Good day,

First off, giving away a 2 month, 15 day Eurail pass worth 700 or 900E, look for details this week. I had a sick summer, why not make yours next summer?

What does one do when they fly from Europe straight to Bangkok!??! You know the answer so I will not fill you in. Know this though, I would have gone to Chiang Mai tonight but I woke up at 4pm and still need to sort out my lack of electronics. I blame it on the “jet lag” not that I believe in that myth. Just an excuse for complainers to complain. I scoff at jet lag with a long scowl. I will say that immediately after finding a room, I got an amazing massage for ~$6US… May get another today.

I do like it here and even entertained thoughts of living in Bangkok while out on yesterday’s most egregious “black tie event” evening with my friends from the USA, the lady from the Netherlands I met at the airport and split a cab with as well as the German lady I met having a smoke in front of a hostel and invited to join us.

Later, the group split up and I ran into my friends from Paris that I met earlier in the evening and hit up “LE CLUB” aka the Blade “Blood Rave” like club, I love that club. Most hate it, obviously. Also ran into my favorite homeless guy but I doubt he is homeless, he just dances on the street for cash. I joined him doing hundreds of jumping jacks and jumping around like I was on a pogo stick, without the pogo or about to start a bboy battle by myself so naturally, it never started. Definitely helped his sales, if you can call it that.

One thing I find very cool is that all my regular hang outs remember me, they look at me for a few moments then say “hey, welcome back” or something to that extent but remark my hair is way longer and I need a shave.  After having a beautiful Swedish ballet dancer shave you, doing it yourself is even less attractive. Considering the volume of people coming through, it is cool to have some friends that live here / remember you. Kinda feels like going to a “home”. Notice people say “Home” why not have “homes”, I most often prefer the plural of anything… Add an S and stuff gets more fun.

Friends told me they have not seen my tuk tuk driver friend in ages, I was mortified. On the way here I ran into another one of the crew members, I believe he is my friends side kick, every action hero needs a side kick FYI. Turns out my buddy  is working tonight, awesome, would be a shame to come through without having several smokes and countless laughs with a gent we will forever call “Joe”, if that is his real name.

I got a room for 370 baht a night with A/C, not that I used it. It has a lock box though which is pretty important to this character. I have found some rooms as low as 150 baht and oddly enough, some dorms that are 500 baht, huh!? Why stay in a dorm for 10E+ when you can get your own room!? Basically not sure why I looked around, just went back to my old stomping grounds.

The reality is this, there is no way on gawd’s good earth a distinguished gentlemen can get work done in Bangkok, it is simply not possible. On that note, I can smell my own arm pit, probably should take that shower most do when they arrive from a 16 hour flight to one of the sweatiest cities in the world, yeah that is a good idea.

Ohhhhhhhhhh how I love those orange juices and plethora of affordable street food, we aren’t done yet, fyi. Last night eat some sick (In a good way not like makes you sick, well maybe it will, time will tell) food on the streets near where I cleaned the sewer in January with a staph infection. It was 5$ for 3 of us!!! Met a dude from Montreal who builds apartments and ships the cupboards etc from China. He said he picks up $20,000 of gear for $800. Porcelain or whatever it was, $0.45 a $@#$ square foot.

On the plane, I crafted an 11 question survey to test a theory of mine that backpackers and most travelers DO NOT read travel blogs, on that note this is NOT a travel blog, notice there is a category called travel blog? Well, one is traveling so it is apropos. Either way, it also asks about a social network and digs into guide books to see why people carry them.

Being in Bangkok would be good as a sample of anything less than 1000 randoms is simply crass. It would also be interesting to meet 1000 more travelers. Remember you can see someone 1000000 times without noticing them and they can be in every city you are. If you do meet them, even in line at coffee, you will see them everywhere and probably become a friend because what is a friend? A friend is someone you have SOMETHING in common with, nothing less nothing more and then there are countless shades of gray or grey or goose!?

