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Saturday, October 20, 2018

A New KRABI Getaway

A partial view of the Sofitel pool with the Andaman sea in the background
Room view from the balcony
The Andaman remains my favorite corner for a seaside getaway. I flew down THAI Airways to Krabi again for just a few days before the tourist hordes start coming back. Yet, it may not have been quite the right time to get there. I was lured by the weather in Bangkok that seems to foretell the dry season. But I forgot that on the southwestern part of Thailand, the seasons are different. There, the rainy season has not come to an end. So, the sky was still overcast and it did rain, but at the same time - mostly in the mornings - we had sun allowing plenty of time to go for a swim either at the pool or at the nearby beach.
THAI Airways flight time from BKK to KBV is only 65min

Each time I go to Krabi Province, I tend to stay at a different place in order to discover new sights.
The Sala at the pool
However, this time I felt more like resting in a secluded area to breathe some fresh marine air as well as enjoy the seaside and get some fresh seafood.
I did not even go to AO NANG, Krabi tourist magnet! Instead, I chose to stay in pure luxury at the SOFITEL located north of Ao Nang, near Koh Kwang village. This place is moderately developed for the tourist industry. It is a Muslim fishing community.

The SOFITEL Resort:

This ACCOR 5* brand offers a spa and golf facilities. It is located on Koh Kwang Beach at a walking distance from the village. 
Service and facilities are excellent. But its greatest assets is its fabulous pool said to be the longest pool in the ASEAN!
Some more, the beach is right across the coastal road.
A truly big pool

Koh Kwang Beach.

The beach is small but made of white coral sand. It has two main features that need to be mentioned:
- As it is on Phong Nga Bay, I noticed that it is not subject to the usual tide. Some more, the sea is
The beach at sunset
calm and is not affected by the usual waves of the Indian Ocean.
- On many occasions, I have often been appalled by beach pollution in many other places. But here I must praise the cleanliness of the beach. Every day, a bulldozer cleans the entire beach to leave it as pristine as ever before! So kudos! I wish this would happen everywhere.
A view of the bach before the rain




The village beach on Phang Nga Bay

Koh Kwang village.

Fishing boats at sunset
This is essentially a Thai Muslim community living on fishing and tourist commodities. Everything is low key in this village. There are a few small hotels and resorts, many coffee and restaurants, as well as the ubiquitous 7-11 open round-the-clock.
The main focus remains on a small beach having a long stretch of fine white sand. Along the beach, there are plenty of bars and restaurants that are usually open till 10:00PM. 
At one end, of the beach, there is a rocky island, which is easily reached by simply wading across. But there is nothing special about it. Actually, the small bay in front serves as a safe harbor for some of the fishing boats.

Koh Kwang is a quiet and safe getaway from the usual other crowded places in the vicinity. It does not mean it is more difficult to get to other places either inland or out at sea. The closest two main islands in Phang Nga Bay are Koh Yao Yai & Koh Yao Noi.
There are direct private links between Krabi International Airport and Koh Kwang. It takes 40 minutes by car.
Christian Sorand
Koh Kwang Beach in the evening

Beach restaurant at night




Koh Kwang small beach island

Friday, October 12, 2018

Article du mois d'octobre 2018

L'article sur WINDHOEK pour l'édition d'octobre 2018 de TRAIT d'UNION MAGAZINE, à Hong Kong (nº99) a également été publié par l'agence Wild Wind Safaris en Namibie.



Carte de la Namibie (SW africain)

Friday, October 5, 2018

Lumières de fin d'été sur PARIS / End of the summer's lights over PARIS

Fenêtre du Monde - A World's Window
Ce retour à Paris rappelle le charme endémique d'une ville unique qui ne cesse d'envoûter les
Couleurs d'automne
visiteurs du monde entier.
A comeback to Paris reveals the encompassing charm of a unique city recognized as a luring magnet worldwide.
Il s'agit davantage ici d'une vision de photographe plus que celle d'une histoire contée. Car en cette fin d'été, la lumière du ciel met en valeur la capitale où déjà les couleurs de l'automne sont perceptibles.
This is more a photographer's account than a story told. As the summer comes to an end, the light from the sky seems to enhance all of the French capital sights, where the colors of Fall are already visible.

