Taiwan, capital: Taipei

Papa has to work on Monday & Tuesday from Taipei so mama and I joined him on Friday or the trip and we are spending the weekend in Taiwan.

The first thing that surprised me is how hot it is... like in the middle of summer ! 25 degrees and a bit humid too... how is it possible? after all we are not that far from Shanghai and at home I am still wearing my warm winter clothes!

We arrived to the hotel very quickly and then I was ready to go to bed and load energy for the next day. Guess what... we had a full agenda!

On Saturday we started the day with a very nice breakfast at the hotel. I was a bit confused in the begining because as everybody was saying "Ni Hao" to me and people were having soup & nuddles for breakfast I thought we were still in China. But as it looks like... it is not the case.

Well, some people think it is... and some other think is not.... quite confusing but the important thing is that I think I am going to have a very nice weekend and that I am going to like Taipei a lot !

First stop: National Palace Museum. It is one of the biggest museums in the world and has many nice Chinese things: furniture, paintings, ceramic,...

We joined the morning english tour and a very nice lady explained to us that most of it is the personal collection of ancient Chinese emperors. Actually, looks like a guy called Chiang Kai-shek took the things out of China and brought them to Taiwan. You see? I told you it was a touchy topic :-)

In any case, we had a lot of fun at the musem and really enjoyed the visit, specially the jade cabbage (even if I dont understand why someone would want to have a cabbage in his living room).

Ah ! and the visit to the children part of the museum was also very cool... guess who managed to get a picture taken posing like a little emperor? well.. after all.. I am el "Rey de la casa"!

After that we went for a stroll around Taipei East, the modern part of the city. Is a very nice area with many new buildings and shops. The nicest one is Taipei 101, the tallest building in the worls till 2007.

Just in the entrance of the building we found this nice "Love" sculpture (think I had seen it before in New York?) so I asked my parents if we could take a family picture there. After all... I "Love" them so much !!!!

Tomorrow I will tell you more about the trip we did today around the old city. But now I am going to bed because tomorrow we are flying back to Shanghai in the morning and I am really tired. Buenas noches !

About Sunday picnics

One of the advantages of living so close to Century Park is that we go there often for walks. Shelly takes me there during the week and I play with a lot of other children and, then, on the weekends, mom, dad and I go for long walks around the lake.

Yesterday we did something different: a picnic!

And not any kind of picnic.... a picnic with my new friends Alba & Adriana !

So mom and Chupi (Alba & Adriana's mom) prepared some yummy food and off we went to enjoy a beautiful and sunny Sunday at the park. And we also made some local friends !


Here you have a picture of us with the traditional blanket. We are already having dessert but let me make you all a bit jealous and tell you about the tortilla de patata, the esparragos con jamon and the ensalada de pasta.... mmmmm !

My friend Alba also had a lot of fun trying her new roller blades. I think they are a bit big for me right now (and pink) so I will wait till next summer and then maybe we can go and roller blade together !

And now, I can also take the chance and introduce you to Adriana, Alba's sister.

Isn't she cute? she is still a baby so couldn't play all that much with Alba and I but I love hugging her and giving her kisses.

And I think mom likes her too a lot ! Mmmm, have to confess that I was a bit jealous when mom was holding her but then I realized that not for that she likes me less so I went ahead and gave them both a BIG hug :-)

Ohhh.... vacation is over !

I know my report comes a bit delayed but, even if I am already an experienced traveler, I needed a couple of days to recover from the trip back home.

Last Friday was our last day in Malaysia so we started the day early with a nice walk on the beach. We have been doing that every morning so I wanted to take the chance and say bye to the sea, to the palm trees, to the shells, to the little crabs,...

Then we took a plane to Kuala Lumpur and, as our flight back to Shanghai didn't leave until very late, we took a train and spent the day in the city.

First we went to do some shopping. My parents bought a very nice traditional Malay cloth to hang on the wall and then mom sneaked out to buy some trousers. Dad said something like "but you already have 500 trousers !!! (or were handbags? probably both....)" but I have to say that I think she is going to look very pretty in those :-)

And then we met some friends of us: Nita and her lovely family. It was the first time I met them and then mom explained that they are very good friends of auntie Farisha and uncle Michael... and that they got to know Nita during their wedding.

I am very happy that we could meet because I liked them very much, specially Ines, the daughter. She is very pretty and even though she was a bit shy I think she liked me too.

In the afternoon we went to the KLCC park and stopped over to make some pictures of the Petronas Towers and also to have some merienda. I didn't want to eat much though because my teeth were hurting a lot and I was a bit cranky (well, maybe more than a bit).

After that we went for dinner to a very nice and traditional Malay restaurant. I was not allowed to try the curries (maybe next time) but I had a lot of fun when they played some traditional music and danced with local costumes. Actually, I had so much fun that I totally forgot about my teeth and danced a lot.

