SimplyThierry

La relève

2011-01-24T04:00:00.004+06:00

After a few years without skiing, I had the pleasure to start this new year on skis with my 3 year old, Nathan. Succession is assured.
The whole family spent new year's week in a ski resort, on my parents' dime. Best christmas gift ever! Weather was perfect, with blue sky over freshly snow-covered mountains. We signed up Nathan for 6 mornings of entry level ski class, called "piou-piou" class. He wants to go back now.

Après trois années sans skier, j'ai eu l'immense plaisir de débuter cette nouvelle année sur mes skis, et accompagné de notre ainé, Nathan, du haut de ses 3 ans. La relève est assurée !
Toute la famille était présente pour une semaine à la montagne, offerte par mes parents pour Noël. La météo était parfaite, avec du ciel bleu et un beau manteau neigeux. Nous avons inscris Nathan à 6 matinées de classes Piou-Piou, et il veut y retourner.

Maternelle

2010-09-02T02:31:00.005+06:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school in Nathan's life. He'll spend four mornings a week at the "maternelle".

Barely 3 years old, and already entering active life with its obligations. I'm sympathetic.

We prepared him, and we'll walk him there like proud -and pointlessly concerned- parents. He'll carry a change of clothes in his shark-shape daypack, and Brown Dog, his stuffed "doudou", in his hands.

Note: Picture added. Eventually Croco the crocodile got to go, instead of Brown Dog. Bad day for Brown Dog!

Matthew is here

2009-10-23T19:33:00.007+06:00

A new challenge faces our son Nathan: he'll have to share! It's official, we are parents again, as Laura gave birth on saturday, October 17, at 8:24 AM, to a sweet little guy named Matthew. He is a healthy baby of 8 pounds 1 once, and 20.5 inches. And the best is... he's a snoozer! His big brother -25 months old- was more prone to crying at that age.
The birth took a full night, but went very well, and both the mother and the child fared well and are recovering nicely.

Une nouvelle étape dans la vie de Nathan : il va devoir apprendre à partager, car ça y est, nous sommes à nouveau parents. Laura a accouché samedi 17 octobre, à 8h24 -pendant votre grasse matinée- d'un petit gars de 3,67 kg et 52 cm. Il est adorable, et en plus très calme. Il fait bien ses nuits avec deux pauses têtées. C'est décidé, on va le garder.

Seattle, here we come!

2009-07-27T23:37:00.001+06:00

It's been over two years for me, and three for Laura, but the time has come. We are landing at Seatac tomorrow. A week in Seattle will go fast: we want to see many friends, stroll freemont's streets a latte in hand, eat dungeness crab, salmon and Thai food, rediscover microbrews, and get our fill of Northwest scenery.

We'll spend most of our month vacation in Colorado, prioritizing the family. We are currently in Denver, visiting my in-laws. It's been a while since they last saw Nathan, at least ten months for Bob and Margaret who met us in Tuscany last fall, and even more for Tom. It's good to see them enjoying each other.

Tomorrow, we'll be in Seattle, and we'll get a better chance at getting updated on friends news. We too had a few things happen to us, that will make for conversations. First and foremost: a wonderful little boy named Nathan, who doesn't tire to amaze us. Then, for his Daddy who got tired of limping for two years, a back surgery. And for his Mom, a big belly where a little sister or brother is cocooning.

Counting friends

2009-01-03T03:46:00.010+06:00

Don't let the title scare you. I'm not in the process of listing up buddies I could hit for money. Despite working for banks, the financial crisis hasn't taken me down that road, yet.

The counting I refer to concerns Laura.
After years of resistance, she fell neck deep into web 2.0 But let me place that in its context.

Back in '01, before we started dating, she declined my request, emailed from Nepal, to help me out with my website. Being asked to edit my clumsy posts, she eluded with a comment to the effect that there was "a fly in her soup". Writer's humor!
Then in '06, she got more cooperative with my newly created blog -that would be the present one. All it took to convince her was.. getting married, and traveling together, this time.

But then, too many of those "you're on facebook right?" made her take the fatal step. She signed up!
First was the excitement, with it's daily quiz welcoming me home "guess how many friends I have"
Today, Laura is getting overwhelmed with posts on her wall, pokes and kisses. She's frowning her eyebrows reading names of wannabee friends "who is that person?" Also, it's hard to keep up when you have among your best friends hyper active social networkers, like Alison, and a baby that wants noting more than pulling keys off your keyboard -note to self: are replacement keys a good Christmas gift?

By the way, Laura has now 40 friends listed!

A good Fall

2008-12-26T05:04:00.007+06:00

As we enter winter, a look back on the past season could make one think we have an exciting life here.

Autumn started with a trip to Tuscany, which required a lot of preparation work on Laura's part. Total success! The three of us met with my mother-in-law and brother-in-law Rob, and had a wonderful experience there. We highly recommend this part of Italy, despite its extensive use for chick flicks. We immerged with delight in italian renaissance, and hilly countryside. Nathan walked on the finest marble floors, like the one in Sienna's cathedral, as he was adding a fourth country to his list.

Then we received Alison's visit, who took on discovering Paris, before launching into her new career. She left us with a few nice pics of Nathan and us, like the one on this post.

About a week after she had left, one day, I got a text message from a french cell phone, saying about as much as "salut c yves" -"hi Yves here". Yes, our reverend had just arrived in the city of lights, totally unannounced. No matter when and where, it's always good to see that fellow!

Nathan walks !

2008-09-22T02:59:00.003+06:00

Nathan started walking a week before his first birthday, just about three weeks ago. Today, he was running like a fool, in his first shoes, gifted by his french great parents.

