A relaxing week in San Pedro de Atacama (North of Chile) & its beautiful surroundings!!

Dear all, we have just been spending one week in San Pedro de Atacama (North of Chile) to visit its beautiful surroundings: its salar, its oasis, its valley de la luna and some fantastic places where lakes and volcanoes lay at more than 4000m high. San Pedro, which is located at 2800m high is very famous for its salar, for its desert, the driest in the world, and also for its houses made of either Adobe or volcanic rocks. We have been walking a lot, cycling 50km in the valley de la luna and enjoying the sky at night...the sky is amazing out here and lots of international astronomists have settled here for their work. This stop was very very relaxing and we will now head to Bolivia and Uyuni. As usual all updates are under Chile, Portraits, Foodies and See us.

Bye-Bye Santiago...North of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia...this is our program for the last two months of our trip!!!

Dear all,

Agnes and I will leave Santiago de Chile tomorrow morning to head to the North to reach San Pedro de Atacama, to enjoy the salars, the desert, the pink flamingos and the stars. We have been spending our last few days in Santiago with Bessie & her family (see pic below), and we had great times with all of them, especially for Easter and enjoyed some proper food cooked by Bessie (See our Foodies section)! 
After San Pedro de Acatama, we will then head to South of Bolivia (Salar de Uyuni) and Titicaca, probably stay there for 2 weeks to hopefully see one of the oldest tribe in South America, the Uru de Chipayas. Titicaca being shared with Peru, we finally decided to go to Cusco and Machu Pichu. From there, we will take a flight to reach Colombia for the last 3 weeks of our trip (end of June). We just added the latest pics of Santiago under Chile, may update the Portraits tonight ;-)....I am telling you this as I will leave my laptop here in Santiago at Bessie's for security purposes. So far we have done very well and have not had any trouble...As many people told us to be careful here, we thus decided to go with less (expensive) equipments... Anyway, we will try to update the blog from time to time in a cyber cafe and will make sure to make it alive.

Anyway, a new adventure is ahead of us....we cannot wait to see all of that....before coming back home end of June/early July! Take care! Agnes & Guillaume

Chiloe, its wooden houses and churches, a wild, wet and welcoming island!

Dear all,

After rougly a week in South Patagonia, Agnes, Yolande (Agnes' Mum) and I headed to the North of its region to reach Puerto Varas, a nice city built near a huge lake where you can feel the German influence from the XIX and early XX centuries, and where huge volcanoes lay. This city is the door to reach Chiloe island which has a strong fishing heritage and is famous for its typical and numerous wooden churches from the XVIII century onwards. So, we enjoyed living on the "Palafitos", houses on stilts, also very colourful and eating nice seafood. Our favourite part is probably the West and North West coasts where we think it is wilder (nice national parks, walks etc...) and where we met lovely people. We namely met a guy who was hitch hiking called Nyi Nyi (see our Portraits section) who is from Myanmar but has lived in South America for years and years and with whom we were stuck in the mud, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere with our car for nearly 4 hours. Meters after meters, we reached a house. 3  nice men helped us to reach our hostel...and at 10.30pm/11pm, Sonja our host, welcomed us with probably the best food we had so far in Chile (all home made, chicken, bread, veggies etc...), some nice heating and warm shower...The following day, we had a nice walk near the ocean, where the 1960 earthquake created a 2m deep gap, that allowed salted water to surround trees and kill them...the landscape was really beautiful. It is over there that we met a lovely Chilean couple, Alfredo and Elena, with whom we spent time walking in the dunes, fishing, eating and drinking....Check out our latest pics on the usual sections such as Chile, Portraits, Foodies etc...By the way, you will also read about our quest to find the grave of a lady called Jeanne Cabanne, a Yolande's friend who passed away in the 90's in Patagonia. 

4 days trek in "Los Torres" national park with Agnes' Mum & great kayak session at the Lago Grey glacier!!!