Then we got to the airport and had to stay there for a looooong time till we got on the plane. It was OK because I slept like a baby in my stroller but, still, I was very tired and needed some rest and extra cuddles to recover.

Now that we are in Shanghai, I will miss my walks on the beach and the nice weather but I am happy to be back home and... show off my lovely tan !

Queridos abuelitos

... este blog os lo dedico a vosotros.

Estos dias lo estoy pasando muy bien en la playa con mama y papa. Estamos descansando mucho y todos los dias damos largos paseos por la playa. Tambien disfruto mucho jugando en la arena con mis palas y el cubo ... ademas, despues de la sesion de juego se que me espera un buen chapuzon en el mar porque, segun mama,... me pongo como una croqueta !!!

Otra cosa que me gusta mucho la hora de la merienda porque, ahora que ya soy un chico grande, ya me dejan comer cosas ricas. Veis? ayer me comi un croisant yo solo !!! mami solo queria darme un trocito pero como soy muy rapido yo me cogi todo el croisant y me lo meti a la boca entero. Ahora que ya tengo dientecitos... a ver quien es el guapo que intenta quitarmelo je je je

Monkey business

I already mentioned that when you get to Langkawi you feel as if you were in the middle of the jungle but.... you can't imagine how true that is !

The guy at the reception had already warned us about the monkeys, saying that we should be careful to close all windows but I think we didn't take him too serious and, actually, I think I even heard mom say... "oh, monkeys, isn't that cute?"

Next morning, when we went for our daily early walk at the beach we saw several of them walking next to us. They looked so nice and even got real close so that we could take some pictures!

Now.... what would be our suprise when we got back from our walk and saw that... we had been MONKEY-ATTACKED !!! Looks like we had closed the balcony but not fully locked it so the little buggers made a total mess of the room...

They had opened the fridge, eaten our food, played with our clothes and even s**** on the floor !!!

It really looked as if a tornado had passed through our room.... and then mom & dad complain and say that I make a mess !!! they should really have a word with those monkeys :-) I hope they now realize that I am quite an angel.

So, as it looks like, the guy at the reception was quite right about the monkey business... and.... maybe after all the monkeys at the beach weren't really trying to be cute but just checking that we were clearing the way!

Later that day we went for another walk and, of course, guess what we found... more monkeys!

Look at this beautiful family,... don't you even think that they look a bit like us? maybe they were the same guys who stormed into our room and were just trying to make up by posing for us but, looking at them, they look so cute that I think I even don't mind if they ate all my Cheerios !

Finally...

I got my own computer !

Maybe my parents have understood my technical aptitudes.... or maybe they just rather I bang on my own computer instead of theirs.... but what matters is that now I am the proud owner of a nice little laptot that I can carry with me everywhere. In any case, I like my computer much better than theirs because mine has nice fancy colors while theirs is black and boring :-P

I still have to figure out how to install Skype but, in the meanwhile... I can already play with numbers, colors and guess the sound each animal does !

What I like most is that I can do it both in English and Spanish.... I will have to find one to practice my Chinese too :-)

A week in Langkawi

So, after a day in Kuala Lumpur we headed back to the airpot to catch a plane to Langkawi, our final destination.

I know that airports sound really boring for a lot of people but I have to say that I really like them because I always manage to find a lot of interesting people and have many adventures.

This time was specially nice because I think I found out what I want to be when I grow up: A CAPTAIN ! This time I didn't pilot the plane (after all I am still on vacation) but,... don't you think that the cap suits me really well? at least that what the crew I met at the restaurant thought !

And, after just one hour flight, we arrived in paradise: Langkawi.

There are a lot of people having vacation here in the island but I think that it still looks pretty wild... as if you are in the jungle. We are staying in a very nice hotel and the beach is just some steps away from our room.

Mom & dad are specially enjoying the food.... well, specially dad who eats Sate non-stop. But I think that's nothing new because mom has told me that last time they were in KL for uncle Michael and auntie Farisha's wedding... papa ate more than 40 sticks !!! can you believe that? I have to ask mom if they do sate potitos... I want to try that !!!

But what I enjoy the most is the water. Here is also very blue, like in Hainan, but... it is warm !

I really like that because I can go inside and stay there playing and swimming for a long while without getting cold.

And, as the water is so transparent, I can see the fishes and the little crabs while I swimm, isn't that nice?

I also enjoy going to the pool but I think I really like better the sea. Reminds me a bit to my time in Riazor, walking at the seafront with the abuelo and the abuela. Mmmm, yes, maybe I am a beach boy after all !

Malaysia, truly Asia

I know I am a bit delayed with my blog but, ey... that's vacation after all, right? anyway, I am back and I better start from the beginning because there is a lot to tell.

