TravelStream™ news feed for member andremaheux on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/andremaheux en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:02:36 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1257509982/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1257509982/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1257509982/tpod.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:02:36 -0500 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Outjo, Namibia

The Himba are considered to be one of the most primitive tribes in Southern Africa. They descend directly from the stone age San People. hey have fiercely resisted assimilation from the Europeans and always kept themselves isolated from other african tribes. It is said that their culture is one of  the most untouched anywhere in the world.They're now established into northwestern Namibia, in a very inhospitable and hard to reach area, where they can live according to their ancestral traditions, in peace.One of the things that makes them unique is the natural make up that women cover their entire body with. It's made of a mixture of soil, animal fat and herbs and has a thick and greasy feel to it. As water is scarce, no water is ever used in the body cleaning process. The women burn a different mixture of hay, natural herbs and animal fat. It then produces a thick smoke. They litteraly stay right on top of the smoking mixture, holding a blanket over themselves to try and capture as much smoke as they can. Eventually their body temperature raises and when they start sweating, they consider themselves clean.This being said, I feel compelled to say that men, an the other hand, can use water as much as they need. Apparently the water problem doesn't affect both genders equally...Andre.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1257423506/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1257423506/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1257423506/tpod.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:31:19 -0500 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Sesriem, Namibia

The Namib is by far the most picturesque desert I have even seen. It had been years since I had been that much impressed by a landscape. The sand dunes of the Namib desert are believed to be the highest in the world, some of them reaching over 300 m (1000 ft). And they're constantly shifting under the force of wind.But it's the great varieties of colors that made it so incredibly beautiful to me. The Dead Vlei was the highlight for me. A Vlei is where a river dies. Some years, when the rain season is particularly bad, the river swells to a point where it reaches Sessusvlei, in the middle of the sand dunes of the Namib. There the water dies, or more accurately evaporates under the scorching sun. It happens only a 2 or 3 years a decade. But that's enough to allow life to flourish, and trees to grow. A long time ago one of the sand dunes shifted toward a major Vlei and cut it off from the rest of area. This part of land found itself isolated from any source of water, even during the worst flooding. All life slowly but surely vanished. It hence became known as the Dead Vlei.Andre.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1226500020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1226500020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1226500020/tpod.html Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:06:56 -0400 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Huaraz, Peru

I must honestly say that mountaineering has never been my cup of tea. I never dreamt of climbing peaks just for the sake of it. I normally only risk my life when there's no other choice, which happens often enough on a world tour such as mine, not just to get an adrenaline rush out of it. But this excursion had something special about it. For one, I was going to do it with six friends whom I had met the previous week as we trekked Santa Cruz together. None of those was a superman so I was no worse than anyone else. And I thought, what the heck, if I hit a wall at some point I'll simply turn around. Not everyone can summit at 5686 m (18,765 ft) that's well known. No shame, right ? Well, I was kind of fooling myself on that one, and deep inside I knew it. I knew that there was not going to be any quiting in the middle of a challenge for me. I knew that if I set out to climb this mountain, La Cumbre, the summit, was going to be my last stop. Perhaps that's why I was so nerveous and felt so uncomfortable the day before. I definetely didn't feel normal. And it could not be the altitude for after Santa Cruz I was very well acclimatized. It had to be something else. Perhaps was it a cold, or some other traveler's bug that always have a way to ruin everything for you, even in the most spectacular places. Anyways, I was signed in, and I was going to go no matter what. My nose quickly brought an answer. On the first day's climb it seemed to be running faster than the streams we were crossing. A cold it was. And a bad one as well. We had to reach 4800 m (15,840 ft) to camp that night. There was no other flat area big enough to hold our tents. The climb was very exhausting for everyone, and probably even more for me. That night, my nose was stuffed as can be, and I was starting to feel a bit of a fever. I was so tired it would be easy to sleep. At least I had that going for me. It must have been around 9:00 PM when the sound of the wind woke me up. It fact, it was the hail blown by the wind the made that noise. We were in the middle of a terrible hail storm. By moments I thought the tent would get cut wide open. I felt so sick, so weak. I was so discouraged. The thought of climbing another 900 m the next day made me feel even worse. I surprised myself hoping the this storm would never end and force us to cancel the climb. But it did stop. And this warm soup made me feel a little better inside, both physically and psychologically. In a matter of a few minutes I was asleep again. Though it had only been a few hours, when my clock went off at 1:00 AM, I somehow felt like I had had a good night sleep. The sky had gottem a little clearer. It was a go. The rest of the story lies in the pictures, they speak better than any words I could write. And possibly will be in this book I want to write at the end of my world tour. Andre.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1227104520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1227104520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1227104520/tpod.html Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:41:02 -0500 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley, Peru

