Jonathan Brun

Satyagraha

Category: Travel

Igloo in Parc national des Monts-Valins, Québec

In early January 2010, my girlfriend and I rented a fully-equipped igloo for two nights in the provincial Parc des Monts-Valins near Chicoutimi. For about 140$ per night you got two sleeping bags, two snowshoes, two mats and a candle to get rid of the moisture. The lady at the welcome centre warned us that [...]

Review Giacomo sur les planches

The one man act entitled “Giacomo sur les planches”, playing in Paris is well worth the ticket price. The actor Giacomo plays out his childhood and first love affair with theatre. He jumps from one character to another, his friends, parents and neighbours  bringing well over 20 unique personalities to life. Each character is unique [...]

St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia is big, really big. My brother, girlfriend and I recently to travelled from west to east on the Trans-Siberian railway. Our trip began in St. Petersburg, a very European city, built on the marshes of the North sea by slave labour. The city was once the capital or Russia and French was spoken at [...]

Mongolian Photos

Just put up some photos from my trip – Russia and Mongolia, click here to see them. More to come.

Getting a Russian Visa in Paris

This was by far, the hardest Visa I ever got. We got our Visas on French passports, though these requirments apply to all EU passports. Real embassy website here (beware of fakes).

Items required:

Forms from the embassy
Proof on insurance (expatriation and 30 000$ coverage). I bought it for my brother from L’Europeene Assurance for 32 Euros. [...]

Out of Ethiopia – Last African Update

From the Misty Mountains of Simien, I continued North through the sleepy town of Shire, turning East to the heart of the fallen Aksumite Kingdom. The city of Aksum, littered with giant Obelisks, undiscovered tombs, and ancient Palaces; could easily be the backdrop of an Indiana Jones movie. The scale of the Aksumite projects rival [...]

The Move to Northern Ethiopia

After an amazing time in eastern and muslim ethiopia, I headed back West. I hitched a ride with a canadian aid worker into the Awash national park, home to the endemic Oryx and Kalishnikov toting tribes who, apparently, do not like having their picture taken.
After the park, I headed to the historic north. Starting in [...]

Zanzibar to Ethiopia

Got in some amazing diving in Zanzibar. The corals were very good, but the highlight was definitely the dive with sea turtles and dolphins near an atoll off the eastern coast of Zanzibar. Spent a day in a spice plantation, where they grow every imaginable spice. Very agronomically rich island. The beaches are pristine and [...]

From The Top of Kilimanjaro to the Seas of Zanzibar

As for me, I climbed that little volcano called Kilimanjaro, it was stunning. You traverse all the climate zones, have unbelievable views and are treated to amazing hospitality. Tanzania is a most amazing place. The climb was pretty challenging despite the help of porters; I got quite sick towards the top of the mountain (above [...]

Birthright and the Middle East – Part I

Been working on this ridiculous essay on my trip to the middle east for over 4 months. Well, not working that hard. Anyways, here it is in installments. Part I:
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“The difference between involvement and commitment is like a ham and egg breakfast – the chicken was involved, the pig was committed” – Unknown
Israel Historically
Religion is [...]