Saigon/Hong Kong: a bit of a contrast

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December 2015
You may have heard the saying: “New York hour is a Hong Kong minute”?  If that is true, then I coin a new one: “Hong Kong minute is a Saigon second”.  4 month already and feels like I have lived here a year.  Definitely not for the slow of heart!

Work
Things are definitely getting hold.  Beginning was stress: not knowing if I will be accepted or rejected and unclear expectations, cultural differences and mixed expectations.  Still working long hours but 4 months into it I retained most of my team (a few left) and I hired a few new managers.  I feel we are already making great changes and people see the pattern and vision.  I think they are starting to believe that we can truly build this company into something great and big.  Time will show.  I am a believer.

Family back home
I was very honored to be invited to join the International Board of Advisers for the Gustavson Business School in Victoria, which now gives me even more options to give back and see family at the same time.  I flew to Canada for a week and spent a few days with Cathy, Grace and Tessa.  Was beautiful to witness the fall colors and slow down after Saigon, breathe clean air and recycle (even for a few days).  Next planned trip: Christmas for 10 days, so excited!

My new home
In October I moved to my permanent apartment.  30th floor of Saigon Pearl luxury apartment complex truly feels like living in Vancouver, especially if you consider my unobstructed downtown and river view, doorman service and driver pick-up in the morning.  That is expat life at its best, with the exception of living away from the children.  I love my new home and it is a great space and refuge.  Cost, on the other hand, is crazy: over 2300 US per month!  Luckily this is paid by the company, so I don’t have to feel that bad other that most people can afford to pay 50 to 100US per month for their small place.  Welcome to the Saigon contradictions.

First charity event
I got invited to my first charity event in District 7.  350 new bikes were donated to students in need.  Yamaha as main sponsor and my friend co-sponsor put on a great show, complete with bands, TV.   They even had a VIP bathroom (see pics).  Thousands participated, so was really nice to see corporate world having a good heart.  I also discovered a new District 7 which was built by the Japanese and Koreans and it looks like Vancouver in parts: large green streets, clean, modern buildings and man-made lakes.  Something so so different from other districts in Saigon.  Feels like a different country.  A nice getaway when needed.

Hong Kong trip
Given Vietnam is so nicely positioned in Asia, many places are only a few hours away by plane and the cost is not high.  I always wanted to visit HK, so one weekend made my dream come true.  Cathy’s dada always talked about how amazing that place was… And it truly is!  Buildings on top of buildings, #9 tallest building in the world just constructed, magnificent views from Victoria peak.  Even though HK was handed over to China in 97, you can still see and feel British influence.  The city is opulent in luxury brands.  Did you know HK has the highest IQ and highest number of Rolls Royce cars per capita in the world?  Has many more stats.

As highlights: visited ICC tower (#9 highest) and the elevator takes 60s to go 100 floors; Victoria peak on a tram that travels at insane 40 degree angles; ate a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. on the Vic. Peak, which was superb; enjoyed stunning Victoria peak views: truly the best view ever!  Took Star ferries across the Victoria harbor; visited Times Square and drooled a bit over all the shopping (mostly luxury that none of us could afford) complete with most amazing Christmas decorations; took a bus tour and learned some cool history of HK; ate at a Michelin Star dim sum restaurant (considered cheapest Michelin rated restaurant in the world), was superb; took the pink Toyota taxi; enjoyed some street food.  Basically, exceeded all my expectations and absolutely will go back, despite the fact that it is a tad expensive J

A few other highlights and learnings since my last blog

·         Reunification Palace: a 1960s design building that replaced French Colonial one; was the place of command for the South offensive against the North during the Vietnam war.  Building is preserved from the victory day, but other than a few grand rooms and the  bunker with old phones, maps and radio equipment, the entire building is a massive space under-utilization.  More impressive on the outside than the inside.
. Bathrooms: each country has its weirdness around bathrooms.  Vietnam has its.  Each bathroom stall is equipped with a little sprayer hose, something that you would use to water small plants.  It is used to wash undercarriage and seems very effective.  The only downside is the water tends to go everywhere.  But definitely more effective than the french method.  Vietnamese were surprised we foreigners don't have this: so how do you keep clean?  Certainly did not expect this.
.  On my way to work, I can see people on the side of the road selling live chickens.  Those are not sport chicken, but the dinner kind.  Cheap and ready to go.   I prefer KFC kind to skip the production process.
.   There is lots of street food everywhere.  Basically if you do not think of where it comes from or where the dishes get washed, with several cans of Heineken or Saporo some of these treats can be very tasty: french bread with pulled dried pork or some other kind of meat, all kinds of seafood, some veggies and fruit.  Cheap cheap cheap.... and tasty.  By the way,in the big supermarkets you can buy MSG in bulk in bags of 10, 20 or 50kg.
.  Toothpicks are as essential here as the chopsticks.  Every self respecting Vietnamese knows how to use those discretely and effectively.  Even I have learned to use this great little invention.  Now after lunch we can have 5 minutes of quiet, all politely checking the spacing. 
.   We have lots of malls, with new ones opening everyday.  Not sure who shops there, but the other day I found some really nice bedding for 500 USD.  That was the cheap set.  The top of the line retailed for just over 1000 USD.  I was just imagining the sweet dreams I would have sleeping on money.   But that thought passed quickly and I got myself a 4USD latte.
.   Gyms are another for of social belonging expanding rapidly here.  Monthly fees from 60 to over 100 USD per month.  That is about 2/3 of an average salary.  Too bad they don't let you sleep there, as they have already very nice showers. 
.    In Ho Chi Minh City there are about 10 million people and 5 million scooters.  Some old, some new, all polluting.  The best part are the Louis Vuitton of Gucci branded seats on those bikes.  I wonder if they are fakes? 
.  Did you know that burping in Vietnam is socially acceptable?  At least it appears that way, as nobody skips a beat doing that.  As Shrek once said: better out than in!

