Between Two Trips

This discussion thread on VoyageForum.com inspired me to create the following series of photos. Unusual or funny scenes, captured during my various trips to the "land of smiles"... Amazing Thailand! (Thai Tourist Board slogan).

Exceptionally, a short "Between two trips" post with no connection to Asia or diving... I've just discovered myself in a 360° panoramic shot taken at the Trans Musicales in Rennes this weekend. The image is by Loïc Lebreton (Photoinfographe.com and 360ouest.com).

When I talk about diving, I'm always asked the same questions. Boys: are you going deep? Girls: you're not afraid of sharks?

The clownfish is the most popular tropical fish, thanks to the film Finding Nemo. While sorting through my photos, I was delighted to rediscover the clownfish I've flashed over the years. Here's a photo gallery of my own little world of Nemo.

Which airports offer free internet and wifi? My little selection of links to help you find the best deals when traveling.

The Thai word for island is "koh". As I'm currently doing a lot of web searches starting with koh, I ended up on Koh Rin. I'm an island! Corinne, Koh Rin... Just a few letters to change!

I often cut up my travel guides to keep only the chapters that interest me... I've found an alternative to the massacre: download them in PDF format from the Lonely Planet website.

Fish spa? From pedicure to aquarium. Very trendy in Asia. Entrust your feet to nice fish that eat your dead skin!

The election of Barack Obama is the pride of a school in the district of Menteng, Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, where he was in class, child.

Fed up with the grey Breton winter. I want to go back to Thailand! Bathe in the translucent azure of the Andaman Sea. Contemplate the breathtaking limestone cliffs of Phang Nga Bay and Koh Phi Phi. Climb the rocky curves of Similan Island. Cruise a long-tail boat to a dazzling beach... How about a bit of Thai sunshine?

Just released: a truly waterproof housing for the iPod Touch. Called iDive 300, it's available from H2O Audio. The "300" stands for 300 feet, i.e. 90 meters deep. A pure gadget, in my humble opinion.

A few days ago, I met sociologist Rodolphe Christin for an interview. He is the author of Manuel de l'antitourisme, published by Yago. It's an itchy little book, in which he invites us to give meaning back to our travels.

Just for a laugh, before we start the week again, here's a refreshing little video. Already viewed nearly 2 million times on You Tube!!!! I'm going to start taking vitamins...

I've been coveting this book for days. Its title, in big letters on a blue background, caught my eye straight away: Toute l'Asie, pays par pays. Yesterday, on my way back from a report, as I was passing by the Librairie du Voyage in Rennes, I snapped it up. And I'm glad I did.

If, like me, you love maps and planispheres, try WanderLust. Published by the website Good, this interactive map allows you to visualize the mythical routes taken by famous travelers and explorers, from Magellan to Kerouac.

Walking around on the web after booking my plane ticket, I came across this: an animation showing air traffic on the planet for 24 hours.

This train, which runs through the Maeklong market, near Bangkok, is Thailand's most famous. We fold the stalls, flush with the rails, to let it pass!

Are you one of those Westerners who have mastered the Asian squat? In other words, who know how to squat Asian-style? If you've ever been to Asia, you'll know what I mean... Most foreigners can't sit on their heels without losing their balance!

I love this video. Discover the world tour of globetrotter Matt Harding, the man who dances in 42 countries!

To get the basic Thai phrases back into my ear, I tried Learn Thai Podcast. A great site, with mp3 audio lessons.

Balinese coffee, or kopi Bali, is tasty and full-bodied. Every morning, since my return, I finish waking up in front of a cup of kopi Bali.

Lagrandeaventure.fr globetrotters Benoît Bringer and Alexandre Franceschi are in Thailand. Four years after the tsunami, they take us from Koh Phi Phi to Koh Tarutao, in the Andaman Sea, in a short web video report that won me over. The title: Thailand, the ecological challenge.

Argh! There it is: a DSLR that also does video! Just like the compact ones !! The kind of camera I dream of to accompany me in my travels...

Remember: during my stay on the island of Bunaken (north-Sulawesi) in July 2007, I had dive with the Froggies center, directed by the amazing Christiane Muller, who had been there for about fifteen years . 

After the demonstrations by Buddhist monks against Burma's military dictatorship in September and October 2007, the West is turning its attention back to Burma, in the wake of an appalling natural disaster. In early May 2008, Cyclone Nargis may have claimed more than 60,000 lives.

I'm inaugurating my new Books section with this book on Thailand, published last year. It provides a better understanding of the Thai way of life and way of thinking. Things not so easy to grasp for the farangs (foreigners) that we are.

The photos of the previous trip are not yet sorted, I'm thinking about the next ... And to think better, I've already returned to a little tour in my favorite bookstore in Rennes: Ariane, the travel bookstore.

Small taste of the Philippines, at the diving show in Paris, where I went for a ride this weekend ...

The Philippines, you know where that is? That's where I'll be soon, very soon... In 23 days!

Yes, I know ... The Sulawesi section has remained stale. At the moment, I had excuses: impossible to find an internet connection in the regions visited!

Should we say Malay or Malaysian? Both ! In fact, everything depends on the context, because the two terms do not have exactly the same meaning.

I've revised my Malaysia itinerary for July 2006. Choices have to be made... Here's a new map of my planned route.

Information found on Plongeur.com. Read the full description here on Wetpixel. To summarize, a barge loaded with construction materials destroyed a (fortunately limited) portion of the Sipadan reef...

I've got plenty of time to make plans at D-87... This will be mainly a "diving and lounging" trip. Hence my choice of stops: islands and beaches.

To kill time while waiting for the big departure, I test the posting of a blog. Takeoff Friday, June 23, 2006: J-89 ... It's not so far!