I know I haven’t been giving lots of news recently. I finally moved into my new apartment. I couldn’t get the one in Happy Valley, but i found something nice in Wanchai. The flat is spacious and close from work, and the neighbourhood is really local and rich in terms of nightlife ,and I am also close to transports.

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.

It has nearly been a month since i landed in Hong Kong, and i have to admit i am still a bit confused. I have to admit i am amazed at how they managed to build so many buildings and stack so many people on such a small island, and sometimes it’s scary. But i started not so long ago to not hate this city, like i did when i arrived 4 weeks ago. I still can’t say i like it though, but it’s getting better.

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.

Exactly two years ago, around this exact time, i arrived in Sydney. I didn’t really know what to expect from this new start in my life, flying over half of the planet to land on this big piece of rock. The only 3 things i knew about Australia at this time were: kangaroos, surf and sun. At least that couldn’t be bad, eh ?

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 !

Early September was the time my dad chose to come and visit me in Australia. I was glad he could finally make it, and was very happy to see him. Sydney sure is nice, but after 5 days in town we decided to head in the last wilderness area in Australia, the Kimberley. We hired a 4WD and crossed the 1800km stretching from Broome to Darwin. The Kimberley region is stunning, but i will let the pictures talk for themselves.

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 snowboarding Japan in January, we decided to explore yet another land blessed with snow and mountains. At the arrival in Buenos Aires we were quite disappointed by the lack of snow in the region of the great lakes, so we decided to head off for the end of the world, Ushuaia. The powder over there was soft and light, but unfortunately Cerro Castor was too flat.

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.