Nathan a fait ses premiers pas une semaine avant son premier anniversaire, il y a trois semaines. Maintenant chaussé par ses grands parents, il gambade allègrement, comme ici place Charost à Versailles, avec tatie Madeleine.

Sans les mains

2008-07-21T22:52:00.000+06:00

Here is a photo this mother is very proud of, taken today (July 21).
Sometimes, when Nathan plays with his new, favorite toy (thanks Angelia!) he gets so involved that he forgets he needs to be holding on. And he ends up standing upright, for 10 to 20 seconds at a time.
Today, he did it for long enough that I had time to get the camera out and capture it on film. I think he's still got some time before he can actually walk, but its good to see he's getting the hang of that crazy concept of balance.

Je suis très fière de cette photo. C'était fait aujourd'hui, le 21 juillet. De temps en temps, quand Nathan joue avec son jouet favori, il oublie qu'il a besoin d'utiliser ses mains pour tenir en équilibre.
Aujourd'hui, il s'est tenu debout pour peut être 10 ou 20 secondes.
Bravo mon fils!

Laura

A healthy diet

2008-06-17T03:35:00.002+06:00

Man, life isn't that bad in France! Not that Mommy would often agree on that, but even her would not deny the French their taste for good [and lengthy] family meals. Uncle Eugène had just brought us a couple lobsters his son caught in Brittany's waters. Right off the boat to the car, and then to our plates after a quick photoshoot. Makes little me eager to try even more types of food!

La vie est belle en France ! Bien que Maman ne soit pas toujours d'accord sur ce point, mais elle même reconnait le goût des français pour leur [excessivement long] repas en famille. Oncle Eugène venait de nous rapporter un couple de homards pechés par son fils dans les eaux Bretones. Du bateau à la voiture, et puis dans nos assiettes après une rapide séance photo. Ca me donne envie d'essayer encore plus de types de nourriture !

Meet Popeye

2007-11-13T03:15:00.000+06:00

Troubling, no?
Etonnant, non ?

No Comment

2007-11-13T03:07:00.000+06:00

The morphine zone

2007-10-21T00:24:00.000+06:00

Is that the hernia? Just one of the hundred pictures I got

After months of increasing back pain, punctuated by doctor visits, various drugs, physical therapy and X-Rays, a specialist sent me for an MRI. I was in such bad shape when I met him that he put me on morphine.

It was then, about 3 weeks ago, that I entered the zone...

My previous week had been shitty, with 5 hours a night sleep at most, and pain most of the day. Then, I put on my first opium-derived patch. Specifically on a non-hairy piece of skin, which I easily found, I'm glad to report. Not sure whether I even swallowed, that day, one of the pills containing more of the precious drug. Probably did, actually. As a result, I was out for 13 hours of uninterrupted, restful sleep. Not even Nathan's shouts, on the top of his 3-week-old lungs, could wake me. Nor the hair dryer used to calm the baby - here I must say this device is used for white-noise, not as a hammer.

The problem is, you can't do much with your days while on morphine. Much less work or do other activities that require a brain. Granted, my last job didn't require much use of one, in its last weeks anyway. Good thing for them, my contract had ended the day before. Really, with 2 to 3 additional pills, spending the day watching the new Blogger Play could be satisfying enough.

Then came the day I went cold-turkey, because I ran out of patches, and chose to stop popping the magical pills, the pain being almost gone. The following day my doctor did an infiltration, which is an injection of cortisone between my back vertebrae, close to the guilty herniated disc, to sooth the inflamed nerve.

That night... I came to realize I had become a morphine addict. Bed sheets were too itchy, I couldn't stay still. Everything irritated my skin, and I was restlessly turning and shifting in bed, unable to sleep. I was experiencing my first -and hopefully last- withdrawal. In the middle of the night, I took my first pill in over 24 hours. Saving grace... 45 minutes later I was sound asleep. Following night, same thing. Only a pill in the night could appease my senses.

Still my productivity had returned to normal, during those days. I even successfully handled my first bottle feeding of Nathan, with milk mom put away for the occasion.

It took four days to be freed from the drug.
Though I still have a 15 days supply of patches and pills, in case of a new crisis...

Citizen Nathan

2007-10-03T19:10:00.000+06:00

I wonder if I should rename that blog SimplyNathan... oh well, he deserves the attention!

Anyway, today was of significance for Nathan, as he became American! Our little one became US Citizen in exchange for a couple hours of our time, a few forms and $147.

By the way, funny how it works. Consider for instance the birth certificate: you give away a French original, obtained graciously, and voila, in return you receive a single US birth certificate. That for only $64.99 (actually $65, but I think they should do the '.99' thing, that sounds much better).

Though the administration officer had the nice gesture of giving Nathan a small US flag, which touched Laura.
American friends, please welcome our son among the 303,035,698 of you.

Our son has now dual citizenship, and will travel with both passports.

Je me demande si je ne devrais pas renommer ce blog SimplyNathan... bon, après tout il mérite bien toute notre attention.

Aujourd'hui était pour Nathan une importante journée, car il est devenu Américain ! Notre petit est devenu citoyen des Etats Unis en échange de quelques heures de notre temps, de quelques formulaires et de 147 dollars.

D'ailleurs, c'est amusant comment cela fonctionne. Prenez le certificat de naissance comme exemple : vous donnez un original Français, obtenu gratuitement, et voila, vous recevez en échange un certificat Américain. Cela pour le prix modique de 64,99 dollars (en fait 65 dollars, mais je trouve le ',99' plus accrocheur).

Toutefois l'officier consulaire a eu le geste touchant de donner à Nathan un petit drapeau des Etats Unis, ce qui a émut Laura.
Amis Américains, veuillez accueillir un nouveau parmi les 303,035,698 que vous êtes.

Notre fils a la double nationalité, et voyagera avec deux passeports.

