Adventure Accounting

SUN.  HEAT. BURN.  SCORCH. Do not underestimate the heat. Even if I hail from the sunny tropical country of the Philippines, I’ve only experience up to 38 degrees C. Seville’s hottest was at 42. It was just four degrees higher but felt like so much more. On a good note, the heat is just that – heat. In the Philippines, the heat comes with humidity. No shade to hide I got tanned in Seville.   I had an umbrella with me but I just couldn’t take the heat anymore. I caved in and bought a folding souvernir umbrella which costs €9,50. There's the umbrella. Had to get it out of the way for this photo. Taaaaaaaan! Red-orange it is! Food is a lot cheaper compared to Madrid and Barcelona. A centrally located hostel can serve as a refuge for travelers during the hottest hours of the day. When I decided to take a break from roaming around, I went back to the hostel and found that all of my roommates are there – seeking relief ...

Seville is a pretty walkable city. I chose Hostel Trotamundos for its location, and I was able to book a room without a downpayment. I took a cab from Seville Santa Justa station going to the hostel – cost around € 7. The hostel is also accessible by bus, but I didn't feel like walking a lot at that time - I was getting tired from the heat and the whole trip. Read: Nakakatamad.   The hostel was just average for me. Stayed here for three nights. A bed in a female dorm with 6 beds costs €16 – with breakfast! Really cheap dorms in Andalucia. Tripadvisor reviews says that the rooms and big and spacious. I don't know where the big and spacious rooms are but it is not Room #10. I found the room was actually quite stuffy, just average size, but kept clean.   The nice thing about the room is having airconditioning. It can get really hot in Seville during the afternoon so going back to the hostel for some afternoon siesta in an airconditioned room is...

Food in not-so-major cities are way better.  A set lunch in a restaurant in one of the side streets cost me €8,95. Relatively inexpensive, I would say. And very tasty too. This is their version of Adobo. I don’t know if this is authentic enough or what. It tastes like paella and lacks the soy sauce flavor. Then again, soy sauce is an Asian thing. The desert is some sort of sweet sticky white rice. Like kakanin-ish. I didn't like it. I didn’t have the energy to go out for dinner during my first night in Seville. The travel stress and homesickness caught up with me. I shopped for some supplies for both snacks and dinner (the loot cost €7,25) and ordered chicken wings at Mc Donald’s €1,90. I assembled my meal at the hostel. Sometimes, you just gotta let the tiredness win over finding the perfect food. simple "home-made" dinner

I had a blast with the sunset tour and the morning-lunch tour . I was willing to give my money and time for the Flamenco show. Initially, I did not want to watch one because I felt that it was too touristy. Something like the Aspara show in Cambodia – something nice to do do but you can skip it. I learned that most of the people in the tour were thinking of joining so we kinda felt that we already did two tours together, why not do another one? Our tour guide gave the name and address of the bar. We showed up there are the required time and someone took us to the alleys of Seville to a small bar. The bar was pretty small and it kinda reeked of alcohol and smoke (well it was a bar, I reckon). There was a small stage and monobloc chairs was set-up for the audience. It took a long time before the performers arrived – we waited for an hour, I think. The flamenco originated from the Andalucia region of Spain, specifically in Seville – as I learned from the morning-lun...

Here's another photo-packed blog entry. I arrived in my hostel around 3:00PM. Settled my stuff, got some maps and headed out to the neighborhood to explore the place. I stepped outside the quaint street of Seville. It was hot. I know that’s a pretty lame description of the place, but at that time, that’s the most memorable attribute I remembered.    A leaning building   I included Seville because I basically followed the itinerary suggested in Why Go Spain (I used the same guide when I planned the Italy leg of my EU I trip). Seville is an architectural delight to the eyes. I knew that immediately when I explored the streets.   My main issue now (aside from surviving the scorching weather) is asking someone to take my photo. I’ve had a travel buddy for two weeks so I was able to explicitly direct and review my shots.   This wasn't the angle I wanted. But I had limited options. After a long late lunch and a trip to the g...

The train from Madrid to Granada costs €20,50 and takes 4.5 hours. The ride had picturesque views, so don’t sleep all the way. I booked via the Renfe website after I got my Schengen Visa from Spain.  Sights The Mirador de San Nicolas is the best viewpoint intown . Since it is a viewpoint, it is located somewhere above ground level, which means you have to walk uphill all the way there. Be prepared walking under the sun, bring water and sunglasses, and don’t expect to find a lot of toilets along the way. Expect to somehow get lost on your way up there.   I strolled around the streets of Albayzin after my late lunch when I arrived. 

