Traveling with Mike

We get a lot of emails from people asking for advice on their planned Europe trips, and the most common question we get is about how much it will cost to travel to the destinations they have planned, and then also if we have some tips for other cheap European vacations they can take instead.

After having traveled extensively through Europe in the last few years we have found that prices vary highly between every country, and depending on where you go you can either make or break your budget.

Also remember that it’s not just the destination that decides the price of your trip – to make sure you stay on budget, don’t be cheap with your travel insurance. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and to spend a little extra money on getting travel insurance with medical conditions (if you have them) – since if you risk it and something bad happens, your trip will certainly be one of the most expensive you’ve taken..!

Here is a brief round-up on some destinations we recommend…

A General Rule For Cheap European Vacations

As a general rule, countries in Eastern Europe tend to be cheaper – there are some great places to visit in the Balkans and Baltics, especially in spring and summer.

A few exceptions in Eastern Europe is Turkey and Greece, which from our experience are quite expensive to travel in.

Here are some great destinations for those looking for cheap European vacations this summer…

Bosnia

Bosnia is a true gem in the Balkans, with some fascinating cities, beautiful nature and charismatic people.

Traveling by bus around the country is cheap, and a great way of seeing the countryside.

Eating local food and in local restaurants (i.e not the touristy ones) is very cheap; a coffee and Borek (a traditional savory pastry) is about €2, and you can get a descent meal with drink for €5.

Sarajevo and Mostar are two great places to check out, but there are many other places to see and things to do – like white water rafting in Neretva river.

Portugal

Portugal is one of my favorite destinations in western Europe, with charming cities, lovely people and fascinating food.

There is a great variety of things to do in Portugal, from surfing in the south, to exploring the Fado restaurants in Lisbon, or wander the narrow streets of the picturesque town Porto in the north.

There are some great deals to find in Portugal, especially in Porto.

There are plenty of cheap snacks to buy in the corner shops, and there are hostels offering amazing value.

Croatia

Croatia isn’t as cheap as many other Eastern European countries, but for a beach destination, Croatia is the perfect alternative to Greece (which for the record, doesn’t seem to have gotten any cheaper despite the economic crisis).

The coastline is incredibly beautiful, with quaint fishing villages and islands with awesome nightlife.

Food, accommodation and drinks come relatively cheap, and you can travel cheap both on the mainland as well as go island hopping between the islands.

The capital city Zagreb (which generally seems a bit cheaper) and the historic city Dubrovnik offer amazing culture and history for when you’ve had enough of the beach life.

Estonia

Estonia is our favorite among the Baltic countries – the capital city Tallinn is adorable, with charming cobble stoned streets, interesting attractions and friendly people.

Don’t miss out on trying the huge delicious pancakes at Kompressor (Rataskaevu Tänav 3, in the Old Town) which at €1-5 is a steal!

Berlin (Germany)

I say Berlin instead of Germany because the rest of Germany isn’t as cheap as Berlin.

Summer in Berlin doesn’t get as hot and unbearable as in many other cosmopolitan cities in Europe, so if you are looking for a shopping weekend getaway, you will find summer a perfect time to visit and get the best of the city.

You can find some great value on accommodation, and there are cheap restaurants, bakeries and bars everywhere.

Czech Republic

Some people might complain about how Czech republic isn’t as cheap as it used to be, but in the big picture it’s still cheap.

You can get a nice hotel room in the city center for the same price as a hostel in other countries in Europe, their famous beer can be enjoyed for €1,5 and you get large portions of their hearty cuisine for well under €10.

The country itself is beautiful and has some interesting places to visit, Prague being the most popular, nicknamed the “city of a thousand spires”.

What is you favorite cheap destination in Europe?

(photo credit: 1 -  2 -  3)

Cheap European Vacations – Where To Go This Summer – As We Travel – Travel Videos & Travel Blog

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Welcome to Venezuela de Antier (The Venezuela of yesterday)! This is a tourist attraction in Merida, Venezuela that is found up high in the mountains in Merida.  Merida is one of the most visited cities in the whole country, especially now considering Venezuela is in very bad shape right now.  It is a bit similar to a amusement park where you can learn about the history of the country, try local food, and even get a taste of the local music.  Click here to see how we celebrate the holidays, I was born in the city.  Right now is a good time to visit the country and traveling via the Colombian border is one of the safest ways to get into Venezuela since the capital is one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Click here see more pictures of Venezuela & check out the top 5 section for more things to do in Venezuela and around the world.

