Walking around a city during summer nights

Pepa in Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown has insomnia and she walks the deserted streets of Madrid during the month of August looking at the people inside their flats, imagining their lives and trying to find answers to her situation.

Jep in La grande bellezza spends his nights listening to Rome sing to him and reminding him why he lives there and why she is beautiful.









There are many movies where the main character spends the night walking in a deserted and this is one of my favourite activities to do during the summer, I love walking late at night looking through the open windows, listen to the loud TV, love talks or angry arguments. Can you think of other movies where the main character walks around the city at night with no particular direction? Help me made the list!

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How much do you know about salt water fish?

We know that it is good for us to eat fish but how much do we know about the fish we eat?  

During my stay in Palamós (Spain) I have been able to go twice to Espai del Peix, a museum where the information panels are not on the walls but on tables that are also used as eating tables where you can sit down and enjoy some of their yummy show-cookings. As a fisherman's town, Palamós wants to preserve their most precious treasure: fish.

Their main goal is to educate about fish. Espai del Peix (Fish place) focuses in teaching people about the types of fish that are not very well known and that are as good as the rest, they teach us how to cook them, their characteristics, their substitutes and some other fun facts.

Some of my friends try to eat only the vegetables that are in season, because they taste better and to save the environment little by little with responsible actions. A lot of times, what is good for the environment, it is also good for our pocket and good for our health, so here's a list of the different fishes that you can find in the mediterranean sea by month. If you buy fresh fish when they are in season, you will do good to the ecosystem, save money and you will have a varied diet:

Remember you can also buy them when they are in season, freeze them and enjoy them throught the year!

If you find calendars of the Atlantic, Pacific and other seas I will gladly post them.

Bon appétit!

For the ones that speak catalan, here's a list of the recipes.

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Yoko en la Akashi Gallery (Barcelona)

La Yoko ens convida a la seva propera exposició "Els Habitants del Bosc" que tindrà lloc @ Akashi Gallery (c/Rosselló 197, Barcelona T93.125.08.77) i que romandrà oberta del 21 del maig fins el 9 de juny.

Akashi Gallery és un espai molt bonic i cómode d'estil japonés on, entre altres coses podeu gaudir de té japones de qualitat. És un lloc ideal per estar tranquil al cor de la ciutat.

El dimarts 21 de maig serà l'inauguració:

a les 19h Inauguració de l'exposició i lectura de poesia de Kenji Miyazawa (gratuït) 

a les 21h Sopar Menú del Bosc, a carrec de Toshie Nagashima

Cuina Macrobiotica apta per a vegetarians, la meva amiga japonesa prepararà el sopar amb collita del seu hort ecològic, sentireu l'aire net del bosc per dins. Places limitades, cal fer reserva prèvia (20 euros per persona).

Hi ha +info actualitzada amb més detalls @ la web oficial: http://elshabitantsdelbosc.carbonmade.com

I també al facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/152407854931944/

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Yoko nos invita a su próxima exposición "Los Habitantes del Bosque" que tendrá lugar @ Akashi Gallery (c/ Rosselló 197, Barcelona T93.125.08.77) y que estarà abierta a partir del 21 de mayo y hasta el 9 de junio.

Akashi Gallery es un espacio muy bonito y cómodo de estilo japonés donde, entre otras cosas podreis disfrutar de té japones de primera calidad. Es un lugar ideal para estar tranquilo en el corazón de la ciudad.

El martes 21 de mayo van a hacer la inauguración:

a las 19h Inauguración de la exposición y lectura de poesía de Kenji Miyazawa (gratuito)

a las 21h Cena Menú del Bosque, a cargo de Toshie Nagashima

Cocina macrobiótica apta para vegetarianos, mi amiga japonesa preparará la cena con cosecha de su huerto ecológico, podreis sentir el aire limpio del bosque por dentro. Plazas limitadas, se necesita reserva previa (20 euros por persona).

Hay + info actualizada con más detalles @ la web oficial: http://elshabitantsdelbosc.carbonmade.com

Y también en facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/152407854931944

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For information in English, please visit Yoko's blog: http://koko-yoko.blogspot.com

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Next adventure: Spain

Did you know you can cross Spain on a motorbike and not take any highways?
Do you want to go from the Pyrenées to the Mediterranian sea on a bicycle?
Do you want to know the best places to eat in Barcelona?
Do you want to walk the Camino de Santiago in a special way?
My friend Maria is a very well travelled person that provides tailored itineraries for people who don’t want to be tourists but want to be travellers.