I’ve learned how to streamline my hostel selection process . As long as the hostel is safe and centrally located, I will consider it. Granada Backpackers was an easy choice because of the raves in Tripadvisor.    Awesome place to hang-out I stayed in a 6-bed female form for two nights - Cost per night is €20,99. Beds are cheap in the not-so-city areas of Spain.    The apartment had a kitchen. This is actually awesome for a family.  

Two weeks in Spain is bound to take a toll on your digestive tract. The meat made me bloated. Ugh. Since I was doing Granada alone, I had no food adviser with me and I had to scout around and order stuff for myself. Granada is one town where you order your drink, and the tapas come along with the drink, for free! I did my homework. The hostel did not suggest any specific place to try. Now, the thing to note is that some placed are closed during daytime (and their daytime is until 7PM during the summer). I tried to find a #1 restaurant in Tripadvisor fully determined to try our their cuisine but I found their place closed at 7PM, they open for dinner at 9PM. Being a slave to my appetite, I settled for a Burger King instead. Hindi ko na kaya maghintay ng two hours. Hindi ako nagtatrabaho para magutom no. Dinner at Burger King € 3,95. I enjoyed eating all those greens. After more than a week of sampling meat, my intestines can use something healthy.  I ordered t...

Alhambra is a palace fortress located in the region of Andalusia, Spain. Alhambra is the reason why tourists flock Granada. I learned about Granada from one of the Europe threads in Pinoyexchange. Reading forums is one of my primary sources of adventure planning. I purchased tickets right after I was granted the Schengen visa by the Embassy of Spai n. I bought tickets using this website . There are two types of tickets: the day ticket and the night ticket. Due to the popularity of the Alhambra, I got both: The day ticket costs € 14.30 while the night ticket costs € 9.30.     Buying the Alhambra tickets requires you to plan your trip on the day of the visit. The Alhambra grounds are vast and it requires hours of walking to go around - you have to plan how to explore this. The most visited and “revered” part of the palace is the Nasrid Palce or Palacios Nazaries. Due to the volume of the tourists, the Nasrid Palace limits the entry of its visitors to 300 per ...

I had an entire afternoon and more than six more hours of daylight when I arrived in Granada. Granada a 4.5-hour train ride from Madrid. I had to ride a bus going to the town center and locate my hostel – cost €1.70. Riding the bus was easy, getting off the proper station was easy, but I had a bit of trouble trying to find the street. Granada Backpackers is located in Padre Alcover, a short walk away from Puerta Real. I wanted to climb in bed and rest for a bit but it was too hot and the sun shining is just beckoning and calling me not to waste the day indoors. After getting acquainted with a couple of house rules, I grabbed a map and searched for a decent restaurant. The guy at the reception recommended that there are nice restaurants all around but none in particular. I ended up in a Tripadvisor-stickered restaurant which was just “ok” for me – for €16.70. Basta may laman ang tiyan. I walked around to get a feel of the place before I enter the Alhamb...

Shopping in Madrid. I bought a lovely pair of brown boots from one of the shops around Palacio Royal. The pair costs €90. The purchase qualifies for a VAT refund so I requested for a form. The lady spoke limited English, she really struggled with explaining me how to claim the VAT refund at the airport. I tried shopping in Mango and Zara, the ever-so-popular clothing lines. I found their stuff still expensive. Sure, it is a tad cheaper if you buy in Europe vs. buying in the Philippines, but still expensive. I scored a faux leather jacket in Lefties for 20 euros.  

I chose the top-rated hostel in Tripadvisor at that time: U Hostel. A 4-bed dorm room, shared bathroom costs €21-23 per night, depending if it is a weekday or a weekend.      The hostel has this bright lobby that welcomes guests. Our rooms were not yet ready when we arrived so we left our luggage and got some lunch first.   It comes with a small amount of breakfast. You can upgrade to a full breakfast for and additional (€3, I think) but don’t bother. You can go get your breakfast somewhere else too.   We took the metro from Madrid P. Atocha station. Some metro exits have no lifts. Bummer. Have patience. Sometimes, the lobby is so full of that you have to patiently wait for your turn to talk to the receptionists. They were always very kind and accommodating with our requests and questions. There was a lady who recommended us really good restaurants around the area. The floor had six shower stalls, six toilet sta...