Losses and Damages

Ah yes, on this trip I haven’t lost anything super valuable. Most annoying thing is that i’ve forgotten my BlackBerry charger in Ibiza (and no, I was not inebriated at the time of packing), and had to run around Barcelona’s Born and Gotik neighborhoods, trying to find something to replace it. Did find it, but what a silly waste of money.

I also got hurt in Ibiza – burnt my leg when accidentally touching the exhaust pipe of mine and Krystel’s scooter.

And the last one is catching a minor cold after 21 days of good time and merrymaking. One thing I regret is not drinking enough water here in Europe – it’s fairly expensive in restaurants and servers don’t usually bring a glass to the table. Oh well!

Filed under: simple life , Europe, mobile, silly, Spain, travels, trip

BCN to LGW

I am a little sick, hence getting tired way sooner than usual. But not to worry – I have been writing down things to blog about, even if I have no time.

When I was leaving Barcelona, on a Friday night, I decided to take the train to the airport. I got to the Sants Estacion and went to the train station, got to the right platform and then jumped on a train that was there. Some other people followed and we waited. I was an idiot enough to drag my suitcase up the mini stairs and took a seat.

Then the kids who got in after me quickly ran off the bus, and I panicked. I dragged my suitcase down the stairs and as I was about to jump off, the doors closed. Right in front of me!

A kind man came up to explain to me that I won’t be going too far and that I should get off at the next station. So I got off at Bellvitge train station and that messed things up.

I decided to grab a taxi. But there were none. I had 50 minutes before the EasyJet check-in closed.

I tried calling a taxi, but they hung up on me because I had no street address (hello, Vancouver taxi cabs; same story there) to give them. I panicked even more. I tried to run up the overpass to get to the other side of the train station – second entrance. And as I was half way through, I saw a cab! I missed it.

I started to get really worried, I could’ve missed my flight to London after all. I ran down with my 23kg bag and got upset. Some elderly couple tried to help me figure out where to catch a cab, but that didn’t help.

I started crying right in the middle of the street, panicking, scared of missing my flight, when a young man came up asking me (in fairly good English!) what was wrong. I told him. Him and his girlfriend called me a cab, but none came. We dragged my bag to the main avenue of the suburb, and waited. I had no Euros left, save for €10, and hence couldn’t fully the €15 fare to the airport. The couple gave me €10 more! Then the cab came. My God. Am I not lucky? After this incident I’m pretty much convinced that nothing will go wrong in my life anymore, and if it does, a guardian angel will help me out. (This is sort of what happens in Harry Potter all the time, eh. The boy’s just so well connected and gets help when he’s in trouble)

God bless the couple that helped me out. I found that Spanish people in general are really warm, helpful, and empathetic. These two lovely strangers didn’t need to help me at all, but they did take the time out of their evening to make sure I got on my plane!.. And I don’t even know their names

When I ran up to the EasyJet, panting and still shaking from stress of missing the flight, the check in guys laughed, but in a good way. They also didn’t charge me €30 for every kilo that my bag was over the limit… And it was over by 4 kg. Am I not lucky?

Crazy day, that Aug 29. Most ridiculous day of the month, actually, hehe.

Filed under: simple life, the world eh , 2008, barcelona, Europe, miracle, mobile, Spain, strangers, travels, trip

Tarot of the Day

The Eight of Wands card suggests that my power today lies in climax. It has all led up to this moment of anticipation and “there ain’t no stopping it now.” I have thrown my “hat” in and given it my best shot and have just as good a chance as any — but the outcome is still up in the air. I am ready to accept what lands, sticks, misses, or hits the fan. “When it rains, it pours.” I am empowered by the potential payoff in this direction and I transform through timing or focus under fire.

That´s precisely what I thought this morning. Dum dum dum….!! (that was a drumroll)

Filed under: simple life , changes, self

More on Europe

Berlin was such a satisfying sight when it came to the roads (among many other things) – all the cars were either Mercedes, Audi, Opel or BMW. I saw ONE Ford and shivered to the bone. What’s a Ford doing in Germany? What kind of a nitwit would buy a Ford when they can buy a probably better Audi for that price?

Another note on Spain – Ibiza island is full of roundabouts. At first it was sort of tough on a scooter, but then we eased into it and found it much more practical than lights or highway exits. Roundabouts! I’m so happy that my Ibiza experience was just as wild as it was chill. Master of balance ze Karina.

I’ve been thinking about Hemingway a lot here, his Spain. I was trying to pick up one of his book to read since I am in Spain and I love reading books set in locations which I am traveling through. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything super intriguing of his (and I couldn’t deal with reading so much about bullfighting, considering Barcelona was the first city in Spain to protest against bullfighting or bull running). Instead I got Faulkner’s Light in August. It sounds quite promising; I spent several hours in a cafe yesterday reading it.

Hey, I just arrived in Bunol! Going for La Tomatina. Tomatoes, here I come!

