FAVORITE PLACES ON EARTH 1

Far de San Sebastia-Costa Brava-Catalunya

On the 24th of May 2007, not even a year ago I got a card... It said I shouldnt worry because soon once again we would be living in the same city again. We both have lived in Prague,Buenos Aires,Barcelona and The Hague... How then could the future "separate" us? It has only been 11 months, and tommorrow you are moving to Paris. There are things I cant even believe. We didnt even plan it out. WoW. Next Destination?

Unconfortable Views - Help Falun Gong Practicians!

Which medal for human rights???

"By giving Pekin the chance to organize the games, you will contribute to the development of human rights"( Liu Jungmin, vice president of the comitee to presente the Pekin Candidature for the 2008 Olympic Games, April 2001)

"When China was chosen to host the Olympic Games, the authorities of the country promised to improve the situation of human rights. Now that the time of the olympic flame is getting closer, serious worries still exist" Iren Khan, General Secretary of Amnesty International.


Downtown Paris a campaign was taking place today by Amnesty International to sak for human rights in China. I listend for 30 minutes to a speaker who was explaining her story and how she was tortured for being a practician of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a traditional chinese meditiation method, which helps to harmonise the spirit and the body.Falun Gong practicians are tortured to get their organs and sell them. From a lung costing 150,000 Euros to the pancreas for 45,000 Euros. Falun Gong practicians are victims of the chinese communist party as the number of practicias is larger than the number of members who support the communist chinese party (according to a survey of the chinese goverment in 98). In addittion the chinese goverment applies a policy of unique thought, which goes against that of Falun Gong- Truth-Bonté-Tolerance. In 1999 Jian Zemin launched a plan to eradicate the Falun Gong practician in 3 months. Due to the failure of the plan in 2002 there was a new order to kill the practicians. There are at least 36 secret extermination camps used for the trafic of organs. More than 500 000 people are being tortured and deported to "forced work camps".

The woman talked how she was taken three times, how they put liquids into her, threw freezing water on her. All her friends and family where also blamed for her acts, thus her husband was told that he would never get a promotion at work as a consequence of her actions -practicing Falun Gong- His work collegues told him it would be better to get rid of her. She went to a place where they brain washed her, and she survived as she told them her name and she was forced to help "the policemen" torture other practicians. Finally her husband was able to "get rid" of her by somehow (didnt fully understand it) sending her to France. It was the exchange, she was going to leave him alone he was sending her to France.

For more info:

www.infofalungong.net
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/end-persection-falun-gong-practitioner

FREE TIBET

Let me be more precise than the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), this person in the picture is not "a Tibetan monk and riot police", but this is Wangchen a long time family friend and the rest are the Mossos d'Esquadra (catalan policeman) at ,as the SMH states, a rally in Barcelona last week.

I've been at the casa del tibet (house of tibet) in Barcelona a few times, ive been with tibetan monks in dhramsala, India and its hard to believe how people so calm as Tibetan's are being submitted to such a cultural oppression. I've seen the DalaiLama and I have heard two of his conferences. I dont think ive ever heard such wise words and logical spiritual sense from anybody than from him. Chinese persons spy on the house of tibet in Barcelona often to know what is going on. And in fact nothing on goes on there but the difussion of the Tibetan culture. Is that a crime?

Its good to take the opportunity of the olympic games to make more sound for the cause of Tibetan Freedom. However, is this a reason to boycott the olympic games? Is there a relationship with the 17 year old girl that has spend the past 11 years of her life training to beat a world record or get a golden medal with the life of a tibetan monk that has been supressed of its freedom and culture since 1949? I dont know, I dont want to destroy the dreams of the girl, but I dont want to accept cultural suppression either. The tibetans have accepted to be part of China, they dont even ask for independance but for autonomy. Are representatives of world countries trully going to go to the opening of the games? That will be shamefull. How can we accept that China has human rights with the country exploiting all its workers, and banning all connections with the exterior? I remember in Beijing seeing all the embassies with double electrical fences so that nobody would jump into them and ask for assilium. That represents freedom?

