José Yanguas' personal webpage and travelblog

Tarifa and kitesurfing

2007-05-22T15:15:00.000+02:00

I just got back from a 4-day trip to Tarifa (sorry, no pictures this time) and I remember the same trip I did last year and the video I tried to create with the images of that trip.

A year later, I've decided to uploaded in YouTube, and place it also in my abandoned blog. Let me know what you think.

12 and counting! And new professional venture...

2006-12-06T11:24:00.000+01:00

Well, another Photo of the Day. I know it's all I write about lately, but to be honest I'm quite busy on my latest business venture (more at the end).

This picture is titled "Shades", and was taken in the coloruful streets of Singapore's Chinatown. Check it out at ImageStation here.

Well, regarding my new venture, I'm now very busy looking for the appropriate site to open the fist My Gym in Spain (Corporate site, Spanish temporary site). My sister is joining me in this adventure, so that's really helping, but we have so many things to do and prepare that I get stressed just by thinking of them.

I would like to tell you more about this (and about past trips) in the future, but lets me honest. I now by now I've lost all your confidence on my ability to keep a blog when I'm not in the road, and I don't blame you.

But keep trying, believe me. It's just that life home and working is not half as exciting as when you're travelling, and there's not much to tell.

I hope all of you are good and happy. And drop me a line from time to time to let me know what you're up to.

Ciao!

And one more! 11th Photo of the Day

2006-11-13T10:21:00.000+01:00

This picture of the golden figures of Bangkok's Golden Palace has been the new Photo of the Day at ImageStation. I hope you like it! I titled it "Clones".

10th Photo of the Day!!

2006-10-10T20:45:00.000+02:00

Finally, after almost 8 months without a single triumph, one of my summer photographs has been selected Photo of the Day today by Sony's ImageStation!
If you're curious, its title is "Masts" and you can see it at ImageStation here. Let me know what you think.

I know I'm being very lazy with my blog lately, but it's all due to too many (boring) things going on and too little time to write.

My "after summer" resolution is to write at least one short post a week, starting next month. You have my word.

¡Hasta pronto!

What would the name of your favorite olive oil be?

2006-09-02T00:48:00.000+02:00

I know, I know, it's an unsual question, but let me tell you the story.

After years dedicated to the harvest of olive trees to produce some of the finest olive oil in Andalusia, my family (well, truly it was all my brother's idea) has decided to move one step forward and create a brand of our own. Starting next year, we will produce a small amount of bottles with our best olive oil, aimed mainly for the outside market.

We spent several days discussing what name to give to this very special product, but I finally decided that since it will be people like you who buy it, it should be people like you who name it. So there you go, a great opportunity to leave a little mark in history. And of course, if we choose the name you propose, you will receive a set of bottles of our olive oil as a gift.

Just to give you an idea of what we're looking for, we would like a name that sounds genuinally Spanish (or at least Mediterranean), but that is easy to pronounce and/or remember in other languages. A name that communicates the quality of a home-grown product. Our olive oil is made of the slightly spicy Picual olive variety, the one with the highest levels of antioxidants and some of the best nutritional values.

I'm very exited about this new project, especialy since it involves something that's been part of my family for generations and what is one of the healthiest natural products available. So, tell me what you think and... Give it a name! :)

My blogs re-organized

2006-09-02T00:44:00.000+02:00

Well, as you may have noticed, I have re-organized both my blogs. No big changes, though. I simply left all my Round-the-World related posts on the other blog, and everything since I came back on this one. Nevertheless, you can visit the blog and the photos directly from this blog as before (use the links on the right).

I must also appologize for not having written in so long. Lack of interesting stories to tell and too much time devoted to my future projects are to blame for that. However, I promise you a nice post about my summer. You have my word ;)

Tarifa, 3 years later!!

2006-05-04T23:09:00.000+02:00

Almost 3 years have gone by since the last time I went to Tarifa, probably the best spot in Europe for windsurfing and kitesurfing. 3 years without practicing my favorite sport, except for that one time in Cairns where I managed to find a place that rented kitesurf equipment.

