Discovering Mexico During Covid: The Central Highlands
Ten months in Brazil is definitely more than I thought I would stay in 2020. But as the health situation improved in January 2021 (before falling back into chaos with their second wave), I had to leave the country as the state of emergency had been withdrawn, along with the extended visa allowances for tourists. With borders still tightly shut all over the world, I had to find a place that was equally welcoming to foreigners, and big enough to provide quality content for a nomad like me. Mexico checked all the boxes. So there I went, on a flight to one of my favorite countries in the world, arriving in its capital, Mexico City. Mexico is a massive country! It has so much diversity, from its northern desertic regions, to its three mountain chains, as well as two massive coasts stretching on both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. My plan was to spend a few months in the country and discover a dozen […]
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Panama under strict lockdown feels weird !
I spent an extensive amount of time in Panama over the past 6 years, a country that I personally love and a great base to come back to as a digital nomad. The country has constantly one of the best yearly growth out of all the Latin American countries, and every time I come back, I am amazed how fast things change, from new restaurants opening and closing to new sky-scrapers popping everywhere! But this time around, arriving in February 2021, amidst the second lockdown the country had imposed, it totally felt like another country. I just couldn’t believe it. Just the ride from the airport was an adventure. The highway is usually packed with horrible traffic, and this time, not a single car could be seen on one of the main highways called “Corredor Sur”. Arriving near my hotel in a Uber, a cop stopped us at gunpoint, confused as to why we had broken the lockdown, all for us to have to explain […]
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On the road again… Three months traveling all over Brazil
It definitely felt like years since I had been on the road, traveling around the world and more recently around Latin America before covid-19 struck. Since then, I had chosen Brazil to spend time while the world crumbled in unreal lockdowns, first in Rio de Janeiro for 3 months, then surfing the Pandemic in Paradise in North-eastern Brazil. That had been a blessing for me and the best choice I could have though of while spending time in quarantine, first on my beach in Cumbuco in the state of Ceará, kitesurfing daily. and then 4 months later, when Brazil started to come back to normal around September, kitesurfing the whole coast of 3 Brazilian states in the Iron Macho Challenge – The “Iron Man of the Seas” – 400 km KiteSurfing Expedition across 3 Brazilian States. That was all so amazing and beautiful. But as the traveler that I am, something was missing. I was missing my lifestyle of jumping from one city to the […]
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The Absolute KiteSurfing Paradise in the Lencois Maranhenses in Brazil
A desert of sand, flooded by fresh water and brushed with constant trade winds; the Lencois Maranhenses have long been my dream to KiteSurf. This was the perfect time to experience it, and after landing in Atins after my 400km Kitesurfering Iron Macho expedition, I had 2 weeks to go all-in on KiteSurfing this paradise on earth located at the edge of the world! In This Article…1 Paradise on Earth for Kitesurfers2 KiteSurfing in Atins3 KiteSurfing the Lencois Maranhenses4 More in Photos Paradise on Earth for Kitesurfers I had the chance to visit the Lençóis Maranhenses back in 2011, and have ever since referred to it as one of the most beautiful natural marvels in the world. Saying that even after having been to 99% of the countries of the world is definitely a great title to receive. The weird thing is that so few people have heard about it. It’s definitely undervalued and once it picks up into the tourism radar, it will be […]
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Iron Macho Challenge – The “Iron Man of the Seas” – 400 km KiteSurfing Expedition across 3 Brazilian States
After a nice warm–up a month prior, KiteSurfing 350 km from Fortaleza to Camocim with the Lagartixa expedition, this was the ultimate challenge: KiteSurfing more than 400km from Jericoacoara (known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world) to Atins in the desert of the Lençóis Maranhenses; an intense 5 day challenge in a true paradise on earth. A once in a lifetime journey which I will never forget… In This Article…1 The Iron Macho kitesurfing trip2 The Iron Macho Itinerary3 How to Book your Iron Macho Trip (or another downwind)4 Reaching the end of all roads5 Another means of travel during pandemic times6 Finish line and Medals7 Traveling with a Nobile Splitboard8 The Iron Macho episode showcased in my Best Selling Book9 Video Summary of the five days10 More in Photos11 Destinations while downwinding in Ceara and the North East of Brazil12 Jericoacoara (Jeri)13 Ilha do Guajiru14 Guajiru15 Moitas16 Lagoinha17 Downwind Kitesurfing the Coast of Ceara18 Share on Pinterest The Iron Macho […]