Source: http://wanderingtrader.com/2012/04/18/venezuela-de-antier-merida/

Medical tourism is a booming industry, and more and more people are considering going abroad for treatment, especially when it comes to cosmetic surgeries and dental care.

The reason why most people choose medical tourism is simple: it’s cheaper, the waiting periods are not as long, and the quality of care is comparable to what you would get at home.

Many people also like to make a bit of a vacation out of it, taking the time to explore the place they visit while recuperating, enjoying the exotic food, culture and beautiful nature.

Here are the 10 most popular destinations for medical tourism…

Mexico

Mexico is a very popular medical tourism destination for US citizens seeking cheaper dental procedures and cosmetic surgery – the fact that it borders the US is a major factor for those interested in medical tourism, as you don’t have to travel far to get it.

Treatments in Mexico are a mere 25%-35% of the cost of the same procedure done in the US, so that is obviously an important factor as well.

Costa Rica

This is another place patients flock to for cosmetic and dental care. When procedures such as face lift, breast augmentation, and abdominoplasty cost 60%-70% less than they do in the US, it’s no wonder that Costa Rica is one of the main medical tourism hubs in the world.

Malaysia

Malaysia is a hotspot for those seeking cosmetic surgery procedures and alternative medicine – rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, collagen injections and skin peels are highly sought after here.

Oxygen therapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, and detox are common alternative medicine treatments. Expect to pay 75% less than you would in the US.

Brazil

Brazil is a major medical tourism destination as it is known for its extremely reliable cosmetic surgeons and even has 12 JCI accredited hospitals.

Face lifts, rhinoplasty, and body contouring procedures are just 40%-50% of US prices, and you can relax and enjoy the culture of Brazil while you’re recuperating.

Singapore

Singapore has 13 JCI accredited hospitals and offers many medical treatments which include dental, cosmetic, bariatric, orthopedic, cardiological, and oncological treatments.

Patients from all over the world flock to Singapore for its excellent doctors, best plastic surgeons that are board certified, hospitals, and post-op care. Medical costs in Singapore are 35% of what they are in the United States.

Thailand

Thailand is another Asian country that is a popular destination for medical tourists. Treatment costs are 70% less than in the US and the surroundings are much more relaxing and luxurious.

There are private medical treatment centers everywhere, and many people who at first only go to Thailand as a tourist, end up having spontaneous treatments like teeth whitening or other small improvements.

Saudi Arabia

The Arabian Persian Gulf States are by far the most popular medical tourism destinations. There are 38 JCI accredited hospitals in the Gulf region, 17 of which are in Saudi Arabia.

There is even a Healthcare City which was designed just for medical tourists seeking advanced procedures. There are treatments available for everything from anti-aging to cancer and infertility.

India

Medical procedures in India is extremely cheap, costing 80% less than they do in the US.

The doctors are highly educated (often abroad), and this together with India’s mesmerizing culture and traditions, the extremely low rates draw patients from all around the globe.

There are 10 JCI accredited hospitals in India and they offer popular treatments for eyes, teeth, cosmetics, and heart surgery.

It’s also a good destination for alternative medicine, and many Ayurvedic hospitals treat tourists with problems like asthma, joint pains and tumor growths.

(photo credit: 1 - 2 - 3 -  4 - 5)

Top 10 Medical Tourism Destinations – As We Travel – Travel Videos & Travel Blog

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Chin China is a small town that we drove through in the coffee region and it was an extremely interesting place.  Not only was I able to catch an iguana that was the size of my leg, we were the talk of the square since we started interviewing everyone in the center square. After a hard days work we walked over to the food ever popular food cart at the corner and got some snacks for the road.  There is truly nothing like Colombia.

Click here to see more pictures of Colombia & check out the top 5 section for more things to do in Colombia & around the world.