Tip of the hat and a click of the heels from Bangkok,

P.S: Nothing.

P.P.S: The flight was interesting but that story is for another day.

P.P.P.S: Use meter taxi from the airport and if you go 2 people, same price basically as single on a bus… Came to 250 baht + 50 airport fee + 50 road fee aka 175 each and tipped him 20 baht. The bus which takes who knows how long costs 150 baht.

Search Du Jour!?: “boring saturday night – don’t want to go out” – Result.

Tomorrow, Chiang Mai.

Need a laptop? Pantip Plaza, MBK = Cell phones. I tip my hat to the old school hippy who lives here I met in Cairo.

In Cairo, everyone was mad friendly, what a sight, every culture in the world, in one terminal.

Lots to say but even more to do…

Peace,

P.S: Europe was cool but Asia, wow if you have been here, you know what I’m saying…

YO!

First off, got an email today from a friend from High School, got himself a side income, quit his job and is bouncing to Europe… SICK! Tip my hat to that fine gent… Love getting emails like that FYI.

Can’t believe Euro Trip is coming to a close…

Last night over dinner with a blogger friend who is also self sufficient, it was cool. Discussed the pros and cons of the lifestyle, if the lists compared… One list could be done on the back of a fortune cookie message, the other would need a few trees…

Coffee seriously kills creativity… Woke up full of thought, now I am brain dead. Coffee is popular because it promotes beta waves aka boring routine bs which is why it is great for jobs. Screw coffee, do jumping jacks in freshly pressed pin striped suits or preferably, tuxedos.

If you want to fly above the cities on a cloud while screaming obscenities out loud while a french maid pours you scotch, coffee one must avoid. Alpha waves are the faculty of creative thought, most wouldn’t know an alpha if it hit them in the face, then again for every “alpha male” (or female) there are like 1,000,000, beta biatches so go figure?

I have mentioned before and will again, it is when you hit the road that excitement pours. Looking forward to this trip. Arrive in Bangkok at noon on Saturday. I will meet some rando or weako in luggage check and split a cab or take the bus, who knows.

At 5pm, I am meeting friends at Mr. Smiles aka sick vegetarian restaurant, I love meat but this guy makes such good eats you gotta. Also where I eat curry for a few days straight and suffered from a few days of heart burn…

I digress.

If you are in town and know Mr. Smiles aka Mr. Lim’s just be there, it’s on Rambutree, near Khao  San. hahah KHAO SAN! I have a video tour of Khao San that includes well almost everything going down on the street with candid interviews from Ping Pong Show promoters to playing music with frog ladies, look for that.

Finally, I am 80% sure that I will be giving away a 700-900E transportation ticket for summer 2011 in Europe… I got it good, I got hooked up, sharing is caring, yes? Most write blogs to get sh!t / make money. I write this to fill a void as this is what I searched for before leaving.

Dorky top 10 lists and things of that nature will always be written by people trying to get a discount on a 5$ dinner who also sell out their blogs with crappy links on the side and ads. We here at SHABL need none of that and will put our money where our mouth is, maybe. We are also gluttons so please bear that in mind.

Also in the cards, set up a really apropos domain I have for a user generated guide book that is well totally free written by chillers for chillers instead of over priced, clunky guide books written by troglodytes for trollops.

Finally, glad came back to Budapest, was deathly ill first time. Budapest is definitely one of favorite cities on this planet, up there with Stockholm… Great people, awesome architecture, delicious food, affordable cost of living and a club scene that was off the HOOK on a Wednesday, imagine a weekend!?!?!?

Finally, we are going to do an experiment… See if one can live happily in Chiang Mai on $600US a month aka less than my weekly European expenditures, can it be done? #getuncomfortable

Asia awaits.

P.S: Not sure.

P.P.S: Found some really fat photos of myself with horrible haircuts to boot. Stay tuned for the guide, if you’re heavy set, will change your life, did mine.