So that is my latest installment from Saigon.  Getting ready to head to Canada for Christmas and see the girls.

Cheers!  Or as the Vietnamese would say: YO!

Good morning from Saigon!

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Four and a half weeks in Vietnam already and boy oh boy, what a change.  It took me over a week to get over the 14 hour difference, so now I can start sorting things into business, cultural shock, weather shock and other buckets.  So here come my first impressions from first 30 days of being here.

I arrived to Ho Chi Ming City late Friday and got picked up by a driver that works for the lady that rents an apartment to me.  The apartment is located right on the Saigon river, is large and bright and has nice river views from my 12th floor.  It is a strange feeling to be in a completely normal modern apartment with AC in the middle of a country where an average wage is 200US per month.  Of course I now know that my apartment location is good for going to work with only a 30 minute ride in a company car, but it is far from any expat life, restaurants and shopping.  As originally planned, I will try to move to another for October to be able to start making some connections. 

Our office is interestingly located in District 12, just like the home of Catness from the Hunger Games.  In general Vietnam seems to have some interesting similarities to the society in the Hunger Games series: there are very rich and very poor districts, all supporting the elite few.

My first memorable experiences

·         Becoming a multi-millionaire at the age of 40! I exchanged 300 € at the airport and got 7,700,000 Vietnamese Dong!  Definitely need a bigger wallet!

·         Went to a supermarket for the first time.  Was able to easily identify apples, Pringles, coke, ritz crackers.  Everything else was in Vietnamese and packaging nothing alike to what we know.  So after some investigation I found some yogurt, cookies, milk from New Zealand and even some extremely expensive edam and gouda cheese.  Here I relieved myself of 1.3 million Dong at the cash register.  Basically: supermarkets are very much geared to the rich and the expats and the prices resemble those in Spain.

• I was very proud of myself when in the regular market I found and bought a metal coffee filter that everyone here uses.  Fact: Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil, threatening to go number 1.  After, I bought best coffee brand in the store (Trung Nguyen Coffee) and the first Sunday  I was stoked to make myself the first cup of jo Vietnam style.  I got my condensed milk prepared (which they use here as cream and sugar in one) and started the drip.  What a huge disappointment!  When I opened the pack of the ground coffee of the best brand in Vietnam, it smelled somewhat strange, with hint of hazelnut or some other flavor, and it tasted nothing like a normal coffee.  Then I find out that Vietnam produces a lot of coffee but the way they roast it is completely different from Europe.  They add some oil and other additives which makes it taste strange (it is similar to Louisiana chicory coffee).  So for now the closest I got at home is a German Tchibo instant.  I also learned that I can get "normal" coffee in many coffee shops downtown that do espresso from Italian roast.  Now I am on a quest to find my own...  Believe it or not, they have a Nespresso store in town and a number of Startbucks stores.

·         You know the old saying "slow road to china"?  Well, I have finally experienced this first hand!  Just imagine that it is very normal on a highway to go about 33 km in 1 hour!  Or 200 km in 5!  That is a normal thing here, due to congestion, scooters and really really bad driving.  I am just surprised there aren't more accidents.  Traffic is insane! I thought Italians were crazy and Spanish were bad, this is infinitely more insane!  The city is about 10 million and everybody drives a scooter (reportedly 5 million scooters here), because the cars are reserved for the very rich and cost 3 times the price in Europe due to government tax.  Just imagine your Toyota 4 runner costing you 100k!  The streets are crowded with traffic jams, there are barely any traffic lights so it is a free for all.  You will see every kind of thing carried on a scooter, from building materials to 10 bottles of office cooler water to huge bags of rice.  While helmets are obligatory for those over 9 years of age, the little ones are carried on those bikes with no helmets, many times asleep.  You will see entire families on one: parents with 2 children or 5 kids on one!  Essentially, Vietnam is a great testing facility for motorbikes (aka scooters) as they undergo extreme trials on a daily basis. Parking a scooter is an exact science as every establishment has security guards that will look after your bike for a nominal fee, otherwise it will get stolen.  Elsewhere in the city and the country there are some new roads and highways which we used over the weekends.  While the toll highways are good, driving is no better.  A Canadian would go mad here: all the slow traffic is in the left lane and you go passing them on the right.  Add to this 120km/hr speed max, and situation is not at all optimal for safety.  Breaks, tires and horns bust be the biggest sellers in this country.  All this said, I already got a scooter, as without one living in Saigon is impossible.   Now trying to get a licence.  Maybe should have done this the other way around…. Oh well…

