Après deux ans de préparation, les bagages étaient enfin prêts et nous étions prêtes à quitter la Suisse.

Avant le levé du jour nous étions en route pour l'aéroport pour décoller vers l'Australie avec tout le matériel d'expédition à Sarah.

 Nous avions besoin de se procurer toutes les cartes topographiques nécessaire à la traversée de l'Australie du nord au sud en passant par le centre du pays: l'étape final de son voyage... une énorme expédition en elle-même!

Les gens sont toujours stupéfaits et n'y croient pas quand Sarah raconte sont incroyable petite marche du nord au sud... mais comme toujours Sarah dit: « Un pas après l'autre j'y arriverai. » (En passant, avec chaque minute qui file elle devient de plus en plus grincheuse et sauvage. Il est absolument temps qu'elle y aille. Je ne serais pas surprise si elle se fait un départ prématuré en douce).

Une tâche qui avait été ajouté à mes responsabilité était d'aider Sarah a prendre du poids (j'espère que ces quelques kilos supplémentaire lui seront utile en traversant l'Himalaya). Étant une amateur de bonne bouffe j'ai trouvé cette tâche assez simple. Aucun repas n'a été sauté et du cake pour les quatre heures était un « must ». Je crois que je vais aussi devoir faire un peu de marche en rentrant en Suisse... ha, ha, ha! Son fameux et bien-aimé pote à quatre patte, Joe, va m'aider avec ça. Je suis contente de dire que prendre soin de lui fait aussi partie du mes responsabilités.

Nous avons atterri à Darwin, c'est par là que Sarah va entrer en Australie. Nous avons trouvé un magasin génial d'équipement de camping qui s'appelle NT General Store. Là nous avons acheté quelques dernières articles et  nous nous sommes renseignées sur où trouver des cartes topographiques.

Nous nous sommes mises en route pour Cullen Bay qui avait l'aire très petit n'ayant que quelques restaurants et magasins. Après un peu de recherche et un café latté plus loin, Nous sommes tombées sur le magasin de cartes et une jeune fille qui avait récemment commencé à travailler là. Lentement mais sûrement chaque carte topographique dont nous avions besoin a été placé sur le comptoir et nous sommes reparties avec toutes les cartes requises pour le territoire nord de l'Australie.

Ensuite Sarah s'est redirigé vers Perth pour acheter les cartes pour la partie sud de l'Australie et une petite théière (matériel d'expédition essentiel pour elle) qui pour l'instant a été la galère à trouver. Pendant ce temps je suis restée à Darwin pour essayer de trouver un moyen pour faire Indonésie-Darwin à la voile.

La mission à Sarah a été un succès. Elle a réussie à dégotter ce qui a semblé être la dernière théière de Perth et les cartes pour le sud.

Pas de succès de mon côté. Il est impossible de trouver un chemin maritime d'Indonésie à Darwin. Les recherches que j'avais fait depuis la Suisse n'ont révélées qu'un seul bateau à crevettes qui va de Darwin à East Timor. Les entreprises de transport ne prennent pas de passagers et les yachts qui vont d'Indonésie à Darwin appliquent de fortes tarifs de quarantaine et d'inspections douanières. Alors pour cette mission c'est retour à la case de départ.

Par contre j'ai découvert quelques faits intéressants au sujet du territoire nord de l'Australie et que Sarah va découvrir plus tard. En plus du « wonderful wildlife » typique d'Australie... i.e. Serpents, araignées, etc, etc, elle va aussi devoir faire face aux habitants peu accueillants du coin: des CROCODILES, quelques cyclones et « feux de bush » (contrôlés)!!!!! Je ne sais pas quel genre de tour de magie elle cache dans sa manche, mais on va bien le découvrir n'est-ce-pas?  :)

Je suis retournée à Perth le lendemain. Ensemble nous avons volé à Beijing et ensuite jusqu'en Mongolie.

Alors nous sommes de nouveau en Mongolie et heureusement cette fois il fait un bon et agréable 20° plutôt que les -32° de notre première visite. Nous avons encore beaucoup d'organisation et de planning à faire pendant que nous sommes là. Aujourd'hui nous allons à l'Immigration Mongolien pour prolonger le visa à Sarah.