Dear all,

We are now back in Puerto Natales after 4 days trek in Patagonia and more precisely in the "Los Torres" national park. In autumn, this place is usually very rainy, windy and cold but luckily we had a great dry weather with no wind and we could enjoy some nice walks with Agnes' Mum without too much effort. The autumn colors, the birds such as the famous condors, the "Lama like" animals called "Guanaco", the ostriches, the famous "torres" (towers of rocks), the glaciers and the kayaking session near the Lago Grey glacier were absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately we have not seen any puma which are well present in the park but we saw people who saw one ;-) (waoooooouh!!). Agnes' Mum celebrated a secret birthday (with two digits) a few weeks ago and she made it all along the way with us. Congrats to her! In the next few days, we will leave the South of Patagonia to reach the North part of it, on an island on the Pacific coast called Chiloe. We were just informed about the recent earthquakes which happened in the North and which could lead to a bigger one and tsunamis....we will be careful and may rearrange our second part of our trip here in Chile to avoid the North and maybe go to Bolivia via a safer route. By the way, Chilean are very very nice and their cuisine (especially seafood) is truly amazing! For updates please check our usual sections, Chile, Foodies etc....

Otoño en Chile: es muy agradable de descubrir un nuevo continente!!

Dear all,

We arrived in Santiago on Wednesday 26th of March! How nice it is to discover a new country, continent and new language. South America is totally new for us and we already love the long evenings and nights here. It is probably the first country in our world trip where restaurants and bars can still serve you after 11pm ;-) So, we enjoyed Santiago for 3 days, during which we visited a bit of the city, welcomed Agnes' Mum who will be travelling with us for 2 weeks, met Bessie (thanks to our London friend, Miguel) and finally saw Denis, Agnes' cousin who is now living in Chile, travelling all around the country & South America, produce & sell jewellery with his very nice Chilean girlfriend, Isi. In this section you will see pics of Santiago but also our first day in Patagonia/Punta Arenas. We will stay here 2 weeks roughly before going back to Santiago. The atmosphere here in Punta Arenas is a kind of "end of the world" one, very cold, dry and windy...wild dogs in the "dead streets", old houses, and a nice view on the detroit of Magellan...Check out the usual sections for more pics such as Chile. Tomorrow we are heading to Puerto Natales, the Torre del Pain national park, its glaciers etc.

Bay of plenty, bay of islands...surfing & skydiving session....you must do it...it is awesome!!

Dear all,

After Tongariro, we headed North, to visit Rotorua, its hot pools & geysers, went to Bay of plenty to relax and surf, went to Auckland to sell our van (what we did successfully in 2 days for a slightly higher price ;-), and then headed even up North to visit Bay of islands to keep on surfing and....glaglagla...skydiving from 12,000ft (roughly 3,700m) with 44seconds of free fall! Agnes registered me 3 weeks ago without my consent. She asked me: " Do you want to go skydiving? I said: No. She said: Too late, I just paid"....I have been scarred and excited for the past 3 weeks, what a relief...but also what a joy!!! It is such a great experience....we clearly want to do it again and probably will do anytime we will have the opportunity...We now have 6 days left here in NZ. We will finish our trip in a region called Coromandel...to keep on surfing...Life is hard...but more importantly exciting! Check out the skydive video (the youtube video was available in France for a week but due to music protection (Sacem), it seems not to be working anymore in this country only...If you are from another country, feel free to click here to try my own video or, click here to see the new Youtube video from the Skydive company featuring myself and Agnes and a few pics under the usual sections: New Zealand, Foodies, Portraits and See us.

Back to work at Crab's farm winery at Hamish's & great trek sessions in the volcano Tongariro National Park!

Dear all,

My god, we feel so lucky once again. After spending a few days in Wellington (south of North Island), we headed to the Hawkes Bay to try to find a job in a vineyard/winery. And what a success!! We went to Crab's Farm winery created and managed by Hamish since 1987.They own a few parcels which produce Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Rose, Merlot (like a Bordeaux powerful wine)….Again we could not be part of the harvesting as this was due to start in one week time so we did some gardening (one of our specialities from now on…;-). We spent some amazing time with Hamish, his Cafe staff (where we were spoilt with free food like mussels, scallops etc) and his wife, Dominique and her son Salvador. We also had the chance to spend one day at their very relaxing home….Thanks Hamish for everything and the home made wines and Brandy bottles ;-). After this we headed straight away to the middle of the North island to the Tongariro National Park to do some tramping (trekking). What a scenery we had there under a perfect weather….the volcanos, the lakes, the toxic fumes, its colors etc….Check out our pics under New Zealand, Foodies and Portraits. We now head North to visit Rotorua & its geysers and the Bay of Plenty coast.

