BlaringSmelly

Of the things I planed on doing during the past Labor Day weekend, only one thing got accomplished. That was going to Bainbridge Island. I’m glade we went. The trip turned out to be quite fun.

This was our first outing with the addition of Mango. We didn’t have an agenda or a plan before going. We figured we’d just catch the ferry to Bainbridge Island and figure out the rest when we get there. I found a local map in the ferry. With that map, we stumbled our way to Fort Ward State Park.

With Mango’s previous history on leash walking, I worried we might not make much progress exploring the park. To my surprise, Mango led us into the forest trail like an eager beaver.

Both ktula and Mango found something interesting in the woods. Mangos occasionally stop to sniff at leaves or dirt; while kutla taking pictures of big slugs we saw alone the way.

The trail is 1.2 miles one way. I think we finished the hike in record time because Mango was pulling us full speed ahead most of the time.

We had little time to walk around Bainbridge downtown before taking the evening ferry back to Seattle. Mango slept so deep he was snoring the entire ferry ride.

Ktula fund out this is the last weekend of razor claming season in Washington. His obsession catching shellfish alike kicked in. That meant by 3:00 am, we were on the road to Twin Harbors.

2.5 hour later, we arrived at state park beach just before sunrise. In the darkness, already you could see people with their flashlights scattered all alone the beach line.

We must have “rookie” written all over. A guy approached us and pointed to a couple spots next to ktula and told him to dig. And that’s how we got our first and second clams. His name is Alex, he geared up like a Mt. Everest climber and he sure knew what he was doing. The beach was freezing cold and the wind were consistently blasting.

Alex was one of the many friendly clamming enthusiasts we encountered at the beach. He made clamming look so easy. For the next hour and half, we were digging wrong holes and finding nothing. Ktula almost had one of our clams stolen by a black lab puppy. Damn cute dog, we were laughing and cheering when the puppy attempted stealing from our bucket again.

After few more friendly clamming pros shared their tips, we finally get a hang of it. Most of the clams were found in the last 30 minutes. Just one after the other, in areas we searched earlier but didn’t see a thing, crazy!

We were done clam digging by 8:00 am. But digging these babies out and getting them home were just half of the work. Ktula spent couple hours rinsing clamming gears and cleaning the catch. I’d offer to help, but I hate cleaning.

After a much needed nap, we went to ktula sister’s place to prepare a razor clam feast. First, the clam meat were processed to get rid of parts that’s not edible, the process was messy and time consuming. After that, rinsed the clam pieces thoroughly to wash off all the sand. Then hand padded each piece before its 3 batter coatings, then into the frying oil.

The end result was 3 big plates of Japanese style clam tempura. It was meaty and tender, definitely passed our tasting test.

At the hotel room in Amsterdam, Rob Schneider’s Deuce Bigalow: Europen Gigolo was playing on TV. The scene, one of the characters was in Amsterdam, talking to Rob Schneider character into joining him here:

“…Amsterdam’s like college kids’ Disneyland!” He said. And I concur.

Day 1
The day started at 7am train ride from Leon to Madrid; flight from Madrid to Gatwick, London; transferred flight to Amsterdam. Met up with Betty at Amsterdam airport (we traveled separately at the Madrid to Amsterdam portion). Took the train from airport to central station; taxi from there to our hotel. By the time we reached the hotel, we’ve traveled 12 hours in 4 kinds of transportation. Later we took a trolley headed to Dam and Red Light District. Yep, we traveled in 5 kinds of transportation in one day.

Dam was crowded with traffic, people, and stores. I noticed more tourists looking groups here. It can’t be easy to keep the group together in this dense and fast moving street.

Amsterdam’s pastry shop is a celebration of everything delicious. Sandwich, pizza, waffle, chocolates, cakes…, from savory to sweet, they don’t just look good, they taste good too.

Nearby Kalverstraat is a big shopping strip. With trendy shoppers, flashy store displays, techno music blasting, Kalverstraat felt like a block party than just a shopping strip on a Friday evening.

Day 2

Hotel Zandbergen itself is worth the mentioning. The hotel is family operated. Like the hotel website introduction, it’s your home from home. Our room was spacious and had a separate kitchen and bathroom. Personal touch was everywhere – stacks of current magazines from beauty, lifestyles, travel, to local tourist information, comfortable furniture, bus pass and museum tickets can be purchased at the front desk, … and yah, breakfast was included.

