Galicia'10 So much to do in Santiago

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

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

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

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

Sopar Vietnamita

Sopar Vietnamita (el 4rt), al Thaithai

It's nice to be back home...

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)

3rd Vietnamese Dinner

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

Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire

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

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

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

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...

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

SEA07 Day Trip to the Jungle

SEA07: First touristy walk

SEA07: Arrived to destination

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

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)

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!!

:-)