Monday, October 29, 2007

Crazy Traffic in Saigon (Vietnam)

If I had thought the traffic in Bali was chaotic with the motorbikes, I had no idea until I saw the traffic in Saigon (Vietnam)!!

Si pense que el transito era caotico en Bali con las motocicletas, no tenia idea de lo que era Saigon (Vietnam)!!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Vietnam


Well, if I thought Bali was chaotic with their motorbikes, I had no clue until I came to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam). There are 4 million motorbikes in the city, the traffic is totally crazy! I went there to attend an event and Jose came from NYC to join me on Friday, so we spent the weekend there and left on Monday. Besides buying Diesel jeans at $12, we also visited a little of city, got massaged by girls who wanted to sell more than massage, had nice food, and took a tour of the Mekong Delta, which was pretty interesting to see how they live there. People are very nice and smiley, always waving “hello” (in English) when they see a foreigner. Also there was this old lady who came to talk to me in almost perfect French, I was impressed. There you could see the old influence of the French in the region.

Bueno si yo había pensado Bali era caótica con sus motos, es porque no había visto Saigon todavía! Hay 4 millones de motocicletas en la ciudad, el transito es una locura! Fui allá para un evento y José de NYC vino a encontrarme el viernes, pasamos el fin de semana allá hasta el lunes. Además de comprar jeans de Diesel por $12, también visitamos un poco de la ciudad, comimos bien, fuimos masajeados por chicas que querían vender mas que masajes, y también tomamos un tour del delta del Río Mekong, que estuvo súper interesante para ver como la gente de ahí vive. Son muy simpáticos, siempre sonriendo y diciendo “hello” cuando ven extranjeros. También una vieja me vino a hablar en perfecto francés, me impresiono, ahí se ve la influencia que los franceses ya tuvieron en esta región.

Sentosa Beach


I went to the beach here for the first time with Lionel, and I had low expectations because everybody told me it was very artificial etc. But I was positively surprised (maybe thanks to the low expectations). It is true it is too much organized and some places look like a theme park, but there are parts of the beach which are calm and relaxing and there are some nice lounge bars like the Km 8 or Café del Mar. Again interesting here to see how different people and races enjoy the beach differently and definitely with different clothes. I felt pretty much naked with my Brazilian Speedos, but well there were also many Europeans wearing them. The best thing is that the beach is very near my new apartment!

Fui a la playa por primera vez aquí con Lionel y me sorprendió positivamente. A pesar de que de hecho es un poco artificial y algunas partes parece un parque temático, pero igual hay partes más tranquilas y playas con unos bares lounge como el Km 8 o el Café del Mar, que no están mal. Hay gente interesante también. Es interesante también ver como cada gente o raza disfruta diferentemente de la playa, y también como se visten para ir a la playa. Yo me sentía casi desnudo con mi “sunga”, pero bueno igual habían muchos europeos usando lo mismo. Lo mejor es que la playa esta súper cerca de mi casa!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Deepavali and Malay New Year


This month we were also celebrating two festivals in Singapore, showing again the mix of races and religions here, one Indian and one Malay: 1) Deepavali or Diwali. The word Diwali has its origin in the Sanskrit word "Deepavali" which means "rows of light". This 5 day long Hindu festival is celebrated throughout the world with great zeal and fanaticism .Diwali or deepavali is the festival signifying the victory of good against evil. 2) Malay New Year: It's that time of the year again when the Muslims fast as a show of faith. At sundown, a massive night bazaar awakens at Singapore's Muslim enclave, Geylang Serai.

Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602584590947/


Este mes hemos celebrado en Singapur dos festivales mostrando una vez mas la variedad de culturas y religiones en este pais, uno hindu y otro malayo: 1) Deepavali: es un festival hindú que dura 5 días y es celebrado con gran fanatismo. Es el festival que significa la victoria del bien contra el mal. 2) Ano Nuevo Malayo: es cuando después del ayuno de Ramadan después de un mes los malayos salen a celebrar con un bazaar nocturno con mucha comida, en el barrio musulmán de Singapur: Geylang Serai.

Lionel Visit


Up to a few weeks ago I had not seen any familiar face in Singapore, I mean, I had met a lot of new people, including friends that were presented to me through other friends, but I had not met people I knew from the past. So finally I got my first visitor: Lionel. Also before Lionel arrived I met Ze Antonio, an old friend from Rio, who was in town for a summit, and even if we could not see much of each other, it was great to have lunch with him and see someone I knew from before arriving in Singapore. Then Lionel, who is a very good French friend, came to spend a few days with me. It was really great and fun to have Lionel around. He’s been working in Bangladesh for a project, so it was also fun going to the beach with him in Singapore and meeting all these guys from Bangladesh he would make friends with (I’d never know they were Bangladeshis, I’d think they were all Indians!). Also we went out to a lot of nice restaurants and bars and clubs, which was pretty cool and then Singapore keeps surprising me, it is not that boring as people would think. Now I am in Vietnam with Jose, who is one of my best friends and came from NYC to see me (I’ll post in another window the trip to Vietnam).

Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602584590947/


Hasta pocas semanas atrás yo había conocido mucha gente en Singapur pero no había visto a nadie que yo conociera de antes. Entonces estuvo súper que recibí mi primera visita: Lionel. Antes de ver a Lionel también almorcé un día con Ze Antonio, que es un amigo de Rio que conozco hace muchísimo tiempo y estaba en la ciudad para un congreso. Luego con Lionel, además de que me dio mucho gusto verlo, también nos divertimos un montón, descubriendo nuevos clubs, bares y restaurantes, y también fuimos a la playa y conocimos a muchos chicos de Bangladesh (Lionel esta trabajando en Bangladesh hace 9 meses por trabajo y el reconoció que los chicos en la playa eran muchos de ahí, era un dia feriado para ellos...yo nunca sabria que eran de allá, pensaba que eran hindúes! Eran muy simpáticos). En final me parece de verdad que Singapur no es tan aburrido como yo pensaría antes de venir! Ahora estoy en Vietnam con José, que es uno de mis mejores amigos y me vino a ver desde NYC, así que estoy súper feliz de recibir y ver a mis amigos en Asia! (lo pondré en una ventana separada después la visita a Saigon, Vietnam).

Thursday, October 11, 2007

A Taxi Journey in Bali

Here is a video of a ride in a Bali taxi, where we drove about one hour to Ubud, in the center of the island, of course listening to Balinese music while appreciating the thousands of motorbikes passing by everywhere, and then later the rice fields and temples along the way.


Este es un video de un viaje en taxi en Bali, cuando el conductor me llevo al centro de la isla en Ubud, y por supuesto escuchando a musica balinesa mientras apreciando a las miles de motocicletas pasando por todos lados, y después mas tarde entrando por los campos de arroz y los templos en el camino.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Weekend in Bali


I went to Bali for the weekend! I never thought I’d say that! It all seemed so far once in my life...anyway, Renzo (a Peruvian friend who was here for work) told me he was going to Bali for the weekend and last minute I decided to come with him (why not?), hehehe. It was short but I could have a good feel of what Bali is, as you will see it in the pics. So as I expected the beaches are not so fantastic (they are beautiful though, and I did not see too many to judge), but really the nightlife is amazing! And also the inner culture of the island, which I could see a little by visiting Ubud, is very interesting. It was really beautiful to see the rice fields and also interesting to visit the Monkey Forest. We went out both Friday and Saturday, and there are a lot of bars full of locals but also foreigners (mainly Australians, Europeans and people from other Asian countries). I even met 3 Brazilians! One of them lived between Bali and East Timor (you always meet the craziest people when you travel!). The food was also very good and super cheap. Some facts:

Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian, and particularly Sanskrit, culture, in a process beginning around the 1st century AD
The First European contact with Bali is thought to have been when Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived in 1597, though a Portuguese ship had foundered off the Bukit Peninsula as early as 1585
Bali lies 3.2 km east of Java and approximately 8 degrees south of the equator (so I went from North to South hemisphere going from Singapore to Bali)
Unlike most of Muslim-majority Indonesia, about 93% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism

Pics:
http://flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602252447009/


Fui a Bali para el fin de semana! Nunca pense que diria esto, ya que parecia tan distante en algun momento. Renzo, un amigo peruano que vive en Londres y estaba aquí por trabajo, me dijo que iba a Bali para el finde y decidi acompanarlo (por que no? Jejeje). Fue corto pero aprovechamos mucho. Las playas no me parecieron súper fantasticas, pero lo interesante fue la vida nocturna, con muchos bares y mucha mezcla de locales con extranjeros (muchos australianos, europeos y gente de otros paises asiáticos....hasta me encontré 3 brasilenos! Uno de ellos vivia entre Bali y Timor Oriental! En estos viajes encontramos la gente mas loca!). También la cultura de Bali es súper interesante, fui al centro de la isla a Ubud donde vi muchos templos, los campos de arroz, y la selva de monos. La comida también era muy rica, y mejor todavía, muy barata!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Mid-Autumn Festival


The Mid-Autumn Festival (Simplified Chinese: 中秋节), also known as the Moon Festival, is a popular East Asian celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is also sometimes referred to as the Lantern Festival or "Mooncake Festival", which is just the same as "Mid-Autumn Festival" but with different names.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian calendar), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar. This is the ideal time, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other being the Chinese Lunar New Year), and is a legal holiday in several countries. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as:
Eating moon cakes outside under the moon, Putting pomelo rinds on one's head, Carrying brightly lit lanterns, Burning incense in reverence to deities including Chang'e, Planting Mid-Autumn trees, Lighting lanterns on towers, Fire Dragon Dances

Pics:
http://flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602251694113/


El “Festival de Medio Otoño”, también conocido como festival de la Luna, es bastante popular en Asia del Este y celebra la abundancia y la unión de personas, es una tradición de hace mas de 3.000 anos. En Singapur también es conocido como es festival del Mooncake, que son tortas especiales que se comen para estas fechas.
Es la fecha cuando la luna esta más brillante y es el festival chino más importante después del ano nuevo chino. En esta fecha, las familias chinas se juntan para admirar la luna, y comer las “tortas de la luna” o toronjas (pomelos) juntos. Otras tradiciones son: poner cascara de toronja en la cabeza de los otros, cargar linternas, quemar inciensos en honor a dioses como Chang’e, plantar árboles de medio otoño, prender linternas en torres, bailes de dragones de fuego.