After a very satisfying breakfast, hotel owner attentively help us to plan today’s schedule. First stop was Keukenhof Garden in Lisse. I wonder how it compares to the Tulip Festival at Skagit Valley back in Washington. There were lots of tulips alright. What I found it odd was the indoor orchid exhibition. Orchid is not local plant and definitely wont’ adapt to the cold weather here. So to see a greenhouse full of orchid in Amsterdam was a bit out of context for me. Half of the orchid in display was cut flower arrangement anyway.

When we were just wee girls 20 some years ago, we had a family trip to Amsterdam, London, and Paris. Amsterdam was particularly vivid in my memory probably because we had more fun here – windmills which I associated with fairy tales, colorful and open spaces for us to run around, and wooden shoe so big dad had mom, sis, and I took a picture standing inside. This time around, when I saw the giant wooden shoe again, Betty and I had to take a picture with it.

Late lunch at the Pancake Bakery, the pancake house is in an old warehouse building few blocks north of Westerkerk. The variety of pancakes on the menu was overwhelming. We decided to try a salty one and a sweet one. The pancakes looked big but they were light in the mouth.

Afterward, a bit aimless wondering in the shopping districts.

Perhaps it’s because the museum is currently under construction and part of the exhibitions aren’t available at the time. Or perhaps I was spoiled by museum experiences in Spain. Either way I was rather disappointed at Amsterdam’s renowned Rijksmuseum.

Van Gogh Museum on the other hand was definitely worth the visit. Not just because we got to see Van Gogh’s lifetime works, the temporary exhibition of John Everett Millais was equally enjoyable. And because it’s Friday museum night, the museum opened until 10PM. There were live DJ spinning at the lobby, wines and appetizers, performances, light shows and interactive display on the ceiling.

Day 3
Hotel staff told us a Saturday market at Albert Cuypmarket. We arrived 8:30am, part of the market weren’t ready yet. We ended up walking around and checking out grocery stores. There was one discount store everything was way cheaper than anywhere we’ve being to. This must be where the locals come to buy their daily groceries. Betty was torn between whether she should buy a big piece of bree to take home for only .99 euro or leave the store empty handed.

Market sells meat, seafood, fresh produces, flowers, and pickles, pretty standard. Walking back to the hotel, we pass a street lined up with Mediterranean restaurants. Colorful vegetable dishes and dessert displayed at restaurants’ window. Food choices are as diverse as the people here. Sadly, we didn’t get to try much of it during this short stay.

Not to be confused with the Léon in France, Castilla y Léon was once Kingdom of Léon and now a quiet college town about 3-hour train ride from Madrid. After a week in the metropolitans, Léon was perfect for sensory overloaded traveler to rewind. And for once not to worry about getting robbed!

Taxi fare from train station to hotel was 4.5 euros. That really surprised me. Taxi rides I’ve taken in Barcelona and Madrid, the starting rate alone were more than that. Hotel rate was half what I paid in Barcelona; room and services were better in leaps and jumps.

Day 1

Dinner at a small deli near the cathedral, we had simple regional dishes – anchovies on a bed of pickled red peppers, blood pudding, lamb chop, thick slices of potato chips. And washed it down with a glass of refreshing cider. Cider I’m used to tend to be sweet, almost like juice. The cider here has a subtle fruity flavor, very smooth.

Day 2
This city wakes up at its own pace. At 9am, we were out about looking for coffee. Most stores were still not open for business.

Today’s agenda: visiting architectures of historical importance. Alone the way, we’ll do some cloth shopping. Léon is small, so small we walked around the town twice in 1 day.

Like the other architectural landmarks in Léon, Hostal De San Marcos is considered an important heritage for the building’s rich history as well as architecture styles. Now a state-own Parador, you can live in this medieval castle for $200/night. Or dine in the hotel restaurant for 20 euros like we did.

Actually hotel restaurant is only for hotel guests; hotel’s café bar area is open to none hotel guests. We followed a group of Japanese tourists into the restaurant. The restaurant manager let us come in for lunch even after we explained that we were not with the group.

Day 3
We took the 7am train back to Madrid. The best part traveling by train is the chance to see the countryside and be in an environment that tourists are the minority.

Indeed we got that exposure alright, actually a little too close. Halfway through the ride, a very strong scent of body odor woke us up from our state of relaxation. The train was quite empty. The only new traveler was a woman seating across the alley, whom joined us few stops ago. She was reading a magazine, she looked very tidy and clean. Could it be her?