Shouldnt the international olympic comitee have a look at the levels of human rights in a country before giving them the opportunity to host some Olympic games? Its been long since I have thought that China should not deserve to be hosting the Olympic games.

I hope you get to hear the DalaiLama one day or other.

Chartres

Southwest of Paris lies Chartres, the place where I spend the first and last day of my easter holidays. I was able to escape from the city for only 18 euros retour to visit a gigantic and magnificent cathedral which stands out from a long distance. There is not much to visit in the town besides narrow alleys, a tranquil town atmosphere and plenty of restaurants. Of course the city has also been conquered by the McDonald's, place at which we had our lunch. Later we headed into the church, to which we managed to arrived without beeing too wet. With special lighting that illuminated all the details of the hand crafted rocks that build the church we walked thorugh all the corners of the church. A small concert also took place in the cathedral and we refuged there from the rain for about an hour. Later we took a small strall around the town and missed our train by a couple minutes, having to wait for 1 hour while drinking a nice warm coffee with a typicall french pain au chocolat.

foto by me. Chartres 25.03.08.France

I have to thank all the tourists for staying at Paris,Versailles and Disneyland during the weekend and not following me to Chartres. I tend to take a stroll through the city everyweekend and I have never heard as much spanish as I have this weekend. Im specifically refering to the spanish/catalan, if it wasnt for the eiffel tower I would have thought I was in Spain. At least in Chartres the easter celebrations were not inundated by too many tourists. On my way back I shared the train with a lot of people who were together with me traveling back to Paris to start another week at work. Many of them carring their luggages full of (i assume) cloths for the rest of the week-- until they get to go back home.

My day did have a couple of incidents. Although I had planned to catch the train to Chartres on time as in the stop at Versailles my friends were meant to jump on the same train I almost missed it. First I got lost in one of my multiple metro connections. Later once in the station, the machine was not willing to sell me a ticket to the city. After 10 minutes of queue the person who sells the tickets did not understand that I wanted a two way ticket. So, I had to just buy a one way ticket. I ran and jumped in the train, walked down four wagons to find a nice seat (4 minutes before departure) . At that moment I realized I had forgotten to stamp my ticket. I got off, ran all the way to the beggining of the station,stamped it, jumped on the first open door and heard the messages "ladies and genteleman this is the train in direction Chartres, the train is closing its doors". Relief.

Le Refuge des Fondus à Paris

Last nite I discovered a very fun restaurant in Montmatre, right by the metro Abbesses. Cheap food, loud/familiar/young ambiance, Le Refuge des Fondus offers only 1 menu for 17 euros. You start with a tray of starters (olives,potatoes,peppers,cheese,ham etc) and later continue with a meet or cheese fondue. For 2 extra euros you can get a dessert ( a lemon icecream goes perfect after having eaten an entire cheese fondue). And you even get a small alcoholic drink with your startes. What differentiates this restaurant from others is that your wine be it red or white is served in "baby bottles". The place is small and has space for only two large tables of around 20 people each. So to get to the other side of the table you have no option than to jump over the table. Definately recommendable to go with a group, relax and have fun.

17, rue des 3 Frères 75018 Paris

Tel.0142552265

Today I have painted the eye of my Daruma. Daruma are japanese dolls, which serve as a sign of determination. In fact you make a wish and you fill the right eye of the doll. Once the wish is accomplished you fill in the left eye of the doll. You can buy them in various sizes although they tend to be red, but ive seen white ones too. Technically you buy them in a temple and then you can bring it to be burned in the temple once your wish has been fullfilled. Mine is from Kyoto, bought it last summer. So, I guess now that not only my wish must be fullfilled but I will also have to go back to Japan. Hoping that within a while I can fill the other eye of my precious Kyoto Daruma.

