Viaggi on nhaima

On living in the time zone

Sun, 23 Jul 2017 17:49:26 +0000

Here where I am, in Tokyo, it is evening — almost night.

Where you are there is still sun, and perhaps you are out somewhere eating an ice cream.

God, how I would love an ice cream right now — hazelnut and pistachio. And maybe some cream on top.

I really should be making dinner, but I have no desire to. I will smoke something, then sleep. Maybe, if Morpheus deigns to grant me the favour.

Perhaps first I will sink into the bath, water at 38 degrees to dissolve some of these thoughts.

The ofuro: something the Japanese cannot do without. It is more than a habit — it is an almost constant element of their daily life.

Today I needed to hear from you, but while I was trying to prise my eyes open after a somewhat sleepless night, you were going to bed, or perhaps already asleep. And who am I to interrupt your sleep? That precious moment of the day that I am beginning, a little, to forget what it feels like.

To tell the truth, I did pick up my phone, did open WhatsApp, was given a smile — but then I let it go.

I waited 8 hours.

7 time zones plus one. To give you at least enough time to get your coffee and realise a new day had begun; while mine was slowly drawing to a close.

I waited 8 hours.

8 hours imagining you awake and daydreaming about how you might have spent this last Sunday in May. Who knows what the weather is like where you live; I could find out in an instant, but I enjoy ignoring it and carrying on imagining.

Hints of everyday life

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 02:44:15 +0000

Interior, night. Room 503-A of the Akamonkai Nippori Ryo. It is the eve of the weekend and it all began only two weeks ago. It is raining; the wind has finally stopped chasing itself up the stairwell of this building, and I can now perceive almost every single sound — and silence — of the lives in these apartments.

The earth, however, is trembling. Light, constant, sometimes imperceptible; other times with more intention. It does so often, when you least expect it; and even though you know it will happen again, you never find yourself quite ready enough to go along with it.

Japan is like this — it trembles often — and little by little you get used to it; it is a bit like an uninvited friend who drops in unannounced every so often.

Though, to be honest, I do not know whether I will ever truly get used to it. But my days are slowly filling with habits and rituals, with a whole new everyday routine that I like, that makes me feel light, fresh, full of life, charged with an energy I had forgotten.

There is the 8:30 alarm for work, messages with the family who gets up early to go to the office and cannot wait to hear from me, and school that takes up most of my week. Then there is the 4:30 ritual — the phone call with the people I love, while I walk through the streets of Nippori towards the Main Campus library where my new classmates are waiting to study together; the walks around Yanaka, the shopping at Inageya, coffee for everyone on Sunday morning up on the terrace.

Bow to the East, course set for Tokyo

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 11:48:30 +0000

I do not know where to begin, so I will say it all in one breath: I am moving to Tokyo!

Yes, I made it! Those who know me a little will understand that this is practically a dream come true — and to tell the truth, I still cannot quite believe it entirely :D

I am in a very particular mix of feelings that are difficult to describe.

I am used to travelling alone and for long stretches — I have done so since I was young, since my school days — but this time it is quite different.

In the dimension of travel in which, for better or worse, I had always moved, I was at ease because I had no great worries; I knew with relative certainty when I would return, roughly what I would see and how I would get around; there was no fear or confusion, there was mainly excitement, joy, and a great deal of curiosity to visit and experience a new country and a culture unknown to me.

There was movement, however slow.

Now, by contrast, there is something entirely different, something opposite: there is “stability.” A stability that, even if temporary (perhaps — who knows), I am transplanting completely into another country.

Because in Tokyo I will go to school every day to study the Japanese language, I will have a home to share, a job, groceries to buy, bills to pay, a city to discover and friends to meet. In short, that “normal” life which, for better or worse, I have always led here in my hometown or in Ventotene during the diving season.

My Expo 2015 in 10 shots +1

Fri, 22 May 2015 11:05:41 +0000

10 shots +1 from my Expo these past few days.

