so, what's on dmentedboy blogger ? everything dmented about jxe's travels. here, there and everywhere.
dear whoever who are still reading this.
so, i think i have 3 more posts left after this and that will be the end of my 4 continents tour. 540 hits over the last 4.5 months is really something for me to be proud of. i guess the hits were the one driving force that kept me posting, although secretly, i was hoping more around 500,000 hits. but anyway ...
prague
tuesday 22nd January - saturday 26th January 2008
day 131 - 135
(prague: at first glance)
ok. coming to prague is definitely my favorite mistake. now its only gonna be harder for me to go back and i know i will be in depression when i leave.
(prague: highly ornamented facade)
i do believe in love at first sight. i fell in love with prague the moment i arrived. great vibe. beautiful city. great people. felt so welcoming. to my surprised , most people here speak english and are very friendly. i kept dissing meself for not coming here earlier and spend more time here. dammit. least now i know i have to come back and do a proper eastern european tour. there is something about an ex communist country that is so charming. i just love the whole monumental feel to the city.
(prague: astronomical clock)
(prague: the square)
eventhough prague is nowhere as huge as london or paris, it has so much to offer. i can spend a whole day just walking down one street and be amazed by what i can find. be they, a detail on the window, a painting on the wall, a sculture, an antique shop etc. its just so magical.
(prague: interesting window detailing)
i feel it has everything europe (as far as the europe that i have seen and experienced) has to offer, all in one city. love the river. and every bridge that crosses the river is a different experience.
(prague: riverwide)
(prague: charles bridge)
there are so many little pocket parks with many vintage points from high above looking down into the city. i could just sit and gazed, and feel as if i am the king of prague, i own the whole city and i can command everyone as if they are all puppets.
(prague: the giant tick tock piano thingy)
sitting at the top of a hill is the prague castle, an icon that can be seen from all over the city. an amazing site worth definitely worth visiting. so many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
(prague: the prague castle)
(prague: the palace grounds)
located within the castle grounds is the golden lane house no. 22 where franz kafka whote the famous 'a country doctor'. i had to enter the house and get meself a copy of that book.
(prague: the golden road house no 22)
(prague: interesting elements)
when i was in london, i thought the modern contemporary buildings were well integrated with the classical buildings but the modern contemporary buildings here way surpass london. i cant say enough how fucking amazing this city is. how much it has to offer !
(prague: highly successful modern contemporary integration)
every corner you turn, u find something even more exciting on the other end.
(prague: interesting bits and pieces)
(prague: love it when architects sign their names on their buildings)
i caught a symphony at the prague concert hall.
the czech philharmonic orchestra.
the main violist - F.P.Zimmermann
conductor - M.Honeck
playing -
L.Van Beethovan: Concerto in D major for violin & orchestra
A.Duorak: Symphony No. 8 in G major
i now has an appreciation for symphony.
(prague: sculptural elements)
i cant say enough about how much i am in love in this city. so much to say about this place but maybe this time, saying less is more. the pix will speak for itself.
of all the places i have visited, this is by far my favorite city. now, how can i transform myself into a czech ? maybe i should consult michael jackson regarding facial and skin therapy. until then, let me sink into depression ...
xxx. j.
dear spain,
so, you cried and cried and cried, moaning for my departure and thus, i got the rain, the rain and more rain. sigh. i feel for you too. not to worry. i promise you i will return.
birmingham
friday 11th January - wednesday 16th January 2008
day 120 - 125
(birmingham: the older look ...)
ok i dont really know why it feel so weird. is it because i am not in a country where i understand nobody or i am in a foreign country where i actually understand everybody. it seriously feels weird, being anywhere, at the bus stiop, at the restaurant, at the mall etc, listening in on the mumbles around me and then suddenly realize that i can actually understand everything. it took me a while to adjust. again, i cant decide if its a good feeling or not.
but anyway, birmingham is a good place to relax and unwind for a bit. slow english city with nothing much to do. i guess the biggest surprise is that things here are not that expensive. at least not the things that i am interested in. the music cds and dvds are way cheaper than anywhere in the world that i've ever been to. even food is comparable to sydney. if anything at all, i have learned not to listen to people going on to anything but to go and see for yourself. i could still remember people going on about how expensive japan is etc but when i arrived in tokyo i was surprised that sydney is a much more expensive city. and how people go on about how cheap spain is .... i am still so gonna kick some asses when i get back !
back to birmingham. again, despite what most people say, the city is actually quite charming. the older and more classical architecture feels and looks like the ones around europe and the newer buildings are ugly ass, reminiscent of what u get in atlanta. i think in this case its a good thing because one needs to know what ugly is to appreciate and treasure the beautiful that is in this city. its like how i explain to people why i have to find and look into the mirror whenever i go out walking in the city.
