The Travel Flu

East Asia 2011: Last hours in HK

2011-06-27T10:13:00.001+02:00

There are some traditions that cannot be forgotten, so on the day before going back home, there's only one thing to do...

Shop, shop, shop until you drop!!

(and then try to pack, of course...)

Next day, the long journey back home...

East Asia 2011: HK Museums day, and swing!

2011-06-26T13:10:00.002+02:00

Breakfast at Urban Council Centenary Garden, and then Hong Kong
History Museum and after lunch Albert Einstein exhibition at the
Science Museum.

Now dinner at my favourite noodle place in Causeway Bay and if
there's still any energy left, going back to Central for swing and
fun!

East Asia 2011: HK: Victoria's peak and walking tour...

2011-06-23T23:37:00.002+02:00

... coming soon ...

East Asia 2011: HK: T3, Tang dynasty gardens and exhibitions

2011-06-22T23:34:00.003+02:00

I have already discovered what those "T-i" warnings mean. Basically they have to do with the proximity of typhoons (tropical cyclones)

Meaning of signals:

T1: A tropical cyclone is centred within about 800 kilometre (km) of Hong Kong and may affect the territory.

T3: Strong wind is expected or blowing generally in Hong Kong near sea level, with a sustained speed of 41-62 kilometres per hour (km/h), and gusts which may exceed 110 km/h, and the wind condition is expected to persist.

T8: Gale or storm force wind is expected or blowing generally in Hong Kong near sea level, with a sustained wind speed of 63-117 km/h from the quarter indicated and gusts which may exceed 180 km/h, and the wind condition is expected to persist.

T10: Hurricane force wind is expected or blowing with sustained speed reaching upwards from 118 km/h and gusts that may exceed 220 km/h.

(More details at: http://www.weather.gov.hk/publica/gen_pub/tcws.pdf )

Anyway, today we have T3. The typhoon is still far, but we will feel it's there with strong winds and stormy weather.

Today I'll be meeting a friend from HongKong and visit the Nian Lian Garden, which was designed in the style of Tang Dinasty gardens. We've enjoyed a great vegetarian meal at the restaurant in those Gardens, by a window under a waterfall.

At the exhibition center in the Nan Lian Garden we could visit an Exhibition of replicas from the (Buddhist) scultures and paintings from the Dunghuang Mogao Caves.

After that, we proceded to the Polytechnic University for another exhibition. This time organised by the Design Department, and talking on the traditional agriculture and it's future in HongKong.

After the exhibition, some congee (chinese rice porridge), and off to Central to meet the Lindy Hop community in HongKong and to dance till midnight!!

East Asia 2011: Just arrived in HongKong

2011-06-21T23:22:00.001+02:00

After all this adventurous travel, staying a week in Hong Kong should feel like holidays from holidays.

Only from the first step you take into the airport you already experience that you are in a very developed city/country.

Let's not waste any time, and start exploring. By the way, we have a T1 tropical cyclone warning, whatever that might mean... ;-)

Seeeyyaaa!!!!

East Asia 2011: Rushing forward

2011-06-17T17:33:00.000+02:00

I know, I know... I haven't been updating this blog for a few days. Some friend even sent me a worried message asking whether something had happened to me. Do not worry, I'm fine, just traveling and doing and seeing so many things that I haven't had much time to write in this blog, or even to classify, sort out and select any of the ~1200 pictures I must have taken so far.

Since last entry in the blog, I've spent still another day in Xi'an, then travelled back to Beijing for a couple of days, managed (after some delays) to reach Hanoi, and from Hanoi visited Bac Ha and Sapa n the very North of Vietnam, cruised in Halong Bay and gone also South of Hanoi to visit the Perfume Pagoda.

Of course I'll write more detailed accounts of the visit to all those places, and probably you'll be able to find the first of them published some time later this weekend. In the meanwhile, and still talking about 'rushing forward', let me introduce you to a very characeristic peculiarity of the city of Hanoi. I refer to the fact that it's a city with a population of 7 million people which has some 5 million motorcycles registered. May be you'll thik that might be an exageration, but let me show you the afternoon rush hour and probably you'll believe it (please notice that there are even a few motorcycles using the pavement as a fast lane to beat the slow moving traffic on the road!!).

East Asia 2011: Vietnam: Halong bay

2011-06-15T23:17:00.010+02:00

East Asia 2011: North Vietman: Sapa

2011-06-13T23:42:00.000+02:00

Night train to the North of Vietnam. Sapa and tekking on the rice fields.

