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Sightseeing Tour in New York on a Jet Ski

From the first time I tried riding on a jet ski in Bintan many many years ago, I’ve sort of fallen in love with it. I love how fast it can go and feel the speed with the wind blowing onto the face and hair – SIMPLY EXHILARATING. Alas, I didn’t get many opportunities to get hold of one, other than in Abu Dhabi. Who would have thought that I could ride a jet ski again in New York!

Knowing how much I wanted to jet ski again, my dear friend MJ helped me book a sightseeing tour in New York – on a jet ski no less – when I visited last August with Jetty Jumpers. I didn’t want a tour that was too short so I chose the Jet Ski Tour Statue of Liberty which took about 3hours. The tour brought us pass many of the New York attractions including Coney Island, Dumbo, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Statute of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge.

For someone completely new to New York, the meeting point was not the easiest place to find. However, I enjoyed my 30-minutes’ walk from Sheepshead Bay station to Venice Marina, checking out and be envious of the big and beautiful houses the people have.

Before the tour start we were given a quick 10-minutes instructions on how to operate the jet ski (a good refresher) and given the choice to choose from each of these beautiful machines:

Once everyone got onto their powerful “horse” of the day, we were off! But first, a slow ride to the open water since there was a speed restriction within the marina. It was good because it allowed us to get familiarized with the steering.

The moment we reached the Gerritsen Creek, our guide picked up speed with us following in a single line. It was a hot summer day but with the waves slapping the jet ski and seawater occasionally splashing onto and all over me, I was feeling cold!

The beginning of the tour was a nice ride since there were only a few small boats and kayaks around. So, our guide sped…. and we followed, testing the limit of the jet ski which could go up to the speed limit of 40-45km/h if I remember correctly. At the same time, that also meant testing my courage – whether I dared to push the machine to the limit. For the record, I think I did up to 35km/h at certain points, when I wasn’t being drowned by the big waves!

We came to the first stop – Coney Island Beach – where there was a long stretch of white sand with some amusement park rides.

See the “Parachute Jump” on the left

After the short break, we were on our way again. I’m sure we must have passed the Coney Island Lighthouse because the next stop was the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Moving forward to downtown New York, we then caught sight of the Statue of Liberty, Governor’s Island and the buildings in the New York Financial District. This meant we were going into busy waters, sharing the paths with big and small ships and boats at the same time.

What a view of (left to right) the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Battery Park, New York Financial District including the Freedom Tower, Brooklyn Bridge in the distance, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Governor’s Island

I was contented to see the Statute of Liberty from here and not having to squeeze with all those people on the Liberty Island.

Next, the Brooklyn Bridge from a very different angle!

After the stop at Brooklyn Bridge, we made our way back. However, our guide was nice and allowed us to play in the water for a while longer on the quieter and calmer waters after the Verrazano-Narrow Bridge.

We probably hit all the sights listed on the website but because some of them were located towards the inland, we couldn’t really see them clearly. Add to the fact that we had to stay alert and keep our eyes on other ships and boats in the vicinity, there were little chances to take a closer look at some of the sights. We did manage to tick most of the major sights off the list though, YAY! Besides, the main reason for jet skiing is JET SKIING right? 🙂

Jet skiing on the Hudson River was actually a bit scary because of the heavy traffic but an amazing experience at the same time. When I visit New York the next time, you can count on me to do this again!

There are a few companies offering jet ski tours but MJ chose the Jetty Jumpers because there was a promotion back then. I’m sure the other companies would do a great job too.

Have you tried to jet ski on the Hudson River?

Dariel 30 August, 2016 New York, USA 5 Comments

Tricking your eyes at the Hong Kong Trick Eye Museum

Two Sundays ago, I managed to get a few friends to visit the Hong Kong Trick Eye Museum with me and we had so much fun!

The Trick Eye Museum first started in Seoul, South Korea and now has 2 overseas branches in Singapore and Hong Kong. It is an interactive 3D museum featuring oversized optical illusion paintings and installations that make them come alive when viewed through the camera lens.

