It’s been a hell of a trip. I’ve seen, experienced and learned so much that I’d have to write a book to share all of it. Even if I had the time to do so, which I don’t, I’d never be able to tell the whole story. Most of what I’ve seen and learned cannot be put into words or reflected by pictures. But a few bits can. Here is my humble attempt of doing that.
Continue reading “9 months, 12 countries and 50,000 km later” »
I’ve travelled to a new place every other week for the past 9 months. That should make me a seasoned traveller. And it does to a certain extent. Getting to any location by public transport in a city I’ve never been to and whose language I don’t speak doesn’t scare me anymore. I know how to pack light and how to look less like a tourist.
But when it comes to airports, immigration and paper work, I’m useless. I don’t do any research; just get the absolutely essential stuff done if I’m lucky.
If you’re a seasoned traveller, go do something else in the next 5 minutes, this post is not for you (unless you want to have a laugh). But if you’re a dummy at certain aspects of travel like myself, read on.
Continue reading “Travel advice for dummies” »
If the video doesn’t appear, you can watch it here.
I went to the market in Puerto Viejo from Cahuita and found out about a chocolate tasting tour by accident. I visited a couple of amazing beaches and saw how real chocolate is made from bean to bar. And made a video along the way.
Continue reading “Costa Rica Beach and Chocolate Tour” »
You know those barriers (apparently called stanchions) they use at airports to make queues look smaller and fit the room? Yes, the ones that remind you of experiments in which rats desperately try to find their way out of a labyrinth.
I had to go through the biggest one I’ve ever seen at Dallas airport immigration. It was massive. At least 50 meters in length, with 5 turns. It would easily hold up to a thousand people.
When I join a monster queue like this, I usually start by trying to figure how long it might take to get through. As I had a 5 hour layover, I wasn’t in a rush. I wagered that at the current speed, I’d get to immigration in about 60 minutes.
High in spirits, I wait in line and observe people. Everybody has a different method to deal with the situation. Some read books, others fiddle with their phones, while some just get desperately bored and frustrated.
As time passes and progress slows down, I start feeling less happy too. I can literally feel being infected by the frustration and anxiety of the people around me.
Unless I do something, the crowd will take me down with them.
Are you familiar with the concept of the safeword? Yes, the one perverts use in case getting whipped becomes too painful and they want to stop.
I’ve collected a set of ideas that are capable of shifting my mood instantly just by thinking of them. They interrupt the course of events and my chain of thoughts just like the safeword does. For me, these are memories, pieces of stand-up performances, funny stories friends told me. The one thing they have in common is that they will make me laugh at any time under any circumstances.
As I was standing in line, I knew the situation demanded an instant mood shift, so I took this one out of the hat. Continue reading “How to instantly change your mood” »
I’m sitting on a bus to San Jose. I have been for almost an hour now and yet we haven’t advanced more than 5km.
There was a hold up. Continue reading “What visiting Costa Rica taught me” »
One year ago, I quit Facebook.
It was driving me mad and I had to do something about it. A year later, it’s time to draw some conclusions. Continue reading “A year without Facebook” »
Who doesn’t dream about quitting the rat race? Jake Desyllas is one of the people who moved beyond dreaming and actually did it. He built a successful company, sold it, and has been able to spend his time doing whatever he likes ever since. I first heard about him through his podcast, The Voluntary Life, about entrepreneurship and freedom. I spoke to Jake about his new book: Becoming an Entrepreneur. Continue reading “Becoming an Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas” »
In Medellin it was difficult to find healthy and affordable places to eat out. Your options in Bogota are much more plentiful, but the street food scene is still dominated by deep fried stuff. Add to that the Colombians love for red meat and I might be forgiven for getting the impression that healthy eating in Colombia was near impossible.
It took Daniel Salazar, the CEO of La Superior, one of the top gmo-free soy milk brands of South America, to change my mind. Continue reading “Eating healthy and building a healthy eating business in Colombia – Inspired by Daniel Salazar” »
Are you one of those careless people who click “agree” to anything without reading the fine print?
We all click “agree” to the terms and conditions of life when we are born without knowing what they are. Decades later, when we run into some of the limitations defined by the fine print, we are often surprised. Here is what you agreed to when you took your first breath. Continue reading “The fine print of Existence Inc.” »