The North, Abel Tasman...a kind of perfume and sound of Provence & the Malborough sounds before reaching the North island!

Dear all,

Here it is, our visit of the South Island is coming to an end....And what a treat to be here in the North. Blue sky everyday, morning swim almost every day, bluer and warmer water, great coast walks with great views....+ the smell of the Provence, the sound of the musical crickets & cigales...What a joy....! Also personally I felt my first spleen about home, our family & friends, our trip...travelling from one place to another is slightly less exciting that what we have done so far and we knew it...But C'mon, lets not complain and make the most of our trip...(actually I was starving and exhausting when I felt this...)

We will now spend one or two more days in the North before taking a ferry to reach Wellington. And what a final stay: we went in the Malborough sounds, enjoying the scenic routes with Nicky, the swim in the sounds, fishing with Nick & Courtney....the ferry at night & Wellington at Stan's & Carol's. Check the pics out at New Zealand, Foodies & Portraits. By the way, the goal of our trip in the North Island is to visit the Hawkes Bay & its vineyards (we will try to work there), its volcano region, its surfing coasts, its Bay of Islands (where Agnes booked skydiving without telling me...arghhhhh) and Auckland...And do not forget to send us emails...we love this!

A few nice surprises on the East coast...

Dear all,

After having had a great time in the Catlins (extreme south), we took a bit of time to enjoy the East coast. Eating proper fishes & seafood, catching myself the famous green lips mussels and cooking them with the Mariniere style (butter, celery, oignon, creme fraiche and white wine), visiting the touching and in construction Christchurch, fishing and trying to get fishes (without success), enjoying some nice short treks, the fur seals & penguins, and  getting used to Nicky, which showed once again some strong characters as the front left tyre went flat once...Fortunately, it was only an issue about the valve and we did not have to change it...Furthermore, we spent some nice time with some French and Belgium couples, David & Emilie and Xavier & Sophie...and are now heading to the North, Nelson and Abel Tasman. For more pics, go to: New Zealand, Foodies and Portraits.

Terrific wildlife & scenery in The Catlins!!!

Dear all,

After our experience at Pam's dairy farm, we headed South to visit the region called "The Catlins"...where the wind is stronger, the sea wilder....and where we could enjoy some of the best wildlife such as yellow eyed penguins, sea lions, hector dolphins etc....Life with Nicky is great even if nights are sometimes tough ;-) and even if her battery failed once ;-) because of us...Anyway The Catlins is a terrific region. We are now heading North (via the East coast) to reach Christchurch, Nelson etc...Happy Valentine's (dixit Agnes ;-) Check out the usual sections: New Zealand, Portraits and Foodies.

First farming experience in New Zealand: at Pam's dairy farm, surrounded by cows, chickens, lambs...

Dear all,

After one day of being on our own after the wonderful week with families, we met a nice Kiwi chap, Vic, who was working at the campsite on behalf of the local council...What a nice and funny guy...Thanks to him, we found work at a dairy farm owned by Pam Williams....work in exchange of accommodation (what a bed....) and of food (how nice to eat local bacon, eggs, lamb....vegetables...on a daily basis). We did not really work with cows as the farm is managed by experienced people and they use big automatic machines to milk the cows...So we ended up working on the chicken & hens' field, preparing the glass house's ground for the next veggies and fruits' seasons, mowing the giant field owned by Pam etc..etc...What an experience to do this....to be surrounded by all these animals and to spend some wonderful time with Vic & Pam. We will add more pics on the farm, the animals, Vic & Pam shortly but feel free to have a look at the downloaded pics on the usual sections: New Zealand, Portraits and Foodies.

On the road again, on our own..again...not really...we now have Nicky!

Dear all,

Don't panic (especially Mums), we did not get a baby...but we are so pleased to announce that Nicky is now sharing our life...We adopted "Nicky" (the 1995 Toyota Estima Lucida Luxury van) in Queenstown from a very nice Scottish couple, and started to head South to start our road trip. We had the chance to introduce Nicky to Matteo & Ines (my niece and nephew) and what a delight to see them enjoying a camping van...No need to tell you that they really wanted to leave their parents and join us for our trip ;-)  It is also a delight to stop whenever you want, wherever you want...nice freedom...+ Nicky is very comfy...See its pics by clicking on the usual "New Zealand" section.

Family week in Queenstown, New Zealand!