Filed under: random facts, simple life, the world eh , 2008, Berlin, Europe, fun facts, literature, mobile, Spain, travels, trip

random musings in a cafe in Barcelona

It’s interesting how people write a lot about their personal lives when they are younger. I used to write so much about my heart’s rollercoasting about 5-6 years ago, but now that seems like a gargantuan waste of time. Hearts are some of the most unstable things in the world that spending time on detailed archiving of their course becomes some of the worst ways to throw precious time out the window.

* * *

Dairy in Europe is much better than in N. America. Water is always in bottled form. I keep thinking about Dave’s environmental comments every time I ask for or buy water. I also think that is the reason I haven’t been drinking enough water on my trip, yikes.

We are driving to Valencia tomorrow to have some legendary paella (which is where it was invented anyway) and to partake in La Tomatina in Bunol. I still have to buy some cheap shoes and protective goggles to survive the famous tomato battle.

More to come later

Filed under: simple life, the world eh , 2008, barcelona, Europe, mobile, self, Spain, travels, trip

Catalunya

Well! I am in Spain. It has been my secret desire for some time now, I must admit.

I always wanted to have tapas and enjoy the chatter of passers by.

Barcelona is a wondrous and surreal place in way that a Juan Miro’s work is, with its grotesque animal shapes and disfigured perspective, with its narrow streets that make you slightly uncomfortable but definitely welcome you to get lost and find yourself in some safely tucked away Placa… I keep thinking that I will uncover some secret when I walk around the Barri Gotic or even Barceloneta. I am convinced there is a secret that a handful of locals are able to whisper, yet they all have it in their hearts, Catalan hearts.

My dreams of seeing the artworks by Picasso and Miro are coming true! I absorb the culture like a sponge of sorts and I am extremely happy to have the opportunity to do so. I am grateful for the friends that are with me.

Xavi and Sal are great guides. They took us on a tour yesterday. We went into a small square where the building walls still bear the gunshot marks from the times of the Civil War. I could not believe my eyes, but my video camera did.

The food, the food. Let us discuss – we went to the Mercat Santa Caterina, and my eyes fell out at the sights of fresh seafood, and several dozens of cured ham varieties. Ladies and gentlemen, make sure you go to the markets. Skinned rabbits, goat heads, cow brains, steaks, mushrooms, cheeses… Yes.

Last night we drank homemade sangria (guess what, i’ve acquired the recipe, too…), and went to Gracia neighborhood for some drinks. The narrow streets are littered with small bars and whatnot. Did I mention that I used the Bicing system and biked through the hilly city (in a slightly not so sober state, oops)! I did well, and unfortunately Georgina did not because she and Sal fell off their bikes

And it’s been only two days so far. More museums, more food from the markets awaits me, and more fun. We still have to go to the Sidecar and dance our socks off.

Tomatina happens on Wednesday! Stay tuned. Oh, definitely do. Salud!

Filed under: moving up, the world eh , 2008, barcelona, food, friends, fun time, Spain, tomatina, travels, trip

Ibiza

Ibiza is a wonderful place. Word of caution: you have to do more than just party party.

We rented a scooter and drove all over the island.

First, of course, we took a cab to Sant Antoni, and went to party at Space. We saw Carl Cox. 6am end time, cabs with British ladies and all that.

We rented a scooter, and I must say, a scooter is an important part of an Ibiza experience, unless of course you want to pay €25 for a ride to Ibiza town.

Krystel and I had an awesome experience riding all over the island, particularly at night. Yesterday we covered half of the island, in pitch dark, with rabbits hopping about the road.

The villas here are rathe fancy, and i’d like to own one someday. He he he.

We ventured into areas that not so many tourists go to; we toured all over the dark northern coast of Ibiza, sat in the middle of the road and stared at the sky (with our helmets on of course he he).

We ate swordfish, and drank local wine. You must must must drink wine from Ibiza; it is absolutely wondrous!!

We danced like there is no tomorrow.

I must say that there were too many trashy British girls; they gave a bad name to the whole Empire. I will post a video of some exceptional examples as soon as I get back to Toronto.

Overall, Ibiza was a great experience. The sun, the fun, the lost in the hilly residential areas with barely any fuel left, and then eating grapes off someone’s wine estate, and scootering through druglords’ villas and whatnot.

Ibiza is a wonderful place, but you must do more than just party till the wee hours and sit on the populated beaches!!! Toy must explore and you must go deep into the island to uncover the true story.

Filed under: moving up, the world eh , 2008, Europe, fun time, ibiza, memories, mobile, Spain, travels, trip

an idea from German Rostock

“that’s from my anorexic period”, said the ghost of capitalism, pointing at the ghost of communism.

Filed under: imaginings, moving up , self, fun, travels, ideas

On a return train

More observations include the fact that eggs come in 10- or 6-packs. Wherefore did the idea of a dozen disappeared to?

Wind power is pretty widespread here. Florian was saying that the government will pay you a lot of money to install one of the wind power-generating mills.

I tapped into the German popculture when I purchased an Ampelmann from Eastern Germany. Hehe. Pretty cool.

I didn’t manage to swim in the Baltic Sea due to horrid weather, but Florian did go for a quick swim and he fished out a pair of Baltic sea sunglasses in surprise dive (sentence structure?).

