f o l l o w t h e w a y » Trips

Heidelberg

Thomas — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:53:43 +0000

Quelques jours passés à Heidelberg chez Phildar et Carolina avec les potes des Skallumés (groupe-icône culte de toute une génération d’ESSTINinens).

Rien de vraiment phénoménal à raconter, si ce n’est la joie de passer la nouvelle année avec des amis que je n’avais pas vu depuis un bail pour certains et cela faisait énormément plaisir de revoir.Soirée du 31 au concert de Mardi Gras Brass Band (site + myspace) (ils sont vraiment bons, allez les voir si vous pouvez) puis bouffe gargantuesque et puis voilà.

J’en ai profité pour tester les capacités photos de mon nouveau téléphone en grandeur nature. J’en suis plutôt satisfait.

Benin : Dogbo on Flickr

Thomas — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:10:55 +0000

Earlier on this month, I got contacted through Facebook (my profile is here) by an old friend of mine with whom I’ve been travelling to Benin 3 years ago.

The occasion for me to remember these goold old days. 1 month in the middle of nowhere, in the deep African countryside, giving courses to high school students. It was my first contact with the NGO world, 2 years before going to Armenia.

I learnt a lot during this experience, about working in a multicultural environment, and about myself, my first experience abroad. I wrote a report 2 monthes after, back in Paris, available here in PDF format. I also wrote an article for a french speaking magazine, here.

So latelyj i edited some of my pictures i shot during this time. You can enjoy a sample here on this post, and the rest of my flickr page, and on this minisite.

Btw, if you’re passing by here, add me as a friend in Facebook, I would be pleased to get feedbacks from my readers.

Iran : 2 weeks in another world

Thomas — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:32:53 +0000

Here we are. My 7 posts long report from my trip in Iran is over. I hope you enjoyed it, and the pictures (if so, leave a comment here :)).

Here is a recap, with all the links :

#1 : Getting to Iran
#2 : Kashan, suffocating
#3 : Esfahan, easy-going, visual, elegant + More pictures
#4 : Shiraz, depressing and austere
#5 : Persepolis, quiet & mystic
#6 : Yazd, arid and luminous
#7 : Tehran, Alternative iranian way of life

Photo by Anahide

Iran #7 : Tehran : Alternative iranian way of life

Thomas — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:56:06 +0000

Tehran. Final (4 days long) step of our trip. We flew from Yazd with Iran Air. Service was good, and flight went smooth. 1h20, 800 kms, 23 US $ (yes yes).

We arrived by night straight to our Hospitality Club host. A really nice guy.

To be honest, I don’t really know what about starting writing…

Ceramic Museum

The city?
People I met?
Llife indoor?

Honestly these 4 last days were just so perfect.

The city, first : OK everyone kept telling my that Tehran is polluted, dirty, stressfull, grey, over-urbanized. You must risk your life to cross the street. But I expected something worse. I don’t know why. I found a certain “charm” in this modern chaos, all the highways, all this grandeur. And so much richness. These bazar full of jolliers. etc etc. And museums. And Nature. because Tehran is surrounded by mountains (more than 4000 M high), where you can get pretty much easily by bus, then telecabin (Tochal telecabin), and get in less than 1 hours in the middle of nature. I enjoyed this feeling.

Inside Bazar

People I met : I had the same feeling than in Esfahan, meeting smart and cultivated people. Perhaps (and I’m pretty sure) I met part of the intelligentsia from people of my age (i.e. 25/30 year old). They were all speaking good english, open-minded to what is happening outside their border (my host was reading Harry Potter), of course they were all against the islamic government, and aware of what could be done to improve their country situation. And as you can guess, lots of them want to escape the yoke of their leaders they call Homo Religius Capitalist. They are much more progressive than I would expect. More than Armenian people, probably because of this islamic regime.

Views from Tochal telecabin

And to finish, life indoor : as you may know, the Charia (islamic rule) is not applied in homes. So expect crazy times when you are invited by Iranian people :) When we arrived by night, and our 2 hosts were learning Salsa in front of their TV, watching videos from Youtube. Because it is of course forbidden to listen/dance/take salsa lessons. Some travellers I met in Esfahan told me they were boozing like hell during indoor party (alcohol probably brought by Armenian people)

Iran #6 : Yazd : arid and luminous

Thomas — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:06:54 +0000

Back from Persepolis, one more night in Shiraz, and we were heading to Yazd.

7 hours bus ride across the desert, 43°C average outside.