Source: http://wanderingtrader.com/2012/04/15/fruit-cart-in-chin-china-colombia/

Sri Lanka is a country famous for its spicy food and varied cuisine, and while you could write a whole book about the food in Sri Lanka, we shouldn’t forget the drinks!

Sri Lanka is a perfect destination for those looking for cheap holidays, and since food and drinks cost close to nothing, you can indulge in eating and drinking all day long.

Here are some popular drinks to try when in Sri Lanka:

Ceylon Tea

Sri Lanka is the third largest tea producing country in the world, so it is no surprise that tea is one of the most common beverages there.

Tea plants were introduced by the British in the 19th century, and today you can enjoy a cup of the finest Ceylon tea in tea houses overlooking the beautiful tea plantations in the highlands.

Just remember that Sri Lankans like their tea sweet – VERY sweet, so if you don’t want a massive sugar kick then ask the waiter to only put one or two tea spoons of sugar in your cup.

King Coconut Juice

King coconut palm trees line the beaches and surround the homes of locals, providing shade from the sun along with a thousand other ways to use the coconuts growing at the top.

This orange coconut is very important for the Sri Lankan people, who refer to it as a “living pharmacy”.

Our taxi driver bought us a couple of coconuts from a street stall and while the seller hacked a hole with his machete knife the driver told us all the possible benefits this “natural energy drink” apparently had.

Sri Lankans use the King Coconut, also known as Thambili, in everything from cooking to Ayurvedic medicine.

It’s much sweeter (and tastier) than the green Young Coconut and the perfect thirst quencher, you can find it for sale on the streets everywhere.

Toddy & Arrack

Toddy is a light alcoholic drink (4%) made from fermented coconut palm sap, and is usually served in Toddy shacks around the country.

Every morning at dawn, toddy tappers climb onto the palm trees along the coastlines of Sri Lanka and harvest the palm sap from unopened coconut flowers - every tree can provide up to two liters of this stuff every day.

The sap ferments immediately into toddy and becomes mildly alcoholic.

You drink it like beer, but don’t expect it to taste like it – toddy definitely has an acquired taste – don’t believe anyone who says that it tastes like cider, it’s more like vinegar!

Arrack is another traditional drink which is distilled from toddy or palm syrup, and has a much higher percentage of alcohol (60 – 90%).

The golden colored drink is often regarded as the national drink of Sri Lanka, and tastes like something between Whisky and Rum.

Many people mix it with Sprite, ginger beer or Coke into a cocktail – you can get both these drinks from the local Toddy shacks.

Faluda

Faluda is like a liquid dessert – a sweet combination of milk and rose syrup with poppy seeds and jelly pieces.

It’s a muslim specialty, sometimes served with cashew nuts and ice cream – yum!

Elephant House Ginger Beer

Elephant House Ginger Beer is a popular Sri Lankan soft drink prepared with natural Ayurvedic ginger (one of the few to do this in the world) grown from local farmers in the hill-country.

The drink proclaims to have Ayurvedic properties, helping digestion and relieving drowsiness from a heavy meal.

It’s really tasty and is a perfect match with spicy foods.

What are your favorite drinks in Sri Lanka?

Delicious Must-Try Drinks in Sri Lanka – As We Travel – Travel Videos & Travel Blog

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I have a fascination with traveling to dangerous places but it’s not because they’re dangerous, it’s because most people don’t travel there. Everyone travels to Europe and Paris, c’est la vie!  I like visiting places that people don’t travel to and since the capital city of Caracas, and Venezuela,  have turned into one of the most dangerous places in the world, there are very few people that are traveling to Venezuela.

There are some highlights, I happened to be born in the small city of  Merida, Venezuela, which happens to be one of the most touristic cities in the country and also one of the safest. The way I can compare Merida to Venezuela is very similar to the way Medellin is to Colombia; many of the people in the small city have a unique culture and it is an incredible beautiful region .  You can find the highest peak in all of Venezuela (Pico Bolivar), the longest cable car in the world, and a very beautiful people.