You probably won’t be able to see the “trick” from the naked eye but when viewed on a screen, the effect is quite amazing! You of course have to stand at the correct position to get the effect.

The museum consist of 5 areas with different themes, namely Secret Garden, World of Masterpieces, Great Adventure, Neverland and Hong Kong Discovery. There is no need to decide which one to visit because one will pass through all 5 themes when moving from the entrance to the exit.

Since there were 4 of us, we could come up with different “choreography” for each painting / installation.

It took a little bit of time for us to “warm up” to the idea of being a director but very soon after we did, it was all great fun and a lot of laughter. Just take note that it can get a little warm inside the museum, especially after trying out all the different poses. It might be a good idea to bring your own water bottle.

Sometimes you need to rotate the photo in order to see the final product!

If you have no idea how to pose or what to do at each stop, there are guidelines pasted next to almost each and every painting or installation and you can just follow accordingly or improvise – I would suggest the latter, just let your imagination juice flow!

And, don’t forget the expressions! I think we probably failed big time in that aspect lol!

We had a great time at the Trick Eye Museum (and exercised quite a bit too!). If you are planning to visit The Peak, why not include the Trick Eye Museum as part of your programme for the day?

Practical Information:

Hong Kong Trick Eye Museum

Ticket Price: HK$150/adult, HK$100/child (age 3-11), HK$100/senior (age 65 or above) (Book your tickets online here and save 10%!)

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10am – 10pm

Address: Shop No. 1 on Level 3 The Peak Galleria 118 Peak Road Hong Kong

Disclosure: We received complimentary admission tickets from Hong Kong Trick Eye Museum but all opinions are my own.

Click here to see what other interesting things you can do in Hong Kong!

Dariel 24 July, 2016 Hong Kong, North East Asia 3 Comments

Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei

Here is a step-by-step guide to help those unfamiliar with Taiwan and wants to get from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei by shuttle bus.

Please note the photos and details provided under this post is for departure from and arrival at Terminal 1. If you are taking the bus from Terminal 2, you need to add another 10-15minutes to the journey.

From Airport to Taipei

Once you have cleared immigration, collected your luggage and exited the restricted area, you should turn left.

There will be signs like these and you follow them to go to the “Bus Station”. There will come to a point where you have to take the escalator down 1 floor. Don’t worry, just continue to follow the sign/instruction.

When you reach the Bus Station level, turn right to the “Ticketing Counter”.

Then, you should see a row of counters and they all sell bus tickets to different parts of Taiwan.

Go to counter 7 or 8 (Kuo Kuang) to buy your bus ticket to go Taipei Main Station. The schedule of the buses are shown on the TV screen right in front of the counter plus there are buses leaving at every 15 to 20 minutes interval so you don’t have to worry about missing the one that just left.

The ticket cost NT125 each for an adult and NT65 each for a child, one way. The bus ticket look like this which basically says “Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Bus Station Terminal A” and “Full Fare at NT125”.

I discovered on my last trip that the round trip ticket is slightly cheaper at NT230. I will try buying that next time! Anyway, the person behind the counter will tell you which bus bay to go after getting the ticket (we were at bay 5, not sure if it’s the same everytime). Before boarding the bus, the bus captain will paste a sticker on your luggage and give you the baggage tag so you don’t have to worry about losing them. However, note that you have to load the luggage yourself.

The bus journey will take about 45-55minutes, depending on traffic conditions. There are actually a few other stops along the way so you could check whether your hotel is anywhere on-route to Taipei Main Station. Here are the stops for your reference:

From Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei Main Station

1) Terminal 2

2) Terminal 1

3) Taipei School for the Hearing Impaired

4) Kulun Street Entrance

5) Taini Building (Mackay Memorial Hospital)

6) The Ambassador Hotel

7) TRA Taipei Station East 3^rd Exit (i.e. final stop: Taipei Main Station)

We understand that Kuo Kuang also provide complimentary transfers to those staying at Ximending but you need to alight at Taipei Main Station before transferring to another bus. Check with the shuttle bus driver.