·         People seem very nice here, they are very polite, still quite traditional but it is changing.  Many young people coming to Saigon to find work and better life, so easy to see lots of western influence.  So far my interactions have been limited to the office, and here staff seem normal, hard working, with their own issues and concerns.  Privacy seems to be not a concept they embrace much: they will ask very direct questions about family, marital status, age, etc.  I am sure I will get more insights later.  Starting to meet some business people in Saigon, so networking scene in this city is very promising.

·         Weather here is hot all the time and humid.  Slowly getting used to it but being out for extended periods of time is hard, so a coffee shop with AC is a good escape.  Summer is the rainy season and winter is dry, but the temperature in winter is still in the high 20s, which I think is quite pleasant.  Good time to visit Vietnam for those thinking about it.

·         Ho Chi Minh City is a fast growing city.  The downtown is almost all new, full of tall buildings and a few skyscrapers.  Aside from the famous reunification palace, Note Dame Cathedral and French central post office (designed by Eiffel company, same guy that stood up the Eiffel tower in Paris), the downtown looks fairly modern, clean and an epitome of what this country fast becoming.  All the luxury brands are here (Louis Vuitton, Dior, etc) along with many US fast food chains like KFC, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, while the statue of Uncle Ho (Vietnam 's liberation hero Ho Chi Minh) proudly stands overseeing the main downtown plaza being invaded by the capitalist promise of tomorrow.  There are entire new districts being built, skyscraper apartment buildings for luxury living, sky train and metro stations to connect the city.  The city and the country are on the move where the luxury and the poverty coexist in a dynamic, almost symbiotic way, and there is no stopping the progress.  Soon this city will resemble many other large cities with its cleaned up waterfront, more green spaces, more restored monuments.  Exciting to be here during the metamorphosis.

·         Communism is still well and alive in Vietnam.  It is a Socialist country with its red flag with a gold star in the middle.  You see much propaganda art, banners and flags, all reminding me of my childhood.  In fact this is the closest I have gotten to time travel, going back 30 years.  In some ways I think I even understand some of the people dynamics here, because individualism is still an evolving concept.  But as with any totalitarian regime, there are many aspects that are common in a transitional economy.  You can guess what they are.

·         Pollution and garbage is a big issue.  There is no recycling.  People litter and don't seem to care, as they have more pressing needs.  Government has to pick up after them.  Again, much hope for the future and I feel the next few years will start introducing these changes.

·         Restaurants and food are plenty in Vietnam, from cheap cheap street vendors to fast food to qreat restaurants that are as expensive as in Canada.  Wine, given it is an import, is expensive, comparable to Canada, but there is some good selection if you look.  Beer is cheap if you drink local.  Vietnamese food seems very varied and appears very healthy, with lots of rice, herbs, vegetables, seafood and a bit of meat.  Dairy barely exists and meat is a luxury, so fish, rice and veggie are the fare.  Everyone says Vietnamese food is healthy and it looks and tastes that way, but I do really wonder about the production of it, as I am sure the quality standards for chemical treatment controls are nonexistent or low.  Despite my thoughts, I have tried some tasty soups, their famous fish and shrimp sauce, rice rolls, fish and rice: all wholesome, tasty and plenty.  With a beer or ice tea to accompany, it is not a hard thing to get used to.  And for those times when I have a steak craving, I can always go to El Gaucho Argentinian restaurant downtown to scarf down a 50$ US steak.  Good excuse when an American client comes to visit.  One more thing: in many restaurants when you sit down, girls show up wearing beer brands, trying to convince you to buy their brand.  We like Tiger girls best; they also have Saporo, Heineken, Saigon, etc.  I order Saporo or Saigon as I am not a massive fan of Tiger.

·         Language is interesting: I have been asking my driver to teach me a few things so I have about a 40 word vocabulary and can ask for the bill at the restaurant.  The hardest part about it is pronunciation, given that same word can have multiple meetings based on how you say it.  Will let you know how my 5th language progresses.  So far so good, and staff have been impressed me making an attempt at the official gala dinner.  They politely laughed.

Other adventures during my 4 weeks here included a company staff trip to a beach town of Vung Tau.  A nice town that is becoming a big beach tourism destination.  Water cleanliness and overall pollution still an issue, but the town is making strides to improve.  Saw a beautiful Pagoda and 5 Chinese temples, one of which was dedicated to a whale!

Then we did a trip to Can Tho, 4 hours away from Saigon, to visit our 2nd office location.  We were taken at 6am by boat to see a traditional floating (boat) market.  A very traditional way of buying wholesale fruits and vegetables. 

