Affichage des articles dont le libellé est adele bouaziz. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est adele bouaziz. Afficher tous les articles

20/05/2017

Etre ou ne pas être... un publireporter - 1ère partie

Il est temps de reprendre ce blog abandonné depuis trop longtemps, vous ne croyez pas?
Non pas que je n'avais rien à raconter ces dernières années, loin de là, mais la flemmardise a pris le dessus. Shame on me!



Cette fois-ci, je vais raconter comment mon expérience toute récente de publireporter en Afrique s'est avérée être un véritable désastre. Mais commençons par le commencement!

Pour ceux qui ne me connaissent pas, je m'appelle Adele Bouaziz. J'ai un diplôme d'ingénieur en informatique de l'UTC et un executive MBA de l'ESCP Europe. J'ai travaillé pendant 6 ans pour Europe 1 en tant qu'administrateur des systèmes informatiques broadcast et urgentiste, puis j'ai ouvert mon Bagel café Adele's Family dans le centre de Paris que j'ai dirigé avec amour et acharnement pendant 3 ans. Quand le moment fut propice -et que le besoin de changement était plus fort que tout-, j'ai vendu l'affaire avec profits, mis mon appartement en location et je me suis envolée pour un tour du monde improvisé, sans billet retour. Déjà 3 ans que je suis partie et le mal est fait, le retour à la vie normale, en France, est inconcevable.

Bien sûr, j'ai beau apprécier mon indépendance, ma liberté, ma solitude occasionnelle, les nouvelles rencontres, ma famille m'a toujours manqué terriblement durant ce voyage. Quand on est loin de tout, de ses repères et de ses proches, le vide trouve toujours le moyen de s'imposer et de peser. J'ai donc du faire quelques retours furtifs à Paris, chez Papa. A presque 40 ans, retrouver sa chambre d'ado et ses habitudes de petite fille à papa peut faire doucement régresser. Il faut à tout prix éviter de s'éterniser! Alors je reprenais un aller simple pour une nouvelle destination et le voyage reprenait de plus belle.

J'en ai fait des rencontres pendant ce périple! Des jeunes et des moins jeunes, de toutes les nationalités (des allemands, autrichiens, suisses, australiens, français, espagnols, un chypriote, un lettonien, une malaisienne, une hongkongaise, des portugais, des chinois, argentins, chiliens, israéliens, américains, africains, indiens...) Ces rencontres sont tellement enrichissantes qu'on s'en nourrit insatiablement. On grandit, on apprend. On développe des amitiés en très peu de temps. Parfois, après seulement 24h de partage d'une route, d'un trek, d'un hostel, d'une aventure loin de chez soi, dans une langue qui n'est même pas la sienne, on se sent plus proche de ce nouveau companion de voyage que d'un ami de 20 ans. Etrange, n'est-ce pas? 
Enfin, tout le monde a bien compris qu'aimer le voyage c'est une chose plutôt courante, en avoir besoin au point d'être constamment sur la route et de ne pouvoir se poser plus de quelques mois quelque part, ça relève d'un désordre psychologique incurable. Il paraitrait même qu'un gêne mutant y serait pour quelque chose! 

Après 2 années en vadrouille, c'est sur une petite île cambodgienne, les pieds dans le sable, que j'ai rencontré Emma, une voyageuse professionnelle anglaise, une fille de 40 ans fun et fort sympathique qui parle parfaitement 3 langues et qui, depuis 10 ans, travaille comme directrice de projet de publireportage aux 4 coins du monde. ça veut dire quoi? Elle produit des reportages sponsorisés, des rapports d'affaires sur des pays en besoin de communication positive, que des journaux réputés publient comme de l'espace publicitaire. 
Elle m'a raconté son expérience sans entrer dans les détails mais de manière très convaincante. Soyons clairs, elle m'a vendu du rêve. Elle m'a assurée que j'étais faite pour le job, que j'avais un profil et un mental parfaits pour ce rôle. J'ai été intriguée, tentée par l'expérience de reporter business. Je me suis lancée.








15/07/2015

Tikal, Rio Dulce, Livingston - Guatemala

September 2014

It took me 9 hours, 5 buses and friendly conversations with local travelers to make it to Flores from Semuc Champey, Lanquin.




Flores is a very pretty town on the lake Isobel.  












Tikal, the famous Maya ruins located in the jungle. Discovering these old temples is not the only attraction of the site. We got to see beautiful birds like toucans or quetzal-family birds, and also monkeys, crocodiles... and a big anteater!






Anteater












From Flores, I took a bus to Rio Dulce. 6 hours I think. The town of Rio Dulce is not really pretty, it smells fried chicken and it seems to have only one road with shops on each side. 
From there, I took an expensive boat ride (140Q) on the large green 'sweet river' to the Finca Tatin. It's a lodge hostel in the jungle, on the river bank. There are cabañas and dorms, hammocks... the delicious dinners are family style: "take it or leave it", no menu. I staid 2 nights there. The activities were kayaking on the river and in the mangrove, swimming, reading in the hammocks and bathing in the hot springs...


