Megabus

I can hear the crinkling sound of a packet of crisps being opened. Crunch. Crunch. We're speeding along the left side of the road, and my bladder is cursing me for that cup of lukewarm mocha so inconveniently consumed right before the journey started.

The couple in front of me are joined together in holy naptrimony, and I can't tell if that little snorty snore that just escaped from its olfactory prison was from the man or the woman.

The seats are upholstered in a tacky velour fabric, royal blue with yellow and orange geometric Pacman-esque shapes. It complements the shiny shell of the exterior, in the same shade of royal blue, with bright yellow letters spelling out "MEGABUS."

It reminds me of Santa Clara High School's colors, and I feel a twinge of nostalgia for my high school days across the other side of the world.

As I turn back to see if the bathroom is vacant, I notice that everyone is sleeping. Some people have their heads rested back, and others are sprawled across both seats.

It's funny how, no matter what age or gender, everyone looks so serene and innocent when they're sleeping. Normally furrowed brows become uncreased. Nervous, shaky limbs become tranquilized. Tranquil eyes?

Heads gently bob from the movement of the bus. Mouths are relaxed, neither smiling nor frowning, slightly parted to let warm air out. Expressions are even more neutral than Switzerland.

Some people are stirred awake by an unexpected bump in the road, or change in speed, while others soldier on through their slumber.

Next stop: London!

Underground Granada: Exploring Southern Spain's Student Mecca

Discover where to find the most authentic flamenco performances, tastiest free tapas, and alternative hotspots in one of Spain’s largest university cities. Plumes of patchouli-scented incense smoke float languidly through narrow, cobble-stoned alleyways. Thumping, jangling Arabic music blasts out of stalls enshrouded in panels of opulent, jewel-toned, embroidered silk fabrics.

Rows of plastic bags packed with black, cardamom-spiced tea leaves sit on small tables next to ornately carved brass hookah pipes. An older couple, chattering away in a foreign tongue, maneuvers their way through the crowd to pick up freshly cut hunks of Halal meat from a burly butcher.

But this isn’t a bustling street bazaar in the middle of Morocco. It’s the Albaicin district of Granada, the capital of the province of Granada in Spain’s southern Andalusia region—and it’s the only part of the city’s ancient Moorish neighborhoods to survive torching during the Catholic Reconquest that ended in 1492.

Granada has had a long, violent history of power struggles between the Catholics and Islamic Moors. Situated at the foothills below the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and just one hour away from the Mediterranean coast, the city was the last Muslim settlement in Iberia to be taken over by the Catholic monarchs.

Since then, because of the prestigious University of Granada, the city has grown into a vibrant, multicultural university town—of the city’s 270,000 inhabitants, over 80,000 are university students.

Today, the biggest struggles in the city seem to be trying to decide where to enjoy the tastiest tapas, or which club is best to catch a truly authentic flamenco performance.

The Real Flamenco Although flamenco is often associated with the culture of the entire country Spain, it’s actually only native to the Andalusia region. Like the city of Granada itself, with the combination of Moorish and Catholic architecture, flamenco music and dancing is a passionate combination of gypsy and Spanish rhythms.

There’s no shortage of tablaos (flamenco performances) to enjoy in Granada, and the tourist office (Junta de Andalucia/2 C. Santa Ana) always provides a list of nightly shows. But many of these shows are overpriced and cater to throngs of tourists, with a feeling of being sold an image of Spanish culture rather than experiencing the real thing.

For a more authentic flamenco experience, and one that’s much friendlier on the wallet (there’s no entrance fee), Café Eshavira (2 C. Postigo de la Cuna) is an intimate bar that plays host to flamenco and jazz music. Hidden in an alleyway between Calle Elvira and Gran Via in the labyrinth of the Albaicin district, Café Eshavira’s clientele is a mixture of young Spanish students, gitanos (gypsies), dancers, and musicians.

Pushing through the heavy carved wooden door of Café Eshavira feels like walking into a different universe--an intimate, dimly lit, smoky atmosphere that feels eons away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. According to Gisela Remola, a Spanish university student, “After the professional flamenco dancers and musicians are done performing for the tourists [at other places in Granada], they come here to drink, unwind, and perform with their peers. They come here because they love flamenco and want to preserve the tradition, and not because they’re being paid to play.”

Impromptu Flamenco Walking down a short flight of stairs reveals a small, cavernous-like room with chairs and candle-lit tables dotted in front of a stage. Choosing to sit amongst the crowd rather than playing onstage, a musician—cigarette dangling loosely between his lips--starts flawlessly playing intricate flamenco rhythms on a classical guitar.

While his callused fingers dance and fly across the steel strings, an older gypsy man starts a cante flamenco gitano (gypsy song)—lengthening every syllable and varying his pitch to enhance the emotional depth of the lyrics.