Search Du Jour!?: “Can You Die from Snake Whisky” – Result.

Re Search:  apparently not

Good day,

Spent the day benching, what is benching? It’s sitting on park benches in the sun and people / pigeon watching. Sometimes you see people who could best be described as pigeons as well, as absurd as that may sound.

Yesterday, met up with a friend and one of her friends. Roamed the streets until somehow we managed to find ourselves in a beauty salon and ended up hanging with the staff before others showed up and hit up several night clubs.

If given the option, would take Budapest over Prague, some great night life and it was only a Wednesday. Going to places with local people is very different then played out bars on pub crawls where the local people are probably sick of obnoxious tourists…

Warm day today, spent some time lying in the park, it was packed. Also at Deak For aka downtown they are building a pretty cool skate park, not sure why North America has so few yet so many restrictions on where people can skate, does not add up.

Tomorrow concludes 3.5 months in Europe. Leaving is bitter sweet but so are most things in life. Looking forward to Bangkok for the weekend then, as of now, plan on heading to Chiang Mai on a night train Sunday.

Can’t believe it has been 3.5 months and a lot of countries, lots of experiences and lots of fun. People say Europe is a good time and they are right, believe the hype, believe the hype.

Excited about getting an apartment, that was the original plan all along but somehow it turned into what it did, not sure how that happened, really. All started on Khao San Road with someone suggesting check the islands and the rest is history.

Hit up the Embassy today, should be no problem for the 60day tourist visa, we shall see what becomes of it. If it works out, it was brain dead easy to get and recommend doing it before you get there, once you do you will probably want to stay longer than 30 days, most people do.

Tonight, meeting a blogger friend, grabbing something to eat and well, pretty much saying goodbye to Europe. Hopefully I will return, that said, fortunate to have the chance to go in the first place…

Lots of people ask when returning to “the real world”? WTF?

Cordially,

P.S: I used to be a fat, wrote a book on how to lose 40lbs in 4 months. In the first 2 weeks of being in Thailand, I will release it, full money back guarantee and your wallet will get fatter while you get thinner, stay tuned.

Search Du Jour?: “Family Life is Boring” – Result.

Whoever is in a relationship with this searcher is pretty lucky…

Hope they cleared the history, ha.

Greetings,

Met up with a polygot friend of mine yesterday, he is an ambassador for couch surfing. The meeting was cool, cannot believe I never did couch surfing, I must be mad, clinically insane. Met the 182nd most traveled man in the world, 116 or 136 countries, INDEED! Go big or go home…

La de Dahhh De, I’d like to meet up with Slick Rick, Tiger Woods , Easy-E, Dougie-Fresh  and Rock a party, drink lots of coke and maybe even some Bacardi.

Back to reality, you can get a 60 day tourist visa from the Budapest Thai Embassy. You need a bank statement showing you have $666.666, ticket and passport photos. Went today, empty handed, sh~t. It is HARD to find, it is nestled in the hills of Buda, really nice places up there.

I really hope you do not need an EXIT ticket… 60 day visa beats having to take a border run by plane. Some fly to Singapore, KL, whatever… Seems like a hassle and expense.

Told em I leave Friday, buddy said ok come back tomorrow, we will process in 1 day, also sick. With 60 day, I can get a crib, maybe even take weekend trips to Kanchanaburi to play golf, or just live there, who knows…

Also found some cheap flights to India. If one left Bangkok to Mumbai early October, would cost about $250us, supposedly India is mental.

Budapest is a very cool city, the Embassy is in the hills of Buda, solid 1 hour trip. Asked so many randoms on the way for advice, so friendly.

Coolest thing in Budapest? St Stephen’, last night I was alone in the square and just stood there for 5-10 minutes in the rain staring at it, it’s magnificent. The buildings here are inspirational, can I say that? I just did. The food is great as well and it is easy to get around with the metro system.