Off the beaten path

Eventhough Spain is one of the main tourist destinations in the world, you would be surprised how much it still has to offer and how many places still remain 100% tourist free. Maria is a specialist, she will help you find the special places, the most hip places, the most chilled or the trully autentic ones.

Active journeys 

For all you outdoor junkies, if you are looking for an epic trip, you should get in touch with her. There are so many things to do in Spain! Trekking the GR11 on the Pyrenées, kitesurfing in Tarifa, learning how to surf in Cadiz or riding serious waves in Donosti and of course, hiking up some sleepy volcanoes in my hometown! You could spend months exploring the nature of Spain, and remember, in some areas, it doesn’t really get cold, so you can visit all year round!

A whole in the wall

Barcelona is packed with tourist but the rest of Spain is waiting for people to visit. If you are looking for the authentic Spain, jump on a train, bus or rent a car, stop in a little town get a coffe at the town bar with all the old man playing cards, stay at a luxurious Paradero Nacional and in the morning go to the farmer’s market. Maria will plan the perfect trip for you.
If you are into the cultural stuff, she will prepare the perfect route for you. If you are into music, get ready to enjoy Spain’s best. And if you jus twant to chill, well, Spain is in the south of Europe after all! (did I just say that?)

Who's that girl?

She is a girl with really good taste. She is a city girl with a love for the outdoors so she is the perfect mix to advice about both worlds. Maria has travelled around the world so she understands what different cultures and different people are looking for when they go on holidays. Get ready to eat well if you contact her!

How does it work?

Basically you contact her and decide if you want:

• 7 day consultation: while you plan your dream trip to Spain, she helps you. During 7 days your will get her advice, including where to go, what to see and consultation of overall flow.
• Premium Travel Plan: where she plans your trip to Spain so you can visit Spain on a tailored itinerary just for you.

Contact via http://www.spainatyourpace.com/

Follow her on Facebook Spain at your pace and Twitter @spainatyourpace

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Thoughts about Asia reminding me of my childhood

When 10 years ago and we were still in college, Robert told me that according to his economics book, Spain was a Second World Country. I didn't understand or agree with that until I came to Asia.

I must say that right now Spain is considered a First World Country and Robert's book was very old. Well, now we are considered a First World Country, but we will see how long that lasts...

Where do I see that Spain was a Second World Country while I was growing up?

I was talking to a friend from Australia older than me and I was sure she was going to tell me that Asia reminded her of her childhood years and she was very categoric about it "No, my childhood was in the suburbs. Everything was very sanitized and structured. No, Asia does not remind me of anything I have seen before". Then I went to talk to some other people from north american countries, most of them in their 50s and 60s and they agreed, their childhood was nothing like Asia.
I can't wait to go to the US and talk to the people who are 70 to see if they lived something similar to me! So would that mean that the way people lived in the US 60 years ago is the same that I  lived in Spain 20 years ago?! Fascinating!

Does the difference depend on if you come from a small town or from a big city?

Obviously not, the difference is on how developed your area is, but coming from a big city or a small town might make a difference.

I think the answer might be "yes" in Europe but "no" in North America or Australia where nobody lives in big cities and people live in the suburbs, and suburbs look pretty similar if they are from a small towns or from a big city. All the things that remind me of Asia are related to memories from my grandparent's town but hardly anything from my life in a small flat downtown or later on in the suburbs. The suburbs give us a feeling of small town no matter where we are. Maybe the difference comes on how long it took for the suburbs to arrive to your country. The suburbs are the key when we are talking about middle class people like me or the people I normally hang out with.

I am trying to think about some friends my age from bigger cities in the north of Spain and I have no idea if they share this idea of Asia, maybe you can tell me what you think? What about people in Latin America?

Here's the series of posts about the subject:
Everything is under construction and there are lots of flowers
Sun drying food and stone tables 
Poorly paved roads and reusing stuff 
Excitement




*About the photo: Thanks Max for the photo! Those pineapples where good!!!! :-D
This kind fruit shop can be seen today in many south-east asian countries but is no longer common in Spain.

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On how Asia reminds me of my childhood: Excitement

Cycling around Asia is a great way to see the real life. You can go on an organized tour or you can go by yourself, most of the places are very safe and people are extremly curious about you.