A popular tourist attraction in Merida: Venezuela de Antier (from before)

I was born in Venezuela and the last time I visited the country I was kidnapped and shot at in the capital city of Caracas.  I wasn’t scared to return but I know how hectic and chaotic the capital city of Caracas can be, I wanted to avoided it at all costs.

I wouldn’t go as far to say that it is organized chaos like Nairobi, it is just chaos.  I didn’t want to fly into Caracas because the airport delays are unimaginable.  I was over four hours late  when I had the pleasure of getting to know my kidnappers and I still made the flight since it was delayed by over five hours.

In addition to that, the small city of Merida has a very small airport and it has been shut down to large planes due to a catastrophic accident.  In order to get to Merida, I would need to fly into a neighboring city called El Vigia (El Vee-he-ah) and proceed to take a taxi to the city that takes over an hour.

I did mention that there are tunnels that are often blocked because of landslides didn’t I?

Caracas is so dangerous that in one year it claims more deaths than Mexico’s drug war and even Iraq (see NYtimes article).  Just imagine that for a second, it is easily one of the most dangerous cities in the world. I wanted to return to Venezuela because I wanted to see my grandmother as I haven’t seen her for a very long time. She would often ask, “you traveled to Africa but you can’t come to Venezuela to see your grandmother?”

A throwback picture of my grandmother & I

Being a day trader, I am very in tune with the global economy and finances around the world.  I expect the state of the global economy to get worse, not better, which is the reason I wanted to take the opportunity to visit Venezuela now.  The region that I am from is also in a state of tranquility which made for a perfect time to visit.

I moved back Medellin, Colombia, after my stint in Eastern Africa so I was as close as I was going to get to Venezuela. I wanted to spend some time getting caught up with my new day trading project called TheDayTradingAcademy.com where I teach people how to day trade.  Now this bears a very important question,:

How exactly am I going to enter the country without going through Caracas?

I researched a few border towns, spoke to my family in Merida, and found that there was a great border crossing near the Colombian city of Cucuta. The idea was to spend time with my family in Merida, proceed to the Angel Falls, head down to Brazil via Manaus, and eventually end up where I’m currently living in Rio de Janeiro.

The beautiful city of Merida

Due to the chaotic environment in the country I was unable to head down via Manaus so I returned to Medellin, Colombia, and change my plans to spend Carnival on the coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia. Safe to say we had a great time and I met a great new friend which I plan on doing some business with in Colombia.

Getting in and out of the country was an absolute mess, to make things worse I went to renew my Venezuelan ID and I was traveling with an American passport and one name and Venezuelan documents in a different name.  Nothing like a few military police checkpoints to get through!

The way that I entered the country would be the safest and best way to enter flight do plan on sharing that in future posts. In the meantime, you can start to take a look at my growing Venezuela travel guide why update more information.

Source: http://wanderingtrader.com/2012/04/11/returning-to-where-i-was-kidnapped-shot-venezuela/

I decided to visit Ethiopia not because I was interested in visiting the country, but because I wanted to visit every country in Eastern Africa. It was the easiest way to enter Somaliland since getting a visa to Eritrea and Djibouti is harder than Angelina Jolie adopting an American baby. Once I arrived in the country I realized that this was one of the most interesting and fascinating countries that I have never been to.

Ethiopia easily turned into one of my favorite countries in the world

That is saying a lot since I have been living overseas for most of my life; the country has a perfect combination of whether, people, food, and very reasonable prices. I was concerned about the safety in the country when I first arrived but was reassured by the locals that the crime is so low that only a handful of cars are stolen in most populous and capital, Addis Ababa.

Feeding a Hyena in Harar Ethiopia

The first thing that threw me off guard was the fact that Ethiopia’s culture is unlike any other in the world. You can see many similarities in neighboring countries throughout Latin America, Europe, and even North America, but nothing that is remotely similar to Ethiopia.  The country caught me completely off guard similar to when I first visited Madagascar and realized that it’s more like Asia than Africa. The people look, act, speak, and dress completely differently than any other country in the world.