Stuff to do, changing hostels, found one that is half price and this one is filled with old people, I will save 15E, 15E in Bangkok can feed me for a week (I will do an experiment when I get there… If I go…) I mean just because I booked a ticket, doesn’t mean I have to go, yes?

My friend just left to Prague, cost him about 85E for a 2nd class ticket. Curious how much I racked up on that Eurail. At first I was bummed about the price but turned out to be an amazing investment. If you come to Europe, why not see it? That said, if you are in Budapest, you can get to Bratislava for 20E.

Tips hat,

P.S: Maybe should visit my monk friends at the Laos border!?

Search Du Jour:!? “when is the next five dollar rabies shots again” – Result

Hello,

About 3 days ago, I started carrying a pen and notebook with me to record random thoughts that I catch with a net in the ever flowing stream of consciousness going through our minds…

• Sh!ttiest bikes in front of most expensive apartments
• Never make decision about a jacket while indoors
• Walk fast when tired in strange cities
• Meet fun people in your home town in tourist areas
• If you put a birdhouse on every tree in your backyard, you will have a small village living there from luxury penthouse to ghetto
• Every exam is basically a hard question with tests of knowledge from previous lessons, they just re-arrange things, be ready
• Partying in Amsterdam is dif than waking up in Amsterdam
• Pass top of cap when sharing drinks and you drink from bottle
• Adsense optimize old high traffic SE pages.
• Know your pocket contents when traveling
• Being over prepared is worse than under
• Eye of beholder dictates reality
• Day on train beats day in rain
• Freedom to choose or financial noose, choice is yours
• Happiness is making a dream reality
• Being too cold is worse than too hot
• Being available is great but what is too available?
• What you want and what is good for you is often different but what is good for you anyways?
• Life is too short to shiver
• Even old people come to Amsterdam to see what is cracking, why aren’t you?
• 2.5+ billion women in the world, how can you marry just one?
• When good things happen go with, forget all other plans and run with it.
• Notice signs and follow them, they will always be subtle
• Plans suck, you know outcome, no plan, anything can happen
• If warp speed existed, how would you spend your day?
• Cities are like life, better to know somethings or cities well then nothing about lots
• Life is the best choose your own adventure story ever
• Only drink in public
• Forget a honeymoon and use that cash to have your 1st child in another country so they get another nationality
• Dogs like heat vents because the house is too cold when you leave
• If you want honest advice, ask a stranger
• Never book a flight when bored

As always, we here at SHABL wish you the very best.

Tips hat,

P.S: Off to wander the streets with a swagger and a smile.

Search Du Jour!?: Vienna Prague Train – Result, here.

Good day,

So you’re in Amsterdam? Sweet.

If you enjoy being in Amsterdam but like myself detest waking up there, this is how you could chill out and end up in Budapest, the next day by taking a night train from Amsterdam to Munich then Budapest.

The cost of an overnight from Amsterdam to Munich, Germany is 20E if you have a Eurail pass. From there the train leaves to Budapest ~2.5 hours later. You arrive in Munich at 7am and Budapest leaves at 9:30. Just enough time to meet some randoms and share some laughs.

The train arrives at Keleti station in Budapest at ~5pm. It goes through Vienna so if you last minute have a schizo moment, you could also hit up Prague or Bratislava, no problems.

The 20E ticket will get you a 6 person sleeper.  The train leaves at ~8:30pm so if you have been in Amsterdam all day, good chance you will have a great nights sleep and wake up when the conductor knocks on your window and says GUTEN MORGEN or something to that extent.

Worthwhile and great way to get moneys worth on pass.

Greetings,

A storm cloud has been stalking me since Stavanger, Norway. At times, on the train I would scream inane comments at it while other passengers looked at me as though I was insane, it was all in vain and nothing kept coming except the rain. Suffice to say, booked a flight from Budapest to Bangkok.