The scent was overpowering. We couldn’t finish a conversation without being interrupted by the smell. It got worse when the train was making turns. I brought up the episode in Seinfeld when the scent of one valet parking guy marked his car. Betty got worried a little if we’d walk out of the train and still smell the scent. Oh boy, I need my Marc Jacobs perfume now!

I wish I had known more about Madrid before I went. If Barcelona were a stylish, self-conscious dude in his Armani suite, Madrid would be the sexy intellectual chick played by Sarah Jessica Parker from “Sexy in the City”. Both cities are charming and brilliant at its own ways.

Day 1
Something about the Mediterranean climate in Spain, the sky’s blue color seems more intense, and the sun shines a bit brighter.

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon to visit the city’s beloved Parque De Retiro. Every single person in this park was enjoying the moment. I found myself strolling around the park and smiling for no reason. I had a late lunch at the park’s outdoor café. It was one of those rare moments in life that consciously I know I’m happy. And all it took was the simplest things in life.

Madrid’s famous art walk referrers to the 3 art museum on Paseo del Prado - Museo del Pardo, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. All of them are in walking distance from each other. However, in order for art lovers to digest and fully enjoy the collections from each museum, it is best to visit the museums in different days.

I didn’t think much of it when Betty was ranting about Museo del Prado’s vast collections of paintings, sculptures, and treasures (She was in Madrid before Barcelona). But man, wasn’t she ever so right about that. Took me 4 hours to barely browsed through the museum collection and then I was asked to leave because it’s closing time. I lost count of exhibited paintings that I’ve studied in school. Being in front of these original artworks that have shaped the western art history, I have no doubt that experience there had impacted me in some ways.

After 8pm and it was till bright outside. I decided to walk through Parque de Retiro in returning journey. Near Monumento to Alfonso XII, there were loud drumming and big crowd of people following the heavy drumbeats and dancing like an outdoor rave party. The energy level was boiling hot. I felt stood out being the only person not completely engaged in the trance.

Day 2
Also highly recommended by Betty was a tour to Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real) and the Royal Armoury (La Real Armeria) collection. 25 palace rooms are open to the public. Each room carried a unique theme and no expense spared in furnishing and decoration. The wealth of Spanish royal family was evidential.

Before joining Big Fish Games, my co-worker Andres lived in Madrid his whole life. Andres was a huge help when I was planning this trip. He mentioned when I go to Plaza Mayor, I should try the squid sandwich (Bocadillo de calamares). So that’s where I went next.

Getting myself lost is one of those hidden talents I discovered during this trip. I tend to wonder and don’t pay close attention to map direction. Going to Plaza Mayor from the palace should be a pretty straightforward 10 minutes walk. Out of nowhere an interesting looking back alley lured me taking a detour, then another one… Before I realized I’ve wondered too far, I ended up at La Latina, half mile south of my destination.

As soon as I found Plaza Mayor, I went straight to the tourist center asking for direction to the restaurant serving squid sandwich. What Andres forgot to tell me, was that Plaza Mayor was surrounded by many back alley size streets. The street’s names all started with “Calle de…”. And you can’t find them on the local map. I was told by the tourist center person an approximate area to look for the street. But even her can’t pinpoint the exact location. I couldn’t find the street and eventually gave up. I got to get to Atocha station on the other side of the city to buy train ticket to Leon.

Purchase advance train ticket was painful. When you can’t speak fluent Spanish and don’t have the luxury of time, get your ticket before your trip. The train ticket purchase website is in Spanish. Have a travel agent book it or find yourself a Spanish co-worker/friend to do it for you.

Took care of the ticket ordeal, I spent few hours at Reina Sofia.

Day 3
Train to Leon departure time was 2:40pm. I had more than half day still to explore Madrid. I headed to the park again to kill sometimes before another journey to museum. The same park that’s filled with sounds and actions, this morning it was the complete opposite.

Of the museums I’ve visited, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza has the most visitor-friendly layout and facility. Museum collections are clearly labeled and categorized with corresponding time periods. There were plenty of washrooms, resting lounges, and even a mailbox provided to guests.

Getting to Chamartin train station was another adventure of its own. To take a metro to the station, I’d get off at Chamartin and then walk to the building next to it. It got complicated when the metro’s final station after that is Pinar de Chamartin. I asked several people for directions and got different answers . At the end, I barely made it for the train. There was enough time to grab lunch. Just so it happened that the train station deli I went to was serving squid sandwich. I was able to taste Bocadillo de calamares after all. Jackpot!