East Asia 2011: Beijing: Forbidden City

2011-06-08T23:07:00.007+02:00

East Asia 2011: Around Xian: trip to the Terracotta Army

2011-06-05T14:38:00.000+02:00

After a generous breakfast at my hotel, nothing like a gentle walk to
South Gate and then walking by the Old City Walls, enjoying walking in
the park between the wall and the canal, and away from traffic
pollution and noise. Interesting to see all the gym equipment that is
installed in the park, not just some bars to do pull-ups, but massage
equipment, static bicycles of various types, running machines...
All this relaxing atmosphere came to an end when, just a few metres
from the next bridge to the street, the path was blocked by some
works, and I could only walk back again the whole length of the park
and again the same distance, this time by the traffic-packed-road to
the train station where the buses to the Terracotta Army
Archaeological site stop.
Imagine a surface like half Tiananmen Sq. nearly as long but half as
wide, in front of the station. In that surface there a taxi stand with
literally hundreds of taxis, and a square with literally a thousand
people arriving, leaving, selling drinks or food, or trying to meet
someone who is arriving by train or bus or who is simply lost, or
carrying a huge sack of some rice, cereal, whatever... Actually, in
the middle of that crowd, there's a fence so that security people can
check the tickets of people intending to travel by train before they
are allowed to even get closer to the station building.
Finally I arrive to some part of this chaos where plenty of buses,
minibuses, urban buses and long distance coaches are arriving, waiting
or departing. My guidebook says I should look for a green coach or for
urban bus number 306.
A somewhat angry mob surrounds the door of a green minibus not far
from me. It says on the bus that it goes to the "Terracotta Army and
Horses", so that must be it. The bus is full already, and not taking
any more customers, and that's why the mob is angry. The bus finally
leaves and the mob kind of relaxes a bit. Meanwhile I check for the
306 bus as alternative, but the queue is about 300m long. 306 buses
arrive, load and laave as fast as it takes to load and unload, but I
guess it will be better to wait for the next green coach.
Two white and purple minibuses arrive to next parking place. It also
says "Terracotta Army and Horses", in very small letters, but no one
from the mob (in which I'm now included) try to board those. After a
while, two more green minibuses arrive, and like a cell reproducing,
the mob splits in two and proceeds to attack each bus. Slowly, the
people trying to alight from the bus manage to filter though the mob
trying to get in. Once all passengers have alighted it's brawl time.
No quarter, no gentlemanly courtesies, everyone wants to board the
bus, and there are no friends in that. Long years of going to the
second-hand book market in Barcelona pay off. I'm in the bus!! And I
even have a seat!! (yes, the very last one, at the very end, to the
left, by the window).
The bus rapidly takes off as soon as noone else fits, surely to avoid
any retaliation from angry mobsters left behind. Now it's time to make
sure I'm in the right bus, but I seem to be the only westerner in the
bus. No one seems to speak anything but Chinese. I show my guidebook
to the guy sitting by my side, and point at the name in Chinese of my
destination. He replies in Chinese (obviously) and pointing to the
parking lot, which I guess it means I should have taken another bus,
but he doesn't seem worried in the least, which in turn I assume means
that this bus, may be not being optimal, will also get me there. When
I show the same to the woman charging for the ride, she just charges
me the same fare as to everyone, so it must be the right bus.
I wait, I look at the landscape (grey, smoggy, industrial... there are
some mountains in the distance, but you can't really see them as they
are deep in the haze), I try to learn to count to ten in Chinese, and
also to count with my fingers Chinese style, with the help of my
neighbor. I also eat some cheese biscuits.
At some point, most of the people leave the bus. It's time to ask
again, this time to the driver. He gestures me to wait and sit in
front. We are not there yet. Some time later, he signals me to leave
the bus, and points emphatically towards the other side of the road. I
leave the bus, I cross the road.
The first large building, behind a coach parking lot, seems to be a
restaurant for organised tours. I keep looking for the Archaeological
site. I arrive to an a promenade full of fast food restaurants,
souvenir shops and other businesses typical of tourist destinations. I
must be getting closer. As many people walk downhill I head for that
direction... but after a while I discover that is the direction of the
parking lot. So, uphill it is... I finally arrive to the top of the
hill and that starts to look like the entrance to either a Sci-Fi
military complex or to a Chinese archaeological touristic attraction.
Of course I need a ticket. But tickets are sold... guess where... yes,
at the bottom of the hill, by the parking lot.
20 minutes later I'm back with my ticket but little patience left. I
pass two ticket check barriers and security controls (it must be the
Sci-Fi military complex, after all), and after crossing some park I'm
in.
I start with the exhibition hall to learn about the discovery, the
different finds, what was in each pit, and the plans for the museum
expansion. Then I head to the buildings that contain the excavation
sites themselves (yes, those that look like Sci-Fi space station
military bunkers).
First one contains the larger excavation pit. It's literally the size
of an hangar. A large one. Many hundreds of real size clay soldiers
stand to attention in their pits, while others are still being dug and
reconstructed. There's no way to describe the size of it all, probably
not even the pictures can transmit that feeling. Anyway, there are two
more pits, one that is being attributed to be some sort of
headquarters with the high ranking officers, and another one with more
soldiers.
All of this is very impressive, but the crowds of Chinese tours are
also overwhelming, and once I've satisfied myself that I've seen,
photographed and explored all there was to see, it's time to retreat
and start going back to Xi'an. This time I manage to get a bus almost
as soon as I get to the parking lot by the road, and the way back is
rather relaxing.
Once in Xi'an, I do a small detour on the way from the station to the
hotel to visit the Taoist Temple of the 8 Immortals, from there,
passing by an antiques market, and back to the old town and to rest a
few minutes in my hotel before going for dinner to the oldest
traditional Chinese restaurant in Xi'an.

East Asia 2011: On the way to Xian & first evening.

2011-06-04T23:57:00.000+02:00

Leaving the nice hotel where the conference was held,- and starting
the adventure. First, on a taxi but trapped in a traffic jam to the
airport. Arriving to the airport and passing security check
uneventfully, but later there having some delay in the plane (about
~1h). Chatting with old couple from Britain (who happen to have a
small house in the Atlantic coast of Andalucia),-and on the plane to
an Indian lady who was traveling China with several friends and
relatives.
Arrival to Xi'an, getting luggage and taking bus to the center. In
there, avoiding bus hostess trying to get a commission on my hotel
reservation and finding a small, well hidden, but affordable hotel (a
bit run-down, but fine overall), and most importantly, right in the
center of town. Once checked in, time to start with the highlights of
the city.
First stop is the bell tower, trapped in the middle of a busy
roundabout (fortunately there's a maze of subway tunnels to get to one
side of the street to the other).
Second stop, obviously, is the drum tower, with it's drum and
furniture exhibitions. In the past, life would run to the rhythm of of
a bell during the day and of the drum during the night, which would
mark the passing of time.
From there, straight to the Muslim Quarter, to see the crowds, colors,
activity, and of course have something to eat. Highly recommended are
the kebabs prepared by this guy and his wife at No. 33 XXXXX Street
(the one to the left) (not to be confused with the big shop just
besides, with plenty of types of kebab but no customers). Another
suggestion is the noodle place at around the 105 of the same street. A
large bowl of lamb and noodles with some vegetables and just a bit of
very rich soup at the bottom of the bowl. Tried some sweets as well...
peanut 'polvoron' and some rice sweet looking like a giant 'flam' or
'creme caramel' and served in slices on a kebab stick.
With that, it was time to go to bed and rest for the trip to the
Terracotta Army the next day.
-

East Asia 2011: Photo Great Wall

2011-06-03T17:00:00.002+02:00

East Asia 2011: Second day in Beijing

2011-05-31T23:28:00.000+02:00

After a long healling sleep and a generous breakfast, it was time for
the sightseeing of the day. The plan for today was to start visiting
the Olympics complex and then come back early to the hotel for the
conference registration.
The Olympics complex can be easily reached by the underground, which
like the ones in Thailand, Singapore or Malaysia, is ultramodern, with
clear indications and unbelievably clean compared to their
counterparts in Europe.
As everything in China, size is important, and when you build a new
area of the city to host some world event like the Olympic Games, the
imortant of size becomes capital. The main avenue of the complex runs
for several km, and it aligns perfectly with the axis formed by the
Forbidden City and Tiananmen Sq.
After the Olimpics complex, and on the way back to the city center,
there was also a stop for lunch in a Asian style fast food place
(noodle soup and gyoza) by the Puppet Theatre and later on a relaxed
coffee in come cafe lost in a neighbourhood of typical 'hutong'
buildings.
On the same street, closer to the city center, the influence of the
customers of one of the main youth hostels could be clearly seen, as
the traditional houses and few shops sudenly transformed in design
clothing, articraft and souvenir shops and internet cafes and pubs
(Nanfuoguxian). Passing by that hostel, we decided to already book a
trip to the Great Wall for the day after the conference finished.
After that, it was time to get back to the hotel, try to sort out some
travel logistics for after the conference and get a light fruit supper
before going to bed. Funny thing about those logistics was that it
seems that in China there's not such a concept as a Travel Agency (of
course, why should they need it?), but it took me some trying and
asking in various places and to several people to realise. The only
way to sort out some travel tickets seems to be either to get them
yourself (by visiting the railway statin, airport, etc. or of course
using the internet), or if you are lodging in a hotel, get someone of
the hotel to do it for you.

East Asia 2011: Photo Beijing day 2

2011-05-31T16:30:00.000+02:00

Beijing subway. Olympic area. Hutong. Coffee break.

East Asia 2011: Photo Beijing day 1

2011-05-30T23:18:00.000+02:00

Forbidden City; Tian'man Sq; Park of Temple of Heaven; lunch.

