31.7.17

Seoul - Gangnam by day

Gangnam square

Gangnam es un distrito en Seoul compuesto de 26 (dong) barrios, que se hizo famoso mundialmente con la canción de Psy en 2012 - cuyo videoclip fue el más visto en Youtube durante 5 años. Gangnam, que literalmente significa "al sur del río" había permanecido irrelevante hasta los años 80, cuando experimentó un crecimiento económico notable.



El área de Gangnam es famosa por la concentración de riqueza y alto estándar de vida, comparable con el de Beverly Hills, especialmente considerando el precio de las propiedades donde el m2 se cotiza a 10000€. Aunque adquirir una vivienda sea caro, el precio de los hoteles, la comida en el supermercado o el transporte, no lo es. Por ejemplo, la habitación donde nos alojamos en Urban Place Gangnam sale por unos 70€ al día, incluyendo cocina, lavadora y servicio diario. Del supermercado más cercano os hablaremos en otro post, pero esperamos que esta serie sobre Seoul os anime a visitar la ciudad!

Hoy nos vamos de paseo por Gangnam. Nosotros caminamos desde Gangnam station hasta Apgujeong Rodeo, porque nos gusta andar. Si os da pereza, podéis explorar las calles en torno a la estación de Gangnam y el Gangnam Square - cruce de calles entre Teheran-ro & Gangnam-daero - para después coger el metro hasta Sinsa y caminar desde allí.

Los highlights de la zona son los siguientes - Google maps en Korea no te deja buscar rutas andando así en el mapa sólo puedo marcar los pines. Aquí un mapa resumen - que me ha costado la vida, pues la mitad de los sitios no aparecen (e.g. Starbucks Reserve) y la otra mitad están mal posicionados (e.g. Jaju, cuya localización he corregido basándome en páginas locales :S)

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28.7.17

Seoul - Blooming lotus at Jogyesa

Lotus flower festival in Jogyesa buddhist temple in Seoul

La mayoría de la población en Korea del sur (56.9%) carece de afiliación a una religión mayoritaria. El resto, se distribuye entre Protestantes (19.7%), Católicos (7.9%) y Budistas (15.5%) - de ahí la cantidad de iglesias que me cruzo de camino al trabajo, si 1/4 de la gente son Cristianos! 

Pero a qué se debe esto? El Budismo fue suprimido durante el período Joseon (1395 - 1910) que apoyaba el Confucianismo Koreano. La fé Cristiana era la predilecta de las clases sociales elevadas, durante las últimas décadas antes de la ocupación Japonesa, que veían cómo la sociedad Confucianista se derrumbaba ante sus ojos. Lo interesante es que su propia tradición, el chamanismo coreano (mugyo, 무교) tenga una penetración anecdótica, como resultado de las múltiples campañas en su contra conducidas desde el 1500, culminaron en el movimiento para destruir la superstición "misin tapa undong" 미신 타파 운동 entre 1890-1980 que terminó por destruir completamente el patrimonio cultural.

El templo que visitamos en este post se llama Jogyesa, representa a la orden budista Jogye desde 1395, cuando se fundó bajo el nombre de Gakhwangsa. Pese a la ocupación Japonesa, este templo resistió cual fortaleza estandarte del Budismo koreano, con lo que en 1938 terminaron por invertir en el hall con los 3 buddhas y designarlo templo principal de los Jogye.

Jogyesa ofrece el temple life program en el que, por unos 30€ puedes pasar una tarde (1-4PM) meditando, haciendo linternas, pintando con bloques de madera y tomando el té cual monje cualquiera. Los motivados pueden optar por el temple stay que consiste en quedarse una temporada, para interiorizar más las enseñanzas y prácticas, así como familiarizarte con el budismo koreano.

De mis 4 visitas anteriores a Seoul - parece mentira, pero voy por la quinta, sólo había tenido tiempo de visitar Jogyesa en invierno. De ahí mi sorpresa al encontrarme con este maravilloso festival de la flor de Loto. Si viajáis a Tailandia o visitáis un templo budista en cualquier otro sitio, acordaos de este post y mirad con atención. Seguro que hay mil flores de loto, en las pinturas, en las manos o en la base de los Buddhas. Las flores de loto son un símbolo Budista muy importante, que representa la naturaleza real de las cosas, imperturbable por el barro del mundo y se realiza a través de la iluminación.
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27.7.17

Seoul - Dancheong colors

korean temple paintings and patterns are called Dancheong
Drumbeat over this gorgeous byeoljihwa dancheong

One of the things that always stroke me about Korean temples and palaces is the beauty of their colors and intricate patterns. It's the aqua contrasting with shades of red, yellow, white and black, sometimes finished with a blue touch. So pretty, it often leaves me with a neck pain from staring at the roof over long periods of time.

