About to hit the road to India.... finally!

About to screeeam too ... because I just spent 2 hours, updating my blog. The message was about to be posted, but I did not save it and the Internet connection went "bananas" !!!!!!!!. Lost the message.. had to start it all over again. I just .... hate technology ! :(

photograph: the mythical Monastery in Petra/Jordan, an amazing peaceful place !

So Jordan with Irène was wonderful ... Met so many wonderful people, and a few tourists from all over the world who also fell in love with this magical place ...(Cheers Christian from Zürich, Jo from Australia, Delphine from France working in Abu Dhabi and all of you crazy dudes - I miss you!).

From the Bedouin village and forever in my heart: Fat'ma (the hostess with the mostest) - Fat'ma's lovely neighbours and children - Abed - Taessyr - Atnan - Ghassan - Fawaz - Abdullah - Attala - Fatima who studies in Lyon - Hussein the Hungarian - Harun - Hamda - Mohammed, Harun's brother or nephew (and all the Mohammed's we know) - Ahmed with Zouzou and Daisy the camels - the children with the sardine can toy on the road to Haron's tomb - and all the Bedouins whom I met and haven't mentioned here. You have touched me deeply!

"Merhaba" ! Irène-Pascale-Sébastien-Ahmad-Sandrine and thanks for being a great support group in Switzerland for the JORDAN, PETRA and BEDOUIN addicts. You know "how we feel", for having lived and travelled Jordan and some of you were even born and raised in Jordan. Insh'Allah we can go back as often as possible to hear the Oud play on top of the Petra Mountains, the wind blow through the sand dunes of Wadi Araba and try to reach for the stars in the great desert of Wadi Rum. Insh'Allah !

Sharm-el-Sheikh and diving was great (Christian's company most enjoyable too. Playing "nutcases", laughing constantly and feeling like young teenagers and like nothing matters was therapeutical! The Beach Albatros Hotel was the best ... but finally meeting .. Nemo.. hm! I mean your Remo.. was really nice!! What a pair you too! Great spending time with you in Crozet-Villeneuve, playing the piano, learning how to use a blog - however you forgot to hammer the "save" button into my head !! grrrr !! Hope to see you in India....).

The PADI advanced license is in the pocket. The deep dives, the drift dives and all other diving excursions were stunning and sooooo beautiful. There is no such thing as an "anti-stress" vacation on the shores of the Red Sea. By the way, snorkeling is great too, one can even see Napoleon fishes and turtles while snorkeling...

Back in Europe .. the "landing" was tough... it took over a week !! When I came back to senses, lots of paperwork and procedures to complete still .. (in regard to my "immigration" to the other side of the Swiss border in France, in the foothills of the Jura Mountains) .. before I would leave again. And as you well know ... I love procedures !

Nevertheless, I also managed to spend some time with my family and friends during this month and a half. I went on a 1 week trip to Hamburg (went swimming in the cold Baltic Sea! loved it... but what a change with the Red Sea). It is also a time of open air music, theatre and dance festivals around Lake Geneva. Fully enjoyed swimming in the lake and going on some small boat trips and catching every minute of sun in this already shortened and unusually cold and rainy summer.

And now... I find myself packing once again, as the countdown has begun!
On August 2nd I am off to Laddakh with my "little sister" and childhood friend Muriel, for a 2 week trekking, visit of the capital of Laddakh, Leh, and visiting monasteries around Leh, along the Indus River. I really hope that I will put up with altitude which will be about 3'700 m! Big challenge ahead... Then we will go "back down" to visit the Taj Mahal, I will accompany Muriel back to Dehli and will probably go back up towards the Himalayas where I might stay another 2-3 weeks, trying to go to Bhutan and Sikkim or Tibet, depending on how "easy" it will be to get visas for these countries ...

Beginning of September I am planning to go back down towards the plains of Northern India and explore the main purpose of my "sabbatical year", which is.. YOGA ! In November I will take a yoga teacher training probably in Kerala (South India). Then I have a flight back to Switzerland on December 30th, as my Indian visa expires at the end of the year... Afterwards ... we shall see ! Insh'Allah!

Looking foward to these new adventures, I wish you well and most of all... be happy !

Love to all
Denise

Last but not least, I am very grateful to all who are offering me - one way or another - their continuous support, love and friendship. They are very much contributing to make this "Time-Out" a successful time of reflection and renewal and most of all the realisation of a dream ... A HEARTFELT THANK YOU !