Morwenna Jane's Artistic Backpacking Agency

10/11/2018

Revival!
Nouveaux posts sur mon voyage Malaisie-Indonésie.
New posts about my Malaysia-Indonesia summer trip.

10/11/2018

★ Strong like Bulls ★

The Minangkabau ethnic group, from Sumatra, is the largest matrilineal society in the world. They are known to be hard workers, and very good diplomats. The first president of Singapore was a Minangkabau! They are Muslims but have animist traditions. Their name would mean "Buffalo Victory" according to a pretty funny legend. Fighting for their lands, two princes wanted to settle their differents by a bulls fight. The first sent a very strong cattle, the other one a small calf with very sharp horns. At the time of the fight, the buffalo didn't consider it as a threat, but the little one approached in search of milk. By rubbing against the belly of the buffalo, he disemboweled it with its horns...
The Pacu Jawi is a traditional race, during which the jockeys are tested as much as their cows: they must hold as long as possible with a foot on each harness, blinded by mud. They even bite the tail of their beasts so they can go faster. The race takes place in the middle of nowhere. Motorbiking, it took me one hour, and too much kilometers, to find it. Fortunately, I met some locals on the way who showed me the place.

02/06/2018

[ANNOUCEMENT]
In exactly 28 days, I'll take the plane to Singapour, for a 55 days new trip.
This time I'm gonna visit Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
I won't have time to post here but I'm gonna write a blog.

https://www.myatlas.com/MorwennaJane/asiedusudest2

I'm sorry but the writing is gonna be only French. But you can still look at the pictures if you're not a French speaker.

Beginning of my adventures on July 1st!

Carnet de voyage : Le récit de mon aventure à Singapour, en Malaisie et en Indonésie. Prêts à embarquer? Bienvenue dans mon Monde.

29/05/2018

[Guest Post - Chloé and the canyons]

★ Native American legend ★

After twenty minutes admiring Lake Powell's beauty, the boat finally sails into a narrower canyon. We need to slow down to navigate this tiny corridor. You feel very small, you know, going through those orange red stones. Finally, at a final turn, we discover the Rainbow Bridge. It looks even more imposing than we imagined, even more majestic. We land and walk a few yards, discovering at every step a little more of this natural bridge that doesn't look like any other.
Our guide tells us the legend attached to this sacred place for the native peoples of the region, the Navajo. Two young children used to pull the tail of small lizards they found in these canyons. But one day, while they puled the tail of another new lizard, it didn't escape under a stone, but grew, grew, grew up to become huge and began to chase the two children, terrified. The children then prayed the sky to help them, while promising never to pull the lizard's tail again. The sky, perceiving the sincerity of the children, agreed to rescue them and revealed a rainbow that crossed the canyon to allow them to escape the giant lizard. The children went through this magical bridge to get to the other side of the canyon, but the lizard didn't give up and also went through. Once the children were safe on the other side of the canyon, the sky changed the rainbow to stone, and the lizard was frozen with him while he was crossing. Since then, we can still see the giant lizard turned into stone, on the left side of the bridge...

[YOUR STORY HERE - Like the page and PM me]

28/05/2018

★ A movie set ★

What Star Wars and James Bond have in common?
Well, this is the place where some scenes were shot: the Villa Balbianello, on Lake Como. We can see it in Casino Royale, and in Attack of the Clones. However, it lacked a few space ships...
It first belonged to a cardinal, then to a family of aristocrats, then to an American General, then an explorer who made a museum full of artifacts from the North Pole.
To be managed now by an Italian heritage management association.
This place is simply magical, mostly thanks to its gardens, and it's not surprising that the villa is regularly rented for weddings!

[YOUR STORY HERE! Like the page and PM me]