Turns out this art is very very old, full of symbolism and called Dancheong 단청 which literally means cinnabar and blue-greenDancheong 단청 is based on 5 basic colors, each representing one element: blue (east), white (west), red (south), black (north) and yellow (center). The patterns can also be used to reflect social status and rank, which is of uttermost importance in Korean society today, but even more so already in the Goryeo period (918-1392) when the first writings about Dancheong appear.

Dancheong can be further classified in four main types... Which one is your favourite?:
  • Morucho: Pattern used to paint the ends of supporting beams with simple figures like water lily, pomegranate, bubble, feather...
  • Byeoljihwa: Traditional storytelling , placed between two morucho. The patterns consist of holy animals (dragons, horses, lions, cranes), specual plants called sagunja (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo) and scenes of Buddha sutras.
  • Bidanmunui: Diverse coloring with geometric patterns, typically applied in temples.
  • Dangdongmunui: Single flower, animal, geometric or pattern in one section.
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26.7.17

Seoul - Fast, cheap and healthy at Gimgane

korean fast food
Gimgane es una de las muchas cadenas coreanas, que junto a otros tantos restaurantes tradicionales, ofrecen los staples típicos a un precio muy razonable. Hoy os presentamos nuestros 3 favoritos, en esta cena que nos salió por 15000 won, que vienen a ser unos 13€ - incluyendo side dishes, sopa y agua en vasos de metal que recuerdan a los de la oficina.
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25.7.17

Seoul - Sik Mool

Sik Mool, cool bar in Ikseong-dong district in Seoul
Sentados en  la mesa compartida, con buenas vistas del manga alternativo que proyectan constantemente... Atentos a los 4 que comparten sofá, eso sí que es amistad.

Nos costó encontrar Sik Mool, pero el esfuerzo mereció la pena. A los dos nos encantó este sitio que combina tradición y vanguardia, con un toque artsy. Aunque sea una gota en el mar de garitos en Ikseong-dong, sus paredes capturan la esencia que se respira en este barrio donde todo y todos son tan effortlessly cool.

Sik Mool realmente son cuatro hanok fusionados dando lugar a (mi arquitectura favorita) un área abierta, con muros y suelos recubiertos de hormigón, propaganda soviética, cactus, jabón artesano, IPA y vino a precio de saldo - por 20€ en Asia no compra una botella todos los días. Si vas solo, no pasa nada, pues las copas son más que generosas.

El menú es bastante simple, con picoteo español - jamón, queso, algunas olivas - para entretener la gana y poco más. Mini-punto negativo por tener el valor de sacar las raciones sin pan de acompañamiento. Esto del pan es algo que me da mucho coraje. Aunque pensándolo bien, he visto cosas peores, como Boqueria en Estocolmo, donde te cobran a 3€ la ración de pan y son capaces de sacar 3 lonchas en el cestillo para una mesa de 4... VALOR!

Altamente recomendado si visitáis la ciudad, especialmente para los que pasan un período más largo. Porque cuando ése "pero quién me mandaría venir aquí..." un vinito o una caña en un sitio guay, ayuda mucho a pasar el trago! Os dejo un mapa y una foto de la entrada, espero que junto al mapa en nuestro post de Ikseong-dong os sea fácil encontrarlo!!

Sik Mool is a highly advisable spot in Seoul provided you like concrete, hanok, drinks and all things cool. Located in the heart of the often forgotten area of Ikseong-dong, the place offers cocktails, coffee, wine (at very reasonable prices), IPA beer and house-made pizza. This is a place to find a young artsy crowd in an effortlessly cool environment, pretty much like the rest of the cool businesses around Ikseong-dong hanok district. Don't miss it!! It won't disappoint.

SIK MOOL 식물
46-1 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
11AM - Midnight



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24.7.17

Seoul - Hipster alleys of Ikseong-dong

ikseon-dong neon lights
Tras pasar el día explorando los palacios de Gwanghwamun, centro neurálgico del país durante los 600 años que duró el período Joseon (desde 1395 hasta la ocupación japonesa en 1910); caminando entre las viviendas tradicionales hanok de Bukchon; presenciando una manifestación pro-USA / pro-Park; volviendo a visitar a los impresionantes buddhas de Jogyesa y explorando las tiendecitas de Insadong... Decidimos que sería una buena idea ir a tomar algo, algo hay que hacer en Sábado. Habíamos merendado-comido un kakigori koreano llamado patbingsu a las 6, después de todo el día caminando estábamos bastante cansados y teníamos poca hambre. Así que seguimos el camino hacia el prometedor bar descrito por Lonely Planet, hipster, cubierto de arte moderno y decorado al estilo industrial, en el interior de 4 hanok remodelados.
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23.7.17

Seoul - Gangnam Nail Art

nail salon in Gangnam, Seoul
Qué tal la semana? Por aquí bastante movidita. Enrique ha pasado dos noches fuera, trabajando turnos nocturnos en Daegu. Mientras tanto, yo me he quedado dos días trabajando desde nuestro room. Esto me ahorra 3h de bus y me permite tener un horario más compatible con el Europeo, al no tener que cortar a las 18 porque se va el shuttle bus de la oficina. Con estas 3h extra, he conseguido ir al nail salon, que ya me tocaba. Hoy va de belleza el post - si te interesan historias como esta, haz like en nuestra página de Facebook para no perderte nada!

