De viaje por el mundo

A few minutes ago...

2011-04-08T00:04:00.001+09:00

The quake that shook all of Japan

2011-03-22T12:57:00.000+09:00

Fuji Sengen Jinja

2010-07-01T21:32:00.005+09:00

Well, looks like in the end, I have ended up writing something here again! ;) Too many cool photos getting dust in the darkest corner of my computer...

I want to show you some photos of a nice place I visited in the end of May: Fuji Yoshida jinja, the shrine from which the climb to Mt Fuji starts. Have a look at the pictures. Still not much time to spare... sorry!

The end?

2010-04-29T00:04:00.003+09:00

Wow, that was quite an effort; three long posts in a row, non-stop and with many photos! I hope you have enjoyed and I haven't bored you too much.

After more than 3 years and around 505 posts, my life has changed quite a lot. I have lived in 3 countries, visited many more (in one week I will get to 49 visited countries!) and tried to make the most of my time on Earth.

My life now is quite different. I am married, have an interesting and absorbing job and live in Japan again. When I created this blog, I intended it was a way of communicating with my friends and family. It has accomplished its purpose quite alright, but now I feel I do not have much time and I would like to use that little time to communicate with people more directly. I want to have time to reply to emails, have some phone conversations, etc.

Therefore, I have decided to stop writing in this blog for the time being. I do not know yet if it will be permanently or just for a while, until I figure out how to manage my time better. Anyway, thank you for reading this blog and leaving your comments! I hope you have enjoyed reading it!!

Best, Alvaro

PS: Use this post to leave your last comments!!

Dazaifu 太宰府

2010-04-28T23:27:00.005+09:00

From Kumamoto, I came back to Fukuoka, where my trip had started. It had been almost a week and many amazing places: Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Beppu, Aso, Kumamoto... So many photos and good memories. It was time to come back home to Tokyo, to my wife and to start my work. But before, another surprise, the former government place of Dazaifu, just south of Fukuoka.

Dazaifu used to be the most important place in Kyushu, the place of the government office in the island from around 670. Consequently, the town is full of interesting temples and some less interesting ruins...

The main tourist drag is Tenman-gu, a famouse shrine. At that time, plums were blooming and the shrine fields were very beautiful. I have repeated this word many times today, but what else could I say!! ;)

Then I went to see a nice piece of modern architecture, the Kyushu National Museum. On the way there, many blooming trees... a nice walk...

Most tourists go to Dazaifu to see Tenmangu and come to Fukuoka. But I had some time and wanted to enjoy Dazaifu. It was a very small town, which really felt in the countryside, with nice temples and shrines, and mostly empty of crowds. People were even surprised a foreigner was walking around the deserted "streets". I quoted streets because in some cases they just became dirt tracks!!

In this random wandering, I found a gem: Kōmyōzen-ji, a zen temple which turns out to be also pretty famous! It is famous for its two rock gardens, one at the front and one at the back. Both were very interesting. And the best point of my visit was I was COMPLETELY alone. I spend around 30 minutes there and met nobody! That was just great to soak the atmosphere!!

As I said before, my walk led me to real countryside Japan. I do not think it can get much more countryside inside a city!!

Some more famous temples...

... and one of the only few places where Buddhist apprentices could become monks in all Japan in ancient times. It was a quite important place and again, I was completely alone!!

More countryside photos... Who would not like to live in such a cool house? I was expecting some samurai to come out to greet me at the entrance gate!

And finally, I visited the site of the governmental offices of Kyushu. Nothing remains apart from some columns foundations and three stones with Japanese inscriptions. It is a bit out of the way, but can be nice if you have some time and fancy for a stroll in a quiet and peaceful area!

Back in Fukuoka, lunch at a nice place and flight back to Tokyo. It was time to start life over!!

Kumamoto 熊本

2010-04-28T23:15:00.002+09:00

My next stop in Kyushu was Kumamoto. This city houses one of the three best preserved original castles in Japan. The other two are Himeji and Matsumoto. You can probably find those two in this blog too ;) Yep, I have visited the three of them!!

The castle, as all other famous castles in Japan, was really beautiful and I think it is better you enjoy the photos and I shut up and let you enjoy!

Mount Aso　　阿蘇山

2010-04-28T22:22:00.009+09:00

Well, it has taken me some time to reply to my previous post question... I have been considering stopping writing this blog. It has been many years, more than 500 posts and more than 30000 visits! So, it would not be nice to quit without a couple of nice posts...

With respect to the previous post, the answer is it is the Earth... That landscape looks otherworldly and surely it is. It is Mount Aso in Kyushu, my next stop in my trip in Kyushu after spending some self-indulging time in the hotspring paradise of Beppu. After one day soaking in thermal waters and enjoying seafood, it was time to move back to the other coast of the island and what better way than making my trip through a national park?!

Transportation in Japan is simply amazing, as anybody who has ever visited this country knows. Therefore, there was a bus departing in the early morning from Beppu and going all the way to Kumamoto, on the other coast, stopping at the crater of Mount Aso, a famous volcano in the middle of Kyushu. Actually, Aso san is the biggest volcanic caldera in the world and has several volcanoes inside!! It felt really promising!

The ride was nice since we departed Beppu. Just from there, the road went up as we entered Aso san NP. The road twisted precariously on the gray volcanic slopes.

After several hours and a couple of renowned volcanoes, we made it to Aso, a little sleepy town just below three huge volcanoes. It was time to go to the crater.

The green warm lands of Kyushu turned into something more similar to high mountain landscape as the road went up.

Soon, the landscape turned surreal! "Oh my God! Is that an smoking volcano??!!" And yes, it was. And not the only one... or the largest... That morning I would visit one of the most amazing places I have ever been to. You need to be there to believe it.

The bus continued for a while and when it stopped, we were just there, below the crater of Aso san. It was time to climb it. The climb is really short (40 minutes) and ok for people in every physical condition. It was the third volcano I climbed and the third time I was going to looked down a crater, but there was a surprise.

On the way up, amazing landscapes and huge boulders which came flying from some previous explosion...

On the side of the road, many bunkers in case the mountain decided to unleash all its power and let us know we cannot control nature's rage.

And when I got to the top... the crater was full of a greenish liquid and was really "smoking out"! I have been to several volcanoes, taller than this, more famous, but they were always dormant. This was active and really boiling the strange liquid in its crater. I just could not believe my eyes. It was the beauty of power, the appeal of destruction. I had never felt before such a feeling... the feeling everything can go wrong the moment the mountain wants... we were at its mercy...

After spending some time looking like a small kid into the smoky crater, it was time to continue the hike and enjoy some really unbelievable scenery. So colorful, such a powerful sight.

This is the map which shows the crater and the hike.

Back on the bus, on the way to Kumamoto, and with the images of the crater still in my retina, time to see some tiny volcanoes... Was all this true, was I dreaming??

Some more photos and panoramas I just created and which can help you figure out if this was just a dream. :)

What planet?

2010-04-13T00:40:00.000+09:00

Let's make this more dynamic... What planet is this?

Last report on Sakura...

2010-04-08T20:51:00.003+09:00

As all beautiful things in life, sakura are coming to an end in Tokyo. ;) So this will probably be my last report this year.

Now, sakura petals fall down slowly at a lazy pace, like snowflakes, covering the ground with a pinkish white carpet of flowers. On the tree branches, green color is taking their place and giving pass to real spring. Nature cannot be stopped!!

Hanami　花見

2010-04-05T22:14:00.005+09:00

It is cherry blossom time in Tokyo and that means a lot of fun!

Japan is famous for its cherry blossoms. There are cherry trees everywhere and when April comes, cherries are in full bloom and make the cityscape a very nice view. Besides, hanami celebrations occur in many places. People take a vinyl cloth and put it on the ground, buy food and drinks and party there, just below beautiful trees. This year has been my first hanami celebration, and I must say I really enjoyed it!! Much fun in a trully beautiful setting.

On Saturday, we met some friends in Shinjuku and spent the day in Shinjuku Gyouen, one of the most famous spots for cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo. It was pretty crowded, but was sooo nice!

Yesterday, Sunday, we went to Ueno, where we met some more friends. The day was kind of chilly and even rainy at times, but still highly enjoyable! I think these photos do not need much explanation... so just enjoy!

Cherry blossoms will be open for less than one week from now... so they are a highly enjoyable brief spark of beauty!! ;)

Sushi cake

2010-04-02T00:01:00.002+09:00

This is the sushi cake I cooked for White Day, in a moment of inspiration! Learn about White Day in here.

Cherry Blossoms at NAOJ

2010-04-01T22:40:00.005+09:00

Finally the time has come. I am finally in Japan when cherry trees are blooming and Japanese parks and streets become white with the color of cherry blossoms. It is one of the most famous views of Japan and had not seen it yet.

Last week, some cherries started blooming, but this week, all blossoms are open!

At work, at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, NAOJ, there are many cherry trees and they look pretty cool right now! My desk is next to a window and the views are amazing these days. Enjoy the photos I took today!

Usuki 臼杵

2010-03-30T20:44:00.006+09:00

Usuki is located in Oita Prefecture, in Kyushu, and it is a very nice day trip from the hotspring sanctuary of Beppu. The main attraction of the town is the stone buddhas, some buddhas carved in the rock in one ravine in the middle of the countryside.

