Learning how to cook

Clockwise from top left - tea eggs with stuffing, 3 cups chicken, stir-fry squid and chicken in korean BBQ sauce, tomyam, tapioca, fruits

B & B in B & B

It was not an easy journey. Funnily, it began with me going to the wrong bus-stop and ended with me almost missing the bus.

I set off early on Saturday morning to ensure that I don't miss the bus. The walk itself was a joy with wonderful scenery of houses and fields. At almost 9.15am, I spotted national express but it was on the other side of the road! I quickly dashed across the road, hoping that the bus driver saw his lone passenger. He did! And what a jolly driver he turned out to be. Told myself to write in to natex to compliment such a nice driver (which I have yet to do).

The bus was slightly delayed by the Saturday traffic. Upon arrival, my friend whisked me off to her home to have lunch. After that, we left for Clarks Village, which was an hour away from Bristol. I had fun just looking around while my friend and her family did some serious shopping. Shops closed at 6pm. As the sky was still bright, we took the opportunity to take a walk around the Clifton suspension bridge. The view was amazing. Unfortunately, the sun was shining too gloriously for us to be able to get good photos.

On the following day, we tried to set out early to get to the car boot sale in Bath. It was my first car boot sale. What an amazing experience that was! All kind of knickknacks were on sale. Happily, I got myself the dvd of BBC's Pride & Prejudice (for a total cost of GBP0.20!!!), some of David Attenborough's wonderful filming of nature and a Beano Annual 2004. I could have ended up with more stuffs had the weather been friendlier. Two hours later, we were on our way into Bath, the city known for its Roman bath. At first there were hardly anybody in sight. However, when we reached the city centre, the roads were brimming with tourists. All eager for a glimpse of the bath house. I paid GBP9 (concession price) to go in. The posters turned out to be prettier than the real thing. And the wonderful spring water tasted awful. However, I was rather thirsty and managed to gulp down the whole glass of warm spring water.

We left Bath late in the afternoon. After a brief stop at home to refresh, we headed out again in the evening to the port. We spent our time, strolling along the port and stopping to snap photos once in awhile. Seagulls can be heard calling from above. How I love their voices. They do give one a very sea-like feeling. On our way back, we detoured to a large field some distance away from the city centre. We were in luck as the sun was about to set. Probably one of those rare moments where I don't have to freeze to wait for the sun set.

Monday was Bristol day. My friend brought me to see the University of Bristol and around town. We climbed the Brandon Hill when the sun was right above our head to have a closer look of the famous Cabot Tower. Unfortunately, the tower was closed to public at the moment. Nevertheless, the view from the hill was still something not to be missed. The last stop I made was the SS Great Britain, UK's museum of the year in 2006. For only GBP5.65 (concession price), I can make numerous visit back to the museum for the next 12 months. Too bad my stay here is ending soon. Having seen the ship for myself, I can understand the charm it has on its visitors.

I almost missed my bus because of this visit. Luckily the bus was slightly delayed. Having bid my friend farewell, I boarded the bus for my 3 1/2-hour journey back to Warwick. These 3 days had been rather well-spent in the company of my friend and her family. Their hospitality made the trip more fulfilling.

What will you do?

Today I met someone who experienced the Chengdu earthquake on May 12. This is his story...

"Suddenly, my room began to shake. I looked out the window and saw the other buildings swaying through and fro. As I was on the 8th floor, I may not be able to run down in time before the building came crumbling down. I realised at that moment that I was going to die. I called my family to tell them I love them. But my parents wouldn't believe that a strong quake would occur in Chengdu. I called my girlfriend and got a scolding for making up stories. When the news came on the television minutes later, they all knew I was telling the truth. But by that time, the phone was already disconnected, leaving my family distraught."

Surviving Spain

Hot weather, crowded streets, stingy hotel owner, slow service, fairytale Gaudi...that pretty much summarises my idea of Barcelona.

Arriving late in the afternoon did not stop us from beginning to explore Barcelona thanks to the longer daylight. Our first stop was Port Vell. We busied ourselves enjoying the seabreeze and taking photos. Our first night was completed with a meal in Gloria Restaurant serving tapas and paella. Not bad.

The following day, we set off early to explore Port Olympic, further down from Port Vell, with a beach. There is really nothing much to see though and the beach isn't that great. The rest of the day was spent on a vineyard tour which cost €85 per person. Not sure if that is considered overcharged. We were driven into the countryside of Barcelona and made a stop at one of the vineyard as the guide wanted to explain some of the growing process involved. Don't think his explanation was that interesting. Then we headed to the wine factory to have lunch in the wine cellar (pretty cool) and to "make" our own bottle of cava. We were served five type of wines - white, red, rosey (?), cava and maskat (?). The food was terrific, served with a local potato pie (?), a myriad of iberian hams and some breads (something like bruschetta). I think we enjoyed the dessert the most, made of sweet, fresh peaches (grown from the host's farm) topped with some syrup.

Next, we moved on to the wine-making. Wasn't that difficult except for the uncorking part where we had to use our thumb to prevent the cava from spilling out. That's the cleansing process to get rid of the "mother". Nevertheless, it takes a lot of skill to be able to prevent minimal spillage and to repeat the process hundred/thousand times in a day. The day was ended with a shopping trip. Couldn't resist with all the sales going on...haha.

On the third day, we began the morning with a stop at the Arc de Triomf. Our initial plan was to be the early bird in the line to enter Picasso Museum. However, we were too early (there were hardly anyone around) and hence took a detour. By the time we got back to the museum (half an hour before opening), there was already a long line! Luckily, we were still considered early. Lucky still, it was the first sunday of the month and therefore, entry was free. The museum features some of Picasso's early work. An interesting attraction was his many interpretation of Las Meninas. Later, we took the furnicular and cable car up to Montjuic, a hill located near the centre of Barcelona. While there are many attractions up on the hill, our main purpose was to get a bird eye's view of the city (as usual). With some time (and money from the 10-trip train ticket) left, we headed to Parc Guell, the first of many of Gaudi's design which we were going to explore the following day. The walk from the station to the park proved to be a long one - about 1.5km and up the hill! But it was not wasted as the park proves to be one of a kind. We were greeted by the two gingerbread houses at the entrance. Inside were more interesting freatures such as a big lizard.

I think our theme for the fourth day was "Chasing Gaudi". Everything we saw on that day was designed by Gaudi, beginning with Sagrada Familia, followed by Casa Mila and completed by Casa Batllo. All his designs incorporate the nature theme. For example, the attic in Casa Mila is built to resemble the shape of a snake with it's spines serving as support for the roof. The view on the roof was even more interesting, surrounded by alien-looking chimneys! We did not go into Casa Batllo because of the steep entrance fee. Nevertheless, the exterior itself was worth the stop.



Dinner was a platter of seafood in a restaurant along the port. The spread was humongous. There was an overdose of mussels which we couldn't finish in the end. We also ordered a plate of paella in squid ink. Despite the blackish colour of the dish, it was oishii. I can't believe I ate it without knowing what's exactly inside.

While Barcelona did not appeal to me initially, towards the end, I am fascinated by it's creative occupants. Their form of arts are most peculiar, yet enchanting. I would love to have a Gaudi-styled home.

p/s: Love the photos taken by my friend.