Posts from — April 2009

Mar 30 -- Apr 2, ‘09 -- Nairobi, Kenya

Kenya, with its capital city in Nairobi, is a country in East Africa. It has a population of about 38 mio. The main languages are Swahili and English. I think most of us may know Kenya for its wonderous wildlife reserves (safaris) with thousand and thousand types of animals.

But well, as usual, I was there for a business trip so no safari or anything like that. Just hours and endless hours of taxi rides to and fro conference centre and my hotel. Traffic is a nightmare. And pollution as well. But warmth and beauty of the people made me forget it all.

That’s when I realised how important is education, not only to elevate lives of people out of poverty but also for the sake of environment. Awareness is key.

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Oh, one sleepy morning, as I was resting my head against the window of the taxi, trying to take a nap knowing the long ride ahead, at a rather busy junction in the city centre, we came side by side with a school bus fully loaded with energetic primary school children. They were climbing over the seats, tugging at each others hair, chatting, singing and whole lot of activities going on. Suddenly a boy saw me. He got really excited and started tugging at his friends for attention but none who took noticed of him.

As we were turning the opposite direction, going out of sight, I heard a loud shrill cry, “CHINESE!”. I looked back, lo and behold, the entire bus was staring at me. I even thought people on the street paused for a second. Then all of us in the taxi started laughing.

Priceless.

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I learnt to love this song and to sing it too -- Malaika, means “Angel” in Swahili.

Just a few more good addresses:

Lonja de Tapas – Modern day tapas place. Good food, reasonable priced and great ambience.

La Coronela – Best margarita I’ve ever tasted. Go during happy hour. 6€ for 2. Try Tamarind or Jamaica.

L’Escamarla – Difficult to find but if you really want a good BLACK paella, go there!

Headed out late again as we had to check-out from our weekend hotel at noon and check-in to my business hotel which is at the other end of the city. After all the hassles, we went for lunch at Paco Meralgo, a modern tapas bar recommended by a friend. It’s design, hip and food is good but if you are looking for some typical spanish ambiance, this is not it. Though I would say that this is the Spanish ambiance of today as there’s countless of such eateries sprouting about the city. Oh, we had cava again!

As we stepped out after a sumptious meal, I discovered another gem – Cremeria Toscano, an old fashion ice cream parlor with ice cream that I would die over and over again for (a bit of exagerration here!). Its really good though! (As you can see!)

Then we headed on to discover the Spanish Village – Pablo Espanyol. Uhm, 8.5€ per person for the entrance, I wouldn’t recommend it truly unless you  have a real passion for Spanish architecture and really really in short of time to visit the various parts of Spain to see the real stuffs. (Trying to make up for my 8.5€ with the view)

At the last of light hour (almost 8pm), we rushed to see La Sagrada Familia (Temple of the Holy Family). How magnificent it it! If you ever put a foot in Barcelona and have only an hour to spare, never hesitate, it should be this masterpiece of Gaudi. I saw it first time 4 years ago and am still blown away by it. Its still under construction after more than 100 years. This is Gaudi’s last unfinished work before he died. Amazing and intriguing! The wonderous sculptures seems outgrown of the stones and the towering peaks gives such a grandiose feeling. (Old & new facade)

Got 2 fridge magnets for Mom as promised for all my travels

To wind down for the evening, we headed towards Carpe Diem Lounge Club at Port Olimpic (Metro: Ciutadella-Villa Olimpica). It is a very cool place by the sea with beds to lounge in and a mix of Oriental decor. This time we shared a bottle of cava!

Alas, we overruled the spanish time again and landed up in another over priced touristy restaurant with food not worth mentioning. What a pity!

Lastly, we hopped by a club called Shoko for a drink or two. The music was quite good and there was quite a crowd there for a Sunday night but my poor feet wasn’t supporting my spirits anymore so we had to call it a night not long after 3am. Geez!

Apr 18-22, ‘09 – Barcelona, Spain

I love this city! Its vibrant, alive and has everything to offer. The sea, the mountains and the blue blue sky. Colourful and vibrant markets, floods of tourists down La Rambla and unconventional artworks of Gaudi. Endless flow of cava, mouthwatering plates of tapas and paradise of seafood especially my no.1 favourite – arros negre (black rice). A must try!

Well, on the first day, we took it easy after a late arrival the night before, slept in and headed out only in the late afternoon to hunt for some good tapas and city aactions. Down in the colourful Merkat de la Boqueria, a big market on la Rambla, we found this gem – El Quim de la Boqueria.

Though a little patience must prevail, it is definitely worth the wait. We were rewarded with a glass of cava to start. Followed by, patata bravas (very yummy), mixed tortilla (best ever!), grilled sardines, pimientos del padron (little green peppers), pork sausage with white beans. Of course, finale with another glass of cava. In fact I didnt order their house best dish – baby squid with a fried egg but I’ll certainly try it next time. This is a must go. The ambience, drinks and food combination is priceless.

Thereafter, I staggered out the market feeling top of the world. Tipsy in broad daylight. Still managed to grab a box of fruits medley (3€) and a cone of gelato. I know, I am quite a glutton. Geez! But c’est la vie!

With the food up to our throat, we decided that we need to do some serious walking. So off we went to discover the Barri Gothic neighbourhood.

Its the centre part of the old city. Lined with many small streets along old medieval or roman buildings. It was a lovely walk, amidst the thrones of tourist (just many happy people enjoying their holidays) and quite often very impressive buskers, especially The Soprano in Placa del Rei. He sets such a ambience in that square. I also liked the Cello Lady.

Well, after all that walk, how can we resist amidst the endless rows of Mangos, Zaras and string of Spanish retailers, we shopped! Ooh, I am extremely pleased with my find of the day. A long coat from Guru for 50€ (50% discount). What a steal!

Well, while on the big avenue – Passeig de Gracia, how can we miss one of the strangest residential building in Europe. Eye catching, non-conformist Casa Batllo by Gaudi. He has certainly a distinct taste of art where almost all straight lines are eliminated and things look unnaturally natural or vice versa.

At 8pm, we couldnt stand no more so we headed back for a rest before dinner. Alas, we got out later than the Spanish time, arrived in Barceloneta to find most of the restaurants closed and had no choice but to eat in a tourist trap serving some very bad paella. I don’t even wanna talk about it!

So inspirational! I am moved.