From Taipei to Airport

The place to buy tickets and board the bus is at Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A, which is opposite the Taipei Main Station. DO NOT go to the Taipei Bus Station. We happily walked around the Underground Mall and arrived at the Taipei Bus Station and thought it look very different from what I remember ;p

If you are in the Taipei Main Station Underground Mall, look for Exit K12 which will take you right outside the Bus Terminal A. Taipei Bus Station Terminal A should look like this, simple and basic.

sorry for the shaky hands

Go to the Kuo Kuang counter to buy your ticket again.

The bus takes a different route to go to the airport and stop at different places as well:

1) Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A

2) Sanchong Station

3) Chongyong Station

4) Airport Hotel

5) Terminal 1

6) Terminal 2

I personally prefer taking the shuttle bus since no transfers are needed unlike the High Speed Rail. The Kuo Kuang shuttle buses are clean, new and efficient. Best of all, it is also probably the cheapest option!

Happy travels!

Dariel 11 July, 2016 North East Asia, Taiwan No Comments

Exploring outside of Girona – La Barretina

Girona was a great city to explore for a couple of days with all the historical buildings, the beautiful old Jewish Quarter and of course, looking out for the shooting locations of Games of Thrones! However, we decided to explore outside of Girona and visit the Théâtre-Musée Dali à Figueres (Dali Museum in Figueres) and also grab a really nice lunch along the way at La Barretina.

Not knowing how busy the restaurant would be, we made a reservation with La Barretina way in advance. MJ had to ask her Spanish friend for help since they did not reply to my email. The drive to the small town of Orfes, where the restaurant was located, was really nice and cool with views like these along the way.

As we turned into the little parking lot right outside the restaurant, we lost all (mobile) connection with the outside world. Luckily Google map managed to bring us there safely before abandoning us!

See the reflection of our little red Audi there 🙂

La Barretina When we walked through the main restaurant entrance, we saw a middle-age lady walking down a flight of steps with a confused look and said something to her companion in a language we couldn’t understand. We ignored them and climbed up, stood in front of the closed restaurant door (shown here on the left) and rang the door bell. Who would have known that we are required to ring the door bell to get into a restaurant right??

Shortly after, we saw the lady with her friend in the restaurant 🙂

The décor of the restaurant was simple and cosy. There was even a mini garden behind the restaurant leading to the chef’s house and his wine cellar. Other than the food, the garden was probably my favourite part of the restaurant. The sound of water flowing in the mini fountain and the cool air in the garden was really refreshing.

Sheryl Ott wrote about La Barretina and its onion cake in one of her blog posts and I made sure we ordered that (they now have English menu!). The cannelloni we ordered was delicious but the onion cake was so good!! I’m not much of an onion-person but I have to tell you, this onion cake was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Sweet, creamy and flavourful – it was amazing and definitely my favourite dish. I could have gone for a second round if not for the mains lol!

For the main courses we ordered the duck confit, chicken with wild mushrooms and lamb stew. The meats were all seasoned beautifully and so tender that they came apart easily with the use of a fork and knife. Even though I don’t eat lamb, all 3 of us agreed that the duck and chicken were the tastier dishes.

Hungry faces (even though we just finished the gorgeous starters!)

We were stuffed finishing all those food but still managed to order 2 desserts to share (which we forgot to take photo of because we were greedy!). The chef cum owner also served us his home-made sweet wine (we think), free-of-charge. They were fragrant but too strong for me.

We left the restaurant full and satisfied.

Was extremely glad that we took the detour to enjoy the scrumptious lunch at La Barretina. I would go back anytime for the starters, particularly for the onion cake! And maybe this time, I will spend more time in this area and walk around the beautiful Lake Banyoles.

Anyhow, La Barretina, yet another great meal in Spain to remember by.

Tell me about your memorable meal in Spain! Do you know you can visit Girona on a daytrip from Barcelona?

