the best joke ever

I just stumbled upon globorati, "the latest word in luxury travel." First step, check out to see what Vietnam has to offer; there might be something to pass along to my CS comrades. (Seriously, no sarcasm there) .

A click on the country's name redirects me to this recommendation of a bike tour that groups together 5 countries of south east asian mainland.
Let it ride:

After all, biking tours no longer mean roughing it among calf-swollen backpackers: now that it’s been dubbed “a beneficiary of the 21st century zeitgeist,” vacation pedal power is the new darling of the eco-intelligentsia.

Oh yes, just perfect for the "green-minded" travelers. Some other highlights in their itinerary:

Just thank your private Challenger jet as it wings you from Burma’s western plateau [...] to the UNESCO Heritage streets of Hoi An in central Vietnam. And in the evenings, as B&R’s crack team tunes your hybrid bike for yet another adventure, you’ll recoup your legs in plush accommodations [...] Here, in your raised pavilion suite, you’ll want to spend quality time in your soaking tub. Or you can seek out the spa, consistently rated among the world's best.

and you would think that on such a site they would not dare poke fun at their readers/customers.

freecyle

http://www.freecycle.org
a network that is active in many different parts of the world. You offer things that you know, have been sitting in that corner for a little too long and can look for things from old clothes to bikes to TVs.
It's really sweet, kinda like the PODs we used to have at Wes.
And even more so for someone like me who moved here to Grenoble for only 6 months with a suitcase and a backpack. I couldn't bring everything-that-i-might-need-to-use-once with me. With freecycle, i can borrow stuff, leaving them here again when i leave.

Earlier this semester, i looked for a pair of mountain boots to go hiking and got it from this girl called Violaine. I went up to her apartment to pick the shoes up, and OMG, she lives in a penthouse with 2 huge windows: one looks over the central square down town, typical European style with cobblestoned streets lined with red brick roofed cafes and restaurants, really pretty; and the other has a beautiful, untarnished view of the mountain. I was awed.

Moving forward 3 months, i realized that i'd be leaving Grenoble soon and i didn't have that many photos of the city. I shot Violaine an email asking if i could come over to her place with my camera one day and she said: sure why not; she was out of town often back then but one of her flatmates could open the door for me. However the weather's been pretty crappy and the only day when the sun sneaked out, no one was home when I called. I let her know that and today, she replied to tell me that she'd be home this Sunday, and that she could also leave me the keys under the doormat if i wanted to drop by when nobody was around. Serious, WTF? We've met once, for like, i don't know, 10, maybe 15 minutes.
People need to stop being so fucking amazing.

peregrinating

I first learned this word thanks to Sara Hoffman; it's her username on couchsurfing. Sounds beautiful.

It's been hard to come to term with my unrealized dream, a.k.a. Israel/Palestine for this summer. But, there's no way other than dealing with it. So i canceled my flight to Tel-Aviv, decided to go home, got my ticket, wrote to my parents and friends, contacted people for volunteer opportunities and dancing classes, etc. all within a span of 36 hours.

And i fancy some peregrination, first on the way home, crossing overland from Bangkok, through Laos, to Ha Noi. I had to cancel it though, after learning that one of my best friends from elementary school would be leaving for the whole summer to visit her family in Ukraine. I decided to fly instead so that I'd be able to spend a couple of days with her.

But in August, when i go to India, it would look like this: from Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh city), take a boat or ferry to Phnom Penh, continue up to Siem Reap, and then down again to Battambang (i heard it's magnificent). I'm not sure if it'd work from Sai Gon to Phnom Penh, but in any case, i can always take the bus. From Battambang to Bangkok, not sure if there's a train or only a bus, doesn't matter any way. Fly from Bangkok to Calcutta, and then board the train from Calcutta to Ahmedabad, which takes about 35 hours to literally cross India from East to West.

At the end of my stay in Ahmedabad, which will be in mid-December, I'll still have a month before the spring semester starts at Wesleyan. And here's THE ambition:
From Delhi, take the train to Amritsa, cross the border to Lahore, board the train all the way down to Karachi, up again to Quetta to take another one to Zahedan. (Rumors has it that this line has been canceled). Once in Zahedan, take the bus to Bam, train again up to Tehran, and finally another one to Damacus via Turkey.

The biggest concern is, not so surprisingly, getting visa for Pakistan, Iran, and Syria (maybe even Turkey?) when i'm in India. It's always more complicated in a third country. And even if that happens, what would the U.S. consulate say to my face when they see all those visas?

i've tried my best

so it doesn't work.
the Paris consulate no.
the Marseille consulate no.
Zajel said up front that they would not be able to help. FFIPP confirmed that they were aware of the situation but never followed up.
Friends no
Couchsurfers no
the only thing that i didn't do was go to the local synagogue. but who'd have the guts to go begging people they don't know, especially when it's such a weird request? i know i don't. although the people on couchsurfing that i asked were basically strangers as well, they belong to a certain kind. well, they're not humans. who would be stupid enough to put up stranger and treat them like old time friends? oh, maybe they're humans, and they're among the best.
to Israel/Palestine, all i can say is maybe another time.

Vietnamese passport

Up to this point, the only time that i've felt thankful to my vietnamese passport was when i went to Algeria. French nationals have to pay 30 euros; i got it for free (plus a handshake from the guy). Never before had i felt so welcome, but they didn't cut me any slack either.

Other than that, it always make me want to cry...
Except for ASEAN countries, no matter where i go, i have to scramble around, going through all the hassle, and paying a not so insignificant amount of money. Perhaps partly because tourists from other countries (a.k.a. U.S. and Europe) don't have it that easy with Viet Nam either. It's not like Latin America or North Africa where they can just lug their suicases/backpacks up to the border (or airport) gate, get a stamp, and they can good morning Vietnam.

I've always been against the whole visa thing for ideological reasons but i've never been more frustrated than recently.
For a tourist visa to Israel, the consulate requires that i have a carte de séjour valid for at least 6 months after the date of return. I'm simply here for a semester and my visa lasts until the middle of june. I'll peace out and I'm not coming back. I tried to explain that i'm done with France but apparently, that was not good enough for them. I "terrorize" them almost every day with phone calls. They must find me really fucking annoying. I can't get hold of them anymore and they don't even care to return my messages. Don't know if i should be sad or angry.

In necessity, invent! Well, "invent," (i'm not much of a creative person). I thought about going to one of Israel's neighboring countries (there are 3 of them: Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan) and once I was there, I'd try to apply for a visa saying I was traveling in the Middle East, hoping that it'd look more legit. Un petit problème: Vietnam is among 20 countries (out of 200?) whose citizens need a visa prior to their arrival. And the guy i talked with at the Israeli consulate said that even if i got to the border, no guarantee that it'd be easier. How pathethic is this?!

on est tous en visite

(intérieur. table de salle à manger. Alphonse et sa femme)


femme: tu manges avec ton manteau ? on dirait que t'es en visite !
Alphonse: on est tous en visite ! on débarque on fait un peu de tourisme et puis on repart , tu crois sincèrement que ça vaut la peine d'enlever son manteau? pour attraper la crève? prématurément?

Buffet Froid - Bertrand Blier (1979)