Background
No soy de llevar mucho maquillaje, ni tatuajes-micropigmentaciones, ni pestañas falsas, ni de arreglarme el pelo excesivamente, pero hay una dos cosas en las que pongo atención: cejas y uñas.

Desde que volví a España, soy fiel al Benefit Brow Bar de Marbella. En 2014 no había en el centro de Málaga (y ahora que hay tienen como dos meses de lista de espera :O) así que empecé a ir al del centro comercial La Cañada, donde también encontré peluquero (Esteban en Monisú, es el #1), TOPSHOP y UTERQÜE. Así que de vez en cuando hago una excursión de pampering. No había ido a ningún otro sitio hasta este Enero, cuando me encontré de rebote en Bangkok y decidí arriesgarme con el Anastasia Brow Bar - en Bangkok hay varios, si vais de vacaciones y os apetece probar llamad de antemano para asegurar la hora - que también os recomiendo!

Mientras que mis cejas mejoraron al volver a España, mis uñas han perdido mucho arte al dejar Japón, donde como ya os he comentado en posts anteriores:
nail salon in Gangnam, Seoul
Aquí una muestra de sus herramientas de trabajo, con el pincel fino hacen los dibujos que luego arreglan con una punta afilada de goma, hasta que quedan perfectos antes de secar con el LED.

My Korean Nail Art Experience
Así que un poco intencionadamente, un poco circunstancialmente, dejé pasar el retoque de uñas ...Pero como siempre en Asia profunda, nada es tan fácil como imaginarías ya que las cosas más sencillas se convierten en un problema cuando no puedes leer ni escribir:
  1. Encontrar un salón de uñas, en un país donde que GOOGLE te muestra 1/10 de los resultados que saca NAVER; donde el GPS no es muy fiable porque las calles son estrechas; donde se construye en alturas, con lo que no vale encontrar el punto en el mapa, sino que tienes que identificar por dónde entrar y en qué piso está leyendo el nombre en Coreano. Mi habilidad de leer Japonés combinada con lo que he aprendido de Hangeul en el bus, me salvó - los demás podéis advinar en qué piso era?? El 3!
  2. nail salon in Gangnam, Seoul
  3. Hacer una reserva, en un país donde ni los empleados de tu empresa hablan inglés. La única opción - hasta que dominas el idioma lo suficiente como para poder negociar horarios y tratamiento sin gesticular - es ir allí personalmente, aunque implique gesticular y una conversación rota del estilo (How long will it take? Two o'clock!) que termina contigo enseñando una tarjeta de crédito para confirmar que es aceptada como forma de pago.
  4. Negociar el diseño y explicar lo que quieres. Nada más llegar, la nailist me tiende 4 paletas con mil colores y me dice que elija uno. A lo que yo le contesto, señalando los mil diseños super interesantes (suckers for nail art raise your hands now...) a su espalda, si sería posible hacer gel design (keyword: DESIGN)?

    Me contesta casi gritando con un "NO!!!!!" muy tajante... "NO TIME". Y me quedo con cara triste, pero sigo escaneando los mil diseños pensando en que la próxima vez será, hasta que mis ojos se paran en algo que me resulta muy familiar a la última manicura que me hice antes de dejar Tokyo (incorrigible nostalgics raise your hands now...).

    Mientras tanto, con ayuda de fotos en mi móvil... Le explico lo fan que sou del nail art y lo mal que lo paso en España, donde no se lleva nada y por lo tanto, no hay casi artistas cualificadas para hacer las monerías que te hacen en este lado del mundo. Cuando vuelve a preguntarme por el color, señalo el diseño con cara de pena y le pregunto si sería posible que me hiciera ése que es más sencillo. A lo que acepta, tras buscar la mirada aprobatoria de su supervisora (YASSSS!!!). Cuando pasamos a la pedicura me vine arriba y le pedí dos uñitas plagadas de pedruscos porque soy una urraca incurable. Salí de allí tres horas más tarde, pero super contenta. De allí me fui a trabajar lo que quedaba de mi jornada desde nuestra mesa frente a la ventana sin vistas.
nail salon in Gangnam, Seoul
Victoria!! Un gran momento cuando cogió la paleta con diseños y la colocó sobre los colores base..