Las week, I was jetting around Europe as though it was my personal play ground thanks to the Eurail continuous pass. Now my big wheels has been taken away and I am stuck in the rainy cold part of the sandbox, unfair I cry.

Booked a ticket to Bangkok from Budapest via Cairo, Egypt for $455US, I reckon it is an alright deal. Leaves Friday at 4pm, should have booked it for Wednesday…

Ever notice you spend way more in countries on the dollar or euro? For some reason, regardless of currency conversions 1-10E does not feel like alot. Flip side is if someone asks you 690fl for a pack of smokes you stand back and heavily weigh the pros and cons of such a potentially egregious expenditure. Fyi 275fl is 1E and the Hungarian exchange rate. Not bad!? I bought a bun at a bakery today for 16fl, how much is that!?

I bought a camera today, it took amazing photos, the lens was wobbly. Reminded me of a piece of sh!t video camera purchased years ago from a pawn shop, felt like king kong with that thing, although it as well was a piece of garbage. Suffice to say they were not thrilled that I returned it.

Before returning it, everyone with a camera that walked by I would strike up a convo with about lenses and stuff like I was Joe photographer. Carrying around a nice camera puts you in a really dorky club, I liked it.

The weather is turning, unless you are working in Europe it is time to big dog bounce and pack everything you own down to the last ounce. Europe is not fun in the rain, depressing, I dare say.

Also the tourist population has basically flat lined, now it is just people going about their day in sub prime weather. Cool to see what it is like outside of summer before you get these plans of moving to your favorite destination…

Bangkok is a logical bet. I have grandiose visions of strolling down the streets tipping my hat at local people while eating obscene amounts of street food.

Another reason Bangkok it is, been there a few times so could focus on what needs to be done, kinda like home away from home only in Asia with lots of bright minds, tuk tuk drivers, great food, lots of randoms from around the world and warm weather.

The plan is to do some work for a month or so, upgrade this site, start some new stuff, chill out and plan next move. Packing 400GB+ of travel content. Lots of pictures and videos like eating cobra hearts or weird things.

Side note, none of the local foods talk to me either. For some reason only cheeseburgers have any appeal. Starting to take their toll and feeling kinda like Randy from the trailer park boys, well not really but best comparison, he is pretty $@#$@ whack.

Speaking of weird things, this has been weird enough.

Tips hat,

Search Du Jour?!: “How do I stop Going on Benders?” – Result, here.

Ask just served up the WRONG site…

Good day,

This is how you could NOT sleep in Amsterdam but use the rail and chill out. This is about a night train from Amsterdam to Zurich, Switzerland. Then a day train to Vienna followed by an overnight to Frankfurt, Germany followed by an express train back to Amsterdam, indeed.

The overnight eurail fee for a sleeper to Zurich is 30E. Once there if you plan on going back, you can do Lunch in Lausanne, dinner in Geneva and then back, if you wish. The 2 day stops are free, fyi. My plan was go go to Barcelona but it was fully booked. People CAN book from different countries, push for it.

As Barcelona was fully booked, I hopped on a train for Vienna leaving in 5 minutes. Immediately regret it, Vienna has nothing for me. Been there a few times, never felt tempted to pay for a bed, sorry Vienna.

The overnight to Frankfurt is 39E for a 6person sleeper, 48E for a 4 person. Only the latter left, grabbed it. The ticket ALONE for that would have been 179E. The high speed express from Frankfurt would have been 225E for 1st class, I paid nothing.

Do not get CHEAP with overnights, it maybe more than a hostel but think of the value you get while sleeping and once your pass is gone, it is gone.

The train to Zurich was the weirdest of my life, being totally space cadet from Amsterdam I got into wrong room, guy told me to switch. This time somehow I wandered into what appeared to be the Presidential suite. A massive room, 1 bed, huge window, private bathroom, everything. The train number was wrong but seat number right, whooops.