For me, Expo was a genuine experience, a continuous journey through every country in the world.

With every step, the urge to set off instantly and explore each country grew stronger and stronger.

No practical tips, no mini-guides, no list of pavilions you ought to see — the only advice I feel I can give you is: go!

Go, visit it, lose yourself among the pavilions, the food stalls, the children’s games, the lawns to lie on.

It will take you around the world, covering at most 20 kilometres :)

Pavilion Zero

Pavilion Zero — World food prices

Ecuador Pavilion

Japan Pavilion

Japan Pavilion — Food, innovation and technology

Mexico Pavilion

Italy Pavilion

The Tree of Life — Piazza Italia

Weighing anchor. Or: on the great journey that now begins

Mon, 30 Mar 2015 16:44:52 +0000

I thought long and hard about how to frame this post (wordplay aside); what “tone” to give it, what kind of message I wanted to convey, and which words to use as an opening.

There are many thoughts in my head and many emotions inside me; I tried to shed light on which ones I wanted to put down in black and white for you, but, as always, when I think too hard about something, when I try to "box it in" within certain boundaries, I cannot find my way out.

My creativity, my natural inspiration, the inner flow of my thoughts, my emotions, my very life — they switch off and vanish.

And so today, my usual cup of tea in hand, all at once letting everything else I was doing go, I opened this blank page and started writing.

In my mind it is clear what I want to say, cutting to the chase without too many roundabout tales and digressions.

I am working on a new project — or rather, on my project.

A big, difficult, exciting project that I cannot wait to set in motion.

A project that is on one hand "hard-won" but deeply desired; a project that obviously entails a journey, a great journey.

And it could hardly be otherwise, given my nature as a tireless traveller — which I have, in truth, never quite managed to tell you about.

Often these journeys, these projects, spring from great changes or events that happen during a person's life; and in my case, it is a little like that too.

Back to basics: travelling India with a backpack

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 12:58:12 +0000

I have always travelled; it is the strongest memory I have from childhood. I travelled a great deal with my grandparents during my primary-school years: in June, once school was out, they would take me with them to Calabria and bring me back to Rome in September, just in time for the new school year.

I also travelled quite a bit with my parents, up to the age of about 15 or 16 — skiing holidays, weekends away, my first big trip to the United States for a month, and summer holidays down by the sea in Calabria.

But above all I travelled an enormous amount on my own. And I started doing so very early. I have always been a girl with a strong desire for independence, which my mother knows well; she will probably never forget the days and nights I put her through with worry, because at 17 I was already leaving home — once to Turin, once to Pescara, once to the Netherlands to attend a large international hackers’ gathering. And I always travelled very light: in my backpack I kept only the essentials, a book, a notebook, and my inseparable CD player (a tremendous must-have at the time). I did not even know what a suitcase or a trolley bag was. I kept on like that for years — on Saturdays, the moment school ended at one o’clock, I would run to the station to catch the train and reach all those people the internet had given me and whom I absolutely wanted to meet.

Nordic Bloggers' Experience

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 21:07:32 +0000

Sometimes, more than with words, I like to tell the story of a place through images. There are places you can barely begin to explain in words — their light, their colours, the emotions they stir in you.

Helsinki and Stockholm are certainly among them, and that is why I chose 10 photographs, taken by me, to give you a sense of what this wonderful week of the Nordic Bloggers’ Experience was for me. A special thank-you once again to Inna-Pirjetta Lahti, Sebastian Canaves, Visit Finland and Visit Helsinki :)

[gallery type=“rectangular” ids=“7546,7547,7549,7548,7550,7551,7553,7552,7554,7555”]

India, that unexpected journey. That comes back again

Sat, 07 Dec 2013 23:17:36 +0000

I walked across India barefoot on impossible roads; I lived in an ashram as though it had always been my home; I meditated, for hours, inside the Temple of Peace on Earth in the presence of the largest mercury Shiva Lingam in India, in the shade of mango trees, sitting before my master’s mandir; I met people from all over the world and shared everything with them for days and days; I found peace, inner peace, the real kind — and now I know what it tastes like.

