31.7.15

Taipei Zoo「臺北市立動物園」

Taipei zoo

Taipei Zoo also started with the Japanese, that had the control of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945. It was founded in 1914, in Yuanshan Mountain (Maruyama i.e. round mountain in Japanese) on the north of Taipei. At the beginning it was not public, but the Mr Oe's private zoological garden. One year later, the Japanese government decided to buy the property and open it to the public.
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30.7.15

Clarisonic Plus Review

Clarisonic plus review

Lo mío con el Clarisonic ha sido una larga historia de amor. Llevaba tiempo pensando en comprarme uno, para tratar de combatir con mi piel, que es tan resistente como brillante, pero nunca encontraba el momento adecuado para desembolsar los 225€ que cuesta en España.
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28.7.15

Felicidades, Dani.

enjoying summer with my besties

Siempre que me encuentro con alguien a quien no veía de hace años, me pregunta intrigado "qué tal por Málaga?" como si vivir cerca del mar o volver a estar rodeada de un mundo castellanohablante fuera lo más importante de nuestro retorno a España. Bien les contesto...

Pero lo que de verdad hace que merezca la pena volver a España son findes como el pasado. Donde un billete de AVE es lo único que me separa de mis mejores amigos y familia. Esa gente a la que ahora veo cada dos por tres, en lugar de durante una escasa semana al año. He pasado de verlos un día (con suerte) a celebrar mi cumple con ellos, de explorar la feria juntos o de pasar findes tan maravillosos como el pasado.

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27.7.15

The Korean Dress

blue embellished dress with flare skirt from Seoul, Korea

Prendas como éstas son las que me conducen una y otra vez a Doota, con la tarjeta preparada para echar humo. Este vestido por ejemplo, me costó - por si alguien se lo pregunta - 120000 WON, que vienen a ser unos 90€. Es una pieza original, bordada con pedrería, de una tela bastante recia, con peso y cosida tan bien… Que sienta como un guante.

Las típicas cosas que no están nada vistas en Europa, pero que una vez te atreves con ellas, despiertan mucha atención y preguntas tipo dónde te lo has comprado?

Evidentemente entiendo que no vas a pagar un billete de avión solo por ir de shopping, pero las típicas recomendaciones de revistas de moda, dejan bastante que desear. Hong Kong es caro y está petado de Mainland Chinese cuyo poder adquisitivo está MUY por encima del Europeo (i.e. la selección multimarca es maravillosa, pero queda al alcance de muy pocos). En otras capitales Asiáticas - Shanghai, KL, Singapore, Beijing, Jakarta… Más de lo mismo - o mercadillo cutre petado de counterfeit o Chanel a cuatro veces más de lo que pagarías en Europa.

Pero Seoul, con su wholesale market, su producción para Japón y el amor por la piel, tiene piezas que hasta llaman la atención de mi madre, tanto en originalidad como en calidad de telas y confección - vamos, lo que vienen siendo palabras mayores. El caso es que estoy super contenta con él, además de que encaje genial con mi nuevo clutch y las cuñas a las que me he tenido que rendir, porque la noche Malagueña no es demasiado compatible con los Manolos de ante.

Me encantan los souvenir que se usan... Como éste!!! Y vosotras que probablemente andéis ya de vacaciones, en qué estáis invirtiendo este año?

blue embellished dress with flare skirt from Seoul, Korea
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24.7.15

Tokyo「東京」: Owl Cafe「梟の館」

Fukurou, owl cafe in Tokyo

Everyone heard about the cat cafés in Tokyo, I think we showed you a couple of them [here] and [there]. These are places where you can go and pet them, in a place decorated like a huge living room. I always felt that the reason for all these cozy cafés to mushroom in the city (with or without animals) is the square meter price in Tokyo, that makes it more or less impossible to have a huge home. So people leave the house, seraching for somewhere to study, read, hang out or relax in a less cramped atmosphere.

