so, what's on dmentedboy blogger ? everything dmented about jxe's travels. here, there and everywhere.
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.
dear friends,
so, an old year has ended ... a new one begins HAPPY 2008 ! so much to look forward too ...
watch out ! SEXCASSETTES in 2008 !!!!!!!
malaga
sunday 30th december 2007 - wednesday 2nd january 2008
day 108 - 111
(malaga: another coastal city)
so happy to have left cadiz. this city is ok. not my ideal place to spend the new year but it will have to do. since i am already here, i may as well make the most out of it. another coastal city with crappy beaches.
(malaga: random shots of old city)
i read the guide when i arrived and it says malaga has one of the highest crime rate in spain. i was like wtf ? i thought it was barcelone. but then again its a 2001 guide. so. its probably dated. it feels safe just like madrid or barcelona.
was lucky to arrive on the day when the picasso museum is free. but had to queue about 40 minutes to get in. it was worth the wait coz i really enjoyed the museum.
(malaga: more random shots of old city)
the city itself reminds me just like sevilla. u know. there is the old city, the cathedral, the bull ring ... etc.) they took a model of a city and press control-C and then control-V everywhere around spain.
(malaga: the cathedral, of coz)
the new year eve celebration was pretty mad though. spent it with a group of insipid amricans (of coz), australians (of coz) and brits (of coz). they are everywhere. hehe. everyone was putting up a front in front of each other and bitching behind everyones back. its great being asian becoz u always stay neutral and ppl each to you. haha. and i agreed with everyone of them. so i just nodded. haha.
met another film maker from the states who is currently making a docco in morroco. man. she speaks real fast. i swear she could regurgitate like 100 words in 10 seconds. its like she has to say everything before the clock striked 12. haha.
also met this english girl from birmingham who lived there all her life and she spent an hour convincing me not to go there becoz its such a shit hole. i was thinking, no where on earth could be worse than atlanta.
(malaga: NY crazy nite)
the clock struck 12. we had champagne, had to eat 12 grapes for good luck (dont ask me why but i m so going to have a great year) and wear new undies ;)
(malaga: more NY crazy night !)
so glad to have left cadiz and hit malaga. for some strange reason, everything always works out in the end.
once again ...
happy 2008 !
xxx. j.
dear friends,
so, how has 2007 been treating y'all? has it been a fantastic year ? it has been one hell of an amazing year for me. i wrote down 8 things that i have to achieve this year (my 2007 new years resolution). to date, i achieved 6 ! this is like my all time record. i am looking forward to 2008 because its going to be even better !
cadiz
friday 28th - sunday 30th december 2007
day 106 - 108
(cadiz: random sea shots)
the plan was to look for some small enough town in southern spain and spend the new year there. so i picked cadiz. everyone told me it was a wise choice. its really beautiful there and i'll have a great time. i had a smile on me face and was really looking forward to it.
when i arrived, i thought this was a beautiful town. the old town was beautiful but being old, its really run down. being a coastal town, its very much a tourist town. and because of that, things here are not surprisingly expensive. for the amount i have to pay for something that run down, its just not worth it at all.
(cadiz: more random sea shots)
also, coming from sydney, i have not seen any beaches that has wowed me. the only consolation here is that i got to see what i thought spain should be - white and gold houses everywhere.
(cadiz: the white buildings spanish feel)
(cadiz: a bridge to some old fort)
had to escape this place after one day here. its everything i dont want my new year to be. fortunately, i still managed to find some places to stay in malaga (which was never in my list of places to visit) on sunday morning at 10.15am. i took off as soon i got some churros for breakfast. i literally ran to the bus station, just so i could catch the 11.15am bus. what a relief.
xxx. j.