Fotos:
http://flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602251694113/

Signs of Freedom


This publicity was at the London "tube" (subway). I guess this kind of publicity would not be allowed here in Singapore!


Esta publicidad estaba en el metro de Londres. Creo que este tipo de publicidad no seria permitida en Singapur!

Quick visit to London on my way to Singapore


On my way to Singapore from Brazil I stopped in London. Time flies and I realized I had last been there 6 years ago!!! I lived in London back in ’94 and then again for a few months during the ’95-’96 period, so I have very fond memories of my London days, it was really one of the best periods of my life, so it was great to see the city again. Also along the years I met many good friends from everywhere who now by coincidence live in London. I stayed at my “brother” Cedric’s place, who is now married! I also met Doug, Francois, Andre, Paulo, Marcos, Patrick…we all had a nice dinner at Carluccio’s on Friday evening. I also met Andre Salame who was there on vacation and I even met by coincidence Marcio walking in the street, I hadn’t seen him for ages! I also saw Claude who was there by coincidence for work. London is a true crossroads! It was also great to go back to Graham’s place in Streatham, it reminded me so much of my first days in London. Pity it was too short…but I’ll be back some time! Promise!




En camino a Singapur desde Brasil, estuve por 2 días en Londres. El tiempo vuela y no me había dado cuenta que hacia ya 6 anos que iba a esta ciudad. Viví en Londres en el 94 y después de nuevo por algunos meses en ’95-’96 cuando fui a estudiar en Francia. Tengo recordaciones muy buenas de esta época, que fueron de las mejores de mi vida. Esta vez también aproveche para ver amigos que conocí en varios lugares que por casualidad viven en Londres. Estuve en la casa de mi amigo-hermano Cedric, que hace poco se caso. También vi varios buenos amigos en una cena en el Carluccio’s de Covent Garden. También encontré a Andre de Belem que estaba allá de vacaciones. Tambien Claude, que estaba alla por trabajo por casualidad. Todos se cruzan en Londres! Y estuvo también súper regresar a Streatham para ver a Graham y David, el primer lugar que vivi en Londres en el 94, me trajo muchas buenas recordaciones! Lastima que fue muy corto, pero regresare!!!


Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Singapore First Impressions


Well, Singapore…it is AMAZING! You should all come to see me! Of course I feel alone sometimes as it is a totally different culture, or should I say mix of cultures, but it is very interesting. The predominant culture by far is Chinese, but also Indian is very strong, and also Malay, besides all the other Asian immigrants and Westerners who live here in this island. So going from one district to the next is like visiting different countries, with different people, habits and religions! Also the food is fantastic, and very cheap! All the mix of different Asian cuisines, it is a paradise for gourmets…I am still afraid I could get bored after some time, but so far it is better than I expected. And besides, being near so many wonderful places (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia etc), I hope I’ll have some chance to travel around. Just last weekend I spent in Bali! Going to Bali for a weekend, who would think of it? Hehe

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602058066531/



Singapur es súper! Todos deberían de venir a verme! Claro que me he sentido un poco solo a veces ya que es cultura totalmente diferente, o más bien es una mezcla de culturas, pero es muy interesante. La cultura predominante es de lejos la china, pero también la cultura hindú es bastante fuerte, y después la Malaya, además de todos los otros inmigrantes asiáticos que trajeron sus culturas y también los extranjeros de varios países. Entonces yendo de un barrio a otro es como visitar a diferentes países, con razas, costumbres y religiones diferentes. También la comida es súper rica y variada, un verdadero paraíso para los gourmets...todavía me da un poco de miedo de aburrirme con el tiempo, pero hasta ahora es mejor de lo que yo esperaba. Además tengo la oportunidad de viajar a todos estos países cercanos (Indonesia, Tailandia, Malasia, Australia etc), espero viajar un poquito. El finde pasado ya lo pase en Bali, y estuvo muy bien. Quién imaginaria poder pasar un fin de semana en Bali? jeje

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602058066531/

Welcome to my Blog! Bienvenido a mi Blog!

English (blue): Hi everybody, so finally a blog! So besides all the f…pics you get from me, you can also read some news sometimes. As I do not have time to write very often to each of you, at least you can have an idea of what is going on. I’ll do it in English, but thinking of also posting some texts in Spanish, as some of my lazy friends in Latin America would not speak English. And Brazilians should understand Spanish, right? (I hope)

Español (verde): Amigos, escribo resumidamente en español porque no voy a tener tiempo de traducir todo, pero finalmente estoy creando un blog, para que además de las fotos que ya no aguantan recibir, también yo pueda enviar un poco de noticias a veces.