A young woman stands up and starts dancing an improvised flamenco puro (pure flamenco), twisting her arms around like a charmed snake and stomping her heels into the ground while her friends shout out encouraging cries of, “Ole!”

Enjoying the Alhambra Flamenco isn’t the only part of Andalusian culture being preserved in Granada. Look up from almost any location in the city, and it’s hard to ignore the red, blocky Alhambra palace and fortress looming on top of the al-Sabika hill, with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains as a backdrop.

Constructed during the 14th century by Moorish rulers, the Alhambra—which translates as “red fortress”--is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Limited to just 7,700 visitors per day, it’s best to purchase tickets at least one day in advance (13 euros/www.alhambra-tickets.es) Should tickets to the Alhambra sell out, there are also garden-only tickets (7 euros) that allow an unlimited number of daily visitors and give access to El Generalife, which served as a summer palace for Granada’s former royals.

With sunlight filtering through towering cypress trees, the calming sound of trickling fountains, and the sweet scent of honeysuckle blossoms in the air, it’s easy to imagine what it was like to live as a royal in the middle of the 14th century.

To enjoy a free but more distant view of the Alhambra, follow the steep, winding path alongside the Darro River to the Mirador de San Nicolas. Here, tourists and locals alike—including Granada’s hippie population, known to locals as perras flautas (dog flutes) due to their affinity for playing wooden flutes and owning dogs—sit side by side to contemplate the infamous saying: “Si mueres sin ver la Alhambra, no has vivido” (“If you die without seeing the Alhambra, you have not lived.”)

Just down the hill, an impressive view of the Alhambra can also be seen from the rooftop bar of Funky Backpacker’s Hostel (15-17 Conde de las Infantas/mixed dorms starting from 15 euros per person, per night).

Oasis Backpacker’s Hostel (3 Placeta Correo Viejo/mixed dorms starting from 15 euros per person, per night) also has a rooftop terrace with views of the Alhambra and the Albaicin, and its price tag includes a free welcome drink—mirroring the unofficial granadino tradition of ‘when alcohol is involved, free things will come your way!’

Free Tapas Granada is one of the few cities left in Spain that still upholds the tradition of serving free tapas alongside drinks. Many of the city’s tapas bars observe a ‘you’ll eat what we feel like serving’ policy, but Cacao’s (12 Solarillo de Gracia) offers a wide range of typical Andalucian tapas to choose from, including albondigas (meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce) and salmorejo (a chilled, creamy tomato soup topped with chopped Serrano ham and hard-boiled eggs).

Black sculptures of branches and flowers against ceramic mosaic walls in shades of white, pink, and purple—alongside an ambient electronic soundtrack—make Cacao’s a hip and funky alternative bar to enjoy glass after glass of tinto de verano (red wine with lemonade).

Café Om Kalsoum (17 C. Jardines) also has a menu of free tapas to choose from, but pays homage to Granada’s Middle Eastern influence by offering dishes such as creamy, garlicky chickpea hummus, and spicy cuts of tender lamb meat stuffed into freshly baked pita bread.

Semana Santa As nighttime falls, the city starts to truly come to life. Students, locals, and tourists pour in and out of tapas bars, clubs, and cafes; ready to take advantage of Granada’s nightlife until long after the sun rises.

Even religion has a place in this setting—Semana Santa (Holy Week, leading up to Easter) processions are weaving a path through the city well after midnight, with members of different brotherhoods struggling to carry massive, gold-leafed floats of the Virgin Mary on their shoulders, down the pepita (sunflower seed) littered streets.

Drunken revelers stumble out of an Irish pub, and a few lines from a song by The Doors escapes along with them. Jim Morrison’s voice belting out “come on baby, light my fire/try to set the night on fire” is an oddly appropriate soundtrack for the candlelit procession, and symbolic of what Granada represents today—a city that simultaneously thrives on preserving its rich history, and yet openly embraces an amalgamation of different cultures and new traditions.

Essential Information:

*How To Get There: Flights from London Stansted to Granada Airport, located 17 km outside of the city center, start from 19 GBP one way, not inclusive of taxes. Autocares J. Gonzalez (www.autocaresjosegonzalez.com) operates a bus connection from Arrivals to the city center for 3 euros, and the trip takes 40 minutes. Taxis are also available, taking 20 minutes to the city center and starting from 20 euros.

*Where To Stay: Funky Backpacker’s Hostel can be booked online at www.hostelworld.com/funkybackpacker Oasis Backpacker’s Hostel can be booked online at www.oasisgranada.com, or by phone at (0034) 958 215 848

Lava, Lakes, and Lounging: Five Unique Nicaraguan Experiences

From volcano surfing, to a blind massage, discover Latin America’s hottest up-and-coming destination 1. Volcano Surfing in Leon

It’s not every day that you’re teetering on the edge of a volcano, ready to surf down a steep volcanic ash slope on nothing but a flimsy piece of plywood.