It all started, as always, with some packing duty or... better said, mom & dad trying to pack and me messing around a bit :-) I actually didn't know that they were taking me to such an amazing place... otherwise I would have certainly made much less trouble !

After 4 hours flight, and some delay due to heavy Chinese New Year airport traffic, we finally made it to Kuala Lumpur International Airport last Friday night February 13. It was very late and I was very tired so I allowed myself a bit of fuss to fish for cuddles and then I went straight to bed.

Next morning I was ready to rock Kuala Lumpur. Well, maybe just some R&B because it was so hot and humid that took me a while to recover my energy.

First stop: Masjid Jamek, a beautiful mosque in the middle of the city. Mom and dad had to change cloths to cover themselves up for respect to the muslim religion and then... off we went to walk around the area. It was very hot though and mom was having trouble with the scarf on her head so we didn't stay much and then we went to stroll different areas of the city?

Little India, Sultan Abdul Samad building and Central Market for some local handicrafts. Not that I enjoy much the shopping but have to say that I did welcome a bit of air conditioning.

Was a long day so when we returned back to the hotel I did enjoy chilling out a bit while I enjoyed the view of the most important landmark in the city: the Petronas Towers. I always thought that Jin Mao building in Shanghai was really impressive but you should see the Petronas... so pretty... and it is two of them !

After that we got ready to go for dinner with Apsara, a friends of mom & dad and her boyfriend. It was a lovely evening and I liked them very much but I was not feeling very well so we had to return early to the hotel. The reason? guess who will soon have three more teeth ! yes, well... you know? in Bilbao, when we do something... we do it big !

Meet Alba !

I really like my new friend Alba. She is a Spanish girl who has just moved into our building. Alba is 5 years old and her sister Adriana is 6 months old. Adriana is also very nice but she was having a nap when we took the picture so you will have to wait a bit more to meet her.

I am very happy about Alba and her family moving to our building. As we are so close we meet often to play. It is a lot of fun. For example, today we watched a cartoon together and then ate Cheerios on the sofa. Mom and Chupi (Alba's mom) were not very happy about that because I made a bit of a mess so I think it is the last time we will do that :-)

Adriana is also very nice and I love giving her hugs. She doesn't always like it but I think it is because she is very small so next time I will try and be more gentle, specially now that I am so strong.

I am sure you will see more of Alba, Adriana and her family in my blog. Now I am going to bed because tomorrow is a big day... Chinese New Year vacation is starting so mom, dad and I are flying to Malaysia for the week. Loads to pack ! Nite, nite...

I miss you

Dear daddy,

this post is for you. These days I am very busy walking around the house, helping mom pack for our vacation and playing with my new mobile but.... still...I just wanted to let you know that I miss you a lot.

Today I was looking for you under the pillow and felt a bit sad when I couldn't find you but then mom gave me a kiss and said that you would be back in just two days so I already feel much better. Then I put on my "Daddy Forever" T-shirt and took this nice picture for the blog so that you can see how I dream of you. Do you like it?

Mom says you are enjoying curries big time but that you also miss me a lot. Will you bring some for me in a tupper? I would love to try one !!!

Walking & screaming... or screaming & walking?

You may wonder why haven't I written much since my birthday but the fact is that I have been pretty busy. I mean... now that I am not a baby any more I spend a lot of time exploring around and trying new things so i have been kind of busy.

But, ... I am back ! and i am going to tell you (or even better, show you) everything about my latest two favorite discoveries: walking and screaming.

I started giving my first steps already a couple of days before my birthday and by now I am already rocking the whole house ! Walking is great. I can go anywhere I want and I can do it pretty fast, specially if there is an incentive (computer, cables, remote controls,...) Mom says that I look a bit like a little Frankenstein... I don't have a clue who the guy is but I am not sure I like that comparison. I think these days I am going to practice a lot so that i can run to hug my daddy when he comes back home on Friday after his trip.

And the second hobby.... is even more fun ! Well, it is not every day that you realize what a nice voice you have, do you? Now I do it a bit less often because I overheard mom and dad saying something about the neighbors not speaking to us anymore.... but I have to say that screaming is cool. Do you think I would have a future as an opera singer?

Daniel ahoy !

So, what do you think about my new boat? no, we haven't moved to a house-boat and haven't gone on vacation yet ... but, as I was a bit sad because dad had to go on a business trip to India and is not going to be home for a while, mom took me to a very cool place to cheer me up.

Loads of toys, a pool full of colorful balls, slides and... a big boat ! can't you think of a better plan for a Sunday? I still missed daddy a lot but at least I had a lot of fun climbing, sliding, jumping and, of course, sailing :-)

In the beginning I thought nobody would want to play with me because I was one of the small guys there... but everybody was very nice and I made a lot of friends !

By the end of the session I was totally exhausted but, still, I look forward to bringing dad once he is back so that I can take him for a ride in my boat.