Elmina, lights and shadows of African history

Manu | 8 April 2013 | no comments
Elmina, lights and shadows of African history

It doesn’t seem possible that this tiny lovely fishermen village in the Southern coast of Ghana, in front of blue open ocean, with the most colourful harbour of the entire West Africa, has been the scenery of the darkest chapter of history of the entire Africa, of its people, of our history as well and […]

A week in the mighty jungle: football and people (Part #2)

Manu | 27 March 2013 | no comments
A week in the mighty jungle: football and people (Part #2)

It has been in the jungle that I have finally watched a football game with the locals…and, apart for the fact that my team lost, it was an experience itself. Football in Africa is like daily food. The most common t-shirts guys wear in the street are football shirts, of all times and of all […]

A week in the mighty jungle (Part #1)

Manu | 25 March 2013 | no comments
A week in the mighty jungle (Part #1)

  Leaving the heat of Conakry and slowly approaching the jungle has been refreshing. I rejoined the truck in Coyah after a week in the Guinean capital and found out that Jen, the Candian girl, was gone and Britney the American one was still there but had messed up and confused a lot of people […]

Conakry, crazy capital of Guinea

Manu | 20 March 2013 | no comments
Conakry, crazy capital of Guinea

Conakry, the capital of Guinea, is so far the most African of all the places seen till now. In order to get to know a bit how everything works you need at least a week, as at the beginning you will be wrapped by its mess and confusion and finding a reason or a rule […]

A ride with the Africans

Manu | 11 March 2013 | no comments
A ride with the Africans

  Getting to Conakry has felt like getting a deep dive in the African vibes. While Senegal had been shocking bus also welcoming, with its sandy and blue shores, the African vibes with an European twist of places like Dakar, Conakry has been a full and deep immersion in Africa and its daily life. And […]

Mauritania and the real cultural shock

Manu | 17 February 2013 | 1 comment
Mauritania and the real cultural shock

FEBRUARY 12TH, 2012 Mauritania has been the turning point of this Africa trip so far. Entering it costed us an entire day at the border, first of Morocco and then of this country. Between the two borders there are 3 kilometres of land called “No man’s land”, filled with mines on both sides. We were […]

If now you ask me about Morocco…

Manu | 13 February 2013 | 1 comment
If now you ask me about Morocco…

    Warm breeze, people in the streets, talking loud, smiling, greeting, people thinking I am Moroccan, tajine, couscous, no pork, no beer, hashish, ice cream, Chefchaouen, the Rif Mountains, many people called Mohammed, old Medinas and new towns, football, Africa cup, Fes, labyrinth streets, tea with tons of sugar, tea served in small glasses, […]

My 1st night in the Sahara

Manu | 10 February 2013 | 2 comments
My 1st night in the Sahara

FEBRUARY 5TH, 2013   It is almost emotional the moment that the Moroccan landscape turns from green to brown and slowly start to loose it’s vibrancy to become spoiled, unveiled…. desert…Sahara!!!   The Sahara desert, whose stories you have been hearing about for years, since your memories go back to school, is laying just in […]

Morocco, so far so good

Manu | 5 February 2013 | 1 comment
Morocco, so far so good

  Morocco is revealing itself slowly and a charming warm place that loves to steal your heart and keep it hidden the labyrinth of its beauty forever. We left Fes at the beginning of the week, destination Rabat, where a lot of burocratic works need to be done. At the moment of writing we are […]

Fes, the charm of ancient Morocco

Manu | 30 January 2013 | 4 comments
Fes, the charm of ancient Morocco

  Arriving to Fes the day after the celebration of Mohammed’ birthday, basically the Arabic Christmas, and entering the labyrinth of its old Medina, getting lost among its narrow streets, absorbing unknown scents, getting under the attentions of the people standing there, admiring the Arabic art of some of its most beautiful buildings and hearing […]

Entering Africa from Chefchaouen coloured doors

Manu | 24 January 2013 | 1 comment
Entering Africa from Chefchaouen coloured doors

My first step in Africa and in Morocco has been just glorious. Chefchaouen, the blue town, lost and hidden in the middle of beautiful mountain rages, has given us the best welcome ever to this country that I already love it a bit.   I felt almost like an invisible ghost last night when we […]

Leaving Europe: Malaga

Manu | 21 January 2013 | no comments
Leaving Europe: Malaga

Malaga has been a warm and nice stop over with a lot of surprises. Its Mediterranean style didn’t astonished me too much, as I found it too touristic for my tastes, with a multitude of narrow streets packed of tapas bars and clothes shops. It was like a trap for tourists, and the whole town […]

Far Oer: hidden pearl of the North!

Manu | 14 January 2013 | 2 comments
Far Oer: hidden pearl of the North!

  What can you do for 3 nights and 2 days on a boat from Iceland to Denmark, stopping over the Far Oer Islands only for six hours before starting to sail again? We were all wandering this in the ghost town of Seydisfjordur, on the East Coast of Iceland, on Wednesday, when we were […]

Sinterklaas in Amsterdam

Manu | 18 November 2012 | 3 comments
Sinterklaas in Amsterdam

I am not a big Christmas fan at all, but I must admit the arrival of Sintaklaas in Amsterdam is contagious and today I experienced it! The legend say that Sinter Klaas, Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Mira, came to Holland from Turkey before reaching his final destination in Spain. And every year he comes back […]

Prague, like a fairy tale

Manu | 7 November 2012 | 3 comments
Prague, like a fairy tale

It was 2004 and with some of my best friends we decided to head to Dresden to visit a friend of ours who was in Erasmus there. We spent some days in Dresden and then from there we decided to go to Prague, as it was a stroll away and as it was going to […]

Orkneys Islands, a discovery of freedom

Manu | 10 October 2012 | 6 comments
Orkneys Islands, a discovery of freedom

You may already know how much I love Orkneys Islands, as I included on my top 3 favourite islands some time ago, but here I would like to share with you the page of my diary written when I just arrived there, with all my astonishment and happiness to have made it to such an […]

Møns Klint and the lucky stars!

Manu | 2 October 2012 | 1 comment
Møns Klint and the lucky stars!

“Basta with these cities…they look all the same!!! ”  these were my famous words on the train leaving Copenhagen and heading to the little island of Møns Klint with my friend back in the summer 2005. We had spent few days in the Danish capital, and it was still amazing but we were tired to […]

A sunset to remember

Manu | 20 August 2012 | no comments
A sunset to remember

What a great day of sun, light and warm I just had this weekend, one of those perfect days when mother Earth makes it everything posssible, even bathing in the Northern Sea with 30 degrees celsius. It may be that this was the last day of summer here in Holland, or at least for me […]

A day in pink at Amsterdam Gay Parade

Manu | 5 August 2012 | no comments
A day in pink at Amsterdam Gay Parade

I must say when Amsterdam wants to party, it does it right! This year, it was the first time I was in town for the Gay Pride, as I am usually hanging around Edinbugh this time of the year. Here in the Dam, the 2 most important days of the year are Queensday and The […]

Holland: land of wind and windmills!

Manu | 1 August 2012 | 1 comment
Holland: land of wind and windmills!

What a fairy land  the country side of Holland is! A truly surprisingly beauty that I didn’t expect at all. As soon a s you step up from the city center, Holland invades your sight with its peaceful bucolic landscapes of green. You are not going to see the majestic mountain peaks of course, but […]