The location is really beautiful. It is in a very undeveloped area, which is rare in Japan. It really looks and feels like ancient Japan.

The stone buddhas themselves are a nice sight and worth the trip if you are in the region.

There are three sets of Buddhas and they all look pretty interesting and different from each other.

In some of them, paint can still be seen, and their natural colors appreciated.

Some of them are covered in moss.

The bamboo forest in those hills is also good for a stroll after visiting the buddhas.

Some more photos of this interesting place!

Beppu 別府

2010-03-27T22:11:00.003+09:00

After visiting Nagasaki and Fukuoka on the Northwest coast of Kyushu, I crossed the island and went to indulge myself in the hotspring town of Beppu, on the Northeast coast. Beppu is sometimes named "the hotspring capital of Japan", and believe me... that is quite a lot in this country which is actually boiling underground!

Since I arrived in town, the references to hotsprings were continuous. Have a look at this funny demon enjoying his hot bath! ;)

On my way to some hotsprings, I was really surprised that there are fumes at boiling temperatures coming directly from the ground and from everywhere! Sometimes, it was like walking in hell!

Actually, apart from the typical onsen (Japanese bath / 温泉 ), there are many "hells" (jigoku /　地獄 ), hotsprings just to look at them, kind of the ones I found last year in Yellowstone NP in the USA. I just went to visit one known as Umi jigoku (海地獄), and turned out to be nice. But Yellowstone had been just too impressive...

Kyushu is warmer than Honshu, the main island of Japan, and many trees were blooming at that time:

Back on the streets, fumes from everywhere...

Locals actually used those fumes and boiling water to boil food and sell it to tourists. Do you fancy a hotspring boiled egg??

I was in Beppu only one day, but had time to go to several hotsprings. These are the nicest. The second one has been opened since the Meiji era (end of 19th century!) and looked pretty old... but really cool! So traditional!!

Nagasaki 長崎

2010-03-25T20:51:00.005+09:00

It is already one month since I visited Kyushu! Time flies... and it does much more now, that I am busy at work. I just talked about Fukuoka, which was the first city I visited in that trip.

Today, it is the turn for Nagasaki, one of the most interesting destinations in Japan in my opinion. I did not know much apart from the fact Nagasaki was the only point of contact of Japan with China and Europe for centuries and that the US army chose it as one of its infamous nuclear bombs targets.

The city has so much to offer it is difficult to know where to start. I will just follow the order in which I visited the places. In the morning, I visited the atomic bomb epicenter area. As you can imagine, the area is full of memorials (parks, a museum, etc) and explanations about the damage the bomb inflicted to the city. It actually killed a large percentage of its population... It also destroyed some of Nagasaki's cultural heritage, partly of which has been restored.

This is the Peace Memorial Park:

And this is the epicenter area. Around 65 years ago, the second atomic bomb used against Japan in WWII exploded here.

Around one km away from the epicenter, I found a very interesting sight: the second Torii in Sanno Jinja. A torii is a typical Japanese gate you can see at any shrine in Japan. The particularity of this one is that the atomic explosion blew away half of it, whilst the other half is still standing today. An intriguing sight.

Time for real history now. In 1542, the first European arrived at Japan. A Portuguese boat accidentally arrived in Nagasaki and some Spanish and the Dutch followed. The Portuguese and Spanish were banned from Japan because they tried to convert Japanese to Christianity and that was not welcome by the governors of Japan at that time. Only the Dutch, only interested in commercial transactions, were allowed to stay. However, they had to live in a small artificial island just off the shore. Consecutive Dutch expeditions came there and lived in crowded houses which where a mix of western and japanese architectures.

Nagasaki's exposure to Christianity was brief but very influencial. Up to 25000 Japanese remained being Christians hiddenly until Meiji restauration (end of XIXth century), when Christianity was legal again. A nice church was built at that time: Oura Church.

Nearby, in the top of one of the hills, the former foreigners settlement during Meiji era. Now, that area is known about Glover Garden and it is a nice stroll.

The views over the city and the harbor are just amazing!

This is the house where Mr Glover used to live... a nice western style house! In Japan!

Another nice house up in the hills!!

On the other part of town, the typical Japanese shinto stuff ;) in the famous Suwa Jinja.

Nagasaki also had (has) a pretty large Chinese population living in China town. When I visited, it was Nagasaki Lantern Festival and the streets around Chinatown where decorated with Chinese lanterns. The influence of China was also clear in the architecture of temples.

This temple, Sofuku-ji, is the only temple in Japan which is 100% Chinese. A really exotic place to relax for a while after an intense day!!

At night, I went to the heart of Chinatown and enjoyed the dragon and lion dance performances in the streets.

Some lanterns were really elaborated!

Nagasaki has been one of the cities I have enjoyed the most in Japan and I highly recommend to everybody to go there if possible!! It is not so hard to get to Kyushy after all if you have a JR pass and you are traveling Japan!!!! You wont regret it!!

This weekend, Kansai

2010-03-20T23:58:00.004+09:00

This is a long weekend (Monday is National Holiday) in Japan, and I decided to make the most of my time (as usual!!). So... here I am, in Kansai.

Today I visited the most sacred of Japanese shrines, Ise-jingu, place of pilgrimage since the 5th century BC and dedicated to Amaterasu. She is the goddess of the Sun and one of the most important deities in Shintoism.

Then, I visited the married rocks in Futami, called Meotoiwa. I saw them on TV and since that moment I wanted to come and see them. They look pretty cool!

Then, sunset in the pearl cultivation area in the furthest part of Ise Shima National Park, at Ago wan.

And to finish the day... okonomiyaki dinner in Osaka!! Not bad for the first day.

Tomorrow, I will go to Aso san, a sacred place for Buddhism in Japan and UNESCO World Heritage. I will sleep in a temple there!

村上龍 Ryu Murakami

2010-03-09T23:23:00.004+09:00

Ryu Murakami is a Japanese writer and movie director. His writing style is really impressive, it really makes an impact on you. He talks about really harsh topics (extreme sexual violence, drugs, chaos...) and makes you feel unconfortable many times. But the way he writes it is what makes a difference. He can find beauty even in the deepest of human misery. That's remarkable.

I am writing about him, because I just finished reading "Almost transparent blue", his first novel. This novel won the Akutagawa prize, the most prestigious prize in Japan for new writers. He wrote this book when he was just 23 and the result is shocking.

So far, I have read three of his novels and I have liked all of them. My ranking for his novels so far is as follows (in case you want to give it a try!): 1. Coin Locker Babies; 2. Almost Transparent Blue; 3. In the Miso Soup.

Kokoro 夏目漱石- こゝろ

2010-03-08T20:55:00.003+09:00

Last weekend, I finished reading "Kokoro" by Natsume Sōseki (夏目漱石), a Japanese writer from the Meiji era (aka when Japan opened its borders to the world). I had had that novel in my bookshelf for several months now, just accumulating dust and I decided to give it a chance on Saturday. The result is I have discovered a great work. From the moment I started reading the first page, it was difficult to part with this book. I'd put it down and take it again immediately.

The novel is not long, around 250 pages in my English translation, but it is one of those books very close to philosophy which requres some time to be fully enjoyed. You should not rush through it.

It analyzes human nature from a very deep point of view and there are quotes worth remembering in almost every single page. Highly recommended!!

Besides, I found the author was living for one year very near where I live now and I could pass by his house a couple times this weekend. Also, most of the areas he describes are around my neighborhood!! Pretty cool ;)

Sunday Lunch in Tokyo

2010-03-07T12:59:00.000+09:00

Some things never change...

Fukuoka 福岡

2010-03-07T09:02:00.007+09:00

As I told you some posts ago, I spent the last week of February in Kyushu, the southernmost of the 4 main islands that compose Japan. Kyushu has always been a crossroad of cultures and the gateway through which Japan communicated with the world until the Meiji restauration (end of 19th century). The Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish arrived here in the 18th century. Most contact with China happened from here, and there are important Chinatowns in the biggest cities. Even Hideyoshi tried to conquer Korea from here in the 16th century! The result is an open minded region, with lots of foreign influence and amazing cities like Nagasaki, real crossroads of cultures.

My first stop was Fukuoka, the largest city in Kyushu. Fukuoka is specially famous in Japan for ramen (chinese noodles), and I must say the fame is well deserved!! ;)

Fukuoka is a very modern city and I liked it pretty much at that time. I still did not know what Kyushu had to offer!! The city was created after the union of two other cities: the castle town of Fukuoka/Tenjin and the nearby urban center of Hakata. Now, the city has two clearly divided centers: Tenjin and Hakata. Tenjin is the most urban area, where the upmarket shops and restaurants are. Hakata has the main train station and most of temples. The district called Gion, just a few minutes from the train station is really nice to get lost. Lots of temples and narrow streets with many temples.

The border between Hakata and Tenjin is a river that creates a small island, house to the red-light district...

Next to the river, on Hakata's side, there is a very famous shrine (famous in Kyushu). It was pretty nice and there were many opportunities to take nice photos.

Fukuoka, as most of modern cities in Japan, is a continuous contrast of modernity and old times. A ultra modern nation with deep Asian roots.

Kyushu was the gateway for ideas coming from the West and old Western buildings can be found around the city. This is the Old Prefectural House.