East Asia 2011: Arrival to Beijing and first day

2011-05-30T11:26:00.000+02:00

***NOTE: For those whom I had given a different mobile number where to
SMS me if needed, please note that it does not work in China,
therefore, if you need to contact me, please use email.***

After a long flight with Aeroflot, finally one arrives to Beijing.
First welcome ceremony in China is, of course, the immigration
control. The first greeting of the guy there, surely wanting to make a
joke to break the ice, was that I didn't look like the picture in my
passport, and asking if it was really me.
Apart from that, not much of a problem with immigration, and more on
the contrary, I was surprised by the interest of the Chinese
authorities to improve the quality of the service. As you are almost
done with the immigration procedure, you are asked to 'vote' on the
quality of the attention you have received on a special keypad (of
course I voted 'very good service', because I would not like to be
responsible for the guy at immigration receiving an electric shock or
something like that if I voted the opposite).
Once I had recovered my luggage, I was fortunate to meet again the
girl who was sitting beside me on the plane and her friend, and they
offered to share their taxi to the city with me. During the trip,
various subjects were covered, ranging from urban development, passing
by weather, and work interests, and even metallurgical aspects of 9/11
and the usefulness of carbon nanotubes to build an space elevator.
Once in my hotel, and being that my room was not ready yet (too
early), I left my luggage in a friend's room and we took off to start
discovering a few of the secrets of the capital. Our wanderings took
us by the outer wall of the Forbidden City,then Tian'anmen Sq. and
then to the high street beyond. It was surprising to see a newly built
commercial street built in traditional style, but lodging
international brands like Starbucks or Zara... it reminded me of it
being some sort of Disney World neighborhood (Qianmen St.). On the
other hand, just by taking any of the side streets, in a few minutes
you would find yourself in a very traditional street, with old shops
and small eateries.
From there we walked all the way to the Temple of Heaven park and
temple complex. On he way, we had the chance to explore a local
market. Beijing is a city with many parks, huge and small, always very
well kept. some surprising things for me were the way to water the
plants and even the trees (by spraying them with water, instead if
soaking the ground where they stand), and that in some quiet spots of
the park, speakers where installed, concealed as old lamps, providing
relaxing music to match the greenery and relaxing atmosphere.
After all that walking (just let me remind you that by that time I had
not really slept in over 40h) we finally went back to the commercial
area we had found before to get some real traditional food. Let's just
say that ordering unknown dishes in a foreign country of which you
don't understand the language it's always risky, but that let's say we
managed to have a 66% rate of success. ;-)
From there, it was just another gentle stroll to the hotel, with
various stops on the way to get some supplies, and meeting a few more
people participating in the conference. Finally, it was time to have a
long shower, and get to bed.

East Asia 2011: Stop-over at Sheremtyvo Airport

2011-05-29T14:36:00.000+02:00

First stop on the way: Moskow. The plane that has brought us here was
something out of other ages. Nowhere where the small luxuries of Asian
or Middle Eastern airlines. Well, may be the people in the First class
did have some complimentary paper slippers, earplugs and a better
menu, but still,you already get that and better on Economy Class in
Singapore Airlines, or Gulf Air.
Not even we had a good choice of entertainment options, not even the
old style "one film fits all" of old times and coach trips. The plane
didn't have any entertainment, no film,no game console, not even a
music channel where to fit your headphones. Actually, the only luxury
was a bit more space than i a Ryanair flight. And a meal of course,
but don't get me started on the food...
I'll talk about the terminal later,now i have to leave to the boarding call.
PS: The next leg of the trip was not so disastreous: the plane qas a
21st century model, with proper entertainment center, but the food was
stilll appaling.

East Asia 2011: Fully packed and ready to go!!

2011-05-28T13:06:00.000+02:00

Everything is ready. My luggage is packed and the travel plan is set. There're only farewell whishes to exchange with friends and family and it will be time for the next big Asian adventure.

Galicia'10 -- Cies: Lemmings & Paradise

2010-08-16T17:22:00.000+02:00

Galicia'10 -- Guided Visits to Santiago

2010-08-14T13:51:00.000+02:00

There are plenty of options to visit Santiago on guided tours, but my choice for a very complete set, including historical and artistical highlights, legends, views and curisities, would consist on combining the following three tours:

If you want to have a day of solid sightseeing you should get the audioguide from the Tourist Information Office, which lets you visit the city at your pace and will provide you with the basic facts of the city.

If you can, book already for the Night Guided Tour as well, which lets you complement the previous one with visits to the Hospital de los Reyes Catolicos, some of the oldest pubs in Santiago, meet the ghost of a pilgrim and experience the real magic of the queimada.

Also, as you arrive to the plaza del Obradoiro during your audioguided tour, you can also book the tour to the roof of the Cathedral for some time in the early afternoon. This tour will let you have excellent views to the city and to visit some parts of the Cathedral and the Palace of Xelmirez that you cannot visit otherwise.

Enjoy!!

Galicia'10: Vigo Survival Tips

2010-08-13T23:07:00.001+02:00

Travel guides and previous visitors can suply you with ideas about what sights you would enjoy visiting, but at least for me, it is equally important to know where to enjoy a the local gastronomy and of course, where to rest and gather energy for the next stage of the journey. As I did for Santiago, here you have my suggestions for Vigo.

This time let me suggest where to book your accommodation: Hotel Aguila, in Rua Victoria (just at one of the ends of Plaza Compostela). Excellent quality, better price, and spot on the center of Vigo. Not even 5min away from the harbour and old quarter. (there's also a very handy 24h supermarket around the corner).

About some place for tapas and home made meals, do not hesitate to go to the Bar Chavolas, in Rua dos Cesteiros. Or if you feel like having some Jamon, Chorizo, lomo, cheese... then try the Jamoneria Jaqueyvi, in Plaza Princesa.

If what you want is to relax in the early afternoon before resuming the sightseeing, try the coffee shakes (or just coffee) at Cafe Gretttel, in Praza Constitucion, while sitting under the archs observing people pass by.

Finally, and for a real sit down dinner or the best Mariscada (Seafood feast) in town, and at the best price, forget about the touristy restaurants close to the seafront, they would rip you off full time. Your best choice is, without a hint of a doubt, the Rias Baixas, in Rua Republica Argentina.

Enjoy your stay!!

Galicia'10 So much to do in Santiago

2010-08-13T15:42:00.001+02:00

After waking up to the always invigorating sound of a concert with the Cathedral's carillon, followed by the harmonious sound of 'gaitas' (windpipes) we look ahead another day full of activities in Santiago.

First, breakfast visiting the main market (Mercado de Abastos), then a visit to the roof of the Cathedral, and after lunch heading to the Center for Contemporary Art and finally a guided tour to the old quarters at night.

Galicia'10 visiting Santiago

2010-08-12T22:49:00.000+02:00

After a lively night, with entertainment provided by the bells of the Cathedral (signalling not only the hours but the quarter hours as well), and the "loud fighting cats ensemble", among others, today was the day to explte all the sights of the city of Santiago.

Armed with the audioguide from the tourist information office, we learned all the secrets of the Cathedral and its construction, the old quarters, some monasteries and convents converted into museums and the distinct walks of life and society in the park of la Alameda. Of course it could not have been possible without the nutritious (and the generous portions of) galician meals (just as example... these are two half portions of cheese and meats!!).