Fort San Felipe








Within 20min of boat ride toward the East, we arrived in Livingston, a very special city at the mouth of the river, on the Caribbean cost. This city presents an interesting mix of Garífuna, Afro-Caribbean, Maya and Latino people and cultures. I loved it.
I staid in a very nice hostel "Casa rosa". The dorm was a huge room very bright with big windows and a view on the sea.














03/12/2014

Little Corn Island - Nicaragua

Corn Islands - Las Islas de Maiz - Big Corn and Little Corn,70 km East of the Caribbean cost of Nicaragua. Ferries leave from Bluefields few days a week and reach Big Corn in 5.5 hours. From there, a panga (little speed boat for 40 people) reaches Little Corn in 30 agitated minutes! Sometimes, the boat stays up in the air for few scary seconds! Never seat in the front of the panga!!



Little Corn is a little paradise (only 2,9 sq km), with no cars, no bike… only reggae music, friendly people, happy tourists, 2 dive centers, 3 wifi places, 2 discos, a few small convenient stores, lobsters, white sand, blue water, palm trees, a very changing weather, few hotels and restaurants, lots of partying, any foreign languages, great people, several nurse sharks, many power cuts, lots of Rhum with Fresca... and a very simple life!

Lobster in garlic with rice and delicious vegetables....
Los Delfines

 rain water tap at Casa Iguana












Dive Little Corn























View from Casa Iguana














Symba















Preparing the famous Rundown...









Big rundown dinner


































"The Statue"


Tranquilo bar / restaurant
























by Adele Bouaziz

29/11/2014

From Omotepe to Corn Islands - Nicaragua

The best part of a trip is not always the destination. Sometimes, the journey is the whole purpose cause you know you will be meeting a lot of people, discovering wild landscapes, having adventurous time... So, to go to the Corn Islands in the Caribbean Sea, I decided not to fly, but instead to go by land and river from Isla Omotope.



The ferry left at 7pm on Monday from Altagracia on Omotepe. I paid 161C$ my ticket + 30C$ for a lounge chair on the open deck (total: less than 8US$). We were maybe 20 tourists travelling on the deck of this ferry whereas the locals were staying in the big cabin downstairs for half price. It was windy and cold but comfortable and a unique experience.

Lake Nicaragua Ferry





















San Carlos dock












We arrived in San Carlos at 6am and enjoyed a nice sunrise on the lake. I had decided during the night that I would try to make it to Corn Islands. I knew it was adventurous and long by land and river, so let's go for it! San Carlos seemed small, busy and nice. There is a Malecon and some cafeteria with a nice view on the lake.
I met 2 French guys there, Lois and Gaetan (who were on the same ferry) travelling for 8 months and thinking of heading to the islands too. We teamed up and took a bus (150C$)  at 9am together to Rama. They were great company. We arrived at Rama at 3.30pm. From Rama, the road doesn't go further. The Rio Escondido starts and goes all the way to Bluefields in the mouth of the Caribbean Sea. So at 4pm we took the only speed boat ready to leave. We paid 250C$ (10US$) to be there in 1h30. It was either this or 65C$ to spend 12 more hours on an ugly ferry!
The colorful scenery was gorgeous. The river reflecting the trees and the schools of birds flying away. The sunset in a cloudless sky and the greenery of the nature…


With Gaetan and Lois on the panga from Rama to Bluefields
Sunset on the Rio Escondido


When we arrived in Bluefields, it seemed like a whole different country. Population is a mixt of descendant of slaves, and Nicaraguan, they play Reggae, people speak English with a strong creole accent…. But Spanish is still spoken. Very confusing. We – Lois, Gaetan and myself – were taken to a cheap hostel. The place was slum!!! very little rooms along a corridor, for 5$ the night. They all smelt mold. On my bed, the sheet had holes and didn’t look clean. I pulled it up and noticed pieces of carton to cover big holes in the mattress. It really looked disgusting! And scary! What’s hiding in those holes? I went in the other rooms, same thing! I told the guys and their bed looked the same! With paper and all kind of shit filling the mattress! We decided to leave but I took big pleasure screaming in Spanish at the very unfriendly woman in charge.
So here we were, walking in this quite ugly town, trying to find a place to stay… we ended up back ear the port. A hostel has only one room left with a double bed. I left the guys stay and go next door where it was supposed to be… bad. Well it was simply awful! I needed a room so I took it after negotiating to 4$. The wooden walls and floor were falling apart. The ceiling was open to the roof. The worst: the common bathroom was so disgusting that I started screaming that it was worse than a jail! No way I would shower in this! There was a stinky toilet and a big bucket, no light and old wood everywhere. No room to shower unless almost above the toilet. I was scared! They let me use the family bathroom downstairs… It was actually the same, except with light and more room so I could manually shower (with a bucket) next to the stinky toilet! I couldn’t skip a quick wash but as I say, it was quick! Especially when I faced 2 huge cockroach in less that 5 seconds!













My slum in Bluefields....























Next morning, after 2 hours wait to buy boat tickets, we got on the Ferry that took us to Big Corn in 5.30 hours! long sunny crowded boat ride!!!

first sight of Big Corn














By Adele Bouaziz











In the next post, you will know all about the magic of little Corn Island, well deserved after a 48 hour journey ...