Quick tips for manicure, pedicure and nail art in Seoul
...now a small summary and quick tips based on my experience as a newbie, specially targetted to those who don't have much time and don't speak Korean:
  1. Google maps won't help as much as NAVER / KAKAO MAPS. If your Korean isn't there yet, try to "search near me" the following 네일아트 (nail art) or 젤네일 (gel nail)
  2. Find the place and go there physically to make a reservation.  Often these spots are in height, make sure you have the name of the place so you can cross-check against the building information.
  3. Use as few words as possible when you talk (both Korean and Japanese have different gramatical order than western languages, so more words = more confusion, this is a VERY COMMON mistake done by natives actually) and focus on the key words: gel nail, one-color, french, deep french, design, stone, gradation, hand, foot, care (if you want scrubbing etc with your pedi, cuticle care is included by default), cash, card.
  4. Price can go up quickly. As you can see in the example price list below, one-color costs half of french, former gel removal is also charged, design nails are priced per unit and added on-top of your prime choice, 10% TAX is typically not included in pricelist. In Japan, when you don't pick a default design (some examples here), price also depends on the complexity of the design e.g. the number of stones placed).
  5. Mitigation for price uncertainty, in case none of the designs in the store suits your taste, is to prepare the nail visit by finding a design you like, bring the picture with you, show and ask how much. 
  6. Make sure to check NAVER / KAKAO / INSTAGRAM for discounts. I am sure there are plenty of offers and vouchers out there, it's just my Korean which is not yet there.
Lulueyelash [WEB]
This is the place I tried. Conveniently located close to the Gangnam Subway station i.e. where we stay, they have a very clean and comfortable space with a rather cool nail art offering. They also do micropigmentation and eyelash extension.



nail salon in Gangnam, Seoul

Nail art fans in Korea, learn the following keywords:
- gel = 젤
- nail = 네일
- art = 아트
- design = 디자인
- pedi = 패디

Here's the price list for nail art. Below you can find a translation, keeping the names in Korean side-to-side so you can use as reference to read other price charts. I am certain there must be cheaper spots, but this is to provide a ballpark figure.

GEL NAIL 젤네일
Basic Gel 기본 젤 33,000
French 프렌치 44,000
Variation French 변형 프렌치 55,000
Gradient 그라데이션 55,000
Glitter Base 글리터 기본 66,000
Glitter French 글리터 프렌치 77,000
Glitter Grace 글리터 그라 88,000
Clear maintenance 클리어 보수 11,000
Design 1 nail 디자인 보수 3,300
Gel removal 1 nail (fits) 젤 제거 (쏙) 1,000
Out-of-the-way removal gel 1 nail 타샵 젤 제거 1,000

GEL PEDI 젤패디
Basic Gel 기본 젤 44,000
French 프렌치 44,000
Variation French 변형프렌치 66,000
Gradation 글리터기본 66,000
Glitter Base 글리터기본 77,000
Glitter French 글리터 프렌치 77,000
Glitter Grace 글리터 그라 99,000
Nutrition Care 영양케어 11,000
Color Care 컬러케어 16,500
Add nutrients + quick spray 영양제+퀵스프레이 추가 5,500
Scrub + massage added 스크럽+마사지 추가 11,000

nail salon in Gangnam, Seoul

For a total of 10 nails with design which you can see in the pictures below (follow us in IG for more daily life!), the rest in one color, I paid 170500 (about 130€) which is a bit too much. I think my hands were classified as glitter grace and my feet as glitter base, on top of which a 10% tax was added. They caught me as newbie in Korea thinking it would be cheaper than in Japan, but it won't happen again... Will follow (5) from now on, check the designs in advance - there are plenty as you can see!

nail salon in Gangnam, Seoul
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19.7.17

Seoul - Our room in Gangnam

Urban Place Gangnam, Seoul serviced apartment
Gangnam backstreets

Siempre me llamó la atención mucho eso de que los Japoneses usaran la palabra heya「部屋」que traducen al inglés como room para referirse a su casa. Supongo que nuestra residencia en Japón era, a juzgar por las reacciones de admiración que causaba, algo muy alejado de nuestro poder adquisitivo real como asalariados de una multinacional.

Creo firmemente en el karma y en que nuestro alojamiento en Korea es el payback por los años en Japón, la suerte que tuvimos con nuestro piso de Estocolmo y mis quejas (que son cada vez menos, gracias a mis amigos y mi escuela de baile) acerca de la vida en Málaga. Una muestra de lo que es la realidad de la mayor parte de la sociedad en megacities como Tokyo o Seoul, que recuerda a ese 2008 en el que Enrique se mudó a Estocolmo y convivíamos en mis 18m2 de habitación+baño.