Busy time

2007-10-02T04:11:00.000+06:00

The last few weeks were packed with events. Laura was almost at full term as we were finalizing arrangements for Margaret and Rob, her visiting mother and brother. A nice furnished apartment close to ours solved the accomodation issue, and a three day tour provided Rob with a chance to get out of Paris.

We rushed a bit the baptism to take advantage of Laura's family presence. Thankfully my parents were a huge help in getting things organized. Alas, Laura's mother fell and broke a wrist, which added an interesting twist to their visit, and deprived a first-time grandmother from holding her grandson.

Bout d'chou

2007-09-26T19:21:00.000+06:00

Nathan a 2 jours

Il me faut bien l'admettre, même si j'en suis le premier étonné : me voila gaga ! Bien sur j'attendais cela des grands-parents de notre petit Nathan, mais sans me demander comment je réagirai, dans cette nouvelle responsabilité de papa. Je me découvre comme je ne l'avais jamais imaginé, m'émerveillant durant de longues moments à le regarder dormir, à observer ses expressions et mimiques en voulant y voir des sourires, et à trouver 'mignon' ses bodies, turbulettes et autres gigoteuses (vocabulaire d'ailleurs nouveau à mon répertoire).

Donc, le petit Nathan Alexandre a daigné quitter le confort du ventre maternel le lundi 10 septembre à 9 h 25, à Versailles, après avoir donné à sa maman 13 heures de travail. A 3,720 kg c'est un beau bébé qui a nécessité beaucoup d'efforts, et même l'usage d'une ventouse (alternative aux forceps) maniée par le gynéco pour amener à l'air libre cette adorable frimousse.

Et la maman ? Ravie, soulagée, exténuée, concernée, épanouie, stressée, ébahie... bref, elle va très bien ! Laura prétend ne pas savoir s'y prendre, malgré les nombreux cours, livres (certains en français, pour comparer) et conseils d'amies et proches. C'est avec sa détermination journalistique qu'elle a creusé, étudié et détaillé le sujet. Mais je vois l'instinct maternel à l'oeuvre, et cette tendre complicité entre le nourrisson et sa maman, qui laisse le papa encore plus gauche que d'habitude.

Junior

2007-09-18T21:38:00.000+06:00

A contribution from Laura

Just wanted to let everyone know that Nathan Alexandre finally arrived! He was born after 13 hours of labor on Monday, September 10, at 9:25 a.m. at the same clinic that his father was born some 37 years earlier. Mother, Daddy and son are doing very well; though mother is a wee bit upset that her son's favorite activity seems to be crying.
Mother is hoping that the frantic, 2 a.m. readings of "The happiest baby on the block" will help eliminate this problem (thank you so much, Phillippa, for loaning it to me!).

I must say that I am very happy to not be pregnant anymore...I was really amazed to realize how much I missed having a body that could actually carry heavy things besides the bean. Speaking of which; he is sleeping now, which is my cue to do the same!

Please let me know if one photo isn't enough...I assure you, I have about 100 others I can send...and he's only eight days old!

Laura

Americans in Paris

2007-06-27T16:55:00.000+06:00

If visiting friends in Seattle was a lot of fun, meeting some of them in France soon after was like frosting on the cake (or "cherry on the cake" in French).

Just days after our return, René and Michelle treated Laura and I to a very enjoyable dinner in Paris. I won't go into details about how pleased I am to see those friends together, in case they venture to this page ;-) Funny to consider I could have been the one introducing them. But I don't see a future for me in becoming a matchmaker.

Then Dave W. landed in Europe for 2 weeks, 4 countries, many kilometers and a detour to the top of Western Europe, the Mont Blanc.

Thanks to him (and his great patience with me) I got some altitude in. Although this photo gallery could leave you thinking that we gained 3808 meters (12,500 feet), for the sole pleasure of getting pictures of us taken. We clearly locked down on weather! Not on transportation though, as the cable car wasn't running, which made us start at 1000 m (3,000 feet), and made us spend 4 days on the mountain.

Restless in Seattle

2007-05-26T05:30:00.000+06:00

The anticipation of seeing old friends propelled this short visit to Seattle, my home for 7 years. Actually my hiking/skiing accomplices John and Emiko threw in an extra bone, in the form of a permit to climb and ski Mt St Helen. An offer I couldn't refuse. I was feeling good about this impromptu NW detour on my way to Laura's cousin's wedding in Chicago.

My new electronic passport got its first stamp from Detroit US immigration. By the way, I'm really pissed at a French new law that took my old passport away from me as I renewed it before expiration, to conform to current US (post 9/11) regulations. Those stamps from over 15 countries where like a time log of fun journeys. Anyway, one cannot fight the administration, so the obvious result from this dumb rule is that many might "lose" their old passport, instead of turning them over for destruction.

The flight from Detroit to Seattle was spent talking to an interesting guy. Kenny, a history teacher from Rochester, who has an extensive, world-traveler background, was invited to a deaf poet slam. Although he didn't have this disability himself, he enjoyed the physical expression necessary to this art, and discovering that poetry subtleties could be conveyed in sign language blew me away. What an excellent mind opener!

My Seattle stay was filed with gatherings of friends, allowing me to see many people whom I have been missing, and to appreciate all the changes that 14 months can bring. Some lost a dear one; others have new kids or are pregnant. Some divorced, others got married or entered long-term relationships. Amazing! By comparison, a few new high-rise buildings in the city skyline were not a surprise to me.

And yes, the Mt St Helen outing happened, with much borrowed equipment (sweet splitboard, Dave!). As usual our skills were challenged by variable snow as we skied down the South slope of this erupted volcano. Though the weather didn't quite cooperate, and the day ended with the 3 of us soaked to our underwear by uninterrupted rain and snow, there were no regrets. A little wetness is not always foreign to fun times in the NW.

