Egypt

Well,

all is clear now. I’ll go diving in southern Egypt, to Marsa Alam, a resort by teh Red Sea. Apparently, it is a nice dive spot. We are flying from Budapest on the 17h of November and back next week. Which means I will spend my 30th birthday in Africa. Last year, I spent my 29th birthday in the Coral Sea in Australia. Diving as well. It is getting a nice habit.

It also means I’ll have to fly from Barcelona to Budapest. Which will give me a chance to visit Hungary. Never been there. I’ll spend some days in Budapest to check out the ciy and some nightlife. I rely on Mr Goudale (this is, my friend Lorinc) for that.

Another side-effect of this trip to Hungary and Egypt is that I will have a stamp from every continent in my passport. Africa (Egypt), America (US, Mexico), Asia (Singapore, Japan), Europe (hope I get stamped in Hungary – I’ll have to fly to Russia otherwise) and Oceania (Australia). Sort of cool. Most trips have been for leisure and some (Japan, US) for work.

So this is it. Looking forward to go to Africa.

Columbus Day

Hi there,

this year, October 12th (Spain’s National day, aka Columbus day) falls on a Friday. Which means I have a 3 day week-end. The plan is to go sailing with some workmates (10 people overall, including my manager’s manager). I am the skipper.

We have a Bavaria 50 Cruiser, the NEW DREAM which is located in Aiguadolç, in Sitges. It is the first time I skip such a big boat. Actually, it is the first time I skip for more than one day. The other times I have been sailing for a few days, another guy was the skipper. So, planning was sort of an experience.

Besides people hesitating on whether to come or not, getting the boat was a nightmare. I could have had a 36 ft (hosts 8 ) boat for 750€, but there was 9 of us. Including 2 who had joined at the last moment. So, at the very last moment, I had to get a bigger boat. I got it at cursosdenautica.com, for quite a good price. The same I had at Yates BCN, by the way. I guess these companies just do brokerage.

Second, I realized I needed to do some paperwork to skip a boat with a length over 12m (40 ft). I hate dealing with government offices, but they were quite efficient and I got it done quite rapidly. Though I only got it on Wednesday (we are leaving on Friday). And I had already paid for the boat. Ack !

Third, change of plans. Original idea was to leave on Thursday night and sail till Columbretes (about 95 nm), get there by Friday afternoon / evening and spend the night moored there. Spend Saturday there (main island can be visited with a ranger) and sail back the same afternoon. So, two night sails and a good night sleep moored inside the main island ring. However, there are two drawbacks:

1. my crew are not very experienced, so doing night shifts might be risky. I can very easily end up not sleeping at all.
2. because of boat insurance reasons, we are not allowed to leave harbor till Friday (even if it’s at midnight).

Given the shape of the island, I am, by no means, not willing to get there without daylight. So, the only viable option is to leave Friday morning (this way, crew will have had a good sleep and I can train them with daylight for a night shift) and try to get to the island by Saturday at sunrise and spend the day there before we sail back on that same afternoon. A sporty plan. I seriously doubt we can make it.

However, my biggest worry is the weather. October is a particularly tricky month: weather changes rapidly, often there are gales and there is what is called “gota fría”, this is a polar (very cold) air mass trapped inside a tropical (warm) air mass. This contrast creates very intense weather phenomena, with usually lead to heavy rain, winds and, often a gale. Well, there is one now (36 hours before take-off).

Forecast is that this storm will be heading South. Just were I intended to sail to. After the storm, we’ll have virtually no wind, but a strong swell. Horrible. I think I will have to re-think the whole plan. Maybe instead of going to Columbretes, I’ll have to completely change plans and sail North to the Costa Brava, where weather will possibly be calmer.

We’ll see. Will decide Friday morning. Will let you know.

Egyiptom

This year, I haven’t done any summer holidays. I am essentially planning to visit my friends in Normandy in mid-September. Also, a friend of mine was proposing to go to Egypt in October for some diving in the Red Sea. Today, he’s emailed me the potential plans. In Hungarian.

Hungarian is a curious language. Unlike most other European languages, it is not from Indo-European family, but from Uralic (like Finnish or Estonian). All that, to say, in short, that I didn’t understand a single thing in the mail (serious, absolutely no word I could guess the meaning). I only understand the name of the places and the cost (thousands of forints). Hey, after all, as a Catalan, I am supposed to be tight-fisted.