(birmingham: the older look .. lets forget about the new)
similarly to madrid, birmingham is so centralized that everywhere else in england is at most 4 hours drive away, making it a good base to see the rest of england. met up with an old friend who i have not seen for 10 years here. show was an old school friend who now works in sheffield. it is very nice of her to drive all the way here to hang and catch up where we last left off.
warwick
monday 14th January 2008
day 123
(warwick: random shots)
did a day trip to see, as advertised, england's greatest medieval experience ... the warwick castle. warwick is quite a nice picturesque town with the castle being the main attraction to the city. almost like the castle feeds the city.
(warwick: the entry)
interesting place and quite well maintained. some parts of the castle is closed due to bad weather - so they say.
(warwick: waxworks inside)
i say its because its low season and due to the fact that there are so few visitors. but anyway, they still charge full entry fees. damn brits.
(warwick: the outer walls)
ok. 6 days here, 6 days of rain. what the fuck ! haven't seen the sun for 8 days now !
xxx. j.
dear friends,
so, i have still yet to receive any updates from the most of you. i am going to assume that you people are too busy having a great time to update me. but i will still make the effort to update you people anyway ..
madrid
Monday 7th January - Friday 11th January 2008
day 116 - 120
(madrid: the sale. the queue !)
spent the day traveling back to madrid. decided to head to segovia for a day trip ...
segovia
Tuesday 8th January - Thursday 10th January 2008
day 117-119
(segovia: approaching the city center)
jesus once told me to go down to segovia because when he went there, and when he saw the pillar of arches (the aqueduct), he stood there in awe. didnt have time to go there the last time i was in madrid, so i decided to go there for a day trip to see what all the fuss was about. i basically went there, saw the pillar of arches and stood there in awe. fucking amazing. this is probably the most amazing thing i have ever saw in this trip. imagine having that in the middle of your city. how awesome is that !!!
(segovia: the pillar of arches ...the aqueduct)
this is way too amazing. so i had to go back to madrid, pack, came back the next day and stayed here for a night. it was 2 hours train ride each way btw.
(segovia: the city square)
(segovia: old city random shots)
this is a fucking amazing city. the fortified walls goes around the old city, just like carcassone except the walls here are more integrated with the city. i followed the walls and its fucking amazing that some houses have the walls as part of their backyard !!! right is that. i mean i cant believe anyone could get so right with the city. i have to say this is the most inspiring old city i have seen this trip.
(segovia: more old city random shots)
(segovia: the cathedral and old city random shots)
also the post christmas sale is on. the sale starts on the 7th of jan because in spain, the 5th is when they exchange presents. when i was in madrid. there were like a queue of hundreds outside the shops before they open. here in segovia, the queue is in the 10s. it was so easy to shop and the sale was cheaper than in madrid. i managed to do all my last minute shopping for my family and got myself a really cool pair of spanish shoes. yay !
(segovia: the walls and view beyond)
(segovia: random shots)
this is also the place i got my haircut. yes ! i never learned. 3 days into an english speaking country and i got me haircut. this time i was smart. i practiced my spanish phrases over and over before going into the hair salon. i went in, the hair dresser asked me what i wanted and i turned to her and spoke with my perfect accented spanish, telling her exactly what i wanted ... and this time, i am happy with what she gave me ;) i had the feeling that she was more nerve wrecked than me. i suspect she has never had a non spanish, let alone, asian customer before. i could tell she was all stressed out, making sure i am ok with the hair every 3 minutes or so. and when she was all done, i gave here the thumbs up, she was more overjoyed than i am. gawd, that was gold !
the sad news is that here is where i left my multi country adapter in the hotel. only realized it when i reached madrid. sigh !
love segovia ...
headed back to madrid and spent my last day of spain there. its a sad day because i had a great time in spain. all good things must eventually come to an end BUT it's the start of something absolutely amazing. i met this really good looking guy and later found out that he is from mexico and he is a veejay on mtv mexico. was super excited to have finally met a celebrity. he was equally impressed to have met an extremely prolific filmmaker from sydney, australia ! so we are going to tell our friends, all about it. he is so going to promote my future music video clips in mexico ! how cool is that ! like i said ... the start of something extremely exciting ....