Bienvenidos a nuestro humilde hogar en Urban Place, Gangnam!!! Una habitación con servicio de 23.5m2 en la que el espacio no sobra, pero mágicamente es posible tenerlo todo bastante ordenado. La habilidad de aprovechar el espacio que tienen los Koreanos dejan en bragas al IKEA.
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18.7.17

Seoul - Expat 2.0




Dado que vamos a pasar lo que queda de Julio y Agosto en Seoul, he decidido empezar una nueva serie acerca de nuestra vida cotidiana en Gangnam. No la del influencer que viaja a gastos pagados, sino la de un salaryman en toda regla. De nuestro nidito de amor os hablaremos en otra ocasión, porque deja a los pequeños espacios de IKEA en bragas. El highlight de hoy es… La cantina de la empresa.
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18.7.17

Culebra - Playa Flamenco

Playa Flamenco, Culebra, Puerto Rico
A rusty Sherman tank, one of the highlights

Let's get this straight. I am kind of a morning person, but NOT the one who loves an early wake up call. If I did come to Flamenco beach even before drinking a sip if coffee, trust me, I did it for love. Enrique bought a DJI Mavic for Christmas, so he was super excited to try it in Puerto Rico, where you don't get sued for sneezing as you do back in US mainland.

Thing is, he wanted to shoot the 70s abandoned tanks without much people around but got busted by the campers on the beach area. Nobody had woken up as early as us, but ofc it was rather easy for them to walk on the beach and ruin our shoot. Anyway...

Playa Flamenco was once voted as World's top #3 by TripAdvisor for a good reason. Pristine water, white sand, coconut trees and those rusty graffitied tanks which are just so unique to it. There's one on the shore and another on the hill nearby, so you can get different vibes in your pictures.
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17.7.17

Culebra - El Navegante

El Navegante de Culebra, Puerto Rico

Out of all the places we stayed, El Navegante de Culebra is probably the most innovative.

Instead of having a formal lobby or person in charge, the building is equipped with a Key Room where guests enter a code provided upon room reservation to receive the key. When leaving, you just leave the keys inside. And that's about it. Like everything else in Culebra, the place is small but functional and gets the job done. This place is well located, close to Pandeli, Dinghy Dock and the harbour where Culebra Divers is located.

They have a small space beside the building that can be used by guests for parking. Given that golf carts are the norm in the island, there's usually room when coming back from the beach. Highly advisable for your days in this little paradise.
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15.7.17

Puerto Rico - Avionetas

Avionetas en Puerto Rico

Si llegas al aeropuerto y te hacen pesar la maleta, es algo normal. Pero cuando te conviertes en el segundo bulto al que pesan, se te pasan muchas cosas por la cabeza - puede haber alguna aerolínea peor que Ryanair? Tanto se me notan las Piñas Coladas?. Hace un tiempo leí un artículo acerca de una aerolínea que operaba vuelos a Polynesia en los que se habían visto obligados a colocar a sus pasajeros estratégicamente para evitar desequilibrar el avión... Sería este el caso?

Parece que la situación era algo diferente, ya que no viajábamos en 830 sino en avioneta de 8 pasajeros. Como ya os adelantábamos en la mini-guía de Puerto Rico, además de una experiencia nueva y memorable, las avionetas son el medio de transporte más rápido y predecible para moverte entre islas.

Aunque los bultos de gran tamaño no estén permitidos en la cabina, nos dejaron coger la cámara con la que capturamos unas imágenes dejando atrás los rascacielos de San Juan y acercándonos a la jungla de la - todavía virgen - isla Culebra, donde aterrizar es una aventura dado que la pista aparece entre dos montañas cubiertas de jungla, momentos antes de tocar tierra.
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13.7.17

Puerto Rico - Pinky's, healthy brunch in Condado

Perfect brunch at Pinky's, Condado, Puerto Rico

People often think I don't like food at all - well, in fact I do! 

It's just that I struggle when things ain't clean or my intake of vegetables goes below the critical level or both. After a couple of mornings at Starbucks - open 365, easy pick when you don't know the area, we tried to find a better alternative as we had managed to do in Miami. Walking along the street we bumped into the cute pink storefront of Pinky's: Green smoothies, large coffees and egg-white wraps! They got me at hello...

If you are also into healthy brunch at a very reasonable price... Don't miss it.

Pinky's
1122, 1110 Ashford Avenue, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
8AM - 10PM

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12.7.17

Puerto Rico - El Yunque Rainforest

El Yunque, Puerto Rico

El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System and the largest block in the island, located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains. This is also the place when I truly understood the meaning of rainforest, a place where it does rain ALL THE TIME as a lot of water is needed to preserve the jungle-like setting — lush foliage, crags, waterfalls and rivers. Pack some water, a goPro, a raincoat and tones of patience, because hiking on the rain is not so pleasant but well worth it.

The park is packed with tourists, specially during the Christmas - New Year vacation period, so it might be hard to find a parking spot. Be patient and keep driving, the further you go the higher the chances. Once you enter the park, the first stop should be at the Visitors' Center, where you can get some information about the conditions and a trail map indicating the entry points, length and difficulty.