For those of you that haven't been there, Tarifa should be on your "Must visit" if you ever come to Spain. First of all, is located in one of those few areas in the Spanish coast that has not been overdeveloped; in fact, most of it is surprisingly wild. Second of all, the view of Africa accross the Straight of Gibraltar, so close but yet so far, will keep you staring at the horizon for hours. Third of all, and I'm not a big fan of that, Tarifa has become a sort of continental Ibiza: chill-out bars, design restaurants and lots of good looking people walking around; coming to Tarifa and not having a taste of its nightlife would be considered a sin by many. And lastly, what put Tarifa on the spot to begin with and what brings me there every time: windsurfing and kitesurfing! I can't think of any place in the world where you will be able to enjoy the spectacle of hundreds of colorful kites sailing the see and thousands more occupying every spot in the sand waiting for their owners to launch me. If it were only to watch that unique landscape it would be worth it to come to Tarifa.

This time I went with my girlfriend María, although we hanged out with quite a few friends from Madrid (or not from Madrid, but still pretended they were) that had the same idea as me. It as a 4-day weekend in Madrid and a great opportunity to run for the beach.

The Eastern wind in Tarifa is well known for its strength and gusty conditions, and that's what we had for 3 days (not ideal for someone lacking years of practice, as myself). However, the Eastern wind was quite mellow this time, so I could enjoy 3 days of kitesurfing with my medium-size kite. However, the wind was very gusty which made everything not so enjoyable.

María decided to take a course, and she did quite well, especially considering the adverse condition for beginners and how crowded the beach was (with Eastern winds, only the smaller Valdevaqueros beach is appropriate for kitesurfing, and everyone crowds over there). She managed to play with the kite in the sand, do some body-dragging in the water and get a 3rd degree sunburn when she decided that no sun block was needed in Southern Spain. How she came to that conclusion is way beyond my understanding, but the fact was that sitting next to her was like lying next to a fireplace.

Other than kitesurfing, we did the usual stuff. Dining out, the casual drink and, my favorite and very critizised activity, people watching. And now, back in Madrid recovering from the hang-over of being away from the sea again.

In a few days I hope to post a message on my trip to Rome. But as those of you that have been following my blogs know, that will have to wait.

And, please, don't be shy and send my your comments. I look forward to reading them!

And 9th Photo of the Day

2006-02-25T19:25:00.000+01:00

For those of you that don't know what this is about, ImageStation (Sony's digital photography website) selects every day the best Photo of the Day among hundreds of candidates, most of which are excellent pictures. That's why being chosen Photo of the Day is such a big deal for me :)

Anyway, this new one is a B&W image from the Sky Bridge of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur that was not included in the original album (it is now). Enjoy it!

One more Photo of the Day

2006-02-16T11:35:00.000+01:00

Number 8. This time is one from Central Park, in New York, and one of my favorites. I hope you like it.

Segovia and its Roman Aqueduct

2006-02-12T18:34:00.000+01:00

Just a brief message to introduce a new set of pictures to you. This time Segovia, and lovely little town Northwest of Madrid which has what I think is the only intact Roman Aqueduct in the world. Just keep in mind that this aqueduct is over 2,000 years old and that no mortar or concrete (or anything other than their own weight, for that matter) is used to hold the whole thing together. Just unbelievable!

The town also has a lovely cathedran and one of the best preserved Middle Ages castles in Spain. Certainly a mandatory visit if you come to central Spain.

I went there with María, my Catalan friends Laia, Borja and Pablo and Laia's friend from Valencia, Chus.

I also included in the album some pictures "stolen" from Borja, as those of the show at "La Cripta Mágica" (The Magic Crypt, a place with amazing magic performances where María was taken on stage and Chus almost collapsed thinking she could be next), the one with his brand new car (we took pictures next to it at the car dealer; I know, very uncool, but it was my only chance of ever being seen next to such a nice convertible) or the ones having dinner at Mosaiq, a very nice Marroquian restaurant.

Next pictures will be of my visit to Rome beginning of March, the city where my father was born and a place I've longed to visit for many many years. Stay tuned!

Time to show you my own country ;)

2006-01-30T14:43:00.000+01:00

Hello again, my dear friends. And happy 2006!!