Dariel 9 June, 2016 Europe, Spain 24 Comments

Review of Apartament Torregirona in Girona, Spain

How many times have you arrived at a hotel and realised it is nothing like what the advertisements say? To help you avoid that sticky situation, here are my honest opinion and independent reviews.

Note: This post contain affiliate links where I will earn some commission if you book hotel through the links at no additional cost to you.

Girona, Spain – Apartament Torregirona

This apartment is inside a residential building with the owner staying right next door. There are only 2 apartments on the same floor.

The building is next to the train station and less than 10 minutes’ walk away from the Old Town. Cafes, restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets are nearby so it was really convenient.

Even though the apartment was really quiet, I was awoken by the train in the morning. BUT that was because I am a very light sleeper. Also because I had to open the window slightly since the heater got too warm for me. My travelling companions had no issues at all.

The house was tastefully done up, clean and had was fully equipped with everything a “real house” needed. It looked exactly like the photos they posted on their website. There were 3 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms, both with heaters installed – perfect for us in March when the weather was still cold. We even had great views of the sunset from the living room!

The owners were really friendly and helpful even though there was slight language barrier between us but everything worked out well.

We booked the apartment through Booking.com for the first night for €139 (including car park for a night). However, we managed to get a cheaper rate through the owner himself for the second night when we decided to extend our stay. The location is perfect for us since we wouldn’t have been comfortable driving around the narrow streets in the Old Town. The private carpark in the basement was ideal. If you do not wish to be paying an arm and a leg for staying in the Old Town of Girona, Apartament Torregirona will be a good choice!

Explore Girona by clicking on this link.

Dariel 15 May, 2016 Europe, Reviews, Spain No Comments

Girona – One of My Favourite Cities in Spain

When I planned for our trip to Girona earlier this year, there wasn’t much expectations other than the beautiful houses right next to the Onyar River. After spending 2 days in the small city, it is now easily one of my favourite cities in Spain.

Girona is 1 hour away from Barcelona by train so it makes for a good daytrip. However, the 3 of us decided to rent a car even though it cost us about €50 more in total.

By train:

Barcelona to Girona – €16.20 x 3 pax = 48.60

Girona to Figueres – €5.45 x 3 pax = 16.35

Figueres to Barcelona – €16 x 3 pax = 48

Leaving luggage at Barcelona train station – say €3 x 3 luggage = 9

Total = €121.95

Car rental (with Sixt Rent-a-car):

VW Polo (auto) – €117.98

Upgraded to: Audi A3 (auto) – €145.05

Diesel – €26.53

Total = €171.58

We had more flexibility with the car and also managed to grab a really nice meal along the way from Girona to Figueres at La Barretina 🙂

We arrived in Girona in the late afternoon and headed straight to the old town for the ice-cream joint Rocambolesc. It is opened by the Roca brothers who own the 3-Michelin stars, best restaurant in the world “El Celler de Can Roca”, which is also in Girona.

They were opened until 8.30pm so we went for a second round after touring around the area 🙂

To me, Girona is quiet, clean and we felt safe wandering around, even along the narrow streets after nightfall. When we were exploring the Old Town, there were only a handful people walking around wherever we were.

Plaça de la Independència

Rambla de la Libertad

Also, because the buildings in the Old Town are so old, it literally felt like we were walking along the streets in the medieval times!

Basilica of Sant Feliu

Did I also mention Girona is one of the shooting locations of Games of Thrones? I have no doubt why they chose this place, it is so charming!

Steps of Sant Marti Sacosta Church

We were the last visitors of the day to the Banys Àrabs but we were not rushed at all. It cost €2 for adult or €1 for students, children and people over age of 65. The baths were modelled on earlier Muslim and Roman bathhouses and are well preserved. The architecture clearly shows Arabic and Christianity influences.

One other famous structure here is the Eiffel Bridge (Pont Eiffel). This is constructed by Gustave Eiffel just before the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The old Jewish Quarter in Girona or Call is one of the best preserved in Europe. The narrow, steep and windy streets are so old it’s beautiful!

