Day 3: Chicago in 24 hours

Day three arrived with a beautiful sunny morning. The weather had turned in Chicago and we had planned to do a lot during the day.
We started off in the Loop visiting the Chicago river, the Chicago theater and the famous bean.

After that we headed over to Museum Campus and took a bite of the Chicago style hot dog. Warning! Ketchup is strictly prohibited on them, at some places you might even have to dance for it.

Back in the city we took a lookout on the 103rd floor of Willis tower, formerly known as Sears tower. With its 442 meters it claimed the title of the tallest building in the US until recently, when the One WTC in New York has been topped out.


On our way to the Navy Pier, it was time to get some shrimps at a Bubba Gump restaurant. This restaurant chain was inspired by the movie Forrest Gump, and is a huge success in the US.

To grab some dessert and yet another magnificent view of the city, we climbed to the Signature Lounge on the 95th floor of the Hancock tower. It’s a well known secret that it’s not worth to pay for the observatory here: you can get a small bite in the lounge and just enjoy the view.

To finish up for the day, we booked 2 tickets for a stand-up comedy show in the Second City. It was a kind of improvisation night and, unexpectedly, we understood most of the jokes:)

Day 2: Arriving to Chicago

Virgin Atlantic flight number VS39 took us over from London to Chicago. The flight was around 8.5 hours long, but the in-flight entertainment system should have had kept us occupied. Should have, but this one was seriously from the 1980s. The ones who were lucky enough to have their systems failing permanently, got a portable DVD player. A bit before landing, the captain announced 11ºC/ 56ºF local temperature and we didn’t want to believe our ears. We were not prepared for such a bad weather, all our warm clothes were in Germany, where they belonged :P

After a short train ride from the airport, we met our couchsurfing hosts: Tony, Stephanie and their dog Hitch. They were in the middle of some garden grilling, although it was way too cold to stay outside.

In the evening we took a Metra train to downtown to enjoy the city a little bit, even though our jetlagged brains clocked way past midnight. Being Sunday, the city was absolutely empty and almost no pedestrians could be seen.

Looking for refuge we headed to sample Chicago’s most famous dish, the deep dish pizza, at Lou Manati’s. This is the place recommended by everyone. They don’t have many kinds of toppings, but it is worth a try.

Next day we had to see the best of Chicago, so we headed home and fell to bed.

Day 1 - Barcelona: Roser and Arnau’s wedding

On the first day we have been invited to the wedding of Roser and Arnau. The wedding was in a rural residence near Barcelona. We loved the simple “hipster” style of the wedding. The ceremony was not the usual 2 hours long priest preacher, but a short and moving one. Before we noticed, they were already married:) There was no dress-code, everyone wore what was comfortable, which came in handy, because the sun was shining bright at the newly weds and the gathering.

It was not only a wedding, but also a reunion of erasmus students. Yurena, Roser, Mille, Humberto, Carmina and Valdis were studying together some 8 years ago in Lübeck, Germany. Some of them haven’t met ever since, yet they picked up teasing each other where they left off.

The menu was also not the usual wedding menu you are used to. After some appetizers, the guests were invited to taste two gigantic paellas, yummie!

Roser and Arnau are also great travellers. As a honeymoon they are planning to do a 3 month trip around the US, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. You can follow their blog here:
http://www.sempreviaggiando.com/

 

From our little trip we wish them lots of happiness, success and never ending adventures! Moltes gràcies amics!

Around the World in 22 days

Once a World traveler, always a World traveler :)
So this year we are to beat the record of Phileas Fogg and circumnavigate the world in a mere 22 days. Of course the trip is not so complete as in the novel or as the one we did with Paul before, but we are aiming to do the following:

• Attend a wedding in Barcelona
• Ride the L trains in Chicago
• Put all on red in Las Vegas
• Drive down the coast in a convertible in LA
• Snorkel at the Fijian coral reefs
• Count the skyscrapers in Hong Kong
• Taste some Portuguese sweets in Macau
• Smell a durian in Singapore
• Arrive back to London safe and sound

This time my travel mate is Yurena, and we are trying to update the blog every day. Kickoff date: June 1st! Follow us here, and leave some comments if you wish!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in your life?

Some of you might still remember, when we were travelling around the world, whenever we had the time and the camera at hand, we asked the locals two questions:

1. What do you like the most in the place where you live?

2. What's the craziest thing you've done in your life?

Well, the time has come and finally the answers made it into a video compilation. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this video do not represent opinions of simplyaroundtheworld.com. Some of the stories might be purely fictional and provided solely for entertainment purposes:)

Interview with vandorboy, alias Gabor Csonka

I accidentally came across the profile of Gabor on Couchsurfing. His travels and way of travelling caught my attention and earned my awe. Gabor is from Hungary, and in the past 22 years he has been to roughly 126 countries around the World. The following interview is the first one in a series that we plan to roll out about notable fellow travelers. Enjoy!