We had coconut water, sticky rice with banana and pineapple for breakfast there.  For those technically inclined, the engines on these boats are mostly car engines with direct drive shaft with a prop at the end that gets dipped into the water.  It is like taking a weed eater, attaching a prop at the end and dipping into the water.  What a great idea!

War museum was one of the most impacting experiences so far.  It is a very graphic exposition of the Vietnam war against the US, with various artifacts and photographs.  While I read about the war before coming here, the stats, the pictures and the stories are truly shocking.  Especially the Agent Orange use to defoliate the jungles and the catastrophic effects it had on the country.  And then the killing of civilian populations that went completely unchecked.  While not for the faint of heart, it is something everyone should see and know that humans are still very much capable of doing the most atrocious things to one another.  And then I wondered after seeing this, how a nation of Vietnam had the strength and the humanity to forgive the aggressors and move on.  Today there seems to be no animosity towards the US and the tourists, as long as they come in peace and with respect.

So my first four weeks have been quite full of sensory input, not to mention a new workplace and all the issues that come with that.  Step by step I am adjusting to my new circumstance and feeling privileged to be able to experience this new Land in all its business and glory.  Next week going to Switzerland for business meetings for a week, so will make-up for my cheese and schnitzel cravings.

Istanbul: the WEST meets EAST

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In lieu of celebrating my 40s birthday in some crazy fashion, I decided to give myself a little present (in Spain they call it “auto-regalo”, or something similar to getting yourself a gift).  That little gift was a trip to Istanbul, which was decided by the majority popular vote of all my friends and colleagues when I was trying to choose between Dubai and Istanbul.

I went on the trip with my good Spanish friend Jose Antonio, who was just as enthusiastic as me about seeing this wonderful city connecting EAST with the WEST.  Jose was much less excited about the itinerary I planned for us.  Those who visited me in Spain or travelled with me would know that any tour day including less than 7 must-see attractions simply does not cut it.  But he was game and off we flew to Istanbul on a direct charter flight from Zaragoza.

As you can see in the pics, the hotel that came with the package was in a very colorful and lively district, full or local bars, shops and hookers.  Despite the gorgeous views out the window (overlooking run-down buildings with a million of satellite dishes catching EAST/WEST TV waves), the rooms themselves were clean and comfortable.  Something you would expect from a 2 star hotel.  It included heat and free continental breakfast.  Staff was sufficiently helpful.  The night of arrival we went to a neighbourhood bar to have some local food, which was delicious and cheap (8 EUR for 2 people) at 2am in the morning.  Surely this place is not on Trip Advisor, but was a memorable meal.  The only downside is that beer and wine can only be had in touristic places and is very expensive, so we drank water.

Our day 1 started with a visit to the Blue Mosque (also known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque).  Small line, shoes off and in we went.  From the outside the mosque is impressive (and most recognizable symbol of Istanbul): with its 6 minaret towers, it stands guard over the old city.  Inside of the mosque was underwhelmingly plain, with blue tiling and hanging lights.  I suppose if you have never been in a mosque previously (which was my case) you may expect something similar to cathedrals.  But the absence of any adornments and furniture made the space look very cavernous and lonely, aside from the visiting tourists.  I suppose just the fact of being in the Blue Mosque was cool in itself.

After we left the mosque, a few photos and off we went to the Topkapi palace.  Here we made a great strategic decision of buying 3 day museum pass cards, which permit entry to most attractions.  The best part, you get VIP entrance of skipping the lines, which saved us hours.  Topkapi is a vast palace, with a wide mixture of architecture, characteristic of the influences from the west and the east over the centuries.  The most interesting things to see were the HAREM (ladies were not included), royal jewel collection and relic collection, including the Staff of Moses, the turban of Joseph and many relics of the prophet Mohammed.  We spent a couple of hours in the palace, enjoyed the sweeping views of the Bosphorus straight and the vast gardens.  Next time I am getting an audio guide to get deeper into the subject matter, as it felt we simply scratched the surface.

From the Topkapi, we headed to the Hagia Sophia church/mosque/museum.  On the way there we stopped for Turkish black tea in a nice tea place.  At the Sophia, we skipped the line and walked into what may be one of the most impressive buildings I have visited in my travels.  The fact that the church was built in a Byzantine style almost 1500 years ago and it took only 5 years to build this gargantuan structure is enough for you to stand in awe and marvel at some of the mosaics that are still left preserved in the church.  Since it has been converted into a mosque in 1453, there have been some Islamic adornments fashioned on the walls, but the magnificence of its original still perseveres.  We spend some good time here to breath in this astounding piece of architecture and history.

From the museum of Saint Sophia we went on our culinary quest.  As a small interjection: my friend Jose by this time was feeling extremely happy with my itinerary and the fact that we skipped all the lines and were significantly ahead of the schedule.  He even suggested that 7 things may be a bit “light” at this rate.  Oh ye, of little faith….

We then visited the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius, standing beside the Serpent Column and the Constantine column.  