There is a Museum of Jewish History here which allows one to get an insight of the history of the Jewish community of Catalonia. Girona is probably the most important place for the Jews because their population and power expanded when they were here during the 12^th and 13^th centuries.

The Cathedral of Girona is the province’s, and perhaps one of the world’s, most important Gothic monument. It includes the widest Gothic nave in the world and the second widest of any church after that of St. Peter’s Basilica (in the Vatican).

A small bonus for Games of Thrones fans – can you spot the Cathedral of Girona from the season 6 trailer?

If you are in Barcelona or in the Costa Brava area, I would recommend a trip to Girona. I spent 2 days there and it wasn’t quite enough to take it all in. I would really love to go back!

Would you put Girona on your travel list now?

Dariel 6 May, 2016 Europe, Spain 8 Comments

Semana Santa Spain 2016

During my most recent travels in Spain, I spent the Holy Week in Andalusia, namely Seville, Granada and Cordoba. Holy Week traditions in Spain is called Semana Santa and it is an elaborate commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ leading up to Easter.

There are no colourful Easter eggs or chocolate bunnies in Spain, only decorated floats with statues of Jesus and Mary (called the “pasos”), brass bands and people dressed up in capes, hoods and tall pointy hats like KKK according to MJ, walking slowly through the streets from their parish church to the cathedral and back.

The people with the pointy hats are the Nazarenos, who are also known as the “penitentes”. The Nazarenos are members of religious associates that care for the images of Christ and Mary that are used in the processions. They are otherwise simply known as members of a church brotherhood (cofradia). They can be men, women and children.

Mantilla are the women who walk behind the paso dressed in black wearing a black lace veil over the back of their heads as shown above.

But why that scary “costume” you may ask, with pointed hat and mask. I actually found 2 different school of thoughts for the explanation.

First: The pointed hat, called capirote, was worn by clowns and juggles portraying clumsiness or stupidity during medieval times. Criminals back then had to wear the pointed hat and walk through the streets while people threw rotten vegetables at them, spat at them and insulted them. Now, penitentes (people doing their penance for their sins) would walk through the streets during the Holy Week with pointed hat but their faces are covered so that they would not be recognised.

Second school of thought: The cone symbolizes a sort of rising towards the heavens and therefore this part of the Nazarenes’ dress is designed to bring their penitence closer to the heavens. Also, in the same way cone shaped shrubs are used in Spanish cemeteries, the pointed hat is symbolize raise the dead towards the heavens.

(Which explanation one do you prefer? I’m more practical so I’m going with the first :))

A boy seen taking a breather from the hot afternoon sun

Each brotherhood for a church will have their own processions and they all wear different colour robes and candles. Depending on the day and location (cities / towns / villages), the procession can start from 3 in the afternoon and ends about 6 hours later or even past mid-night. We didn’t purposely plan to be in Andalucia (or Spain for that matter) during the Holy Week but was glad we did. It was a different cultural experience!

Although we did some research before the trip for Semana Santa, nothing really prepared us for the actual processions and celebrations. It was festive and lively, literally like the towns were celebrating New Year countdowns.

We saw the fastest moving pasos in Seville!

As you can see from the videos, the pasos are huge and they can weigh up to 5 tons. The Costaleros (usually the men and in some rarer occasions the women who carry the pasos) need to take breaks every now and then. You can’t really see them because they are hidden below the pasos. The best view I’ve got of the costaleros was their shuffling feet.

Pasos stop to allow the candles to be lit

Look at that beautiful dress of Mother Mary

Even though I am not a Catholic, I was actually touched by a few of the processions. The music from the brass band and the mood in air combined, it was indescribable.

From the few processions we participated, here are some interesting observations:

– People watching the procession / slow march of the pasos will reach out and touch them if they are within reach. It almost felt like they would get some kind of blessing by doing so.

– Children who are watching the processions with their accompanying adults will be collecting wax from the candles of the penitents when they stop. I guess it’s one way of entertaining them.

People clap and cheer when the pasos managed to get around tight corners. I think they deserve the applause. Have you seen them move?!