When you cycle in small towns kids get extremely excited. Here's some of the situations:

• Moms with babies waiving at you, starting to teach the kid to say "Hello"
• Kids so little they don't even know what to do, they just stare at you with their mouth wide open.
• If you look at the front yard of the house, you might see little kids going to get their big brother because they want to go by the road and say hello to you.
• Kids screaming "Hello", "What is your name?", "Wellcome to Malaysia!".
• Kids picking up their old rusty bikes and racing you.
• Shy girls smilling at you and waiving from their bikes.
• Teenagers getting out of school and trying to block your way or do stupid things.
• And the most painfull but also the best, High fives! Yes, high fives are back.

When I was little every summer there was a race going on and they would go through my grandparent's house. We would be waiting for them for hourss, to see the cyclist, to cheer at them and to get the beach balls and other merchandising that they were giving away.

Going through the little villages and hearing the kids with their "hello, hello" made me think of what I looked like when I was little.


The picture that ilustrates this post was taken by somebody I don't remember with Max's camera during our trip from Saigon to Hanoi in Vietnam.

Here's other reasons why Asia reminds me of my childhood:
Everything is under construction and there are lots of flowers
Sun drying food and stone tables 
Poorly paved roads and reusing stuff

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Cantando bajo la lluvia (spoiler)

Aquí una canción más llena de alegría. Además esta viene con subtítulos. Cuidado si no has visto la peli, tiene spoiler:

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Cantant sota la pluja

Fa poc vaig tornar a veure "Cantant sota la pluja" i la vaig trobar molt més encantadora del que recordava. Aquí us poso algunes raons explicant per què us recomano revisar aquesta pel.lícula:

• Gene Kelly: Fixeu-vos com balla, sobretot el moment en que puja a una farola, sembla que voli! O potser portava un fil enganxat...
• Ànims: és una pel.lícula que anima. Fa uns dies parlava amb una amiga que s'ha quedat sense feina i li vaig recomanar veure aquesta peli. Parla d'un sector en crisi i de com el personatge principal es reinventa per poder seguir en la professió. Perfecte pels moments actuals!
• Esperança: el guió és alegre i ple d'esperança sense caure en la superficialitat.
• Divertida: passes una bona estona.
• Intel.ligent: pels amants del cinema és una bona il.lustració del pas del mut al sonor.

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Let's destroy everything!!!

When I go to my parent's house I like to go for a long bike ride in the country. My favourite part is in La Vall d'en Bas (Bas' Valley), it is the most quiet and peaceful place around there, only the bad smell of some cows bothers you there. Against everybody, the authorities decided to build a highway there and according to the experts they designed it in the worst way possible. On Friday this road started beign visible from the valley and tomorrow I am going to go for a bike ride and I cannot help to get my eyes full of angry tears because that place will become another valley with a highway, just like so many others and we will have destroyed the quietness, the peacullness of the place. Now that my hometown doesn't have any industries the only solution to survive was the tourism but who will visit that place is it is just another valley with a highway in the middle? Why don't we think before doing things? This case makes me particularly angry because the authorities decided without taking the neighbours opinion into account. The neighbours chained themselfs in the machinery and protested everyweekend for a long time but nobody listened to them. How is that possible?
Well, tomorrow I will go for my bike ride and I will feel stupid and angry, then I will go vote. Funny, isn't it?

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¡Este sábado!

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El meu domicili en permuta

Fa un parell de mesos una noia va venir a fer fotos a la casa i a medir els espais. Llavors, els artistes interessats van enviar les seves propostes d'interacció amb els nostres espais.

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Hello Stranger

Llevo años llorando en sitios públicos. He llorado en la calle, en un autobus, en la andana, dentro de un vagon, esperando el verde de un semáforo, en el aeropuerto, en la estación, en un ascensor, y hasta que ayer no lloré apoyada a una pared, nadie nunca me había preguntado si necesitaba algo. Lloré tan fuerte que esa chica morenita con el ipod a todo volumen me oyo, y ella se acercó a mi para ver si necesitava algo. Desde aquí muchas gracias estraña. Agradezco que me tocaras el brazo y me hicieras levantar la cabeza, aunque solo fuera para mirar quien me estaba "molestando" en tan íntimo momento. Al levantar la cabeza vi que había mundo, gente en la calle, nueves en el cielo, respire poco a poco para que pudieras entenderme cuando hablava y me calmé. Te dije que estaría bien, y que no te preocuparas, que gracias y de verdad de agradezco tu gesto. MUCHAS GRACIAS CHICA ESTRAÑA CON CARPETA DE LA AUTONOMA.

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Pictures from Robert's Party

Pictures from Robert's Party or Crazy Hair Party.

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