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Te quiero Barcelona!

I’ve been to this remarkable city. And still, I can never get enough. However, I wanted this time to be a bit different. I miss dancing so I looked around, what is available in Barcelona and who has open classes. Originally I had salsa in my head, but as I couldn’t find anything convincing I ended up somewhere else, in a pole dance class.

I don’t speak Spanish. I do know some words and phrases, but I wouldn’t brag about that. However, with a little help from googletranslate I WhatsApp-ed the school and signed up for the class just a day before my trip. I am very good at copy-pasting movements, so I was not afraid of the language. To my surprise, the instructor was a man who spoke English and Italian as well, so when we were discussing major points he did some translation for me and an Italian girl.

So, guys, I encourage everybody to go out whenever you can. Let the hotel room be there for you when you sleep at night and want to take a shower. Otherwise get out from there! :D If it’s your first time, because of that. If it’s your 100th, then because of that!

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Spooky Hong Kong

There was one volunteer, so the two of us set out to the city. It was already a bit dusky as we arrived in the afternoon. However, we were on time to the 8PM light show on the Ave of Stars. There was such a crowd that we couldn’t explore the avenue, we were happy that we found one spot from where the show was enjoyable. After the lights, we were already super wasted, so just had dinner and a quick drink in a bar and headed back to the hotel.

Luckily the next day there was also a little time to go out. However this time no volunteers. Which was okay, because sometimes you just get fed up with people and the mass of the city and you prefer to spend it alone, as far away from civilization as possible.

Finding the bus to the big Buddha was a real challenge. Imagine that most people don’t speak English (though the situation is a lot better than in other parts of Asia), and you don’t know where exactly you want to go. Somehow I managed to find an exchange bureau at least, where the lady could help me out, and shortly after I also found the bus station. The system is really fun there. You queue up and hope that there’s going to be enough vacant seats for you. If not, then you stay in the queue and wait for the next bus, which in this case was after 30 mins.

After a long drive, we arrived. It felt like being in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. On the ground, you could see quite far, but the mountains or even higher buildings were all covered in a thick mist (at this point shall I call it fog? - not sure). This gave the whole area a rather spooky and mysterious feeling as if it was telling everybody that this place is sacred. Apart from the big Buddha, there were a lot of temples (monasteries), gardens and other exhibitions around the area. And of course at the bottom dozens of souvenir shops, cafés, and restaurants. I tried the fish balls (3 huge balls on a stick).

If I get the chance to visit again, I’d like to explore the city itself. I heard that there’s also a lot to see and experience there. But now, wheels up! 

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Putting yourself together - Recovering in Baku

I was so sick, so weak all of a sudden. I could barely get to my room without collapsing. Then this girl gave me some flue-medicine, and I slept all afternoon and all night.

So grateful! The next day I was back to 80% and I could go out for a short sightseeing. We booked a tour guide because there was no time to figure out what to see, how to go to the city, etc.

It’s a lovely city, good food and not too crowded with tourists. However, it didn’t get under my skin. I would need to see more of it, to have a better idea about the city/country. I hope that next time I’ll have some more time, nice weather so I’ll be able to go out of the city as well. They say that nature is beautiful and does worth a hike.

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Die Hard - Cape Town

After working for about 14hrs we finally reached the hotel. It was around noon. I barely felt my body, but somehow my mind had this enormous strength to keep me going. No regrets for sure.

We wanted to make the most of our very limited time, so went out with a guide. Surprisingly I found South Africa relatively expensive. Considering the travel, the tickets for Table Mountain, especially the cable car. However, there was one thing not so pricey. The seafood worth every penny there.

So about the mountain. I don’t know how else to describe it. I’m running out of words.  Take beautiful and all its synonyms. The mountain itself, the view of the bay and the city... just stunning. I know that one day I have to come back and do some hiking here. I just want to get lost in nature, listen to the silence or the wind, and breath in freedom.

We visited also some little black-and-white fellas. They’re so chilled, so used to people getting excited about them and I swear they’re posing for the pictures :) They’re especially lovely in the sunset.

