Barcelona Nights!

Desperately in need of a long-weekend getaway my partner and I decided to go to Barcelona, one of my favorite cities in the world.  It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it didn't take me long to put together a fantastic 3-day itinerary.  Having been to Barcelona several times before, we wanted to scope out the city that may be our  home away from home in the future.  I booked a room at the B Hotel .  It was totally my style... hi-tech & minimalist but warm, with an awesome roof-top infinity pool and lounge that overlooked Placa d'Espanya.  As soon as we arrived at the hotel we dropped our stuff and headed off to Aire de Barcelona for a few hours of uninterrupted sybaritic bliss.  It was a brand new Arab-style bath / spa that I had read about online and wanted to check out.  Whenever I travel medium to long haul, I like to go right from the airport to a spa, or get a massage.  For me it really helps to de-stress and diminish the effects of jet lag.   I also found a new online resource for restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping, etc. from the Easyjet website.   We went to two of the restaurants that were recommended, Balthazar and Bar Ra,  and were pleasantly surprised.  The small description the website gave for both was very accurate.   I will definitely be using this resource again in the future.  

Fortunately the US $ has gained some on the Euro so I did a bit of  shopping.  One place I had read about in wallpaper* and wanted to check out was Xocoa.  I loaded up on their funky chocolate flavors like white chocolate with lemon, chocolate with green tea, and various dark chocolate bars with rose petals, wasabi, or chili.   I plan to have a little wine and chocolate party soon!  

It was a fantastic break from our crazy lives back in Miami.  Barcelona is a city I could easily see myself living in a few years from now.   It is a city full of energy and incredible architecture; a place I like to describe as funky, hip, quirky, sophisticated, and on the cutting-edge.   If things keep going the way they are back here in the Unites Slaves of America, I may find myself living there sooner rather than later.  

Brazilian Viagra

As you now know one of my favorite things to do when I travel is eat.  Earlier this year I was in Buzios, Brazil, where some friends and I rented a house to just hang out for a few days.  We rented a beach buggy and cruised around to all the beautiful beaches on the peninsula.  Cocktail hour was approaching so we decided to stop at a little beach shack and order up a round of passion fruit  caipirinhas.  While we were enjoying the sublime view a local fisherman came around hawking his recent haul of fresh oysters.  He offered up a sample and that was all it took.  They were just plucked from the sea and had the intense taste of saltwater.  We sat there and gorged ourselves on Brazilian viagra.  

Fried grasshoppers, anyone?

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is eat.  As a kid I was a really fussy eater but as I grew up my taste buds started to evolve.  Nowadays I will try (almost) anything.  This pic captured a somewhat sublime moment for me a few years ago in Bangkok.  My best friends and I were having a cocktail in the lobby of the beautiful JW Marriott  when my friend Wayne excused himself and said he would be right back.  A few minutes later he arrived back at the hotel with a plastic bag full of deep-fried grasshoppers.  Having been in Bangkok a few years prior he new just where to get the juiciest ones!  One by one we all took turns sampling the little critters.   They actually were not that bad.  To me they tasted a bit like fried pork rinds.  So there we sat having a cocktail and eating fried grasshoppers before a crazy night on the town. 

I 'll take one in every color

While speeding through the streets of Denpasar I snapped this dude on a scooter with the most awesome shirt.  I wish I could have stopped him to ask where he got it.  I'd love to have one in every color!  Terrorism is a sad reality in today's world but it will not stop me from traveling.  I've always said that if I have to die, I want to die doing what I love.  

FLOWER POWER - TAKE 2

As I was searching my iPhoto library for a pic on which to base my next blog entry, I came across these that were snapped in Bali last year...if only they were scratch and sniff! 

FLOWER POWER

My partner snapped a close-up of this flower while we were in India.  The center appears to be radiating this intense energy, as if it were an otherworldly power source.  

This one was snapped in our backyard...

This is a lotus flower I snapped in Thailand...one of my favorite pics for that trip!

...and sunset time in Santorini, one of my favorite islands!

pieces of paradise

I have always been fascinated by the view from an airplane window.  As one passes over tiny islands floating in the sea my mind always wonders if they are inhabited, and if so, what life must be like on them.  Are there virgin beaches that have never been touched?  Are there yet undiscovered animals running wild?  Could there be some hermit living there, burned out by modern day life, and seeking  a total escape.  The few uninterrupted hours I have to simply watch the world pass by at 37,000 feet allow me to clear my head and let my thoughts wander.  It only serves to fuel my wanderlust.  

