Barcelona was fantastic. Nothing significantly great or exciting happened, but it is actually one of my best trips ever. I never had such a good balance of everything in any of my trips, ie, I had the sun, the sand, the sea, the shops, the money, the tourist attractions, travelers, locals, parties, food, weed.
Being a typical tropical girl, sun is taken for granted. I was like shrieking (inside lah) OMG OMG SUN SUN SUN and then open my arms, lifted my head up and embraced it. I sat at the balcony of my host’s friend for like 2 or 3 hours on a comfortable armchair and people watched while being sun-kissed.
Oh and something quite amusing and potentially educating: to note my observation that the Mediterranean Sea is absolutely calm! It is SO CALM there are hardly any waves. And there are no tides!
Viva la shopping! Apart from the indispensable Zara, there are also some quaint little designers which are either too expensive or a little too weird. Also, another of those Zara/ Mango kind of shop includes one call Bershka, where I bought a pair of skinny denim jeans for just 25 Euros and also this shop that I really like call Stradivarius (after the musican!) where I bought a striped shirt dress, an ultra short black skirt and the cutest leggings. But hey I spent what I saved on the hostel mah!
After doing some research by reading the latest fashion magazine, the 70s is here to stay for autumn/winter 2006-2007, but not as glitzy, not as loud. Some gold, some glitters, some prints, lots of opaque leggings and tights. And if you have the legs, go with a shirt dress (like long tee) and wear black opaque tights with a pair of ballerina flats.
But having said that, it feels great to feel empowered again. It’s like us going to Malaysia – everything is cheap! Even though it’s not really. I remembered when I first came, I took my S$1k to the exchange and got a miserable 300q back. I almost cried.
And I still think it’s justifiable to say that it is absolutely necessary to look good in London. It’s frigging LONDON. How can you walk around looking like crap? Londoners look great, dress well. So I have to, too! (BLEH BLEH)
I stayed in the hostel for the first 2 nights and after that I moved out to one of the Couchsurfers’ place (www.couchsurfing.com). In essence it is a website just like friendster and myspace, less dodgy, more specific. It’s for people to surf for a place to stay when they are traveling, and in exchange, offer their homes (or couches) to others.
So I went to this gathering (how lucky was I that they had a gathering on the day I arrived) and met some locals, some travelers, some people working in BCN, some there to learn Spanish. And this guy offered his home to me, and I checked out of my hostel the next day (and hence saved 96 Euros, which went to my shopping budget – yeah!).
So, I had the authentic backpackers’ experience for the first 2 days, hanging out at the common area, met people my age, went to the tourist attractions, ate the typical Spanish food. Then I had a Spanish host, which was like a homestay really. He brought me to meet his friends, went clubbing at places the locals go to, had a BBQ at the balcony. And one of the days, I basically slept in, woke up, nuah at the couch, watch TV, and did shit the entire day. Damn shiok.
And since I'm back in London, I have been entertaining this guy from Singapore who really really came on a mission to club every single night. So basically I have been out everyday, not been home at all. And yesterday, I slept from about 2am to 1pm.
So far, it's still exciting and fun, except that my slight withdrawal symptoms are making me a little void of happiness. But I'd be fine soon.
What should I do tomorrow? Heheehehe. I love London! Forever got things to do one!
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