Well, since I'm unfortunately not able to travel anymore, I've decided to share with you my two last one-day excursions to the outskirts of Madrid that I hope you will enjoy. The first one is to the beautiful old town of Pedraza, on the province of Segovia. A very common weekend getaway for "madrileños" and a must for roasted-lamb lovers. The second one is a short trek (I'm really out of shape) along the Roman Paved Road near Cercedilla, on the Northern mountains of Madrid. Let me know what you think.

You will see that I'm now using Kodak Gallery Spain for the pictures, that will allow those of you living in Spain to order copies of the pictures if you want. Let me know which web you like better, Kodak or ImageStation.

Well, that's all for now. I'm still (slowly) working on my projects, so when any of them is ready I'll let you know. I hope all of you are fine and working on your future trips.

By the way, you can now reach me on Skype (jyanguas) or on the MSN Messenger (with my regular email). Look me up and perhaps we can have a little talk ;)

Take care!

¡¡FELIZ NAVIDAD Y AÚN MÁS FELIZ 2006!!

2005-12-28T18:01:00.000+01:00

Or Merry Christmas and a very Happy 2006!!

I know, I know, I owe you this for a long time, but I just didn't find the time to update my pictures and my stories. Well, at least most of you have recently received a loooong email describing the end of my RTW trip (if you haven't it's because I don't have your current email, so send it to me).

Last time I wrote you I was in Southern California, waiting for my Sony Studios tour, which, by the way, turned out to be very enjoyable, although I was not allowed to take pictures. I found especialy interesting to discover that the backdrops used in current movies are still painted by hand!! Imagine that! And if you saw it in a movie you would have never guessed it was a paiting. This is Hollywood.

Anyway, I spent my last day in California with my good friend Mariana, who is expecting her second kid. She showed me some of the things happening in Los Angeles for kids and I got a few good ideas for business I may be trying in Spain. So stay tuned.

Then I flew to Vegas, where I met Jorge and the bachelor party crowd, which included his ex-boss Mike, an ex-client (Todd), two friends from San Antonio (Miguel and Julián) and the only one, besides me, who ventured to come all the way from Spain (Jesús) for this, well... slightly "deceiving" event.

Let's admit it, we're not young party animals anymore, but a little more partying and craziness wouldn't have hurt this event. I'm not saying we didn't have fun: we played golf, went to a cliché girls bar, played blackjack (even some people played craps, the dice game you see in all movies), wondered clueless along the casinos, spent $350 on a bottle of wine,... Yes, lots of fun! But I guess my taste of fun has simply changed over the years.

Anyway, it was fun to have a last party with Jorge before he got married (although he was already married, but that's another story) and the everybody in the group was great and funny (dull, but great people :) And Las Vegas is always a place worth visiting, with its out-of-this-world hotels, its shows, its atmosphere,... It's the biggest amusement park in the world. The whole city is just a huge, life-size amusement park.

But, as those of you who have been reading this know, what I truly enjoy is exploring places on my own. So, since public transportation is out of the question in the US, I rented a car (which on the other hand is so much cheaper than anywhere in the world) and headed for a 1,000 mile loop that would cross Arizona from side to side, all the way to Eastern Utah and back to Vegas.

I crossed the Hoover Dam (the reason why Vegas is Vegas, since all the electricity is produced there) at night and slept at some road motel at Williams. It took me a while to find an unexpensive place that was open, but then I realized I had changed the time backwards instead of forwards when I entered Arizona, and it was truly 1:30 am. No wonder the motel owner didn't seem very pleased to see me.

I tried to wake up early to see the sun rise at the Grand Canyon, but I was just too tired to make it. I still managed to arrive there early in the morning, and the view, even though it was my third time there, was breath-taking. This is just an incredible place that no matter how many times I see it, it still amazes me. I can't help to think of the face of the Spaniard García Cárdenas when he saw this place for the first time.

I stopped at several view points to enjoy the view from different angles, but had to forget about trekking the Canyon, as I wanted to arrive at Monument Valley for sunset and that was several hundred miles away.

Driving in Arizona is a very rewarding experience. It reminds me a lot of the Australian Red Desert, but unlike there, the landscape here changes constantly. Canyons, gorges, mountains, colorful rocks,... all pass next to your window as you cross the straight empty roads that cover this state. It was very hard for me trying not to stop at every corner to take pictures, but today it was a race against time.

