¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! ¡Epa! ¡Epa! ¡Epa! Yeehaw!..Mexico City here I come!!

You remember Speedy Gonzales? You know the mouse dressed in traditional mexican garment always getting into trouble? I was expecting the same dress code and the same speediness when I landed in Mexico City two weeks ago..But boy, the flight to Mexico was not so much of a problem although I flew from Istanbul almost 16-17 hours. But after landing having to wait at the passport controls together with hundreds of exhausted souls was a bit of a pain in the ass. Nothing speedy about that I tell you..and no mexican dressed as speedy gonzalez.!!
It took me one and half hour to get through passport controls and then getting a taxi was also complicated, if you have no idea how to get one in Mexico City airport. I tried to take one outside but the driver told me that there was a fine for taxi drivers and that I had to get a registered taxi. That was new to me..However, when you get the hang of it, it"s quite simple. When you turn to the right at the end of the hall, there are registered taxis, where you have to tell them where you want to go and pay them upfront. You get a ticket, which you have to give to the driver and that"s it. The driver was quite friendly and we had no problems finding the hotel.

I took a hotel which had a pretty good rating at booking.com and one that was not so expensive. The hotel is called Room Mate Valentina and honestly, all good things aside I do not recommend to stay there. The hotel is located in the infamous area called Zona Rosa. I did not mind all the gay bars, prostitutes and sex shops in the "barrio". There was some noise in the streets when the people were partying but it was not very disturbing. The staff was friendly. What I did not like about my room was the bathroom which had a very off-putting sewer smell and it did not go away. I had a room at the 8th floor and the room was spacious, always clean. But the smell was soooo disturbing you could hardly sleep.
Anyways, I had to stay 5 days in the capital city and had little time for sightseeing as the exhibition lasted until 8 pm in the evening. Then getting back to the hotel with the terrible traffic it was already 9 or 10 pm. From what I could see was that the people of Mexico are not happy because there was always some sort of politicial demonstration. When I asked the taxi driver what it was all about he told me that he didnt have any idea but that the people here always find a reason to start a rally in the streets protesting against anything. So, I went to the old city walking from the Angel de la Independencia along the Paseo de la Reforma and the avenue is nice, with hotels and restaurants. Good for a stroll.

..To be continued...

Hola Mejico!! De aquí pronto nos veremos..

What was that song from that chick? Ironic? I think it was Alanis Morissette. You know where four of them sit in a car and sing about life being ironic. Well, I dont think she had me in mind when writing that song but  some readers of this post, (although there aren't many, I am quite aware of that but I will pretend to have millions of true followers.), I was telling some posts ago how sick I was of this whole travelling life and guess what..management thought it would be a good idea to send me even farther..I am really getting suspicious..I think they are trying to get rid of me. Maybe coincide with one of those crazy pilots?

By the way, that was really sad and crazy. I used to fly that route a lot back in the days with Germanwings. From Düsseldorf to Barcelona. I can't imagine the terror that the people had to go through. And their families...what are they thinking? me, being a dad of a 4 year old daughter, I think I would go berserk! I mean, somebody fucked up something, somewhere so this crazy muthatrucka was able to get a pilot license. Somebody needs to account for this tragedy.

Anyways, so management thought it would be good for me and for the business of course, to visit Mexico and Chicago. I was assigned with these new regions and they took away from me Macedonia. What a relief!! Really???, I mean, really??? take away a country with what..3 mio people and give me a freakin' continent with half a billion people???

So first stop is going to be Mexico D.F at the end of April. First time for me to fly overseas so you can guess how excited I am. The flight itself will take like 20 hours with one stop in Frankfurt. And then in June I will be visiting windy city. Well, since childhood we were bombarded with endless Hollywood products so I could tell a city when I see it on TV. But of course, it is not the same. I started to read on the web where to go and what to see. Of course, I will be busy with work but in the evenings I will have plenty of time to see the city.

But first, Mexico D.F. as a spanish speaker I don't think I will have it difficult over there. I was a big fan of mexican food so I am really looking forward to those tacos, quesadillas, and whatnots. If anyone has good tip for a good restaurant in Mexico city just hit me up.

I still have a Balcan trip to make in May so that will be next but until then stay safe everybody.

Its a bird, its a plane...no, it's just me wondering where to fly next! well..at least I get to collect miles!!

One lame trip!!

