We in Hong Kong! . . . words from the past 18 hours

Here are some snippets from each member of the lovely crew all written at 32,000 feet somewhere between LA and Hong Kong.

So, ya! We are at 32,000 feet right now somewhere over Siberia. Still got about 3,000 miles to go to Hong Kong followed by a 6-hour haul to land us in Bangalore at around 2am. For now, the five of us have some lovely words to share about this lovely plane-ride, and what we think we are the best ways to cope with the “long haul.”

NP: There is always the option to just go to the back of the plane and do some yoga when you lose the feeling in your legs. And who knows, maybe it will start a lovely conversation with the Chinese flight attendant about the health benefits of yoga. Or it will just be awkward and delirious, probably the latter. I’ve watched all episodes of the show, “New Girl” and some movies. Can’t really remember anything about them, “#sarinotsari.” I can’t really sleep on planes without some assistance of da drogas, so ya, that sucks. WOOOOO about 16 hours until India!

MJ: I like to travel in two countries at once. How is this possible you may ask? Through reading, of course! Last year on my voyage to Vietnam I delved into the depths of The Sudan through one of my (now) all time favorite books, What is the What by Dave Eggars. This trip, the country of choice (besides INDIA of course) is (Democratic Republic of the) Congo through The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. It is great so far; Kingsolver is a master of imagery. Now then, the plane ride the plane ride… BESIDES reading, there was some sleeping, some back aching, some I need to pee right now-ing, some baby staring, some “Nick, I can beat you at checkers-ing” (he didn’t bite) some watching Finding Nemo for the very first time, and most importantly some REALLY REALLY good airplane food. I am convinced that no matter what you will always be uncomfortable at some point during any kind of 16 hour flight (maybe Emirates will prove me wrong on the way back to LA?) But, food, that’s how you keep the frequent flyers coming back for more highly globalized trips around the world. And good, white wine—and malaria infused drug dreams. Here’s to the next 8 hours!

KS: Riding on long plane rides is all about the various sleeping positions you will try along the way. So far I have tried three. If you are lucky enough to be by the window it is all about leaning up against it. However, the comfortability of that all depends on where by the window your head hits. Unfortunately for me, the way the seat was placed on this flight, my head hit the middle of the window, which leads to some tension in your neck. Then there is the sitting up with your head against the seat headrest that conveniently folds in on one side. This is always comfortable until your head falls forward, jerking you awake. The final position is the head on the tray in front of you.  Unfortunately for me, I have found myself to be too tall for this popular back straining condition. The moral of the story is that I can sleep on planes but only in increments of no longer than an hour, and once you have tried all the sleeping positions well you might as well give up and have a glass of wine!

MP:  Amen, Amen…my 6-foot sister speaks the truth! There is something about long limbs, a small space, and 16 hours that don’t quite jive. Similar to K-Rose, I unsuccessfully attempted to master all 3 sleeping positions, finally resorting to an uncommon but surprisingly comfortable arrangement. I stretched my entire upper body across two seats only to fall into a deep, malaria-infused dream world, atop a paperback pillow, or better yet, Mimi’s copy of “The Poisonwood Bible.” Perhaps our desire to sleep was preceded by our choice to enjoy a glass of German white wine with lunch. Each sip was taken only after dedicating it to a person, adventure, idea or event of significance in the last year…of course there was a “cheers” for the Indian adventures to come as well. Thus, the combination of alcohol and the high altitude made for an entertaining hour where we were quite certain that a colonial woman was in fact churning butter on the wing. When finding out that she was just a figment of our imagination, when the wine began to heavy our eyelids, and when the drone of the engines began to harmonize with “The Lumineers”, we escaped into our first of many REM cycles.

SM (as we near the end of our 17 hours in the air): I am going home after 9 months b*t*h*s!!!! It’s 2am LA time and we are an hour away from Hong Kong. Long plane rides are all about the dreams. All your unconscious desires come alive in your dreams on these long flights. My first dream was of mama feeding the five of us biryani (a.k.a little drops of heaven) at 4 am as we sat around the kitchen table. My second dream, I was cuddling mama and of course Goat-Ear was in the middle (being an integral part of the cuddle fest) and my third dream, was about actually seeing my Sophia and LMU worlds collide over some “classic Brigade Road bonding.” As for now, we are more than half way home! Cannot wait to be sitting around “Plain Street” playing taboo with my iggies, Mama, Metchimeow (My sister Iffath) and Azhar (my 9 month old brother –in-law). It’s going to be the best winter break of our lives!