If you’re from a country where seafood is not a traditional food, it is a must to try the biggest basket you can get. It was my first time to try oysters and mussels. WOW! They’re delicious!

After such a day I fell asleep immediately in the car and continued a long night at the hotel.  The effort was worth every minute. Love ya SA, see ya soon!

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Sleep-walker vagabond in Sao Paulo

This is a story that begins with a promise to myself: I never ever going to do this again. (Never say never, right?) We had so nice company, that 8 am in the morning half of the team was STILL dancing, you can imagine! And then the well-rested group came and asked if we want to go to the city. You can guess it, I was the only one who joined them. I wish I didn’t. Yes, there was a little alcohol in my veins, but after a little walking extreme tiredness hit me. If my trusted fellows hadn’t shaken me up every few minutes I think I would’ve fallen asleep on a bench.

So I can’t add much comment to the trip, just enjoy the pictures this time. And be smarter than I was when visiting SP.

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Back to this special atmosphere - Bali

After the first shock, I was more prepared. I looked up well in advance what can I squeeze in half day of dying. Why I say that? Because we arrived in the evening, damn tired, and we were going back on the next evening, which meant I must start to get ready latest at 4 pm.

So my driver, Merna was picking me up at 6 am sharp. There are great distances and traffic can go mad, so it was a must to hit the road early. The drive itself was so beautiful and instructive that the visit worth it solely for that. Our first stop was Gitgit Waterfall. There’s an entrance fee everywhere in Bali, but at least it’s cheap, and you can also hire and English speaking guide near the entrance. There’s built pathway everywhere, however includes a lot of stairs, so just be prepared. We’ve seen several smaller waterfalls as well, creeks and beautiful vegetation, not to mention the chicken.

After that we headed to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, which is a major water temple on the shore of Lake Bratan, built almost 400 years ago. As a main source of irrigation in the central Bali area, ceremonies consist of offerings to the river and lake goddess Dewi Danu. A lot more crowded than the waterfalls, but it worth it. What you see it’s just stunning.

Our next stop was a local market - not sure where exactly. My friends asked me to buy vanilla for them, because they heard it’s quite cheap. Well let me make one thing clear - I found the most expensive thing in Bali: Vanilla! You can get it for the same price back at home, sometimes it’s even less. I read it somewhere that it’s the second-most expensive spice after saffron, well the source must’ve been right about it. However I’ve seen fruits I’ve never seen before, weird chips and a lot of nice crafts. Eg. have you ever tried fresh cocoa fruit? Well in Europe we rather have apple for breakfast! So definitely a market is something that you shouldn’t miss.

We ended our tour at a random temple, but it turned out to be a good choice, though I couldn’t figure out the name. There was a little canal around the main complex, making it sort of untouchable and sacred. Take a look at the roofs. The multi-tiered thatched roofs is the most recognizable feature of the meru towers.  The number of roofs is always odd and reflects the status of the deity to whom the shrine is dedicated. The lowest meru contains three tiers, while the most prestigious one contains 11 tiers. The tiny botanic garden behind was nothing like one I’m used to. All that thanks to the special plants like  bamboo, lianas and weird leafless trees.

I still couldn’t get enough of this island. Maybe it’ll never get off my bucket list.

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Travelling 3hrs to see the city for 1,5hrs

We took the bus from the airport because it was 3 times cheaper than the KLIA Express. I was surprised, that I had company, normally that’s not the case.

As a first-timer, of course, we wanted to see the symbol of Kuala Lumpur, the Petronas Towers. It’s really amazing. If you go inside, you’ll find a huge mall at the back of it. In case you want to go up the tower, plan in advance. The number of visitors is restricted, and if you don’t book it in advance, then the chance that you’ll not go up is pretty high, as high as the towers :D 

As our time was very limited, we could only squeeze in a mosque and a market in our itinerary. I’ve never been to a mosque before, especially during prayer. But this was one of a different kind, hundreds of people were placing their little prayer rugs outside, basically anywhere where they’ve found some space. Of course, only Muslims could enter, so we were only watching it from the street.