So, options in the Red Sea are: Sharm-el-Sheikh (a classic), Hurghada or a place-whose-name-in-Hungarian-is-unknown-to-me. Will see what it gives.

In the meantime, I’ll get myself a glass of Tokaji while I think on the goulash I’ll enjoy if I fly from Budapest. Yum.

PS: Now that I think of it. Tokaji in Hungary, calvados and pommeau in Normandy. Why the hell can’t I bring some bottles of those in the plane back home ? Bloody EUrules.

No ETA !!

Shit,

I knew I was forgetting something. Aussies are different from the rest of the world. They cannot grant me a tourist visa as I arrive down under. I need to apply for it before arriving into Australia.

Luckily, the have the ETA (which stands for Electronic Travel Authorization) for non-rogue country people. Country discimination it’s a long tradition in immigration and Australia is no exception. I hope I will be able to get the ETA in 30” as they claim in the DIMA website. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait in Singapore

Quin cap ! Quin cap !

D-5

Mmm, I feel like I should write something this week. Just 117 hours to go.

I am too tired today. It’s monday and last week was a weird one. I had my normand friends visiting me, which included those cute (and, somtimes noisy) babys.

So now I am busy doing all the house-keeping, cleaning linen and washing all the stuff i want to take there. I also have to start packing my diving computer. Seems that weather in Cairns will be nice and sunny. Yep, gotta buy my flight there !!

Desde Tokyo con dolor

Hola,

estoy por esos mundos de Dios cortesía de los que me pagan religiosamente a final de mes. Cruzar el mundo para 3 días de trabajo tiene narices. Y un coste exhorbitante (5.000 €, ¡ cágate lorito !).

Bueno, pues que pese a ir en bisnes, no dormí nada. Los sillones de AF no son camas (esa web miente), sino tablas inclinadas que te echan hacia abajo. Y servidor tiene la costumbre de dormir sobre la derecha, costado cuya rodilla tiene tendinitis crónica. Bien, la rodilla ha aguantado todo el peso para evitar que me cayera. Resultado: he acabado en la enfermería de casa del cliente con hielo (bueno, un apósito japonés que enfría la zona donde está amén de aplicar calmante).

Bueno, a lo que iba, que ya tengo alojamiento para la primera noche que es el punto crítico cuando viajo con la mochila a la espalda. Natalie y su compi de piso se han ofrecido cortesmente a alojarme. Incluso me ha dicho que es capaz de hacer la cena algun dia ! Tremendo.

Natalie es una chica neozelandesa (bueno, creo que ahora es australiana ya) de padres indios y que era compañera de piso de un amigo gribaltareño cuando yo vivi en Asutralia. Hispanic-pogüer !

Pos eso, que ahora solo me queda comprar el billete al norte y meter el bañador y la máscara en la mochila.

Muriendome de ganas de ir ya

Nada, sólo para dar un poco de envidia a los submarinistas:

Con estos animalicos espero celebrar mi cumple en unos días. Ya necesito largarme y tomar yo mismo estas fotos. Esto de pillarlas de una web del parque nacional es cutre con ganas.

El viaje

¡ Ya ! Tengo los billetes en mi inbox (iba a decir en la mano, pero habrá que cambiar esa frase). el periplo será de campeonato:

• 11/11: KLM, Barcelona – Amsterdam – Singapur.
• 12/11 (espero llegar): Qantas, Singapur – Sydney, con escala de madrugada en Denpassar (Bali).
• 7/12: Qantas, Sydney – Singapur, con escala en Adelaida.
• 7/12: Air France, Singapur – París
• 8/12, a una hora indecente de la madrugada: Air France, París – Barcelona.

Si a esto le sumamos alguna escapada interna por Australia (p.ej., un Sydney – Cairns o un Sydney – Hobart, sí como la regata), creo que voy a tener que gastarme el sueldo del año próximo en compensar mis emisiones (se van a verter más de 5 toneladas de CO2 a la atmosfera con mi billete).

Afortunadamente, no voy con BA que, gracias al caos que es Heatrow en este momento, ha decidido suspender la nueva política de restricción de equipajes. Vamos, que me puedo llevar la mochila y el material de buceo sin pagar sobrepeso (prometo dejar los plomos en casa, eso sí).