The trend even arrived to Spain (actually there is a cat café in Madrid) but today is about the latest and greatest: Fukurou, the owl café in Akihabara, Tokyo.
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23.7.15

Tokyo「東京」 : Mandarake「まんだらけ」

Mandarake is a manga and anime store in Shibuya, Tokyo

Anime is often the trigger for many of us to start loving Japan from early age. I grew up with Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, Marmalade Boy, Evangelion and decided that my dream was to visit Japan. Still, neither anime nor manga are dead, but consumed by people of any age, gender and taste. From porn, through fantasy to gay thematic, there is something for you - provided you have the patience to browse the store and the ability to read Japanese. You can buy manga in many places, but what made Mandarake famous are the vintage and second hand items for sale. From last year's anime to 50 year old Godzilla figures, there are cheap and very expensive things. Even if you buy nothing, even if you are not into manga... Mandarake is a pretty cool stop on your walk around Shibuya.

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22.7.15

Green Taipei

Jianguo holiday flower market in Taipei

I am a big fan of walking the city simply because it is a good way to unveil the different sides of a metropolis as you discover the place step by step. There are scary, strange, crazy and charming places that may not make it to the top 10, but will always have a special place in your mind. Simply because the unexpected is often the most memorable.
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21.7.15

Taipei : Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall「國立國父紀念館」

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei

Travel often unveils how ignorant we are about the history that happened far away from us.

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17.7.15

Seoul「서울시」: Doota「두산타워」

seoul shopping Dongdaemun

De vuelta en Doota, mi lugar favorito a la hora de comprar ropa en el Mundo. No me tachéis de snob, que explico a qué viene esta exageración.

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16.7.15

Seoul「서울시」: Dongdaemun Design Plaza「동대문 디자인플라자」

Dongdaemun Design Plaza by Zaha Hadid and Samoo

Sometimes you come back to a place to realize a huge - yet somewhat sudden - change. This was more or less my feeling the day I jumped off the train on a shopping spree mission. At the exit of the train station there is this map of buildings, featuring Doota, Migliore and other malls I've heard of. But then, what is that humongous blob that is taking over an entire block? Dongdaemun Design Plaza?

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15.7.15

Seoul「서울시」- Subway「수도권 전철」

metro de Seúl

El metro de Seúl es el más grande del mundo, si comparamos por metros de vía. En términos de pasajeros se queda segundo, ya que en Tokyo viaja más gente pero no lo hace bajo tierra, sino usando los múltiples trenes de JR (Japan Rail) que suelen ir sobre la superficie (e.g. JR Yamanote). Es muy nuevo, muy fácil, muy cómodo. Tiene pantallas por todas partes y buena conectividad (ya en 2010 iba la gente con tablets enormes viendo vídeos), es una forma muy eficiente y económica de desplazarte por la ciudad.
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15.7.15

Seoul 「서울시」 - Bulgogi「불고기」

bulgogi

Korea is a land of meat. If you are into fish, this definitely not the best place for you - even though alternatives like my beloved Bibimbap「비빔밥can definitely help you out there. During our first night in Seoul, the guys told me to bring them to a place with "local food" so we landed on a korean barbecue place, obviously.

I used to believe that Bulgogi - literally fire meat - was a generic term referring to Korean barbecue (same as yakiniku in Japanese) but the reality is that it refers to marinated beef (excluding ribs that are called Galbi 「갈비」) which is often cooked in steel structure placed on top of the table grill. It is typically served along rice, soup and banchan「반찬」- a variety of side dishes, often vegetables with a twist of sesame oil.

bulgogi
bulgogi
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14.7.15

Seoul「서울시」: Bongeunsa「봉은사」

Bongeunsa temple in Gangnam, Seoul

I remember the first time I visited Seoul with somewhat scary clarity. Guess it was such an important experience, that my brain recorded it with full detail. Sunday morning and I started walking away from Renaissance and getting lost in Gangnam. Among the skyscrapers and fancy malls, old temples, royal parks and mausoleums mushroom along the way, with the same charm experienced in Central Tokyo. Modern and old, new wave and tradition, the city is packed with contrast so I guess that is what makes it so attractive.
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13.7.15

Seoul「서울시」: Conbini「편의점」

convenience store in Seoul
Gangnam Style drink in Gangnam.

What can I say, it's been a shaky Q2. Moving into a new apartment, having Byakko and myself going to the hospital (nothing serious if you wonder... I had a nasty cold and an allergy attack, he ate some rubber sole and eventually manage to get it out of his body without surgery), welcoming family and friends in Malaga and ending up with a 3-week "route of the spices" around my favorite side of the World.
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