10/05/2018

★ Elephant Woman ★

While in Chiang Mai, the opportunity came up for an elephant ride.
Yes, but not anyhow and randomly!
You(re probably aware of the abusive practices that pachyderms can endure. They're trapped in small cages when they're new borns, to be "broken" and so they can blindly obey to their mahout.
That's not over. Small wooden crates in which tourists ride for their walk? Torture. You see, the elephant's back is weak. All his power is concentrated in his neck. Wearing such a weight all day is actually unbearable for the animal.
I kept that in mind when I reserved an eco-tour with a meeting with an elephant and an exploration of the surrounding area. I'll be alone with the guide who cocooned me.
As soon as we leave, we stop to buy bananas for the elephant, and then back to the road by entering Doi Inthanon National Park. We arrive at destination after a drive on a small runway out of nowhere.
The elephant is here, waiting for me, with a few other people who care about him. Other small elephants are a bit further in a makeshift pen that seems, yes, big enough for their size and not too binding. But I notice the big one is chained up. "So he can't destroy the villages", says my guide. Hum. At least no cages and no crates on the back.
Strange, this first contact with the elephant! His name is Boje, it means "water". His trunk may seem intrusive, it's all wet and squidgy, it's all tensed towards you to take bananas, anyway... but you get used to it fast. Things are gonna get serious!
No saddle, so... Let's do without. But on the neck, so he doesn't feel me! You have to do some acrobatics so you don't fall from the cabin platform, but once you sit, it's okay, he doesn't get annoyed. The mahout leads him on the way. What a sensation! At every step, we feel the power of the animal. I have to control my balance so I don't fall, but all my trust goes to the mahout. Sometimes he gives me bananas, so I can give them back to the elephant, who, impassive in his walk, tends his trompe towards the smell. When it's gone, he smells my hands. That's funny. Uphill, downhill, you have to hang on, this unbeatable ride seems short despite a strong burn on my left knee. When I get down, I realize I've had an allergy to the elephant's skin, which has some very hard hair that can sting. But the people here apply me a balm because I'm not the first one to experiment it, and I feel better, fortunately because it's time to shower the elephant after the effort!

08/05/2018

★ Planning Thailand, 2015 ★

The first big trip to plan.
- Day 1 to 4: Bangkok and adaptation to life here. Hostel near Khao San Road. A day in Koh Samet, a small quiet island at 3h30 of bus + 1 hour of boat from Rayong.
- Day 5 to 7: bus to Sukhothai, 8 hours drive. A day for the ruins of Sukhothai, a day for LanSang National Park because I had a big craving for nature.
- Day 8 to 12: bus to Chiang Mai, 5 hour drive. Here, temples, tigers, elephants and surroundings, and chill. Cheap hostel, 2 € per night. But also great parties at Chill Out Bar with the owner Jassadaporn, and also Carle and Pimporn Pim. I don't forget you, guys ;)
- Day 13 to 15: bus to Mae Hong Son, through the roads with more than 1000 turns, 7h drive one way. This is taking us to the Burmese border. This is the opportunity to go meeting "Long necks" Women. On the way back the next day the minivan drives through Paï, where I didn't stop, but it's very roots-tourist and you can make fun treks in the countryside. Back to Chiang Mai.
- Day 16: bus to Chiang Rai, 3h30 drive. You can visit the city quickly, with the White Temple and the Black House. Nice stop before going to Laos the next day...
[And 26 days later...]
- Day 42: I just arrive from Battambang in Cambodia, by bus, to celebrate Loy Krathong in Bangkok. I really wanted to attempt it and I planned a lot because of it. I don't know how many hours it took me, because the border crossing took a long time. All day, probably.
- Day 43 to 46: I planned to go to Kanchanaburi to see the Kwaï River but finally I'd rather stay in Bangkok to rest. Shopping, Thai boxing, tasting new things... There's always something to do here.
- Day 47: bus to Lopburi because it's Monkey Fest. Couchsurfing with Nantawat who was very nice and made me discover the city, with his friend Seksan and another Spanish guy named Senda.
- Day 48: train for Ayutthaya where I planned to stay the evening too, but finally my Couchsurfer was no longer available and I'm taking the train back to Bangkok.
- Day 49: craving for beach but not far to enjoy and not spend time in transport. Big mistake: I try Pattaya. It's not even the s*x trade that bothers me because I expected it. It's dirty and ugly. You swim in the middle of plastic bags...
- Day 50: the big comeback to France :(

06/05/2018

★ Temples everywhere ★

I was a little annoyed to write about Chiang Mai, because I was already thinking about the big dilemma.
Which photo should I choose ??
Because Chiang Mai, a city located in the North of Thailand, is the paradise of temples lovers. In the small city centre only, there are 36 of them, and they are all as stunning as the next. Golden temples like Wat Phra Sing, wooden temples, black and white temples, a temple in a cave, temples in ruins (Wat Chedi Luang), temples forbidden to women (!), and a temple with a great golden stupa which dominates the city (Doi Suthep). And in those temples, there are Buddhas: of marble, stucco, emerald, jade, crystal, gold...
In the end, you don't know which way to look as it's so overwhelming.
One of the pleasant features of Chiang Mai is the temperature is a little cooler than the rest of the Kingdom. It's more pleasant to take a walk, to test the multitude of activities proposed, while going at its pace which is far less sustained than in Bangkok. If the capital is full of sensory stimuli, Chiang Mai would rather offer a well-being break, where it's easier to meet with locals and backpackers, and to sit down to taste street food like spicy Khao Soy noodles and fruit like Dragonfruit.