48 hours in Tulum & highway bribery

Sorry for the brief hiatus...I'd like to say it was because I was off in some far-flung, exotic locale.  Unfortunately, I've just been dealing with the ugly reality of day-to-day life in Miami.  Lately I am fed up with this backwards, fucked up, "banana republic" of a city.   The stress level is high so this past weekend my partner and I decided to take a "timeout" for a few days in Tulum, Mexico.  I was excited because the beaches there have always been clothing-optional and the scene was low-key.  I am happy to say it didn't disappoint.  Regrettably we had to fly into oh-so-tacky Cancun, the Las Vegas of Mexico, and white trash central.  Fortunately, only an hour and a half south of that eyesore is the little gem of a  beach town known as Tulum.  A former hippy hang-out, it still retains it new-agey vibe with glorious beaches and dozens of eco-resorts.  We decided to stay at Cabanas Copal, one of the EcoTulum properties, and were glad we did.  Our little eco-shack was perched right on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean, with steps leading down to the beach (see the pic of our view).  Many of the properties on the beach have limited electricity, with the majority of the cabanas being air-conditioned by the sea breezes and lit by candles at night.  For breakfast we ate at a little boutique hotel called Teetotum and it rocked.  Their breakfast burrito and banana/caramel stuffed french toast were out-of -control.  The afternoons consisted of chillin' on the beach, eatting fresh ceviche and washing it down with lots of local beer, followed by drunken boogie-boarding.  It was the perfect way to detach from the ugly realities of life back home.  Sunday morning, however,  while heading back to the airport we got an ugly reminder of  why we needed a little escape in the first place.  The Mexican police stopped us for allegedly going 97 in an 80 km/hour zone.  I was like what-the-fuck?  I thought maybe the Mexi-popo would give us "tourists" a break.  When the little jumping-bean told us the fine would be $150 and I needed to surrender my license to him I started to freak out.   He said he would keep my license while I proceeded to the Playa del Carmen police station where I could pay the fine.  Once he received confirmation that the fine was paid he would drive to the station and return my license to me.  I was like yeah right.  After much pleading to let us go the little corrupto cop finally asked how could he help us.  I didn't get it at first but when he repeated himself several times, I got it.  He was looking for some cold hard cash for himself.  I pulled out what amounted to $57 and discreetly slipped it to him while his buddy was busy pulling over another poor sucker.  He promptly handed over my license and I was outta there like Speedy Gonzalez.  At that moment I was actually happy to be heading back to the airport and getting the fuck out of there.  As soon as I landed in Miami though I was wishing I was somewhere else.  Until the next adventure...

Warning....don't try this at home!

While traveling through India I made it a point to stop over in the remote village of Khajuraho, site of what I call the "sexy" temples, containing intricate carvings of people doing all sorts of nasty stuff.  Those kinky little Indians certainly knew how to have a good time.  This is one of the more popular ones in which the dude is suspended upside down while poking his bitch, with two young hotties on each side to hold him steady...you go boy!  I could have spent hours taking notes on new positions to try back home.  Let's just say I needed to take a cold shower that afternoon.

...and to the sea I shall return

As I approach my 40th birthday I've already had dreams, well, more like nightmares, about dying and not having accomplished everything I want to accomplish.  There are so many places on my "to do" list that I feel I may simply run out of time.  I am not sure if this is part of the "mid-life crisis" thing or not.  I remember seeing a bumper sticker a long time ago that said "He who dies with the most toys wins."  Of course it was attached to a big-ass luxury SUV, towing a mini-yacht, in my oh so plastic city of Miami.  For me it is more like " he who visits the most places wins".   I've seen a lot of crazy things in a lot of far flung places but there is so much more I want to experience.  There are those who are afflicted by "the senseless need to acquire", or SNA as my partner calls it,  but I feel fortunate to suffer from wanderlust.   

Today I was reviewing my iPhoto pics to update  Facebook when I came across these that were shot in Bali last year.  They were the inspiration for this posting.  I have seen them hundreds of times but today they took on a different meaning.   I was walking the beach with my partner after having spent an amazing afternoon lounging at KuDeTa (see previous post) and suddenly had to take a piss.  My partner snapped the pics of me in the water, as well as my footprints upon leaving.  I guess it's a modern interpretation of the immortal poem, "Footprints in the Sand", made famous by Mary Stevenson.  