(madrid: grey sky... crying for me!)
my summary to date and of spain ...
the valuables:
lost : susanne's rainbow umbrella, my cap, my beanie, one white t-shirt (dont even ask me where it went), a sock (not a pair but one), multi country adapter, clutch pencil, towel, gloves
damaged: my sunnies, the straps on my day pack
bought: a pair of gloves, a new cap, the science of sleep DVD, new pair of jeans, 2 new pair of shoes, loads of music cds
the past:
left sydney: 128
in europe: 120
the lows
coughing days: 40
chest aching days: 5
rainny days: 57
snorers: 2
top 5 top spanish list
1. the food. the spanish love to feast. especially love my churros (aka yau zhar guai). the menu of the day is usually awesome and the tapas !
2. segovia
3. santiago de compostela
4. the great hospitality by the locals but only after you get to know them !
5. the shoes !
bottom 5 bottom spanish list
1. the public transport system. it is so difficult to get to anywhere by train and the buses take fucking forever to get to anywhere.
2. tourist. i am sure this whole country is infested with tourist. i have never came across so many americans outside of america - fat and ugly and loud american tourists !
3. the rain. no one told me it rains so much here in spain !
4. bruges
5. cadiz
spainsh shopping guide.
its really easy to shop here in spain. unlike anywhere else in the world, you can just go in to one shop and buy what you want without having to worry you are being ripped off. the price for the same item in fucking every store in every city is exactly the same. not even 5 cents cheaper. they have obviously have a mutual understanding with each other and have never heard of competition. call it a good thing or a bad thing. call it what you will.
xxx. j.
dear friends,
so, are you people back from your holidays yet ? i am sure you all had a great break. do tell me all about it via email, facebook, comments etc. since i am spending time updating you people, i want to know what you people are up to too. some pics would be nice.
granada
wednesday 2nd - monday 7th January 2008
day 111-116
(granada: random city shots)
(granada: random upper city shots)
i booked to be at granada from the 2nd to the 5th of January. when i was in malaga, i tried to book a ticket to the alhambra online. knowing my luck, i couldnt get a ticket till the 5th. so i went fine. i got my ticket for the alhambra for the 5th.
(granada: more random upper city shots)
(granada: more random upper city shots)
luck came pouring down on me. as soon as i left malaga, it started pouring real heavily. as soon as i arrived at the pension, i was soaked. i heard that its really unusual for it to rain in granada. i also found out that people come to granada to ski because there is a ski field nearby. unfortunately for them, the ski field had to be closed because of the heavy rain. and it poured till the 4th.
(granada: more random upper city shots)
(granada: more random upper city shots)
(granada: view from the pension)
as soon as the sky started clearing on the 4th, i went exploring the city. i fell in love with this place. it is really charming and has alot of character. the food here is amazing too. the best part about is every bar u go to, when you order a drink, you get a free tapas. how cool is that. so i booked to stay here for another 2 days .
(granada: bits of the alhambra)
it was the most beautiful weather on the 5th. the sun came out, the cold went away, making the alhambra so pleasent to explore. its definitely worth the hype. the palaces has the most amazing detailing on the walls, columns and ceilings. it would have been even more wow if i had not seen the mesquita at cordoba. still it was pretty amazing.
(granada: random bits of the alhambra)
(granada: more random bits of the alhambra)
what they say about the crowd is true. this place is packed and they only allow a few hundred people at a time, every hour to enter the palace. you have to be there at the allocated time. you are free to explore the other parts of the alhambra at your own leisure. check out them pics.
(granada: the nazaries palace of alhambra)
(granada: the nazaries palace of alhambra)
(granada: detailing of the nazaries palace)
after a whole day of walking, i went back and move to another pension because the one i am in is fully booked for the weekend. feeling exhausted, took a short nap and the woke up for dinner. i went across the road and ate some spanish cuisine. after dinner i head back to the pension. it was my first time opening the security door, i spent a few good minutes twisting and turning the key. suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder. i turned around and it was the man from the bar across the road. he waved my digital camera at me. i was like omfg. and thanked him profusely. firstly, it was so kind of him to return the camera to me and secondly, if i had not had to struggle with the door, he wouldnt have been able to pass the camera back to me. its amazing how the universe work !
(granada: the alcazaba at the alhambra)
(granada: view from the alcazaba)
spent the next few days just exploring and chilling. check out them pics.
xxx. j.