We did the Mt Britton trail, that crosses through a cloud forest - where you are indeed inside the clouds, but then we ended up continuing all the way up to El Yunque Peak which is another trail slightly longer. On the way back, we walked the Mina Falls trail which is very short and can be wrapped up with a waterfall bath. I did not go into the water but Enrique did. For me, it felt it was too crowded. At that point I was wet already, because of all the walking under the rain in the morning, all I could think of was the drive back home, a hot shower and a dinner with wine.

Still, looking back... One of the starkest memories I keep from this trip to Puerto Rico are the views from the cloud forest. Couldn't see much actually, but felt completely embedded in the sky.

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11.7.17

Puerto Rico - Pirilo's Pina Colada

Pirilo Pizza Rustica, Condado, Puerto Rio

As a sucker for coconut, I couldn't help dedicate a post to the perfect cocktail and Puerto Rico's National drink since 1978: The Piña Colada.

The legend says that in the 19th century, Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresí, used to boost his crew's morale by giving them a cocktail that contained coconut, pineapple and white rum, which is believed to be the origin of would be later known as the famous piña colada. However, with his death in 1825, the recipe was lost until 125 years later, when Ramón "Monchito" Marrero experimented until creating the proportions behind Piña Colada as we know it today in 1954. He was a bartender at the Caribe Hilton, where he continued to serve the drink for 35 years until the creation was finally rewarded in1978 when Puerto Rico officially proclaimed the cocktail its national drink.

Fine. But I will continue to believe that its true origin were the Pirates' sailing the Caribbean.

Based on this Colada revelation, I read about Roberto Cofresí who turns out to be a local legend in Puerto Rican culture. Staring as a penniless nobleman he eventually became the last pirate in the Caribbean, the one who stole from the rich and gave it to the poor. A subset of these claims became part of the Puerto Rican independence movement and other secessionist initiatives, including Simón Bolívar's campaign against Spain. He was eventually captured and executed, by an international coalition as his skills were too much for the local authorities.

Yes... Back to the Colada! My taste for big breakfast combined with the heat implies that many days I skip lunch or replace it with some small snack, like an icecream or a Colada - why not? So I tried a few of them, but this one in Condado remains the highlight of the trip. Yes the Cocotazo of Villa Cofresí in Rincon was good, but was nowhere close this one prepared by the super smily owner of Pirilo.

Pirilo.  The restaurant right in front your hotel. The place you see always buzzing with people, fully booked, so you never get a spot, but walk away with that it must be a great place feeling. And you are right. Besides freshly made pizza, the interior is highly decorated on a wanderlust theme where different rooms showcase goodies from different parts of the World.

Pirilo Pizza Rustica
2000 Calle McLeary, San Juan, 00911, Puerto Rico
11:30AM - 12AM
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10.7.17

Puerto Rico - Old San Juan

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Established in 1521, when the Spanish colonist withdrew to this rocky outpost to stay away from Indians and mosquito-borne malaria, San Juan was the primary military and legislative outpost of the Spanish Empire in the Caribbean and Central America. Unfortunately, its economy stagnated and it would not be until the end of the 1898 Spanish-American War that the light would shine again along the coastline. The US annexed the island as a territory and designated San Juan as its primary port, triggering agricultural goods (sugar, tobacco, coffee...) to flow into the city.

WWII brought military capital into the island and in the after-war period, the island gained commonwealth territory status, making factories and banks reallocate to the island attracted by the advantageous tax breaks. This boom was a nightmare for city planners who were unable to keep up with the demand for services, roads and housing. In the 1980s, unemployment was rampant along with crime. Old San Juan was a scary place, so tourist re-routed their vacation plans to Condado, Isla Verde and Miramar. It would not be until 1992, the 500-anniversary of Columbus discovery, for the restoration of the Old San Juan, which is currently a safe and lovely city to explore.

We visited San Juan on January 1st, so the main fortresses (El Morro and Fuerte San Cristobal) were closed for National Holiday. Still, we took our time to explore the narrow streets, colonial buildings, cute little stores and restaurants. San Juan is easily reachable from the surroundings with Uber, no real need to rent a car or suffer trying to park it.
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9.7.17

Focus

Stop sign in Puerto Rico
Sometimes it's good to stop and think...

After these 6 months of travel, I decided to take a week off work:
- Where are you going this time? Somewhere exotic?
- Yes indeed, an unusual place where I'm hardly at... Home.
- Visiting your mum in Zaragoza then? Great!
- No... At MY HOME in Malaga.

I used to hate vacations at home. Simply because we all have a tendency to laze out too much and let time go bye without doing anything meaningful. It's good to relax, but 7 days in a row like this is plain waste of time.

To prevent that, I booked a week at South Dance Experience, the intensive course arranged at my usual dance school - the best in Malaga - Headway Dance Studio. Absolutely an excellent decision. Again, thanks Ale & Juande for arranging this experience. After 30h classes (spread over 6 days) from international choreographers on different styles (mostly Urban, but also Contemporary and Heels) I made new friends and also proved myself that, despite my age doubling 80% of everyone else in the room, I can still withstand this kind of physical and mental intensity.