Here was our first mistake of deviating from my plan: I had a restaurant picked for lunch, which was one in the top 3 in Istanbul.  When we stopped to ask for directions, the guy said: “oh, this is very expensive and for tourists.  Let me take you to where locals eat, very good and good price”.  We got sold.  While the food was ok and they served beer, we overpaid for what we got.  Lesson learned: stick with the plan!

In the afternoon we visited a very unique Basilica Cistern, which is an underground water reservoir built in the 6^th century to serve as water purification and distribution system.  It is truly something very different: a basilica underground with hundreds of pillars, complete with several mysterious Medusa head featuring columns.

From there we headed to the Grand Bazaar.  As we were walking, all of a sudden from all the mosques via the megaphones began the call for the prayer.  It was truly an amazing experience.  I had to stand there and just listen to this foreign yet so familiar song.  If any of you watch TV shows like HOMELAND or 24, you would have felt transported into one of the Arab countries.  This was definitely my top 1 experience in Istanbul.

We go lost on the way to Gran Bazar because it is a very large building with tens of exits and somehow does not look like a market from the outside.  It did not help that it got dark early there.  When we got into the market, we were greeted with the sounds of a million people trying to offer you their wares.  Shoes, scarves, clothes, knock-offs…. You name it and they had it.  I did not know what to expect from this place.  For a souvenir shopper it is a paradise.  And the most important thing is to haggle.  It is a custom and there seems to be an expectation of you negotiating.  After a few purchases, we headed to a Turkish bath.

That was an experience.  Just as in the movies, you get into a towel and head to a marble room complete with a huge round hot stone on which you lie down to warm up.  Then, depending on what pack you buy, you are treated to a soap-up and if you choose a very intense massage.  Due to my back issues I chose the light soap up and cleanse option, which, after meeting my Turkish bath friend, was more than enough.  The guy appeared just as in the movies: large and tall, shook my hand, asked from where I was from and then got to work.  It was intense cleansing experience with him shifting you around the table and sliding you into position for different phases.  I have to say that I am glad I felt comfortable with this experience, but I can see why my friend Jose  chose self service option.

We walked out of the bath super relaxed and clean.  Time to go for dinner.  This time according to my plan.

As it started pouring with rain, we headed down to the restaurant in an Orient Express hotel on the top floor.  This restaurant was recommended by a co-worker of mine and was fantastic.  We met our friends who were also in Istanbul on the same package deal and enjoyed a beautiful dinner, including some expensive wine.  In the end, dinner was cheaper than our lunch, so felt like we were able to average down a bit.

So, 7 attractions and 2 restaurants later we were ready to head back to our hotel after a 16 hour day.  Exhausted yet satisfied.

With such a successful day 1 we decided to take it a bit easier on day 2 and  go at a slightly slower pace:

• ·         Met our friends at the hotel after breakfast and negotiated a taxi ride to the Chora Church
• ·         The taxi left us in the wrong place, so we visited what was my most favourite mosque: Edirnekapi Mihrimahsultan Camii Serifi.  Just beautiful in its simplicity, colour and purity.  Breathtaking.
• ·         Afrom the mosque we headed down the hill to visit the Chora church/museum, which is one of the best preserved byzantine pieces of architecture and art.  Very worthwhile.
• ·         Got back to the center for a quick tea break and off to our Boat cruise of the Bosphorus and Marmara Sea.  We went along the European and Asian coastlines, checking out the different districts of Istanbul, bridges and Rumeli fortress.  From the sea (we had a gorgeous sunny day for this), the city looked spectacular, with a bit of a haze pierces by the minaret towers.
• ·         Once we got back from the cruise, we had wonderful fish lunch on the Galata Bridge, watching the sunset over the old city.
• ·         After late lunch, we headed to the New Mosque (Yeni Cami), where I was able to go in and see the evening prayer.  It was quite foreign to see the men up front and all the women covered up in the back behind wooden lattice.  The mosque was another spectacular one.
• ·         From here we headed to the Spice Bazaar, which is right next door to the mosque.  This was a much more interesting experience than Grand Bazaar.  Smell of spices and pickled food, great shopping made this my favourite mix of locals and tourists.
• ·         After a bit of shopping we walked back to downtown to another restaurant on my list, the ANATOLIA café.  The service was super and the food superb.  It was a great way to end the day.

·         Some night pictures and off to the hotel.

On day 3 I was going solo, as Jose left for Casablanca for work.  At what appeared a very easy pace now, I took a beautiful metro line to Taksim square in the new part of the city, walked down the major shopping plaza, took a funicular and returned to the Spice Market for a bit more shopping and best kebab I have ever had, costing just under 3 euros.  I sat in front of the New Mosque as I enjoyed my kebab, reflecting on the wonderful experience in Turkey.

Definitely to be repeated and not to be forgotten.

Fiestas del Pilar 2014

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It is a beautiful October Saturday: 25 degrees and sunny on October 25^th.  The summer just does not want to go away, which this year has been wonderful.  Normally though, after our el Pilar festival the weather turns on a dime and the rain and wind begins.