It was a spontaneous decision. When my sister mentioned her business trip to Spain in mid-April, I ‘volunteered’ myself to join her. Unlike me, she had a business agenda. The scheduled worked out that half the time I’d be traveling alone, but we also would have the chance to travel in pairs.

First stop, Barcelona. I planed 3.5 days here because for years I’ve wanted so badly to visit Barcelona.

Day 1
A 30-minute bus ride from hotel, I arrived at Barri Gotic, one of the major traffic and tourist hubs in the city. To get to the historical sites, I had to fight my way through the overwhelming amount of stores, crowds, and traffic at Placa de Catalunya. It was worth it when I stumbled into the wide-open space in front of catedral and Roman remains. And that’s when things started to get interesting.

Among many museum and historical sites packed in the narrow stone paved streets was Museu Picasso. The museum exhibited Picasso’s complete creative stages and media. I was overjoyed to be surrounded by master’s works. Little did I know this trip would be filled with moments like this. ☺

On the way back, I spotted a local market selling sweets, fresh produce, meat and seafood. All the stands were competing for your attention with colorful and neatly displayed goods.

When returning to hotel, I missed my bus stop and rode all the way to the last stop.

Day 2
Montjuic is relatively new development in Barcelona. Where the city hosted the 1992 Olympic games. It is also home to Museu national de Catalunya, Fundacio Joan Miro, and the Peblo. Buses and tour coaches roaming nonstop from one tourist attraction to the next. But if you are hardy as me, I recommend exploring Montjuic on foot.

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya has everything from medieval to early Modern arts. And to my surprise visitors are allow to take photos of museum artifacts. It’s too good to be true, almost like a guilty pleasure.

I almost didn’t go to Poble Espanyol because it sounded rather touristy according to the tour guide. But I’m so glade I did. Let’s face it, I AM a tourist. Beside, I get to see regional Spanish architecture styles in one place, all in picture-perfect setting.

After visiting Fundacio Joan Miro, I continued walking toward the east edge of Montjuic.

On the way, I past a somewhat secluded entrance of a high-end hotel. Some 20 plus shinning motorcycles quietly parked in front of it. There was no guards or securities to stop me, so I curiously wondered in. These were brand new Ducati Monsters, all with keys in the startup. I stood right next to a red one, the seat height was perfect for me. I was so close from getting on and start the engine. Later I found a guy with Ducati shirt. I learned from him that Ducati debuted Monster 696 and kicked off its European tour in this hotel (Hotel Miramar) just few days ago. It was such a treat!

Day 3
Betty showed up last evening. Per her request, today’s theme is Gaudi architectures. We took pilgrimage to Gaudi’s sites around the city.

Indeed we were all over the place – Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, Parc Guell, and Palau Guell. For me, Gaudi’s architecture was not love at the first sight. The exterior, especially Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, feel rough and unfinished. It is not to question Gaudi’s achievement. In fact, his mastermind and genius came from his ability to draw inspiration from natural elements and translated them into manmade structures. Of all the Gaudi sites we visited, Casa Batllo is my favorite and most admirable, both interior and exterior.

At the end of day, we were exhausted and ended up somewhere in the Montjuic ara. Both Betty’s and my guidebook recommended a nearby restaurant Elche. We had a wonderful Catalonia dinner – Iberico cured ham croquetas, seafood stew, and cuttlefish artichoke paella. The cuttlefish-inked rice tasted so good I ate so much Betty got a little concerned.

It was almost a sure thing we’d be spending our Presidents Day weekend at Whistler. I was told that was the busiest weekend of the year for Whistler. Partially due to the holiday crowds from the U.S., also because some race happening in the following week.

We had no luck getting a room in Whistler on Saturday, so we ended up spending a night at Richmond. Inspired by Anthony Bourdian’s recent Vancouver episode, we headed to Vij’s. The restaurant, according to The New York Times review, is “easily among the finest India restaurant in the world.”

Vij’s doesn’t take reservation. We arrived the restaurant 5 minutes before 5:30pm opening time. Already there was a line formed outside the restaurant entrance. The early birds got seated right away. We were too late and had to wait for another 1.5 hour. The head chef and owner Vikram Vij was in the restaurant since the opening. It was almost mesmerizing to watch Vikram’s constant movement from table to table. From greeting guests, taking orders, serving appetizers, to signing his cookbooks, there was no doubt he ran the restaurant and provided a heck of a dinning experience.