But the Cerro Negro (Black Hill) volcano, located 25 km northeast of the colonial city of Leon, offers adrenaline junkies a chance to try out this offbeat twist on surfing, also known as sandboarding.

Nicaragua is called ‘the land of lakes and volcanoes’, but Cerro Negro is the only volcano in the country that you can ‘surf’ down. The 400m high volcano lacks vegetation, with one side made of large rocks and the other side of black volcanic sand.

The hour-long hike is steep, and carrying a wooden surfboard doesn’t make it any easier, but the 360-degree panoramic view at the top is more than worth the effort—as is the rush of surfing down the ashy slope in less than ten minutes.

For those less keen on surfing, there’s also an option of running down the side of the volcano—just make sure to wear good hiking shoes and clothing to protect against being scraped by small lava rocks.

Essential Information: Vapues Tours (505 2315 4099/www.vapues.com) offers the Cerro Negro Express Tour, leaving from Leon at 8:00 am every day and returning at 12:30 pm. The tour costs 12GBP—including transportation, a bilingual guide, and refreshments—and an extra 6GBP for sandboarding.

2. Partying on a Bald Bus If the thought of flying down a steep volcano sounds too treacherous, riding the topless Bus Pelon (“Bald Bus”) is a tamer way to take in the sights of the city of Leon.

While cities like London and New York have double-decker bus tours, Leon has its own uniquely Latin American twist on what would otherwise be just another bus tour around the city. Take an old school bus, paint it vibrant colors, torch off the roof, string up multi-colored fairy lights, and you have the Bus Pelon.

More party bus than tour bus, Bus Pelon also has an impressive sound system that thumps Latin club music throughout the entire journey.

And with its open-alcohol policy, it becomes the city’s only nightclub in transit. If you go on a Friday night, you can enjoy a tasting of quesilleros, Nicaragua’s famous fried cheese.

Essential Information: Bus Pelon runs once an hour, all night long. The pick-up point is right in the heart of Parque Central. It costs 5 Cordobas (15p) Sunday through Thursday, and 10 Cordobas (30p) on Friday nights.

3. Swimming in a Crater Lake Nicaragua has many crater lakes, but most of them are not clean enough to swim in. However, the idyllic Laguna De Apoyo—a 30 minute drive from Granada—is one of the cleanest bodies of water in Nicaragua.

And, as the deepest measured point is 200 meters, it is the lowest point in Central America. The thermally vented crater lake, which was formed over 20,000 years ago when a volcano imploded and filled with water, retains a perfect temperature all year round.

If you work up an appetite from swimming, the perimeter of the lake is also dotted with small restaurants offering typical Nicaraguan dishes. Crater’s Edge Restaurant and Hostel makes delicious platanos fritos (fried plantains) and Nicaragua’s national dish, gallo pinto, which can be enjoyed while lounging on a hammock overlooking the lake.

Essential Information: Crater’s Edge Restaurant and Hostel (www.craters-edge.com/ (505) - 2552 – 8006) offers daily transportation to and from Granada. The microbus costs 2 GBP return and leaves Hotel Oasis (C. Estrada 109, Granada/Tel:505 552 8006) at 10 am and 4 pm, and departs Crater’s Edge at 10:30 am and 4:30 pm. If you’re not staying at Crater’s Edge Hostel, you can pay 3 GBP for water access and use of on-site facilities.

4. Monkeying Around in Granada

Thousands of years ago, the Mombacho Volcano erupted and threw huge lava rocks into Lake Nicaragua, in Granada. 365 islets were formed because of this eruption, and the area is now known as Las Isletas.

Ranging in size from a hundred square meters to over a hundred hectares, Las Isletas is home to local fisherman, wealthy expatriates, an 18th century Spanish fortress—built to protect Granada from pirate attacks—and Isla de los Monos (Monkey Island).

Boat tours include a stop by this simian sanctuary where, if you bring local fruit (such as mamon, similar to a lychee), you may be lucky enough to hand feed one of the adorably furry spider monkeys.

Just across from Isla de los Monos is El Restaurante, which serves freshly-caught fish alongside other Nicaraguan dishes, and also has a bar, sun deck, and swimming pool open to restaurant-goers.

Essential Information: Tierra Tour in Granada (www.tierratour.com/ 505 2552-8723) offers a 2.5 hour tour, 5 GBP, that leaves from Cathedral, Street la Calzada, 2 blocks away from the lake, every day at 10 am and 3 pm.

