South Georgia – Right Whale Bay Video
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During my trip to Antarctica, I had the pleasure of visiting South Georgia an island northeast of the Antarctica Peninsula in the South Atlantic Ocean. In terms of wildlife this place is sensory overload with thousands of King Penguins and Fur Seals all over the island.
March 29, 2014 Leave a comment
A Trip to the Metropolitan City of Buenos Aires
My second year working with the expedition company Lindblad Expeditions, my first trip brought me to the southern continent of Antarctica. Before my actually trip though I decided to visit the metropolitan city of Buenos Aires since I would be flying there to get to my finally destination, Ushuaia to board the National Geographic Explorer. One of the main challenges for me was the language barrier. I’ve been studying Spanish on and off for the past few years but after staying in this city for ten days my Spanish improved quite a bit. The lady I was staying with spoke very little English so I was pretty much forced to speak Spanish along with everyone else I encountered in the city. Overall everyone was really nice and appreciated my attempts to speak Spanish.
During my ten day visit I did a lot of walking through the various barrios of the city. My main mode of transportation was the metro and bus system which was easy to figure out and navigate. One of the highlights for me were the many historical cafes located near the place I was staying. As a writer I could only wish we had places like this in the U.S. to write. I guess I’ll have to keep on wishing and just enjoy the cafe latte’s at the Starbucks I congregate to back at home. A trip to Argentina wouldn’t be complete without experiencing the Tango Culture. On the weekends one can watch the tango dancers on the streets in the historical barrio of San Telmo performing to the throngs of tourist that congregate there. And one last thing if you ever decide to visit Argentina please order a steak or as they call it in spanish…Bife de Lomo. This was the best steak I ever had!
If you thought Barnes and Noble had a lot of books you haven’t been to El Ateneo. This building used to be an old theater house that was transformed into a bookstore.
Walking through Puerto Madero, I found myself bumping on to a set of a movie that was being shot.
To help me out with my Spanish I decided to take some classes at the Elebaires Spanish School in BA.
February 17, 2014 Leave a comment
A Look Back into the Fantasy World Called Ship Life
Well its been two weeks since I arrived home from being gone for six months out on sea. The adjustment is always challenging for me. After being surrounded by a lot of people 24/7, seven days a week for the past six months, the solitude of suburban life is just to quite for me. Life feels too still.
Living on a cruise ship you are constantly surrounded by stimulation. In a way you are kind of spoiled. Especially for a staff member you have some kind of entertainment just a short walk away from your cabin. However with that said, I’m not advocating at all that ship life is the best thing ever. Believe me there’s a lot of shit you have to sacrifice. One being your sanity.
I equate living and working on a cruise ship as being stuck in a fantasy world. It’s a crazy feeling to be stuck in this kind of world for a long period of time and then coming back home to reality. But unlike some people if you get stuck in the cruise ship industry that world slowly becomes your reality as someone I know once told me.
So where does that leave me. The world I once knew in San Diego no longer exist. I am stuck in a surreal world, counting down the hours of the day. I need a new adventure to keep my mind occupied. I need to go back in the jungle and get in touch with my primitive side. I am slowly losing touch of reality….alright I’m just kidding. I was attempting to pull an Apocalypse Now moment for any movie buffs out there. One thing for sure. I need a new adventure. What that adventure will be…only time will tell.
October 27, 2010 1 Comment
Carnival Triumph: Meet the Musicians – David Ross
Here’s a clip of another one of my musician friends. He’s another American from New York working on the ship. This guy rocks the piano bar bar every night. Here’s a link to his facebook profile if you want to learn more about him: David Ross
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August 28, 2010 Leave a comment
Carnival Triumph: Meet the Musicians – Latino Band
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August 20, 2010 Leave a comment
Carnival Triumph: Meet the Musicians – Music Power
Here’s a clip of an awesome band from the Philippines called Music Power. In this clip one of the guest plays the guitar and sings with the band outside on the open deck during the deck party.
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August 16, 2010 Leave a comment
Carnival Triumph: Meet the Musicians – Craig Sherman
A few weeks ago, I shot a short video clip of one of musician friends on the ship right before he went home. What’s crazy is that when I first met him I found out that he lives in the same city as me, San Diego. What’s even more crazy is that he literally lives right down the street from where I live. Here’s a clip in the casino with Craig singing “Sweet Home Alabama.”
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August 12, 2010 Leave a comment
Schooners Warf Bar In Key West
If you ever get a chance to go to Key West, Schooners Warf is one of the best locals bar to visit. Here’s a clip of Michael McCloud a musician who frequently plays there. In this clip McCloud sings about a woman who used to work at the bar who had a huge butt. The title of the song, “She Got a Butt.”
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August 7, 2010 Leave a comment
Day Trip To New Orleans
Here are a few photos of my day trip to New Orleans. The history in this city is amazing. In the morning I had the chance to visit a slave plantation dating back to the late 1700’s. It’s hard to imagine that slaves once lived here.
Later on during the day, I took a visit to a cemetery. Now why would I do such a thing. Well New Orleans is well known for their cemeteries. A majority of the city lies below sea level so all of the grave sites are build above ground in these elegantly crafted tombs above the ground.
After that, I took a trip to the French Quarters. A quick word of warning, I wouldn’t recommend driving there. The place is not very friendly for cars. But any ways, the music scene was simply breath taking. The whole area was full of life. Everywhere you go there would be musicians playing on the street and believe it or not they were very good, unlike the mediocre talent seen in L.A. Here our a few videos I filmed that really captures the atmosphere in the French Quarters.
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To end my day, I went back to the French Quarters later on to check out the nightlife. Like during the day, the nightlife was teeming with energy. Unfortunately my battery on my camera died so I was unable to take any pictures. But just to describe it, New Orleans is very laid back on the laws compared to California. There were people performing impromptu fire shows on the corner street. People were allowed to drink alcohol in the street which is completely unheard of L.A. I checked out this Reggae Bar and I was overwhelmed by the amount of energy it emitted. The musicians were great. The crowd was full of life. It was all a pleasure to experience.
When I think of one phrase that best describes life in the French Quarters, the famous Greek quote immediately comes to mind, “Carpe Diem.” The whole essence of New Orleans captures this philosophy to the fullest.
April 22, 2010 Leave a comment
Top 10 Things You Never Knew About Ship Life
1. $1.25 for a beer or mixed drink…perfect breeding ground for an alcoholic.
2. Cabins the size of walk-in closets.
3. After a few months, you start to feel like you’re in a minimal security prison.
4. Tendering sucks. Imagine waking up to a 7.0 earthquake every morning as you hear the anchor coming down.
5. $20.00 dollars to use slow dial-up speed internet.
6. Indonesians and Filipinos make up the majority of the slaves on the ship…no matter what, you can’t hide from them.
7. Italian Officers with thick accents who are difficult to understand…what did you say?
8. Pirated movies and television shows become your best friend.
9. After awhile all the guest start looking the same.
10. Eight washing machines for a thousand staff and crew, you do the math.
December 12, 2009 Leave a comment