I AM A PILOT!

Today I have flown a plane for the first time in my life!!! Stapleford Aerodrome. One hour flight around the Thames estuary and the east of England... Flight Instructor Paddy took off and leveled the Piper Warrior and then gave me the controls... It is fantastic, up and down, and left and right... it is the most powerful drug... Paddy did some steep turns, we felt the G-force on our brains -and estomach- and wheightlessness when engine stalled and went down quick... memorable... forever thank you Paddy!

First lesson: how to get in the plane! Angela being all strapped in.

Flight Instructor Paddy

Mustard Fields

GOOD NEWS - BAD NEWS - UNA DE CAL - UNA D´ARENA

It was not meant to be... Barça was defeated today by Inter Milán. After a good game in Milán, Inter had to ensure it had a robust defence. And they did, and even with one less player, Barça was unable to score the two goals it needed to classify for the Champions Final to be held in Madrid.

No ha pogut ser!


But summer is here. Nice hot weather in the UK and everyone is out! Beer by the river!







Juanvi has moved to Ealing... further away from me but closer to London´s party scene! Congratulations J on your new home... and thanks for the first pizza evening!

April has been a busy month, with lots of news that made me feel down followed by other news that made me happy. Strange month. Such is life!

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SHIFT

THE DAY(S) EUROPE STOOD STILL

No Air Traffic over Central-Northern Europe.

Heathrow: closed. Charles de Gaulle: closed.

Frankfurt: closed. Schiphol: closed. Zurich: closed...

friends stuck in Johannesburg, in Rio, in Barcelona, in London, in Frankfurt... some back on the buses, just like the old days, others will just have to wait...

MONTGROS

This pic is taken at the top of one of the rocks at Montserrat. Montgròs. Unforgetable hiking. Especially on the way down, trapped on difficult points, run out of water so drank from strings and finally made it home at 7pm for lunch! Crazy!

Fantastic views, if you look on the horizon you can see the sun light reflecting on the Mediterranean Sea.

-.-

View on the way up... hometown Igualada in the distance...

And this is me taking a rest. The tall rock at the back, uphill from the antenna, was the destination I was aiming for, Sant Jeroni, but gosh it would have meant going all the way back down and up again... Next time!

-.-

IRINA - 2 MONTHS!

BALI MOMENTS

BALI MOMENTS: The official picture. This one goes to the wooden frame.




BALI MOMENTS: KU DÉ TA. Oscar´s last supper. Went to my favourite Ku Dé Ta. Felt somewhat sick though! Lunch wasn´t very good that day and I suffered. The orchids in the men´s restroom aren´t probably too impressed...

BALI MOMENTS: HOME. This is home in Bali. Nice little hotel. 4 rooms with a pool in the middle. Sorrounded by plants and Budah´s. Typical balinese home.

BALI MOMENTS: RETURN AT DARK. Every night. After the bars, always made it home in the dark. Every night. This is coming in Puri Wimpy. Home.

BALI MOMENTS: NYEPI. The NYEPI festival is once a year. After the Ogoh Ogoh monster is killed, peace returns to the island. Balinese celebrate with a day of silence, fasting and self-meditation. Nobody is allowed to do nothing. Even tourists are not exempt and must stay in their hotels. The airport is closed. You are not allowed out. Lights are not allowed on. It´s a quiet time to spend at home with your family. Candle light dinner and candle light swim. We witnessed the best night sky. We witnessed the silence.

BALI MOMENTS: SUNSET. Beautiful sunset every day can be seen at the beach. This one is from the balcony sunset bar at Anantara Resort and Spa...

BALI MOMENTS: PARTY. Almost every night was a great night! Below some pics with Andy and the australian girl who spoke spanish: "Estoy borracha! Como se va a mi casa?"

BALI MOMENTS: AJIB. Dancing on the table!

BALI MOMENTS: THE MYSTERY OF THE HEINEKEN that Jordi found in the bathroom... How did it get there? Who brought it there? ...

BALI MOMENTS: The Ghost in the bedroom!:

BALI FRIENDS:

BALI FRIENDS: LEE SAMUEL. One of the waiters at Mixwell, he is a part-time metrosexual model!

BALI FRIENDS: FENDI. He is a go go dancer! We met last year having lunch at Egi´s.

BALI FRIENDS: Eeeeeeeeh! REESAL. Speaks perfect spanish!

BALI FRIENDS: JITO. aka ORZOWEI. He wants to be a personal trainer. He can!

BALI FRIENDS: DEWA: by night, by day, and by the swimming pool:

BALI FRIENDS: ARDIN. aka ARDILLA. Lives in Paris now!

BALI FRIENDS: eeeh don´t know this one!

BALI FRIENDS: The other waiter. He invited us to two rounds on our last night... and the rest I can´t possibly tell!

BALI FRIENDS: The gorgeous motorbiker, aka MUSTAFA, he looks kind of arabic. Nice pic!

BALI FRIENDS: My new girlfriend!

BALI FRIENDS: AJIB. aka the musician. He is a singer. A very good singer!

BALI FRIENDS: ALAN. aka the one with the bandage on his arm:

BALI FRIENDS: ANGGA. The Hotel Supervisor. Good host he invited us round at Bali Mystic. Thank you for the beers!

BACK TO REALITY

Bali is over. I am back. Posting some pics soon.

BYE FAMILY!

OFF TO BALI FOR TWO WEEKS!!

VANCOUVER 2010

This is my favourite moment of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
K D Lang sings "Hallelluyah" - Opening Ceremony