adelinemmc's VirtualTourist Home Page

Send Photo to a Friend

Just before the dive: Bliss!

Adelinemmc: a Frenchwoman in London

In exile in London for the last 14 years, I have developed a strange dual personality.

I am French so when at home in London, I moan about public transports, the cost of living, the English stiff upper-lip syndrome and the lack of decent baguette, moutarde or cornichons

London has been my home for so long that when I am in France, I feel very foreign now and moan about the idiocy of French administration, TV programes that are dubbed instead of being subtitled and the lack of a decent curry.

What I need is a floating house in the middle of the Channel!!!

Send Photo to a Friend

The beautiful High Andes of Peru

South America June to August 2005

We spend two months in Peru and Bolivia (with a quick visit to North Chile).

After a couple of days in Lima we went to Pisco to visit the Paracas islands and as a bonus saw Tambo Colorado.

We travelled mostly in the high Andes, spending the first two weeks in areas not usually visited by tourists: Huancayo, Huancavelica, Ayacucho and Andahuaylas.

Then we did the 'classics': Cusco, Machu Picchu. Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca before crossing into Bolivia. We stayed in La Paz a bit then travelled south to Uyuni. A 4X4 took us to the famous salt flats and into Chile.

After a short stay in San Pedro de Atacama we crossed back into Peru via Tacna, then back to the 'Gringo Trail' with Arequipa anda trek in the Colca canyon, Nazca and its Lines, Ica and Huacachina, then back to Lima for our flight home.

What a trip! Unforgettable is all I can say.
Been trying to upload tips and bits since then but time is always short!

One thing though: the amount of rubbish lying around everywhere is shocking! I know we're talking poor countries where the priority is to survive first, then worry about other things than the environment but still. Rubbish is everywhere from remote Andean villages to small coastal towns and it's a shame. If you visit, do not throw your garbage in the streets like the locals and try to find a bin to put it.

Send Photo to a Friend

Grouper in a cave

Diving in L'Estartit - September 2006

Well, this was a bit of a wash out! The whole of Sourthern Europe was plagued by thunderstorms and flash floods and so was l'Estartit.
This meant reduced viz for diving and not too much sun, apart from the last day (typical).
Still, it beats being at the office.

Send Photo to a Friend

The Devil's Cauldron

Djibouti Oct/Nov 2006

Djibouti pages now up and running.

Photos and tips available. Just go to my Djibouti page (I haven't figured out how to insert links yet).

Send Photo to a Friend

La Corniche D'or

The French Riviera

It's not all poodles and Brigitte Bardot! Neither is it all concrete and commercialism.
You can still find beautiful villages perched on a hill, little beaches and breathtaking landscapes on the Riviera.
Then there's the markets, the olive oil, the peaches, the fresh fish, the lavender, need I say more?

Send Photo to a Friend

David Bowie: Perfection incarnate

What I like:

-David Bowie
-Food, esp. French, Thai and Japanese
-Cooking (see above)
-Amelie Mauresmo
-Bandes dessinées
-Scuba diving
-Travelling
-Trekking (a bit)
-Cycling to work so I don't have to depend on the crap London tube system
-Summer
-Skiing

Send Photo to a Friend

Fennel: the Root of All Evil

What I don't like:

-Celery
-Fennel
-Dentists
-Coffee
-People walking slowly
-Stupid men and their stupid wars
-Binge drinking (to be observed every Fri & Sat night throughout the UK!)