CELEBRATING TWO-YEARS ANNIVERSARY!
When I started writing my blog two years ago, I wasn’t really sure where this experience would lead me. I’m still not 100% sure today but, boy, what a ride it has been!
Let’s see what we had so far.
Category: Experiences
Working for peanuts
PAYDAY IN MANDALAY
“Working for peanuts” means toiling for a very low wage. Sometimes, unfairly low.
Many have been wondering where this expression came from. What were its origins? Was it anything real? Is there anyone out there receiving a meager paycheck made of ground crops?
I went to a remote corner of this world and discovered that some slang has, well, a grain of truth.
Fishing the river for Dolphins
SUNSET ON THE RIVER MEKONG
There is something very special about the grand Mekong River. The majestic tributary of Southeast Asia connects so many cultures and covers so much history it has become its own icon. Drawing the borders of Tibet, China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam The Mekong is as Indochina as Lemongrass and Satay Sauce. One part of it, however, manages to be even more special. That part is Kratie, Cambodia. And that’s where I decided to visit to try and fish myself a Dolphin.
Big Sir!
TO THE HIPPIE HIDEAWAY, PASS THROUGH THE US ARMY FIRST
Yep. That’s right. To get to Big Sur – the mother of all Hippie hideaways – you do need to pass through a US army base – Fort Hunter Liggett, to be exact. The big sign at the entrance says that by passing through the gate you agree to a vehicle search (and a body search) at any time and without a warrant. Scary stuff. Still, if you do brave it through, you’d find one of America’s most un-American roads, and a view so striking you’d forget the military warnings.
The good, the bad and the Han
FINDING SERGIO LEONE’S HIDEAWAY IN LIMING
The place looks like a scene from a 1960’s Spaghetti Western. Complete with rocky cliffs, and a small run-down school where Native-American kids play ball. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear Ennio Morricone’s famous tune playing in the background. But of course, the kids are not Indians, and the guy playing the flute is Naxi, not Italian.
Kor Klavim
THE WATCH SAYS IT’S 1pm, BUT THE SUN IS SETTING
The GPS says it’s 69º North. The thermometer shows it’s 20º below zero. In my native tongue – Hebrew, there’s a word for “cold”. There’s also a word for “Bitter cold”, but when things get really damn icy, there’s another expression, “Kor Klavim” – a “dog’s cold”. This linguistic trivia is quite surprising given the fact that Hebrew is a Semantic language from the Middle East, a place not known for dog sleds.
And yet, here we are, in Kiruna on the northern tip of Sweden. It’s Kor Klavim, and the dogs around are braking like they couldn’t have had enough of it. We’re, on the other hand, are freezing.
Thanks for asking.
Continue reading “Kor Klavim”
A corner suite Niagara
ABUSING A NATURAL WONDER WAS NEVER SO COMFORTABLE
These are the Niagra falls seen from the 26th floor of the Embassy Suites Hotel. Now, aren’t they grand? Good thing you can’t see the hotel itself. It’s a real eyesore.
And not just the hotel. Everything on this side of the Niagara is a grotesque piece of unplanned monstrosity. A tourist attraction gone horribly wrong.
Shall we grab another Brandy from the minibar?
A tourist trap from above
LEAVING IT UP IN CAPRI. THAT’S NO TYPO
Don’t you just love Italy? The sea, the mountains, the villas, the food, the history, the music, the vibe…
And then, of course, there are the scoundrels, the thieves, the price bumpers, the cons and the worst of all – the tourist trappers.
Yep, Italy got’em all, and no place got more “all” than all of them than the tiny island of Capri.
Passion runs high in Brazil’s murder capital
FEELING ALIVE IN SALVADOR
Does Salvador de Bahia epitomize Brazil?
It got the poverty, it got the color, it got the vibe, it got the crime, it got the history, it got the Samba (by god, it got the Samba alright!), it got the football and loads and loads of sex.
Continue reading “Passion runs high in Brazil’s murder capital”
Dead, and loving it.
THE DAY OF THE LIVING IN PATZCUARO
If you have been watching Breaking Bad or Better Call Soul, you’d probably associate the Mexican state of Michoacán with Chrystal Meth barons and murderous gangs. True, the place does rank high on the Mexican violence scale, but Michoacán has much more to it than just death.
Actually, forget about what I wrote above. Michuacan is mostly about death. Surprisingly it loves every bit of it.