01/05/2018

[GUEST POST - Pf and the Salkantay Trek in Peru]

★ Let's go to Salkantay ★

After some though times in Copacabana and La Paz where I had terrible altitude sickness, I headed to Peru. I wanted to reach the Machu Picchu not in the easy way but through the Salkantay Trek.
The Salkantay trek lasts 4 or 5 days and is about 20 miles long.
One of the highlights of the Salkantay Trek is the climbing of the Salkantay Glacier. It is 20,000 feet high and it has a special meaning for Incas. Salkantay means « wild uncivilized, savage, or invincible » in Quechua language.
The Incas associated Salkantay with rain and fertility and considered it to be one of the main deities.

The climbing of the Salkantay was scheduled the second day of the trek. We had a very early wake up, had breakfast with coca tea. Then, we walked up for 4 hours through amazing landscape before reaching Salkantay.
The guide recalled the group with some historical facts about Salkantay and we attended « the coca ceremony ». It consisted in chewing coca leaves.

The climb was definitely one of the highlights of the trek and I was so glad to take up the challenge.
I was very happy to reach Salkantay without much trouble as I had been upset with altitude previously in the trip.

On day 3, we went to Cocalmayo. Bathing in hot waters was definitely one of the highlights of the trek. I really loved the atmosphere and landscape that was breathtaking.

Furthermore, It was quite pleasant to cool down.

30/04/2018

[GUEST POST - Emma on the way to Santiago de Compostela]

★ Compostela, Path of the Stars ★

My emotion was at its peak when I arrived at Le Puy, which reminded me of countless memories, especially by seeing the famous statue Notre Dame De France which dominates the city. I spent the morning walking around the streets and discovering the city with Shine on You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd as a musical background, intense moment. I keep meeting great people, old and future walkers, welcoming merchants, smiling townspeople. This town is magical as well as its inhabitants, its streets. Beauty is everywhere, you just have to take it.
I will always remember this moment in the fields near Air sur l'Adour, a month later. I've been walking since 6 in the morning, singing the famous Ultreïa, song of pilgrims.
Everything seemed so pure, so peaceful. I thought about a few words from the Alchemist that gave me more courage to move forward. Next to that, a few automatic sprinklers I tried to avoid. No more thought or pain came to blurry my mind or body except how beautiful I was. I was on the Camino, for good. I think it was at this very moment that I completed my initiation. After weeks of fighting with myself, my fears, my past, my pain .. my mind had finally been on standby and I was ready to open up to the rest. This is also the Camino, a real let go.

Her page: Vagabonde Sans Frontières

29/04/2018

★ Machu Pikachu ★

Today I'm going to write a lot about one of the wonders of the world, all surrounded by mysticism.
Visitors understood it: some slept at the bus stop in the cold night, with survival blankets, to be the first to take the bus and see the sunrise on the site. Fortunately, after 2 hours of waiting we are on the spot between 6:30 and 7, and as Machu Picchu ("old" Mountain) is surrounded by high mountains, we are there just when the rays point to the peak in the background, the Huayna Picchu ("young" Mountain). We went up there: from this point of view, we can see the city is condor-shaped. It was also an opportunity to visit some less well-known temples, far away from the crowd.
Machu Picchu is not the "Lost City of the Incas", it was found after all. It was, however, a residence of Pachacutec, the most famous Emperor.
Human sacrifices were common. As apparent cruelty was not sa**sm, the priests gave children anesthetics as well as coca leaves to chew, the combined effect of the two doped them completely so they didn't understand what was going on. These human sacrifices were only punctual. They were performed after natural disasters. These children were messengers to the Gods, the Pachamama representing Mother Earth and the Sun Inti, and also Huiracocha the creator God. Sacrifices told them something was wrong. Their bodies were folded into the fetal position, because in fetus we come to the world, in fetus we leave. They weren't necessarily mummified.
In the center of the city, the Sacred area with the Temple of the Sun, as well as a sacred solar dial, the Intihuatana. The population of Machu Picchu was in fact quite varied, especially because the Nobles brought their slaves from Melanesia. And yes, they went so far, they even went to Iceland! Near the houses is the Temple of the Condor. The Incas used nature, and built according to its shapes. For The Condor Temple, two large rocks dominate it, they have a form of wings deployed. All they had to do was add the head, carved on a flat rock. The City itself, whose plans were designed by Pachacutec, has the shape of a condor, just as Cusco had the shape of a puma. Another sacred animal is the snake, and it's believed that the city with this shape is nothing but El Dorado...

25/04/2018

Hello everyone!
Do you like to write about your experiences while traveling and/or help people who'd like to organize their journey?
Well you can contact me by PM if you want to post something as I do. Text on one precise experience, one picture about it, or an itinerary. I'd be happy to feature guests!