In that patch of land immersed in the forest, in the company of monkeys and peacocks, where time seems to stretch and bend under the effect of distortion; where a superhuman harmony reigns, never known before; where everything flows as it must flow, where the energy is so powerful that at certain moments it hits you completely.

Never, not ever, on that 4th of September a year ago while talking with my friend Alessandro, could I have imagined that all of this would happen to me, that life would change me so profoundly, and that I would find myself now here speaking of India, of my master, and of that spiritual — and surreal — utterly unexpected journey.

India: that absurd country for which you will never be prepared enough. That country that welcomes you with its deafening colours, the scent of incense, the smell of burning plastic along the roadsides, the reek of piss, street food, the pungent smell of coriander, the orange flowers used as temple offerings, stray dogs, children running naked and barefoot beneath bridges under construction, women dressed in their magnificent saris, rickshaws that hurtle at you from every direction. And because of which you risk your life every other moment.

Japan: Nara and the great Buddha

Tue, 26 Nov 2013 14:59:42 +0000

During our trip to Japan, among the smaller cities we visited near Kyoto, Nara is without doubt the one I loved most. Apparently small, it reveals itself in reality as a true gem. You only need to step out of the station, cross the first large junction, and you immediately find yourself walking along a small street full of delightful shops that leads you straight to the marvellous Nara Park. The park is one of the unmissable sights of this city, and almost all the places of greatest interest are found within it — and to our great astonishment it is home to some 1,200 deer that freely roam and interact with people! Which is why Nara is also known as the city of deer :)

Nara

Thanks to a well-made map that a lady at the information centre kindly gave us, we managed to take a long walk through the park visiting the main temples and sites. One of Japan's great qualities — excellent, I would say — is that everything is always well organised. One could almost travel without a guidebook, given the large amount of information that is often readily available at every station.

Japan: Kyoto and the allure of tradition

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:52:45 +0000

Kyoto was without doubt one of the cities that has remained most deeply in my heart.

Known above all as the city of the geisha — where you can still encounter them walking along the streets of the Gion district — Kyoto is the city you absolutely must not miss if you are seeking the atmosphere of Japanese tradition.

Shinto shrine at Fushimi Inari near Kyoto Although Kyoto is itself a vast city, with its enormous shopping centres, the lights and colours typical of Japan, it has managed to maintain and preserve its more traditional side — the one that makes you feel a little as though you are inside a film, that evokes wonderful sensations, that truly lets you see and understand Japanese culture. There is an infinite amount to see in Kyoto, so I will limit myself to telling you about what I visited and what I think is worth seeing.

Japan: Koyasan and the Buddhist temples

Fri, 21 Jun 2013 14:54:17 +0000

If there is one experience from my trip to Japan that has remained particularly close to my heart, it was without doubt the visit to the area of Koyasan and the overnight stay in one of the Buddhist temples.

Konpon Daito Pagoda

The Koyasan area takes its name from Mount Koya and is situated on the Kii Peninsula, in Wakayama Prefecture, not far from Osaka. Mount Koya, considered one of the most sacred places in Japan, was founded 12 centuries ago by the monk Kukai, also known as Kōbō-Daishi, and over time became the main centre of Shingon esoteric Buddhism, one of the largest and longest-lived schools of Japanese Buddhism. Mount Koya stands at roughly 800 metres above sea level and the entire area is rich in Buddhist temples and ancient monastic complexes, nestled in the green of nature, which offer board and lodging to travellers.

Japan: Tokyo, the great metropolis

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:38:58 +0000

Trying to talk about Tokyo and/or recommend some places to see in a single post is practically impossible. If I were to describe it in a few words I could say it is enormous, ever-changing, colourful and unexpected. As with all of Japan, Tokyo also changes quickly; you can pass from the incredible crowds of Shibuya to the almost provincial calm of Musashino — all within 20 minutes by metro.

