Off on a cruise...

On the Irrawaddy river in Myanmar

This month, Marsha of Splenderosa is really in need of some sunshine and suggested to the members of "By Invitation Only" to share their thoughts on vacationing on a cruise: when to go, where to go, what to wear etc...

I have to admit that the thought of going on a cruise has no appeal to me....sorry... Every year I would treat my parents to a cruise in different parts of the world. When the time comes that I can no longer go on far-away exotic trips, I will only then likely be seduced by the idea of traveling in luxury and being catered to.

My idea of a cruise is to travel quietly with no one on the boat but the required personnel, being able to relax completely without having to think on what to wear, what to eat. Years ago I found myself in an embarrassing situation while booking a short cruise on Ha-long Bay in Vietnam for 5 days . As always, I required total privacy and requested a private cruise. To our horror, the beautiful cruise ship, reminiscent of the traditional Vietnamese teak boats, came to pick my husband , children, our guide an I  and... no one else...only our 2 cabins were occupied. It was a dream as we had full freedom, no schedule, swam in the sea and went to visit an amazing island and traditional vietnamese floating boat-villages by small motorboat.

My favorite cruise was on the Irrawaddy river in Burma. The boat was rather small, perhaps 20 cabins, a beautiful traditional wheel boat that slowly passed through the most magnificent landscapes.  Only an other Canadian gentleman was on the cruise. For hours on end we would watch the local life, get fish from the fishermen, eat on deck... time had stopped ... I felt as one of the characters in George Orwell Burmese Days, a favorite novel which inspired me to take my family to Burma.  Not much had changed since...

I would suggest to anyone to once in their life, visit Burma, an extraordinary beautiful country. 

On deck at sunrise, with my sons

I pack VERY light! Washable items only, sunglasses, a hat, walking shoes, flipflops and my invaluable Prada flats in black, and silver. For this type of fairly exotic traveling, I tend to wear khaki pants or shorts with a white shirt and great belt.

In the evening I love to wear long printed cotton dresses. I tend to collect them from various countries, djellabahs from Marrakesh, Indian Saris, great dresses from Callypso.

A Bientot,

Francine

My Interieurs Design Studio website will be soon launching.... are you looking for a designer? Check out our website...www.interieurs.com

Please check out "By Invitation Only" members' posts....always inspiring

My interview in Benjamin Moore Nuance

My interview with Benjamin Moore on color inspiration

Benjamin Moore's Director of Marketing for Architects and Designers Segment, John Turner, flattered me by inviting me to be part of Benjamin Moore's focus group on design. My interview and the article are embedded below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 Benjamin Moore Nuance - Francine Gardner Interview

IT'S A NEW YEAR...

Keeping an open mind

May this year be filled with love, joy, health, laughter and prosperity.

I am thankful for the daily gift of life, for the love and support of my family and friends, my Interieurs team.

Years ago, I stopped making new year resolutions and setting personal expectations that would not be met . Instead, I have guidelines and keep on...

Loving,

My son Hadrian bonding with Seeswi the orangutan in Kalimatan, Borneo. Please visit this amazing organization, we desperately need your help:

orangutan.org

Living fully,

Sharing happy moments with my team in Kilimanjaro. Thanks to these wonderful men, my friend Judy and I had the most wonderful experience trekking this extraordinary mountain and reaching the summit.

Dreaming,

image artworks-000010816227-ae67va-original.jpg

In search of the next adventure,

image:antarctica-icebergs_4608.jpg

Embrace life, yes it is a roller coaster, brace yourself and face the worst but keep loving, smile at the ones you love and at strangers, a kind word can make somebody's day, don't be scared of the future and try to control only what is within your power, be curious, go outside of your comfort zone and experience the world

Let's not ever forget, this is our life, let's live it fully with love and passion

Francine

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The meaning of Travel

Mandalay at Dawn

I was once asked why do I love to travel. My answer was quite direct: I travel because I have to.

I travel, not so  much to be inspired, but to explore cultures and feel nature's overpowering scale. I feel at home in foreign environments, absorbing what does not exist in my daily life. The landscapes help me to dream and often my travels are driven from the pages I read.

My favorite subject while in school in France was geography, I would stare at my globe and dreamed of foreign lands while my friends would play with their Barbie dolls...and I read, I devoured Jules Verne stories, read the great russian classics, dreaming of white russian landscapes, discovered Italy through Stendhal, my mind travelled through Burma with Georges Orwell and... I discovered Marc Twain.