My overall feelings about Seattle are mixed, but really not that different from when I first left a little over a year ago. I--and Laura even more so--miss the reassuring routine we have established, our dynamic lifestyle that was based on a comfortable income, our good friends and the beautiful region we came to love. On the other hand I was ready for a change, and I needed to move closer to my family. Seattle is definitely a nostalgic time in my life. Even if we move back--quite a possibility in a few years--many things will be different, and that I must keep in mind.

2nd ultrasound

2007-04-25T20:04:00.000+06:00

Here are a couple pics from the second ultrasound. That was a good way to make my birthday special. The surprise of the day was hearing the sound of blood flowing through the main artery!!

Unfortunately we didn't get a good 3D picture of the face. That technology is too cool, so hopefully next time. But the good news is, the kid has a brain.

Voici quelques photos de la deuxième échographie. Un cadeau simple et mémorable pour mon anniversaire. La surprise du jour était d'entendre le flot du sang dans l'artère principale, très impressionant !

Malheureusement nous n'avons pu obtenir une bonne image en 3 dimensions du visage, peut être la fois prochaine. Mais la bonne nouvelle est que l'enfant a un cerveau.

My Floueur II

2007-03-29T21:27:00.001+06:00

So many anecdotes never became blog entries, so many updates about our new life in good ol' Europe were never shared online, but here is, at least, first-hand blogging material!

Besides our world trip, the move to France, my new job and Laura's pregnancy, the new and exciting thing is: I got to play again with Playmobils.

Those toys are not as popular in the US, but here any kid born since the '70s has memories of long hours spent creating worlds with them.

And now it is my delightful niece's turn. How could a responsible godfather like me, deny the little Marie, on her fifth birthday, the pleasure of sharing new playmobil adventures?

My mom has kept many toys of my spoiled youth, carefully boxing and tagging them, in the hopes of a grandchild. The wait has been long, very long, I hear her say. But last weekend the time had come to bring my pirate ship and its crew out to the 21st century!

Laura was amused by my very approximate English skills as an 8 year old, which made me name a boat "My Floueur II" as an homage for... the Mayflower.

My niece busted Laura and me on Sunday morning for playing with some of the pirates after she had put them to sleep for the night. Thankfully, my mom was quick to defend us, with the clever answer of a dedicated grandmother, "Is the boat's anchor down, Marie? No? Well, that is why some sailors have to stay up, to control the ship."

bean a comin'

2007-02-16T15:52:00.000+06:00

A contribution from Laura:

Hello,

I'm guessing no one else visits my favorite trash website, "I'm not obsessed," but one of its regular features asks you to guess the celebrity based on pictures of parts of their face. Well, now you can play the same game with the Slavik-Fortin bean, currently estimated to be 2 and a half inches long and due September 5 (assuming all goes well; send your good thoughts our way). The following pictures were taken at our first ultrasound yesterday; we got to hear the heart beating, too. What a great way to spend Valentine's Day!!!!

Hoping all is well in your life,
Laura

Season Greetings

2006-12-28T16:45:00.000+06:00

Laura and I were too busy Christmas shopping (exhausting task indeed, especially for procrastinators like us), therefore we lacked time to send out season wishes.

We spent a fun Christmas with the Fortin family, with champagne, good food and the laughter of little Marie, my niece (almost five year old, as she reminds us).

We wish you a joyful end of year, and the best for 2007.

As a bonus, enjoy this silly site http://pimpmynutcracker.com

Laura et moi étions tellement débordés par les achats de Noël (tâches d'autant plus difficile pour des procrastinateurs comme nous) que nous n'avons pu envoyer à temps nos voeux de fin d'année.

Nous avons passés d'agréables fêtes de Noël avec la famille Fortin, avec du champagne, de la nourriture excellente et les rires de la petite Marie, ma nièce (qui a presque 5 ans, comme elle nous le rappelle).

Nous vous souhaitons une joyeuse fin d'année, et tous nos voeux pour l'année 2007.

Et en bonus, voilà un site comme on les aime http://pimpmynutcracker.com

Our hood

2006-12-20T22:46:00.000+06:00

Here we are, see, on that picture, right below the green arrow. Google maps and Google Earth give pretty cool aerial views of our neighborhood, especially of the Chateau de Versailles and the geometric shapes of its gardens "à la française". Not quite a bad suburb and, as our stay there is temporary, we try to enjoy the surrounding parks.
Kinda...
Okay, we haven't been running in a while, but we did run in that park say... three or four times already (in about as many months)!

Back to France

2006-09-04T20:51:00.000+06:00

Here we are, back to the homeland (for me that is; while Laura starts her life as an expat). Mom and Dad are feeding us well, very well that is, and we spend time visiting the family and working on our new situation.
We haven't been overly stressed yet about our lack of job. Still, we are quite conscious of how much work is to be done before we get established again (and that includes a few loads of laundry).

The picture is of Saint Sulpice de Favieres, a village of barely 300 souls where we are officialy settling for now, precisely a year after we got married in that same church.

From China with love

2006-08-24T19:29:00.000+06:00

We are now in Northen China, in an amazing little fortified town named Pingyao, placed on the UN World Heritage List, that comes right out of medieval times.
In addition to its obvious attractions for tourists, we love it for being a small town, the first one under a few million inhabitants since we entered the country.
China has surprised us again and again. Our expectations and preconceived ideas have been blown away, in proportions not matched by any other countries.

