beyond the mountains

In the last weeks, we have worked extensively and it was clearly time for some time off...Disappointed with Sharm el Vegas, we decided to head north to Dahab where the ambiance is known to be much more chilled and relax. The town is crowded with divers and windsurfers which changes radically the atmosphere. Some play cello on the beach, others horseback ride, while we... dived. Diving... something I had always heard of... but never had the opportunity to do. Known in Cairo as party people, it was time to become PADI people! Since we had only 3 days, we agreed with our instructor to race to get the precious license within this short timing meaning wake up 7.00 and intensive diving exercise until 17.00, yeahhh holidays... In the end it was an amazing experience and we all got it! Now I am looking forward to diving again to explore more of the underwater world. The region is tighlty controlled by the military force after the terrible events which took place last summer in Taba heigths an...

Here we are people! Manhattan Cairo aka Zamalek, an island of "peace" where "everybody' lives because of the location, the standard of living, but above all because everything gets delivered to you in 20 minutes. Egypt can turn easily you into a laaaaazy boy. Pizza+DVD+Beer+laundry+groceries+anyyything without sweating a single drop, isn't that amazing. A good thing is that tennis courts are not that far either... Quentin took me last week end for another tour in the center and to what is called "islamic Cairo". We walked for hours in the neighbourhood's labyrinthus, just wandering where to find something, and i guess we still don't know exactly what this something was, but it got us to discover colorful streets which aren't full of "rambo" tourists who come to cairo dressed as if they were on a hike in the desert. Cairo remained the central city of Egypt throughout the period of British rule and afterwards. The 20th century saw ma...

Human beings have a strong tendency to spoil places... I guess sharm el sheik is a great example. 25 years after the "touristic goldrush" of the Sinai Peninsula, there not much charm left in sharm. Couple hundred thousand italian, russians, english tourists walk around this resort that looks more like vegas or disneyland than paradise. As usual, it's a question of taste, but I was still highly highly disappointed, snif. In sign of protest I am posting a nightshot pic, which I like very much btw!hehe. Still Sharm is a paradise in itself, and as you all know it gives you the possibility to dive in the clearest water on earth. At the very moment I was writing these words, My father was in Vegas. Having travelled to both places, he posted: "Sharm is no Vegas : I can swear it. That will change when Celine Dion will spend a whole season untertaining 4.000 people or so every day (I mean night) : that's Vegas ! Plus a few other things ...But Vegas does not have the Red ...

Where have you been? Where should you go next? You think you've been everywhere and discovered everything, well this website will prove you wrong... According to this website, I have visited about 15% of the globe, there is still some traveling to be done, huh! But working on it, though... create your own visited countries map

Two weeks... that's about the time I have now spent thinking how I was going to describe Cairo to those who actuall read this blog, and I know there is at least one person (won't tell you who though;). There are indeed many ways to do it. According to several sources,someone's vision on this massive gigalopolis changes frequently with time passing by. So, let's gather our thoughts, and start from scratch... Not exactly cause I had the chance to visit Egypt two times in the past, my best "ivorycostian" friend Christian having lived here for four years. At that time, we were all about leisure and entertainment. This time, it's all about work! My job which, in the end, gives me an amazing opportunity to discover a nation, a region, a culture, as well as what's is happening behind the curtains of power... We are now set up in a beautiful flat in Zamalek which is Cairo's ile St Louis, a little world on his own. It is definilty quite chic to live here, s...

It is my pleasure to wish you all a very Happy 2006!!! I don’t know about you , but as far as I am concerned the year couldn’t have had a better beginning: very good friends around, great music, museums and good booze,… what else do you need? More over, I just got out of a well deserved time out, during which I could rest as well as spend moments with my lovely family and take the time to do what I wanted to do. Paradisio. I know what you are thinking... Where the hell did Greg disappear? Well amigos, a lot of things have happened during the last two months which have somehow changed my professional situation as well as my location. So without getting into too much details, I am happily doing the same job but not with the same people... If my calculations a correct, It has been now 2 full months that I haven't posted anything, and believe it was really heartbreaking. The good news is that I now have many things to write about and some cool pics to share. Moreover, I am now in a ver...

This is most probably going to be my last 2005 post, and I find it an excellent opportunity to share my last 2005 moment in Kazakhstan J to be continued… As mentioned in my previous piece, Nazarbayev is now sure to remain in the office for the next 7 years. Bravo! Still, opinions clash whether he entirely deserves it or not… Here again, various points of view have to be taken into account. The local one first: with a GDP growing around 9% per year, Kazakhstan has nothing to complain about, President Nazarbayev has indeed done a good job by reforming the country economically. Reforms’ inspirations came from the world’s “Economic Best Practice”, where you tend to avoid repeating similar country’s mistakes and adapt their successful policies to your model. Rendez-vous in a couple of years to see whether, all in all, it worked out. On the other hand, the country’s stability has a price, and Kazakhstan, counting many ethnies and influences, needs a strong power. Everybody acknowledges this...

This post will be devoted to 3 subjects. First, I’ll take you with me in a little promenade around the colourful Zhelion(Green) Market of Almaty as well as the Chimbulak ski and skating resort, 15 minutes away from the city center. Radically different, I’ll explain you how Astana, the newly-born capital, has great strategic and demographic importance. Finally, I’ll say a word about the presidential elections, which are taking place today. An empty fridge is never a good sign… Too much work, no free time, and non-stop delivery meals… It was time for action! Rachel, Simon and I, decided to hit the market located in the south of the city, next to the Mosque. Known as the Green Market, this immense Labyrinths-like concrete building offers you anything you can think of. Since we were there for fooooood, and most of you know how important it is for me, we did a first pit-stop at the meat station. Mmmmmh, accurately divided into sections, one will easily find any part of any animal standing o...