The Central Market was a nice one to find some souvenirs and get lost in local culture and art. We found a really impressive art shop, with lots of beautiful paintings. If I had a place of my own, for sure I would’ve bought something from there.

Time and weather chased us back to the hotel. It’s amazing how different the weather is in some parts of the world. For them, it was normal that in the afternoon a huge thunderstorm washed away the streets. In my country, this happens only a couple of times per year. So a good tip is to always have a raincoat with you (better than an umbrella) and pay attention to locals. When they start to pack their products away, cover it with huge plastics or just simply start to walk super fast in the direction of any entrance, that means the sky is going to fall down. Best to follow them ;)

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Back to my love

I’m so lucky. Even if for only 1 day, but I could come back to you.

Melbourne is the place where you can have all the weather conditions in just one day. So I could experience it all in my 1 day there. I survived the chilly morning with a coffee, then I had to open my umbrella cause of a running light shower. Then the sun showed her face for a moment, when everybody started undressing, but as soon as you start to feel comfortable the clouds are closing in, and you instantly grab your umbrella again. Weather keeps you in motion man! :D

I wanted somebody to show me the city, so again I googled the free walking tours. I think the guide’s name was Hugh. And he was really knowledgeable about the city. After this day I felt that not even a long vacation is enough to explore everything. But I don’t know when can I come back next :( 

“Fun” facts: Princess Theater has a lot of ghost stories, but the most famous one is from 1888, when actor  Frederick Federici was playing the role of  Mephistopheles (from opera Faust), and he go a heart attack while being lowered from the stage to the basement (going down to hell). He died almost immediately.

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Change is Sometimes Good

I thought I’ll have to spend those days within the walls, but then my schedule got changed and duty called me to Geneva, Switzerland.

Again not much time to prepare and to enjoy, but of course I tried to make the most of it. I’m starting to develop a pattern. Whenever I’m going for first time somewhere I’m searching the web for free walking tours. I figured out that these give me a hint of the city, area, and next time I come I’ll know what I want to explore in more details, and also what is that I really wouldn’t mind to skip.

First things first. Breakfast. It’s the most important meal - as Sylvester Stallone’s Mom says, right? :D So hungry as we were we hit the city, trying to find a place to eat. This seemed to be the most difficult task the whole day. Probably we were looking in the wrong area. However finally we found something like a bakery/cafe and escaped the freezing wind.

After a lot of walking we finally found the meeting point for the tour. Was a nice tour, I recommend it to any first timer.

A comment to the St. Pierre Cathedral: It's interesting how so many styles meet here. Started in Romanesque, continued in Gothic and even has a Neo-Classical facade. Just as alcohol: they warn you not to mix it, but you don’t listen. But sometimes the outcome is still pretty awesome :D Oh, yes, and inside there’s a chair exhibited, that used to be Calvin’s.

A hint: Another free thing to see in Geneva is a small museum, where the city model can be found: (address: 25, rue du Stand open: 11am to 6pm from Wednesday to Saturday. Guided visits can be made upon reservation - phone 41 (0)22 418 96 99). I’m not a great museum fan, but this was nice, and exactly enough for me ;)

I only missed one thing, the Jet d'Eau. Unfortunately the winds were so strong that day, that the fountain was shut down. Next time... hopefully...

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“Welcome to paradise!” - he said

And he was right! This place was nothing I’ve ever seen before. The beaches of Seychelles look exactly like what you see on postcards and tell yourself, that this is actually Photoshop and does not exist in real life. But it does!

The Seychelles is an archipelago of about 115 islands in the Indian ocean. We had a short day trip to the main island, where also Victoria, the capital is. Even this island is relatively small, you can drive around the shores in a day. But I warn you, you’ll want to stop every inch, so the actual drive can last up to 10 days in the end :D and you’ll want to do it over and over again.