I finally arrived in Kayenta, in the middle of the Navajo Nation (almost like a country on its own, run by the extremely friendly Navajos), and enjoyed a wonderful sunset surrounded by the rocks of what I thought was the beginning of Monument Valley but, as I found out later, was not.

The next day I visited Monument Valley, who truly stood up to my very high expectations. You probably have seen this place in countless Westerners or commercials, but seeing this formations raise in front of you under a perfect blue sky is incredible. I drove around the valley, taking my time to enjoy it, and finally ran into a group that was much slower than I: a van full of what seemed to be professional photgraphers (they had good cameras and tripods) that spent at least 30 minutes in every spot.

Then, I started my trip back to Vegas. I was around 500 km. away, it was midday and I had to arrive in time for my plane. What a challenge, specially considering the many tentations I found along my way to stop, walk or simply take pictures. What a shame I didn't have 5 more days to do this trip!! But after what I saw, I definitely want to go back in the future.

I was hoping to visit Zion National Park in Utah, but it was getting too dark and decided to go around it. But what seemed like a short detour in the map, ended up being a one and a half hour detour along a mountain road that climbed to almost 3,000 meters!!! Not fun when you have to catch an airplane in a different state in a couple hours.

Anyway, I managed to arrive in time for my airplane, as I didn't get lost (as I always do when I'm late) and luckily, Nevada speed limits are higher than they used to (and so was my personal speed limit). The down side was that I didn't get to enjoy the view on Highway 15 from Utah to Vegas, which, even though it was dark, look absolutely spectacular.

I took my red-eye flight (it's call that because in 4 hours you hardly get any sleep) to JFK, and jumped in the subway as soon as I arrived early the next morning. I always wanted to visit New York and, specificaly, Central Park in Autumn, and I truly enjoyed the experience. I visited Ground Zero, which I found very moving, remembering the tragedy that occurred there 4 years ago. And then, I just wandered around Central Park until it was time to go back to the airport. I really like New York. I don't know if I would like to live there, but the more I visit it the more I like it.

So, second night spent on a plane. I arrived in Madrid, dumped half of my luggage and hurried back to the airport to fly to Geneva, where I was meeting my mom for 4 days on her favorite country. We stayed at the lovely village of St. Maurice, in the Swiss Valais, and visited the beautiful town of Gruyère, where the famous cheese is made and where we enjoyed an absolutely delicious fondue. The following day, we went to the wonderful skiing village of Les Diablerets, stopping before for a little walk along the Lac Léman at the posh Montreaux. We went up to the glacier at 3,000 meters to enjoy the view, and then simply strolled by this lovely wooden village.

My mom and I hand't travelled together in years and we really enjoyed this four days we spent together. The temperature was freezing in Switzerland, but on the other hand, we were given beautiful weather and blue skies, something not so common this time of the year.

And that was it. I came back to Madrid and started working on my future project, that hopefully will allow me to make ends meet before my cash completely runs out.

So, as I said at the beginning, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope that 2006 is as good to you as these last two years have been to me. Probably the best years of my life.

Take care, my friends, and be happy. Oh, and remember to visit my last album, since all the selected pictures are available online.

¡¡FELIZ NAVIDAD, AMIGOS!!

It never rains in Southern California...

2005-11-09T22:30:00.000+01:00

Yeah, right!! Here I am taking a break on my sightseeing in Los Angeles because it is raining like in good old Seattle.

So, while I wait for my Sony Studios tour at 14:30, I thought I'd let you know a little bit of what I've been doing.

I ended my loop around North Cascades (that last day didn't rain), and then returned the car in Seattle. The forcast for the next day was heavy rains, and there's no point on paying for a car if the sightseeing is going to be miserable.

So, as the weather forcast was right (as usual in this country), I spent the next day walking around Seattle, visting the Aquarium and enjoying the famous Coffee Places. If I have time later I'll tell you a little annecdote of my visit to a Starbuck's Café.

Then I flew to LA, landing ontime but waiting 1 hour (yes, 60 minutes) for them to assign us a gate, as they were all taken. I know it sounds like a joke, but United has this lovely feature of letting you listen to the pilot's radio communications with your headphones, so I know that's exactly what LAX Ground Control told our guy. Anyway, those are the kind of things that I just don't get about this city.