Galicia'10 Arrival in Santiago

2010-08-12T13:43:00.001+02:00

After a relaxed and uneventful journey, arrival to Santiago de Compostela, destination of pilgrims and travellers alike.

Getting information at the tourist information office, tasting some various types of Tarta d Santiago and other sweets and Orujos, and sitting outside a bar to plan the stay and the visits.

Once everything is under a tight schedule ;-) a quick pop into the Tourist information office and a bit of wandering in the area North of the Cathedral.

Dinner in a nice garden restaurant. Later, there was supposed to be a jazz concert at the Xardins de Fonseca, but unfortunately the info from the concert was wrong and it had already finished. A bit more of wandering, sampling different street concerts, and finally a nice glass of Ribeiro to sum up the first day of the journey.

Galicia'10: Santiago Survival Tips

2010-08-10T22:16:00.018+02:00

Travel guides and previous visitors can suply you with ideas about what sights you would enjoy visiting, but at least for me, it is equally important to know where to enjoy a the local gastronomy and of course, where to rest and gather energy for the next stage of the journey. These are my suggestions for Santiago:

An interesting stop as you start your day of exploration of Santiago de Compostela is the Mercado de Abastos, the main marketplace, just outside the old quarter, and also a place where you can stock yourself of food (may be some fruit for a snack), and stop for a coffee and churros. If you want to enjoy some ultrafresh seafood, without being ripped off at some high-up restaurant, you can also consider the possibility of buying some shellfish in the market, and in the same market cafe they will cook it for you for a small fee.

Once you've spent all the morning sightseeing, there's nowhere better to stop to gather the energy for the afternoon than at a small family run restaurant where to enjoy typical home make local cuisite. My suggestion is the Entre Ruas, in a tiny square at the end of the narrowest alley in Santiago. Try the traditional Galician boiled coffee as well!!

May be after lunch you feel like resting on the grass while discussing what to do in the afternoon. Many people would probably go to the Alameda, but let me suggest a different, quieter park: San Domingos de Bonaval, close to the Museo do Pobo Galego.

Finally, after a whole day of culture and views, you might feel like chilling out while having some tapas and sampling the local wines or some cold beer in a cool tasca, then my choice would be the A Despensa Da Troia (Rua da Troia), but beware, if you order some cheese or cold meats board, half boards are already for the very hungry!!.

On the other hand, if you'd prefer a classic dinner in a luxurious garden, then head for the Casa Felisa, in Porta da Pena, 5.

Finally, just in case you didn't book any accomodation, you can try the Hospedia La Tita, in Rua Nova, 46. May be not the classiest place to stay, but 5min from the Cathedral (just a warning: you will hear the bells all night long), and rather affordable.

Galicia'10 -- Packing

2010-08-10T18:16:00.000+02:00

Sopar Vietnamita

2010-08-08T00:12:00.000+02:00

Sopar Vietnamita (el 4rt), al Thaithai

It's nice to be back home...

2010-05-20T11:07:00.023+02:00

After a week of scientific conference and a stopover in the UK for the weekend, it's great to be finally back home, specially when the trip has included, in about a week: 4 plane rides, 15 train, 2 coach, 4 bus, 2 taxi, and 4 tube, in three different countries!!

No, I didn't ride any elephant this time... but not for lack of oportunity...

International Conference: METAL2010 (Czech Republic)

2010-05-18T11:00:00.000+02:00

3rd Vietnamese Dinner

2009-09-05T17:09:00.002+02:00

Still planning to go to Vietnam some time (the sooner the better), Vietnamese (or just Asian) dinners are still on.

Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire

2008-05-05T21:05:00.002+02:00

Saint Ives, in Cambridgeshire (there's another St. Ives in Cornwall), it's a lovely small village which has one of the last bridge chapel in England. It's also well known because of a children's song with a misterious past.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

SEA07: From KL to Malacca

2007-10-05T04:42:00.001+02:00

Three nights in KL were all right, but it was time to hit the road again. And this time my destination has been one of the jewels of the journey. Malacca, probably the town in this region with the richest colonial history.

An important trading post between Africa and the Indian subcontinent on one side and China on the other, and being part of the lands of the spices, it has been in the center of many historical developments in this region. Having had some brief comercial contact witrh the Spanish and then having been colonised by the Portuguese, later colonised by the Dutch , followed by the British, then the Japanese during WWII and the British again afterwards. Only with the independence of the Malay state, 50 years ago, they managed to start their own life (more or less). ;-)

In an case, all this succession of influences and colonizers have left a rich footprint in the architecture (and gastronomy) of this town. It's time to explore it....

SEA07: First dinner in KL

2007-10-01T16:09:00.001+02:00

The first dinner in a new city gives an important impression.
This time, I went to a Nonya restaurant in Chinatown, not far from the Red Dragon, my hostel. The "Old China Cafe" used to be some sort of Union meeting place, and now it has been converted into a traditional restaurant and exhibition hall. You can see in the pictures below, how lovely it is.

And you should try this starter... "Ikan bilis"... crispy anchovies in a spicy dressing... a very original and delicious starter!! (mmhhh... there's not much left even to take the picture...)

SEA07: From Singapore to Penang

2007-10-01T16:04:00.001+02:00

Sooo... where were we? Ah, yes, on a train, going North, into Malaysia.

I thought that having had my passport checked at the train station in Singapore, I would be allowed to sleep (or try to), all the way to KL (Kuala Lumpur). Well... Wrong!! At about 23h (when I was starting to fall asleep), the border police woke me up, and made me follow everyone else on the train, out into the station, to have our passports checked another time. then we had to wait for some 20 more mintes till everybody's passport had been checked, and they would open the doors of the station building so that we could board the train again.

Finally we were on our way, and I could sleep (more or less) till we arrived to KL, around 7AM, without too much of delay. Buying another ticket, waiting for my next train, and off we go again... 8 more hours of train travel.

Not many people were travelling in the first class carriage (three japanese, a malay and myself), so it was rather quiet. Good oportunity to sleep, read (continuing with "The Illiad"), and enjoying the landscape. Towards noon, another young malay guy entered the carriage and asked me where I was from, and whether I would mind to be interviewed for some freelance TV program they were producing. Of course I could not decline. :-D

Some time after the interview, we arrived to Butterworth. The TV crew where going into town to get a van and drive back south, and I was taking the ferry to Penang and Georgetown.

SEA07: Taking the train North...

2007-09-28T14:00:00.001+02:00

There are still many pictures of Singapore to upload, but I'm afraid they will have to wait a bit. In about two hours, I'll be boarding a train going North, to start to explore that country for the next two weeks.

The plan so far is to start covering all the western coast of the country, discovering the colonial past of the country (Portuguese, Dutch, British...), and later on go to the far north-east region to learn about some ancient malay traditions: kites and shadow puppet theater!! And of course, one cannot end a trip like this without spending some time relaxing in some paradisiacal beach... may be doing some snorkeling, and gathering the energy needed to return to the underdeveloping Europe... ;-)

Well, that's the plan. I'll let you know how it progresses...

A tantot!!