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The “Marathon of the Seas” Expedition: KiteSurfing 350 km of Ocean Stretch Off the Brazilian Coast
Just imagine for a second undertaking the challenge of traveling on the ocean on a surfboard for an average of 90 km per day for 4 days in a row, reaching some of the most beautiful scenery available in Brazil, sleeping in small fishing village to recharge your batteries before hitting the waves again and again for over 6 hours daily. This is what I’ve been signing in for on this incredible journey of downwinder KiteSurf trip that took me on an adventure of more than 350 km of surfing in August 2020. The prospect of such a challenge seemed overwhelming at first when a friend invited me to take part in Lagartixa kite trip, but it undoubtedly turned out one of the most amazing experience I have done in the past years! In This Article…1 KiteSurf Downwinders2 Freeride Kitesurfing vs Downwind KiteSurfing3 The Ironman of the oceans4 Four days of Surfing5 How to join a Downwind6 Video Summary of the Trip7 More in Pictures8 […]
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Surfing the Pandemic in Paradise… Life in a North-Eastern Brazilian town during Covid-19 times
The pandemic has had a devastating effect on the tourism industry around the world and digital nomads have been particularly affected by the events. In an instant, people living on the road had to find shelter and morph into a sedentary lifestyle. In my case, I chose to spend these hard times in my favorite country, even though it was one of the hardest hit by the virus. To keep my moral high, I needed to be near the ocean, connect with nature and surf my days away while waiting for the world to fix itself. What else could I do? I was asked to stay home… Might as well isolate in the ocean on a surfboard riding the waves! In This Article…1 Stuck in South America with borders closed2 Kitesurfing in Cumbuco, Ceara3 Life routine in Ceará during Covid4 Living in paradise!5 The Ocean and Kitesurf were my saviors6 A few selected pictures7 Pin to Pinterest Stuck in South America with borders closed Living […]
Read More...196 or 195 Countries in the world? Why I readjusted my count
For as long as I could remember, I had been counting the world as 196 countries. This number is usually considered one of the most popular counts by the travel community as a means of measurements. It amounts to the 193 countries recognized by the United Nations, plus 2 observer countries (Vatican and Palestine) and Kosovo which s part of the IMF and World Bank. Some even include Taiwan as a 197th. But once I got closer to finishing the world, I decided to backtrack and use another popular count: 195. This comprises the 193 and the two observers, but not Kosovo. It is not recognized as an observer and thus, not really qualifies as a full country. This seems to be the most accepted convention as of 2021. I have been twice to Kosovo and really enjoyed my time there. But I have decided that until it strikes the observer status, I would not count it in my official count of countries visited. Some […]
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One Day in Rio de Janeiro
Here’s a little snapshot I wanted to share where I am at the moment. Spending time home in quarantine isn’t easy. At least I have the beauty of the marvelous city of Rio de Janeiro to keep my morale up while I can’t continue traveling around the world. I decided to have a little fun today. I took pictures of the view from my window at different times to compare them together, to show how the beauty of this city changes through time. I am constantly blown away by Rio which never ceases to impress me year after year, every single day, every single hour. The pictures are taken from my Lagoa apartment rental I found to spend the quarantine, overlooking the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. I took the first picture early in the morning at 7:00, where the sun wakes up from behind, lighting up Ipanema on the left side, where we see a little bit of the Atlantic ocean, and the Morro Dois […]
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My Favorite Town in Cuba is… Trinidad!
Even better than Havana in my opinion, it is a perfect little picturesque and authentic village to spend two to three days while in Cuba. I felt transported back in the 19th century walking around its cobblestone streets and its colorful houses. The setup is just magical and nature as well. But be quick to come because I predict that its authenticity will disappear very soon as it is booming with construction at the moment. Hotels are popping everywhere and tourist traps will arrive soon after. If they say Cuba must be visited before it becomes developed, then Trinidad is to be number one on your bucket list. In This Article…1 What should you do there?2 Any restaurants to recommend?3 How to get to Trinidad?4 Trinidad in pictures… What should you do there? I enjoyed just walking around the old town. It’s so nice and feels so good to just observe how people are living. It just feels so colonial at the same time so […]
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