But other than that, I've really reconciled myself with this place, which I was not a big fan of when I lived here. Other than the social attitudes of a large percentage of the population, the city is great: nice weather (except today), infinite beaches where to run, bicycle, surf or play volleyball, full of the type of gadget shopping that I love, delicious multicultural restaurants everywhere,... even the grey downtown are is not full of life and interesting new modern buildings that have nothing to envy Bilbao's Guggenheim. Everything here is the American way: easy, cheap and accesible.

So, I visited the houses where I used to live (one of them destroyed to build condos and the other one open, so I could walk inside!), walked and swam on the beach, went to a USC footbal game (where the Trojans kicked Stanford's butt), visit with good old friends and had a great time.

As I usually say, and almost never do, I'll try to write extended stories later. In the meantime, you can enjoy some of the pictures from my trip. I still have to upload half of them, but at least you get to see a little of Washington State.

Take care!

The Cascade Loop...and SEVENTH photo of the day!

2005-11-03T07:24:00.000+01:00

Well, here I am back in Seattle after a quite frustrating 3-day long trip along the Cascade Loop, near the Canadian frontier. Frustrating because the weather has been terrible (well, something I'm getting used to after my South America trip) and because I couldn't do the hikes I had planned. But let's start from the beginning.

I left monday morning (Halloween), rented a "compact car" (which in America translates into a huge Toyota Camry with enough room for 5 adults my size AND all their luggage) and headed North, to the little city Everett. For most people there is not interest whatsoever in going there, but being a absolute lover of airplanes it's a mandatory stop for me.

For those of you who don't know, Everett is where Boeing builds all its wide-body airplanes: 747, 767, 777 and the future 787. The building itself is supposed to be the largest one (in volume) in the world and whether or not that's true, I'll tell you its quite impressive. And seeing how the huge 747s are put together I must say it's been one of the highlights of this trip (yes, I don't expect you to understand). There were 5 747 being built at that time, all of them cargo and all of them for Asian companies, in case any of you would like to take any conclusions. On average, it takes from 6 to 8 months to build one of these monsters.

After Everett, I decided to start the Cascade Loop (a 400+ mile loop around and into one of Washington's most remarkable National Parks) clockwise, so me and my car jumped in a ferry heading for Clinton (not the ex-president, but a city in Whidbey Island. The terrible weather didn't help make things better, but I must confess I found this island completely dull and uninteresting, except for the quite dramatic Deception Pass State Park on the Northern end, which houses what is claimed to be Americas's first suspension bridge. Unfortunately, I spent too much time exploring the featureless spots on the rest of the island and when I arrived at Deception Pass it was almost night time (after the time change, there's no light up here after 5).

So, took a few tripod pictures and headed East looking for an unexpensive place to sleep, which was a typical motel just off Interstate 5 that claimed to be the Best Value Accomodation. I wouldn't go that far, but the place was quite decent.

The next day was supposed to be the star of the trip, covering the very acclaimed Route 20 across the Northern Cascades National Park. And as it could not be otherwise, it was raining as hell. As the news said that night, it had been one of the wettest days in Washington (and believe me, to bear that honor in this state, that means a looooot of water). I didn't see the sky or the sun until the scenic part of the route was over, it was almost night time and I was looking for a new place to spend the night.

It's been great to be back in the States to meet again all those things that I adore about this country and that I had almost forgotten after the continuous US bashing that I had to endure in Europe and else where: the extremely friendly and helpful people, how easy it is to do anything you want here, all the different types of food available, the fact that no matter where you go you will be served something delicious, unexpensive and, most importantly, in BIG PORTIONS (and not the ridiculouly pretencious minuscule ones we get in Europe). Unfortunately, just as sure as getting deliciuos food is the fact that it will be extremely unhealthy. Even when Americans try to prepare something "lite" and digestive, it looks heavy and fattening. Oh well, can't have it all!

Anyway, if you wondered why I listed all the things I loved about the States, it is because I'm gonna do a little bashing myself. I must say that the ranger service of the Washington National Park is certainly not the best I've seen. There are 2 ranger stations at the Northern Cascades Park (probably the most important in the State), but one of them is closed until the summer and the other one is only open on the weekends. And they don't even provide a map outside, where you could orientate yourself and find the hikes you want to do. Very deceiving!