A street in Musashino The districts — or rather the prefectures — are numerous, some very different from one another, and deciding which of them to go and visit was a task at which we only partly succeeded. But despite frequently consulting the Lonely Planet during the trip — which is very well done and particularly useful — I essentially let myself be guided by "chance" and instinct. That is my way of travelling. However much I try to draw up a rough itinerary to follow, I invariably end up upending it. I love getting lost in the back streets of neighbourhoods, getting off the metro at random stops and visiting places I had never even heard of. After all, Japan is a country that lends itself beautifully to this — it has so much to offer that you would never want to go back to the hotel.

India: user's manual

Sun, 26 May 2013 15:24:07 +0000

India: you either love it or you hate it. It knows no middle ground. It is the land of contrasts, a country that puts you to a stern test on several fronts but that also knows how to give you a great deal — everything that, for obvious reasons, our own country or culture could never provide. I loved it, and deeply so, and I suffered from the fact that on this trip I did not manage to see it as I would have wished. But in the end mine was only an au revoir and, having learned from what those 16 days taught me, I know I will go back better organised. As I was saying, India puts you to the test, starting with the heavily spiced and spicy food, with what you can see along the road as you walk through the cities — because poverty is considerable and very visible, especially in the outlying areas.

So what are the things we can do before and during our stay in India to enjoy it fully and serenely, without risking having it ruined by physical ailments or various discomforts?

Let us start with the hotel: as I had already said here before leaving, if you want a hotel that meets at least the minimum requirements of hygiene and decency, you must pay. Besides the classic Booking.com that everyone knows, what I would recommend is also having a look at Agoda.com, used predominantly for Asian destinations, where you often find hotels and deals that you would not find on other sites. If I may, spend a few extra hours of your time doing cross-checks on the hotels you have chosen. Look for reviews on TripAdvisor, Google reviews and other sites; and above all look carefully at the date of the most recent review. Do not trust those with reviews that are too old, otherwise you risk being caught out.

Japan on a budget (or almost)

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:57:06 +0000

Japan is one of those places to visit at least once in a lifetime. It is a marvellous country, a country where you truly understand what respect means — respect for other human beings and for the land — where everything works perfectly, where people tend towards collaboration and cooperation rather than individualism. It is a country that can change very quickly, even simply by passing from one street to the next; from the delirium of lights, colours and sounds of a certain Tokyo neighbourhood to the more traditional and ancient atmosphere of Kyoto.

It is a country where people are not, in truth, cold or impenetrable as is often believed or said; they are simply terribly shy, extremely careful not to disturb others — especially foreigners — and deeply honest. And it is not even true that it is such an expensive or unapproachable country as one might think. With the right precautions you can do a trip to Japan of 10 or 14 days without spending a fortune.

Buddhist Temple at Koyasan

India: what to pack

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:52:33 +0000

When I left for India in March I had a vague idea of what to pack; but now with the benefit of hindsight I feel I can give this advice to anyone who intends to travel to India and/or an ashram, as I did.

The list of things to bring was not actually that long, but they were all fairly important items. As I mentioned previously, India is a country where it is generally warm at any time of year — at least during the day. So you should favour light, comfortable clothing, preferably cotton or linen in light colours.

Photo by Simona Forti I therefore chose to bring some short-sleeved t-shirts but above all cotton kurtas and long tunics to pair with loose, non-fitted cotton trousers; a pair of light sandals and a pair of trainers.

India: when to go and how to prepare

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:23:49 +0000

When, a few months ago, I bought my ticket to India I knew nothing, or almost nothing, about this country in terms of organisation and travel tips. So I began a lengthy search to prepare myself, at least “practically”, in the best possible way. India is a very vast country; if you truly intend to see all of it you must make peace with needing at least 2 or 3 months available. I, this time, will have only 16 days and mine will be a somewhat particular journey, since I will be spending most of the time in an ashram — that of my teacher of Kriya Yoga.