I was immediately hooked since Ethiopia is such an ancient civilization

There is so much history in the country from the real life Camelot in the city of Gondar to the fallen empire that stemmed from the city of Axum.  I quickly became fascinated with the unique language that they speak, Amharic, and became enamored with how taxi drivers and locals would be surprised when I spoke in their language.

The country is extremely cheap for westerners and when I was able to purchase two round-trip tickets for $205 to three different cities I knew that wouldn’t cost me a lot to explore the entire country. It’s a Christian country with a Muslim flare, the fourth holiest city for all Muslims in the world lies in the east called Harar.

St. Georges Cathedral Lalibela

The crime in the country is almost nonexistent and it is one of the safest countries in all of Eastern Africa. Once I arrived in Ethiopia, I decided to move from Kenya because almost everything was perfect.  Not that Nairobi, Kenya, is a bad place to live, it simply doesn’t compare to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

One of the very unique aspects of the country is that they are just getting over a very tumultuous communist government.  Ethiopia has a stigma for starvation which can be traced back to the previous ruling party.

Now that a new government has emerged, like all other countries in Africa, they have changed their name to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. I really think it’s funny how many African countries try to convince themselves that their democracies.

Who are they kidding?

Now the people of Ethiopia are very open to new ideas, cultures, music, and even people. I found a taxi driver playing Reggaeton music and I even found salsa at two different clubs in Addis Ababa. Even in Nairobi, the largest city and financial hub of Eastern Africa, I couldn’t find a salsa club.

There are many things I didn’t see and experience when I was in Ethiopia and I plan on returning after my stint in Brazil. I would love to provide detailed information on my guides about the Omo Valley and explore some of the surrounding areas of some of the major cities as well.  One thing that I am extremely interested is the Jamaican city near Ethiopia, you do know the last king of Ethiopia is the god for Rastafarians (most Jamaicans)?

I think everyone should visit Ethiopia, especially now when the prices are so low.  It is only a matter of time until tourism explodes in the country.

Source: http://wanderingtrader.com/2012/04/10/first-impressions-of-ethiopia-beyond-fascinating/

You read that right, arrested and detained in the newest country in the world, South Sudan.

I should have known when the South Sudan Embassy in Ethiopia asked for a written letter in order to take a picture.  I should have known when a group of police officers told me I needed special permission from a random office in order to take a picture.  I should have known not to run from the police in Africa because they run faster… than motorcycles.  I should have remembered to purchase reinforced tank tops in case someone is trying to drag me from a moving motorcycle.

I should have known…..

I think when you’re going to do something, you have to go all out. What would be the point of just getting arrested if I wasn’t detained? And getting detained wouldn’t be any fun if I wasn’t arrested, right? Safe to say it was a terrifying experience that I can go back and laugh at, just like my experience getting kidnapped and shot at in Venezuela.

It started on an overcast day and I decided not to day trade since I left my charger in Ethiopia. I walked through the gate of the new 12 ft high security wall that was being built to protect the property compound.  Apparently they didn’t get the message that the war was over.  As I eagerly walked towards one of my favorite taxis in the entire world the most bizarre thing happened, out of the overgrown grasslands across from the hotel a group of men appeared.

It wasn’t just regular men; it was men that seemed 8 ft tall (240 cm) with intricate scar designs on their faces, tribal tattoos,  wearing typical African attire, with bright colored hair.  They were walking out of the heavily packed grasslands across from the hotel.

In other words, they walked out of nowhere.  Picture yourself living in your Disney World suburban home, next to a forest, and a group of men in business suits walk out of the forest.  It was strange yet interesting at the same time:

It seemed like the African version of entourage

I didn’t know who the star or the assistant was, I didn’t want to stare, but I wanted to ask for a photograph at the same time.  I found out later they were from the nearby village and they were coming into town for some supplies.

After gawking like the tourist that I am, I walked to the corner to find my favorite modes of public transportation, the back of a motorcycle.  This was Africa in its rawest form, the capital city of Juba is one of the most underdeveloped areas in the world and I was ready to go to the extreme to explore it.  By extreme I mean being personally walked into an office where men are being whipped into the floor.

No pain, no gain, right?