Major constructions seem to compete everywhere. We saw impressive brand-new highways with just a few cars on them, new buildings, and not to forget the publicized projects we won't have time to see, like the Three Gorge Dam (largest in the world; 1.5 million people relocated) and the recently completed railroad to Tibet (a feat of engineering, great PR for China, although may be not that good for Tibetans). Beijing is said to be under major work for the Olympics of 2008.
Cities are huge, with broad modern avenues that make one wonder how many people were relocated to create that (I saw this sad reality in Lhassa, Tibet, a few years back; how an old historical city can be defaced. Of course, the Baron Haussmann was both hailed and lauded for doing the same to Old Paris). For instance the town of Xi'an, famous for its terra-cotta army, has now within its ramparts a broad avenue that reminds me of Paris' Champs Elysée, with most luxury brands present. That in a country that massively produces cheap copies of all products displayed in their windows. Who here can afford the originals?

More to say, but I won't bother you with it. I will just finish this post by mentioning that the language barrier sucks! Although one nice aspect of "Chinenglish" is found in signs like the ones posted here.

Photos from Cambodia

2006-08-18T20:14:00.000+06:00

(En Français plus bas)
We are in Hanoi, back from three relaxing days in the magnificent Ha Long bay.
Since Vietnam's capital itself is nothing relaxing, and we already spent too much time here to obtain our chinese visas, we are very much looking forward to crossing the border tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, here are our pictures from Cambodia.

Nous sommes a Hanoi, de retour de la magnifique baie de Ha Long ou nous avons passé trois jours très reposant.
La capitale du Vietnam n'étant absolument pas reposante, et puisque nous y avons déja passé trop de temps pour obtenir nos visas chinois, nous sommes prets a franchir la frontière demain. Malheureusement, il ne nous reste qu'une douzaine de jours pour visiter cet immense pays, donc nous serons tres sélectifs.

En attendant, voici nos photos du Cambodge.

Vietnamese Big Brother

2006-08-06T21:09:00.000+06:00

It's been about a week since I was last able to view my blog. I can still post new entries or edit existing ones, but that's all.

As a basic end-user, I could only blame it on these lazy computer guys at Blogger.com who don't seem to realize the seriousness of my predicament. What about my numerous readers who, no doubt about it, await with anguish my prose?

Then it came to my mind to check other blogs at random. None of them could be viewed either. It downed on me that the censorship had struck!
My parents confirmed it by viewing as usual the SimplyThierry page, from their vacation house in Normandy.

The way it works is that entries are done on Blogger.com, whereas the viewing is on Blogspot.com (don't ask me why), and the later site seems to have been blocked about a week ago by the Vietnamese authorities.

Although I know Blogger.com can't do much about this, the ironic thing is, I shouldn't expect much sympathy from them, since their parent company Google has been bashed again recently for its support of governmental censorship in China, along with its competitors Yahoo and Microsoft.

I thought about using Anonymizer.com to circumvent the blockade and view my blog, but unlike Iranians who are in the thoughts of the US government, the Vietnamese people don't have this option.

Update 18/08/06
Not sure who is playing with the plug, but now Blogspot is viewable again in Vietnam... We'll see how it goes in China.

Delon qui rit

2006-08-04T20:50:00.000+06:00

Cela fait du bien de voir que la France exporte. Nos deux figures nationales les plus présentes dans ce que l'on appelait l'Indochine sont, a ma grande surprise, Alain Delon et la Vache Qui Rit.

Au Cambodge le beau Alain, est visible sur des panneaux publicitaires géants, pour vendre ses cigarettes au "goût de Paris". C'est impressionnant, les paquets bordeaux portant son nom se trouvent partout.

Mais la véritable star est notre vache rouge préférée. Sa couleur a peut être aidé ses ventes auprès des Khmers Rouges, et du Vietnam socialiste. Toujours est il que c'est le fromage le plus commun, et de beaucoup, dans ces deux pays. Heureusement ces ex-colonies françaises ont eut la bonne idée non seulement d'obtenir leur indépendance, mais aussi de garder la recette des baguettes, dont la consommation est très fréquente, et les vendeurs de rue offriront donc un sandwich a la Vache Qui rit et concombres, et autres legumes verts. Delicieux !

First anniversary

2006-07-24T19:29:00.000+06:00

As our boat makes easy progress on the brown waves of the Mekong river, I reflect on a sentence from Isabel Allende humorous memoir, My invented country.
"My mixed marriage with a gringo hasn't gone all that badly; we get along (even though most of the time neither of us has the least idea of what the other is talking about) because we are always ready to give each other the benefit of the doubt. The greatest drawback is that we don't share a sense of humor. Willie can't believe that I can be funny in Spanish, and as for me, I never know what the devil he's laughing about. The one thing that amuses us both at the same time are the off-the-cuff speeches of President George W. Bush."

Interesting that I read it now. The fact is, today marks the first anniversary of our wedding in the woods, and despite the fact that we do not have more than Pringles to celebrate with, we appreciate the importance of the milestone.

Like Isabel Allende and her husband, Laura and I are a mixed couple, dealing with occasional (read daily) incomprehension. But I prefer to think of how much we learn about our differences and each others culture. We can even talk politic without fighting, though not marrying a Republican helps greatly.
Adding to the culture gap, we make this union a true adventure, where tensions could easily raise. After all, we quit our jobs, moved from the US to France without employment, are spending months travelling in conditions that sometimes greatly test our patience, and all that staying within a few feet of each other.

To put our current trip in perspective, and in numbers, today we enter Vietnam, our 14th country since leaving the US 133 days ago, after covering a gazillion miles using countless vehicles (sadly enough only our wardrobe didn't change much).

And the result is...(drum roll)...we still enjoy deeply ourselves and love each other.

I'll keep you updated in early September when we'll return to the old Europe, to celebrate our first anniversary of the French wedding.