1.Les lieux pharesSome unescapable landmarks.

Voici quelques uns de ces lieux inoubliables qui ont fait la réputation mondiale de Paris.
This is a selection of unescapable landmarks that have triggered Paris fame worldwide. 

Opéra Garnier
Place Vendôme
La Seine & la Tour Eiffel

La Tour Eiffel au Trocadéro
Au Jardin des Tuileries
L'obélisque égyptien de la Place de la Concorde
Fontaine de la Place de la Concorde





Le Jardin des Chmps-Élysées au début de l'automne
2.Tombée du jourTwilight.

Au moment où l'été se termine pour laisser place à l'automne, la lumière change et laisse une palette de couleurs magiques à la tombée du jour.
At the very moment when the summer gives way to the autumn, there is a twist in the light that brings an array of magical colors at dusk.

Un coin du Jardin des Tuileries au couchant / At the Tuileries Garden at dusk.
Rue à proximité de la Place Vendôme
Place de la Concorde
La Seine
Pont Alexandre III
3.Quelques trésors de la cultureSome of the cultural highlights.

Paris doit son surnom de “Ville-Lumière” en fonction de ses trésors culturels et de l'impact qu'elle a eu sur les artistes du monde entier. En descendant l'avenue du Président Wilson depuis le Trocadéro, à côté du siège de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient, on passe devant les plaques de deux maisons. L'une annonce que c'était ici que Jean-Louis Barrault (1910-1994) et Madeleine Renaud (1900-1994) vécurent de 1940 à 1994; l'autre, à la maison voisine, siège de la résidence de l'Ambassadeur du Mexique, que l'écrivain Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) y avait vécu de 1975 à 1977. L'écrivain et diplomate mexicain avait choisi d'être enterré à Paris, au Cimetière de Montparnasse où se trouve la tombe de mes grands-parents paternels.
If Paris has been nicknamed the 'City of Light', it is due to its cultural institutions as well as the fascination it has generated to all the world artists. Walking down from the Trocadéro Square on President Wilson Avenue, next to the headquarters of the French School for the Far-East, two neighboring townhouses bear a cultural memorial. One says that this is the place where the film director Jean-Louis Barrault (1910-1994) and his spouse, the actress Madeleine Renaud (1900-1994) had lived from 1940 to 1994 ; the next entrance – the official residence of the Mexican Ambassador – says that this where Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) had lived from 1975 to 1977. As a Mexican writer and a diplomat, Carlos Fuentes had chosen to be buried in Paris at the Montparnasse Cemetery, where my grandparents on my father's side are both resting.

Le Musée de la Mode
Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA)






Les jardins du Musée des Arts Premiers
Quai Branly: oasis urbain
Le Musée d'Orsay
Le Grand Palais
4.Une architecture incomparableA distinguishable architecture.

L'architecture de la ville est vraisemblablement le facteur déterminant qui caractérise la beauté de Paris où les espaces et la verdure mettent en valeur les façades des demeures de la capitale.
Undoubtedly, the city architecture may appear as the characteristic trademark stressing the beauty of Paris, punctuated by space and greenery, which both contribute to enhancing all the capital townhouse facades.

Place de Mexico (XVIe)

Avenue d'Eylau (XVIe)




Boulevard des Italiens (IXe)
Place Vendôme (Ier)
Saint-Germain-des-Prés (VIe)

Place du Trocadéro (XVIe)
Gare Saint-Lazare (VIIIe)
Passy (XVIe)
Avenue Montaigne (VIIIe)


Palais de la Légion d'Honneur (VIIe)





Christian Sorand

La Seine à Paris