Taking Barcelona

Before coming to Spain my aunt gave me an article written by New York Times writer, Ingrid Williams, entitled 36 hours in Barcelona.  My travel partner (Dolores) and I looked through what Ms. Williams had to say about what was best to see in the city and made our own version of taking on Barce.  So, for today, here is our 12 hours in Barce.

10am:  Waking up, which in Spain where the nightlife doesn’t start until 2-230am is a difficult task.  Prep for the day, and roll out.

11am:  We took the advice of Ms. Williams and found the Baluard bakery. And what a great decision it was.  My mom, sister, and aunt who basically live their lives on carbs could spend the rest of their lives in devotion to this place.  The smell of freshly baked bread permeates down the street when you approach and when you enter you simply want it all, and more.  We bought a baguette with chocolate chips and a tart with cream and apple slices, ridiculous how amazing it all was.  We took a sliced loaf of wheat bread to go and planned our next trip to the bakery (probably tomorrow).

12:  With our pastries and bread in hand we made our way down to the promenade, specifically the Barceloneta district.  Here we mixed with the cyclist, the roller-bladers, the joggers, the workout enthusiast, and the beach community as the strong winds cooled off the hot day.  We sat on the beach and munched on our wheat bread, not a bad start to the morning.  And we finished it off, inspired by the collection of people working out we saw on the beach, with a session of core strengthening on the grass next to the Port de Barcelona.

2pm:  On our way to the Metro station we stumbled upon yet another jewel in Barce, a homemade chocolate and macaroon shop just off the promendade.  We walked in to find the owners, a married couple, tending to their child in his stroller and organizing the store counter.  Multi-tasking.  The shop is called Vioko, and it has macaroon towers and assortments of chocolate balls like you have never seen before.  Once again, my aunt would have been in heaven at this place.  With no surprise, we ate and planned our return trip.

3pm:  After a bit of a long walk from the Diagonal metro station, we arrived at one of the architectural highlights of the trip, La Sagrada Familia.  The most famous of Gaudi’s works, although unfinished, is something that will keep you craning your neck for hours.  Why?  Because nothing in the world looks anything like it.  The colors, the shapes, the odd formations, the differing sizes of columns, the differing types of material to make the columns, the intricately designed doors, the decorated entryways all goes in to what makes this place so unique. The columns that support the massive church are all made of differing material such as marble, granite, sandstone, limestone, etc. and like I said are all differing in size and color because the master architect wanted to give off the impression that it is a forest of trees.  And it is really is because of the hyperbolic formation of Gaudi’s architecture, with the skinny at the bottom supporting the massive at the top.  I can’t say enough about the Gaudi architecture but nothing I say can do justice to seeing it in person.   Simply the best out there.  If you like modern, get to Barcelona… now!

6pm:  Sorry, I couldn’t resist but I had a frapuccino from starbucks.

7pm:  After the much needed caffeine buzz I was ready to walk and shop.  Beware of shopping in Barcelona because you will want everything and more.  Like I said in a previous post, “like Urban Outfitters on steroids.”  We walked all the way down Paseo de Gracia, which is essentially the center of shopping for Barcelona.  If you ever get the chance to visit it, my advice would be to cherish the art of window shopping and stuff your wallet tighter into that bag.

9pm:  For our last hour we just wandered our way back to the hostel.  Wandering, a lost art but the best if practiced properly.  Because it led us to a place called PapaBubble!  I might have seemed uninterested when I entered the shop due to my overall fatigue from the day, but I was actually all about this place.  It’s a hard candy shop.  And they make it all right in front of you.  Lollipops were dispersed around the store but mostly hidden behind bags and bags and containers of assorted hard sugar candies.  And they are SO DELICIOUS.  If you are in Barcelona, please go find this place if you like hard candy.