Alors que notre bateau progresse aisément sur les vagues marrons du Mékong, je réfléchis à une phrase de Isabelle Allende, lue dans ses mémoires humoristiques Mi páis inventado.
"My mixed marriage with a gringo hasn't gone all that badly; we get along (even though most of the time neither of us has the least idea of what the other is talking about) because we are always ready to give each other the benefit of the doubt. The greatest drawback is that we don't share a sense of humor. Willie can't believe that I can be funny in Spanish, and as for me, I never know what the devil he's laughing about. The one thing that amuses us both at the same time are the off-the-cuff speeches of President George W. Bush."

Intéressant que je lise cela maintenant. En effet aujourd'hui marque notre premier anniversaire de mariage dans les bois, et bien que nous n'ayons que des Pringles (chips américaines) pour célébrer, nous apprécions l'importance de cette date.

De même que Isabelle Allende et son époux, Laura et moi formons un couple mixte, devant faire face à d'occasionnels moments d'incompréhension (disons journaliers). Mais je préfère penser à combien nous apprenons de nos différences et de nos cultures respectives. Nous pouvons même parler politique sans se fâcher, mais cela aide que je n'ai pas épousé une républicaine.
En addition à l'écart culturel, nous faisons de cette union une véritable aventure, ou les tensions pourraient apparaître facilement. Après tout, nous avons quitté nos emplois, déménagé des US vers la France, nous voyageons maintenant depuis des mois dans des conditions mettant parfois notre patience à rude épreuve, et tout cela en restant toujours à proximité l'un de l'autre.

Pour mettre notre dernier voyage en perspective, ainsi qu'en nombres, aujourd'hui nous entrons au Vietnam, notre 14ieme pays depuis que nous avons quitte les US il y a 133 jours, et après avoir parcouru une foultitude de kilomètres, en utilisant on ne sait combien de véhicules (malheureusement seule notre garde robe n'a guère change).

Et le résultat est...(roulement de tambours)...que nous nous amusons toujours comme des petits fous et aimons toujours autant l'un l'autre.

Je vous tiendrai au courant début septembre quand nous serons retourné en Europe ou nous fêterons notre premier anniversaire du mariage civil.

A pig rescue

2006-07-17T19:33:00.000+06:00

According to our guidebook, the boat ride from Siem Reap to Battambang is one of the most scenic in the entire country, so we decide to try it.

Even the drive to the so-called port proved interesting, giving us views of early morning activity in humble wooden houses built on stilts along the bumpy dirt road.
Our enthusiasm was barely dented when we realized that another 20 tourists would be stacked with us on the small embarkation.
Like on an airplane, one prefers to think that one got the best deal (we had received 5 different quoted prices), without anybody bringing up the subject with others as one could easily be proved wrong.

The kilometer or so that led us to the vast expanse of Lake Tonle Sap -the largest in Southeast Asia- was rich in opportunities for avid photographers.
Small boats carried school kids, merchants and everybody else between floating houses bathed in the early daylight.

Then as we crossed the lake, we heard a few shouts over the noisy engine, and the captain turned the boat around. He had spotted a swimming pig! Don't believe it is more frequent here than in your own country; Cambodian pigs do not lack mud pools and are usually satisfied with them, we are told.
The excitement increased during the rescue maneuver as everybody tried to view the crew hauling the poor beast out of the water. The pig was quite freaked out by the circumstances, squealing loudly and unable to gain footing on the slippery wooden deck. The crew had welcomed on board their most valuable passenger. Cambodians are carnivores, and appreciate all types of meat, even duck embryos.

The rest of the trip was more monotous, and confirmed our theory that the expected duration of a trip in Cambodia (5 hours in this instance) means little. After nine hours, we were quite glad to eventually reach Battambang. Our new friend the pig best enjoyed those numerous hours by sleeping deeply. It probably had a long swim.

Beauty and Beasts

2006-07-16T22:07:00.000+06:00

As we spent full days exploring with delight the world renowned site of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the hideous news came of the series of bombs that struck Mumbai (ex Bombay).
India is not new to terrorists strikes, as they have occurred in many instances and mostly in the northern part of the country.
Yet this one was exceptionally bloody, and far from the troubled Kashmir.

So here we were, Laura and I, enjoying an architectural and artistic wonder of huge proportion, the result of a very refined civilization that allied science, advanced craftsmanship and religious art to erect magnificent structures capable of lasting centuries. It is actually worth noting that very strong Southern Indian influences played a role in the building of these temples, which present a striking melange of Hinduism and Buddhism and represent some of the highest of human achievements.

Then checking our emails at night we shocked to hear of the terrible attack that India suffered. As if we needed a reminder of how stupid and barbarian humans can be. Such a huge contrast with Angkor Wat and all it represents.

I can only express my sympathy to Ajay, Finney, Amrit and all other friends and ex-colleagues whose country was hit so hard.

Phad Thai nirvana

2006-07-10T19:22:00.000+06:00

(En Français plus bas)

Thailand is sweet and easy on its tourists. That is if you ignore the few con men who lie to take you shopping, the tuk-tuk drivers who insist on taking you for a ride (literally or not) and the taxi drivers who never have change and don't want to use their meters with "farangs" (=foreigners, from "farangset" for Francais).
But let's ignore that minority of trouble makers. Indeed this buddhist kingdom is well accustomed to accomodating tourists, and Thai people are friendly and quick to smile at you.
Temples and tourist attractions are numerous, buddhas of all size are unavoidable, and monks add a bright orange touch to lively and photogenic street scenes.

Plus the food is great! At anytime and anyplace you will find a street vendor or restaurant ready to satisfy your palate and belly, especially if you enjoy spicy food.
During two weeks Laura, my parents and myself visited Bangkok then went wandering with a rented mini-van and driver, from the famous bridge over the river Kwai, to the Northern region bordering Myanmar (ex Burma).

