Dugong Encounter a turtle. Red Sea, Port Ghalib, Habili Gubli-Marsa Mubarak
Nice diving Video, Dugong is playing with us on the surface and in the water, his penis starts to grow suddenly, and a turtle appears, amazing snorkeling session. Dugongs are so nice to see, we don’t have that many left on the Red Sea. Please If you see one, don’t approach them too close and never touch them, those animals gets stress so easily.
Check out my Dugong video having an erection !!
The south of the Gulf off Thailand is beautiful. They did the movie the beach in this area. The famous beach is from Koh Phi Phi and the rest of the movie have been filmed all around, Koh Chang, Phuket and Bangkok. I went many times on Phi Phi island and I love this island. The fact that no cars or scooters are allowed on the island is amazing. Everyone walk or use a bicycle to get around. No crazy sound to wake you up badly in the morning. Party every night on the beach and in the little bars. There is even a place you can jump on the ring and fight your opponent for a bucket of spirit.
Check out this nice video I made from the Beach !!
I met 3 guys from India on the ferry to Koh Phi Phi, they never been diving so I brought them in a dive school, and we all went diving. I was their instructor, everything went really well. For people who are not always in the water, they were pretty good and confident. Then we went on a journey to the Famous Beach and just before we stopped for cliffs jumping. It was really high, and on the same island a little further we could find little monkeys living there, waiting for tourists to bring them food.
Once we stepped on the beach, I felt so much more relax, it was a dream for me to go there one day, and I accomplished it right there. We decided to go later than every one else, to make it more special but especially to make sure we are the only ones are almost they only ones on the beach. Because in the day time, it become so crowded, I suggest if you want to go leave the harbor at 15:00 go cliff jumping until 16:00 and then got o the beach, by this time tourists will be back on the island.
There is also a second way to enter the beach, the Classical one, from the front where everyone is, but there is also the back entry. It is a little bit more adventurous, you have to jump in the water from your boat, then swim to the ladder, climb and pass through a small jungle to arrive right on ‘The Beach’. This way could be more fun if you like the adventure.
I just came back from the Grand Palace and The Emerald Buddha Temple in Bangkok, the journey was fantastic ! To get there I took the Sky Train to the boat terminal, located near the Saphan Taksin station. It is easier this way then to hassle with a Taxi to get there believe me, the BTS is the best thing ever invented in Bangkok. I went down at Saphan Taksin and cross the street to enter the boat terminal. I traveled to the Grand Palace by Chao Phraya Express Boat. I purchased a ticket at the boat terminal. I bought a round-trip ticket in advance to save troubles on the return. I Boarded the Chao Phraya Express Boat at the boat terminal until Tha Chang, stop number 9 but from stop number 8 ( Tha Tien ) is also possible to reach the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
Check out the video I just Made !!
The water taxi fare is collected by a woman shaking a container of coins. Depending on which type of water taxi you’ve boarded and where you boarded, the fare will be in the 14-25 baht range. Then I went out of the boat and walked in direction of the temple. A little advice, do not buy tickets before the entrance or do not listen what people are telling you, I heard sometimes, the Palace is closed, but they proposed me to go visit some other What with them. No the Palace is open 365 days per year, so keep walking !
There is a dress code for entering this complex: no shorts, no tank tops or sleeveless tops, no flip flops. You are asked to dress respectfully and behave respectfully here. This is both the holiest site in all of Thailand as it is the shrine of the Emerald Buddha, and it is the site most associated with the King of Thailand, the world’s longest reigning monarch and beloved by the Thai people.
If you do not have proper clothes, they will give you some for the visit, they do not look good as you can see in my video or on my pictures but at least you don’t have to travel the whole day under the sun with long clothes.
Tickets costs 200 baht for one person and are sold between 8:30-15:30. You can either do the visit with a guide or by yourself. The buildings and temples are amazing, but also the the paintings on the wall are incredible. They show the history of the temple. If you ever go to Bangkok, I suggest you stop by the Palace to learn more about Thai Culture and its origins. It was built in 1782 and features several magnificent buildings. Now Thailand is still using the Grand Palace for important ceremonies with the King of Thailand. Many Monks live around the Palace and it is one of the most visited destination in Bangkok.
Check out my photo gallery !!
I had 2 crazy weeks in Whistler. I went there after my trip to Utila Bay Islands, Honduras. Went up there to meet some friends they had rented a crazy Chalet on the mountain. We were 10 people in a huge house. Most of the time in whistler that is what people do, they rent a huge house with many rooms and everyone pays there part. Whistler was awesome, many people from Montreal, Quebec goes there to learn English, many Australians as well, and people from everywhere around the planet. The spirit in Whistler is awesome, every night there is a party somewhere, just need to find it. If you go there alone, just go in the public markets, look for advertising looking for room mates and you will find a great place to leave. Many single girls as well are there for vacations, or simply work in hotels and resorts to learn english. If you like party, girls, snowboarding, skying, mountain biking, fishing or everything in relation with mother nature YOU WILL be serve.
Check out my video form Whistler, Canada !!
Check out a pictures of our living room and the view we had.