The young gentlemen that won the auction for my services started by taking me around downtown.  He felt very lucky then, he didn’t feel so lucky when he had to stay at the police station after I was released.  I was taken to all the important parts of the city; the best hotel, the market, the police station, the cell phone station, and even a wedding.  That is not an exaggeration, the cell phone store and best hotel are quite the attraction in South Sudan.

I was lucky to stay at the hotel which happened to be the only licensed tour operator in the country.  He couldn’t operate tours of course because of a misunderstanding with the government, welcome to Africa!

The newest sign in South Sudan

A few hours passed, I took tons of pictures, I saw the massive waste of money that is called the American compound, and we fixed a flat tire (in that order).  I finally arrived at a very special location, the actual place where South Sudan proclaimed its independence.  I took a few pictures from the motorcycle and asked my tour guide to stop.

He said he needed to park in the corner because of the military police

Being the kind law abiding tourist that I am, I decided to approach the military police, “what’s up guys” (insert cheezy smile here).  I didn’t wave, we only wave in Europe or America, we don’t wave in Africa.  I asked if I could take a picture of the monument and one of the officers replied in a completely straight face “we saw you taking pictures from the motorcycle”.  (insert cheezy smile) “Great then is it okay if I take a picture of the statue?” I asked.

I was told that I need to go to the minister of internal affairs that specializes in journalism that handles permits for the bla bla bla bla bla.  I honestly stopped listening and asked again if it was okay to take a picture.  He said no and asked to see my camera, I thought to myself I hope he doesn’t see the dirty pictures.  My room was pretty messy, what did you think I was talking about?

I was permitted to delete all of the pictures of the statue in which I decided to do quickly as they watched, I then proceeded to head out of that danger zone and take a picture while driving away.  When there is a will there is a way, I am pretty flexible anyway.  I got my pictures, snapped my fingers, did the Latin women head bob, and I was on my way.

I arrived at the bus station and wanted to take pictures in order to share it on this travel site.  I did mention that I was the first travel blogger to visit South Sudan didn’t I? Just as we were leaving I leaned off the edge of the motorcycle to get a good shot of the bus station and out of nowhere a man starts yelling at the top of his lungs.

Sunset in Juba, South Sudan

He finally approaches my cutting edge modes of transportation and asks what I am doing.  I said I was on my out of the bus station and he asked where my permit was.  He barraged me with a series of questions including:

• Am I journalist?
• Where is my permit?
• Why am I taking pictures of a bus station?
• Do I have my identification?
• Where is my permit?

I said of course I am a journalist, he screams in my face showing me his fancy official ID card so I handed him my fancy business card, I thought that will surely impress him, it is from America.  Africa is one of the few places where Americans are still looked up to.  The cowboy hat that the current South Sudanese president refuses to take off was give to him as a gift by president Bush.

 He clearly wasn’t impressed and asked to see my permit, I said that is my permit. He gets distracted and I do what any sane white person within a 20 mile radius would do, I tell the motorcycle driver to get the hell out of there!

He starts to drive and we turn on the main drag out of the bus station, I should have known that it would have been a dirt road filled with pot holes.  We get up to a good speed and all of the sudden I hear the same yelling voice I heard at the bus station.  Stop! Stop white boy stop! I made up the white boy part but that’s what it sounded like.

Lets Celebrate!

He catches us, grabs my shoulder, and rips my tank top.  We pick up speed but it is no match for the 7 foot Sudanese official dressed in a suit.  I was told in Kenya that If I was ever getting robbed not to run, they are faster than you, and motorcycles apparently.

I thought I had better odds on a motorcycle.

We pick up speed and the official catches us again.  This time I decide to take my chances and walk back to the office with the official.  I should have known I would have to make the walk of shame back to bus station police office.  We walk back and he takes a look at my pictures and he treats me like 3 year old that doesn’t share his toys with other kids.  He does the tisk tisk sound with his lips and we arrive at the office/police station.  It was a very impressive office to be honest, it looked like a high school bathroom.

We entered and I was reassured that I would be okay when I saw a man getting beat with a whip on the floor.  This was my “holy shet moment”, definitely shouldn’t have ran from the cops.  As soon as I walk in I immediately turn around to see the man getting whipped and he is gone.  The only thing I see left are the whips on the floor, definitely reassured now.

