Les Aventures d'une Baroudeuse en carton // Tales of a Novice Adventurer.
Off the Ecuadorian coast, in the Pacific Ocean, the Isla de la Plata island is sometimes called “The Little Galapagos” ou “the Poor Men’s Galapagos”. Close the little pueblo of Puerto Lopez, this 14m² island holds a few treasures for the birds’ and sea creatures’ lovers.
When I travelled down from Taipei to Hualien, my main reason was that I really wanted more nature, more crazy-wild sceneries and let’s face it: I was craving to go hiking again. I guess this is why I fell in love with Taroko (and the whole Hualien County) right away.
Houtong is a perfect stop for a relaxing moment, in which I highly recommend to get a cold tea or snack at one of the numerous themed cat cafes, a cat sleeping or purring on your knees. I really liked the vibes over there, a bit away from the crowded touristy places – maybe because I went there in the morning, for there were more people coming when I left in the beginning of the afternoon.
The medieval Castle of Castellar de la Frontera is sitting, proudly on the heights of the Natural Park of Los Alcornocales, in the Cadix province. The road from Algeciras is winding, even a little bit dangerous with its hairpin turns. From afar, the stone towers are quite impressive. I don’t know this yet, but the true jewels lie within the walls. Because this XIIIth Century castle isn’t really a castle.
Everything has an ending. Except for sausages which have two.
New Zealand. This time, that’s the end.
I’ve been thinking and thinking again about my last weeks in New Zealand. I’ve even done a list of what I wanted to achieve: hiking the Tongariro Crossing, seeing Mount Taranaki, watching the sunrise in Gisborne, going back to Napier, helping again in Hahei Beach, doing a HelpX in a Maori family, going to a yoga retreat, tramping for a few days,… My list was as long as a novel. Almost a year passed away and yet there was still many experiences I wanted to have before leaving. It drove me mad to try to make my last moments in New Zealand meaningful and unforgettable.
It only took one English guy to finally let this go.
Martha et moi quittons Tekapo en stop. Un couple de colombiens nous embarque pour Christchurch. Ils étudient l’anglais ici et comptent s’installer en Nouvelle Zélande. Alors qu’ils nous parlent des spécialités culinaires de Colombie, je salive sur la banquette arrière. Mon avion décolle dans 5 jours depuis Christchurch et je prévois de faire une escapade à Kaikoura et une autre à Akaroa.
Ex-libraire, boulimique d’images et de rêveries en papier. Reconvertie en agent de voyages adepte de nouveaux horizons. Reconvertie en apprentie baroudeuse. Baroudeuse en carton depuis 2015 en Nouvelle-Zélande, au Japon, à Bali, à Singapour, à Taïwan, à Hong-Kong, en Equateur et au Mexique. J’ai chopé la bougeotte et je compte bien ne pas m’arrêter là.
A former bookseller, who couldn’t get enough of pictures and paper dreams. Retrained as a Travel Agent, who couldn’t get enough of new travel inspirations. Retrained as a novice adventurer. Novice Adventurer since 2015 in New Zealand, Japan, Bali, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong-Kong, Ecuador and Mexico. I caught the travel bug and I won’t stop anytime soon.
Let’s take a walk with me!