Off-the-Grid Oasis: Explore African Savanna in France🇫🇷, world-famous flamingos🦩Nature's paradise🏞️

It's super beautiful! 😍. If you walk the Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, you'll come across this place. We are in a very mountainous area. Actually it's scary. If it were to collapse suddenly today... well, I might be in trouble. It's referred to as nature's paradise. being here gives you a sense of being in Africa. Hey, everyone! I'm Carine.

Right now, I'm in a village called Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. This village is officially recognized by the government as a cultural heritage site of France. That means all these buildings you see have been preserved from before. You can't add or build new structures according to your preferences. This village was founded around the year 1220 AD. by some monks who established a monastery. After the monastery was built, local businesses gradually became lively. attracting numerous tourists to the village.

Here, you'll find springs. with clear and drinkable water. It's super icy and comfortable! I also bought two postcards. This place is where we are right now.

Look at the tree. The same tree on the postcard. Super beautiful! 😍. They sell traditional French nougat here. I just checked the village's population online. and confirmed with the shop owner. Surprisingly, the population here is currently only about 200-250 people.

but during the summer, the number of tourists can reach millions. I bought a small bag of olives. Starting with a cup of ice-cold apple juice. This tree is genuinely enormous! Now, onto our lunch. We ordered some galettes.

Mine has salmon and cream. and the other one has ham, cheese, and egg. Wow, it looks incredibly delicious. If you walk the Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, you'll pass through here. My mom has always wanted to walk it. and we're planning a trip next year to walk the Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.

Here, you can see the entire village. This is the monastery I mentioned earlier. Monks used to live here, and that building over there is the church. Let's go take a look. Behind this is a prison from some time ago.

This underground cellar was discovered not long ago. The smell in the cellar is very strong. I think it is a jail. (but I'm not sure what it was for). Devil's Bridge. this bridge is called Devil's Bridge. because, according to legend, it was built by the devilwho now resides in the river.

The river is deep. so in the past, people passing the bridge would prepare a stone. and throw it into the river to prevent the devil from catching them. However, because many people now swim or canoe here. people probably don't throw stones anymore. The next part of our tour is to visit a stalactite cave. In fact, I've never seen stalactites in person (but I've seen them many times in geography textbooks 🤣).

The average temperature in this stalactite cave is about 15 degrees Celsius. so we definitely need to bring a light jacket. The humidity inside is surprisingly 98%. They say the stalactites inside only grow one centimeter every hundred years. So, the stalactites we'll see later might be hundreds or even thousands of years old. Let's explore together! We're taking a small train to enter the stalactite cave.

The floor is very wet and slippery. Wow, so impressive! 😲. The first explorers used ropes and took 14 hours to explore just this area (it's only this section). Back then, there were no electric lights, so they used candles 🕯️. Super beautiful~. The guide mentioned that some stalactites can even be used as musical instruments.

Can you see how large and deep this stalactite cave is? Looking down might make your legs numb 🥶. After just visiting. I really think, "Oh, it's truly amazing!". The small section we walked around took the first explorers more than 14 hours to complete. The handrails inside were built 70 years ago. If you haven't seen stalactites in person, you must go and see them! (It's truly spectacular on-site). So, we were actually inside this cave just now.

This is the small cabin we're staying in today. The owner of this cabin is actually a wood and steel sculptor. So, all these art installations are hand-carved by him. Super talented! You can also barbecue here. and this is the cat living here. They also have a swimming pool.

and the view is stunning. There's even a little bridge. Let's go check it out. Oh, there's a hammock. Oh actually there are lots of things. This might be another type of accommodation. In total, they have four small cabins.

This is the very primitive cabin we'll be staying in today. This is their kitchen, where we can cook. Since this place is in a very remote mountainous area. we bought a lot of things. We bought potato chips, some salad, pizza, chocolate, and fries. Avocado @#%&<?*~.

This is our bed. Due to the remote mountainous location, there might be many mosquitoes and insects. so they provide mosquito nets. And a desk, though we won't be working here, of course. This is their bathroom. The sink has a direct view outside (a bit scary at night 🫣🤣). And the shower room 🚿. Here's the toilet. What's unique is that there's a door in front of the toilet. It leads to a small backyard where you can enjoy the scenery.

Oh, you can also hang clothes here (actually, it's for drying clothes 😂). And we have a small dining table on the side. Great for having breakfast and enjoying the view in the morning. The weather is fantastic~ 🌤️. Now, we're going to a cool but somewhat scary place.

It's actually quite scary. Actually it's scary. This part below is hanging in mid-air. Super scary, but quite comfortable. It should be quite sturdy. Let me lie down. If this suddenly collapses today...

I might be in trouble 😵‍💫. Really deeeep. We're getting ready to bake pizza🍕. This is our dinner for today. and they provide some basic dressings, cups, and bowls. Olives 🫒.

Surprisingly, there's even a radio. Who still uses this in these days? 🤣. Now, we're waiting for our pizza to be ready. I also washed some raspberries. Relaxing and enjoying the scenery here. It's quite comfortable here. and the weather is just right. super chill~ 😽. The first pizza is done. The sun is slowly setting 🌥️.

Unexpectedly, it came to our room to play😆. Good morning, everyone~. The weather is really nice now, and the air is super fresh. It feels close to nature, away from the hustle and bustle. If you focus, you can only hear the sound of the river and birds. Look at this, it's amazing~ 🧡. The village we are in now is called Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. This village is located in the Camargue region.

The Camargue region is known as a paradise of nature. giving the feeling of being in Africa. This region is famous for its flamingos, Camargue horses, and Camargue bulls. The area is deeply influenced by Spain. so many restaurants sell Spanish paella 🥘. we're having lunch in this restaurant today. super delicious~ Let's dig in! 😋.

This is the symbol of Camargue. So, we can see it everywhere. like here as well. Every year, tens of thousands of Gypsies come to this church to worship Sainte Sarah. These are traditional clothing patterns in this area. Like this~. You can also see them on scarves or shawls. Ordered a raspberry ice cream for dessert.

Every flavor looks super delicious! Immediately saw traditional cowboys or shepherds of the Camargue region. Also, Camargue horses 🐎. The pattern on the cowboy's shirt is a traditional motif in this region. Bought a postcard with many flamingos. Saw many Camargue horses and bulls on the way.

We arrived at the national park. A flock of flamingos flew overhead. Now inside their national park. and there's a vast area filled with flamingos. So many~~. The only time I saw flamingos in Taiwan was probably at Leofoo Village🤣. Oh~ it's so quiet🤫.

This place is really beautiful~ 😍. The feeling of seeing it in person is very different from recording it with a camera! Our dinner tonight will be making some salad. Because we had a greasy lunch. We have lettuce 🥬, tomatoes 🍅, olives 🫒, avocados 🥑. and our favorite Mozzarella cheese. Also, this peach is super delicious.

Our dessert after dinner. The first time making such a big salad. One bowl each, super abundant~.