 Machu Picchu.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1229359260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1229359260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1229359260/tpod.html Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:42:42 -0500 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Lima, Peru

svd
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1228148400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1228148400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1228148400/tpod.html Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:18:06 -0500 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Uyuni, Bolivia

Southwest Bolivia presents some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth. I went on a three day jeep trip that proved to be one of the most scenic I had ever taken anywhere in the world.We crossed the famous Salar de Uyuni which is the world's largest salt flat with an amazing surface area of 12,000 sq km. It sits at 3653 m (12,050 ft) making it the highest in the world. It was part of a prehistoric salt lake that covered most of southwest Bolivia. When the lake dried up it left the Salar behind for us to enjoy !!!We started the journey in Uyuni, Bolivia at an elevation of 3675 m (12,125 ft) and went up to 4915 m (16,220 ft) shortly before getting to the Chilean border. So it got very cold at times but it was worth all the suffering, and then some. Andre.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1226068140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1226068140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1226068140/tpod.html Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:54:01 -0500 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Huaraz, Peru

The Cordilleras Blancas of Peru is the second highest mountain range in the world after the Himalayas. With 22 peaks towering above 6000 m (19,800 ft), it makes for one of the most spectacular places in the world for trekking.It took me four days to do the world famous Santa Cruz trek. It raises to 4750 m (15,675 ft) at Union Pass, which makes the air so thin you can hardly breath, let alone walk. But for all the pain, one is rewarded by some of the best views in the Andes. See for yourself.Andre.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1212948000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1212948000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1212948000/tpod.html Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:59:13 -0400 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Exmouth, Western Australia, Australia

Ningaloo Reef, off the northwestern coast of Australia, is the only place in the world where Whale Sharks congregate each year to feed on plankton and small fish. Every year for 8-9 nights after the full moon in April and May there is a synchronized mass spawning, when branches of hermaphroditic coral simultaneously eject eggs and sperm into the water. And this is what attracts the whale sharks. It's the largest fish in the world. It can reach up to 18 m long (60 ft) and weigh up to 21 tonnes. Some whales can grow bigger but they are mammals, not fish. Very little is known about the Whale Shark as scientists only started studying them about 13 years ago. Their white spot pattern is unique to each individual which facilitates identification. About 1400 Whale Sharks have been identified so far. No one really knows how many there are in the sea and how long they live. Swimming along side those gentle giants is an experience one can never ever forget. Especially the first one you see as they generally swim directly towards you. I boarded a boat specialized in this kind of experience and we also had a spotter plane that was flying over the open ocean behind Ningaloo Reef. It took a couple hours before the plane spotted a shark and radioed in its position. We rushed to that location and then the moment finally came. I jumped off the boat, swam for a couple minutes in the direction I was instructed and there it was, a 8 meter (25 ft) Whale Shark coming straight at me with its one meter mouth wide open. It's an unbelievable feeling. They are harmless to humans as they feed on plankton and small fish but you must keep your distance as one hit from its tail could easily break every bone is your body.Diving with the largest fish in the world is one of those "must do before you die" experiences. Absolutely amazing.Andre.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1174295220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1174295220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1174295220/tpod.html Mon, 26 May 2008 04:06:01 -0400 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1174447800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1174447800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andremaheux/world_tour/1174447800/tpod.html Sun, 11 May 2008 05:36:55 -0400 On my way to discover some of the most beautiful places on Earth, accompanied by great friends I haven't met yet but I already know I'll never forget.

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Chiang Rai, Thailand

There are many hill tribes in northern of Thailand and the Long Necks are one of them. It is said that they started wearing those rings in order to protect themselves against tigers who used to attack them and tear their neck apart. But it slowly evolved into something that had more to do with aesthetics than protection. The longer the neck, the more beautiful. What looks like a series of rings is actually one continuous spiral. It's made of solid metal and it's very heavy. After wearing it for a few years their neck becomes too weak to support their head anymore and they must wear it forever.Andre.
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