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Petronas Towers

Nacho — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:29:56 +0000

One day in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and a couple of free hours were more than enough to do the two things I had in mind: meeting my friend Martin who lives in KL since a couple of years ago, and taking the subway to spot the Petronas Towers… and something extra I did not plan for: getting a couple of bites in my leg which remained on my skin as a souvenir for a couple of days.

Petronas Towers started the century being the highest building in the World, and it is still now the 5th highest one. It is the most interesting spot in the city, but we could not climb to its sky bridge, as it is called to enjoy the views from there.

Anyway, as I say very often: “Petronas Towers: checked”. Next one.

Chrysler Building

Saturday Hike

Nacho — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:06:38 +0000

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Baduk

Nacho — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:16:01 +0000

Interesting things you can find at a Sunday afternoon in Seoul: hundreds of (old) men playing Baduk in a park.

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Noryangjin Fish Market

Nacho — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:37:07 +0000

Tsukiji’s Fish Market

Seoul

Nacho — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:35:22 +0000

“Seoul, the Soul of Asia”. This is the slogan of the city, but I do not think they should go that far. My limited knowledge of Asia already lets me realize that there is not such a thing like “Asia” as a unique thing… exactly the same as in Europe, even if we try to build a consolidated image of the continent. In Korea, it is the same. If you have visited other countries like China or Korea, you will probably find many similarities, although going down to the detail, things are not the same.

Korea is in fact in a war. No peace agreement has been signed between South Korea and North Korea, and hence, they are technically in war. Fortunately, you do not have the feeling of being in a country in war while walking around Seoul. In fact, you feel very safe in the city.

The life in the city reminds me a lot to Tokyo. Millions of people moving around, working long hours, but also enjoying their lives afterwork. This makes this city a non-stop city, vibrant 24/7. Traffic jams are perennial, and you can always find open shops, restaurants and bars to accomodate to any schedule you may have.

The architecture is also very particular for that area of the world, where brand new skyscrapers share their block with a tiny 2-floor building, giving a personal touch to many neighborhoods. This mixture of architecture styles is something that I personally enjoy very much.

The main spots for the visitors, apart from wandering among skyscrapers, are several palaces next to each other, that have been home of the different dinasties that ruled Korea until the beginning of the 20th Century.

In between these palaces, the Bukchon Hanok Village can also be found. It is a neighborhood compounded by Hanoks, which are traditional Korean houses. In the good old times, Korea was full of these kind of buildings, but now they are only a few. This area tries to keep the essence of this, as through some investments, hanoks can also be comfortable nowadays.

As a summary, I would say Seoul is okay for a weekend visit if you happen to be in the area, and it can also be used as a first step to get to know the rest of the Korean Peninsula.

Many more pictures from Seoul in this slideshow.

Seoul: First impression

Birds

Nacho — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:14:09 +0000

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Barcelona, again

Nacho — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:12:11 +0000

Yet another visit to Barcelona, and another opportunity to confirm why Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the world.

More pictures from Barcelona in this slideshow.

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Rural Weekend

Nacho — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:11:58 +0000

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12 Signs That You Are In Korea

Nacho — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:14:24 +0000

Korea is different. Here you are a list of things that I lived during my last stay in Korea, and which are not common in some other parts of the world:

Someone forgets a scarf in the plane, and the stewardess runs till the Immigration Control asking to all passengers: “Is it yours?”
Hundreds of people in the Immigration Control in a middle of a complete silence… except for the stewardess.
The bus driver will bow in front of the passengers before starting your way
A normal lunch will include 16 different dishes on the table (four of them will be kimchi)
No floor 13 in the hotel. Superstition at its highest degree
If you try to have dinner in a place where nobody speaks any western language, they will call someone who speaks “American” by phone to make yourselves understand.
Most of sports time on TV news cover badminton, baseball and volleyball
Lunch time in a huge office and lights are turned off (even in the meeting rooms), so that people can sleep.
Technology applied to the WC: heating, water, air, music… everything you need
Several people will tell you how healthy the garlic
People do not smoke while walking in the streets (only in specific places), but they will smoke next to you in some bars
You will be asked how old are you and what your marital status is in the first 2 minutes of conversation with anyone. It is not only gossiping, but a way to know what your position in the society is.

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Around Toulouse

Nacho — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:12:18 +0000

As I said in my previous post, my trip to Toulouse was completed with a couple of day-trips to some interesting places around Toulouse. We visited some castles and monasteries in the area, and enjoyed nice landscapes on our way there.

I would highlight the visit to the Le Pont du Canal, where the Channel du Midi crosses a river by means of a bridge (quite unique to see), the visit to Auch following the first steps of D’Artagnan, and the monastery of Flaran, which hosts a very well organized museum to explain how the life in such a place is and the history behind it.

More pictures from Toulouse and surroundings in this slideshow.