5. Blissful Blind Massage After trekking around Nicaragua’s lakes and volcanoes, there’s no better way to relax than with a full body massage—performed by a blind masseuse. In the open-air courtyard of Granada’s Euro Café, a charity called Seeing Hands runs a blind massage parlor for blind Nicaraguans otherwise unable to work elsewhere. As you’re led to your massage station, by the parlor’s only full-sighted employee, you’re met by a blind, Spanish-speaking masseuse. Unlike typical massages, this one starts out with the masseuse lightly feeling around to see where your back and limbs are located. Once you’re relaxed from the blissful hour-long massage, indulge in a scoop of the bistro’s homemade, all-natural gelato, which comes in Nicaraguan flavors like pitaya (dragon fruit) and cacao (cinnamon-spiced chocolate).

Essential Information: Seeing Hands Blind Massage Parlor is located in the back of the Euro Café (505 2552 2146/Esquina Noroeste del Parque Central) just off the Central Square, and is open every day from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm. A one-hour, full body massage costs 7 GBP, but the company also offers shorter chair massages (starting at 15 minutes for 1GBP).

Getting There:

Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315; www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk) offers a 13-day ‘Highlights of Nicaragua’ tour, which includes stops in Granada and Leon, starting from 2,095 GBP per person; including b&b, flights, transfers and excursions. Tailor-made, including flight-only, options are also available.

If you are traveling independently from the United Kingdom, there are no direct flights. Continental (www.continental.com) flies from Heathrow, via Houston, Texas, to Managua International Airport. From the airport, there are local buses and taxis for hire that go to Granada (45 min/1 GBP bus/7 GBP taxi) and Leon (1.5 hr/1 GBP bus/8 GBP taxi).

Flights Grounded at Newark Airport - ABC News

Some people say that everything happens for a reason. Others believe in 100% free will. For me, I dip a little into both categories. On the whole, I believe that everything you experience is due to the choices that you make.

However, sometimes things happen to me that make me think that there's a reason for certain events unfolding.

Take my flight back to London, for example. I should technically be back in London already, as classes started today.

With the high price of plane tickets, though, and a lack of funding, I had to choose a flight later in the week to save a few hundred pounds in airfare.

My flight will be going from San Francisco, to Newark, to London, via Continental Airlines.

Just today, I read a news article on major delays that occurred at Newark Airport on Sunday:

Flights Grounded at Newark Airport - ABC News.

If I had gotten the flight that I was supposed to get, I would have been one of those thousands of passengers stuck for hours in Newark's international terminal.

It's just kind of funny how things work out in the end.

Hopefully the process will go smoothly, come Wednesday morning!

Flying Home: The Long Journey

After four different modes of transportation, and over seven hours in the air, I’m finally back on US soil. My journey began by leaving my house in London in the early hours, when it was still dark outside. I stupidly left my packing until an hour before leaving, so was unable to get even a small wink of sleep.

I lugged my suitcase the fifteen minute walk to the bus stop, took the bus to a tube station, and then caught the tube to Heathrow airport.

While transferring stations, a kind stranger helped me carry my suitcase up a large flight of stairs to a different platform.

The same thing happened when I first came to London. It’s nice to see that there are still kind and helpful people in this world.

Eventually I made it to Heathrow, only to find out that my flight was delayed by a few hours.

HEATHROW’S HIDDEN OASIS

After wandering around aimlessly for about an hour, I discovered paradise within Heathrow’s Terminal 4—there is a ‘quiet prayer room’ that has, wait for it… RECLINING CHAIRS!

And they turn down all of the announcements to keep the atmosphere peaceful.

Anyone who has ever had to endure the long layover, especially running on no sleep, knows how irritating those constant announcements can be.

Apparently not too many people know about this prayer room, so I was able to land a prime seat in the darkest and most private corner.

After a couple of hours of intermittent sleep, it was time to board the flight to my layover destination: Newark, New Jersey.

NEWARK AIRPORT

Unfortunately, there is no hidden oasis near my gate here in Newark. The announcements are loud and constant. A steady stream of background noise comes from people walking through the terminal.

There are all types of people rushing through. Business men dressed in suits, glued to their Blackberries and laptops, unable to lose a minute’s worth of work.

Harried-looking moms trying to simultaneously keep on eye on their luggage and their rambunctious children.

Young tourists, speaking in their native tongues and appearing excited to be in the United States.

Weary travelers, trying to find the most comfortable sleeping position on Newark’s hard seats. FLIGHT DELAYS

My flight to San Francisco keeps getting pushed back. Apparently there was a mechanical problem with the first plane, so we have to wait for a second plane to be ready.

I’ve discovered that, besides people-watching, blogging is a good way to pass the time. Who knew?

This has been a long journey so far, and I still have a while until I’m back in San Francisco.

I’m looking forward to the sweet sensation of those wheels landing on San Francsico’s runway.

But even more so, I’m looking forward to that moment of bliss when I’ll be able to plop down on my bed and pass out for as long as possible.

In the meantime, I’ll let my distaste for Newark airport fester until this plane is ready to board!