Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Thank You !!!
We had the most wonderful trip ever. We are slowly returning back to earth, our hearths and minds full of images, sensations and experiences. We thank all the people who offered us this wonderful wedding gift, our honeymoon. Merci mille fois, dank u, thank you !!!
Final Flight
On Monday we took our final flight, from London to Brussels. As in London, the weather was cold and wet, a rather disturbing experience after more than two months of extreme heat… Francis parents came to fetch us at the train station in Berchem and we are now in Wijnegem where we are planning our next move.
Back to Los Angeles, then to London
Saturday we flew back to Los Angeles. It was our last domestic flight in the US. Luckily, LA was warm and sunny and we could soak up some more sun rays before returning to Europa.
A couple of hours later we boarded our flight to London. Our fantastic journey was approaching its inevitable end…
In London, wonderful Rich greeted us at the airport. He took care of us all Sunday, cooking great Indian food, while we were too jetlagged to do anything useful or to produce meaningful speech.
A couple of hours later we boarded our flight to London. Our fantastic journey was approaching its inevitable end…
In London, wonderful Rich greeted us at the airport. He took care of us all Sunday, cooking great Indian food, while we were too jetlagged to do anything useful or to produce meaningful speech.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Las Vegas, Last Stop
Back in Vegas, we made the most of the last days of our trip. It is hard to realize that our trip is coming to an end...
Route 66
Last Wednesday we drove back to Las Vegas and sampled historic Route 66. We had a short break at the Hoover dam.
Grand Canyon
At Grand Canyon we did the most extreme hiking of our trip. The altitude is high (2000 meters and up), the heat punishing and the paths steep. Moreover, every hike begins with a descent into the canyon, meaning that one has to climb up during the second part of the hike. One better not underestimates this treacherous aspect of hiking in the Grand Canyon. Every year hundreds of people have to be rescued and now and then people die of dehydration and exhaustion. The canyon is impressive because of its size but we somehow missed the intimacy and mystic vibes of Zion and Bryce.
Lake Powell
After two days in Bryce, we took the road to Grand Canyon. A beautiful 4 hour trip, during which the landscape subtlely but surely changed. We took a break at beautiful Lake Powell.
Late in the afternoon we arrived at Grand Canyon, muito impressive because of its sheer size and its sudden appearance.
Late in the afternoon we arrived at Grand Canyon, muito impressive because of its sheer size and its sudden appearance.
The Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon
After three days in Zion we drove on to Bryce Canyon, a two hour trip.
The canyon is very different from Zion and features a multitude of bizarre rocks. According to the Indian legend, these rocks, named Hoodoos, are the petrified remnants of the half animal / half human entities who once lived there. Unfortunately for them they were quite evil, so the Coyote turned them into stone... We did some more serious hiking and we just loved the place.
The canyon is very different from Zion and features a multitude of bizarre rocks. According to the Indian legend, these rocks, named Hoodoos, are the petrified remnants of the half animal / half human entities who once lived there. Unfortunately for them they were quite evil, so the Coyote turned them into stone... We did some more serious hiking and we just loved the place.
Zion
Wednesday last week we took our freshly rented Pontiac Grand Prix and drove from Vegas to Zion. While we were driving, the desert landscape slowly morphed into something more dramatic. Red mountains and incredibly shaped rocks made our jaws drop more than once.
We stayed in the Canyon Ranch Motel, one of the more comfortable places that we've stayed at during our trip. The backdrop of the place, being the Zion mountains, is incredible.
We did some serious hiking in Zion. Given the high altitude of the place (2000 meters and up), this turned out to be quite a workout. The views up there are awesome and something about the place is very energizing. One can almost feel the Indian spirits floating in the air. We wonder whether they will shop up in Astrid's long time exposures. Are we becoming New Age nuts?
While hiking we met all kinds of animals. Unfortunately we did not see any mountain lions. Maybe they were too busy sleeping to come and say howdy.
We stayed in the Canyon Ranch Motel, one of the more comfortable places that we've stayed at during our trip. The backdrop of the place, being the Zion mountains, is incredible.
We did some serious hiking in Zion. Given the high altitude of the place (2000 meters and up), this turned out to be quite a workout. The views up there are awesome and something about the place is very energizing. One can almost feel the Indian spirits floating in the air. We wonder whether they will shop up in Astrid's long time exposures. Are we becoming New Age nuts?