Trip in Amsterdam was crazy, I went there 4 times already and I just love it. The girls, the coffee shops, the hostels, the clubs, the tourist, the architecture, everything is beautiful with a unique style giving Amsterdam a particular vibe. I had the chance to visit the country a little bit. I went to my friend’s place in Zwolle, an hour away from Amsterdam. I stayed there for two nights. We visited the city, the old windmills and the different castles around it was really nice to see. My friend Matthias from Germany also came with me to visit my friend since we all met back in Thailand. Then I went back to Amsterdam and I stayed there at the flying pig and enjoyed my last days in Amsterdam. Partying at night cruising around the streets admiring the beautiful girls in the windows and visiting in the day time.
Check out this movie I have made from Amsterdam !!
Prostitution is legal in Holland, and in Amsterdam most of it is concentrated in the Red Light District where it has enjoyed a long tradition of tolerance. Since October 2000, window prostitutes have been allowed to legally ply their trade. Today, prostitutes in the Netherlands are also taxpayers. Unfortunately, discrimination is still very much part and parcel in this trade as many prostitutes report that some banks even refuse to grant mortgages for example. However, now as a legal profession, the government ensures that all prostitutes are able to access medical care and work in better conditions by regulating and monitoring working practices and standards.
It cost 50 euros for 15 minutes with the girls in the little cabin they have. Some windows, men are waiting in line for their turn, and one by one, they go in and out of the window and this for a long time. The ladies were very busy and also making good money. Those girls come from all around the world, many different nationalities.
Don’t visit the Red Light District first otherwise you may get the wrong idea about the Dutch and Amsterdam as this is not only about the windows, Amsterdam is full of history, museum, shops, coffee shops, concert, art and technology. The night life in Amsterdam can be very interesting, going to the theater or going to a peep show, then in the club till very late or just in a nice coffee shop or even a Pub, and then back at the hotel. In the day time, a good idea is to rent a bicycle to go around the city, everyone use them, since cruising around with an automobile is very difficult due to the canals around. Did you know that Amsterdam have almost more canals then Venice ? More then 500 000 bicycles were counted in 2006 and 54 000 stolen in a year and Amsterdam is not a very big city.
Check out the gallery !!
After our trip to Nicaragua, Simon from Germany and I decided to make Guatemala our next destinations. We took the chicken buses across El Salvador for approximately 25 U.S $. Then at the boarder we took another bus to Guatemala City. From Guatemala City, buses goes everywhere in the country. We decided at first to go at Lago de Atitlán to celebrate new year there. This place is very beautiful, three little village live around the lake and are surrounded by three big Volcanoes. This place is also very high in Altitude, 1513 meters.
The lake is volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera formed in an eruption 84,000 years ago. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The lake basin supports extensive coffee growth and a variety of farm crops, most notably corn. Other significant agricultural products include onions, beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, chile verde, strawberries, avocados and fruit. The lake itself is rich in animal life which provides a significant food source for the largely indigenous population.
We stayed in Santa Cruz, a very nice little town and our hotel had a Jacuzzi on the top. The panorama was amazing from everywhere you looked.
Then We went in Antigua to learn Spanish and to visit the area. Once we arrived there many school teachers were waiting for new students at the bus station. Antigua is known as a destination for people who want to learn Spanish through immersion. There are many Spanish language schools in Antigua and it is one of the most popular and best recognized centers for Spanish language study by students from Europe and North America. Language institutes are one of the primary industries of Antigua, along with tourism.
Lodge is normally included in the Spanish lessons, some places you can live in a Spanish family, so you can learn faster. My first week, I was living in a family, with two kids of 10-14 years old. I stayed only one week because after every diner I was always meeting my friend Simon who was also living in another family, to McDonald because the food was not enough for us.
You can book for a week or a month if you need. The teachers are very friendly and open. If you want you can ask your teacher for a walk in the park while conversing in Spanish as part of your lessons. One day I even took my teacher in the bus to come in Guatemala city with me. I had to go there for my visa extension in Central America. The lessons are always one to one teaching, this is much better to learn at your own pace. It took me 2 weeks to get a good base, as I was already pretty good since Spanish is Very similar to French. The we decided to visit some volcanoes around.
We visited Volcano Pacaya. The volcano was still active so we could see real Lava. We took 5 hours to climb to the top. Once arrive what we saw was incredible, real lava only 1 meter away from us. The ground was really hot. We had the good idea of bringing sausages with us and some beer. We cooked our food on the lava, lt was not long for the sausages to be ready to eat !! At some places you, we could not stay more then a few seconds because it was too hot.
After our trip in Guatemala, we decided to go around the city and practice our Spanish. We met some nice girls here. They are very beautiful and friendly. It helps us really to speak Spanish and we were really good. We also got invited by a family in their house to drink and talk with them. People have been very welcoming with us.
Something we really like in Antigua, was that we could buy many fireworks for very cheap and throw them all around in the parks, they had so many choices, smoke bombs to huge fireworks going very high up in the sky. We had so much fun cruising around the town with the little touk-touk taxis and meeting people.