This week was also refreshing, but in a psychological way. A total disconnection from all pressures and fears that us, 30 year-olds go through - Where do I belong? Am I too old for this? Shouldn't I rather concentrate of "appropriate for my age stuff" like having a baby? Where is my career going? Why am I still in Spain?. A total focus transition back to where it should always be i.e. right now. In life, like in an advanced dance class, blink and you miss it.

Yes, it important to have a plan. Yes, you should steer your life, while making room to enjoy things that make you happy. Even when they seem irrelevant to others (imagine talking to colleagues about my teenage end-of-year dance showcase), if they make you feel good... It's all that matters! This week over dinner with a good friend, we talked about depression and how it hunts "normal people" we know of. This reflection made me realize the therapeutic power of dance, to let go negative emotions, to energise you back to balance. At least, that's what it does for me.

During SDX, Jordy taught us this great choreo on Kylie's "Can't get you out of my head" and Jesus, this class felt like 1000 days of therapy. Guess it brought me back to 2001. The time when my age matched everyone else in the class, when I was thinking what to study in Uni, feeling I could be anything and change the World - at least a little, because everything is possible, as long as you try hard enough. Maybe, I was right then... And it's just time that blurs our eyes and tricks our brain to lose hope because we think "we know how the world works... and that's fairly unlikely to happen"

Lot's of good vibes :)  The right kind of energy  needed to start our summer adventure in Seoul.
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7.7.17

One week in Puerto Rico

girl on Puerto Rico beach
It's already 6 months since we came back and content keeps piling up on my disk... My iMac broke and my travel schedule was craziest than ever (2x Bangkok, 2x Jakarta, Tokyo, Beijing, Taipei, Stockholm, Berlin and Delhi in a 6 month period) but still, here comes our mini-guide to the lovely little island of Puerto Rico - have you noticed? Their flag is just like Cuba's but with opposite colours!

WHY
While I have not travelled around the Caribbean as much as around Asia, Puerto Rico seems to offer an unusual excellent balance between unexplored nature (not as commercialised as e.g. Punta Cana) and safety (not as dangerous as Trinidad). I suppose this is partially thanks to being an unincorporated territory of the United States. If you are after days of chill in pristine empty beaches, a bit of history, hiking, surf and diving, wrapped up by a Piña Colada - Puerto Rico's National drink! This is the place for you.

WHEN
Anytime but better avoid May - November it gets humid in May and then, it comes the hurricane season.

WHERE
We tried 4 different spots during our vacation, spending 2 nights on each:
- Andalucia Guest House [WEB] while visiting San Juan and El Yunque
- El Navegante [WEB] in Culebra
- Flamboyan Guest House [WEB] in Vieques
- Rincon of The Seas [WEB] in Rincon

All of them have 4.5 in Tripadvisor and are also featured in Lonely Planet's Puerto Rico guide. Highly advisable. It's been a long time since we went on a trip as "shaky" without counting a single bad experience with the hotels, but hey! Magic happens. Make sure to book well in advance, specially in the smaller islands where the options are few and quickly sold out. One important thing to consider though is that Puerto Rico is not cheap - at least coming from Spain. None of these is a fancy spot, but they were all already around 120-150$/night.

HOW
We arrived from Miami by plane. During our stay in PR big island and Vieques, we rented a car. During our stay in Culebra, we rented a golf car - which was simultaneously fun and scary. Highly recommended to book all cars in advance, using SIXT or another major company in the big islands and the local operator (right in the airport) in Culebra. Uber also works well to move around San Juan.

We went by plane - call it private jet because 8 passengers was the total - from San Juan to Culebra anda from Vieques back to San Juan. We moved between the islands with the local ferry because we were diving in the morning, and there are no direct flights between the islands anyway... The local ferry is a very cheap alternative (1$) but subject to delays. The ferry does not go directly from Culebra to Vieques either, a layover in Fajardo (east of PR big island) is mandatory and sometimes risky business - actually our trip turned nightmare when we ended up waiting for 6h in Fajardo with no food or water...


WHAT
We spent a total of 8 days in Puerto Rico, 2 nights on each place:
- We flew from Miami on NYE, arriving to Ocean Park (2 nights)
- Full day in San Juan and 1 whole day in El Yunque
- Morning walking around Ocean Park and afternoon to get to Culebra (2 nights)
- Full day in Culebra
- The morning after diving and in the afternoon, a ferry ride to get to Vieques (2 nights)
- Full day in Vieques (wrapped up by a night kayaking in the bioluminescent bay)
- The morning after exploring the south of the island and in the afternoon flight back to San Juan, followed by a long drive all the way to Rincon (2 nights)
- Full day in Rincon
- The morning after visiting the Goldeneye radio telescope which is located in Arecibo, driving back to San Juan on time for an afternoon flight to Miami.