The public transport seemed to be poor, so we chose to hire a driver. We made friends with Roddy quite quickly, and he really knew his job. As we were starving first we had lunch in a nice local restaurant. Then he took us to amazing beaches. He even opened a coconut for us with his pure hands. He said, he’s the last generation who still learned this from his father. We also visited a pretty cool waterfall. It has deeper water at the bottom, like a little pool, and the brave and/or reckless ones (like me :D ) were cliff diving from the rocks. Two crazy locals even jumped from the high tree that leans above.

We ended the day at Beau Vallon beach, watching the sunset.

Handy tips: This is not Asia. I was surprised how expensive this country is. Plan well before coming here. You can save some money if you make your own food, or maybe buy local food on the beach. But be careful, some stands are open only for a couple of hours.

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Wildlife of KenguruLand - Perth

I start to get used to it, that nobody is truly interested in digging in local culture, wildlife, or anything, that requires a bit more planing and effort than like going to the closest Mall. Though it’s their decision, somehow still makes me angry. I just can’t understand, how can they be so negligent. Guys, the world is out there, not in the Malls! Whatever. So, as you could figure it out, I grabbed my little backpack and hit the road. It took me some time to reach from the city to Whiteman Park which is a unique recreation and conservation reserve. The bus drops you off just at the entrance. There you can ask for transportation which takes you to the center, but as my intention was to see the park’s true beauty, the flora and if possible the fauna, I took a walk. There’s a built track so don’t have any rock-climbing in mind :D Just mind the app. 2 km! At the center you will find a lot of facilities, including Caversham Wildlife Park, numerous museums, cafe, playground, shops. My plan was to visit the Wildlife park. Amazing place to explore Australia’s wildlife. And farm-life. Everybody knows about the kangaroos, koalas and wombats, but it was also fun for an uptown girl to see how they shear the sheep, how dogs are herding them, try cracking the whip and milking the cow. There’s a kangaroo park, where you can feed them, and basically lie down next to them. At other areas you can touch the koalas and the wombats as well. After a tiring day I took the same track back to the bus stop. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Whole kangaroo families where jumping across the track, looking at me. Lifetime experience I have to say.

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A day of rest

This hotel is quite far from the city, and we didn’t have enough time to go on a boat trip. Which I believe would be the first step to explore Phuket and the beautiful islands in the area. Hopefully another time. So what is there in Thailand that you can enjoy without making a step? Of course! EAT! :D And exactly that was what we did. Local food is delicious, colorful, hot and cheap wherever you go. All right, for cheap you must go out of the hotel ;) For me, as a girl from Europe, seafood was not a regular dish on the plate. But I love challenges and games, so I considered eating crab as one. One of the funniest lunch I ever had :D I met quite a fighter there, but in the end I was announced the winner. After normal lunch you need a nap, right? And what do you think you need after a Thai lunch? Minimum a double nap and if possible with breeze and the sounds of the ocean. Bon appétit!

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Swedish Archipelago

I had to wait till March this winter, to see a few snowflakes. Cold combined with humidity and winds that are normal here made even that miniature statue put on a cap and scarf. There’s a quite long bus drive from the airport to the city, but I knew I cannot skip it only because of the inconvenience. As I was alone and a first timer in Stockholm I decided to take one of the free walking tours the city has to offer for enthusiastic tourists. Hope that I can visit it again when the weather is nicer ;)

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Bali - First timer

They say Bali has a special touch. It not only catches the eye but definitely your soul as well. I have to say it’s true. I could spend only a couple of hours here, but it got under my skin. I wish I could come back one day. Special thanks to my new friend, who was my guide for the quick trip. Hope to see you soon Merna!

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So glad I’m practicing for Christmas!

I’m in bad shape. Guys, that is what it’s like to be far-far away from your well equipped kitchen... it makes you creative. I never thought that my hairspray can be that much of a help. But some good advice: 1. always put the alarm on, otherwise your cookies are going to end up with a bit different color than planned :D 2. never heat up the butter for these kinda cookies, has to come straight from the fridge. It can be tempting to save some time, but heat is like a knife to the heart for this shortcrust pastry. Best would be to use a food processor.

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Childhood dream came true. Finally I was breathing Aussie air. Feeling the blood rushing faster in my veins, almost making my heart explode. Love ya KenguruLand!