Plus que trois jours avant le départ de Sarah....... elle est prête à rejoindre celle qu'elle est vraiment..... de laisser son âme toucher la terre et marcher...

After two years of preparation we we’re at last all packed and ready to leave Switzerland.

We headed to the airport for Australia before sunrise with all Sarah’s expedition gear.

We needed to get all the topographic maps that Sarah will require for the final leg of her journey.  Starting from the top end of Australia to the bottom tip all the way through the centre of Australia….a huge expedition in itself !

People are still amazed and do not believe Sarah when she tells them about her incredible little walk from North to South…… but as Sarah always says ‘one step after another I will get there.’  (By the way she’s getting crankier and wilder by the minute so I think it’s definately time for her to go now.  I wouldn’t be suprised if she sneaks off early)

Another task that was added to my job description was to help Sarah to gain some weight (I hope them few extra kilograms will help her when she has to cross the Himalayas).  I found this quite easy being a food lover myself so no meals were skipped and afternoon tea and cake was a must.  I think I may have to do some walking myself when I return to Switzerland…..ha ha ha.  Her famous and beloved four legged friend Joe will help me with that one as I am happy to say that caring for him is also on my job description.

We flew to Darwin where Sarah will enter Australia.  We found an amazing outdoor/camping shop called NT General Store and we bought a last few supplies and enquired where we could get topographic maps.

We headed to Cullen Bay which looked very small with just a few restaurants and shops.  After a little searching and a cafe latte later we found the map shop and a young girl who had only just starting working there.  Slowly but surely though each topographic map we needed was placed on the counter and we left with all the maps we needed of the Northern Territory of Australia.

Sarah then headed back to Perth to buy the remainder of the maps for the Southern part of Australia and a small teapot (essential expedition equipment for her) that we have struggled to find anywhere whilst I remained in Darwin to see if I could find a way to sail from Indonesia to Darwin. 

Sarah was successful in her mission and managed to find what seemed like the last teapot in Perth and all the remainder of the maps of the Southern part of Australia.

I was not so successful and it proved impossible to find a way to get from Indonesia to Darwin by sea.  The research I had done back home had found only one shrimp boat that goes from Darwin to East Timor.  The shipping companies do not take passengers and the yatchs that sail from Indonesia to Darwin face a hefty quarantine and customs inspection and fee.  So it’s back to the drawing board on that one.

I did however find out some interesting facts about the Northern Territory of Australia that Sarah has yet to discover.  Apart from the usual ‘wonderful wildlife’ of Autsralia….i.e. venomous snakes, spiders etc etc she will also have to deal with the not so friendly locals…..CROCODILES, the odd cyclone and bush fires (controlled) !!!!!  I don’t know what kind of magic trick she has up her sleeve for those but we will know in due time 

I headed back to Perth the next day and then we both flew to Beijing and then onto Mongolia. 

So we are now back in Mongolia, fortunately this time it’s a warm and pleasant  20 degrees unlike the –32 degrees  we experienced the last time we came.  We still have lots of organisation and planning to do whilst we are here.  Today we are going to head to the Mongolian Immigration to extend Sarah’s visa.

There is now only 3 days before Sarah’s departure…….she is ready to go back to who she really is…….to let her soul touch the earth and go walking…….

After a full day at the Yosemite shop trying on gear, putting up tents and getting in and out of sleeping bags Sarah was finally able to select most of her gear.  Although this is an enjoyable aspect of Sarah's preparations she returned exhausted and relieved it was over.

Sarah's training regime has now been greatly intensified as her departure date rapidly approaches. Only 70 days to go now!!!  So how is Sarah feeling? Well it's difficult to work that one out at the moment and to even keep her in one place long enough to ask her! All I know is that she is up at 4am everyday and then running about all over the place until way into the evening. Greg and I are busy working away like little bees in the background. On the few occassions when Sarah is here I just make that I get my priorities right and she always has a cup of tea in her hand.

D'Joe is in great shape following a couple of visits to a lovely osteopath he is looking amazing. In fact, he appears to be getting younger every day

 

 

 

 

 

 

d'joe un action: What 's in there....

 

With only 109 days left before Sarah’s departure date the pressure is on and we are busier than ever!

