So it’s been a while since I’ve posted an update. Now that my dad is doing better and in good spirits I’m continuing my journey as he’s thoroughly enjoying hearing about my travels. So as I wait for my red eye flight I’ve decided to write an update.
I only spent a few days in Barcelona but I got to experience the 3 things that I went there for…
1. Wonder of The World – La Sagrada de Familia
2. Authentic flamenco dancing
3. Authentic paella
I took the 3hr night bus Thurs at 8pm from Cuenca to Guayaquil, Ecuador, caught my red eye flight at 6am Fri, had 2 layovers in Miami and JFK, and 18 hours later arrived in Barcelona Sat at 7am. Once I arrived at the Barcelona airport I took the Aerobus to the city center (my hostel was only a few blocks from the stop). But of course city center was closed and the bus driver let us off several blocks away - the driver didn't know why city center was closed and no one on the bus knew where to go - not to mention we didn't get a refund for the $7 that was supposed to take us all the way to city center. So I found the metro/subway and figured out my stop. Then I found out why my bus couldn't make it through - there was a major protest going on and thousands of people lined the streets to protest Catalonia becoming an independent state. If they secede Barcelona loses about 20% of it's commerce - which is a huge deal!
So a 10 minute walk took me 90 minutes because it was so crowded and I had a hard time finding my street. I finally made it to my hostel, dropped off my stuff and went looking for the Wonder of The World – La Sagrada de Familia. I opted not to pay the $15 to go in and just enjoyed the view from the outside while eating some authentic paella - It was a perfect end to a very long day.
I’ve learned a few more Spanish words but I still wish I knew more. The most recent example being looking for malaria tablets for when I go to Africa and Southeast Asia. They don’t require a prescription in Ecuador and are very cheap. Well long story short after going to 3 pharmacies in Ecuador (Google translate clearly saying ‘malaria tablets’) I wound up with motion sickness tablets – I guess the young lady at the counter was too busy talking to her man on the phone to make sure she gave me the right thing – lol – and I didn’t know enough Spanish to know what the box said. Anyway I guess if I ever get sea sick in mainland Africa I’m all set – LOL!
Everything is more expensive in Europe so I wanted to get everything I needed in Ecuador prior to heading to Barcelona. I did manage to find the clinic in Ecuador and got a yellow fever vaccine free - they didn’t have the typhoid vaccine – so now that’s the only one left I have to track down at a reasonable price.
I just found an online supplier in the UK that has the malaria tablets so that makes me feel a lot better. I’ve always been on the fence about vaccines because sometimes I feel the government/CDC is just promoting fear when they list the recommended/required vaccines needed, but on the other hand I don’t want to take a chance contracting a fatal illness that was completely preventable. So I’ve opted to err on the side of caution and get the vaccines.
Even though I think Spanish is a beautiful language I must say I’m looking forward to London and Ireland to finally hear English again. I’ll also finally be in one place long enough in Ireland to restock some supplies – oh and order a new backpack (the strap on my new 60L backpack broke the day before I left the states so I’ve been lugging around a carryon bag during this ‘backpacking’ journey) - lol. My host in Ireland is letting me ship everything there so I’m super excited to get my new backpack. I’m especially excited to restock on hair care products – I don’t know what I was thinking when I assumed the little 3 oz tubes in my carryon would last me 5 months. I thought finding hair products for women of color was hard in the states – nope it’s 10x harder in South America and not a lot of places ship to Ecuador. Thankfully there’s this place on the internet called Amazon – lol. I’m really looking forward to manageable hair again – it’s been clipped back in a bun like an old lady for too long J
Also my cell phone battery decided to start dying, which is what I’ve been using for pics (I didn’t want to carry too many valuables so I left my camera back in the states – now I wish I’d brought it with me), so thankfully Amazon has the battery I need too and I can stop having to charge my phone all day just to use it for only 3 seconds before it dies again.
I also decided to join the legions of selfie stick owners and have become one of ‘them’- lol. For those that know me I’m not a fan of taking nor being in pics (but I’m getting better) – I just much prefer being in the moment rather than being pre-occupied with capturing it on film, only to forget what the picture was about because I missed the moment. The only downside to traveling alone for me is not having someone to take the pictures. Well now I have no excuse not to be in some of the pics during this journey J
I’ve also decided to do the Everest Base Camp trek when I get to Nepal in about 6wks. I was just going to do the basic fly over Mt. Everest and take a picture, but said to myself ‘when is the next time you’re going to have the opportunity to climb Everest?’ - so I’m super excited about that too!
Well that’s it for Barcelona. I’m sooooo ready for London to hear some English.
Thanks Barcelona for being part of this journey – you didn’t disappoint. Next stop…London to see Stonehenge
No comments:
Post a Comment