Besides the traditional processions, we were glad also come across a military parade by the Spanish Legion in Cordoba parading with the image of Christ of the Good Death.

On a lighter note, there’s always some quirky stuff you can buy home as gifts or even eat during the Semana Santa like these cute chocolates and candies.

I got myself a cute penitente-in-capirote fridge magnet 🙂

Are you now intrigued by the Semana Santa? What do you think of this celebration of Easter? Here are other things to do in Spain!

Dariel 22 April, 2016 Europe, Spain 32 Comments

Visit Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia, does it need more introduction?!

Official name: Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia

Type: Roman Catholic Church

Designer: Antoni Gaudi

Years of construction to-date: 135

Planned completion: Year 2026

Accolades: UNESCO World Heritage Site

When my flight to Barcelona was delayed, I was extremely worried that I will miss my pre-booked timing to visit the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia was the main reason I wanted to go to Barcelona. Fortunately, even though I arrived Barcelona 8 hours later than planned, it didn’t affect my Sagrada Familia visit. Phew!

We were glad that we booked the first available time slot at 9am. It was nice to arrive at the church first thing in the morning with not much of a crowd. The streets were even empty!

The audio guide we paid for provided details of the basilica including some explanation on the intricate designs both on the facade and inside of the church. There are also sign posts scattered around the church which highlighted some additional information which may not be available in the audio guide. The sign posts also provided a better explanation with pictures and layouts. Don’t miss out on the video at the right hand side of the church when you enter after collecting the audio guide – it provides an excellent explanation of the story of Lent shown by Gaudi on the Passion facade. It allows you to understand the carvings and decorations better when you see it later on your way out.

The Passion Facade

The construction of the whole Sagrada Familia is very detailed and intricate, you would be amazed by the workmanship and the amount of information Gaudi incorporated into this building.

A visit to Sagrada Familia would not be complete with checking out the Nativity or Passion facade. Lifts at 2 sides of the church allow visitors to go up either the Nativity facade or Passion facade. For this, you need to book in advance because they only allow a limited number of people up the tower at each time slot, and they are usually fully booked. Many people were being turned away when we were there. People with backpacks (like me) have to deposit our bags at the lockers next to the lift before we can go up the tower. The lockers need either a 20 cents or €1 coin in order for it to lock. The money will be given back to you when you retrieve the contents.

We had a great view of Barcelona when we reached the top .

The walkway was narrow but safe with railings and fencing. We took our time to walk along the passageway and admire the architectures from a close up view. This would not have been possible from the ground level (you will be looking up almost all the time).

Although there’s a lift to go up the tower, one has to walk down the steps by the stairway.

Before getting out of the Sagrada Familia, we also visited the school built right next to the church with undulating roof and the museum next to it.

The church is planned to be completed by 2026. However, due to the scale and complexity (it has been under construction for the last century!) I believe refurbishment will commence immediately after the Sagrada Familia is completed.

By the end of the tour, I was really impressed by Gaudi’s ideology to incorporate nature into architecture. He must have been a genius of his time by using his architecture and engineering knowledge to create such an amazing building.

We took over 2 hours for the visit. But I believe one can easily spend up to 3-4 hours here so plan your day carefully. You will be glad that you finally made it to admire one of the world’s most impressive architectures.

Tips

Website: http://www.sagradafamilia.org/en/

Book your tickets online and try to get the first time slot available to the church to avoid the crowd. When we left just before noon, the place was packed!

Passion / Nativity Facade: You will then need to book a separate timing to go up the towers if you want to. Give yourself at least half an hour from the entrance timing to the towers visit. This will allow you to enjoy the surrounding and tour around the church a little before making your way up. You can always continue your tour in and around the rest of the church after visiting the Passion / Nativity Facade.

Have you been to the Sagrada Familia? Click here to see which other UNESCO Heritage Site we visited.

Dariel 5 April, 2016 Europe, Spain 4 Comments

Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona

Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is probably the most beautiful hospital I’ve ever visited.