Derek and Cathy Gale from Victoria came for a 2 week visit to sample some of Spain’s delicacies during one of the best seasons we have: the main fiesta of the city.  This summer when we met in Victoria, I planted the seed of a potential visit, which quickly became a plan and a reality.

They came on the 7^th of October, just as the festival was starting up, so we got to taste and experience the best of it.  And, of course, not to waste any precious time, we organized a full-full agenda, which left relaxation for the trip back to Canada.  As a result, they visited 7 Autonomous Communities in 2 weeks, which is about half the communities in Spain: beat that!  On the list were: Aragon, Navarra, La Rioja, Pais Vasco (Basque Country), Madrid, Toledo and Catalunya.

Locally, we have explored restaurants, tapas bars, coffee shops and much of the historical city: complete with Roman ruins, bridges, cathedrals and even the largest shopping center in Spain.  Ironically, when we went to the shopping center, we ended up having dinner (instead of shopping) at a great Brazilian restaurant that served every possible meat imaginable roasted on the fire.  I think my guests were duly impressed (so was I, but I could not tell them this was my first time to the restaurant also J).

During the fiestas week, we took a detour one Friday and went to Pamplona to re-enact the running of the bulls (see pics) and ended up in my favourite place in Spain: San Sebastian.  We did the full pintxos and tapas run Friday night, including local specialty: Txacolina wine, which, at 2 Euros per very large glass, is not a very hard thing to take (a bit harder in the morning).  The next day we explored this beautiful town, did some shopping, more eating and headed back to Zaragoza for an impromptu mussels and white wine dinner.

The Sunday was the main el Pilar event: the procession to give flowers and prayers to the Virgin of el Pilar.  We were keeners: at 8:30am we were downtown, taking pictures and meeting friends.  This year there were many more people in the procession than watching, so to get around was much easier.  After a few hours of people-watching we ended up with my friends in a neighbourhood bar for early brunch, including some red wine, sausages and chips: so typically Spanish.  A massive photo-shoot later, we headed back to the cathedral to sample some of the artisan cooking which is setup right by the river.  As shown on TV (or rather in the pictures), we found the largest grill and got ourselves comfortable.  Ribs, suckling pig, chips and beer were the order of the day.  Needless to say after a feast like this we needed a siesta.  So we complied.  Especially given the fact that at 5:30pm we were heading to the Sunday bull fight (this year is a 250 anniversary of the Zaragoza bull ring, so the events were super special).

At 5pm we headed out to the bull fight, just to get completely soaked by the 5 minute torrential rain.  We dried out quickly during the bullfight, witnessing one of the best corridas.  In fact, this year I went to 3 corridas, and in each, one bullfighter got 2 ears, meaning they did an outstanding job and were carried out by others through the Puerta Grande (the big gate) as an honor symbol.  In the last corrida with horses, one bullfighter got 2 ears and a tail, which is the highest mark you can get.  Also, in one of the fights that week one bull was “saved” from being killed as it demonstrated amazing fighting.  This was the first time that this happened in Zaragoza in 250 years.

After the bull fight, my Canadian friends and I went downtown for a few drinks and then to bed, given the next day Derek and Cathy were off to Madrid and Toledo.

They finished their trip with a few days in Barcelona, rounding out their fully packed itinerary.  I am sure they are still sleeping 2 weeks later, recovering from the work they were destined to do in Spain.

It was so wonderful to share the city and the fiestas with great friends from Victoria.  I myself had to take a few days to recover from all the go-go-go we did.  But great memories prevail. 

Fiestas of Algemesi

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It has been a while since my last post, but as they say: better late than never.  Last weekend I went on something you may call a mini pilgrimage: back to where it all started.  In Algemesi, in 2011, we went to see our first real village FIESTA, complete with bull fights, real Spanish food, beach and wine, lots of wine.

This time it felt very different: still very exciting, the novelty is no longer there but the finer appreciation of the Spanish lifestyle and fiestas is much more present now.

Our Valencian friends have hosted me as always, we saw 2 corridas, including one with Portuguese bull fighters on the horses.  Plenty of style, color and noise.  We sampled some of the best Valencian rice, walked along the beach and enjoyed (a little too much) the sun drenched terraces that serve 2 euro beer from 8 am in the morning till late late at night.  

The highlight was going for breakfast at about 10:30 am to the Orange Growers cooperative dining hall.  It was full of people of all ages.  Breakfast included a salad, red wine, olives, sandwiches with squid and tortilla patata.  Needless to say that after breakfast like this it is hard to think of anything other than siesta.  But wait, there is no time, given that at 14:00 we were booked for lunch at the local restaurant called Casino.  And then bulls, and then dinner, and then....sleeeeeep......

Viva la FIESTA!