As soon as you get a bit further from the city centers, you notice there is quite some street culture. Many food stalls selling everything from dried fish to many kinds of oranges. At night, Fukuoka is famous for street food stalls. That was very similar to Pusan, in Korea. After all, they are just a few hours away by boat!!

Fukuoka also has a nice beach, with many islands in the horizon, which makes it really special. It was a pitty it was cloudy when I got there... Next to the beach, a nice piece of architecture: Fukuoka Tower.

Next stop, Nagasaki.

Some punk music to put up with march rain in Tokyo

2010-03-06T19:20:00.004+09:00

Nice song in one of the best music releases I have ever come across: Fat Wrecktrospective; a Fat Wreck Chords compilation with more than 90 songs covering the first 25 years of this already legendary punk-rock label. Long life Fat Mike!

...the arbitrary borders stand
a line of blood through stolen lands
that little flag upon your sleeve
shows off you're stupid and naive
or maybe you believe the lies
through beady ignoramus eyes...

This week... in Kyushu

2010-02-23T21:37:00.002+09:00

This week is my last one before I start working in Tokyo and I had all my paperwork finished last week. So, to make the most of my time, I decided to spend this whole week in Kyushu!

Kyushu is the southernmost of the main Japanese Islands and it was for many centuries the only point of contact with foreign nations. It was also A-bombed...

The cities I have visited or I am going to visit are Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Beppu, Aso san and maybe Kumamoto and Dazaifun.

Now some photos I took today in Nagasaki. Notice the influences from China and the West!

Chocolate Sparkling

2010-02-17T20:31:00.001+09:00

Today, I tried one of those things only Japan can offer: Chocolate Sparkling. It is soda with chocolate flavor! At the beginning you expect it is the worst thing you've ever drunk... but after trying it, you do not really know if it is good or bad... quite a special flavor!!

節分 (Setsubun)

2010-02-16T19:38:00.002+09:00

On 3rd February, I attended a unique Japanese festival for the first time in my life: Setsubun. That day, spring officially starts and people throw beans to people wearing demon´s customs (oni). At the same time, everybody is supposed to sing a song whose translation would be: "Demons, go far away! Good luck, come home!" I took my part as oni and got badly hit by beans! ;)

Parallely, the festival is also quite official and every shrine in Japan celebrates it somehow. In Nezu jinja, the celebration consisted of people throwing presents to the participants. At the same time, the demons were gone. When they left to the shrine to pray, the demons went out and when the priests came back, the demons fleed again. That repeated for a couple times.

Some photos here:

Running in Tokyo

2010-02-15T10:54:00.002+09:00

I have started running seriously again in the last two weeks. After some problems with my Achilles' heel, it was time to finish my almost 2 month recovery period and start running again. I have started running between 10 and 15km almost every two days around Bunkyo, the ward in Tokyo where I live. I usually start running towards Tokyo University and go to Ueno Koen from there, sometimes passing by Bunkyoku city office. Then back home.

Yesterday, Sunday, i decided to go for something longer and went from Sendagi to the Imperial Palace and Kitanomaru Koen, turned around them twice and back home. It was a little bit more than 24km and the pace was good until the 20th kilometer, when I got too tired. It had been a long time since I last ran more than 20 km after all!! In total, more than 2 hours running non stop around a very beautiful area in Tokyo. Quite a satisfying experience.

2010-02-14 Route
Find more Runs in Tokyo, Japan

Matsumoto jo

2010-02-14T14:20:00.001+09:00

Matsumoto castle is one of the four castles which have been declared national treasure in Japan. It was built in the XVIth century and it is the oldest wooden castle in Japan. I passed by Matsumoto with my wife last Thursday and decided to stop by for a visit. This is one of the best shots of the castle I took.

2010-02-13T22:24:00.003+09:00

Today, I will talk about the Kamakura Festival, held in late January in Yunishigawa, in Tochigi Prefecture, near Nikko. I went there with Naoko the first weekend I was in Japan, already a few weeks ago. The festival will last until March.

The place is in the middle of the mountains, in a beautiful hot spring area. In late January, some small snow structures called "mini kamakura" are built and candles are put inside them. At night, those are lit and the effect of all of them shining is quite nice. There are also some larger snow structures similar to iglus or simple houses, which are the actual kamakura. The most typical food there is yuuba (湯葉), derived from tofu.

This is one of the biggest snow structures:

And this is what a mini kamakura looks like. Notice its size compared to a 500ml beer:

Near our ryokan, there was a river and along it, there were many mini kamakura. Quite a beautiful view at night!

Kamakura are quite easy to build and everybody is encoraged to build them. We gave it a try and this was the result:

The hotel was really nice. A great dinner and breakfast and an outside onsen (温泉), what is called a rotenburo (露天風呂).

On our way back, we stopped at Utsonomiya, in Tochigi, to enjoy the food this town is famous for: gyoza.

A nice weekend away from Tokyo!

Snow monkeys

2010-02-12T20:47:00.000+09:00

Even monkeys like going for a hot bath in a Japanese ofuro when it is freezing outside!

This photo was taken yesterday in Nagano-ken.

My current map of visited countries

2010-02-04T20:45:00.000+09:00

After my honeymoon, my Xmas in Spain (and Tunisia and Andorra), and my trip to Peru and Bolivia, I have reached the figure of 46 visited countries! About to get to 50!! Although that may take some time, since I will soon start working and my holidays will shrink noticeably... This map shows those countries in the map:

Snow in Tokyo

2010-02-02T09:33:00.001+09:00

Yesterday it snowed in Tokyo, and today, the city has waken up to white streets and a nicely shining sun. I woke up, saw the snow and quickly went to the shrine where I got married (Nezu Jinja) to take some photos. These are some of the many I just took. Just warm from the oven... Enjoy!

Brief trip in South America: Bolivia

2010-02-01T20:51:00.000+09:00

Last January, I spent one week and a half in South America, in Peru and Bolivia. I flew into Cusco (Peru), the heart of the Inca Empire, visited the city and around, went to Machu Picchu, and then moved to Lake Titicaca, to Puno, where I went to the Huros' islands. From there, I moved crossed the border with Bolivia and visited Copacabana, Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca, La Paz (an amazingly unique city and a real sight itself) and finished in Tiwanaku, the most important archeological site of a pre-Inca civilization. In one hour, the trip was amazing. South America is made for traveling. It is very cheap, interesting and nature is outstanding. It is still a wild continent in every aspect. When you travel South America is time to fasten your seatbelt and enjoy a real ride.

Some photos from Bolivia:

The Labyrinth in Isla del Sol:

Indigenous people in La Paz:

La Paz, built in a creek, feels like a city falling into a deep trench...

A high mountain overlooking the city:

Some archeological rests in Tiwanaku.

I felt really sorry about leaving such an amazing place without visiting all it has to offer. Before leaving, I was already planning my next visit!!

First photos from Machu Picchu

2010-01-15T12:31:00.000+09:00

Today I visited Machu Picchu, the most important archeological ruins in South America.

A postcard from there!! ;)

Finally left Spain after Xmas

2010-01-13T12:42:00.001+09:00

After more than 3 weeks in Spain, relaxing and doing some paperwork, I had to leave and continue doing more paperwork in CA. Now I finished all of it and I am on my way to Peru and Bolivia for my last trip before starting working in Tokyo!

This Xmas was really cold in Spain and my home town was covered in snow for many days.

It was also a good opportunity to catch up with friends after a whole year out of my country!

Just before departing for the USA, I had time to visit Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias in Valencia, with my family. It keeps on improving!! Amazing!

Back from Tunisia and Andorra

2009-12-23T19:49:00.000+09:00

Yep, I am back in Europe and as soon as I got here, I went to Tunisia and Andorra. It has been one week in total, not too long... but enough to satisfy my craving for an arab country and snow! ;) It was quite a contrast to go from the moderately warm Tunisia to ice cold Andorra, to change medinas for stone houses, the sea and the desert for snow and mountains.

The top of the World

2009-12-08T09:47:00.000+09:00

I have recently got married and Nepal has been our honey moon destination!

It has been a quite impressive destination: great nature, the best mountains and an amazing amount of temples! The nicest experience: to be face to face with the highest mountain in the World, Mt Everest!

Running log

2009-11-10T11:20:00.000+09:00

I have recently found a nice tool in the Internet to measure the distance I run. In addition, I get a nice map and if I input the time, I get my average pace (mpk) and elevation profile of my run. It is quite nice. This is my run today: 14km in 1h14min (around 5.10 mpk), going up the strongest slope in Pasadena (Shenandoah St) and going up and down all the time.

11/09/2009 Route
Find more Runs in Pasadena, California

LA Fly Away Technology

2009-11-09T14:48:00.000+09:00

I was impressed by the solution the airport bus driver found to get a compartment for her stuff. What better and easier than to write it with a pen??

She could've tried to keep some balance for the letters/words... XD

Mammoth Lakes

2009-11-06T13:50:00.001+09:00

After visiting Mono Lake and before heading for Manzanar NHS, I wanted to go to Devil's Postpile National Monument, near the Mammoth Lakes ski resort. When I got there, big surprise... Devil's Postpile was already closed for the Winter and I could not visit it! Anyway, I was there, so... brief stop at the Visitor's Center and visit to some of the lakes there.