Good'day all...here we are in Queenstown, New Zealand!! We started our trip here with my sister, Caro, Jordane and the two kids, Matteo (6 years old) and Ines (2 years old) who is Agnes' god-daughter.They live in Singapore and decided to come to NZ to spend time with us. How cool was that!..We stayed all together in Queenstown and could enjoy the fantastic landscapes, the fjords (Milford sounds), the lakes, the bike rides, some nice food etc. How lucky we were to spend such a nice time with them...All pics are available under the usual sections: New Zealand, Foodies and Portraits. 

3 days stop over in Sydney!!

Dear all,

New Caledonia was such a nice break...landing in Sydney was a bit hard...especially with a bit of rain, tall buildings, loads of people, it is such a big city...but thanks to its diverse areas, its beaches etc...Sydney is probably a city where life must be really cool. Bondi beach, the opera, the fish market, Surry Hills, our friends from Marseille that we met on the Pines island in New Caledonia...a bit of the Australian Open shown on outdoor big screen...that was our programme...For more pics, go to the New Zealand section. 

Last day in New Caledonia at the Amedee Lighthouse: swim with turtles and a shark

For our last day in New Caledonia before heading to New Zealand (via Sydney), we spent one day at the Amedee lighthouse which is on a small island 22km far away from Noumea. We had the chance to get closer to the coral reef (once again...as we did during the fishing trip and our diving sessions), to have a great view on the ocean from the top of the lighthouse and last but not least to swim with turtles and a shark... This island is really a pearl...really worth a visit if you love the aquatic life (anywhere you go, it is like an aquarium..it is truly amazing...)...Anyway thanks again to Gaelle & Jerome. Check out a few new pics under the usual sections: New Caledonia, Portraits and Foodies. 

2 weeks adventure in New Caledonia!!

Dear all,

After a few hectic weeks in Myanmar, we are enjoying 16 days in New Caledonia where it is truly a paradise underwater. Sharks, turtles, rays, moray eels, dolphins  etc. I wanted to swim with sharks and this mission is completed even if we still have 4 days to enjoy and probably do some scuba diving before we will head to New Zealand. We enjoyed the Pines island where we shared a few evening with the local tribe. If the local people seem a bit cold at first, after a few minutes, you will get a big smile and warm welcome. Tribes are everywhere (don't imagine traditional tribes...they are like families owning fields, beaches etc.). Anywhere you go, a beach for example or anything you pick from a tree, like a colourful and juicy mango, it is better to ask to the local tribe which probably own the area. We then discovered  the West and North coast of the island where we have been riding horses, deep sea fishing, snorkelling with sharks...etc. I am currently uploading a few pics and producing some short videos that will be available shortly. Big thank you to Gaelle & Jerome, our local hosts! Feel free to check out a few pics under New Caledonia, Foodies and Portraits.

Last days in Myanmar: Magical Inle, mysterious Bagan and...final work on our report!

Dear all,

First of all HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!!

We are writing you from Bangkok airport (on the way to New Caledonia). After one month and a half in Yangon focusing on our project, we enjoyed 8 days away: 4 days at the Inle lake and 4 days at Bagan...8 days during which we finalised our report for Green Shoots. This included an overview of the current context/environment in Myanmar (Economy, Microfinance, HIV etc.), a definition of the Need for the People Living With Aids from a Yangon clinic thanks to the 108 interviews we have made there, and included an overview of the current Microfinance players, a short list and recommendations on the implementation for Green Shoots, thanks to meetings with INGOs, local NGOs, international organisations like the UN, the World Bank and IFC, some local cooperatives and some full-profit organisations. 

We started our break at the Inle lake, where we enjoyed some amazing bicycle rides during sunsets, the delicious Shan noodle soup and the life on the lake from early mornings....we then went to Bagan for a similar programme to enjoy the mystery of this vast site. Nevertheless Bagan started weirdly after an hotel being not able to see our booking on New Year's Eve night ;-) We ended up sleeping at the hotel employee's home...The next day, we hired a small fisherman boat to see the sunset from the river on the temples...beautiful...but unfortunately our boat engine broke at night...we were stuck 2 hours during which we used Agnes' iPhone SOS option to call for help ;-)...We loved it...true.

All in all we are now sad to leave Myanmar, our friends and Yangon, a city where we felt at home thanks to the amazingly warm welcome from people. To see pics, please click on Myanmar, Foodies and Portraits... 