I got off at a wrong train stop, so am currently trying out all methods of trainsportation in Berlin in order to get back to Kreuzberg.

Filed under: moving up, the world eh , 2008, Berlin, fun time, germany, memories, mobile, self, travels, trip

Taking Berlin

Well, well, well. I am in Germany! It is fantastic. Last night I went to Tresor night club, which is a former power plant, and now is a crazy techno club. Gritty place, complete with cold basement spilling over hard techno sounds and scary looking employees with t-shirts that proclaim “Tresor never sleeps”. Agreed. We escaped the full-on party around 5:30am, and that’s nevertheless early.

Tonight I am going to Rostock to rock out a bit there, eat some fish, and drink champagne with Florian.

I’ve had currywurst for the first time, and it was fabulous. I also noticed that cigarette packs have 17 units in them, which I find completely odd. There is no such thing as “last call”, which is the way it should be. People bike a lot in Berlin, and I am even thinking of renting one myself and cruise the city.

Humboldt Universitat sells awesome t-shirts: “Wilhelm & Alexander & ich”. I got one for myself.

I’m taking videos and photographs here, living in Berlin in a less touristy way and having a generally awesome time. Great company, great city, great weather, great memories.

Filed under: moving up , 2008, Berlin, Europe, fun, germany, memories, mobile, self, summer, travels, trip

Some notes

I found this poem/song through flickr. It came with this photo.

I was flying through the night sky.
夜空を飛んでいた。
Receiving the night wind whose feeling is good,
気持ちのよい夜風を受けて、
I was flying through the sky.
空を飛んでいた。
“More a little to the other side”
「もう少し向こうへ」
It’s not visible exactly from here,
ここからちょうど見えない、
To the world on that other side.
あの向こうの世界へ。

I will be flying off to Europe on Sunday evening! I am indeed getting more and more excited. By the second. As soon as I write my final exam of this summer (on Saturday), I will be free! BBQ will follow, some relaxation, skipping the Vice party in order to hang out at the park, and then Bobmo, Jean Nipon and Kip Bambino at the Drake Undeground. I say, great way to celebrate! I’ll try to sleep in as much as possible on Sunday, and then off to adventureland I go!

Filed under: moving up, the world eh , fun, japanese, joy, languages, poem, self, toronto, travels, vice

Ladies and dudes, I present to you – Garbage Island

In case you didn’t know (neither did until David pointed it out yesterday), some areas in the ocean are covered by accumulated plastic that just floats on the water. Makes sense, right, since you probably weren’t the only 10-year-old kid throwing plastic bottles and whatnot off the coast back in the day.

This is ridiculous, however. The patches are massive! The exact size is unknown, of course (and it’s probably constantly increasing anyway), but it’s estimated “range from 700,000 km² to more than 15 million km²” according to Wiki article on this phenomena.

Just after I stopped interning at Vice, VBS.tv started the new series, that investigate this Great Pacific Garbage Patch! You should really watch all 12 episodes, just so you know what’s happening “out there”, far from the reality of your personal world.

And while you’re at it, ponder this harshly affected creature -> I’m really surprised that it remained alive, poor thing. Nature finds a way. It can’t find a way of dealing with birds and other ocean creatures swallowing plastic, choking, dying or enduring whatever other pains there could be, yet.

Heh, I’m becoming more and more concerned about things in the world that are not directly affecting my life as it is. I am saddened by the decreasing silverback gorilla population, I am saddened by this goddamn garbage island. Where is all of this going to lead us?

Of course I don’t let myself get bogged down by this;I’m still a happy person who enjoys her every day and who wants to make the world a better place.

Filed under: the world eh , animals, causes, changes, environment, ocean, pollution, self, vice

Over The Edge Musings

Over the edge

Originally uploaded by ☼ AmiBe ☼

Besides commenting on how zesty this photo is (composition! sharpness!), I have two more things that popped into my mind today.

First of all, I spent a lot of time looking at flickr shots of Africa, and I’ve been getting more and more inspired to go. Top destinations include the Siwa Oasis and Virunga volganic region (which probably means I need to get to Congo, Rwanda or Uganda), where I would check out the amazing mountain gorillas before the rebels eat them all or humans find some other way to destroy them or their habitat.

Victoria Falls is an amazing destination, too. There is a Devil’s Pool right at the end of the Zambezi river. If you’re lucky and the pool isn’t flooded, you get to swim in it like these folks in the picture. I’d do that as well.

I have this habit of imagining stories when looking at photographs, or imagining myself in situations. Occasionally, the imagined narratives go awry, like in the case of me in the Victoria Falls setting.
Surely someone must have fallen off the edge at some point in history. Many people. I wonder what goes on in their heads during the flight? If I fell off, I’d be pretty upset for a split second, but then I’d [like to think that I would] laugh at such a hysterical way to die, and that someone else from my travel crew now has to carry my shit back to the hotel.

Or I may not have enough time to think of anything

Filed under: imaginings , flickr, photos, imaginings, africa, causes, silly, river, nature, travels