Biking Along Bay of Kotor

This is a quick video I made while biking along the Bay of Kotor in an old town called Perast. The Bay of Kotor is also known as Boka Bay and also home to old town Kotor which is an attraction in itself. This was one of those reminders that if you don’t “go to work” but bring your work with you in your electronics bag; why would you ever live near a city?

Good day,

I’m writing this from my kitchen table as I eat some homemade(ish) soup a spoonful at a time. It’s been a week since I last updated and I’ve literally done nothing or next to it. Big trips to the local grocer have been a day out and besides the odd beer in the barrio on the weekend; nothing. I’ve spent my time being sick in a dark room and besides the obvious discomforts, I’ve been loving it.

There is this flu of sorts going around here in Valencia which makes you feel lethargic, achy and with a continual headache. It’s like being hung over for a week and if you do anything slightly athletic or active, the glands on your neck swell up causing great pain and making you completely useless. This could be seen as quite a drag and by no means am I thrilled about it.

That said, spending a week doing nothing but watching conspiracy theories on Youtube and other similarly productive things has been just what the doctor ordered. When you travel all the time, a week of literally doing nothing but eating good food and lounging around is ideal. In the event I had not been fortunate enough for said flu to come into my life, this never would have happened.

I’ve got two weeks left here and expect me to be a bit more active. That said, still not out of it but luckily this is the calm before the storm. I’m off to Italy on the 2nd of September and from there things just get crazier until I end up back in Central America in late October or early December.

Tips hat,

Greetings,

That photo is sunset from my street and the start of a night I’m very glad I decided to leave my phone at home. I’m in this artsy area of Valencia with interesting people and met a crew already that are a little too similar to myself for the sake of all our health. Also, this whole speaking Spanish game gets easier when you throw yourself off the deep-end with little to no choice but to sink or speak.

I’m here for three weeks and I’ll try my best to keep you updated with this and that. Thing is, unlike 99% of other people who write about travel, I have no interest in writing when I stop traveling. It’s like writing about it while it’s happening is fun and something I find rewarding. Going through old photos to talk about the past as though the present isn’t important feels forced and a seemingly simple task of writing a few hundred words feels like a chore.

So the next three weeks it’s time to get my hustle on once more and step up my Spanish game or regret not making it to the Costa del Sol aka Costa del Golf.

Greetings,

Another good day here in Andorra La Vella as it’s called. I posted a photo essay so I figured I’d just share all of them here. To give you an idea on prices, you can get an iPhone 5S unlocked for 489E which is comparable to the latest one I bought in Miami. The other stuff, can’t really comment but assuming similar as this small nation which is ~400+km2 nation makes lots from its tourism industry which this is a large part off.

Photos worth a thousand words so I’ll let them do the talking.

Tomorrow I’m off to Valencia, might be there a month.

Greetings,

I’m writing from Andorra La Vella which is in Andorra. Yes ,Andorra. This is one of those countries I’ve had in my mind subconsciously forever because it’s just that out there. What happens in places like this? What it’s all about? Why does it even exist?!? How has it not been swallowed up by France or Spain? Well, I was ready to leave Barcelona as I’m ambitions on August and saw Andorra was really close. It’s 3 hours on a direct bus appropriately called DirectBus. Anyways, this place is great so far.

I’ts located high in the mountains and is one of Europe’s highest capitals, indeed. It’s really beautiful anywhere you look and it’s also a monster duty free warehouse. Everything and anything is really cheap from cigarettes to cameras to Porsche Carerras. I strolled the streets as I always do looking for what was happening and sure enough, not that much but a lot of shopping. Figured I’d mix it up and stumbled upon this somewhat full local spot.

I ordered beverages and then headed down the street afterwards with the start of a new perspective on things. I ran into these local characters at another spot and stayed a while. On the way back I ordered Chinese and met some other characters which made my night. It’s small places like this where your average Joe will report nothing happening. Remember this, there is something happening everywhere at all times. The reality is that some spots have room for anybody to go have a decent time; others you have to stumble upon it.

I rented a hotel for two nights and after that, who knows. I inquired about their golf course but one gent said it was closed ,that’s perplexing. Either way, if you’re going to Barcelona, do come here for a night or so and buy a camera or something. You’ll enjoy the clean mountain air and who knows what else might happen?

Tips hat,

Good day,

I was seriously burnt out from Belgrade when I ended up in Badalona which was a serious buzz kill. I’ve been in Barcelona near the Sagrada Familia aka a Gaudi masterpiece the last two nights and I’m loving this city; oh what a difference a day or so makes?!

This place has a serious vibe to it and all the locals I’ve conversed with have been laid back and just most easily explained as cool. I’ve strolled the streets eating ham sandwiches, combed the beaches, climbed some hills, drank some beers, taken way too many photos and had lots of laughs. What more is needed in life?