The original name of the hospital was Hospital de la Santa Creu (Hospital of the Holy Cross) when it was founded in 1401. The name “Sant Pau” was later added after Mr. Pau Gil, a millionaire banker who was born in Barcelona, donated money to build the new buildings and complex between 1901 and 1930. So the full name of the former hospital is Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, known in English as Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul. The history of the hospital was recorded by the mosaic design in one of the existing seminar rooms.

For his generosity, Mr. Pau Gil was honoured by having his name on the ceiling of the Administration block.

Original pink tiles from 1901-1930

I mentioned the word “former hospital” because it was operational until 2009. The charity hospital moved to the new building in the plot of land next to the existing structure.

Hospital de Sant Pau was constructed in the modernista style by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner with his trademark of using mosaics. We could not believe a hospital can be so pretty!

We took a 1 hour guided tour which cost €16 per pax. It turned out to be money well spent in my opinion. We were told stories and facts which probably not many people know about. For example:

1) There is an underground tunnel system connecting the 6 buildings including the administration block, operating rooms block, male and female wards and the nuns’ quarters.

2) If you walk around the hospital, you will see a lot of tiled walls. And if you take a closer look, the corners of those tiled walls are curved. We were told that this allowed the nuns back then to easily clean the wall tiles. How clever!

3) The St Raphael pavilion is the most intact pavilion with original decorations dated back to 1901-1930. The other pavilions have had modifications / refurbishments carried out so it is not possible to trace back the history in them any longer.

4) Our guide explained that before antibiotics was invented, the nuns had to clean, disinfect and sterilise the floor and walls inside the pavilion to prevent patients from getting infections. The wall tiles had to be constructed with curves at the corners so that they can be easily cleaned (see the link here and point 2 above?).

5) In the pavilion, we saw a lot of green mosaics and tiles being used. We were told that since the hospital was a Catholic hospital and green colour in the wards symbolises ‘green for hope’ in Catholic, it was used to bring hope to the patients.

6) In the same pavilion, one will see blue tiles and mosaics in the existing toilet. However, before it was converted into a toilet it was a bath-room. The bath-room in the wards were used by the nuns to bathe the patients. Therefore the colour blue was to symbolise water. It was literally a BATHROOM.

7) Once we were outside, we stood next to the former operating theatre building. Back in the days when there was limited and unstable supply of electricity, the operating theatre used frosted glass to allow maximum natural light into the room. Frosted glass also prevent people from peeping into the operating theatre. Brilliant!

8) The hospital now houses an art school and the Biblioteca de Catalunya (National Library of Catalonia). Some of its rooms are rented out for companies to hold seminars and even for people who want to hold their weddings. Eeerrr…. it may be really beautiful but would you want to hold your wedding in a former hospital??

With the extensive use of marble and mosaic, Hospital de Sant Pau is truly an amazing piece of architecture and art wherever you go within the complex.

Hospital de Sant Pau is currently being restored for use as a museum and cultural center. It still gives tours several times a day in different languages during this period. It is my sincere recommendation that a visitor to Barcelona take some time to tour around the hospital. I cannot emphasize how beautiful it is (for a former hospital) and you do get a break from all the quirky Gaudi architecture all around Barcelona.

If you do wish to visit, remember to make an advance booking for the guided tour online here since I believe the guided tour group is quite small. Here are some more photos for you to enjoy.

Centre: Former nunnery

Reflections of glass panels – those wavy and bubbly ones are the original glass panels!

Have you visited this former hospital in Barcelona? Also read my tips on visiting the Sagrada Familia here.

Dariel 5 April, 2016 Europe, Spain 21 Comments

Myanmar – Cycling around Inle Lake

Besides taking a boat tour, we also went cycling around Inle Lake. It was fun and interesting to see the villages and how the Burmese live.

After breakfast, we received some rough instructions from the hotel on the routes we could take and we were on our way. Since we decided to take it easy, we decided to take the bike-boat-bike route, which was shorter.