SEA07: Colonial quarters

2007-09-27T15:04:00.000+02:00

SEA07 Day Trip to the Jungle

2007-09-26T04:48:00.000+02:00

SEA07: First touristy walk

2007-09-21T17:54:00.000+02:00

SEA07: Arrived to destination

2007-09-20T12:28:00.001+02:00

Here I am. A bit jet/lagged, but safe and healthy in this small and vibrant island. A shower, some cuttlefish stew and noddle soup, and now a cup of tea are getting me fit again to start tomorrow (or even this very evening!) with the hard duties of a tourist.

SEA07: The planning

2007-09-19T20:05:00.001+02:00

Well, if you already knew of this blog, or if you've been browsing a bit, you would remember that last year there was a long planned trip to Thailand.

That trip was carefully organised in advance, months in advance, getting information from different sources, guides, maps, history and archaeology books, blogs, podcasts, the internet in general, asking friends and relatives...

This year's trip is different. I have friends living *there* and they have been very kind to invite me to go and visit, and of course I could not refuse!! ... I checked for flight offers and I got one that was unbelievably affordable, and that on top of that fitted exactly with my other appointments for this periode (basicaly two weddings), so I didn't hesitate much to buy the flight.

At some point, other things came my way, and I assumed that I could not make the trip after all, but in the end, here I am, busying myself writing the first 'chapter' of this trip, while I try to kill the 5 hours tranfer in... But no, I won't give that clue... you'll have to guess my destination... ;-)

SEA06: The complete journey (finally)

2007-05-25T18:50:00.000+02:00

They say that better late than never... well, then here you finally have what you were waiting for... the map of Thailand with our complete route (thanks Ignacio!!). Much easier to grasp than imagining it from the chronicles, and surprisingly, showing that after all our journey was pretty efficient!!

:-)

On the way back to Paris

2006-11-07T20:58:00.000+01:00

From Barcelona to Paris via the Gulf of Lion, Beziers and Aubergne.

SEA06: Summing up the costs

2006-09-05T13:53:00.000+02:00

Our holidays have finished. We are back in Europe and back into our jobs. Luggage undone. Most postcards have arrived to destination. Pictures are still being sorted out to be uploaded onto the web for everybody to see (but of course, there are a lot of them). What else is there to remind us of the trip? Of course, the bills: that huge hole in our savings after spending almost a month abroad, at the other end of the world, living great adventures (well, having lots of fun at least ;-)).

But was the cost of the bill that huge? Well, I did spend a lot of money, but I have to admit that more than one third of all that money was spent in souvenirs, gifts (specially "self-gifts", in the form of items that would be much more expensive or not easy to find at all in Europe, like a taylor made suit and a new mobile phone), and this kind of stuff.

So what was the final budget of this trip? Or what could one expect to need to be able to do something similar? Let's have a quick look at it.

The flight there was some 800 Euro, booking some four months in advance and directly to the airway company website. We were traveling in the peak holiday season in southern/western Europe, so that same ticket could cost about 500 Euro (actually, barely a week after we arrived, it was just 530 Euro).

The cost of living there can vary a lot. Leaving aside shopping, partying and stuff (but including museums and transport), our average daily budget for the whole trip has been just below 20 Euro. Of course accommodation costs in Bangkok are much higher that elsewhere in the country, and you can spend as much as you can possibly imagine and more if you want something extremely fancy, but we did very well for some 8 Euro per person in Bangkok and as low as 3 Euro per person out of Bangkok (you can get even lower prices, in the range of 2 Euro for a very basic bungalow for several people in the beach, but we didn't mind spending this bit more).

About catering, again, it's really up to you. Our most expensive meal was in a rather fancy Indian restaurant in Sukhumvit Rd. in Bangkok, 8 Euro per person, but more often that not, we were paying much less than that for all the meals and water of the day. In fact, our inexperience during the first days in Bangkok have probably raised those averages, and next time we could easily be eating better (meaning only real Thai food in real Thai eateries, not "Thai and Western" restaurants for tourists and expats) for less money.

So, finally, the trip was not as expensive as feared, all the contrary. Moreover, there are so many things that are unbelievably cheaper than in Europe (I should write sthg about that subject on my other blog), that if you use the last days of your trip to do some wise shopping, you can even pay off most of the costs of the journey with what you will save on those items. What type of items? Well, everything, really. Taylor made clothing, for instance, and electronics, obviously, but most things are cheaper, even French Calvados!!. And you can even save some more, by buying fake brand items, but that will be your adventure... ;-)

SEA06: Return to Europe

2006-08-24T09:07:00.000+02:00

Sunday was a sad day. Getting up, packing, collecting my suit, and heading for the airport to return to Europe, leaving so many things still to do, still to visit in Thailand.

When we arrived the first time, we took a taxi from the airport. This time I took a local train, with Thai people and a few brave tourists going to Ayutthaya and Chiang May. So much of me has changed in this journey.

After buying some Thai Whiskey at the airport as a last souvenir (purchase not allowed if your destination was the UK or the US), my flight to Bahrain was announced. In Bahrain I also did some shopping, a beautiful piece of technology and design, product of a Finish mobile brand, manufactured in Germany, but not released in Europe yet. At the Airport in Bahrain I also saw some other items that I still find surprising that are available in a strict muslim country like Bahrain while they are not in free-thinker and open-minded France.

I slept most of both flights, waking up only to have the various meals and drinks onboard, and watch half a travel documentary about Indonesia. At 7h15 in the morning of Monday, local time, we had already landed in Paris and were taxiing to the terminal, right on time as scheduled. Unfortunately, no one was at the passport control desks, so about three planeful of tired passengers had to wait till three passport control officers decided to show up. In any case, lines were not set, and the signs stating which desk was for EU citizens and which for overseas citizens were far too small to be read from the end of the (mob) lines. This ment that many overseas travelers queued to the front of the line only to be told that they had to queue again elsewhere, which didn't make them any happy (or that they could just jump the next queue, which didn't make much happier all the people already queuing there either).

After waiting for some extra half an hour for our luggage, the sleepy mob of travelers headed to the exit, blocking eachother with their luggage trolleys, and trying to sort out all the arquitectural obstacles like columns, half walls, stairs, etc cleverly set there to avoid walking travellers from overspeeding.

Finally we get out of the security area of the airport. Obviously, the signs for the commuter train into Paris, are not only well hidden and small (and only in French), but they direct you in exactly the oposite direction, leading you to the hotel-bus stop. The shuttle bus to Terminal 3 (where the commuter train station is), is the number 2, the shuttle bus to Terminal 1 is number 3. Again, very clever.

At the conmuter train station (of the main international French airport, mind you), only two automatic ticket machines work, and only three ticket desks are open, attended by people who only speak French, and seem to be very upset to have to be working at this early hour.

After this arrival, I cannot say that I've felt warmly welcome back to the "developed" world. But may be it was just my impression. I must have felt tired after such a long journey.

In any case, I manage to get to my train, straight to my place, and to start opening my suitcases, sleep a bit, and get back to my normal life again.

SEA06: Last days in Bangkok

2006-08-22T11:40:00.000+02:00

Unfortunately, all good things have an end, and even this journey in this wonderful country has to end and we have to go back to the dull life of living in de-developing western countries, the routine of work, and the longing for next holidays.