This is one of the lakes in Twin Lakes.

And the following are photos at Lake Mary.

It was a short but nice visit.

Manzanar NHS

2009-11-05T09:29:00.000+09:00

Manzanar National Historical Site is in the middle of nowhere in California. It represents one of the darkest moments of US history in the 20th century. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and World War II started in the Pacific, the US President decided to put all Japanese American in concentration camps in very isolated areas. Japanese Americans were deprived of their liberty for as long as the war continued. They had to leave all their lives behind and when the war was over, they were forbidden to come back to the 3 Pacific coast states. They had to start from scratch.

Manzanar NHS is one of the only places which were kind of preserved.

These are the police posts at the entrance:

And the lunch hall:

These are the remaining of a Japanese garden the "inmates" created.

And the following are photos of the cemetery:

Mono Lake Tufa Reservation

2009-11-04T12:16:00.000+09:00

We left Yosemite using Tioga Pass and drove back to Los Angeles along US-395. That road is sandwiched between two ranges of mountains, in the middle of nowhere, and it is designated a scenic route. Just at the beginning of the road, not far from Yosemite's entrance (Tioga Pass), there is a beautiful lake: Mono Lake.

This place is so remote that housed a secret US military facility during the Cold War. Nothing remains of that facility now. The lake is interesting because it is a tufa reservation. Tufa are strange calcium based structures which grow from the bottom of the lake to its surface. This lake has been used by LA for water supplies and the level decreased dramatically in a few decades. Now, that is not allowed and the lake is protected. Anyway, these excesses made the tufa get exposed out of the water. Their shapes are quite interesting and many times surprising! Enjoy all these photos I took!

Yosemite NP Revisited

2009-11-03T08:10:00.000+09:00

Yes, last weekend, I went camping to Yosemite NP, one of the National Parks I have liked the most. I came here last Spring and wanted to see now how Autumn affects the landscape. Not many trees change leaves in Yosemite, but still some do and it is really spectacular. I spent two days there and therefore, had time to visit places I did not visit last time: Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, Tioga Pass Road, some longer hikes...

And above all, it was great time for photography. Have a look a the following photos! :)

Badlands NP

2009-10-31T02:09:00.001+09:00

Badlands NP was my last stop during my trip to the Dakotas. This park was a very nice surprise. Much more interesting than I expected. This is one of those NP you either hate it or love it. I loved it!

Badlands NP protects "the Wall", a range of badland mountains which separates the lower plains from the upper plains. It is a step in the middle of the plains. An the step is spectacular! You can see it clearly in the following photo. Click on it for better resolution.

And when you get to hike in them, it just looks like being in the Moon! It can't be so different up there ;)

Even hikes are pretty nice. Can you see the ladder going up on the left? This setting looks like "Tomb Raider"...

It was pretty cloudy and cold, and that made the Sun look quite ghostly!

When the Sun starting setting, it went below the clouds and lit the badlands with warm colors.

Some peaks were so rough!

I saw nice landscape wherever I looked!

Some more photos of mountains in the Badlands, as I drove along the scenic drive that goes across the National Park:

These mountains were an incredible yellow color...

Finally, the sunset was impressive. Really dramatic.

The trip to South and North Dakota ended up being much more interesting than expected. The huge prairies, the badlands, the Black Mountains, caves, and all the animals I saw... highly rewarding!!

Theodore Roosevelt NP

2009-10-29T08:22:00.001+09:00

In North Dakota, I visited Theodore Roosevelt NP. It was a long drive from SD, so I decided to stay there a bit longer (almost 2 days) and visit it thoroughly. Theodore Roosevelt NP protects some of the North Dakota's Bad Lands. It is divided in two main sections, North and South. The South Section is easy to access from I-94, whereas the North Section is around one hour drive from that highway. Both places are kind of different. The North was an area covered by glaciers. Therefore, hills were carved by them. The South is the area created when those glaciers melted. The North has the coolest hills in my opinion. They are more colorful and color stripes are better defined. In the South, it is more like many hills many of which do not even have color bands. Fauna is just amazing in both places: snakes, bison, deers, wild horses, prairie dogs... This NP was named after Theodore Roosevelt for two reasons. The first one is he was living in this area for most of his youth, and learned the tough ways of the Badlands. Due to his close contact with nature, he started appreciating how truly unique nature is and he learned to respect nature. The second reason is that, when he became president of the United States, he did a lot to consolidate the National Park System and protect many areas in the country.

I started my visit just off I-94, in the vista point called Painted Canyon. It is an overlook of one of the parts of the South Section and it is so easy to access that it is a mandatory stop to start getting a feeling for this park.

My next stop was the North Section. It was simply spectacular! Striped hills with many many herds of bison!

There is a road that gets into the section and at whose end, the view is amazing. You can see a river lazily bending in the badlands.

After all day driving and hiking in the North Section, I decided to go to the South to catch the sunset there and put up my tent to spend the night there. That night was extremely cold. I have never experienced something similar. The temperature went negative (in C, or below 32F) and a thin layer of ice covered the inside of my tent. I woke up at around 5.30am and had to go into my car to try to warm up a little bit. After a lot of effort, I managed to remove the ice and wrap the tent up so I could keep on moving. My hands became ice in the process and really hurt for a while. Not kidding.

That morning, I wanted to complete the scenic drive loop in the South Section, so I started driving before dawn. I saw the sunrise as I was driving.

When the sun started lighting the park, I could notice it was really different from the North Section. So many low-rising hills... and not so colorful... At dawn, there were many animals feeding.

Before leaving, I stopped to see some bison for the last time in this trip and to play a little bit with prairie dogs.

As I was leaving, I visited the original cabin used by Theodore Roosevelt and which is now located at the entrance of the NP.

After that, a long drive South, to visit Badlands NP in South Dakota.

Devil's Tower National Monument

2009-10-27T03:13:00.001+09:00

After visiting Mount Rushmore, I drove into Wyoming. I wanted to sleep at Devil's Tower NM. One old guy told me to visit it last July, when I went to Yellowstone. He told me, in his opinion, Devil's Tower was the most impressive sight in Wyoming. Due to time limitations, I could not go at that time. But now, I was near, and I did not mind departing a little bit from my original plan (Dakotas) if that meant visiting a truly cool place.

I arrived there at night and the campground was open! Good news! and it was for free. Actually, it was supposed to be closed, but the last days had been pretty good in terms of weather and it had been temporarily opened again. I tried to plant my tent there but surprise! my new backpacking tent did not come with the right instructions! Those it came with were completely wrong! So, I was there, in the middle of Wyoming, really tired after driving quite a lot that day and with a tent I had never used before. It took me more than 30 minutes and the help of my neighbors to finally plant it... but it worked.

The night was too cold. It reached temperatures near zero degrees. I woke up at around 6am, shivering due to the cold temperatures. Just in time for the sun rise!

This is the first time I saw Devil's Tower. It looks ghostly under this light.

The place was completely empty. I was the only one visiting it before sun rise... Only deers were around at that time.

The light kept on changing and it was really spectacular! The sky seems to be on fire, and those colors really suit the strange shape of Devil's Tower.

When the sunrise was over, so was the show. The sky was covered in clouds and it was time to try to get some good photos with me in them ;)

Another perspective on Devil's Tower.

After a good while, the sun really started to come out when I was leaving the place. At that time, I saw this prairie dog town. Nice panorama.

Then, it was time to leave. I was going to drive to Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota. A long drive...

South Dakota's Black Mountains

2009-10-26T14:23:00.000+09:00

Near Rapid City, SD, the Black Mountains host many protected areas: Wind Cave NP, Jewel Cave National Monument, Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore National Memorial... Along with such a concentration of amazing places, there are many tourist facilities, and doubtful touristic attractions... probably tourist traps...

The most interesting places I visited there, apart from Wind Cave NP, were Custer State Park and the famous Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Custer State Park is the most interesting State Park in South Dakota and it is home for many bison.

As soon as I got into the park, I had to stop to let a bison herd pass by! I had already seen some bison this summer, when I went to Yellowstone, but still it is quite impressive to see such large animals!

Your blood freezes when such a beast passes by just a few centimeters away from you... even if you are within your car!

Scenery was also beautiful in this place. Quite a lot of nature and peace.

Nearby, there is a mountain in which the image of Crazy Horse is being carved. The sculpture will be the largest in the world. But, for the moment, it is still unfinished. The price ticket was too much compared to my interest in it and the time available... so I did not get in that place. I could take a far away shot anyway.

I kept on driving and got to where I wanted to go before the end of the day: Mount Rushmore.

Yes, Mt Rushmore is the mountain with the face of the first four presidents of the United States. It is quite famous and it appears in many movies. It is surprising it is located in such a remote area in the middle of the Great Plains.

As it usually happens with such famous things, the place looks smaller than you'd expect. It is small but beautiful. Actually, I preferred it this way.

There were quite a lot of people in there, but I could manage to get some quiet time watching the sculpture. The light changed from strong day light to dim twilight. And the faces stayed there, looking over this country they founded and which needs so much help these days :P

The whole sculpture was designed and carved by one man, Gutzon Borglum. He also has one sculpture in the memorial. Here it is, the man and his work:

There were many more places to visit in the Black Mountains, but I wanted to visit too many places in a short time. That's always a pity. Too many places to visit in this world and not enough time to enjoy them all. Anyway, I did my best as usual and tried to visit as many places as possible without feeling I was unforgivably rushing them. ;)

Tomorrow, Devil's Tower NM in Wyoming.