 From that day on, I knew I would end up in America.

 His  powerful sentence..."travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness" marked me for ever, and by these standards I brought up my children. Growing up in France, in catholic school, one does not develop very broad horizon and my friends' way of thinking, expectations of life, almost archaic cast system in Bourgeois society were stifling. My parents always encouraged me to be myself and were the support that enabled me to break away from the standard mold. When I wanted to fly, my father brought me to our small local airport, I was only 15 and he said...go for it, and I learned how to fly, alone in my plane I felt an amazing sense of being alive, free to take my life in any direction I wanted. And I did.

Through travel, I feel that I succeeded in at least one thing with my children, they are not afraid of life, of taking risks, they are amazingly generous young men, their friends come from all walks of life and they hold no judgements. As a working mother, I often talk to them and ask if they missed out on their childhood by having both parents away during the day. Their answers are always positive, and in listening to them, our travels have been an amazing part of who they are, a part they hold on to and relish.

Re-reading George Orwell while cruising the mighty Irrawaddy river, Luke and the boys for an early sunrise. We were profoundly touched by this country, land of gentle people caught in a brutal regime

In Borneo, my children learned how to cope with nature, understand the fragility of natural rainforest in the hands of men and greed, and came to love Orangutans. Climbing the ironwood trunk ladder to spend the night with a Dayak family. An impromptu visit after reading Paul Theroux. 

I love being surrounded by younger people, my advise to them...go out in the world, explore, start with your own neighborhood and open your eyes, you will be amazed how much you have missed.

Burmese Days ....

Ever since my high school days when I read George Orwell's Burmese Days, I have held romantic notions of a country where time stood still, a country of such diverse ethnic groups, a land where legend tells us that Guatama Buddha once went to teach the people of Dhannavati in the Rakhine region of Burma, a country where the most remarkable monasteries and Stupas were erected.....a country in the cruel grip of a formidable military junta with no respect for human life or rights.

While traveling, we felt the deep fear in everyone around us. Universities were shut, no cell phones allowed, no internet access, very few foreigners. Away from the main cities of Yangon (f/k/a Rangoon) and Mandalay, the people whose path we crossed were kind, gentle, and with a sad tale to tell when they could find remnants of French or English words.

Aung Sang Suu Kyi, from her house arrest in Yangon for the past 18 years, has asked the world to stay away from Burma and to continue its full embargo (including no tourism) against the government. Although I have considerable admiration for Aung Sang Suu Kyi and understand her view that tourists spending money in Burma only benefits the regime, I don't agree with her in this limited sense: People should see Burma so as to witness the terrible hardships imposed on the country's deeply spiritual people, and to let them know that the outside world has not forgotten them.

We also went to see Burma's magnificent heritage and landscape. Via a french organization, I found a french speaking guide to expedite transportation and other matters, and off we went to this beautiful country that has touched the chore of my soul.

The taxi driver is holding the book of his life from which he read to us and
pleaded us to remember and tell his powerful tale of suffering ....
these words were all he had left of a previous life of learning, family and friends.

Bagan, the golden land with more than 2000 temples and pagodas built in the 1000s to 1200s

Mandalay in Upper Burma, once the center of Burmese culture and Buddhist learning during British colonial rule.

Below, a monastic life.... we were warmly welcomed in this monastery near Mandalay. A very old monk gave me a pamphlet on meditation...a five minutes guide to meditation... which is always on my night-stand.

Village life will transport you back in time

The villagers sending their children to the local monastery in hope that they will succeed as Buddhist monks or nuns

A fishing life on Inle Lake..Floating gardens are cultivated around houses built on stilts in the center of this beautiful lake.

Market day on the shore of Inle Lake

Forms of transportation ...

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, its age unknown, its origin lost in antiquity. Pure golden architectural marvel. Its lower stupa is plated with 8,688 solid gold bars, its upper part with another 13,153. The tip of the stupa is set with 5448 diamonds, 2317 rubies and saphires, 1065 golden bells and at the very top a 76 carat diamond... This temple exudes a soft golden glow at sunset and you will immersed in its serenity....a magical moment.

Ngapali, a small fishing town on the Andaman sea. Unspoiled beaches...pristine water

Sunset on the Irawaddy river.....A bientot Burma