exile from 1959 after the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese in 1950.

We choose to stay in a very small village, Mc Leod Ganj, as this is a very special place where people come from all over the world to attend meditation retreats given by Tibetan Buddhist monks and lamas.

While the family will enjoy the mountains and some Yoga, I’m going for an 11 days meditation retreat in Tushita, a centre for the study and practice of Buddhism meditation from the Tibetan Mahayana tradition. A beautiful place to meditate and reflect on this one year journey!

I will be completely cut from the world, so don’t expect any news from me (Vincent), but Delphine will certainly do a good job maintaining this blog;-)

See you in 2 weeks!

P.S: images borrowed from the Tushita website

 

 

Australia Road Trip – The Video

4000 kms road trip from Melbourne to Noosa Bay, discovering beautiful nature, from cold Tasman sea climate to tropical bays north of Brisbane. Long roads, many hikes in natural parks, theme parks, surfing… and loooong moments stuck in the campervan practicing survival skills!

This is our Australian road-trip story.

North Island: Tongariro & Rotorua

After our ferry crossing from Picton to Wellington, we headed to the central mountains of the north island, first to Tongariro mountain range, then to NZ Maori cultural center, Rotorua.

The two experiences have been amazing. First, we went to Whakapapa (say “fakapapa” in Maori) to get the good weather window to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a famous one day hike to goes across many different geologic formations. And we got lucky to get the perfect weather. How beautiful it was to hike across volcano summits including Mount Ngauruhoe, moon like valleys, acid green lakes, original forest, 1000 m above the giant NZ lakes. 20 kms of pure enchantment. Probably one of the best hikes we had ever done…

Then we went to Rotorua to visit first Wai-o-tapu, the “Thermal Wonderland” of NZ which showcases many different geologic wonders like the “Champagne Pool” and several 100°C bubbling pools that sometimes merge with fresh waters to create perfect bathing for humans (with a little sulfur smell).

The following stop was Te-Puia where we could see the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere, as well as a cultural exhibition on the Maori culture that was way more interesting than expected as we always fear those traditional customs displays… But it felt quite authentic, and it was actually real fun to give a try to the warriors’ haka;-)
We completed the cultural journey by visiting the Rotorua century old museum that was telling the complete history of the Maoris across the Pacific, landing last in NZ around 1300 AD.

The family exploring the north island

Tongariro mountain hike

Mount Ngauruhoe

Mount Ngauruhoe family portrait

Kids made it to the top!

Hawaii like crater

The complete Tongariro mountain range

with its acid lakes

Delphine at the top

Jade at the top

Nature’s mirror

Nature’s mirror…

…with perfect reflections

Starting the way down with a view on Taupo giant lake

Another volcano on the way

Rotorua Wai-o-tapu champagne pool

another perfect mirror

Green lake

And a yellow one close to 100°C

Famous Te-Puia geyser

Erupting once one hour

More geologic wonders

More geologic wonders

Nature is by essence perfect

Now heading to the west coast to one of my favorite place on earth….

NZ South Island – The Video

What a roadtrip!

3000 kms around the south island, discovering some of the most stunning places: kayaking Abel Tasman, hiking Franz Josef Glaciers, flying over the mountains of Queenstown & Wanaka, exploring the fjords of Milford Sounds, watching the wildlife in the Otago & Banks peninsula, encountering whales in Kaikourai, and surfing world class Mangamanu bay waves!

Memories for a lifetime captured in this 20′ video!

 

 

 

NZ South Island from the sky

We had many opportunities to see the South Island of NZ from the sky, either by paragliding in the mountains of Queenstown and Wanaka, or by flying the drone where it was aloud as NZ has tight restrictions in most of the national parks (where helicopters fly a bit too often to keep those spaces quiet)…

Here is a selection of some of the most beautiful shots from the sky that you will soon see in the video that we will publish (as soon as we have a chance to find a decent Internet connection to upload the 2 GN of video;-)

NZ South Island Dream

ENGLISH: After a full week in Queenstown enjoying mountains and lakes, we took the road to the west towards Milford Sounds in the “Fjordland National Park“.

We crossed many landscapes that seemed to be scenes from the “Lord of the Rings” movie (it was indeed shot a lot in that region), with grandiose & wild mountains, endless rivers and lakes that compose pure nature poetry… We took a boat in the morning to with the Fjords, where mountain meet the ocean, and despite the bad weather, it was a memorable moment, sighting raw nature composition with countless waterfalls falling directly into the sea…

We then headed east to Dunedin , visiting the Otago Peninsula where we could observe Fur Seals in their natural habitat, enjoying the sun and fresh air of the early days of winter.

Further north to Chirstchurch, hiking the Banks Peninsula in deserted hills and secret coves where we could be alone with nature in untouched forests. Pure enjoyment.

Last, we stopped several days in Kaikoura know as one of the best surf spots on earth (Mangamanu bay famous rights over several kilometers), but also one of the unique place in the world where you are guaranteed to observe whales, as male Sperm Whales made their home in the Kaikoura underwater canyon where they can find food all year round. And we did see many of those rare whales, the largest toothed predator on the blue planet.

This long stay in the South Island exceeded our wildest expectations regarding encountering raw nature. NZ is magic!