Wind Cave NP

2009-10-26T11:49:00.000+09:00

Wind Cave is the third largest cave in the World with more than 200km of explored tunnels! It is located in the Black Mountains in South Dakota and preserved as a National Park.

It is not only the cave, but the above-ground world is also nice: prairies with prairie dogs, bison, etc. Not bad, really.

The cave was discovered around 1880 when two brothers found a hole in the ground from which wind came out. Some early explorers adventured into this hole with candles and ropes tied in their ankles to see what it was, and they found a huge cave.

This is Devil's Pass,a crack which is as high as a 4-floor building!

Wind Cave is famous for two structures in its walls:

1. Boxwork

2. Pop Corn

These two structures are created through two different geological processes. Explanation here.

Some more boxwork:

And the enjoyable prairies once again.

Fauna in the Dakotas

2009-10-24T06:07:00.000+09:00

The Dakotas are a natural paradise for many animals. It is full of fauna and this time of the year is the perfect time to see them in their natural environment, once the summer tourists have left.

The most impressive animal in this area is, in my opinion, the bison. It is a huge animal which looks majestic in these great plains. The best places to spot these are Custer State Park in South Dakota and Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota.

Another animal which is almost always present in the NPs in the North of the US is the deer. They were everywhere, in any National Park and even out of them.

However, I experienced the most excitement when I first saw prairie dogs! I had completely forgot about these animals and it was really a surprise to see them here. Actually, here is where they are endemic. The Great Plains is their home. They look more like mice/squirrels/rodents. They are called "dogs" because they emit a sound similar to barking when you approach them. Like that, they tell the others a danger is approaching.

My other first was also impressive. I saw a rattle snake!! I have been hoping to see one for a long time, but I hadn't yet. Finally, I saw one at Theodore Roosevelt NP. I took many photos, this is one of the best.

I also saw wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt NP:

And even more familiar animals: a rabbit! First one I see in North America. It was an inhabitant of Badlands NP in SD.

Have a look at these white goats. Quite funny looking... I saw them in Mt Rushmore National Memorial.

And finally, a majestic longhorn goat overlooking the impressive scenery of Badlands NP.

Hitting the road again

2009-10-23T07:15:00.000+09:00

Last weekend, it was time to hit the road again and further explore the American West. Little by little, I have been visiting all the states in the West and I have almost got to the Mid-West in my exploration ;) In orange, the states I have visited, 21 now.

This time, I went to South and North Dakota and came back to Wyoming, this time to the Eastern side of that state.

These states are very rural and agriculture looks the only way of subsistence here. No big cities, huge distance and beautiful nature. That's what they have plenty to offer. I have even heard some Americans call this area of the country "fly-over country"! The real thing is it still feels like the Wild West. Look at these buildings!

In the previous photo, you could also see a nice peculiarity about the way they pack cereals and crops. They cut them and pack them in cylindrical shapes! In Spain and other countries in Europe, they are normally packed in parallelepiped shapes (long cubes...). And before collecting them, they lie in the middle of the fields. That creates irregular patterns of cylinders all over the Great Plains.

These are the panels welcoming visitors to the Dakotas:

And this is the car which become my companion in my 1150 miles trip within these states, a nice Mustang.

Hitting the road is always fun. The feeling of freedom it provides is quite unbeatable and to visit National Parks is just amazing. I was camping all the time and did not see a bed in almost 4 days! I slept in my backpacking tent at below zero (C) temperatures! (around 30F) and woke up invariably before sunrise shaking with cold. It may sound crazy but it sounds fun to me... I must be going nuts! ;) or I already went...

Do you know the names?

2009-10-21T05:32:00.000+09:00

I am just back from a 3-day roadtrip weekend a bit far from California, but still within the USA. Somebody knows the names of the places in this photos? Give it a try and leave your answer in the comments... For space geeks (not the Moon), for geeks in general (not Mordor) :P

Where and what are these places??

Korea (and 8). Busan

2009-10-15T09:15:00.000+09:00

My last stop in Korea was Busan. It was also my reason to go to the country! I attended a conference there, for 5 days. Therefore, I could visit quite some places in that time. Busan is the second biggest city in Korea and has the largest sea port in the country.

The most interesting place in terms of temples was Beomosa (pronunciado Pomosa para los Spanish...), a buddhist temple at the city's outskirts. As usual, it was located in the mountains... Some photos follow:

As I said before, Busan has the largest sea port in Korea, and the consequence is it has a huge fish market. It is very famous for raw fish and gorgeous dinners. I had dinner there with Naoko san and it was amazing how many dishes Korean meals can have!!

This is another temple, out of the western tourist radar, which is becoming more and more famous amongst Asian tourists. It is a temple by the sea, around 15km out of Busan. It was pretty scenic.

In a nearby town, there is a famous market specialized in crab meat. You choose the crab you want to it, they weigh it and cook it for you. Of course, they serve it with tens of side dishes!

Back in Busan, there is a famous beach with nice views over the longest bridge in the city. At night, there is a light show and the color of the bridge lights keeps on changing.

Busan has many beaches, including Haeundae, the most famous beach in Korea. There is where our hotel was. And where my conference was held.

I took a ferry from Haeundae to go to Oryukdo, several rocks/islands coming out of the sea quite abruptly.

This is Busan tower. Even if you do not pay the fee to go up the tower, you can see pretty good views from the entrance, since it is located on top of a hill.

The hippest area in Busan is Nampodong. It is full of shops and places to eat.

Pusan also houses and international film festival (PIFF), which is becoming increasingly important, at least in Asia. The area where it is held is called PIFF square.

Flight over Pasadena

2009-10-12T18:01:00.001+09:00

Today, the Flight Club at Caltech organized a BBQ and some free flights in Del Monte Airport, near Pasadena. I went there with some of my friends here and enjoyed a nice day. During my flight, I could see some cool places I will show later. I was a bit disappointed I did not fly to Downtown LA as some people did, but anyway, it was an interesting flight!

Here, Bernardo and Alejandro trying the club's test plane.

I flew with Bernardo and a real pilot in this plane:

That's me ready for takeoff!

We took off just over I-10. Quite a view to start with!

Then, we flew over Huntington Gardens, Pasadena area's major tourist sight:

And over Caltech:

We also saw the Rose Bowl, where Brazil won the football world cup in '94.

And up to the mountains to fly around JPL/NASA:

Going back, the racetrack at Arcadia.

Korea (VII). Gyeongju

2009-10-10T11:18:00.000+09:00

Gjeongju used to be the capital of Korea for a long time and it is considered the most historical city in the country. There are 3 World Heritage sites in the city and its surroundings:

1. Bulguksa. A beautiful buddhist temple in the mountains

2. Seokguram Grotto. Not far from Bulguksa, a cave with possibly the best buddhist art in East Asia. The second photo was taken from the internet... not possible to take photos in there.

3. Gjeongju downtown. Full with funerary hills under which the kings of the Shilla dinasty are buried. The shape of these tombs is quite funny...

Some other places are really cool and nice for a stroll...

Do not miss this place if you go to South Korea!!

Korea (VI). The People

2009-10-06T19:29:00.000+09:00

Korea (VI). Haeinsa

2009-10-05T07:28:00.001+09:00

Haeinsa is a Korean Buddhist temple in the middle of the mountains. The temple itself is quite impressive. Besides, it houses the Tripitaka Koreana, one of the most important Buddhist canons in the world. It is an impressive collection of caved wooden blocks with the buddhist canons and it does not have a single mistake in it! The Tripitaka Koreana is located at the top of the temple and photos are not allowed. Check the article in wikipedia (link above) to see some images. The temple and the Tripitaka Koreana have been declared UNESCO World Heritage.

The setting of the temple is amazing: in the middle of the mountains in a rural area, around one hour and a half from Daegu. You have to hike for around 20 minutes before getting to the temple entrance. This hike in the middle of a forest with some streams is highly enjoyable. In the end, once in the temple, quite a lot of peace... the sound of bells ringing, the wind singing in your ears... peaceful is the word... you can think and relax in a place like that!

Some photos now. Enjoy!

Korea (V). Daegu

2009-10-04T08:10:00.000+09:00

After visiting Suwon, I got in a train Southbound to Daegu, a large city quite in the South of the country. The most famous sight there is a traditional herb market. It was a Sunday and Korea is a country in which at least half the people are catholic!! Therefore, it was mostly closed... I could only see a couple of shops open...

There was a street which specialized in rice cakes and it was quite interesting. There were rice cakes with all possible shapes and colors!

Back to the main street, the most outstanding medicines in the herb market where deer antlers and ginseng roots. The first would probably be illegal in any other country. The second were quite creepy... but interesting!

Korea (IV). Korean Folk Town

2009-10-04T07:48:00.000+09:00

There is a famous Korean Folk town near Suwon which is pretty famous. Therefore, as I was in Suwon, I decided to go there to learn more about traditional Korean lifestyle. And the visit was quite rewarding.