We had a great press conference on the 18^th February and we’ve had lots of encouragement, really positive feedback and some great articles about Sarah’s expedition.

We’re doing one of Sarah’s favourite parts of preparing for an expedition, which is deciding and getting all the gear she is going to need.  It’s a pretty big task and obviously extremely important.  We have to the check the climate and terrain etc for each country Sarah is travelling through and determine what gear she is going to require for each re-supply point.  By this time next week her house will be invaded by boots, tents, sleeping bags, jackets, stoves, pants, tops, hats, gloves.........

Sarah is now well into her training regime which is going really well as her body and mind prepare for what lies ahead!

Still it’s all very exciting and she is very much looking forward to returning to her favourite lifestyle where she blends with nature’s moods and rhythms.  

As Sarah would put it “the wind is calling me....”

Today we took a trip out into the Mongolian countryside with a guide, Byambaa and headed south east of Ulaanbaatar.  

We left the hustle and bustle of the city and before long we were surrounded by snow covered mountains, vast open plains and the eternal blue sky of Mongolia.

We had an amazing day and our guide was overflowing with invaluable information and advice.  The driver didn’t speak English so now and again he would chatter away in Mongolian.  I have never heard a language like it and the Mongolian pronunciation is really difficult.  

As described by Tim Severin, travel writer -  “...like two cats coughing and spitting at each other until one finally throws up.”  

We saw horses, camels and herders all going about their daily lives in the brutal -32⁰C.  I only took of my gloves for a couple of minutes to take some pictures and I can honestly say I have never felt cold like that!  It took a good ten minutes for my hands and arms to feel alive again.  You have to be pretty tough to get through a Mongolian winter.

 Mongolia truly is an exhilarating and invigorating place to visit.  The hospitality of the people is really heat-warming too.  I’m already looking forward to our return.......

 

 Today we left the hotel to be greeted by a bitter -31⁰C temperature so with rosy red cheeks and chilly noses we headed for the map shop.  

We had read that it would be difficult to obtain topographic maps in Mongolia but that this was the best place to find them.  We were advised that we would probably not be able to get all the maps we required so we were thrilled when as if by magic, map after map began to appear on the counter.  

We were so happy and so to celebrate our success we headed for Millie’s Cafe which is a popular destination for ex-pats and tourists.  After a latte and some amazing lentil soup, we eventually began to warm up.  

.  

Sain baina uu (hello) from Mongolia – the Land of Blue Sky

When we got to the airport in Mongolia we had to assist a young Chinese guy who either couldn’t read the arrival card or couldn’t write. Sarah filled out the form for him and with a smile of relief and chattering away to us in Chinese he was able to pass without a hitch through immigration.

We left the airport with our big Mongolian taxi driver who was so strong that he was able to carry our entire luggage by himself to the awaiting car. Mongolia welcomed us with a bitter -24, snow and an overwhelming vastness.

Before we headed for our hotel we made a pit stop at the local petrol station where the driver left us in the car and the engine running whilst he re-fuelled!!!

On the way to the hotel the driver sang along to the local radio station whilst Sarah filmed the passing scenery. We caught a tiny glimpse of the surrounding s and the mountains before heading for the city of Ulaanbaatar.

The hotel is a little bit like Faulty Towers for those of you who’ve watched the TV show. The people are lovely though and really friendly.

As with China trying to find any topographic maps here is a real struggle.

I arrived in Beijing to a freezing dark day with lots and lots of snow, which is pretty unusual for here. How the plane landed I do not know. You really couldn’t see a thing! After a treacherous taxi ride I arrived safely at my hotel. I was more than relieved when the taxi driver decided against trying to drive up the very steep hill at the side of the hotel. Sarah was already there so we had our usual cup of tea and a catch up ?

The next day we went to the Forbidden City where the Chinese Emperor used to live with his hundreds of concubines. Each evening the Emperor would choose one lucky lady to share his bed. His trusted unics would undress and bathe her then wrap her tightly in white silk (this way she could hide no weapons). She was then carried into the Emperor’s bedroom and placed on the floor where she had to escape her silk prison, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon and crawl along the floor into his bed. She must remain beneath him at all times to show her submission. Once the act was over and depending on how he felt it went, the Emperor would decide whether or not to give the woman herbs to destroy any possibility of conception or allow the pregnancy to continue.

