When Smiths/Morrissey songs make sense again...

Funny I am having again the time of my life visiting all these places and getting to know so many different cultures, and meeting so many new people from all over the world. I am working now from Hong Kong for 2 weeks and I was coming to work in the morning and looking at these crazy city and I could not believe it I was here again, and also I met so many nice people these days from everywhere (Americans, Chileans, Puerto Ricans, Japanese, Taiwanese, Colombian, Australian, French, Brazilians, Portuguese etc), some of them I think I’ll keep friends for a long time, I have the impression. But still being so far away from my country and my world, and being single again…sometimes I cannot help feeling sad and alone. And that’s when all Smiths/Morrissey songs make sense again. I was listening to this one this morning and it made just so much sense:

"Wide to Receive

Download something Useful, or useless Because I'm lying here Wide to receive Almost anything You'd care to give And I don't Get along with myself And I'm not too keen On anyone else Turn on, plug in Then just walk away Unlock, process And then just go And I've never felt quite so alone As I do right now"

Gracioso que estoy realizando nuevamente mis suenos, conociendo el mundo y conociendo tantas culturas diferentes y encontrando gente de todo el mundo. Estoy trabajando ahora desde Hong Kong por 2 semanas y esta manana venia al trabajo y no podia creer que estaba aquí en esta ciudad loca. También conoci a tanta gente buena estos ultimos diez dias, gente de toda parte (latinos, americanos, orientales, europeos etc) y que algunos tengo la impresión que seran mis amigos por mucho tiempo. Pero aun asi, estando tan lejos de mi familia, amigos y de mi mundo, ademas estando soltero después de tanto tiempo, no puedo evitar de sentirme a veces muy solo y triste. Y entonces muchas de las canciones de Smiths/Morrissey tienen sentido nuevamente. Esta manana escuche esta que me identifique totalmente con el periodo que estoy viviendo.

Penang, the East India Company base

In the beginning of this month, I visited Penang in Malaysia. Penang, originally part of the Malay Sultanate of Kedah, was given to the British East India Company in 1786 by the Sultan of Kedah, in exchange for military protection from Siamese and Burmese armies who were threatening Kedah. Penang was the base for the famous East India Company and was a very prosperous city, it was like Singapore 30 years ago! You can still see a lot of interesting buildings, but they are mostly run down.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157603245201340/

Al comienzo del mes, fui a Penang en Malasia. Penang originalmente parte del sultanado malayo de Kedah, fue concedida a la Compañía de las Indias Orientales en 1786 por el sultán Kedah, por intercambio a protección contra los siameses (tailandeses) y los burmeses. Penang fue la base de la famosa Compañía de las Indias Orientales y fue una ciudad muy prospera durante mucho tiempo, era lo que es Singapur hace 30 anos. Todavía se ve edificios imponentes, pero están un poco descuidados.
Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157603245201340/

Deepavali, Festival of Lights

After the Malay New Year we celebrated in Singapore the Indian biggest celebration: Deepavali (it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Light," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being).

Después del ano nuevo malayo, fue la vez de celebrar en Singapur el Deepavali, la época del ano mas importante para los hindúes (es celebrado por los hindúes, jains y sikhs como el “festival de las luces”, donde estas representan la victoria del bien sobre el mal, dentro de cada ser humano).

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Booming Singapore

Singapore is booming for decades, growing at impressive rates. Now there is a new phase of growth, pushed by services and construction. Real state prices are going up to the sky. This is a construction site not far from where I live, where they are building an enormous casino at Sentosa island. Everywhere in Asia you see things growing, gigantic buildings being constructed.

Singapur esta creciendo a ritmos altísimos hace décadas, y ahora vive una nueva fase de crecimiento, principalmente debido al aumento de exportación de servicios y de construcción. Los precios de los inmuebles están yendo al cielo. Esta construcción que se ve en la foto no esta lejos de donde vivo, es donde van a poner un enorme casino en la isla de Sentosa. Por toda Asia se ve todo creciendo, por todas partes se construyen edificios enormes.

Female Boat Riders in Vietnam

This is one of pictures I took in Vietnam that I liked the most. They are female boat riders at the Mekong River Delta.

Esta es una de las fotos que tome en Vietnam que mas me gustaron. Estas son mujeres que manejan los botes en el delta del Rio Mekong.

Islamic Art Museum in Kuala Lumpur

One of the best spots visited in Malaysia was the Islamic Art Museum in Kuala Lumpur. It had some very beautiful objects and it also displayed architecture of mosques in different Muslim countries, it was very interesting. This pic was taken in front of the museum.

Uno de los mejores puntos de visita en Kuala Lumpur fue el Museo de Arte Islámica. Además de tener objetos muy bonitos, también mostraba la diferencia de arquitectura entre las mezquitas construidas en diferentes países islámicos. Esta foto me tome frente al museo.

Malay New Year in Kuala Lumpur

In celebration of the new Malay Year, there were many stages all over the city (Kuala Lumpur) with performances and dance.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602812073056/

Para celebrar el ano nuevo malayo, habian muchos palcos por toda la ciudad (Kuala Lumpur) con performances y danza.
Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602812073056/

Kuala Lumpur

Ten days ago I went to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) with Jose and his friend Hector (another Mexican-American), who was working in China for a few months and came to join us in KL. I was impressed on how the city is developed and rich, I must confess I was expecting something poorer and less developed. Funny also that it is very Muslim, but modern, so I had been to Middle East countries before but it is the first one I see that is modern (I guess Dubai could be modern also). Anyway, I always feel very comfortable in Muslim countries, I don’t know why, people are always very friendly. Here is a pic of me in front of the Petronas Twin Towers, which is still the tallest twin towers in the world (now another building is taller in Taipei, but it is not a twin tower).

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602812073056/

Hace diez dias me fui a Kuala Lumpur (Malasia) con Jose y su amigo Hector (que también es mexicano-americano y estaba viviendo por unos meses en China y vino juntarse a nosotros en KL). Lo que me impresiono es que KL es bastante moderna y rica, debo de confesar que yo esperaba algo mas pobre y menos desarrollado. También es curioso que sea un pais bastante musulmán y al mismo tiempo moderno. Yo habia estado en el Medio Oriente el ano pasado, pero allá todo es mas viejo y menos moderno (tal vez Dubai sea diferente, pero no he estado). De todos modos, siempre me siento súper comodo en los paises musulmanes, no se por que, la gente es muy amable. Aquí va una foto de mi frente a las torres Petronas, que todavía son las torres gemelas mas altas del mundo (ahora hay otro edificio mas alto, en Taipei, pero no es torres gemelas como Petronas).

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602812073056/

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)!!

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.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602660673178/

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.

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602660673178/

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!

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.

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

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).

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

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.

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!

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