Then Simon went up to Mexico because he had to go back to Germany, and I decided to go back on my little Island in Honduras.
Check out the photos gallery !!!
Nicaragua was beautiful , I separated from my friend Curtis, and went on my own to San Juan Del Sul. My goal was to surf in the area. Checked in a small hotel, stayed there 3 nights till I met three crazy guys traveling together, Arnaud was from France, Axel the Photograph for München, Germany, and Simon from Dresden, Germany. Arnaud bought a little car in Mexico and was going down to Panama, stopping everywhere on the way, Axel had by a Truck and was doing the same thing as Arnaud and Simon was traveling central America like me.
We decided to go all around Nicaragua together. First We went to Leon, then Masaya, then we visited the capital Managua, then we went to Tipitapa ( country side ), the down to Granada and Finally to Omotepe to visit the wonderful volcanos. The local currency is Cordebas 1 US dollars is around 24 Cordebas and A big beer cost 16-18 Cordebas so less than a dollar. This country is very cheap to travel. We met many girls form Nicaragua, they are very hot girls but also very friendly, many nights we went out with some of them that we met ridding in our cars. They like partying all night long and they are very good fun. Most of them do not speak English, so don’t forget your dictionary.
The best part of the trip was Omotepe, two volcanoes forming an island. The Volcanoes are inactive, The biggest one is call “Conception” and the small one Maderas. We climbed up Maderas in 6 hours. Maderas is wonderful to climb, you go through different zone of nature while going up the mountain, at the beginning the vegetation is very low and towards the ascension rising to a beautiful Jungle. The best way to go on a journey is to rent a guide for the day, it’s cheaper if you go in group, so try to meet up people there and go all together. The hotel were you stay should arrange a lunch for you. On the Island, the have their own natural water coming from the volcano Maderas. The nature is very present on this Island, snakes, monkeys, spiders and sharks. Also many places you can find awesome waterfalls and you can even drink the water falling. Our guide liked to tell us stories about people trying to climb Conception Volcano and never coming back because the have been eaten by huge snakes. I think it could be a very good Volcano to climb, but you need to be a little bit more experience. Maderas is hard but if you are in good shape, it is a good training for you. After Nicaragua I decided to go to Guatemala with Simon from Germany to go and learn Spanish. Check out the photo album from Nicaragua and the volcano, it is beautiful.
In Nicaragua they have the best Rum I never tasted, Flor De Caña. This alcohol is so good, at the beginning I was drinking it with mixers, and at the end straight up form the bottle. The more old you buy the more sweet it is. 7 years old is very good but 14 even better. I love Flor De Caña so much that we decided to go directly to the factory and by a big quantity. The factory is located in the rich volcanic fertile soil of Chichigalpa where they grow sugar cane to produce this sweet rum. Flor De Caña is the most popular rum in Central America and won many international prices.
Diving is also amazing there, you can dive with hammerheads sharks of the islands little and bog corn. I did not have time to go there since you need to fly from Managua to those Islands. But i met many people that have dive there and just heard wonderful stories, I will go back for sure. Managua is the Capital where you can find the richer side of the country, same as a big city, filled with Casinos, Offices, Prostitutes, Bars, Fast Foods etc…
Nicaragua is also a great country for investments, they sell many lands for very cheap and this will be a very famous destination in the future. You can do everything there. Golf Hiking, Kayaking, Partying, Surfing, Diving, Visiting and they also have amazing beaches along the Pacific Coast.
I took my backpack and went to El Salvador with some friends. I went from Utila, and crossed all the way to the coast to go and learn how to surf in El Tunco. The waves were perfect for beginners but still I rented an advanced board, wich means it took me a week to be able to stand on my board. I was pound and crushed by the waves everyday, but still always stand back up and went for more. The locals are very good surfers and always ready to give you some tip. Apart from Surfing there is plenty of things to do around. The local food is call Papousa, it is a sort of Baliadas or Tacos with met and sauce. Very basic but it fill you in for a dollar. There currency is the American dollar. I learned how to play guitar in the streets of El Salvador. The capital is San Salvador where you can find plenty of shopping center with Fast Food chains all around, cinemas and many popular American shops. The shopping center is the perfect place to meet nice girls from San Salvador.
I crossed the border from Honduras with El poy. The main crossings into El Salvador are at El Poy and El Amatillo; there is a third crossing south of Marcala, but because of a longstanding border dispute, there is no Salvadoran immigration post there. There’s no one to stop you, either, but entering here is technically illegal and you can be fined if your status is discovered.
To travels around Salvador you will need to take the chicken buses. They are old yellow school buses repainted with many colors, and all equipped with a good surround system. Make sure you have some change when you get in, a ride can cost you as less as 5 cents for 10 Km. Check my Gallery for more pictures on those buses. The main places to see in Salvador are La libertad ( where there is also very good places to surf) El Tunco ( where I started surfing ) Santa Anna,San Miguel ( Volcanos ) and La Union if you planned continuing your trip to Nicaragua crossing the border there.
The language spoken is Spanish but many people speak English as well. I miss surfing in Salvador, this was one of my first backpack trip ever, and I enjoyed it so much.