Some cooks in an Ashram in Pune - Photo by Alessandro Ceccarelli

If you want to visit India, the first thing you must do is choose whether to go to Northern India or Southern India. If you look for printed guidebooks, or topics across the web, you will in fact find them divided in this way. For the same reason it is also difficult to define which period is meteorologically best, because the climatic factors are very diverse.

Japan: when to go and how to prepare

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:15:09 +0000

The trip to Japan, a lifelong dream finally come true. One of those journeys you have absolutely no plan to make but that almost happens by accident, thanks to an airline offer that lets you buy a return ticket at a truly affordable price. When I bought the ticket in December I had the possibility of choosing when to travel, somewhere between February and June.

After a great deal of searching, researching, and analysing, I chose late April for two main reasons: the first is that I have always wanted to witness the cherry blossom, which normally occurs between April and May; the second is that spring (March to May), together with autumn (September to November), is one of the best periods to visit. The climate during these periods is very pleasant, not particularly hot or cold, and so it lets you walk around the cities without any particular difficulty. It must be said, however, that late April is a holiday period in Japan — the Golden Week — so it is wise to book accommodation well in advance to avoid the risk of finding everything completely full.

Photo by Piermaria Mendolicchio

Since my trip will last around 14 days, and I intend to move around enough to see a bit of the country without getting stuck in just one city, I preferred to use two cities as a “base” for sleeping so as not to have to keep moving from hotel to hotel with luggage in tow. My bases will be Kyoto and Tokyo plus one night in a Buddhist temple as an interlude between the two cities.

First snapshots from India

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:00:58 +0000

10:30 pm, we finally land in Mumbai. After a journey of almost 24 hours that began the previous night at my friend’s home, I finally set foot on Indian soil. A scent of incense accompanies us along the corridor that will take us out of the airport. The first impact is indescribable. Stimuli of every kind arrive from every direction; sounds, colours, smells mingling together. The chaos is incredible; our taxi has yet to arrive and while we wait I find myself unable to do anything but stand hypnotised by what I see before me. However much you may prepare by reading and reading articles, nothing turns out the way you expected or imagined. The impact is strong, at times overwhelming, and I must be honest — not always pleasant.

Our taxi finally arrives; we get in and I discover they drive on the left as in England. This alone, for those of us accustomed to driving on the other side, creates a certain unease; add to that the fact that Indians drive rather like maniacs and you’re guaranteed a heart attack every other moment. Forget every road rule you know, because here they don’t exist. Absurd overtaking, lanes unmarked, the chances of encountering absolutely anything on the road are extremely high. The other peculiarity is that everyone constantly honks their horn — it’s a delirium! But apparently it is simply their way, so much so that you find written on trucks and buses “Horn Ok Please”.

Pune - Simona Forti

We cross a suburban area where poverty appears naked and raw in its entirety. Small children walking barefoot near piles of rubbish or amid the dust and rubble of construction sites; powerful smells of food and something else not quite identifiable; tiny, vividly coloured temples rising up among shacks of every description. India is not a country that shines for its cleanliness — we know this well — so come to terms with it and go only if you have a great capacity for adaptation. And I’m not just talking about the physical kind.

The Hobbit: discovering New Zealand

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:45:24 +0000

It was perhaps the most anticipated film of the year, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, out for only a week and already breaking box-office records. Personally I had been eagerly awaiting it — I loved The Lord of the Rings intensely when it came out, and I knew that this time too Peter Jackson would not disappoint me! I will not recount the film here because I don’t want to spoil the experience for those who have not yet seen it, but I can certainly say that, in my view, it is absolutely marvellous! The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first part of the new trilogy inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien and is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings; indeed, the book The Hobbit was written chronologically first. This trilogy too was filmed almost entirely in that marvellous country that is New Zealand — capable of making anyone dream, even those who are not fans of the fantasy genre. If The Lord of the Rings already made you want to pack your bags and go in search of those vast green hills, this film will make you want to even more!