 Being a Cancer,  I've always been drawn to the water and in fact, I cannot imagine not living by the sea.   I know that one day this wonderful life I have will come to end and a new one will begin.  When this day comes my wish is to be be cremated and have my ashes spread across the Mediterranean....and to the sea I shall return.  

Zensual feeling

In my never ending search for new places to visit I came across a hotel in Ibiza that has ME written all over it...www.atzaro.com   I think I need to schedule a time out here soon!  Anyone care to join me?  Last year I was in Indonesia and spent a few days on the island of Bali...it was totally zen-sual.   Even the most basic of hotels was designed in a way that took advantage of the natural beauty of the island.  I stayed at a placed in Seminyak (a very trendy area) called Casa Indigo and I would highly recommend it.  It was dirt cheap (like $30/night cheap) and was an awesome value.  See www.casaindigobali.com for more info.  They only had 20 rooms, 10 on each side of a beautiful, very long pool.  You could walk out your door and jump right in the pool.  It was located very close to all the happening places like the ubercool, always happening KuDeTa.  I'd go back to Bali tomorrow just to hang out on their daybeds, watch the surfers, enjoy the amazing sunsets and exhaust their drink menu.   For a little armchair traveling check out their website at www.kudeta.net  

I also spent a few days in the northern part of Bali and stayed at a fantastic place called Bali au Naturel, located just east of Singaraja, and as the name implies it was a clothing-optional resort.  It is located in a small fishing village right on the beach and is far from any night life.  This is a place to completely chill out and detox both body and mind.  There are only a few bungalows but they are set on a large, lush property containing among other things two awesome swimming pools, a huge hot tub,  several outdoor living areas to read, sleep, or simply do nothing, and it's only steps from a natural, rugged black sand beach.  Both of these Bali properties I found by using these two highly recommended websites...   www.unseenbali.org  and  www.balifriendlyhotels.com   

suki suki

My new favorite product is the lemongrass/sugar face scrub from suki.  It's like taking crushed up lemon drops and rubbing them all over your face.  I found it while perusing the products at skin organix, my new favorite website for lotions and potions.  A few years ago while in Melbourne, I picked up some stuff at Perfect Potion, an Australian skin care company specializing in natural, organic products.  The brand was unavailable in the US, until now.   I  found it on the skin organix website which recently launched.   Check it out!  Michelle, the owner, has put together a unique collection of organic skin care companies and for a limited time she is offering free shipping to celebrate the launch of her website and retail store (located in New Jersey).  Another one of my new favorite lines is Pangea Organics, a US-based company out of Boulder, CO.  I ordered a bunch of their stuff from skin organix and love it.   The smells are incredible and I love their philosophy, plus they have a really cool website.  For years I was an Aveda/ Origins/Clarins/LUSH  kinda guy but will definitely be trying out some of these new organic lines.

Speaking of  suki suki I think it's time for a trip back to Thailand!

Where to begin?

Well...it's the second day of my blog's existence and I have so many things I want to write about but have no idea where to begin.  My intentions are to share my travel experiences with all of you, as well as to hopefully connect with like-minded people around the world.  One never knows when our paths may cross.  I am always scouring the internet in search of the latest greatest travel deal, the new fab website, that yet undiscovered gem (yeah...like they exist anymore), or perhaps that must-have product that somehow enhances our lives.   With this blog I am now able to pass along all this great stuff, and hopefully meet some real cool fellow travelers along the way who call the world their home.  

My travel style is rather eclectic.  I am equally happy in 10* designer digs or a shack on the beach in some funky exotic locale.  Some of the websites I use regularly to search out design/boutique hotels are...

i-escape,  tablet hotels, hotique, design hotels, splendia, trendy hotels, avant garde hotels,epoque hotels,kiwi collection. 

Lately I have been wanting to head to Tulum, Mexico and get naked at Cabanas Copal.  I am a HUGE nude beach lover and am always looking for new places to go au naturel.  Their website is ECOTULUM. I welcome any suggestions on cool places around the world to get naked.  

Speaking of getting nude...I am a regular at Haulover, our local naturist beach....it's a blast!  You see everything...hotties and hooters, tattoos and trannies, pussies and piercings.  I call it a free freak show.  It is really a great beach...let me know if you need any info.  

Well...gotta go...time to refill the glass of wine.  Thanks for reading!

under construction...

Today I finally sat down at my Mac and created a blog.  I had always wanted to create one but figured I'd never really have the time to keep it updated.  I finally decided this would be the best way to let my family and friends keep up with my crazy life so here we go...