But not for that we have allowed ourselves to settle in despair, and we have tried to make the most of the last days in Thailand. First thing after arriving to our usual guesthouse in Bangkok, we headed to what will surely become our usual tailor, to have our measures taken in order to have some suits and shirts tailor-made, in the best English or Italian wool, linen and Thai silk. Going to the tailor here is not the superficial and impersonal experience that is in western countries. People here go a long way to pamper you and to get to know your tastes and needs to be able to advise you better. In fact, they become more like your friends, and the experience of buying a new suit (or several), a pleasant social event instead of a cold commercial transaction. We are specially grateful with Kenny and his colleagues for their professional and friendly advice.

After spending the afternoon at the tailor, we headed for the night-market around Sukhumvit Soi 34 or 38 to have a nice Thai dinner. Pad thai noodle and duck soup were great, as were Dim sum, chicken and satai. On the way back we still met Kenny on his way home after work. They really work hard and long hours in his country...

Next day, we continued our exploration of the most amazing temples in South East Asia, but this time, it was not Buddhism, or any other spiritual enlightening what we were looking for. Instead, we headed for some of the most amazing temples of world consumerism. Bangkok sports some of the largest and most luxurious department stores and shopping malls in South East Asia (and probably in the world). One World Center, which is just opening now, and will be fully staffed in a few months, is the largest shopping mall in South East Asia (including Hong Kong!!). Not far from there we can find Siam and Siam Paragorn, which represent some of the ritziest shopping opportunities in the world (you would never expect to be able to buy a Masserati or a Jaguar right out from the shop in the third flood of Harrod's, for instance, right?).

But it's not only shopping. The largest Aquarium in South East Asia is also in Bangkok, offering some exciting extra activities like a glass boat trip in one of the tanks or diving with the sharks.

(to be continued, with Jim Thompson house and museum, and the largest weekend market in Bangkok)

SEA06: Kanchanaburi

2006-08-18T05:57:00.000+02:00

"Why going to Kanchanaburi?" some people might ask. It has never been a capital of Siam, Thailand or any of the other great kingdoms in the region. It is more of a border town, with the usual share of temples and a peaceful riverside atmosphere. Does that give you a clue already? No? Well, think of a bridge... the first bridge that comes to your mind... Not yet? well, I'm sure that if I whistle you one last clue, you'll immediately know what I mean.

:-)

Apart of *that* bridge, there are a range of other atractions in Kanchanaburi. There is an excellent museum on the construction of *that* bridge, and other exhibitions on related subjects. You can go to a monastery, where the monks have created a wild life reserve, a very special zoo.

Alien tried as well (unfortunatelly, unsuccessfully) to locate a misterious monastery on the outskirts of town, and the Dragon Cave, while Nuvolgris was taking some intensive course in Thai cooking, given by the very friendly Micki from Apple GuestHouse.

Many more activities can be arranged from Kanchanaburi, but unfortunately we had to leave them for next journey into the region, as that was our last stop before going back to Bangkok.

SEA06: After Ko Chang, or The Marathon

2006-08-13T14:53:00.000+02:00

There are lots of things to explain after the last blog entry, and that is partly because we have not stayed much iddle since we left our resort on the beaches of paradise.

Let's start from the beginning: From the resort we took the usual truck-converted in bus to the ferry harbour (fortunatelly, this time we were sitting inside, and not perched outside, like when we arrived to the island). From there we took the ferry, obviously, and the coach to Bangkok (having to suffer two more horribly bad films). Once in Bangkok, the SkyTrain and a local bus - small, painted bright green, wooden floor, the driver of which didn't bother to stop completely or get closer to the pavement when we arrived to the Northern Bus Station in the middle of the traffic jam, so everyone had to, literally, jump off.

From there we took a night bus to Sukhothai, to where we arrived at about 5am. Sukhothai also known as Rising of Happiness, and it was the first capital of Siam in the 13th century, lasting for some 200 years (the Golden Age of Siam), and where the Thai script was developed. During which period the country expanded to cover approximately the actual territory of Thailand.

Without much sleep (but who needs to sleep much during holidays? ;-)) we start visiting the Historical Park, covering some 70sq Km. Obviously we didn't visit *everything*, but we had a fair sampling of the best sights (as it will be shown when we upload some pictures). Fortunately we could rent some bikes to do all the moving around.

Sukhothai lost its position as capital of Siam when the realm weas absorved by Ayutthaya, in a periode of the Siamese history in which the realm expanded well into present day Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma). This glorious period lasted for some 400 years, till the invasion by the Burmese.

So, again we hit the road to Phitsanulok, where we visit an excellent Ethnologic Museum (Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum) and a Buddha casting foundry. After that cultural break, we hit the rails this time to Ayutthaya, to arrive in the evening, settle for the night and to go to have dinner at a restaurant in a classic teak house in front of the Historical Park, with the view of the temples.

Today we have visited the main temples in the Historical Park in Ayutthaya, and tomorrow we leave again for Kanchanaburi....

SEA06: More on Ko Chang

2006-08-09T15:55:00.000+02:00

SEA06: Ko Chang

2006-08-09T15:14:00.000+02:00

No comments...

SEA06: Decisions after a long train trip

2006-08-08T14:56:00.000+02:00

In my last entry to the blog, we were about to leave Chiang Mai, with the intention to go to Angkor afterwards.

One of our main concerns for a trip like this one was about the security of our belongings during the night, as second class compartments comprise all the carriage. Fortunatelly, security is also a main concern of the Thai railway company, as we saw. On board of the train there were several 'Railway Police' Officers, who advised everyone about keeping valuables under control at all times and surveilled the tran at night. During the night hours, some staff of the train were also vigilant at all times, and the doors between carriages locked (as in "chain & padlock on the door") during the hours when most people where sleeping, to avoid people roaming to other carriages than their own.

During the afternoon hours we could enjoy the changing landscape from the train. Afterwards we had dinner, and around midnight we tried to get to sleep. Our bunk beds were set by the railway staff and we 'retired' ourselves to sleep. Or to try to sleep, it would be more accurate. The movement of the train, the noise and the light made almost impossible to catch any sleep.

At the time we arrived to Bangkok, it was too late to cach a convenient connexion to the border with Cambodia, and in any case we had learned about various problems and possible scams that could occur on that road to Angkor. On the other hand we realised that a site like Angkor deserves more than just a couple of hurried days to explore it. Finaly we decided that after all the travelling had done in the first days we decided than we deserved a small break and that the best thing was to head to the beach!! :-)

So we took the metro, then the skytrain, a coach, then a ferry, and finally a hike hanging from the back of a truck an here we are, in Kai Bae Beach (Lonely Beach) in Ko Chang, one of the islands of the paradise... but that will be the story of another entry of this blog...

SEA06: Leaving Chiang Mai

2006-08-05T11:44:00.000+02:00

After four hectic days in the northern capital of the kingdom of a milion rice fields, we hit the road again. Well, to be precise, this time we'll hit the rails, as we are taking the "afternoon-night train" train to bangkok, to try to make a connection to Angkor in Cambodia.