We first headed over the bridge by the jetty in Nyaungshwe and followed the road straight on. There were cars and motorbikes but since they were not going too fast, it was relatively safe for cyclists. Along the way, we cycled past paddy fields and villages of stilted houses. It was the hot and dry season in March and the sky was hazy from farmers burning their fields.

cycling around inle lake

Oh, there were also tractors carrying passengers. A very efficient mode of transportation!

cycling around inle lake

We also saw a young boy sitting on a buffalo heading towards the paddy field.

cycling around inle lake

The road was long, straight and flat. However, there was a steady incline when we got nearer to the mountains where we had to turn left to go to the hot spring. At this junction, I rested to catch my breath while waiting for Elayne to catch up. I saw this cutie that was baaaaa-ing at us but eventually hid under one of the stilt houses.

cycling around inle lake

The road towards the hot spring was even quieter with fewer traffic. There were motorbikes every now and then but cars were rare.

cycling around inle lake

As we continued cycling, we came across 2 families washing laundry whilst their young children were taking their baths in the same river. I jumped off my bike and interacted with them. The kids were waving, saying hi and hello to me.

cycling around inle lake

Kids after bath in the river

After bidding the families goodbye, we cycled to the foot of a mountain, near the hot springs. Since we were not interested in the hot spring, we parked our bikes near the well. It was a working well and used by villages who passed by.

Actual working well

At the foot of the mountain we met 2 boys who seemed excited to see us. Even though there was language barrier between us, it was fun trying to communicate with them. They offered us some sweets and even raced us to the top of the mountain where the pagoda sits.

Local boys we met

No way we were racing the boys up these stairs!

Panaroma view of Nyaungshwe at the top of the mountain

Passing the hot spring, we were accosted with offers to get across the Inle Lake by boat. After checking the prices of a few offers, we settled at 6,000 kyats with one guy (there was one asking for 10,000 kyats!). He then led us to his longtail boat inside the village, loaded our bikes and sent us across the lake.

cycling around inle lake

We had our last opportunity to enjoy our time on the lake.

Locals at work

Collecting seaweed I think

Since it was already lunch time, we asked the boatman to send us to a place where we could get food. The “restaurant” at Maing Thauk was actually somebody’s house with the balcony designed to allow customers to sit and relax. It was simple but beautiful since it was directly opposite the bridge which looked like a mini version of the U-bein bridge in Mandalay.

cycling around inle lake

After our meal, we were transported across the river on a tiny canoe-like boat to the bridge to collect our bikes. I really have to hand it to the locals for their fantastic balancing and one-leg rowing skills, no matter men or women, young or old!

cycling around inle lake

The bridge was narrow. I tried to cycle on it but almost fell into the water! So…. we decided to push the bikes instead.

There was a sign further down the road after getting off the bridge directing us back towards Nyaungshwe and we turned left to get onto the tarmac road. It was getting hot and there was no shade along this long and windy road. This road had more car traffic compared to the earlier ones but since the road was wide, we had no worries. We cycled pass houses and some plantations, including a sunflower plantation with beautiful blooming sunflowers.

cycling around inle lake

The road eventually led us near to the Red Mountain Estate Vineyards and Winery. However, since we had already visited the vineyard on our first day in Inle Lake, we decided to by-pass it and headed straight back to the hotel. It was getting really warm under the sun!

Red building is the vineyard

Helpful Facts

We started cycling around Inle Lake at about 8am at a very leisure pace with many stops in between and returned to the hotel just before 2.30pm. Since it was the hot season, we were trying to avoid the afternoon sun as far as possible.

Even though we didn’t manage to visit Kaung Daing, the Intha village producing Shan state’s famous tofu, which we had to go past the touts sending tourists across the lake, it was a great 1/2 day cycling trip with beautiful rural sceneries and surprises along the way. Other than the must-do boat tour, I would highly recommend cycling around Inle Lake to check out the quieter side of the town.

Check out other interesting things we did in Inle Lake here!

Dariel 30 December, 2015 Myanmar, Southeast Asia 7 Comments