Gabor, what motivates you to travel?


To know more about different cultures, understanding societies and its people, learning from them about traditional ways of living, teaching them how to deal with the bad effects of the globalization and how to manage their life in peace and harmony. How to deal with problems and how to solve them if they couldn’t do so yet. I open for openness, those people  who can change their future are secured.


Was there a moment in your life when you decided that you will travel in a way you are doing it right now?


Oh, my first hitchhiking journey to Greece in 1989 opened for me a new aspect of traveling. Since I keep going, discovering, making friendships, building communities, participating in voluntary organizations, etc.



You define yourself as a low-budget traveler. What does that mean in reality?


Everywhere I go I go almost exclusively with hitch hiking. In some countries this is really easy, in some countries, especially in Western Europe, this is becoming increasingly difficult. As for sleeping I normally take my sleeping bag, so sleeping outside is no problem. I often meet people on servas, hospitalityclub, couchsurfing who host me, or the people who give me a ride also often invite me to their homes. Basically I only spend money on food, and visa fees. My budget is so low that I often live off from less money than the people I visit in Asia or Africa. To give you an idea, in South East Asia, I was spending an average 3-5 US dollars per day. Of course, sometimes in richer countries, like countries in Europe, I work for a few months, just to rest and prepare for my next trip.


How do you get to places where you cannot go by hitchhiking? Iceland or the Caribbean for example?


I have never been those countries yet. But there are many people who use boat-hitchhiking, which is easy in the Caribbean area, where many private sailing boats are looking for helpers. And now there are so many budget airlines, maybe except Africa and south America, almost everywhere you can get cheap flights, if you plan ahead.



Did you ever get into any trouble?


Of course, when you visit countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Somaliland, Pakistan, Colombia, Sudan, Congo you take risk what challenges you. Other countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, Peru etc.  you should be vigilant crime wise. Or when I climbed 3-5000 meter high mountains alone, crossing glaciers, get lost in jungles, being kidnapped or robbed, all part of your life, you learn to handle it, and all enriching your experience and wisdom. That makes a backpacker into traveler.
Just a smaller story that happened to me: In Afghanistan, it was impossible to find cheap accommodation, as locals were afraid if the foreigner stays there, the house will be attacked, gunshots, etc. So it is traditionally quite common to visit tea houses, “Chai Khanas”  where guests can sleep over for a night. What the guide books don’t tell you that younger men are also traditionally approached by older men. Sexually. Was no violence in this story but could happened if I don’t react properly. So I had to say an early good bye (4 a.m.), when I was there before the situation getting more serious. :)


I read that you do not take a cellphone with you. How much you rely on the Internet during your travels?


In the last 9 years I didn’t carry cell phone with me. Internet? It depends where I am. I use more and more as getting easier in every corner in this planet (except Africa) collecting and sharing infos for fellow travelers and communities.



I know it is a question you answered a million times, but what are your favorite countries?


Burma definitely is the best experience for me, good combination of people, culture, food, landscape, tribes, adventure and price. Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Bolivia, Georgia, Peru, Mexico, Sudan are as well on my top list. Too long to explain but you can read more on my website.


And which ones you like the least?


South Africa, Tanzania - because of people: crime makes here the life of low budget backpacker difficult and dangerous. Generally in Africa you feel most of the people are just taking away your energy. No cooperation, compassion, improvement in their life. (If you are interested in this topic, just read my blog about Africa). But still Africa is a most interesting continent to discover as an anthropologist.


If you could live somewhere outside Hungary, where would you live?


Probably in Europe, where the cultural activities are abundant: Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Prague or Berlin. Mexico or New Zealand would be an option as well for a shorter period.



What do you miss the most from your home, Hungary?


From Hungary and Europe in general, I mostly miss the cultural activities and good food. When I travel I miss the cultural life, contemporary art, good exhibitions, theatre, and valuable and deep conversations. It is really refreshing to come home, especially after a long trip to Africa, where people are about to lose their culture which is overwritten by the influx of western culture and values. I am vegetarian and like to discover new tastes and share my knowledge of cooking, showing the culinary of Hungary.


Did you ever fall in love not with a country, but with a person during your trip? How difficult was it to continue your trip?


Oh yes I did. The traveling teaches you the basic Buddhist axiom: everything is impermanent. When you travel you find interesting places, people, moments and you get things you will be attached to. Then comes the time when you lose them, you have to separate. That is the low of nature. We could be sad, we could suffer, but if you look forward you will find new moments, places, people, etc. so there is not too much reason to worry if you lived the moment fully.



You said in an interview that you are about to settle down, and only do shorter travels in the future. What are your plans?