Anyway, as you probably have guessed, that meant that I could not find the trek I had been recommended. As I found afterwards, the reason was that to go to the starting point you have to take a detour BEFORE entering the park. But of course, that information was listed nowhere!

I was very angry about missing the trek, since hiking had been my main goal in coming to Washington (I haven't done any since I returned from my RTW trip about 4 months ago). And the shitty weather, with non-stop rain, wind and temperatures as low as -1 Celcius at Rainy Pass (it was snowing so heavily that at one point I doubted that my car would make it to the top of the pass) didn't contribute to improve my humor.

So, after not doing the trek, enduring Alaskan winter conditions and missing all the nice views due to the weather, I decided to head for Wenatchee, the largest town East of the park, on the edge of the Columbia river, where I figured out accomodation would cheaper. And I was right: for little more than 2 nights in an 8-bed dorm in my hostel in Seattle I got my own room, with its own toilet, cable TV, Wi-Fi and an indoor swimming pool and hottub. Not bad, although I arrived too tired to enjoy most of the amenities.

As I am right now, so I think I'll go to sleep and perhaps tell you the rest tomorrow.

Just one thing: one more picture was selected by Image Station as Photo of the Day. And it's the SEVENTH!! Not bad, although it's an unusual one. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Sleepless in Seattle

2005-10-30T20:29:00.000+01:00

Well, perhaps the correct tittle would be "Oversleeping in Seattle" but hey, no one has made a movie with this tittle yet. The thing is that the jetlag (10 hours with the end of Daylight Saving Time) is truly becoming harder than usual to bear.

Anyway, for those of you who are suprised to find out that I'm again on the road, don't panick. This is a 2 and a half trip to the States I planned so I could attend one of my friends' bachelor party in Vegas. And no, I don't think it will be the type of bachelor party most of you (dirty minds!) are imagining in Viva Las Vegas. But anyway, until I get there it will be pure guessing.

Right now I'm in Seattle, enjoying the wireless LAN provided by my hostel (you can tell I'm now in the very 1st world). This is a wonderful city, that reminds me a little bit of Sydney because it is also situated in a beautiful natural harbor, it has a wonderful ferry service that can take you lots of places and people are very nice and approachable. However, the similarities stop there. Seattle's weather is really British (rain, rain and rain), it's (or at least looks) a lot smaller than Sydney and it lacks the spectacular beauty that Sydney can brag about.

The city is a lovely place to live in. Small enough to walk almost anywhere, with a pretty good public transportation system (something unheard of in the Western USA) and with lots of lovely coffee shops and restaurants along the streets. But other than that, not much to do or see in the city.

I spent this weekend from a good ol' friend from my days as an exchange student in Visalia (California), who drove up here from Portland. We didn't do much (eat, sleep and talk), but it was great to catch up with him. He's one of those rare persons that is truely genuine, meaning that no matter how long it's been since we last saw each other it looks like it was yesterday.

Anyway, after visiting most of Seattle's highlights (including the Smith Tower, a lovely ferry trip to Bainbridge Island and the absolutely excellend Museum of Flight) my plan tomorrow is renting a car and doing a little loop around and into the North Cascades National Parks, claimed to be one of the most beautiful areas in the State.

Well, that's it so far. I'll try to write my few impressions about the park if a manage to get an internet connection (which should be fairly easy in this country). I will also try to post some pictures, when I have the chance.

Cheers!

Sixth Photo of the Day

2005-10-22T16:21:00.000+02:00

This one is from Chile. I hope you like it!

New Pictures

2005-10-11T12:30:00.000+02:00

Again, just a brief comment to let you know that the Thailand album is now complete and that I included a new one with the pictures of my trip back home, with two stop overs in Hong Kong and London. Enjoy them!

Welcome to my new webpage!

2005-10-11T12:29:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone, and welcome to my new webpage! Since the previous one was initially created to keep you updated on my adventures when travelling around the world, I've decided to create a new one tailored to my current (sedentary) situation. You can still visit my old travel log at http://elgranviaje.blogspot.com/.

You will be able to comment my posts, send your own and the messages will be more attractive as I will be able to insert photos on them.

Well, I'm very excited about these new changes, so I hope you enjoy them. Remember now you can tell me if you don't :)