Production photo from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

Let us look together at what a possible itinerary might be for discovering New Zealand while reliving the magic of dwarves, elves, wizards and hobbits. The easiest way to begin this tour is to fly into Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous city with over 1.4 million inhabitants, located on the North Island. From there the first stop can only be Hobbiton! The village is genuinely visitable, since the perfectionist director Peter Jackson had it built at Matamata in the Waikato region. You can stroll along the paths trodden by Gandalf the Grey, climb gradually up the hill until you reach Bilbo Baggins’s house, genuinely built in stone and wood, from where his long adventure began.

Cuba, a journey through time. Scattered impressions, part two

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:00:42 +0000

Maria la Gorda - Photo by Simona Forti

Thinking that Cuba can be covered in just two articles is absolutely impossible, but in this second “instalment” I will try to give you all those useful tips for planning your first trip to “Monkey Island”. Yes, because Cuba is practically Monkey Island, the game that accompanied the adolescence of so many of us! :-) As I mentioned in the previous post, it is important to plan your trip well; to decide what kind of itinerary to follow, which cities to visit, and above all how much time you have. To truly experience Cuba the best way is to rent a car. Don’t expect, however, to find yourself on comfortable paved roads ready to take you around the whole island in two weeks. Cuba has this great problem: it essentially has only two “roads” that can more or less be called such — the Autopista Nacional and the Carretera Central. The Autopista Nacional is the motorway, though not quite what we understand by the term. There are no tolls to pay; don’t expect large service stations or rest areas. It is simply a large two-lane road that crosses the island from West to East, from Pinar del Río all the way to Sancti Spíritus, passing through Havana. Together with the Carretera Central it is in the best condition for travelling. But the peculiarity of the Autopista lies in what you may encounter along the way. Street vendors of mango paste or guayaba on foot between the two carriageways; horse-drawn carts crossing from one direction to the other, simply passing over the Autopista with all the unhurried calm that characterises this island; groups of people standing under bridges waiting for “people-carrier” trucks to take them to the cities; farmers driving their animals to pasture.

Cuba, a journey through time. Scattered impressions, part one

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:24:36 +0000

During my travels in Cuba I always kept a diary of everything I saw and experienced, with the intention of writing about it on the blog.

But condensing into a few posts everything that Marcello and I lived through on two long trips is practically impossible; which is why a small ebook has been in the works for some time, which sooner or later I will finish and publish :)

Cuban Flag - Photo by Simona Forti

Cuba is an island that lets itself be loved. It captivates you completely but allows no middle ground; there are no great compromises. And it is not the way it is portrayed on television or in the papers: all salsa and cuba libre. It is so much more. It is like travelling back in time, where time in reality does not exist. It is as though it had stopped at some “space-time intersection” of parallel universes. You cannot discover it through a tourist guide: you have to live it. However many books you may read about Cuba, they will never be able to make you fully understand its richness. I am obviously starting from the assumption that you have no intention of doing the classic resort-only holiday with sad little souvenir shops. For that there is Varadero, for instance, but know that it has nothing to do with what Cuba really is. It is a country that knows how to enchant with its beaches, its music, its enormously lush nature, its mountains, its breathtaking sunsets, but above all with its people. Tireless inventors, always smiling and helpful. A people capable of conjuring the most absurd riquimbili to take you around the city.

My London

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:20:09 +0000

This is almost certainly not the first article you will read about London, but perhaps yet another in a long series telling you what to visit in the city, how to get around or where to stay. In reality this time I don’t want to offer you a proper mini-guide to London; rather, I want to tell you about London as it appeared to my eyes and how I still feel its absence. London is in some respects the city of “opposites” — the city where you can choose to plunge into the frenzy of people, sounds and colours right in the centre between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square; or to take refuge in search of peace and quiet in one of its many beautiful parks.