Wonderful week-end in Bago and at the Shwe Dagon!!

After 5 weeks in Yangon, we had not yet visited its famous Shwe Dagon and its region. We thus enjoyed one Saturday with Kwyo and his family to visit Bago, its palaces, its pagodas and buddhas (yes..yes...we still have not seen all of them..). Kwyo is currently doing a PhD in Oxford as a doctor and does research on Malaria. More info in the Portraits section to come shortly. On Sunday, we had a terrific evening from 5pm to 7pm to visit and enjoy the magical atmosphere at Shwe Dagon with Nwe and Tony (if you well followed our blogs, they were our translators). It was a very special moment on a Sunday evening before Christmas. All pics are in the usual sections: Portraits, Foodies and Myanmar.

Wedding day in Yangon + Patients interviews at the clinic!!

We now feel at home here in Yangon. Habits came back very quickly and the typical "Metro, Boulot, Dodo" could apply as well. We feel very well in this very urban city but it is worth mentioning that quiet and green places around lakes or parks can also be found. Anyway, we feel at home and like interns...The past two weeks have been intense as Agnes, I and our translators interviewed 108 HIV patients. This will be the base of our statistics and analysis to see if the HIV patients have a Need. We also work on the second part of our project: meeting potential partners such as NGOs, INGOs, local associations, cooperatives etc and try to see if we could meet the patients' Need. All in all we are very pleased to learn new things and meet with fantastic and brave people. Again, we feel lucky. This post is also the opportunity to show you some pictures of a traditional wedding here in Yangon. Tony, one of our translators, kindly invited us for his brother's wedding. What an experience! Click on the usual sections like "Myanmar" & "Foodies" to see more pics.

Back to work in Myanmar! Yangon here we are!

As everyone know, we are now in Yangon to volunteer for GreenShoots. Our mission: do a feasibility study to see if we can implement Microfinance for People Living With Aids in the poorest township from Yangon: Hlaingthayar. We took time to settle in: we spent the initial 5 days in a hotel and have found a nice flat with two other people (from France & USA). After a week, our stomach has been up and down, especially mine and Agnes seems to cope with all the food here. (I even managed to get sick in a taxi...what a nightmare)...To give you a feel of our life, it is 30/40 degrees, very very hot, full of mosquitos, very urban. People here are so nice: you arrive in a bus, 3 different people give you their seats; you look at your map, 1 people will hold it and another one will light it up; your break your flip flop in the street, after 3 seconds (no joke), one lady gives hers and start repairing yours...Lovely people...But you should also be aware that prices here are very very high; e.g. a hotel night is usually not less than $50, a month for a studio is $500, a SIM card is around $200...Anyway see below some pics of our first days in Yangon and our first visit at the Hlaingthayar clinic where we met the medical staff and the patients.

Relaxing family break in Thailand!!

After some exhausting times in Nepal, what a treat here in Thailand. We were so lucky to see Guigui's sister, Caroline and his nephew, Matteo and niece, Ines who is also my god daughter...a pure delight! Big thanks also to Aurelie & Co for welcoming up so warmly in Bangkok. We then enjoyed a few days in a South East island where we just relaxed, snorkelled and ate...ate..ate....What a nice country! Visit our Thailand page or Foodies page.

Life at the innovative Diktel school!! What a discovery!

After a long long long trek, in the Everest region and on the way to Diktel, we arrived in the Kothang region to live a few days with Madan Rai's students. This is a very innovative school (see more explanations in Madan's portrait). Boys and girls live in harmony over there having each some responsibilities: cutting grass, feeding the animals, growing fruits & vegetables, cooking, cleaning... etc...etc together with studying the "normal" classes. As Madan would like they tend to use both their brain & their hands ;-) The kids, teenagers, young men and women seem to be very mature and entrepreneurial for their young ages. We think that the result is impressive. Anyway we would like to thank all the kids and Madan for this great experience. When we will be back in London we should become occasional teachers using Skype from time to time. Another great experience....Once again we can say that this world trip project  was an excellent idea ;-) Finally we were there during a very popular Nepalese festival called Dipawali (Light's festival) so see in the usual sections pics on this: Visit the Nepal page! Or the Foodies and Portraits pages.