10pm:  Boom! 12 hours and the sun is just now going down.  I guess the next twelve hour session starts at 12 when we go to dinner.

Exhausted in Barcelona (with five days to go)

I have been in Barcelona for a whopping 16 hours and I am exhausted.  But first, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, USA!!! While all my friends have been constantly posting about parades and fireworks and picnics I definitely think I have one up on them, in my opinion.

Barcelona has to be, by far, one of the most remarkable cities to get lost in, in the world!  Wandering this extremely modern city for hours and hours, however tiring, is an experience like nothing you have ever done before.  This city constantly plays at two of the things I love most: unique architecture and a completely young vibe.  Walking through the side alleys you find store after store that are all like Urban Outfitters on steroids.  Every small restaurant has something new to offer in their ambience or design and they all seem to be top picks for a fairly priced dinner.  I would be lying if I said I like the food in Spain more than Italy, but today I did eat at a wonderful small Belgian joint called Gilda.  I met the owner at the end of the meal and agreed I would be coming back before I leave Barce.

Switching gears a bit, I noticed I am in a constant tug of war while I have been here between seeing the major sites and searching for the hidden wonders.  But I’ve come to find that Barcelona is a constant balance between the two.  Whether you want the best tapas bars, the best bars in general, the best clubs, the best churches, the most unique architectural wonders in the world, the best beaches, or simply the best day adventures Barcelona provides it all.  In my short 16 hours here just skipping around the city I have seen the city’s main cathedral, walked La Rambla, wandered through the Gothic Quarter, walked around the main Barce port, and even managed to get through a tour of one of the Gaudi houses (saving that story for later for a post designated to the wonder that is Gaudi architecture).  We ended our day with a cruise through the part of town nearest our hostel and scoping out the dining options.  Seriously, anyone can write a sparkling review for the majority of the places we stopped to glance at a menu.

Plenty more to come from Barcelona over the next few days and keep an eye on the pictures under the “Europe” tab because they are coming out pretty great. 

An afternoon in Palma Nova, Mallorca

It all depends on what type of person you are, I suppose.  Whether you like the “vacation,” where you spend all your days lounging on the beach then going to a nice-ish restaurant at night with a few drinks then get some good rest (or partying) before starting it all over again the next day.  That’s what I have found Palma Nova, Spain to be like.  It is mostly a British resort intermixed with a few Spanish.  This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the vacation, I love some down time with nothing to do but read a cheesy book, but it’s not my favorite.  My favorite is split between two major types of travel: what I have just finished in Florence-about a month of living in the city and going to school-and finding the jewels dispersed between the vacationers and the major sites.

I have spent the majority of my time in Palma Nova on the beach or walking around the small town.  It’s been nice to unwind from the whirlwind that was my time in Italy, but I am ready to keep on to the next stop, which is going to be a five-day fiasco in Barcelona.  But back to Palma Nova.  Today, my travel buddy (“D”) and found ourselves a jewel.  This is what I would consider to be my favorite aspect of traveling.  The nice thing about a jewel is that it can be a daylong excursion, a single site, or a single place that captivates you-it’s a jewel to you and you’ll want to share it.

Today we rented bikes in Palma Nova and we set off for the small towns up the west coast of Mallorca.  The bike path was sometimes difficult to follow but the views, the beaches, and overall the ride itself was remarkable.  We went to El Toro beach and Santa Poncha beach, and both just stunned me as places I would love to come spend a quiet week.  They are tiny towns on the edge of Mallorca with cliffs leading down to the ocean.  The beaches are small but the sand is a powdery white that makes the water seem that much more majestically transparent.  For those of you that appreciate the small moments as well, this ride would definitely suit you because as you go along, the path is lined with odorous flowers that span all of Mallorca so your entire ride is blessed with a fresh scent of pink, white, and red blossoms.

On the whole, Palma Nova is a great place to stick your head in the sand for a while but also presents the potential for a great day adventure around Mallorca.  That’s all for now, but with plenty more to come from… oh yes, Barcelona!!! and most importantly… a visit to Camp Nou!!!! THE FC BARCELONA STADIUM!