I remember in this regard one of the most beautiful Easter holidays I have ever spent, right in London, last year. It was Easter, 25 degrees, a warm and enveloping sun, and we — together with many other Londoners — lying on the grass of St. James’s Park, dozing and dreaming. It was not in the least the London I had so often read about: chaotic or noisy. Quite the contrary! It was like being in a different London, completely unlike how it is normally described; it was a calm, pleasant London, almost like a provincial town. London is the city that gives you the possibility of spending entire days immersed in art and culture, very often without paying a single pound. Places like the Tate Modern, or the immense British Museum, or the National Gallery are all absolutely free. Incredible works of art or entire periods of history made available to everyone, which you can choose to visit for whole days at a time. I remember the first day I arrived in London for the first time, on a morning in August many years ago — the very first sensation I felt, despite not knowing the city at all, was one of “home”. I knew nothing of London, beyond the few directions I had been given to reach the place where I would be staying. But its welcoming nature, its “internationality”, never truly made me feel like a foreigner.

DIY travel. Some tips on how to get organised

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:21:50 +0000

When you decide to set off on a trip, short or long, it is always wise to be organised in order to avoid unpleasant surprises along the way. If you intend to travel to the other side of the world for a few weeks, the best thing would be to begin preparations at least two or three months in advance. Ideally you will have already chosen your destination and perhaps even bought your flights :) Purchasing the ticket well in advance allows you to save considerably on cost. The first thing to check is your documents: verify that your passport has at least 6 months of validity; virtually every country now requires this, and the 6 months are counted from the moment you request entry, so it is a fundamental prerequisite you cannot overlook. Find out which visas are necessary, whether you need medical insurance, or whether you need any vaccinations. Very often you can request these documents online or at any travel agency, regardless of whether you bought your ticket or trip through them. Study the country you will be visiting: its culture, customs, what type of electrical voltage they use; perhaps learn a few words of the local language. Depending on the time of year you choose to travel, find out about the climate you will encounter so you can pack appropriately; if you also plan to go diving, find out about the water temperature: having a 3mm wetsuit in 20-degree water will leave you very cold :) If you are going to a tropical country, check whether you will be visiting during hurricane season; for this you might also need a windproof jacket to shelter from the rain or a lightweight waterproof.

San Francisco in and out. What to see in just 3 days

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:09:58 +0000

I had barely returned last week from my first diving trip in the Philippines when I was already off again, bound for San Francisco! Alas, I had only 4 days available, as I was accompanying my partner for work reasons, but they were enough to show him the main attractions. To be entirely honest, I’m not particularly fond of the United States, but San Francisco has that certain something that, even 15 years ago, left me enchanted. Three days and so much to see: where to begin? We started at Pier 39, a San Francisco classic. A place full of shops, typical tourist shopping and restaurants. So if you love giving gadgets and kitsch objects as gifts, this is the place for you: from Alcatraz souvenirs to Golden Gate ones, to shops selling exclusively every imaginable type of magnet. We went there to admire the clusters of sea lions basking in the sun on wooden platforms, happily posing for the multitude of tourists who stroll the pier every day.

Another interesting thing to visit, if you love the sea and the marine world, is without doubt the Aquarium of the Bay. After a first room with tanks containing fish of various kinds, you descend to the lower floor where the real spectacle awaits: an underwater tunnel from which you can admire large tunas, elegant manta rays and beautiful sharks. You’ll feel as though you are truly underwater alongside them! Of course it’s not the same thrill as when I dive, but I must say it comes remarkably close :-) Once at Pier 39 you need only continue along the Embarcadero, reach Fisherman’s Wharf and admire the Golden Gate in all its grandeur, which at sunset always offers beautiful photographic moments.