Now heading back to the North Island to continue our NZ adventures…

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FRENCH: Apres avoir passé quelques jours à Queenstown à profiter des montagnes et du lac…comme à Annecy mais en beaucoup plus sauvage, nous avons filé (autant que possible avec le camping car) vers Milford Sounds, dans le “Fiordland National Park“.

Les paysages pour y arriver étaient dignes du “Seigneur des Anneaux” des montagnes grandioses, sauvages, la nature à perte de vue, des rivières, des lacs et des moutons!
Nous avons pris un bateau le matin pour visiter les fiords… pays des montagnes et des cascades qui se déversent directement dans la mer. La végétation luxuriante et abondante habillait les parois rocheuses : magnifique spectacle de Dame Nature.

Nous sommes ensuite passés du côté Est de l’île sur la péninsule d’Otago à Dunedin. Nous avons eu la chance d’approcher des phoques sur une plage profitant du soleil pour faire la sieste… ils avaient l’air vraiment bien, lovés sur un nid d’algue ou carrément à l’ombre d’un arbre!

En remontant au Nord, nous nous sommes arrêtés sur la péninsule de Banks à proximité de Christchurch… Nous avons fait une ballade entre montagne et mer en traversant des forêts envoûtées pour notre plus grand bonheur!

Encore plus au Nord, à Kaikoura nous avons eu la chance de partir voir les cachalots géants. Il y a une communauté de cachalots mâles qui vivent dans les canyons sous marins au large de Kaikoura. Ces mammifères sont vraiment impressionnants, 15 à 20 mètres de long, se sont d’excellents nageurs, ils peuvent rester sous l’eau pendant 2 heures à une profondeur de 3000 mètres! Leurs queues sont comme nos empreintes digitales… uniques.

Nous avons vraiment tous adoré l’île du Sud, par sa nature sauvage et très variée…

Nous avons repris le bateau pour rejoindre l’île du Nord…

On the road again

Milford sounds boat trip

Milford sounds

Milford sounds

Milford sounds waterfall

Fjordland mirror lake

Otago Peninsula

rock

Otago resident

Otago resident

nature

Bank peninsula hike

Bank peninsula

Kids into the Wild

Bank peninsula

Bank peninsula

Bank peninsula

A road in the wild

Kaikoura

Kaikoura whale watching

Sperm whale

Sperm whale

Sperm whale

Mangamanu bay incredible surf spot

Mangamanu bay

Mangamanu bay

Family flight over Queenstown

Kids just cleared another challenge: flying and steering a paraglider!

After our stay in Wanaka, we went to Queenstown where we had great weather to let the kids fly. We have been flying all three one after another (Mom preferred to watch from the ground;-). Both Ulysses & Jade could take the commands to make their first smooth turns, and get into some tumbling with their instructors.

A great flight from Coronet Peak, sighting the lakes around Queenstown and the autumn colors of the surrounding mountains from above.

I had a few more flights, including good soaring in medium wind, to get something I started a loooong time ago: my paraglider pilot license (called PG2 here in NZ)!

Now heading to Fjordland.

Flying New-Zealand

We arrived in Wanaka in the south island, and the weather was just too nice not to try to go flying…

Which I did from Treble Cone mountain! 4 beautiful flights in the nice autumn weather.

Here is the video and some picts. I love flying!

Bye Bye Lisbon!

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Kerala: God’s own country

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We are in India!

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This is it! The Beautiful World Tour is over!

Coming back was as intense as the whole year around the world to fulfill our family dreams. We saw our good friends. Kids met with their friends too. We saw our close family members. We reconnected with the “normal life”, getting ready to get back to work and school, which is actually a real joy. In fact, that year vanished in a finger snap!

On my (crazy) side, I could also fulfill the last two dreams I had on my list for this very special year: becoming an airplane pilot and a sky diver: check (I promise I will compensate those carbon emissions too;-)!

Here is the last photo album of our life journey!

And the last video, a pure adrenaline shot, looking at home from above and at 200 km/h! A great way to finish this very emotional journey with an experience to keep me young at heart: #forever20andtrippin’!

Tomorrow, we will all start our new life. The Corporate life for me (a big thank to my company for letting me go for a year), a new school for kids, and Naturespath consultations for Delphine… with many friends and family members around us.

One dream finishes with so many good memories. Another one starts.

#LifeIsBeautiful!

 

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We had a wonderful stay in Kerala, the most religious state in India, often cited as “God’s own country”. Our Yoga & Meditation retreat in Varkala, our visit of Kollam, followed by a 3 days cruise on a traditional “Kettu Vallam” house-boat across Kerala, from Kollam to Allepey and  Kochin! This is the video of our amazing South India experience, a bewitchment of the senses!

P.S: YouTube has decided to prevent me to use the beautiful “Indifference” song from Pearl Jam, so the video has no music from 9’25” to 13’… which will feel a bit weird (algorithmic retrieval of the music which is supposed to leave the other sounds intact, but that’s not quite the case…), but it’s still worth watching! Enjoy…

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Here is the traditional boat visit, this time made by Jade, live from our Kettu Vallam (Houseboat) here in Kerala, India, for a 3 days cruise on the backwaters that go from Kollam to Kochi!

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“The Greatest Traveler is not the one who went ten times around the world, but the one who went once around himself.”

“Le plus grand Voyageur n’est pas celui qui a fait dix fois le tour du monde, mais celui qui a fait une seule fois le tour de lui-même”.

Ghandi – my Hero