Top articles
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I heard it's going to snow...
But obviously, I live next to the sea (means the air is warmer and a little salty) so there is no chance of it yet. Fo your information, dear friends, salty water freezes with more difficulties, that's why we put salt on the roads in winter. I don't know...
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French countryside shots
This afternoon, my mother sent me to the "déchèterie" (which is a kind of 'waste collection site') to sort out the paper from the metal and glass into different boxes. I love doing that........ Anyway, the collection site is outside of the village so...
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Burma...
I just came back from Burma 3 days ago. All of my family was kinda afraid of me going there, especially because in the group were buddhist monks. Even if so many people didn't pay any attention to it in September, some people do remember the crackdown...
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Alms offering
Pha Siwisai and Pha Somphong With their bowls after the morning alms offering Here more than in Chiang Mai, it's a whole codified tradition. To my farang eyes, it looks like CM is kind of more "modern", like more relaxed about the rules. Over there, it's...
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Tuol Sleng - S 21
The school in Tuol Sleng was used during 4 years as a interrogation and detention center, better known as S-21. On the same level than nazis concentration camps, it's a place that deeply moves you and makes you forget any logical thoughts. It brings back...
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On the move
Wat Suan Dok Sa-wat dii ka Chiang Mai, au revoir Wat Suan Dok. I left this morning, almost 7 weeks after my first step in the city. And I definitely go back. Got some people waiting for me. People I'm looking forward to seeing again. New experiences to...
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Latest news
Hello hello. I know I spoke quite a lot about Burma but I could not help it. I took it at heart and I pray that it will never fades. I will do what I can to help this country. You have so many causes all over the world, so many things worth fighting for....
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The Moei river - Mae Naam Moei
The Moei River is the Thai-Burmese border on many kilometers, in the West of Thailand. Like everywhere else, like in Mae Sai... people cross the river quite freely. Smuggling people and goods from Burma. The police close its eyes, it also gets money out...
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For the smiles of children
On the market, waiting for time to pass by, while his mum sells her vegetables Village school Around a bowl of soup given to me by their grandmothers Traditionnal uniform Watching the procession passing by Party at the village... under the eyes of Tatmadaw,...
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Timetable
Our short trip was from Friday 4th to Monday 7th. Like last time, I found it too shirt. But the atmosphere was totally different. In January, the 25 monks in "school trip", especially the 6 or 7 I was always hanging around with, plus the constant presence...
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Save Burma
So... I spoke with many French, 1 Mexican and some others. And it appeared to me that really few know about what happened in September in Burma, sometimes not even knowing about the military junta. As I am in a severe militancy crisis... As I found it...
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Everything ends...
And so the time came to "undress" the Christmas tree... My mother had waited for me to decorate it so we put the garlands and the balls on the 24th, just a few hours before the Big Dinner. It's not so important anymore for me to do it, but I hadn't decorated...
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New Year's Eve Party
I don't know what happens in Asia for New Year's Eve but over here, it's always pretty much the same. Friends gather and eat (or drink) their way to midnight, they cheer, kiss and keep on "partying". The older you are, the more you eat a beautiful and...
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Pics from the border
The monastery and the temple nowadays. 50 m on my right, you have a small glen, where landmines are burried. On the other side of the glen is Burma... Class room, in the wat of the refugee camp Candy distribution In the morning chill, 9am. I'm freezing....
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Kuang Si Waterfalls
This is the second most-praised day-trip in LP... and I was a little afraid to go, thinking that it would be over-crowded by tourists in bikini and shorts forgetting to behave in front of Lao people not used to such decadency ^^ But it was not so crowded,...
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Playing the tourist
I'm on the move. Four weeks after arriving home, it was high time to begin traveling around again. So many places to go, so many people to see, and a hectic schedule. Not helped by the fact that I have no car, that intercity buses don't exist in France...
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Histories of Burma
Burma was a kingdom until 1962, when a coup d'etat brought General Ne Win to power. He ruled for 26 years. In 1988, national unrest led pro-democracy students and groups to the streets, a movement known as the 8888 Uprising. The Security forces, Tatmadaw,...
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The wedding next door
On the Saturday night, coming back from Ban Mao, I finally just left one party for another one. The house next to the GH was celebrating the wedding of one of the daughters. With the two backpacker girls from the GH, we decided to go and say hello. No...
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Early morning
Well, here, the first lights appear around 8.45am so "early" morning is not exactly the same than in Thailand. Not only so because of the belated sunrise but also because of the cold. In the morning, when the sun rise, the dew freezes on the ground. Right...
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Welcome back
This title is for two reasons... One because I haven't written here in ages so it's like "welcome back here dear readers" (or just "welcome" if you never happened to come accross these pages before). And the second reason is that I'm back in France so...
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Akha children
Shy and silent, she will flee away 5 min later Pechong, my play mate More often than not, they just have a tee-shirt or a vest, no pants or trousers... Maybe not to make themselves dirty or maybe because it's more important to protect the upper part of...
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Thai Way Guest House
On the 1st table, a Japanese, a Chilean, a French and a Slovenian ^^ This is my home, our GH. People come and go slowly, it's not the rush like in some other places. For 2 weeks, we had this core of 5-6 ppl. What is really cool is that Hiro (my favourite...
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Countryside
So I rent a motorbike, once again. I drove in the countryside, looking for the river but never daring to go. I know that, on the other side of it, just a few kilometers away from me, Karen rebels and the DKBA or the Tatmadaw had camp sites. You can actually...
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Belated birthday
On Sunday 27th, when I arrived in KL, Vigh learnt all of a sudden that my birthday was on the previous Wednesday. So he declared that we would make a birthday party on the Tuesday. A short notice on the KL Group forum (about 30 hours ?) gathered 17 people...
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Mae Tao Clinic
This clinic was created by Dr. Cynthia, a Karen herself, who escaped Burma after the 1988 Uprising and the following crackdown who left 3,000 deads. The Burmese version of Tian An Men, but unknown. Dr Cynthia began by taking care of wounded students fleeing...