1. Old San Juan
We kissed goodbye 2016 with a dinner in Greengos Caribbean Cantina, a random Mexican restaurant that turned out to be pretty awesome and popular among the locals. Then we went for some dancing, following the people and spent January 1st exploring the Old San Juan. While the main historical sites - Fuerte de San Cristobal and El Morro - were closed we walked through the rest of it, all the way down to the lively square called "La Placita de Santurce", where all bars were packed so we opted for an Uber home and a quiet dinner in Mango's Ocean Park nearby our hotel, which was one of the few places open and packed with locals celebrating the New Year.

2. El Yunque
We started the day picking up our car from SIXT and driving all the way to El Yunque, a tropical rainforest that offers waterfalls and hiking opportunities for all levels. It was a bit hard to find a parking spot, but once we did we killed ourselves walking 3 trails - I almost passed out, the humidity and the heat are hard to bear. We drove back and enjoyed dinner in a lovely little restaurant hidden behind Mango's called Bagua, that served excellent fish.

3. Arrival to Culebra
After a great brunch a Pinky's and a walk all the way to Ocean Park beach, we squeezed a colada from Pirilo - a great spot facing the hotel, drove back to San Juan, returned the rental car and ubered ourselves to the airport where both our luggages and ourselves got weighted, so the 8 passenger plane would not get out of balance. After a rough landing in "the most difficult airport in the Caribbean" - according to a fellow passenger - we managed to get our large suitcases in the golf car and drove back to El Navegante, our home for the next two days. Culebra's restaurant choice is not very wide, so we spent both nights in Dinghy Dock - come when you are not yet hungry as the wait is long.

4. The beaches of Culebra
We drove all the way to Playa Flamenco at sunrise, to shoot some pictures and drone videos. Then we went back to the hotel area and waited for quite long to get breakfast in Pandeli, the only café opened at the time. Pandeli is great for wraps, sandwiches and donuts but extremely understaffed so you have to wait for very very long time. Then, we drove to the ethereal and empty Playa Zoni, missed the chance to check out Playa Carlos Rosario (as cleaning activities were ongoing) and wrapped up the day with some snorkelling at Playa Tamarindo. Dinner again, was on Dinghy Dock.

5. Diving the Luis Peña Marine Reserve in Culebra
The last day started early with another long wait at Pandeli, a dive with Culebra Divers and the luck of catching the 13:00 ferry to Fajardo. Everything worked according to plan, except for the 4h delay on our ferry to Vieques, where we arrived at around 22, having eaten a total of 2.5 protein bars / each in the entire day. We dropped our stuff between the cute purple walls of Flamboyan Guest House and run to Lazy Hostel, the only place serving food at 11PM. Trust me, even I ATE PIZZA that day.

6. Vieques National Wildlife Refuge
After a basic yet amazing breakfast in our balcony featuring local fruits, bread and all-you-can-drink coffee, we drove to one of the highlights of the trip. This 18000 acre refuge occupies the land formerly used by the US military. The 3100 acre segment at the west end was used mainly as storage area, so it is very quiet. However, the remaining 14700 acre eastern segment includes a former firing range is still off-limits, despite including some of the island's best beaches. We stopped at Pata Prieta, Playa Plata and some other I don't even remember... It was an amazing day by the beach. We took a shower and got ready for kayaking in the Bioluminiscent Bay, another highlight of Vieques. On New Moon days, you paddle and see the water microorganisms glitter. Dinner was this time in Duffy's the bar under our hotel, where we shared table and conversation with some cruise ship crew.

7. From Sun Bay to Punta Arenas
We spent our last day in Vieques hanging out with the wild horses of Sun bay as preparation for a dip into the wilderness of the West Point of the island, all the way to Punta Arenas. Another flight back to San Juan, followed by a drive all the way west, to Rincon - the surfing paradise of PR. We ended the day with a quick bite in the hotel restaurant.

8. Rincon
Rincon ain't big but memorable. We started the day checking out the weekend market in Rincon's main square, then drove all the way to BONUS - the abandoned nuclear plant - and Punta Higüero Lighthouse. Then we walked along the beaches surfing spots, from Antonio's down to Sandy Beach. Then we went back and chilled at the bar of Hotel Villa Cofresí, where some locals had recommended us to try the speciality called Cocotazo which is like a humongous Colada inside a large coconut. I'll remember that sunset for the rest of my life.

9. Observatorio de Arecibo and the way back to San Juan
We started our last day in Puerto Rico with a great breakfast at Cafe 473 followed by a visit to the largest radio telescope on Earth, located at Observatorio de Arecibo. We just dropped the car on time for the plane back to Miami, but thinking about it - was all well worth it, there aren't many who can claim to have visit the 007 Goldeneye radio telescope!.
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