What to do on a Saturday morning with a sunny sky?
First sleep in till late :-)
Have a nice breakfast and go for a walk. I took my camera to see if I could get some nice shoots, but at the end I only ended up with 10 which werent even that great. Sacré-Coeur, I like the place, you get a view of the city. But, what can I say? I stood there remembering the view of Prague from the Prague Castle, and i think that the view of Prague just cant be beated. Prague has magic in its streets and from the views of the "eiffel tower" (Petrin tower) and the Castle, which cant really be beated by the Sacré-Coeur. Also the tourists at Sacré-Coeur drove me nuts. It had been a while since I hadnt mingled through all those cameras, kids running and maps (although I was caring one myself, but well hidden). Shouts "mira que bonito" " siamo a parigi" " gehen wir" " mooi...leuuk" enough! I took the funicular to which I had access with my orange card (monthly train ticket) and went down the hill. I wonder why they put that funicular, afterall its such a short ride. I guess in case you got leg problems. The funicular was packed with dutch people. Felt good to actaully understand what they were saying, and I wondered if they missed their bikes :D It made me want to get the Thalys and get off at Den Haag HS, afterall I see the thalys everymorning when I pass with the metro by Paris Noord.
So, its time for a change. Ive been told this for the past 22 years, well maybe for the last 13 years... "you have to do some sport" and although I have taken action lots of time, i really hadnt in the past years. The situation is getting a bit out of hand with doctors telling me " its obvious you havent done any sport" and with my neck and back hurting too much. So I went and signed up to the gym. Its going to be hard to keep up with it, i know myself too well. Not only do I not like the gym but I dont like to do sport. ISP Volleyball was probably the highest point in my sport carrer, our tournament in Vienna to which we lost, but the trainings were still fun cuz we had our banana power and the best setters in the team :-) How im meant to keep up with the gym I sitll dont know. It will be a matter of relating it to the trip, I need to loose 20kg if I want to go on my trip. That should be the goal! :-)

What do YOU do on the weekends?

BARCELONA

I és que just estava pensant que volia ficar una foto d aquesta nit i d aquests tres personatges...sobretot de la senyora Itxotien o com se suposi que es diu hehehehe perque em va fer gracia coneixela. Doncs, vaig al pq_vull i em trobo la foto! Doncs mira "copiar"...."pegar" Com és que sempre que vinc a BCN em presenteu a nous individus??? Aquest cop però n hi van haver hi molts, nuria, geo, i Genis!! Ja sabeu que podeu comptar amb mi, encara que sigui per obrir portes a les 4 de la matinada :P

Time Flew - Good bye HEC

I have had this blog abandoned for too long! Too Too long... I left it on my way to Australia for Xmas...

--Had an amazing time in Sydney!
--Then came the trip back to Paris!
--Interviews and more interviews!
--The end of studies at HEC!
--Leaving my room in the HEC residence!
--The finding of an internship!
--The hectic search for an appartment!
--Two trips to Spain!

All this happened in 8 weeks, not to say the less quite a stressfull time! To which I could have dedicated a 10 page explanation of the cause of stress and its moments, but well, I completely forgot I even owned this blog! As you see im a true journalist....

But now, im fully installed in my new little 11m2 studio in Paris, working on the week but enjoying my weekends in the city and trying to discover this city more and more. And ladies and gentlemen I got an idea, im going to go on a trip!! To reply to what one of you has told me "you have seen it all" NO I HAVENT! I still havent been to the african continent, I still have a lot of countries in Asia that I want to see, there is still that part of me that wants to take the transiberian train, I still want to go to RapaNui(easter island) .... so the truth is that while I will live the moment in Paris I have decided to start planning a trip. A trip that will take place once I have graduated from university. Hopefully march 2009, in the worst case june 2009. The planned itinerary for now would be Paris-Buenos Aires-Easter Island-Sydney-South of India-Nepal-Tibet-Bhutan-Burma-Inner China (yunnan province)- back to Europe by transiberian... but god knows, this is nothing more than a rough itineary. And for now im all on my own, so if anybody wants to join you are more than welcome...Dates are also unsettled but the plan would be to start in April 2009 and the return date to be no early than September 2009, maybe October. Who knows! Just wait for me to do a bit of research and you will soon be seeing more names in that list :D So here beggins another adventure, the one of planning the next trip!!

I havent forgotten xiximundis, im back on track! Take Care Mates! Im leaving you with the picture of my HEC Marketing Class!