On sunday we decided to go to Macau, which is in fact really close to HK, only 1h by ferry. You still have to go through the customs though, as it is yet another Special Administrative Region of China.

Macau is really refreshing compared to HK. There is much more space, even if they also have giant towers, and the old part of the town feels like a little Europe, with small sinuous streets. It’s too bad there was no sunshine, because i’m sure the coloured houses would be stunning in natural light.

The casinos are also all over the place, as Macau is the only legal place in China were gambling is authorized. We quickly visited The Venetian, which is 3 times bigger than it’s Las Vegas counterpart, and hopped on a Gondola for a ride in fake Venice.

Macau is definitely a lovely place, with a European atmosphere, as well as a close destination to escape HK’s madness from times to times. I will definitely come by again. As usual here are a few shots, and the whole album is also on my Flickr page.

Finally getting settled is an enjoyable feeling, and now i can concentrate on other things, like getting back to sports, making the most of my week-ends, and also start thinking about holidays !

Here are a few recent shots from HK, the first one has been taken in Stanley, south of Hong Kong island.

This one is the view you can get on a clear day from the Peak.

But today is different. Today i have found a place to live, finally. Property hunting in HK is a time-consuming activity, and you often have to visit 15 to 30 places before finding something worth it. I’ll be living in Happy Valley, near the race course, quite close to work, and on top of that i’m in the same building as some really good friends ! I should be moving in on the 21st of November. I will finally be able to start enjoying HK, and getting away from the city on the week ends.

Oh, and here are a few shots from HK.

It’s been now 2 full years, and i learned to love this country. Those of you who came here know what i’m talking about. Everything here is so easy, people are kind and you think you could do everything you want ! Oh yes, i love Australia.

My time in Sydney was really interesting, i met lots of people, and some of them will even (i hope) be part of what i tend to call ‘best friends’. Those friends that will always be there for you, even in 5 or 10 years, even if you don’t hang out with them everyday.

But enough sentimentality. This is not just because i have been here for the last 2 years that i suddenly talk about Sydney and Australia. I am moving forward. In fact it’s quite a big leap forward, say 7830km north-north-west. See it? Hong-Kong it is, yes sir !

My company has started relocating its Sydney activity to the regional hub for the last 8 months now, most of my friends have already been sent out there, and now it’s my turn ! I’m eager to find out what the pearl of the Orient is made of, and i’ll tell you soon, as i am flying on Saturday the 10th.

Coming back to Australia, here are a few shots i took last week-end. Those are my last shots of Sydney, and a bit of a tribute as well to a city i loved, love, and will love forever.

Goodbye Sydney, goodbye Australia, and thanks for everything !

Once in Darwin we flew to the Whitsundays Islands for a few days of doing nothing on the beach, and by chance wakeboarding was on the menu.

As always, the full album is available on Flickr.

Oh, and if you are asking why those were my last holidays in Australia, well, stay tuned for the next post !

After 3 days, one dedicated to climb the glacier El Martial, we were back in BA, and after an 18 hours bus trip, in Las Leñas. Supposed to be a top-notch resort, Las Leñas is in fact an average place to ski, but horribly expensive if you don’t know local people. Fortunately we were staying at José’s place, a former ski patrol member and a true argentine. At his place was also staying Yannick, a french multipurpose snowboarder who has been coming at Las Leñas for the last ten years.

The only real interest of Las Leñas is the chairlift called Marte, which takes you at 3400m high, where the whole mountain is offered to you, freeride style. Unfortunately Marte is opened only when the conditions are perfect: no wind, good snow, no risk of avalanche and top visibility. Conditions we did not have during our stay, thus we did not have the chance to ride Marte. That’s a big shame because we came especially for that, but hey, sometimes you just can’t force the luck !

Argentina was still a very good experience, the people over there are really kind and the meat is just the best in the world ! Definitely a place where i would like to come back some day.

I am not a big diver, i only have 14 dives in my logbook, but it really is a nice activity. I am still wondering if i will take the Wreck diving course…

Brussels is in fact quite a small city compared to the role it has within Europe, but it really is a lovely place with heaps of restaurants, night life, and of course architecture. I took a few pictures, but by wandering in the streets you quickly realize that almost every building is quite old and bears its own history.

A simple phone call to Jacques made my mind, i booked a plane ticket to Japan and took 2 weeks of holidays in january. The program was pretty simple : head off to the best ski resort in Japan for a week, then explore some other part of Japan i hadn’t visited the other week.

Our ski destination was Niseko, located in far north Hokkaido, it gets an amazing 12m of snow each year. The best snow i’ve ever had for sure ! 1m of powder on the 3rd day left a grin on my face for the rest of the week.

On the second week i went to Kyushu in the south to seek higher temperatures. Nagasaki is the place i liked the most, full of history, it is a magnificent city.

This was my second time in Japan and i felt like coming back home. This amazing country will always surprise me in many forms, but i can’t deny i really love the place. I hope there will be a third time, for the snow again maybe…

As always the full album of photos is on Flickr.