After our Gokyo trek...we continued walking down to reach the Diktel school (South East Nepal)

Madan Rai (see Portrait section) sent us two nice students, Roshan & Saujan, to help us find out our ways from Lukla to Diktel. Usually this would take us 8 days of walk...but the young lads planned 4 days by waking up at 6am maximum and walking for 12 hours...Guess what? We told them that this was not possible for us (we were already super exhausted and sick ;-)..so we cut the pear into two...we walked for 4 days and took motor vehicles such as jeep and buses for two days....to give you an idea...it took us 48 hours to do roughly 100km..(no concrete roads...).This was tough mentally and physically as we needed rest as soon as possible...Anyway thanks to Roshan & Saujan for their help and patience...great young men! Visit the Nepal page! Or the Foodies and Portraits pages.

Gokyo lakes & Gokyo Ri trek...so close to Everest! How magical was that!!

After 10 days of trekking, and reaching around 5400m high we came back at 2800m in Lukla. 10 days of great effort and pure joy to enjoy beautiful sceneries and landscapes covered with snow. We were very lucky as usually there is not so much snow at this season but the Indian cyclone brought lots of rain in Kathmandu mid October and thus snow on the mountains. Gokyo lakes, Gokyo Ri, the view on Everest....absolutely breathtaking. The plan is now to continue walking but not up....just down to the south east of Nepal, in Diktel, to visit and participate in a school created by Madan Rai (See portrait section). Another 6 days of walk ;-) We are sick and exhausted...! Visit the Nepal page! Or the Foodies and Portraits pages.

Agnes' 30th birthday during Dasain + latest news from Nepal!

Dear all,

Thanks for all your birthday messages to Agnes who had her traditional birthday with me but also a special one at Usha's. We have had some great days behind us during the national festival in Nepal: Dasain. Kids play with their kites in the streets, people sacrifice ducks, goats or buffalo to Gods to protect them from motor accidents. The blood of the killed animals is poured around scooters, cars or motorbikes for example. Anyway, check out a few pictures under Nepal. Tomorrow (Oct 17th), Agnes and I will head to the Everest national park for a long 20 days trek to be closer to the highest peak in the world (Lukla airport...here we come...Am scarred ;-)

Kathmandu...here we are!!

We found a second home and Mum in Nepal thanks to our London friends, Eugenie & Dipesh! Her name is Usha and she is Dipesh's auntie. As you can see the view from the roof terrace is amazing....we just cannot wait to go trekking ;-) At Usha's we are taking the time to visit her neighbourhood which is Patan, Kathmandu, to meet some locals, prepare our 5 weeks in Nepal and most importantly eat. Usha is force feeding us ;-) See in the usual sections "Nepal", "Portraits" and "Foodies" a few recent pics.

12h in Dubai...welcome back to the consumption society!!

Between Sri Lanka and Nepal, we had a 12 hours stop in Dubai. We were welcomed by Islam, a 33 years old Egyptian, who kindly showed us around Dubai during one evening: 40 degrees, big cars, huge shopping malls, air conditioning, luxury brands, but also burgers ;-) This was a bit surreal...

Road trip in Sri Lanka with Mimi & Vinz!

After our wonderful experience and time with Aby, Selvi, Kamal and the Oori kids and after a short break in the North East where we did our PADI open water exam, we had the chance to have Mimi (Guigui's younger sister) and Vinz' (her husband and Guigui's best friend's younger brother) visiting us! Their main purpose was to do a surprise to Agnes who will turn 30 mid October! What a delight! Sigiryia rock (for kind of Indiana Jones' adventures) and its region, Adam's peak and its  tropical rain, Ella and its tea plantations, Arugam Bay and its waves, Mirissa and its turtles....nice plan. Check out a few new pics in our usual sections: Sri Lanka, Portraits, Foodies etc...

Oori: they need you!

Dear all,

THEY NEED YOU!!

You may have already seen a few pics and videos regarding our life and volunteering mission in Karainagar/Oori, where we taught English to kids from 5 years old to 16 years old. However we would like to bring to your attention that those people from the very north of Sri Lanka need you and any help that you are able to give. 