Every man in unofficial t-shirts and suits are paying attention to me, my camera, and my ripped t-shirt

They all look at the pictures on my camera and give a disapproving face.  Apparently I killed someone with the looks on their faces, they explain that I need a special permit in order to take picture.  I wanted to let them know that we aren’t in a Muslim country anymore, it is a predominately Christian country now after independance! Northern Sudan, and many other Muslim countries, are very strict about pictures.

You should never take pictures of women, even if they are flirting with you, and in Northern Sudan everyone needs special permission to take pictures inside of the country and especially inside the Khartoum city limits.  I play the fool and explain how I am a travel writer and have a travel site.

I was on the edge of my seat considering all of my options and they tell me that everything is going to be okay.  I almost forgot the young gentlemen that was getting whipped on the floor, of course everything was going to be okay.  Have a look at the report on prisons in South Sudan, I could have ended up here:

I finally decide to show my US Passport and the entire mood of the room changes.  They go from belittling me to saying it’s okay, everything will be okay.  I have citizenship in a few different countries, I don’t think I have ever been that happy to have my American passport on me.

The fastest man in South Sudan that decided to chase me makes sure the entire room understands that I wasn’t hurt.

I explain that my shoulder hurts a little, I think you sprained it I said.  He explains again in English that he didn’t hit me directly, we played charades since I wanted to make him look like a fool in front of his friends.  The motorcycle driver smiles, covers his lips, because he notices what I was doing.

I finally agree to the fact that he didn’t beat me and reassures everyone that I am okay.  He comes over and ties my ripped tank top so it looks presentable, awww, we are bonding.  Apparently they called a big wig from downtown to have a chat with me, try to confiscate my camera, and see what the fuss was about.

They clearly couldn’t tell me themselves to delete the pictures and needed someone in a fancier suit to do that.  While waiting for the big wig we have a great time; they tell me about the cowboy hat that was given to the current president of South Sudan by president Bush, they explain a little about their customs and why they have the intricate scars on their faces, we even joke around a bit about how I ran and he caught me.  He even jokes around and says “don’t you know never to run from an African man?” I said I didn’t have a big enough motorcycle.

We call each other my first names, he asks what I do for a living, we are friends now

Not. The big wig enters the room and tells me that he has to keep my camera until Monday.  It was a Friday afternoon and I quickly respond that I am leaving on Saturday.  They tell me to the delete all the pictures, I comply, they verify it, and I am on my way.  I asked if the motorcycle driver could take me back home and they said oh no, he is staying with us for a while.

I don’t know what happened to the motorcycle driver but I can only imagine that it was something horrible.  When I arrived back at my hotel I was told by the manager that he should have explained the situation with pictures.  South Sudan while underdeveloped has money, lots of oil money, and they don’t care if you are white, brown, or purple.  In the justice system you are guilty until proven innocent.

What did I learn from this story?  Only run from police officers that can’t catch you… while you’re on a motorcycle.  The highlight is that I was able to get some day trading in while in South Sudan which makes me the first travel blogger and day trader in the newest country in the world.

I honestly would go back to South Sudan just to see the differences between my visits.  It was an unusually interesting country to visit not only because it is the newest country in the world.

Source: http://wanderingtrader.com/2012/04/09/getting-arrested-detained-in-the-newest-country-in-the-world-2/

I would like to formally welcome you to the new and improved WanderingTrader, I have made a significant amount of improvements to the site since I started being a travel blogger roughly 2 years ago and I thought that the site needed a much needed pick up.

When I first started I honestly didn’t know what I was doing and the website reflected that.  It was extremely slow and very hard to move around. Being that travel is mostly visual I wanted to make sure that I made the site easier to see and highlighted the things that are important.

The first thing that you’ll notice immediately is the fancy new logo which you can see to the right. I have been doing that stance from around the world and is now my trademark.

Now have a lot of friends doing the stance in different places around the world, I plan on explaining it soon so be on the lookout for that.  If you look on one of the tabs on your browser you will see the favicon on there as well.

