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Dusk at Brighton train station

So sorry for the lack of updates. I've been busy as you can tell. It's been a month since I've last written anything. In between the travelling, I've gone to Glastonbury Festival 2009, spent a couple of days to recover from all the madness of it, popped into the historic city of Bath for a day trip, met Sweeny & her boy for lunch, visited lovely Brighton on the Sunday following that, made the ardous journey to Bicester Village to snap up some bargains, then caught Derren Brown in London on a sultry wednesday evening, climbed out of Tapers' (J's mate) backyard as we were locked in on Thursday morning, then watched Transformers 2 at the IMAX theatre. Haha. We had a night out in Clapham on Saturday and i got really drunk, so plans for Thorpe Park had to be kept on hold. We went for a leisurely sunday brunch instead and made Chicken rice for J's family in the evening to make up for his mom's foiled plans to have an elaborate roast beef dinner. It's nice knowing that they liked it.

My trusty Glastonbury buddy

So yes Spain. A lot of anticipation and apprehension before I left as everything was still half-planned when i took my flight to madrid. Fortunately everything worked out in the end, I've got my friends to thank for helping me out. I must gush about the warm, generosity, kindness and hospitality of my spanish hosts, as well as random strangers who tried to help me despite the language barrier.

Let me attempt to narrate succinctly. I first flew into Madrid, spent the day alone roaming the streets. I mostly went window shopping until i went into the park to people watch and to get a respite from the mediterean heat. Next i took the overnight bus to Mojacar- i was exhausted by morning and so relieved to see Marta & her dad waiting for me at the bus stop. It was a pity Marta didn't have her friends at Mojacar, as we would have been able to do more things such as going out for drinks and parties. Instead we had a routine with her parents - wake up at 12, have a snack, go to the beach & sunbath til 2.40pm, head back and have lunch at 3pm. Shower and head out to the nearby villages or pubs to explore or chill out. Then dinner time at 10pm. Post dinner activity means watching the TV and we would head to bed at about 12midnight.

Egyptian Temple of Debod in Madrid

Mojacar Playa(beach)

Typical streets in the white-washed village of Mojacar

After that comfortable routine, i took the long & winding bus to Valencia. Arrived at 4am, waited til 8.30am for Vicente to show up. Thank goodness he did & we went around town to indulge myself in the sights & sounds of Valencia. I think i need more time there as it was much prettier than i imagined it to be. Best time to go would be for the Falles fiesta. Mental note taken.

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in Valencia

Rushed to the airport via metro, took the plane to Palma de Mallorca to meet Marianna. I was very glad to have some lunch and to be able to sink into a bed after a long night. After my siesta, we got up & got dressed to go out. We had a lovely dinner of Pamboli, washed down with san miguel beer and met her friends for post-dinner drinks at a homely bar. They were good fun, but did not accompany us to the clubs. I had a clubbing culture shock there as I wasn't used to the crowds of middle-aged people gyrating, trying to get laid. I'm not sure if it's typical of spanish clubbing culture. Well trying to score with someone just for a night, is probably most young people's aim when they go clubbing, but I guess I'm freaked out when they are middle-aged. Haha. Imagine men shaking their hips and framing their groin area in tight jeans! ahhhhh. Not my style. I didn't have a chance to experience nightlife elsewhere, so I'm not going to write it off. I'm sure it was unique to that strip of clubs and bars in Palma.

The cathedral in Palma

Marianna - my lovely host in Palma

My favourite picture of Palma

The next day, we headed to Sineu, inland Mallorca to meet up with MariaAntonia. We explored her tiny village, met her friends and headed to the beach. It was a birthday celebration of one of her friends and we had dinner on the beach. It was lovely. I must say that the beach was one of the best I've laid my eyes on. Simply gorgeous.

Islanders Marianna and MariaAntonia

Playa de Muro in Mallorca

On Monday, we didn't do much except have tea at a cafe and went shopping- we tried the ensaïmada de Mallorca. Yummy. Instead of taking the train to Sineu, the train workers were on strike, so we managed to get a lift from MariaAntonia's brother instead. Her family was so sweet, especially her mother who wanted to know more about Singapore. Her brothers were shy and cute at the same time. For example, they wanted me to demonstrate how to use the chopsticks! It was adorable. Then comes the mandatory post-dinner TV session. I think its typical of all Spanish families. That night, i found it extremely difficult to fall asleep due to the noise pollution from the cars. You would think that in a small village like that, you could hear the pin dropping at night, but no! Every 15minutes, a vehicle with a really loud engine would vvvrooooomm past the streets and wake me up. This is because the people live just along the streets, meaning that, when u open the door, you'll step out onto the public road.

The view of Sineu from the hill next to the railway tracks

The next day, maria's brother brought me to their family business - its a shop selling pet food, pots & plants & other assortment of things. He also introduced me to his beautiful but coy cat named Gaffers. Anyway I thought it was strange to be around as all the people who visited the shop were probably wondering what i was doing there. So many times the parents were trying to explain that I'm their daughter's friend from Singapore. I like village/town life where people greet each other in the streets. I guess I really appreciate having a close-knitted community as it makes life more humane. We had a feast at lunch before her mom sent me to the airport. I miss Mallorca already.

Finally, Barcelona! Well this place held no more surprises as I was here not too long ago. This time it's summer and its much warmer than I thought it would be. Imagine 36degrees celcius! Montmelo was the town where Mercedes live with her family and friends, accordingly I spent more time there than in the city centre. The highlight of my stay there, other than meeting her over-zealous mother, was meeting Antonio, who is this jovial, round, rolly polly boss of the bar cabana. This neighbourhood is frequented by Mercedes & her friends as he serves tapas. This man was hilarious as he thought i was Guapa, kissed my hand instead of a casual greeting and even gave me a souvenir to bring back home! Other than that, I've met Narcis & his flatmate at the Barcelona beach. The irony is that i cooked lunch for them as Ho-hey(I have no idea how to pronounce or spell) wanted to learn how to cook new cuisines. I obliged and made fried beehoon for them. Haha.

Park Güell in Barcelona

So I've said my thanks and farewells to all my Spanish friends. I miss them and their beautiful country a lot now.