The next photo was not taken in Africa or South Pacific ;) It is the typical totems at the entrance of any traditional Korean town to chase evil spirits away:

This it a typical house. It is interesting to see how chili peppers are being dried up.

There were many people doing traditional work. These ladies for example were extracting silk thread from silk worm cocoons.

On the top of a hill next to the town, there was a small temple. Very Korean! Temples always in the mountains!

There were some performances from time to time: archery, a traditional marriage, horses... I could only attend the one with horses and it was quite a show!

Next to the peasants' town, there were several large houses belonging to the upper classes...

I could also see some Koreans practicing a traditional sport which reminded me of sumo...

... and was quite surprised at these strawmen...

Finally, the guys at the blacksmith's house.

It was an interesting visit to see how a traditional village would look like in the past. Quite a contrast with the crazy neon-lit towns these days!

Korea (III). Suwon

2009-10-03T12:12:00.000+09:00

Suwon is a city located some 30 km South of Seoul and it can be reached by metro from the capital city. The main sight here is the UNESCO World Heritage Hwaseong Fortress, a wall of around 5km which surrounds part of the city. There are also some sights such a Korean Folk Town (topic for the next post) in a nearby city and a just reconstructed palace near the walled fortress.

First of all, I visited that palace. Its name is Hwaseong Haenggung. Some king used this palace for some important historical celebrations. Currently, the palace looks like a succession of courtyards with nice Korean traditional architecture. Have a look:

The walls which are World Heritage draw kind of a circle around the mountains in Suwon. In the place where they should touch, there is a famous gate: Paldalmun.

This is the map of the walk I was going to start.

The beginning of the round trip around the wall starts with a pretty steep climb! In no time you get a nice perspective over the whole city:

The views from the top of the mountain are really good. I was just uphill from the palace I visited before. Therefore, I could take a nice shot of it:

There are several buildings at the top of the mountain: a tower and a Korean style pavilion (maybe a shrine?).

After descending the mountain, the best sights appear:

- A pretty nice gate with a tower next to it in a curve in the wall

- A cool large gate in the same style as Paldalmun

- A succession of nice buildings in the wall with a river crossing the wall

- The other side of the wall in the place where the river came in

Further on, more buildings, gates, etc... But the highlights maybe was just walking along the wall and enjoying the views

The last kilometers were not so impressive in the sense that there were no major sights, just outlook towers. Anyway, still pretty enjoyable.

Hwaseong fortress was an impressive sight! Maybe one of the highlights of Korea! and accessible by metro from Seoul!! :)

Korea (II). New Seoul

2009-10-02T01:25:00.000+09:00

Seoul has many historical sites, but mostly, it is a city on the move. Full of people and cars, street markets, 24-h shops/restaurants/saunas, thousands of neon lights... The city is alive 24h a day and it really starts living at night, when the Sun goes down and lights lit the city and dye it with millions of colors.

The city is full of street markets and restaurants where you can get everything from seafood to dog soup.

If there is one building which can be seen from many places in the city, that is Seoul Tower, which supervises the city from the top of a mountain.

Seoul also has nice architecture, like this stunning building in the downtown area:

And old buildings are also integrated in the urban landscape in good harmony. This gate is just across the street from the futuristic building before!

Apparently, the city has changed a lot in the last 5/10 years. One of the projects to create a more livable downtown was the creation of a river where people could walk and relax.

The city is full of markets, usually full of people at any time!

Another nice building:

This one is one of the most famous shopping areas, Myung Dong:

In short, Seoul is a vibrant city in whose streets you can get lost for a couple days ;)

Korea (I). Historical Seoul

2009-10-01T14:58:00.001+09:00

I am back from Korea and Japan. As always I come back from Japan, I was shocked for the complete lack of organization in the USA and how underdeveloped it is compared to such a great country as Japan. But that would be a topic for a whole new post.

Today, I will start talking about my trip in Korea. I was in Korea roughly 8 days and visited many places in there. I started my trip in Seoul, in the North and flew out from Busan, in the South. South Korea is a nice country. It is pretty developed and you are do not have to suffer constant hassle from street vendors or touts. The country and its people do not need it, they are well off. That makes a visit to Korea quite relaxed and enjoyable. When I arrived, everything seemed to me really similar to Japan: no hassle, clean, technology everywhere, streets lit by thousands of neon lights... but after some days in the country and leaving Seoul, I slowly started finding the differences. Korea is really developed and nice, but not as developed as its neighbor to the East. People are usually nice, but you find the rude type more often than in Japan. People live more in the streets: street vendors, street restaurants... The train system is very good but not as much as the Japanese system, which is probably the best in the world.

Well, that was the introduction and overview to Korea. Now, let's start with the fact, the photos...

Seoul is a very historical city which has been severely hurt by wars with Japan in which almost always Korea lost. Many royal palaces have just been reconstructed and one of the coolest, for example, was finished last year! Japanese defeated Koreans and as usual, the winner did not care about loved historical items. They just dismantled palaces and used the wood to build new buildings. There are 5 royal palaces in Seoul, quite a lot! But I started my visit at Inwangsan (인왕산), a nice mountain with temples where shamanist priests are very active. Shamanism is a traditional religion of Korea.

The visit was nice and the tracks were not very clear, so I went out of the track several times and maybe even entered forbidden areas... according to some signs written only in Korean...

The temples were nice and cozy and I could see some rites.

The view from the top of the mountain was cool: the wall around the temples could easily be seen and the city in the background in the mist looked nice.

There were some strange rocks which locals think divine:

And a Buddha, carved in the mountain rocks:

After that very early morning walk, time for royal temples. I did not have a defined plan but wanted to see as many temples as possible. In the end, walking quite a lot and with no little effort, I made it. If you go to Seoul, please do not do it... try to allocate 2 or even 3 days if you want to visit all the temples!

Changdeok-gung(창덕궁,昌德宮) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an impressive start for any visit to the Korean capital city. It is really impressive and if you want to visit, you can only visit with a tour guide, so you are explained everything in detail, which is just perfect. It looks like a Forbidden City Korean-style, but soon you start noticing the differences. Korean style is quite unique and different from Chinese and Japanese, although you can sometimes appreciate the influence of those two styles.

The highlight of this palace is the Hidden Garden, a really photogenic garden with a beautiful pond and a couple of very Korean constructions.

Another palace which is also UNESCO World Heritage is Jongmyo Shrine. The royal family used to use this shrine.

The third palaced visited was Changgyeong-gung(창경궁,昌慶宮). This palace was nice, but after visiting Changdeok-gung, it did not look so impressive. I would visit it on a different day in a future trip...

The fourth palace, and the most important for the Joseon Dinasty, was Gyeongbok-gung(경복궁,景福宮). This palace is still under reconstruction and some parts were very recently open for visitors. Anyway, it is quite impressive and highly recommended!

Finally, the last palace, while I was walking downtown, was Deoksu-gung(덕수궁,德壽宮). It is really downtown, next to the city hall and in an area full of lights at night. Quite a contrast! you can visit at night if you want, so it is perfect to wrap up some hardcore visiting day! This is the main gate and what you can see without paying. The interior is cool, with a couple of traditional Korean buildings and a Western Style palace built at the beginning of the 20th century! The last palace of Korean kings...

Korea

2009-09-17T22:08:00.000+09:00

I just got to Korea after a long flight from California. Next week, I will attend a conference in the Southern part of the country, in Busan. In the meanwhile, I will spend a couple days in Seoul and probably some other smaller towns on the way South.

So far Korea looks pretty interesting. It feels somehow as safe as Japan and it has more street culture, like maybe China. Interesting mix.

Well, tomorrow will be the first serious exploration of the city. I will see if I can post some photos on the go! ;)

Toronto

2009-09-16T02:33:00.000+09:00

After visiting Niagara Falls, I took a bus and in a little bit less than 2 hours I was in Toronto, the most populated city in Canada. The most outstanding landmark... the CN Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the world (553.3 m). This tower dominates the landscape of Toronto and it is almost always visible!

Toronto has a typical North American financial area with high buildings and narrow streets around which the rest of the city is built.

However, it also has an underground feeling everywhere else in the city... it has a quite developed "alternative" culture that make it really cool!

And art is another element of the streets design... like this not too conventional street in the waterfront.

Downtown is also full of traditional English/Irish style buildings. Those brownish/reddish building everywhere confer a nice old feeling to the streets of Toronto.

Most buildings and churches are not too old, as in any North American city. However, some of them look pretty nice.

The City Hall is quite strange... quite a bold design... I guess it is the typical building you either like it or hate it.

Toronto has some island just off shore. They are very undeveloped and covered by a huge park. It is were people from the city come to relax. On the way there by boat, the view of the city is pretty beautiful!

Typical image of Toronto Islands and their canals...

... and their beaches.

As any big city around here, Toronto has a Chinatown with more than decent Asian food. ;)

And a very nice area which could be called "punktown". It is fulled of punk rock bars and punks on the streets. Some houses are decorated accordingly.

If you go on top of CN Tower, you can have a good glimpse on the city:

...and the islands:

And you can even enjoy walking on a glass floor, provided you are not afraid of heights!

Well, some people really seemed to enjoy the experience... :)

Even museums exhibit nice designs. This is the Ontario Art Museum (or something like that!).

The university was also pretty interesting.

Finally, some cultural note. These are some Canadian coins.

