Body screamin'

I probably speak for most of backpackers; we walk all day. Since we arrive Paris we have been walking less, but there has been days where we would leave the guesthouse early and will be out walking until evening, over 10 hours for many days. I did not realize until my sister who was here last week, that my pace of walking, pretty fast to begin with, has increased its speed since we started traveling. Sahe, with her 18 kilo backpacks, still has managed to walk with me for the past four months. 

However, likely due to a relief of arriving Paris, her body finally started to send signals for a good rest; catching cold and shoulder pain. Even I suffered from a neck pain, unable to look back without turning around with my entire upper body for a few days. 

Another issue; unable to wake up early. We have been going to sleep around 23:00, and waking up no later than 7:00 on the road, but here, we have slept through alarm clocks and phone calls.

Paris; she's got it all

So, here we are. It is where we considered as the mid-point of our journey. We knew that we will need to take a breath before continuing on with our trip, and this highly civilized city of art and culture. Sahe and I arrived separately, and without having any time to congratulate each other on getting here, we met up with a friend in town from London, my sister and nephew visiting from Japan for a week, and my cousin and family who have lived here for 6 years. There is nothing like a reunion with friends and family, whom you can relax around them and let them spoil you, especially being away from it all.

Two weeks ago, the family reunion led us to a wonderful weekend trip, visiting beautiful castles such as Fontainebleau and Vaux-Le-Vicomte, and getting a peek of the small town Auver-sur-Oises, where Vincent Van Gogh spent his last months of his life. Only being one hundred kilometers away from central Paris, landscapes and impressions of each town are distinctively different from one another.

I did not see this during my last visit as a student in the US, I actually enjoy being in Paris. The food, people, the city scape, all appear as something new, warm and cozy. Weather has also been on our side, as it has been stable and warm while being here. But we have to remember that we are still in the middle of a journey. We cannot get too comfortable, or we will have a difficult time peeling our butts off the couch. Cheese, salami, and croissants don't help the situation either, as we must be collecting extra calories onto our already fully-packed luggage. 

So we begun discussing about our upcoming days, week and months. This is not as easy, as we have accumulated a number of places-to-want-to-visit, far more than the we started off with. We finally decided on leaving Europe by early November, and head for south Asia. We went to apply for our Indian visa yesterday, and are slowly getting ourselves ready for the second half. 

 

 

In the meantime, I have to start jogging or do something...