Set up and just chilled, at 1am, went for a sandwich and then could not find my way back, 30 minutes later I get a knock, ticket please. Whoops, wrong room. Turned out I had top bunk in a 6 person sleeper, not so happy to see me moving in at 2am, no they were not, whatever. The guy who switched me rooms first time gave me a look of …

As I said earlier, if you are going to Barcelona or back to Amsterdam, a great day trip would be going to Lausanne and Geneva. Also the train from Zurich to Amsterdam is shorter, more direct and cheaper than Vienna to Frankfurt.

Why not spend a day in Amsterdam, take a train to Zurich, have breakfast there. Then take a scenic train to Lausanne, hang out, have lunch, take another to Geneva, have dinner then back to Amsterdam to DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!? The trains from Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich are like 2 hours apart from each other, child’s play.

That said, going from Zurich to Vienna is a good time, really beautiful scenery. Kinda like a moving museum for 7 hours. Also, always take an overnight to Amsterdam, once you get there you will be like “SO WORTH IT!”

Tips hat,

Top of the morning,

First let me say, COFFEE KILLS CREATIVITY, seriously. This is a tale of a night and day trains from Oslo, Norway to Amsterdam, Netherlands via Goteborg ,Lund Sweden and Berlin, Germany.

Norway is brain dead expensive, even for someone notoriously loose with their wallet. 12E for a big mac combo, 4E for a coke, huh??

If you want to bounce from Oslo and get back to Amsterdam, it will cost you ~25E aka 200kr. Took a 1pm to Goteborg, Sweden. From there took a train to Lund. From Lund, took a night train to Berlin (Sleeper is only option and 20E) with a Eurail pass. Arrived in Berlin at 6am, took a 6:35 train to Amsterdam or just outside and then you jump on an inner city line to Amsterdam.

I had things to say before I drank coffee, it sucks. Even when alone, you will always meet interesting people for part or all of your journey. Met some cool Spanish people in Stavanger, they were on most of the trip.

Oslo downtown seems quite cool, never really ventured too deep, it was time to get some spending power. The train was relaxed, no hassles. One thing to note is that the train from Lund to Berlin goes on a ferry. Massive ferry if a train can fit on it, that was a first.

When getting overnights, opt for the bottom bunk, it is hands down the best for multiple reasons. Met a couple from LA going the rest of the way, they were really cool. If one day, I am 1/3 as cool as the guy and my wife is 1/2 as beautiful, I will have done well. Meeting people is part of the trip, no time to be a hopeless introvert.

Once you hit Sweden, you will feel it is cheap, stock up. In Lund across from the station there is a big grocery store, use it. Lund / Malamo are interesting. Closest part to Denmark, beautiful sea, in the summer must be nice. This time of year, not so much.

Arrived in Amsterdam at 1pm the next day. If you are going to Amsterdam and DO NOT know people at a hotel who will check your luggage free, BE SURE to check it at the train station. Once you hit the coffee shops, looking after all your gear will become a serious pain, may even cause you anxiety, for real.

Ran into a friend of mine and basically hung out in Amsterdam until 8pm where I caught an over night. I have realized Amsterdam is great to hang out in, horrible to wake up in. If you have a pass, why not mix it up. Also, during prime time aka summer, it may be cheaper to take an overnight, hang out in another country then come back the next day.

Met a hilarious guy from Berlin, maybe 45 from the middle east. Found the train with him in Lund turned out same cabin. These 2 massive Austrian ladies were right above us and we saw the whole bed creaking as they got in.

He did not speak English, I did not speak German but we got along fine making kid like facial expressions of I HOPE THIS DOES NOT BREAK. He then flipped to his stomach as in, if it breaks this is the least painful way to take it. Not sure how much they hold, but a lot.

It was a good 24 hour ride through epic scenery for a mere 25E. 25E is about 24 minutes in Amsterdam for this gent.

Tips hat,