I went to Amsterdam last month where I'd visit some customers and then go to different cities like Rotterdam, Maastricht or Veghel. I stayed only one night in pot city and the weather was shitty. It was rainy, cold and simply no fun to be there. I had the pleasure(!) to stay at a hotel called Apollo, which was located a bit outside of the city center but it was a cheaper alternative as other hotels were fully booked. I paid like 120 EUR per night (including breakfast) but the room was shitty. The mini bar looked scandalous with only two small bottles of white wine, knocked  down and that was it. Carpet was dirty, breakfast was limited. Bathroom was tiny with confusing labels. The shower had a dispenser labelled handsoap, the sink had a dispenser labelled shampoo..so you get the picture..it was not a pleasant stay. I know what people think when I say Amsterdam..pot, alcohol and red light..well, none of those things appeal to me, especially on a business trip...well, pot does but I was not in the mood.

The next morning I went to Rotterdam, which has one of the biggest ports in Europe. You know, Nazis bombed the whole city flat in WWII and somehow the dutch managed to build one ugly building after another so the city has no charm whatsoever. To it is one of the ugliest towns in Holland. After visiting the customer in Rotterdam I went to Den Haag, which is not far away by car. They have a great Chinatown. After strolling around half an hour I went to a chinese restaurant called Fat Kee, which was fully packed and the food was nice with adequate prices.. And the service was fast..worth a visit, if you should ever get there.
The next morning I headed to Maastricht. It is a cute little town where you can stroll around in the old city. It has a nice cathedral, a nice park with water mills and a small lake. I was lucky because the weather was so nice. I must say I liked it a lot better than Amsterdam or Rotterdam.
The last day I went to Heerlen where I stayed at the Stadshotel de Paris, which is located in the city center. It serves mainly as a restaurant but it also has some rooms where you can stay cheaply.
I did not encounter anything interesting or even annoying during this trip so it was a bit boring. I can't even rant about anything here.
Next trip is going to be to Frankfurt..let's see if I can get pissed off there..!

Amsterdam..black and white..

It was a cold, rainy day in February

Any suggestions for a destination? or maybe a career-change?

People, I am getting tired of this travelling business. Seriously..for the past 7 years I've been constantly travelling all over Europe and Asia. Mostly for business of course but still when does this drudgery end? For how many hours do I have to get this exposure of airplane radiation? Pack and unpack the freaking luggages..wait at the passport cue..pass through security check..uurggghhh..(and this is not Ronaldo's victory roar..!!)

Well, unless I start a different career, I am afraid I have to endure this until my retirement, which is still 15-20 years away..just to give you a hint what is ahead of me for the coming months..Utrecht, Rotterdam, Frankfurt, London (twice!!), Zagreb, Llubljana, Skopje, Belgrade, Sarajevo..that is 8 countries in 4 months..and then..we're still discussing about Barcelona, Johannesburg (really?? freakin' South Africa??). 

Seriously, I am not braggin or anything..I'm just tired.. tired of doing all the same chit-chat with different persons..talking about the same shit..it's the weather, the market, the economy, the crisis or whatever...staying at the same hotel rooms..you get the idea!

But I shouldn't complain..this is what I deserve..I opted for this..when I graduated from University I didn't want to end up as a translator..speaking so many languages and translating one stupid manual after another..no, no..I wanted to see the world. Interact with people..get to know different cultures..to have that savoir faire..yeah..there you have it.
Anyways, let's talk about something else..I will leave this travelling thing to another day..I bought a new camera recently..nothing too expensive..just one I could carry around easily..not too heavy..it's a Samsung NX300 and I must say I'm quite happy with it. It came with a 20-55 mm lens kit and Adobe Lightroom software..which was a pretty good deal I think. What I likemost  about it, is that it takes great pictures and supports wifi so you can e-mail or send them directly..one thing I could bitch about is that it doesn't have the viewfinder..but what the heck..the Rolling Stones knew that already..you can't always get what you want..

Have you watched 'Whiplash'?..well, if you're into music, you should definitely check it out..it was very entertaining and that dude can really play the drums..I mean, sure he's not a jazz drummer but still..an OK drummer..the music and acting wasn't always in sync but I didn't mind..I like underdog stories..you should check it out.

I like jazz..lot of good music out there..one of the best jazz documentaries is 'let's get lost'..it is about the faboulous Chet Baker and to me that documentary is the mother of all music documentaries. It's shot in black and white but you get to see how destructive drugs can be..Chet Baker was a real addict but also one of the best jazz musicians..check out his '56 record 'chet baker sings'...brilliant..

So, no travel stories this time..just some gibberish..next time I will write you from Rotterdam..stay safe everybody!

I just want to sit on my couch like a boss and sip on my tea!!