While hiking we met all kinds of animals. Unfortunately we did not see any mountain lions. Maybe they were too busy sleeping to come and say howdy.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Heaps of Food
It is well known that servings in the USA are big, but the local Peppermill restaurant serves literally heaps of food. Ouch!
Sin City
Last Friday, after many hours of travel (and a stop in Los Angeles), we arrived in Las Vegas. It’s a bit of a shock to be back in the Western world, but luckily Las Vegas is crazy enough to make us feel all right. We are staying in Circus Circus, one of the classics, as we can tell from the high age of the croupiers and bar girls. As we found out, the newer places are far classier and flashier. We will sample one of them in a couple of days. But first, we will go on a trip through Nevada, Utah and Arizona. We hope to visit Zion Park, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon. Stay tuned!
Papeete, One More Time
Unfortunately all good things come to an end and last Wednesday we had our flight from TikeHau to Papeete. We weren’t depressed too long, because the day after we went swimming with the wild dolphins that hang around Tahiti. It was a magical experience and Astrid was delighted to see something different from sharks.
Afterwards we had our last plate of raw fish, which was one of the best we ever had. Delicious! Some hours later we took off for Los Angeles. Nana, Polynesia…
Afterwards we had our last plate of raw fish, which was one of the best we ever had. Delicious! Some hours later we took off for Los Angeles. Nana, Polynesia…
Tikehau
Being back in the civilized world (meaning, having Internet access), and being not too hang over from frozen margaritas (we are in Las Vegas), it’s time to update our blog!
The 12 days we spent in Tikehau were mucho laid back, but at the same time very exciting since we discovered the thrills of diving.
The Tikehau atoll is isolated. It sees few tourists and the only shop offers a very limited choice of goods (almost everything has to be imported).
Our beach bungalow was only a couple of meters from the lagoon, exactly the way we like it. We had one day of rain, but the other days the weather was hot and sunny.
There are lots of sharks and rays in the lagoon. They are easy to spot from the beach and from the small wooden pier of the diving club. Unfortunately for Francis the black tip sharks are quite shy and they fled whenever Francis jumped after them in the water. One evening, from the bigger, stone pier, we saw a manta ray dancing in the water. We were hypnotized by the beauty of the creature.
Almost every day we went diving. We took a level 1 course (French system) with Isabelle and Sebastien who run the Manta Ray diving club. We loved it! The conditions were perfect and the atmosphere was very relaxed. Thanks, Isabelle, for the underwater pictures!
We saw napoleons, lion fish, murenes, stone fish, barracudas, clown fish, black tip sharks, white tip sharks (the lagoon and the open water type), grey sharks and a zillion of other sea creatures. One of the highlights was a descent towards the Shark Hole. Francis loved it but Astrid preferred to stay at a safe distance. Still, she had the scare of her life!
When we were not feeling too fiu, we went biking or kayaking and discovered beautiful spots on the atoll. (Taueva, a local girl, turned out to be an excellent guide). Needless to say, Astrid did a lot of long time exposures.
The 12 days we spent in Tikehau were mucho laid back, but at the same time very exciting since we discovered the thrills of diving.
The Tikehau atoll is isolated. It sees few tourists and the only shop offers a very limited choice of goods (almost everything has to be imported).
Our beach bungalow was only a couple of meters from the lagoon, exactly the way we like it. We had one day of rain, but the other days the weather was hot and sunny.
There are lots of sharks and rays in the lagoon. They are easy to spot from the beach and from the small wooden pier of the diving club. Unfortunately for Francis the black tip sharks are quite shy and they fled whenever Francis jumped after them in the water. One evening, from the bigger, stone pier, we saw a manta ray dancing in the water. We were hypnotized by the beauty of the creature.
Almost every day we went diving. We took a level 1 course (French system) with Isabelle and Sebastien who run the Manta Ray diving club. We loved it! The conditions were perfect and the atmosphere was very relaxed. Thanks, Isabelle, for the underwater pictures!
We saw napoleons, lion fish, murenes, stone fish, barracudas, clown fish, black tip sharks, white tip sharks (the lagoon and the open water type), grey sharks and a zillion of other sea creatures. One of the highlights was a descent towards the Shark Hole. Francis loved it but Astrid preferred to stay at a safe distance. Still, she had the scare of her life!
When we were not feeling too fiu, we went biking or kayaking and discovered beautiful spots on the atoll. (Taueva, a local girl, turned out to be an excellent guide). Needless to say, Astrid did a lot of long time exposures.