Toledo and Lisbon

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This year for our Easter Holiday we decided to go on a road trip to Lisbon, Portugal, stopping for one night in Toledo on the way, to break up the drive and to see this special spot.  It turned out that on Tuesday April 15^th Anatolijus had meetings in Madrid and with our Easter holiday beginning the next day we made a plan to meet in Toledo.  So at 12pm as Grace, Tessa and I drove into the train station of Toledo watching Anatolijus’ train pull in at the exact same time. We couldn’t have planned it any better with us driving 3.5 hrs from Zaragoza.  The first beautiful thing we saw was the train station which is in the Mudejar (Muslim) style and is exquisite with its tiles and ornate ceiling.  The weather was beautiful and perfect to explore this ancient town that sits on a hill with the river Tagus winding around it on 3 sides.  Toledo was made a World Heritage Site in 1986 and was a place where Jews, Christians and Muslims lived together.  This year Toledo is hosting the largest exhibition of El Greco works however we weren’t able to see it as it was sold out months before.  This was good because instead we spent our time walking the narrow streets and experiencing the charm and energy of Toledo.  The Cathedral is very impressive (where we did see el Greco’s “Unrobing of Christ”) and we loved the picturesque Bridge of Saint Martin.  We had the best pork tenderloin ever sitting outside on a lovely terrace.  Although we only had half a day in Toledo we felt very happy with our experience in and were excited to leave early the next morning to drive to Lisbon.

The best laid plans….it is important to note in this aside that with all the travelling we have done we have rarely had any problems or travel nightmares. 

In January, when Anatolijus was on the couch having injured his back and we had yet to receive any medical help and didn’t know the severity of the situation, we booked our accommodation in Lisbon through Airbnb.  We were very excited because it was a beautiful apartment in Alfama overlooking the Cathedral.  The day before we were to arrive in Lisbon, Anatolijus called the owner of the apartment to say we had not received the check in information and the owner said he was surprised as he had sent the email to us and would resend it.  We went to bed and set our alarms for 7am.  I woke up and checked email and was happy to see an email from Airbnb, unfortunately instead of providing check in info the emailed said,

 “We're really sorry but we've had an electrical problem in the building of the apartment and we've had to cancel your reservation.

The building is now running on backup generators with only minimum power usage, we have works underway to replace the problematic electrical column which makes renting the apartment impossible.

We know we can never compensate for having to cancel your stay but we've tried to find an alternative without any success.”

In my sleepy haze I really thought it was a joke or I was misreading the email.  Five hours before we are to arrive they cancel our reservation which we paid for in January and it is the start of the long Easter Weekend!!!!   Also we had called the day before and no problem was mentioned?  We were suspicious and very upset.  Also our friends Natalia and Emiliano from Zaragoza were on their way to meet us in Lisbon. I woke Anatolijus up and said, “we have a problem”!  We knew we couldn’t leave Toledo until we had a place to stay and the prospect of returning home was very depressing.  So the girls and I went down to the buffet breakfast while Anatolijus worked his usual magic and after 3.5 hours was able to secure us a new apartment for more money, but at that point it didn’t matter. So at 11:30am we left the hotel and began our 5.5 hour drive to Lisbon.  The good news is that our new accommodation and host were fabulous and we gained many amenities and an amazing view overlooking the city.

Lisbon – we loved it!!  It has the feeling of San Francisco, Vancouver and St. Petersburg combined.  The view from St. George’s Castle is fabulous and a great place to have an overview of the city.  The main square at the water is beautiful and we had a great day walking the promenade to the Belem Tower, seeing the Monument of the Discoveries and the outside of Jeronimo Monastery.  Lisbon is famous for their very old wooden trams so we got up early one morning and went to the first stop to secure a seat on Tram 28.  The day before we waited at a stop as 4 or 5 trams went by completely full.  We were delighted to be the only ones aboard (see the pics) and it is a very scenic ride going down narrow streets and through different neighborhoods.  The second day we drove to Sintra and toured the Pena Palace which is perched way up on a hill.  Following that we went to Cascais for lunch and it is a gorgeous seaside town with great restaurants and shopping.  We later drove down the coast to a fabulous beach and the drive reminded us of parts of Hawaii we have visited.  The Atlantic Ocean is not warm but the kids, and Emiliano, played in the waves and had a great time.  There were also lots of surfers riding the waves here.

One of our favorite experiences happened the first night when our friends came to meet us for dinner.  Our host had recommended we eat at the local restaurant at the end of our street, small and very authentic.  Natalia called from the taxi to ask for the name of the restaurant so we looked out the window and saw it was called Tofa.  We also gave her our street name, but as the apartment is new the taxi driver didn’t know it, and the restaurant name turned out to be unhelpful as well.  We discovered that Tofa is a brand of coffee like Illy or Starbucks and is on every second awning.  Specific cultural references are so great.  So our friends arrived and we walked to the place but with nine of us and only 6 tables, 2 were occupied, it didn’t look like we could stay.  Then Alfredo, the owner, indicates for Natalia to follow him into the back.  When they returned she says follow us so we walked behind the bar through the kitchen into a room with a plain table and old TV set – perfect!  We ordered fish for the adults, as Lisbon is famous for their bacalao (cod), and plates for the children that included grilled meat, rice, fries and salad.  We all drank wine and finished with coffee and port.  Alfredo was wonderful and we felt like we had made a new friend.  Now the best part is the bill. The cost of dinner for 9 of us including 2 litres of wine was an astounding 62 euros!!!!  We had been told Portugal was much cheaper than Spain and, out of the tourist areas, it definitely is.

