Travel

What comes to mind when you think about Cuba? For me now: Classic American cars. Empty grocery store shelves. Beautiful beaches. Delicious food. Long lines at the bank. Great people. Socialism. And embargoes.

I spent a long weekend in Havana, Cuba. I loved it.

Rachel and I are sun-kissed and happy at the beach in Havana, Cuba. This was actually within the city limits of Havana!

Click here or scroll down to read my 5 must-do suggestions in Havana.

I saw a totally new side of the city. My girlfriend’s childhood friend showed us around town.

Maile and Rachel after a day at the beach. They grew up together in Oregon. Now Maile is living in Havana doing research with the American Studies program at Yale University.

Here are my best photos and random observations.
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I spent about 10 days in Medellin with my girlfriend, Rachel, during July 2019. We found: the best local SIM card in Medellin was Avantel. The safest neighborhood was Poblado and my favorite coffee shop there was Pergamino. Our favorite tour was Comuna 13. We made a bunch of videos. And more!

See all the places we were recommended and (and some of which we liked) on this shared Google Map.

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Roatan is famous for SCUBA. It is also home to an excellent freediving community.

Sean Naficy took these pictures of me one day as we were diving off the Grand Roatan Resort beach.

Check out his girlfriend’s Instagram @samunderthesea for more freediving pics.

Me chasing a little school of fish in Roatan, Honduras (July 2019)

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I spent a few days at a resort in the West Bay of Roatan, Honduras in July 2019. My new friend Ben invited me to join his group there.

• Favorite Photos
• Hotel: Grand Roatan Resort
• Dinner Conversation Topics
• Book Club, Sales Touts, and Night Boat Taxi
• Flights, Roatan Airport, and Money
• SCUBA Diving
• More Photos
• Conclusion

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I’m…

While searching for ecotourism destinations in Puerto Rico, I found out about Plenitud. 

Screenshot of the Plenitud website, where they feature “Sustainability, Art, Community, and Education”

Their pictures and mission sounded great. So I called and emailed and arranged my own private visit.

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Anthony Bourdain’s warning about the biggest city in Japan rings true:

“What do you need to know about Tokyo? Deep, deep waters… The first time I came here was a transformative experience. It was a powerful and violent experience.”
from the Parts Unknown: Tokyo intro, sent to me by Dan Lerman

I feel well-equipped to handle large cities as an 11-year veteran resident of NYC.

But Tokyo is still a challenge for me.

Jump ahead: Capsule Hotel, Food Pictures, Friends In Town, teamLab Borderless, Green Tea, To-Do List for Next Time.

Street in Shinjuku, snapped while quickly walking to look at a new capsule hotel (9H).

There’s simply so much. So much people, restaurants, lights, sounds, trains, and more. It can be overwhelming for even the most experienced travelers.

And because I was coming from a week in green-lush birdsong Hawaii (Hilo and Kauai), the culture shock was especially strong for me.

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Did you know that you can borrow a dog at the Humane Society in Kauai, Hawaii?

My friend Amit Gupta told me about the fantastic Shelter Dogs on Field Trips program. Locals and tourists can now take dogs out on a hike or on a drive around town.

The Kauai Humane Society has pioneered this outreach and volunteer effort.

My friend Amit Gupta with our shelter dog for the day at the Humane Society in Kauai, Hawaii

We went to check it out on a warm Thursday morning in February 2019.

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