I was nicely surprised by Canada. The country is much the same as the USA. I mean, a highly intercultural population living is spread cities with a high focus on business. However, culture was important here and it was nice. People were more respectful and nice. And you could walk on the streets at any time without feeling any risk. It really felt nice!! Their neighbor in the South should try to learn some things from Canada. (Well, I only visited two cities... but I felt it was enough to understand that big difference between the two countries).

Niagara Falls

2009-09-15T15:00:00.000+09:00

The last weekend in August, I went to Niagara Falls and Toronto, Canada. Niagara Falls are one of the most famous falls in the world and they are in the border between Canada and USA. Actually, there is one town in each country called liked that: Niagara Falls. I checked the prices and to fly in the US side was quite cheap from within the US, so there I went. I arrived at night and could go to see the night illumination and some fireworks!

These are the so-called American Falls:

And these are the known as Canadian Falls:

At night, I could appreciate these falls were quite impressive, but they were much smaller than expected! And, as a matter of fact, from the American side, you can't see much of the Falls!

I wanted to experience the falls, and therefore, I went for all the possible activities there. I went down the cliff to be at the bottom of the American Falls...

... and took the "Lady of the Mist" boat to get almost within the Canadian Falls. I got pretty drenched!

I also checked them again from the edge...

... and enjoyed a closer look on the American Falls from that ship I mentioned before.

The best view you can get from the US is from an observation tower/deck:

I did everything possible in the American side (even visiting the aquarium, a museum or watching a movie), so it was time to move to Canada!

From Canada, the view was much better!! You are further apart from the Falls, but you gain perspective and can appreciate them as a whole. I enjoyed this view much better!

And you can get pretty close to the Canadian Falls!! So it was pretty much the same experience as in the US side.

Two more panoramas from Canada!

If you are going to Niagara Falls, do not miss the Canadian side!! If you only have time for one side, go for Canada!! seriously!

Jamaica (...and VI). Black River

2009-09-15T06:01:00.000+09:00

Our trip in Jamaica was coming to an end and we wanted to go for a river safari to see crocodiles. Therefore, we went to Black River, a town at the ending of the Black River, a river famous for wildlife and crocodiles. Once there, it was not difficult to find a boat to go on a safari. This is what the river looks like:

And these are its inhabitants! We could see around 5-10 big lizards... ;)

The safari guy called himself "Jamaican Crocodile Dundee" and he may be right! He grasped some crocodiles so some brave people, including Naoko, could touch them!!

Some locals fish in the river using traditional techniques...

This is the area where safaris start from. Many fishermen offer their boats for tourists if you do not want to go for a big boat safari.

Our next step that day was Appleton Estate Rum Brewery, the place where the most famous rum in Jamaica is distilled.

The production process was explained...

... we could also see the barrels where rum is aging currently...

... and, of course, we could try the final product, including 151 rum (63% alcohol)!

We came back to Kingston at night and flew back to LA in the morning. A nice trip in the Caribbean.

Jamaica (V). Negril

2009-09-14T16:49:00.000+09:00

Negril is located in the western-most part of Jamaica. It is also one of the most touristic areas in the island and its 7 miles beach is worth of that!

One of the most famous spots in Negril is Rick's Cafe, supposedly one of the best sunset spots in the world! I do not know if that can even be measured... but anyway, it was a nice sunset.

People jump off the cliffs in Rick's Cafe to show how brave they are...

Many small boats come around these cliffs to see jumpers and the sunset.

The sunset here. Beautiful, right?!

And this is the beach! 7 miles of white sands and crystal clear water!! Unbelievable! You really have to pinch yourself to be sure you are not dreaming!!

Jamaica (IV). Montego Bay

2009-09-13T13:55:00.000+09:00

After 5 days traveling in Jamaica and sleeping in not so nice hotels, we decided to go for a typical tourist all-inclusive resort in the most touristic area in Jamaica: Montego Bay. We went to a nice resort called Breezes, located in the most famous beach in Jamaica, Doctor's Cave Beach. It even appears in Jamaican Dollar Notes!

Nice isn't it??

It was time for some relaxing time, without getting worried about how to move from town to town in the cheapest possible way and finding some decent hotel for little money. This was our redemption for one day! Lots of cocktails, food and all included water sport activities!

However, we did not belong completely there, ;) so we went for a glimpse onto real Jamaican life to Montego Bay Downtown, out of the touristic area. The city looks like a chaotic big town with people everywhere. As in Kingston, dangerous situations may occur and the general atmosphere was too hectic and kind of dangerous. There were some nice places in the city:

Back to our resort hotel, everything was neat and peaceful. Tourism in Jamaica is quite a pity. Most tourists do not even go out of resorts and do not even meet real Jamaicans. They do not even care. People just go for the beaches and do not care where they are, call it Jamaica, Puerto Rico or whatever. There is such a gap between these luxurious resorts and the down-to-Earth situation of the country that it is almost grotesque.

Doctor's Cave Beach was superb. No words to describe it better than a few photos:

After some time in Montego Bay, it was time to continue moving West. Next stop, Negril.

Jamaica (III). Ocho Rios and Discovery Bay

2009-09-12T10:17:00.000+09:00

In Ocho Rios, the main tourist attraction is Dunn River's Falls. Actually, it appears even in Jamaican money, in one of the largest notes.

This is Dunn River's Falls. Without any doubt, one of the highlights of our trip to Jamaica. It is a chain of waterfalls which end in the beach. You go there, rent some water shoes and start climbing from the beach. After one hour or a bit more, you get to the top. While you climb, there are many pools and it is nice to stop and relax there, with beautiful scenery around you. The only problem is the crowds!!

Me at one of the most beautiful spots:

This is the beach from where we started our climbing adventure.

After Dunn River's Falls, we came back to Ocho Rios and tried to visit Reggae Xplossion, the most important Jamaican music museum in the island. But it closed down forever!!! a pitty...

Then, we relaxed in a nearby beach, whose name I barely remember... maybe Turtle Beach...

Then, time for a craft market...

The next day, we continued traveling West, towards Montego Bay. However, we stopped at Discovery Bay, the place where Christopher Columbus (or Cristóbal Colón) arrived in Jamaica. He got to the island a couple of years after arriving for the first time at America (Bahamas). This bay was the place of the arrival.

Now, there is a small not so interesting park called Columbus Park. Some photos taken there:

Jamaica (II). Port Antonio

2009-09-12T09:12:00.001+09:00

After almost 3 hours in that packed bus, we got to Port Antonio. The change with respect to Kingston was dramatic: a small little town with a lot of activity.

First thing, getting a room there. We ended up in a great victorian-style hotel with views to the Caribbean sea! Not bad!

That evening was a relaxed one: some cocktails by the sea...

... and first swims in the Jamaican Caribbean.

The next day, it was a really nice one! We went around Port Antonio, to the really famous places in that area, many of which have appeared in Hollywood movies: Blue Lagoon, Cocktail...

First stop, the Blue Lagoon. It is an amazing blue lagoon in a place where the sea gets in land. It is really deep, more than 50m!, and that together with some rivers putting fresh water into it create this amazing color!

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After swimming a little bit there and trying to get really deep, we hired a boat and went around.

We went back into the Blue Lagoon, Monkey Island, Cocktail beach and Sunset beach. Wow, that was the Caribbean in its purest!! :)

This is Monkey Island:

And this, Sunset Beach:

Then, we moved to French Man's Cove, another amazing beach. That beach is really special! There is a river getting to a beautiful small beach surrounded by rocks. You can swim both in the river and in the sea!!

At night, we traveled by route taxi to Ocho Rios. A route taxi is a car that goes from the city of one city to the center of the next. If you want to travel for a while, you normally have to transfer several times. But that is easy... You say where your final destination is and everybody around will do all they can to put you in their friend's car! ;)

Jamaica (I). Kingston

2009-09-12T08:47:00.000+09:00

My holidays this year were in Jamaica. I went with Naoko to Jamaica for 8/9 days. We planned to go to Cuba as well, but it was expensive and we decided to visit all the island we were at. These are the places we visited (the ones with pins). As you can see we traveled all the island and mixed with locals quite a lot, unlike most tourists to Jamaica!

We flew into Kingston, the capital city. Kingston is the only real city in the island and one of the only in the Caribbean. It has around one million inhabitants. According to the statistics, it is the most dangerous city in the world!! 2 people killed here every single day. This is due to the fact that there are some dangerous shanty towns where drug wars and mafias are strong. As a tourist you have to stay out of that areas!! We passed by riding a bus and I tell you it is not the greatest place on Earth! I did not even dare to take any photos...

Kingston does not have much for tourist to see actually. The main places to visit are Bob Marley House and Devon House.

Before getting down to those, two photos:

1. People riding bikes and wearing this kind of clothes and hats made us realize we were really in Jamaica, home of reggae!

2. Streets in Kingston look really rural, very appropriate for a tropical island in the Caribbean!

Well, now, Bob Marley House. This is the house where the music legend lived in Kingston. Here, he composed and even recorded some of the greatest hits in music history. The house is well preserved and some rooms were left as he left them. It really makes you feel it is a special place. No photos allowed. The gardens were painted or decorated with his paintings and photos.

And there was a nice statue of him at the entrance of the house.

The other tourist attraction is Devon House, a colonial house built by the first rich black man in Jamaica. Quite a nice house!!