On Sunday our friends had to leave so we had a quiet morning waiting out the rain then drove back to Cascais to go to a new vegetarian restaurant that had only been open 2 days.  It turned out to be our favorite meal and the owner and staff made it very special and we talked with a woman from Brasil…  On the way back we stopped at the Museum of Modern Art which was excellent and were able to also enjoy some of the famous Pasteis de Belem – a pastry with cream – which are very famous and quite delicious.  On our last day in Lisbon we toured the different famous neighbourhoods starting with Alfama which is the old Muslim quarter. We were also interested to go and see how the ‘electrical work’ was going at our cancelled apartment.  To our surprise (not) there were no works underway and we went to the café located in the same small building and inquired if there had been any electrical problems, had they seen work trucks etc.  They said they did not know of any problems confirming our suspicion that it was a made up story.  We were able to enjoy a lovely lunch in the café and tour the cathedral and felt fortunate that we landed in the apartment we did.  We also visited the most expensive chapel in Europe, Chapel Roche, it is made of gold and the pictures are all mosaics although they look like regular paintings.

We found Lisbon exceeded our expectations and once we were home we were very fascinated to learn more about Salazar, the benevolent dictator.  And also the amazing natural disaster of 1755 that started with an earthquake that spawned a tsunami that ended with fires destroying most of the city. What took centuries to build was destroyed in 12 hrs and Portugal never regained its former power or glory.  Our drive home went very well and it was 9 hrs door to door including two short stops.  It was great to explore and new place and after having spent part of the winter and spring in the hospital and rehab it was a very refreshing and energizing holiday.

P.s. Once we got back home, Anatolijus contacted Airbnb.  To redeam our experience, the company paid the difference for our accommodation extra cost and gave us 200 USD voucher towards our next booking.  So in the end even the booking nightmare was redeemed. 

Santander, Cantabria

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It has been a while since our last update due to Cathy’s dad passing away and then Anatolijus’ back issues that seem to have consumed most of the winter.

Our last trip in December was to a well-known city in Cantabria (north of Spain) called Santander.  You may have heard this name because one of the biggest Banks in the world goes by the same name, headquartered there.

On the way there, we could not resist but to stop again in Bilbao, at the Guggenheim museum, which we first visited several years ago when Cathy’s parents came to visit for the first time.  On the way back, we could not resist but to stop at the Subway restaurant in Bilbao besides the Guggenheim for a sandwich fix.

We went for a 4 day weekend, and luck so had it, that we hit perfect 4 days, with temperatures in the high teens, with last day clocking in at 17 Celsius, pure sunshine.

We had a nice hotel Las Brisas 2 steps from the beach, which made morning walks easy.  During our stay, we made it a point to ensure we maximize our gastronomic experience and do the right amount of sightseeing.

The first days we stayed in town, went to some recommended restaurants for lunch and dinner and explored the town and the waterfront.  The highlight was the Royal summer house which has since been converted to an international summer university, which is known for some spectacular parties among students.  Situated right on the ocean, the location doubles as a favourite wedding spot as well as the student locale.  Surroundings feature a very green park and a small “zoo” featuring penguins and seals.

The third day we did our “feature” excursion, which was the pretext for the entire trip: the Cabarceno natural park.  The park was opened to the public in 1989 in a reclaimed iron open pit mine, featuring 3 square miles of wonderful landscape dedicated to protection of endangered species. The unique thing about the park is that the animals live in a “semi-free” environment, whereby the “enclosures” are naturally made (via landscape anomalies) so the animals have lots of places to move around.  The park tries to maintain the habitat that is as natural as possible, promoting natural survival and mating cycles.  In the park we saw bears, giraffes, gorillas, elephants, Bengal tigers, lions, camels, zebras, rhinoceroses, hippos and many other species that were roaming the lands.  The bears and tigers certainly left the biggest impression as seeing them so close was very exciting.  The park certainly exceeded our expectation and the fact that you can drive into it and drive around on specially developed paths made this as close to a safari as we have gotten so far.  Enjoy some of our pictures with the blog.

4 days went by like a snap: eating, touring, walking on the beach provided for nice amount of exercise, relaxation and enjoyment.  We are absolutely heading back there as we missed much and have to explore more.

The final note: the last 2 weeks of February the northern coast of Spain was pounded by 140km/hour winds and 12 meter (36ft) waves, which damaged much of the coastline from Galicia to Cantabria and Basque Country.  Cities like Santander and San Sebastian were very hard hit: the beachfront promenades were completely destroyed, beachfront shops and real-estate washed away or damaged.  Government declared the zone a national disaster zone, which affected citizens, merchants, fishermen.  With the tourist season just around the corner, the country has lots of cleanup and rebuilding to do.