Yazd is really original compared to the rest of Iran. Be sure (you will) to spend some (2 to 4) days.

Yazd is the capital of Zoroastrism. No totally iranian, with arabic influence. No more big avenues. Yazd is a labyrinth with small streets, little clay houses where you get lost easily, gazing for hours in this monochromatic city.

All this gives the town a so visual aspect, and walking through the old charming street was a real pleasure. Unfortunately we stayed only 1 and a half day here. Next time longer for sure

Iran #5 : Persepolis : quiet & mystic

Thomas — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 15:48:26 +0000

The main reason we were going to Shiraz was Persepolis, the last remainin ruins from the Achaemenid Empire. About 2 500 years old.

So we left very early in the morning, by public transportation to reach the place.

And you expect something huge. A-la Baalbeck, or Petra. Some bigger-than-life vestiges. And you just arive in the middle of nowhere. The driver just tells you “Here you are”. A desert alley brings you to the entrance. You walk up some stairs and here you are.

I was impressed how quiet the site was. OK maybe because is was not that crowded. But anyway, all of you who’ve been to those archeological sites know how many people you find, especially salesmen with crappy touristic stuff.

Here nothing. Just a few european tourists (we’ve previously met in Esfahan), and some Iranian families.

So silent as you can guess. And it adds some mystic to the scene.

Iran #4 : Shiraz : depressing and austere

Thomas — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:29:04 +0000

Without any other transition than a 7 hours bus trip by night, we arrived to Shiraz.

Tough change compared to the Half of the World.

Shiraz is much more poorer than Esfahan. And you can notice it at the very first sight. People barely smile, and faces are marked by a heavy burden. Poverty is much more visible (or probably less hidden) than in Esfahan, or Kashan.

And this nice feeling I had in Esfahan dissapeared.

Unavoidable bazar

Fashion shops

Our local “traditional” food

More pictures about Esfahan

Thomas — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 20:42:29 +0000

Si Oh Seh bridge, under

Blue Mosque, B/W

Closer shots

Blue mosque, from under

Si Oh Seh, by night

Sunset

Iran #3 : Esfahan : easy-going, visual, elegant

Thomas — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:32:22 +0000

Second stop, in Esfahan, where our trip really started.

First visually speaking. You’ve all seen pictures from Imam Square, Blue Mosque or Si O Seh bridge. And as you guess, it is much more impressive live. And obviously, there are lots of tourists and travellers (more than 20 french speaking persons just here) we’ll meet again later on our trip.

Esfahan is one of the major cities in Esfahan, the city is rich, and developped (as an important part of tourists coming here is iranian). People are also much more used to meet and deal with foreigners. Locals come to talk on “equal to equal” basis.

And I wasn’t expecting that at all. I mean to meet randomly so much cultivated and so well balanced people that just wanted to discuss and exchange ideas about different cultures.

From an old guy just passing by, who gave us a 5 minutes speech about ancient persian mythology, to a local textile salesman who closed his shop for 10 minutes in order to show us directions. From youngsters with strong opinions against their ismalic regime and our HC host, a syrian/iranian guy, english teacher, with whom we had great times talking freely about various topics from iranian economy, islamic revolutions from syrian point of view, which passport from iranian or syrian, girls ans boys in Iran, and much more.

But don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean I was before considering Iranian people as underdevelopped or so, neither as hypocrite perverses or mafiosis. Never (or at least very rarely) being considered as a walking wallet was nice.

Probably one of the (only???) benefits from the state-controlled egonomy and regime : a purchasing power “less inequally” shared.

So we spent 5 days gazing in the Half of the World (the so-called Imam Square), the ity, from tea rooms to mosques, green parks and bazars, spending hours talking with random strangers.

Before going to Shiraz.

Iran #2 : Kashan , suffocating

Thomas — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:24:52 +0000

Our first step of the trip. Kashan, small city south/south east and 4 hours by bus from Tehran (only) 150 000 inhabitants.

A first rigorous stop in a very traditional city, where the only coloured clothes you see in the street are the ones from (very few) foreign tourists. Black everywhere. (A bit) frightening. But no worries, Anahide bought a nice iranian manteau in Bazar.

Welcome in Kashan

Kashan from top, 40°C wind at 8PM

Tea time

Just before finishing this post, 2 pictures from Abyaneh, a small village 70 km from Kashan where you can meet one of the last zoroastrian community in Iran (these ladies with coloured hijab).