Night life in Kingston is quite intense, but it was difficult to find old-school reggae in the sense of Bob Marley. Current Jamaican music has its roots in reggae but it is closer to club music, with more aggressive lyrics and way of singing.

After one day and a half, we moved to the North East, to Port Antonio, perhaps the last undeveloped beach area in Jamaican North Shore. The way to get there, a tightly packed local bus!! More than 20 people in such a minibus... challenging!! We would have to get used to get squeeze beyond imagination!!! I would have never thought a car can bring up to 10 adult passengers!!!! before Jamaica...

Nombre desafortunado en Canadá

2009-09-09T10:38:00.000+09:00

Sí, Nganha (pronúnciese Engañá... o eso espero!) es el nombre de una oficina de cambio de moneda y préstamos. El dueño no debe saber mucho español... o nunca habría llamado su tienda así! Confianza lo que es confianza, pues que no da mucha ;)

Visto en Toronto, ON / Seen in Toronto, ON:

Explanation: This post is written in Spanish because that is the language in which it is "funny", or intents to... The text on the window, pronounced as a Spanish speaker would pronounce it, literally means "Cheated". Considering this business is a loan and currency exchange office, well... not very trustable! XD

Fires in LA

2009-09-05T13:38:00.000+09:00

As you may have heard in the news, there are big fires in LA right now. They have been active for more than one week now. Some historical landmarks such as Mount Wilson astronomical observatory have been threatened by the fire blazes.

The fires are just next to Pasadena. Actually, all the neighboring towns (Altadena, La Cañada, Glendale...) have been partially evacuated. The situation is that the city is covered in smoke and the sun has a spectral appearance...

The smoke covering the mountains where the fires are:

This is what the Sun looked like today at 2pm:

And these are the shadows it creates... The colors are strange, too reddish... It feels like twilight but it is just after noon.

And this morning, everything smelled burnt when I opened my windows...

Back from Toronto and Niagara Falls

2009-09-02T07:05:00.000+09:00

Last Friday, I went to Niagara Falls and have stayed until Monday night in that area. I visited the Falls (both the US and Canadian sides) and I traveled to Toronto, a great city!!

The videos...

2009-08-27T16:41:00.000+09:00

I have posted tens of photos but, I also have some videos! I uploaded some days ago in youtube. Here they are!

On The Road

2009-08-27T16:15:00.000+09:00

My last road trip last for 9 days and was 5000km long. I passed by California, Nevada,Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Not bad!! As you can imagine, I saw many different landscapes and I had the opportunity to take some photos on the road.

State panels:

- Arizona (sorry for this one, not too clear!)

- Utah (click on the image to see it better...)

- Idaho

- Wyoming

- Montana

I passed by Mormon towns in Utah...

... striped hills in the desert...

... and amazing road cliffs in Utah.

I drove so much that, in one night, the landscape changed dramatically! From the red lands in Utah desert to the green scenery in Idaho/Wyoming/Montana. Quite a change!!

And on my way back, I went through Nevada Great Basin and enjoyed the views.

I also found trucks which can be driven in both senses (forward and backwards) ;P

And had to drive in horrible weather conditions in some mountain passes.

The last night, I could also enjoy a beautiful sunset as I approached Las Vegas.

So many hours behind the wheel give you much time to think and to enjoy the landscape. You can empty your head and just enjoy the drive. Quite a nice experience!

Great Basin NP

2009-08-27T06:02:00.000+09:00

In the middle of the Nevada Great Basin, that is, in the middle of nowhere, lies an interesting National Park: Great Basin NP.

I had been driving all evening, night and morning and I was still more than 9 hours ago from home. Therefore, this was a necessary stop if I actually wanted to get back to LA alive! ;) After getting our of I-14 and getting in two-lane roads in the middle of nowhere, I had to drive for around 100 min in roads where you could see tens of km completely wild, uninhabited. No gas stations. Nothing. The Great Basin.

The Great Basin is the name given to the depression that goes from Sierra Nevada Mountains in California to the mountains near Salt Lake City in Utah. The park is located within it but it is quite an oddity in the area! I did not know what to expect and was really surprised to find out what the park really is!!

First of all, the most important place in Great Basin NP is Lehman Caves, one of the best caves in North America. I went for a 90 min tour there.

After visiting the caves, I continued the road into the park. It went up and up towards some mountains not too far. The view over the great basin was pretty good.

These are the mountains. The highest peak is called Wheeler Peak, rising 13063 ft. I wanted to climb it but there was a menacing thunder storm around and it was a bit too late.

I went for a nice hike instead. The one recommended to get a good understanding of the park. And it was quite surprising!! One hour before, I was down in the basin, in an unforgivably dry desert and up there, I was in alpine climate!! Not kidding!!

There were even 3 alpine lakes up there, not too far from Wheeler Peak.

And what was my surprise when I found a trailhead leading to a glacier!! In Nevada (my idea of Nevada was Las Vegas so far...)!! The trail to go there got pretty rough from the beginning, which was good! I was a bit tired of the paved trails in Yellowstone...

After a while, I got to a place with one of the highlights of the park: the Bristlecone Pine, the oldest living thing in the world! Check out the explanation.

And these are this kind of pine trees:

A bit further up, the glacier.

Not the largest glacier, but down in the basin, it is so hot! It was pretty cool (temperature) and surprising!

Finally, on my way back, great views again. Not bad.

I continued driving and got to LA at around 2am that night. The longest drive in my life. More than 5000km!! Insane. Since then, I do not want to use my car. I feel tired as soon as I get into it!! My craving for road tripping was more than satiated. I was fed up!! ;)

Yellowstone NP (VIII). More geyser areas...

2009-08-27T05:24:00.000+09:00

There are many geyser areas North of Old Faithful area. There is where I spent my last hours in Yellowstone. I think the next photos are self explanatory and not much rests to be said about this wonderful place Yellowstone is. Therefore, I left you alone with my shots ;)

Black Sand Basin:

Biscuit Basin:

Fountain Paint Pots and Lower Geyser Basin:

Firehole Lake Drive:

After that, it was around 6.30 pm and I was more than 22h away from Pasadena!! I started my way back... quite a LONG way!

Yellowstone NP (VII). Old Faithful

2009-08-26T02:55:00.000+09:00

Old Faithful is one of the most predictable geysers in the world. It erupts around every 90 minutes and predictions for the next eruption are really accurate. Check this one out: they give a time plus minus 10 minutes!! That's accurate!

Of course, many people gather around the geyser waiting to see a safe eruption. Safe because you know it will happen, unlike most of the other geysers.

After some waiting, the geyser went off in time. Good! Faithful! ;) The eruption was really high. Not only is it really regular, but also quite spectacular.

Near Old Faithful, there are many geysers and pools with beautiful colors.

Some small geysers went off as I passed by!

More pools and nice scenery:

Some geysers are also quite regular but the possible time for eruptions is quite long... I do not know if I would feel like waiting for 4 hours...

This one is Beauty Pool...

... and this one Chromatic Pool.

Some strange shaped geyser whose name I do not remember, with some smaller one erupting behind.

Grotto Geyser also started erupting when I passed by! That one was pretty cool and long!!

At the end of the hike lied one of the most beautiful pools in Yellowstone, and one of the symbols of the park: Morning Glory Pool.

Back towards the trail head, I passed by Castle Geyser, which has a nice shape!

I spent around 90 min in my hike around that area, so I got to Old Faithful in time for another show. :)

Yellowstone NP (VI). Norris Geyser Basin

2009-08-25T07:49:00.000+09:00

The second day in Yellowstone started with rain and chilly weather. I had slept in Indian Creek and planned to go South to visit the main geysers and geothermal areas. So that's what I did.

Between the campground and Norris Geyser Basin, there was an interesting mountain with lots of fumaroles which created quite some noise. The name -> the Roaring Mountain.

Norris Basin is one of the most important geyser concentrations in Yellowstone. It is divided into two basins: Porcelain Basin and Back Basin. Both look very different. Porcelain basin is completely open, without trees, and geysers are quite near to each other. On the other hand, Back Basin is full of trees and you can't get a full panorama of all the geysers at the same time.

This is the view over Porcelain Basin:

It is quite impressive to see all these fumes in that strange colored hills...

Some water streams are very colorful. This is due to bacteria. Depending on the water temperature, different bacteria can live in it. Red bacteria: really hot water. Green bacteria: hot/warm water.

The same applies to larger pools:

The following pictures were taken at Back Basin.

This is Steamboat Geyser. It just finished erupting when I got there! I missed its eruption for a couple minutes!!! I would have to wait several days to see its next eruption... :(

Some more geysers:

Some geysers are actually inside pools of different colors. This one looks blueish.

This one is Echinus Geyser, one of the most famous geysers in Yellowstone. It used to be a very predictable geyser until recently. Now, it is not, and nobody knows when the next eruption will happen. Therefore, less people stop by and wait for it to happen. Its reddish color was cool.

Finally, a red pool ---> very hot water ---> sizzling water!

Geysers are pretty impressive when they erupt, but if you are not lucky, it can be pretty frustrating. I had to wait for a couple hours before I actually saw one going off. After that, I saw other 3 or 4. So do not desperate and stay patient. The experience is pretty rewarding! ;)