03 August,2010 12:03 PM IST | | Urmimala Banerjee
We envy choreographer Terence Lewis for his job. He gets to travel to the best of places around the world on shows.
The last on his itinerary has been Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands near Spain and Malaga. He shares his travel experiences with CS:
Work cum pleasure
In July, I took off to Paris, where I performed a Broadway style Bollywood musical in La Cite De La Musique. Next on the map was Spain. I was invited to conduct a contemporary dance workshop at a studio in Malaga. I also spent a few days in Tenerife Islands, in the Mediterranean Sea. It was fun interacting with students from different communities and professions, with a love for dance uniting them all.u00a0
On sight
The crystal clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea sparkled in the sun and there were small huts and villas on the mountain cliffs that ran parallel to the sea. The sights seemed just out of a travel brochure. The beaches there were lovely as were the quaint stone cottages and swaying palms. Tenerife is like heaven on earth. As far as the look and feel is concerned, Malaga is quite similar to Goa. It has clean streets, quaint old homes, cobbled roads and lovely churches. It is also the gateway to the Andalusian culture of Spain.
Life's a beach
I spent a lot of time chilling out on the beach. I love islanders for their relaxed attitude towards life. As Spain had just won the Cup, the atmosphere was quite festive with a lot of song and dance. I went paragliding, sea diving and visited the Loro Parque, which is a lovely animal park. I was able to spot the aquatic orca whales, dolphins, sea lions, etc. It is one of the craziest water parks in the world.
I also went to this volcano on the south coast of the Tenerife Islands. It was an active volcano where the lava was pouring out. I got my hair braided during my stay in Spain just like they do in Las Vegas.u00a0
In store...
Well, when I went to Spain, there were discounts in stores like Zara, Bershka, Mango for men, H&M and others, so I shopped a lot. I purchased clothes, perfumes, shoes, clothes, glares, what have you. I also bought a lot of colourful shoes and sandals for members of my dance troupe.u00a0 As far as the food is concerned, I tasted the vegetarian paella. I loved all the summer drinks like Sangria, and gorged on Tapas everyday.u00a0
Think Spain
I think every globetrotter in this world should visit Spain. The locals are very loud, energetic, straightforward and friendly. The party mood is all around.
But here's a word of caution - be careful of pickpockets while roaming on the streets of Spain. Carry a Spanish dictionary with you for reference.