Now, the two of us sadly left the little piece of paradise named Koh Tao, an island where we added scuba diving and Thai massages to the list of cheap wonders that this country offers.

Here are a few pictures from the first two weeks.

PS: Phad Thai is the national dish. If you didn't know, I really recommend that you run to the nearest Thai restaurant.

La Thaïlande est douce et facile pour ses touristes. Si bien sur vous ignorez les arnaqueurs qui vous mentent pour vous amener dans des magasins a commission, les chauffeurs de tuk-tuk qui insistent pour vous emmener n'importe où, et les taxis qui n'ont jamais de monnaie a rendre et refusent d'utiliser leurs compteurs avec les "fa rangs" (=étrangers, vient de "farangset" pour Français).

Mais laissons de coté ces ennuyeux. De fait, ce Royaume bouddhiste est très habitué au tourisme, et les Thaïs sont amicaux et toujours prêt a sourire.

Les temples et attractions touristiques sont nombreux, les Bouddhas de toutes tailles sont inévitables et les moines ajoutent de vives taches oranges aux scènes de rues très photogéniques.

En plus la nourriture est excellente ! A toute heure et en tout lieu vous trouverez un vendeur de rue ou restaurant prêt a satisfaire votre palais et votre estomac, particulièrement si vous appréciez la nourriture épicée.
Durant deux semaines, Laura, mes parents et moi même avons d'abord visité Bangkok, puis, avec un chauffeur et son mini-van, nous sommes allés vers le célèbre pont de la rivière Kwai, et sommes allés vers le nord en direction de la frontière Birmane.

Maintenant nous avons malheureusement quitté notre petit coin de paradis qu'est l'île de Koh Tao. Nous y avons ajouté la plongée et les massages a la liste des magnifiques plaisirs pas chers qu'offrent ce pays.

Vous trouverez ici quelques photos des premières deux semaines.

PS: le Phad Thai est le plat national. Si vous ne connaissez pas déjà, je vous le recommande.

Asian itinerary

2006-07-01T12:41:00.000+06:00

(En Français plus bas)

Things changed a bit since this map was made but it does still reflect our main stops. After two weeks spent between Bangkok and the Northern region of Chiang Mai (with my parents accompanying us), we escaped to the island of Koh Tao for some diving.
In a week or so we'll be transitioning to Cambodia and its famed ruins of Angkor Wat, then having a look at the capital Phnom Penh.
A couple days ago we obtained our -expensives- visas to Vietnam. We'll enter overland, and visit from South (Ho Chi Minh) to North (Hanoi).
Not sure how we'll get there yet, but we will apply for Chinese visas in Hong Kong, trying to keep our stay short since prices there are similar to travelling in Western Europe.
Then China, with many possibilities but large distances that will dictate what we can actually visit: Xi'an and the terracota army, the 3 Gorges area...

En Français quand j'aurai le temps

More pics from Central America

2006-06-15T13:41:00.000+06:00

More pictures, but still not Mexico nor Guatemala. That might come only after our Asian trip.

Honduras 2006

Costa Rica 2006

Photos from Central America

2006-06-13T12:56:00.000+06:00

Here is another batch of pictures, More later.

  Belize 2006

  Nicaragua 2006

  Panama 2006

The Sunken Train

2006-05-14T04:45:00.000+06:00

(En Français plus bas)
Once upon a time, when we were young and beautiful (read young with pimpled face) Grégoire, I and others (Xavier?) got the rare opportunity to scuba dive in the Lake Gatún, part of the Panama Canal.
Our friends Ned and Tom from the US embassy invited us to join the US army diving club on this occasion.
Diving on a ship wreck was already pretty cool, but most exciting was our second dive where we visited a train brought there by the French around 1880. Still on its rails, the engine and two platforms used to evacuate excavation materials, were flooded when the area was transformed by the US into a huge artificial reservoir to feed the canal locks (52 million gallons of fresh water used for a single ocean-to-ocean crossing). Likewise one of the French cemeteries (over 22.000 workers died, mostly of yellow fever and malaria) was flooded and can be visited underwater, but we didn’t see it.

Anyway, the reason for this reminiscence is that, as Laura and I were about to enter the new museum erected at the Miraflorès locks, Laura, who knew of that dive (I’m such a show off) asked whether the train exhibited at the entrance was similar to the one I saw.
Of course “my” train was a bit more impressive in my memory. More platforms may be?
It’s only when I saw inside the museum a movie of the salvation of the train from the lake that I connected the dots. This train was the one we visited in 1992 in the low visibility waters of the canal, as we were hearing underwater distorted noises of propellers from the huge cargo boats that seem to be passing over not so far away.

It was indeed a rare opportunity that we’ve had that day.

Il était une fois, quand nous étions jeunes et beaux (entendez encore immatures) Grégoire, moi et d’autres (Xavier?) avons eu la rare chance de plonger dans le Lac Gatún, qui fait partie du Canal de Panama.
Nos amis Ned et Tom de l’ambassade US nous avaient invités à joindre le club de plongée de l’armée américaine pour l’occasion, le canal étant encore sous leur contrôle.
Plonger sur l’épave d’un bateau était déjà super, mais notre seconde plongée du jour était nettement plus excitante car il s’agissait de l’épave d’un train abandonné par les Français vers 1880. Encore sur ces rails, la locomotive et ses deux plateformes, utilisées pour l’évacuation des matériaux excavés, avaient étés engloutis quand du convertissement de la zone en lac artificiel destiné à approvisionner en eaux les écluses ( 200 million de litres d’eau douce utilisés pour une traversée d’océan à océan). De même l’un des cimetières français a été couvert d’eau (plus de 22.000 travailleurs sont décédés, principalement de la fièvre jaune et de la malaria) et peut être visité sous l’eau, mais nous ne l’avons pas vu.