Yes I will settle down. Now I’m in India, planning to write my book to share many of my experiences, wisdom I gained during traveling around this planet. Now I started to work for a travel company as a guide, writing new programs for them. Recently Norway, Georgia, Armenia, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, West Papua, Egypt and Israeli desert, Jordan, Cuba, Bolivia, Peru to fascinating Oman, West Africa and South African safari covering S.A.R., Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, etc.
I am also taking individual tourists on individual tours to the countries they wish to go, so I am building the schedule, arranging transport and accommodation, talking about the culture etc. So if you are one of those persons who need travel advice, travel plan, companion and you need an experienced guide who protects you from unknown trouble you would cross during your journey, don’t hesitate to contact me on my website.



You are not motivated to have all the countries of the world on your list?


I visited only the cultures and countries I was interested in. So far this 126 countries I was interested to discover for different reasons (landscape, people, society, tribes,  architecture, history, food. There are still countries on my list, such as Mongolia, Iceland, Greenland, Antarctica, Vanuatu, Yemen, C.A.R., Gabon, Argentina…
…
You can find the blog of Gabor at http://vandorboy.com/.
All photos are from Gabor, you can find an immense selection of his photos over here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103594156112481728370

Menorca: between beaches and horses

...and our first guest-post comes from the pen of Yure. Enjoy!

Menorca is the second largest of the Balearic Islands and the most charming and calm. It is the best island to spend some days disconnecting of the every day life and at the same time enjoying the food, the landscapes and the summer festivals of its cities. The capital is located in the eastern part of the island and it is called Maó.

One of the things that makes Menorca one of the most attractive places to visit is its beautiful and deserted beaches. The island has more of them than its sisters, Mallorca and Ibiza, together. The best way to go all over the island and get to every corner in a comfortable way is by car. The only inconvenience is that sometimes you cannot reach the best beaches by car but you may see yourself forced to walk for 30 minutes under the sun of the Mediterranean but, if at the end of your long walk, you find this, all will be forgotten :) Of course, the best would be to rent a boat and discover the small and secret Cales while enjoying the sea breeze.

Cala Macarella

Cala Morell

Between beach and beach a break for eating is more than deserved. Menorca has a wide gastronomic offer. From fish to Maó cheese, you can find a big variety of restaurants, bars and stands all over the island open until late in summer and until 23h in winter. You don't have to miss the ensaimada, typical sweet pastry filled with cabell d'àngel, the sobrassada, a cured sausage made with pork and paprika, the Caldereta de llagosta, a lobster soup and the Xoriger gin the destilery of which can be found in the capital of the island.

Maó cheese

Sobrassada

Xoriger Gin

Menorca is fascinated with horses and has its own race. It even has a path called "Camí de cavalls" that sorrounds the island. If you visit Menorca in summer ask the locals and make yourself sure that you can attend the Festa Major of one of the cities of the island. The most popular is Sant Joan, which takes place every year at the end of June in Ciutadella, the second biggest city of Menorca. The celebration consists of horses and theirs knights "dancing" between the visitors in the main square of the city. What's better than a video to explain that? :)

Festa Major of Ferreries, Menorca

Don't panic if you are in Menorca and see that everybody wears the same shoes! The Avarques are typical balearic sandals made of leather that can be found in nearly every shop.

Avarques

Get yourself some and discover Menorca!!!

Navigating new waters

Even though it feels like only yesterday, it’s been exactly one year since we finished our trip around the World and came back to the old continent. Some blog posts were slow to follow, but finally I think we covered everything we wanted. Still missing some summary, and further tips, they will follow soon. In the meantime we are converting the blog to be an all-round travel blog covering most of our travels even after the big trip. Apart from us, you will also find posts from fellow travellers and interviews with them.

Keep travelling with us!

The Great Wall of China

Once in Beijing, you should not miss the Great Wall. However, finding a decent tour without 2 million tourists can be a real challenge. Nearest and most accessible part of the wall is Badaling. If you absolutely want to go there, do so on the weekdays. Second to Badaling is Mutianyu, which is a bit greener, a bit farther, but still very touristy. These places offer a cable car as an alternative to climbing a significant amount of stairs. Important to note that most hotels and hostels offer daily tours only to these places.

A refreshing exception is Leo hostel. They do a tour called “ancient wall + secret wall”. This one day tour will take you to a part of the wall, which is actually not much reconstructed. (Frankly, if you go to Badaling, the conditions might raise some questions about the real age of the wall.) You don’t have to stay at the hostel to take the tour, just book it at their reception and show up on the day when the tour is scheduled. The tour will take normally around 20 people, and on the way not only you can see documentaries of the wall, but they air a couple of China-related episodes of South Park just to cheer up the folks before the hike. The actual hike is not the easiest one. The complete hike is to climb up to the 6th tower and back. This means around 1.5 hours climbing up, and 1.5 down. Of course you can turn back any time, out of the 20, only 5 of us made it to the 6th tower. Nevertheless the higher you go, the better panorama you will be offered, and you find parts of the wall that are really overgrown by vegetation.

To read more about the tour, visit: http://www.leohostel.com/LEO_HOSTEL_TOURS.html