The Chows joined us for dinner. Between the 4 of us, we were able to try a variety of dishes: duck breast in spiced mango reduction, beef short ribs and red wine curry, wine marinated lamb popsicles, and Fennel and zucchini dumplings in pomegranate curry. Later the desserts were served with a thin sheet of silver on top.

These were certainly no ordinary Indian food. We enjoyed our meals. But best of all was to shake hands and talk to Vikram. I mentioned my obsession with Anthony Broudian and his show. Vikram shared the days he spent with Anthony while they were recording the Vancouver episode. He recalled Anthony smoked, drank, and cursed so much during the 3 days shooting. If I ever get to hang out with Anthony Bourdain, I think I might cave in and start smoking.

Sunday was a good snowboarding day at Whistler. The snow was quite soft, but the weather was so sunny it was almost too hot to wear the heavy winter gear.

On Monday, we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After we were seated, Ktula signaled me the person seating on the right side of our table was Ang Lee. I used my peripheral and right away recognized that was Mr. Lee. Ktula and I were making faces back and forth to “discuss” if we should approach him. We decided to respect his privacy and didn’t do anything. Later I checked with our waitress if that’s really him. She didn’t know but she checked his signed bill and went “Yup, that’s him.”

Running into Yahoo’s personalize travel site was entirely an accident. I was goggling for some travel information. One of the links led me to Yahoo’s travel destination page. The information was somewhat useful. But things started to get interesting when I noticed an “Add to Trip” feature by the destination info.

Since I’m collecting information on several locations, and I would like to compare them under one common area. I started adding photos and information I came across. Before I knew it, I’ve compiled a list of destinations. They were also pinpointed on a map view. And later when I did a search on airline prices and saved one of the better deals, it too showed up in My Trip.

My travel plan was putting together all by itself without me realizing it!

Knowing my travel plan started to take shape, I was ready to invest more time into this unknown territory. I tracked down MyTravel page under Yahoo! Travel. Other than the recently put together My Trip Plan, the page itself was, naturally, not one bit personalized. Big yellow sticky were playfully placed on sections of the page, providing hints and focal points of areas I can get started.

Personalizing these pages was hardly any hard work. So more time was invested. Then I found out connecting My Travel with my flickr account, my past travel photos will show up oh my travel pages without having to upload them.

Pretty sweet setup for travelers alike, my only complain about My Travel so far is it’s sharing amongst friends and family was overlooked.

Now, here is a city anyone can have fun and wanting to come back for more. My first impression about Singapore is the constant smell of food in the air. It began as soon as you step into the airport terminal. Even walking out from the hotel gym, by the swimming pool, I smell roasted duck.

One can spend hours and hours in the Singapore Botanic Garden. The varieties of orchards and other exotic plants were beyond my comprehension. Even though the heat and humidity made us extremely uncomfortable, I didn’t mind at all being sweaty and sticky being outdoor browsing different garden areas.

Excellent food anywhere we went in Singapore. We traveled far and ventured into different areas of the city looking for local favorites and eateries recommended by food critics.

There is definitely nightlife in this sleepless city. Nearly midnight, Orchard Road are still alive with streetlights, jammed traffic, and shoulder-to-shoulder pedestrians.

I also noticed a good amount of art displays in public areas. In the downtown area, MRT and malls are connected with tunnels. These cooling underground passages ways showcases contemporary and experimental art pieces.

Installation pieces are also common in outdoor shopping areas.

It’s not fair to compare Taipei with Johor Bahru, a city right by the Singapore and Malaysia border. However, the place is definitely not tourist friendly.

Before the trip, I was warned by many about Johor Bahru’s notoriously high crime reputation. Pedestrians were known to be robbed under broad daylight. Some more hairy stories involved victims getting hammered on the skull before their purses were snatched. And because of serious population, it was also not recommended to swim, jog, or cycling.

So my days spent in Johor Bahru were limited to napping and watching tv. We only went out for food or visiting family, and the means of traveling were restricted to car.

Kuala Lumpur was by far a more happening city. The buildings and streets are cleaner and carry more characters. The twin towers stands tall and can be seen day or night from any corner of downtown area. There are pockets of hip hangouts and good eateries in the city. But it’s hard to find unless you have locals to show you around. During my short stay, the capital of Malaysia still didn’t strike me as a place I would like to revisit.