La raison pour cette réminiscence est que, alors que Laura et moi-même étions sur le point d’entrer dans le nouveau musée érigé aux écluses de Miraflorès, Laura, qui avait entendu parler de cette plongée (je suis tellement vantard) m’a demandé si le train exposé était similaire au « mien ».
Bien sur « mon » train était un peu plus imposant, peut être avait il plus de plateformes en attache ?
Ce n’est qu’en voyant le film de l’opération de sauvetage des eaux du lac que j’ai réalisé. Ce train était celui sur lequel nous avions plongé en 1992 dans ces eaux à faible visibilité, avec le bruit distordu des hélices de cargos qui semblaient passer pas si loin de nous.

C’était effectivement une chance rare que nous avions eue à l’époque.

Sixteen years later

2006-05-12T08:45:00.000+06:00

As we fly out of Panama, headed for Guatemala, I reflect on what this country meant to me. My life took a turn for the best when I moved to Panama in late 1991, thus evolving from a somewhat protected and sedentary youth to the realization that the world was there to be discovered, experienced and enjoyed (and yes it took me 21 years!)
My dear friends Grégoire and Mayté were our dedicated and thoughtful hosts in Panama City (I'll keep you posted if they open a B&B) and many stories of the good ol' time were told not only for Laura's benefit but also for our sheer pleasure.
"And the time your parachute got twisted by the wind in mid-air... that was scary!" Yep, life was good for young people who spent their weeks planning their weekends.
It's so good to see again this happy couple with their bright and beautiful kids Adrian and Paola.
Panama changed a lot (got lost driving a few times) and keeps growing more modern under American influence. Currently about 150 high rise buildings are planned or under construction in the capital. Also foreign retirees and investors are being offered easy way to gain residency, advertised low cost of living, low taxes, evading the IRS or just getting a place to flee to in case of war or instability at home. And conveniently enough your immigration attorney might even offer a temporary transfer of a 6 digits sum onto your account, to make you appear as a suitable immigrant investor.

One highlight of our short visit was a 24 hour trip to the San Blas. This little piece of paradise is formed of a Caribbean coastline bordered by over 300 small islands, all placed under the authority of the indigenous Kuna community.
Flying there on a small aircraft is part of the adventure, as we gain views of the very modern city skyline, the Panama Canal, then the lush tropical vegetation that resembles cauliflower seen from above, lastly the coast and its numerous white-sand islands that could get as little as the 4 coconut trees they support. The water is turquoise, fishes are colorful and ending the day with a lobster dinner and beautiful sunset didn't suck. Our visit was way too short, but we were too ambitious to visit Mexico and Central America over 9 and 1/5 weeks.

See our pictures here

What you mean, SimplyThierry?

2006-05-08T23:55:00.000+06:00

This blog's name does not only reflect my lack of creativity, but also my will to keep things simple for a change. Unlike my previous trip for which I crafted a web site (the old days before blog's were fashionable), this time I will make due with a blog. That choice is also dictated by the fact that the trip started, well... about 7 weeks ago.

So here we are Laura and I, on the path to poverty (we quit our jobs respectively last January and February) and what matters most, a path paved with discoveries and pleasures that I'll try to share a bit with you here.

Here is our situation: after expediting 36 cartons to France, we left Seattle with a truckload of belongings, headed for Laura's mom in Denver 1600 miles away. Then we started our trip in Mexico on March 22nd, with the goal to reach Panama by land. From there we would fly back to Guatemala, to reach by an alternate route Mexico City, as shown on the map below.

So we meet in Mexico City on March 22nd, Laura is coming from Denver, and myself from France.
We head to Palenque, and the Yucatan, then cross the border to Belize where we snorkel and scuba off Ambergris Cay.
We enter Guatemala to visit Tikal, and then go South to Honduras (scuba off Utila Cay), Nicaragua, Costa Rica and eventually Panama.
We’ll fly back to Guatemala on May 16th, to reach by road Mexico for our return flight on the 27th of May.

En Français

Ce nom de plume ne reflète pas seulement mon manque de créativité, mais aussi ma volonté de garder les choses aussi simples que possible. A la différence de mon dernier voyage pour lequel j’avais construit un site internet (les jours d’avant les blogs), cette fois ci un blog fera l’affaire. Ce choix est adapté aussi au fait que... le voyage a commencé il y a 7 semaines.

Donc nous voici, Laura et moi, sur le chemin de la pauvreté (nous avons quitté nos emplois respectivement fin janvier et février) mais surtout sur un chemin peuplé de découvertes et plaisirs que j’essaierai de partager avec vous un peu ici.

Voici notre situation : après avoir expédié 36 cartons pour la France, nous avons quitté Seattle avec un camion chargé de nos biens, en direction de la mère de Laura a Denver, Colorado, à 2500 km de route. Puis nous avons démarré notre voyage au Mexique le 22 mars, avec le but de rejoindre Panama par voie terrestre. De la nous retournerons au Guatemala, pour nous rendre par une autre route jusqu’a Mexico City, comme indiqué sur la carte ci-dessous.

Nous nous rencontrons à Mexico City le 22 mars, Laura venant de Denver et moi de France.
Nous allons à Palenque, le Yucatan, puis entrons au Belize ou nous visiterons l’île d’Ambergris.
Nous irons au Guatemala pour visiter Tikal, puis irons vers le Sud au Honduras (plongée sous-marine depuis l’île d’Utila), au Nicaragua, Costa Rica et enfin Panama.
De la nous volerons de retour au Guatemala, et rejoignons par la route Mexico City pour notre vol de retour.