During the last four days we have enjoyed a completely diferent city to Bangkok. Chiang Mai has a quiet and relaxed Old Quarters, the city "intra-muros" where is possible to stroll without as much risk of being run over by various means of transport as in Bangkok. Multiple buddist temples add to the tranquility and relaxing athmosphere of the city, while many markets, night markets, bazaars, food stands and ultra modern comercial malls make for the ancient trade tradition of this city.

We have not only been in the city, we have also enjoyed one of the most beautiful mountail natural parks in the country, with the highest mountain (Doi Ithanon 2590m), and multiple waterfalls, etc.

OK, time to rush to the station!!

SEA06: Visiting Chiang Mai

2006-08-05T11:22:00.000+02:00

SEA06: Breakfast at "The Wall" in Chiang Mai

2006-08-05T11:07:00.000+02:00

Or how to endure a long day of exploration...

SEA06: Third day in Bangkok

2006-07-31T13:19:00.000+02:00

SEA06: Second Day in Bangkok

2006-07-30T19:04:00.000+02:00

SEA06: Note about the pictures in the blog

2006-07-30T14:59:00.000+02:00

In some cybercafes it is not possible to upload the pictures of the trip, so you might find that the blog is updated sometimes in two "stages". First the text, and later all the pictures are added to some of the entries, or any other way.... Please be patient, and keep revisiting the blog often for new updates!!

;-)

Have fun!! (we are sure having lots!!) :-D

SEA06: First Day in Bangkok

2006-07-30T14:04:00.000+02:00

Our hotel *is* really ritzy, not exactly what we expected from this trip, but is has been a perfect place to *land* in Bangkpok, and to recover a bit from the trip. Swimming pool in the top floor, huge fridge packed with beer in the room, sleepers, air/con. But, as said, a bit steep.

Anyway, after a short rest and a shower, off we go to explore this exciting city. With the help of the map we got from the airport, we manage to find our way to the station of one of the high-tech public transport systems of the city. This is a metro in the style of the one in Singapore. Fully automated, air-conditioned, ultra clean (forbidden to eat or drink in the premises, you are even supplied with plastic bags for your dripping umbrellas when it rains). Instead of tickets, you use a small plastic token you get from the ticket machine. That black plastic chip is electronically read at the entry of the metro, and swallowed again at the end, so it can be reused and no waste paper in the form of tickets is produced.

Once we get to the main train station, the situation changes. We enter into the chaotic, hot and humid, and agressive environtment of Bangkok's traffic. Cars, buses, millions of motorcycles, and Tuk-tuks all fight for road space, and the main strategy is to over-run any other moving vehicle, and dodge any obstacle in your way. As you can imagine, that makes is rather unfriendly for unsuspecting and somewhat jet-lagged tourists. May be we should include an entry some time on road ettiquette...

In any case, first thing as we get closer to the main train station to ask for some information, we are approached by this woman, who identifies herself as a registered tourism information agent, and who literally drags us to a tourist information office (more like a private-ish travel agency) *beside* (not into) the train station. Once there, we are seated, ofered a (sealed) glass of ice-cold mineral water, and given information and a quote for an organised version of our trip at a *very* interesting price (about 320E for 3weeks).

We thank them, and say that we have to think about it, take the tourism agent's card, and run politely away. It was an interesting proposition, and an excellent price, but not the kind of trip we had planned, we prefer to organise it ourselves, and have the freedom to change at our own will. A few more of these offers will arrive in coming days, but now we know what they are, and how to ignore them.

With just a couple of life-threatening experiences at the times of crossing the streets, we start towards the heart of Chinatown. We pass by the Chinatown Arch, visit the premises of the Temple of the Golden Buddha, and walk even deeper into the real Chinatown. Temperature and humidity are suffocating, and the traffic and the polution do not make it any better.

Streets are narrow, and organised by trade. We pass some areas devoted to mechanical repairs of all sort of machinery, traditional medicine, jewels, sacks, metal in different forms and shapes, food stands, some more markets that remind me of the zouks in Morocco (but selling mostly Chinese and Thai products), a few more Buddhist Temples, in one of which we saw the monk-students going to the Temple. It's just another world to what we knew from Europe.

Finally we decide we are tired, and we have already done a good job for the first day in Thailand, and we head back to the hotel. Swimming pool, shower, and dinner in the restaurant of the hotel. I thought I was doing a good job getting used to spicy food... mistake... I never thought that a *salad* could be that corrosive when put in contact with my tongue!!. Fortunately steamed rice and yellow curry were (almost) non-spicy (or may be I had already lost all sensibility in my tongue).

Time to plan the activities for tomorrow and rest a few hours.

SEA06: First day: getting there

2006-07-30T14:03:00.000+02:00

To follow the good traditions, the journey started by going to bed late doing the last arrangements in for the trip, and having to get up painfully early to get to the CDG airport.

Usual queue for the check in, but with a very colorful and cosmopolitan melange of people. Tourists, families going back home for their holidays, and businessmen. Just in front of us, there was a French girl, that looked exactly like Marie Charion, from the concert we went in Paris last Friday!! (No, unfortunately it wasn't her... :-/ ).

Take off on time, and off we go, crossing Europe, then flying across Turkey, the Bosporus, Iraq, with its traditional fireworks in the 'banlieue' of Baghdad, and the view of the Tigris river; Kuwait, the Persian Gulf, and finally we landed in Bahrain for our transit.

In Bahrain, we could see important differences in commertial and cultural practices with respect toEurope. Some two hours later, we took our second flight of the day, and after watching Ice Age II on board and sleeping a few hours, we arrived to Bangkok and got a taxi to a beautiful and rather ritzy hotel in the center of the city.

SEA06: The journey starts...

2006-07-27T07:00:00.000+02:00

...right now!!

SEA06: 24h, or the nightmare solved, sort of...

2006-07-26T14:22:00.000+02:00

After a few calls, finally I've found an insurance that would give me repatriation and hospitalisation cover for he trip, (but not luggage theft or loss) even buying it the day before leaving. Not the cheapest one, but convenient, as I could even contract it over the net (only after someone from that company guided me through all the labyrinth of their web site to the 'buy online' section, which was not that obvious to find.

Now we've bought the last items we needed, and we can just go to central Paris to spend our last hours in Europe!!

SEA06: Only 48h, or the insurance nightmare

2006-07-25T14:24:00.000+02:00

Everything is (almost) ready. My luggage mostly fits in my roller/backpack, after a bit of persuasion. Only some easy but vital details need to be sorted out. And one of those is the insurance. No sweat, I can get that one online, from one of the partners of Lonely Planet, WorldNomads, who specialises in adventurous travel. Mhhh.... I'm not living in the UK anymore (neither in Australia or New Zealand, obviously), and I'm not planning to travel to Australia during this trip, therefore it seems that the insurance I wanted to take would not cover me. Cold sweat. In a world where travel insurance is usually sold included in your travel package, and in a country where the length of bureaucratic procedures is measured in geological time-scales, realising that you do not have travel insurance barely two days before departure is a sure way to get stressed.