If you, your friends or any of your family members would like to go there for 1,2,3 weeks or even a couple of months to teach English for example or to do something else that can be helpful to them, please do not hesitate for a second! It is a fantastic experience and they want to welcome more people! Contact Kamal who was our host and coordinator in Karainagar. Kamal is working very hard to make things change for Oori population and especially the kids. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or Agnes, or contact Kamal directly on: 

Kamalcacm@gmail.com

Let's give you a bit more background on the Jaffna region, Karainagar and Oori. This area is situated at the very north west of Sri-Lanka. Most people in the north are Tamil (as opposed to Singhalese in the rest of the country). The main difference between Tamil and Singhalese is first of all the religion. Tamil are mostly Hindu, Singhalese are mostly Buddhist. Secondly, Tamil and Singhalese speak a different language. There are many more differences in Tamil & Singhalese history & origins but we won't go into too much detail here.
In Sri-Lanka, there are about 70% Singhalese and 20%+ Tamil. There are about 7% Muslim and 3% Christians. Tamil are mainly based in the North as they come from East India, which is less than 40km away. 
Sri-Lanka suffered a civil war until 2009 between the LTTE (Tamil tigers) and the SLA (Singhalese Army). We understand the Tamil tigers are a minority of extremists who decided to unite their forces against what they perceived as unfair treatment of the Tamil population from the government (i.e. official Sri-Lankan language became Singhalese from one day to the other with all official papers in Singhalese for everyone in the country). The Tamil tigers started long  series of terrorist attacks to defend their cause. They also put bombs in strategic places like in the Buddha's tooth temple in Kandy which was the greatest religious pilgrim for all Singhalese. To respond to all these attacks, the Singhalese Army fought the LTTE through ground attacks first, but they also air bombed most of the North area of Sri-Lanka. Needless to say that many civil people died during this war. The LTTE was officially beaten in 2009 and the Singhalese army is now controlling the north of the country. In Jaffna, there is one military for 9 inhabitants. There are check points everywhere and we had to go through a kind of border (with passport to show and a form to fill in) before heading to the Northern area. 
In the middle of the civil war, the tsunami on 26th of December 2004 heavily hit Sri-Lanka with more than 65,000 casualties...and the North was also impacted! Oori in Karainagar is populated with mainly fishermen. They couldn't go fishing during the war as the Army took possession of the Sea for the Navy. Most of them had to leave the village to find another job somewhere else. They came back after war about 4 years ago an after the Tsunami...they had nothing left and had to start a new life from scratch. 
Most people in Karainagar and around don't talk much about this bad time, however we were lucky enough to discuss this with a few people who clearly support peace and want to live their life peacefully. They also stressed the need for justice to be done on both sides. For example, we understood people who actively participated in the war and could be sentenced for crime against humanity, are now part of the current government...
Despite all these catastrophes, kids at school seem happy with what they have. However they have never travelled outside Karainagar. Some of them have been to Jaffna at most. When we taught them the vocabulary for 'The House', we drew a house on the board with a living room, bathroom, kitchen, stairs, bedroom...etc but most of them live in a single room house where they all sleep on the floor. 
Kamal and the school teachers are aiming to raise enough money to take the Oori kids to travel to Sri-Lanka for 4 days to get them to see life outside the North and understand different cultures and similarities as well with Singhalese. They need about 600 euros in total for bus, accommodation and food...and we were thinking that if some of you are touched by this testimony and would like to contribute to this school trip...please let us know and we will organise a fund raising to help the kids discover the outside world...
Thanks!!!
PS: As promised,we just added a few more pics and videos in the three usual sections "Sri Lanka", "Portraits" and "Foodies".

Karainagar: home sweet home...Kamal, Selvi, Aby...our new family + volunteering as English teachers in Oori!!

As we briefly explained to you in previous messages, we were heading to the very north of Sri Lanka to teach English to poor kids from a small village called Oori, on the island of Karainagar, North West from Jaffna. And what an experience! The teaching bit is a fantastic moment of our lives, and we feel also so lucky and grateful to have the chance to feel "at home" thanks to Kamal, protestant pastor, his wife, Selvi and their daughter Aby, with whom we are living. We teach all afternoons from Monday to Sunday to kids from 5 years old to 16 years old. We cycle everyday 12km to go to the school of Oori a village that consists of low caste people such as fishermen. Those fishermen had to stop working during the civil war until 2009 as the military boats were the only boats allowed at that time.  Please check out some pics & videos in the usual pages "Sri Lanka", "Portraits" and "Foodies"...Some more videos should come shortly.