It’s also affordable for an international city like this. Anyway, I have ambitious plans so I’m off to Andorra on a last minute SHABL style mini-trip. Going to go to the Pyrenees for a few days to clear my head before returning to Barcelona then heading south. I wanted to make it here in 2010 but it never happened due to a full night train and very glad I finally did it.

Coming to Europe? Include Barcelona. If you’d like to see more photos and hear more about my thoughts you can read the bloggery “Barcelona is a Seriously Cool City“. Also, my grasp of the Spanish language has been accelerating since I got here, also doing a little vocabulary studying on spare time which is going a long way. I am applying the 80/20 rule aka learn the 20% of words you use 80% of the time…

Tips hat,

Greetings,

I arrived in Spain at 4:30am and waited around the airport until the shuttle opened. I took it downtown and caught a subway to a stop I knew with a 24 hour reception which a friend from Buenos Aires recommended. The place was fine for a night and in ten minutes I’m transferring downtown into a room near Sagrada Familia. So I’m in Badalona which isn’t Barcelona which explains why I nearly fell asleep on the subway ride here.

I will note that on the subway ride I couldn’t help but think “lots of sketchy characters here”. Sure it was 6:35am on a Saturday morning but still. Also, the beach here in Badalona is pretty bad, not much of a vibe and it had garbage floating in it. At first I saw debris and I love swimming in the sea; not paddling but actually swimming as a form of fitness and had to cancel said swim when I realized I was in a garbage stew.

When I was putting my stuff down on the beach this macho man with Napoleon syndrome was staring me down. When I got out the stare intensified and I could feel him trying to intimidate the SHABL soul which was met with great resistance. I looked him in the eye and said “Hello?!” with the body language of what do you want / what is your major malfunction? He looked down at the sand then away; really strange. I live in C. America and spent a good time in S. America; never have I been involved in something like this.

I’m here another few days to a week then heading south as I have a flight to Rome from Valencia on the second of September aka once I leave here that will be that. I was supposed to fly to Barcelona from Belgrade on the 6th but I realize you only live once and was eager to start speaking Spanish. A foreign language is like a fistful of foreign fiat currency that never runs out.

I just wrote about it in further depth on SHABL; you can read it here.

Good day,

Today started early and I caught a bus to Zlatibor, Serbia which is in the mountains and near the border of Bosnia and Montenegro. I met this lovely lady who was waiting for me and we drove around the area checking the sights. After she said she had something cool to show me and took me down these paths which I can’t believe were doable without an SUV and I saw all these villages.

This place is beyond scenic and  I felt like I was on the set of some fantasy movie.

People come to Zlatibor to hang out and relax. In the winter a popular draw is the ski resort but during the summer it’s hiking, quad biking, mountain biking, swimming and all that type of stuff. If you’re driving a car and going between Serbia and Bosnia or Montenegro, why not stop in here for a night or so? Can’t comment much on the “scene” as I was in the back country marveling at the sights.

Serbia is cool and I’ll be back as the world is small and life is long(enough).

I’ll link up my photo essay when I get it up; I’m dead and it’s time to crash.

Greetings,

So I was out and about today and saw a lot of cool parts of Serbia. After I went for a casual drink with a friend that lead to a revelation of sorts… I met this gent who is from Belgrade that is living in China and he said that they are hungry for exports… In fact, it’s one of the biggest opportunities in recent times; curious to hear more?

China is the land of cheap everything and the middle class is growing fast. People would rather spend 5X to buy milk for their kid from a reputable source than buy the local stuff. Seems like lots of North America is hooked on the cheap goods but the growing wealth over there wants the real deal…

Just think about it for a second and this confirms what I heard in Singapore in the fall of 2013. I was invited to a dinner attached to the ITB Asia trade show and there was this large talk about the growth of the Chinese middle-class and their travel habits; them and the upper class are hungry for the best of everything.

Just think about it for a second and it makes perfect sense.

While the laggards are thinking of what they can ship overseas from China, the new breed are thinking what they can send over there. Do you work / know people in an industry making superior goods? China could be the opportunity of a lifetime and don’t discount it. Hundreds of millions of people with cash to spend isn’t an opportunity to ignore.

Tips hat,

Greetings,

I should be writing for SHABL but it’s late and this is slightly less formal so the perfect fit for my midnight musings. I went on a crazy sightseeing mission with a new friend, eat some unreal food and even fit in a round of golf. The photo above is from the Belgrade Golf Club. It’s not very big but it sure is challenging; also you never know who you’ll meet. You just might be playing fast and play through a group of diplomats from an unnamed country.

Belgrade has something like 300 bars that simply never close and they aren’t questionable joints but class ones. The joke is that if you come in at 2am they will ask if you’d like breakfast or dinner. I had dinner at one of the countless ones along the Sava River in the old port near the fortress; to say it was packed is an understatement.

I liked Belgrade but now I love it; more on that later.

Coming to the Balkans? Don’t miss Belgrade.