The people at WorldNomads swiftly and kindly tell me that they might (or might not) start offering the insurance I need from the 1st of August (or around, that date). That would be one week into my journey already. On the other hand, most French insurers either offer me yearly insurances, or tell me that I cannot pretend to get an insurance less than a couple of weeks/months before departure or that I could get one at three times the price of the normal premium, but only granting me half the cover. On top of that, no way to get the insurance done over the internet. Got to do it on the phone or find an insurance dealer.

Mhhhh....

(TO BE CONTINUED)

SEA06: Less than a week

2006-07-20T13:22:00.000+02:00

Finally we are getting there... a bit of stress, but...

All vaccinations are taken, all types of mosquito repellants bought, together with all the rest of pharmacy stuff, from a very basic first aid kit; passing by water purification tablets (silver ones, not clorine, for water that tastes like water, instead of tasting like a public swimming pool); sun protection, shampoo, shaving stuff, toothpaste and other toiletries; toilet paper, as most public toilets over there might not supply it; the complete lot. Actually, given the climate and the recommendation on our travel guides about waiting to get there to buy everything else, our suitcases will be mostly empty, filled only with pharmacy stuff and electronics (i.e. mobile phone, MP3-player, digital camera and the chargers for all of them).

Boots, long sleeve shirts, long/short technical trousers, towel (as good Hitchhiker), swiss knife, camera, music, some reading, sunglasses, an old harmonica I never quite managed to play, a touareg-style headscarf instead of a hat, sandals, sewing kit, day backpack, passport, credit cards, plane reservations...

So, we are more or less ready to go.

SEA06 Two weeks and counting down

2006-07-14T16:17:00.000+02:00

So, here we are, less than two weeks from the time to take the plane to Bangkok and start the expedition. Of course, there are still so many things to prepare, guides and books to read about the region, entries into this blog to write... and so little time!! I should also find time to pack of course, get my last vaccinations, insurance, hotel for the first days, list of addresses to send postcards to...

Well, let's not panic and start from the beginning. How will we get there? By plane of course. To choose the tickets we checked on various large internet travel agencies (travelocity, expedia, ...), and then checked about the quality of the various budget air companies on internet forums like airlinequality
. To choose the route first we saw that the cheapest destination was Bangkok (obviously, as it is the most tourist-friendly, or may be just the other way around), and the best origin airport was Charles de Gaulle in Paris (some other airports had also interesting connections). To get to Paris we are using other low-budget companies, not the connexions suggested by the large national companies (I actually live in Paris, on the RER (suburban metro) line to the airport, so that my place has become a convenient stop-over).

Much useful information and advice has come from guides like Lonely Planet and others, and from sites on the internet but most specially from the experiences of friends that have done some journey like this one (or much more adventurous) before. Thanks everyone!!

SEA06: Musee Guimet in Paris

2006-06-02T13:07:00.000+02:00

The Musee Guimet is the Asian Art Museum of Paris. It was born from the interest in Egyptian and Asian art of an entrepreneur from Lyon. Among other collections it contains an astonishing selection of Khmer art, dating to the times when Indochina was under the influence of France.

SEA06: Why South-East Asia?

2006-06-02T09:10:00.000+02:00

I guess that one of the first questions to sort out, once one decides to do a long 'expeditionary' journey to some exotic place on the other side of the world, is *where to go*. Obviously, the answer will be different for each person, and will range from a sad and boring "Why bother, you can see it on TV", to many different potential destinations like New Caledonia, Tierra de Fuego, Nepal, South Africa, Japan, Yucatan, the Maghreb...

In my case is South East Asia. I'm not ruling out trying to visit all the abovementioned destinations as well, actually some of them come very shortly after SEA in my Top Ten Destinations, but one has to start somewhere, and after already having done a few InterRails in Europe, one needs something a bit more 'adventurous'.

Why South-East Asia? Well, I guess I have adquired that image of exotism and adventure that is closely related to a landscape of green jungles and lost temples peering above the foillage. Early influences for that surely include TV series like those relating the adventures of "Sandokan" in Siam (Thailand), together with the films of the adventures of Dr. Quatermass in the jungles of Africa of the weekends of my childhood. Later came Tintin comic-books, Indiana Jones' films, and more recently Joseph Conrad novels.

Having very adventurous friends and family also helps a lot to develop this thirst for this sort of journeys. Finally, in less than a couple of months, I'll be taking a flight to Bangkok, to start my own exploration of Thailand and Cambodia.

:-)

Weekend in Normandy (I)

2006-05-11T20:44:00.000+02:00

After a week of nice, warm and sunny weather, everyboody who could escape from the city and go to the seaside was doing that, and we could not be any less. The closest coast to Paris is Normandie, so, there we went!!

Starting from banlieue, we headed (roughly) West till we hit the Seine, and then followed it to Les Andelys, where we had a picnic lunch and our first fit of compulsive picture-snapping towards the scenery above the Seine, with a short walk to the ruins of Chateau Gaillard, the 12th Century stronghold of Richard the Lion-Heart. Unfortunately, as soon as Normandy was conquered by the French, Henri IV had it destroyed.

Anyway, after having replenished our lungs of fresh air, and our stomachs of boulangerie sanwiches, we proceed to the Normand coast, and into the Calvados region. Honfleur lies at the edge between the rocky Cote d'Albatre and the sandy beaches of the 'Basse Normandie'. It's an little old town with (two) charming old harbors, and a wooden church (Ste. Catherine) dating from the 15th Century, constructed in the same style as the one the Vikings that settled here buit in the first place.

Close to Honfleur we could visit a distillery of Calvados (apple brandy), and after a quick tour along the coast, we headed North to Etretat, to visit the scenic cliffs. Once there the athmosphere reminded me of that old PC game, Lemmings. Long lines of tourists were decorating the edges of the cliffs and the seaside, for as long in the distance as one could see.

(to be continued)

SEA06: A long delayed journey to South East Asia

2006-04-29T12:30:00.000+02:00

Travel plans

For a long time I've been waiting for the oportunity to do a long(-ish) journey in Asia. There have been many influences leading to this decision (and those will be probably the subject of some rambling in a later post), and I have had to delay this journey many times for different reasons, but this time will be the winning one!! During this year's summer I'll spend a few weeks in continental South East Asia.

I'll try to include some thoughts about the process of organising this trip, about the concerned contries, about visa and vaccination requirements, advice, reading suggestions, and finally, during the journey I'll try to keep a photo-diary of the journey in this pages. I hope that some of all this rambling will be useful or amusing to other pleople that might be interested in doing something similar, or that some people who have already done it, would like to contribute with their advise or sharing their experiences.

Welcome to the Travel Flu

2006-04-28T18:50:00.000+02:00

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this amateurish blog about travels and travelling. This site is dedicated to all those people who like travelling, but very specially to those, who love travelling, who need travelling to feel alife, may it be real dusty and adventurous travel, or virtual, literary, mental or spiritual travel. In brief, it is dedicated to those people who have been infected by the Travel Flu, also known as Travel Bug(1).

(1) unfortunatelly, "Travel Bug" was already taken as blog title ;-)

As all of you already know, once you have been infected by the travel bug, there's no cure...only a permanent hunger for new landscapes, alien thoughts, foreign accents, exotic cuisine...

But just before starting, I would like to share with you some very wise advice I once received...

"In your journeys, you should try always to be a traveller, never a tourist"