Today we wrapped ourselves up in our own makeshift cocoons (enormous, yellow arctic jackets) and headed for the Great Wall of China. We may look silly but damn they’re warm and we certainly needed them. It was a freezing cold -10 day and The Great Wall of China was covered in snow like a slice of iced cake. However, we had an almost cloudless, beautiful blue sky and lots of sunshine. It was even more spectacular than I could ever have imagined. It was a truly unforgettable experience.

Tomorrow we are heading for pastures new.........Mongolia..........back soon.......

 

 

Destination Bangkok 

 

Je me sens toujours aussi privilégiée de pouvoir prendre un avion et de changer de culture, d’odeurs, de couleurs en quelques heures seulement…

J’ai tellement pris l’avion dans ma vie qu’un décollage est comme un ronron rassurant, j’adore voler, c’est le début du passage dans un autre monde où de nouvelles aventures m’attendent.

 

Il y a quelques années où mon compte bancaire connaissait plus de sorties que de rentrées, je faisais méticuleusement attention d’avoir l’équivalent (argent) d’un billet d’avion pour l’Australie sur un compte séparé…

Cela ne me faisait rien de me priver de tout extra pour avoir le choix.

C’est pour moi le plus important

– la liberté, c'est avoir le choix  – 

 

Aujourd’hui la pluie tombe, le bassin qui accueille des fleurs de lotus dégage une force tranquille.

La lumière a baissé de quelques lumens, les palmes verdoyantes soigneusement orientées deviennent soudainement plus oppressantes, leurs contours s’accentuent.

Ce jardin est le seul endroit tranquille que j’ai trouvé pour me couper du bruit ambiant de cette Asie si chaotique dans le bruit et le mouvement.

Ma tolérance aux bruits, à la foule est presque nulle … Je suis déjà dans la construction de mon cocon comme une chrysalide qui scrupuleusement suit le processus qui va faire qu’un jour, un magnifique papillon va pouvoir naître et prendre son envol !!!

Je suis dans cette phase ou chaque moment est très important, chaque nourriture ingurgitée est appréciée, je ne supporte pas d’avoir faim dans cette période de préparation. Le processus de déconditionnement a commencé ...je ne suis pas encore prête à l’envol final.

Le processus est en route ...

Sarah 

---- english translation by Heidi Etsell

Destination Bangkok

 

I always feel privileged to be able to take a plane and change cultures, smells and colours in only a few hours…

I have taken the plane so many times in life that the sound of the engines during take-off is like a reassuring purr. I love flying. It’s the beginning of a passage into another world where new adventures await.

 

A few years ago more money was exiting my bank account than entering. I was meticulously careful to have enough money on a separate account for a plane ticket to Australia…

It didn’t bother me to do without the inessentials so that I could allow myself this option. The most important thing for me was to have the freedom to choose.

 

It’s raining today. Once again the small basin full lotuses emits a calm force. The light has gone down a few lumens. The lush palms that are carefully oriented suddenly become more oppressing. Their contours stand out.

Within Asia’s chaotic movement, this garden is the only place I have found to cut myself off from the surrounding noise.

 

I have pretty much zero tolerance for noise and crowds. I’m already making my cocoon like a chrysalis that carefully follows the long and scrupulous process that will one day not only allow the birth a magnificent butterfly, but also allow it to fly!!!

I’m in that phase where every moment is very important. Where every piece of food swallowed is appreciated. I can’t stand being hungry during this part of my preparations… I’m not ready to fly yet.

 

Let your soul touch the earth… Go walking.                      Sarah Marquis

 

 

 

 

 

 

Je me suis dorée au soleil tout l'après -midi  avec un livre d'Anne Ancelin Schützenberger /

le plaisir de vivre.

Avec l'orage est venu un doux vent de doute, je le connais il envahit mes tripes, puis il s'écoule dans mes veines doucement, me poussant tout naturellement vers ma bibliothèque, là ou mon esprit aime aller pour contrecarrer ses doutes si forts sur mon chemin, mon existence.

Je me pose continuellement la question : Suis-je au bon endroit ? Suis-je occupée à la réalisation de mon chemin?

Théodore Mono disait : " il faut croire quand même, aimer quand même, espérer quand même "