Message In A Bottle
Notre petit rayon de soleil.. (Our little ray of sunshine) That’s what my grandparents, Mami Zet and Papi Lio, called me as a child. And I will always cherish the fragrance, they gifted me, when I began my first voyage around the world. Was the fragrance just a gift or was it a message they wanted to share?
It was one and a half years ago, and I was happy to have completed my studies. But more than happy I was excited that my dream to finally travel the world would be realised soon. I have always dreamt like Nathalie, my favourite cartoon character about my first trip around the world. So with my backpack and the fragrance gifted by my grandparents I set out from the small town of Chambéry, in the west of France.
My first stop was Australia but I had a stop over at Auckland. Auckland is very beautiful and for some reason on that day, it seemed magical. As I stepped into Auckland I remember spraying on my fragrance and I felt alive. And it was here I met Ana and Alice and we decided to rent a car and travel south of the island. I was in Auckland just for a couple of days before I was to move to Australia but the 2 days and the experience of a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere with two new friends is something I will never forget.
As I stepped into Auckland I remember spraying on my fragrance and I felt alive.
Australia
I landed in Perth and my childhood friend Raphael was there to welcome me. He had been in Perth since a year and I was happy to see him again. My memories of Australia are so many that it’s almost impossible to not skip from one to the other. Mike and Niahm, a lovely Irish couple, whose kids, Kiera, Ben and Caitlin, I would babysit, were the kindest people I’ve known. I have fond memories of cooking with their kids. And their youngest kid, Caitlin, was my little sunshine during my time with them. Mamy, originally from Madagascar was another friend I made in Australia. She taught me the virtues and methods of being patient and I’ll be forever indebted to her for this.
Raphael introduced me to his friends and we’d go out every weekend on his engine boat to fish. Thanks to Raphael and Thomas, an Irish boy, I learned how to spearfish as well as fish with a rod. I was never really lucky with fishing and it didn’t matter what bait I used, I could never catch a fish. However only once did I actually manage to get a fish to bite and it turned out to be a shark, who broke my rod and I was left standing with a broken rod. It was one of the funniest moments of my life and we still laugh about it when we chat. And yes, every time I spray on my fragrance, even today often it takes me back to my time in Australia.
And yes, every time I spray on my fragrance, even today often it takes me back to my time in Australia.
Indonesia
After 7 months in Australia, it was time to move on. I had saved enough to travel and my next destination was Bali, Indonesia.
I applied for a job at a travel agency as I had studied sport and tourism but I really had no idea what to expect at this place. I learned so much from my mentor cum boss, Cedric. He trained me to plan and create travel plans for tourists visiting Bali and I realised this was my calling and what I wanted to really do in the future. I learned to ride a scooter in Bali and this made me so much more independent and mobile than ever before. During this time, I also made a very special friendship with my colleague Ata, a very sweet Indonesian girl.
After 6 months of internship, Cedric offered me the job but I wanted to travel again and I knew it was time to say goodbye to Bali. At least for now.
New Zealand
I decided to travel to New Zealand with Margaux and Mathilde, friends I had made in Bali. We rented a car for 3 weeks and travelled all across New Zealand. Hiking and camping and just having fun, the three weeks flew by. Great travel, fun friends and unimaginable landscapes and some really freezing nights are the memories I have of my time in New Zealand. My friends then moved back to France. And it was then that I met Mike and Kelly, the owner of Peel Forest, a restaurant camping bar. I helped them with the regular task for managing the place. It was a great experience that lasted a month. And at the end of the trip, they offered me a day of rafting in the Rangitata river. It was a crazy and unforgettable adventure.
Chile
I was then ready to travel back to France, but my friend Laura, with whom I practiced the kayak back in school, invited me to Chile. And I was never one to say no to an adventure. So in September, I stepped into Santiago.
I visited Laura at her new home in Talca, a small village, 3 hours south of Santiago. It was really nice to spend time with her. But she was busy with her teaching job and I didn’t want to disturb her, so I travelled to Patagonia on a limited budget. On the day of travel, I took the bus at 1 pm and was told that it would reach at 7pm. But it was only later that I realised that it was not 7pm of the same day but the next day! So my 6 hour bus trip turned out to be a 30 hour trip! I remember I was not sure whether I’d last 30 hours and my first reaction was to reach out to the fragrance that my grandparents had gifted me with and I’d spray a little bit every few hours. Imagining Mami and Papi smiling over me made the journey so much better.
My first reaction was to reach out to the fragrance that my grandparents had gifted me with and I’d spray a little bit every few hours. Imagining Mami and Papi smiling over me made the journey so much better
The bus arrived at Puerto Natales at 7 pm. And I met Anael and Baestien on the bus, who I decided to follow, as I had no idea about anything in Puerto Natales. We decided to go to Torres del Paine together. I was really lucky to meet them as normally I’d need to book 3 to 4 months in advance but as they had reservations, I could join the trekking they had planned. I was on this trek just for a day but it was amazing. So after 4 days of Torres del Paine I had to decide where to go. I knew for sure that I didn’t want to get back on a bus for a 30 hour trip to Santiago so I looked up the bus connections and decided on San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina, which I confirmed was 8 hours of bus ride. And from a short stay then I went back to the northern part of Chile, the Atacama Desert, which is close to Bolivia. The trip again was really long - 24 hours - but the journey and the view was amazing. And Atacama was incredible.
Bolivia
From Atacama, I signed up for a trip of 4 days 3 nights till the Salar d'Uyuni in Bolivia. The trip was with a group of 8 people and we travelled in 2 SUVs. It was an incredible experience and during this trip I met Yves and Marie, an elderly retired couple from France, who looked after me like I was their daughter. Marie loved my fragrance and would politely ask me if she could spray a little on from my bottle and I was more than happy to share it with her.
Marie loved my fragrance and would politely ask me if she could spray a little on from my bottle and I was more than happy to share it with her.
After the trip I decided to head from Bolivia to the city of La Paz and rest for a while. It was a good decision and I loved my time, walking around the city. I spent a lot of time buying souvenirs for my family, back in France. It was November and I was planning to head to France for Christmas.
Peru
But I still wanted to visit another country. So I decided to visit Peru. I stayed on a farm in Cusco and learnt so much about harvesting. Two weeks later I travelled to Machu Pichchu and then by bus to Lima, stopping over at interesting spots.
When I arrived in Lima, I was told that the city was not safe. But I found the nicest couple, who were the owners of the guest house in Barranco. They showed me the city the way nobody would have. We went salsa dancing, surfing and eating local food. And each time I went salsa dancing, I was complimented for my fragrance. I loved the food in Peru.. les empanadas de poulets, les soupes de Quinoa and everything else.
Each time I went salsa dancing, I was complimented for my fragrance.
Back Home In France
It was then time to head back home and here I am, back in France after more than a year and a half. After all the travel it’s the nicest feeling to be home with your family. It was wonderful to see my grandparents again. It was just a few hours ago she asked me if I had used up my fragrance bottle. She had a small smile on her face and she said ‘Don’t worry, here’s another bottle for your next voyage of our petit rayon de soleil’ and she showed me the bottle which, deep inside I knew, was a message for me. The bottle read ‘La Vie Est Belle’.
Merci Mami Zet and Papi Lio. Vous avez raison. La vie est belle.
Thanks Grandma Zet and Grandpa Lio. You are right. Life is beautiful