More Guides

I had an idea when I first started this travel blog to be able to provide detailed information about living overseas and travel guides for the various countries that I visit. After all, I do travel to countries that most people don’t travel to like Somalia, South Sudan, and  the Guiana’s.

I have been traveling at full throttle and have even more work now with my new day trading project where I teach people how to day trade.  You can check the status of what I call the living guides and travel guides at the links below.

I have also enlisted the help of other travel bloggers that have been to countries that I have not been to yet in order to provide detailed information about visiting those countries. I look forward to having everything you need to travel around the world!

Living Guides (still under construction)

Travel Guides (still under construction)

Travel Photos Pages

The very first set of blog posts that I have on the site are from Iceland. When I traveled to Iceland I was traveling with a very small point and shoot camera that I purchased over three years ago.  Since then, I have learned a ton about photography thanks to all of the people I have met traveling the world.

I have purchased two new cameras that have a lot more features that will allow me take capture and share what I see when I travel around the world.  The picture pages will now feature full screen images which I think are a lot better than the smaller pictures I have been posting on the site.

Click here to check out all the recent pictures.

More Video

I have just purchased a GoPro HD Hero 2 in order to do a lot more video with the site. I have gotten a lot of comments about the video that I do take and look forward to providing more on the site. One of the cool things about the GoPro is that I am able to take underwater. One of the first things that I plan to do with the GoPro is go hang gliding here in Brazil.

Click here to check out all the videos on the site or just watch the video below of my recap of my travels around the world in 2011:

Where Am I & What Am I Doing?

I have officially moved to Brazil and I am in the ridiculously expensive city of Rio de Janeiro. I plan on staying here for roughly a month in order to work on a new learning how to day trade project that I’m sharing via my day trading site. I also have a new partner that is going to be part of the project name Brice, and I’m going to be training him here in Brazil to learn how to day trade using my day trading strategy.

After Rio de Janeiro, I plan on traveling through Brazil and my next stop will be the small island town the Florianopolis. After that, I plan on continuing to the South where I will meet a day trader in Porto Alegre. One of the things that I definitely want to do is diving in one of the most beautiful places in Brazil, the island of Fernando de Noronha.

I’m going to be networking heavily as I am planning on opening up day trading centers in Brazil, Colombia, and India. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do after Brazil but the current plans look like heading East again.

The only things I have left to visit in South America are the Galapagos islands, Machu Picchu in Peru, Easter island Chile, and other minor things like the angel falls in Venezuela as well as the Amazon rain forest.

Source: http://wanderingtrader.com/2012/04/08/welcome-to-the-new-improved-wanderingtrader-updates/

Well, what can I say other than that this year’s travel plans didn’t really turn out at all as planned.

Just a month ago I was expecting a whole different turn to the year, but as everything in life, things always change – so I guess we will see how close to these plans we actually end up.

However, one thing is definitely confirmed – this week we’re going to Sri Lanka!

With our 4 month trip coming to an end here in Germany, we were clueless of what to do and where to go next – after the idea of visiting Sri Lanka came up and we did some research, we decided that it was definitely the place where we would be heading next.

We’ll be preparing to fly to Sri Lanka as you read this post, and I can’t tell you how excited we are! We would love to hear some tips and advice from you of how you think we should spend our 21 days exploring Sri Lanka.

After that, we’ll be heading to Malaysia and good old Kuala Lumpur again, from there we will travel down the coast, pass by the quirky city Melaka and maybe check out Johor in the south.

We’ll then finally make a stop over in Singapore, a place which has kept eluding us during each and every of our Asia trips.

From what I understand one of the best things to do there is to eat & go shopping – which suits me perfectly!

After this our plans are still a bit fuzzy, but we will make our way up to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand where we will rest our feet and spend a couple of months working on some secret (!) projects we have going on.

We were considering doing exactly this last autumn, but decided to spend the winter skiing in Europe instead.

Now after spending 12 months traveling in Europe we’re longing back to Asia and knowing that Thailand accommodation is such great value for money – we hope that we can spend more money and focus on building our business than we would have been able to do in Europe.

We will of course not be able to stay away from traveling, and we have some really exciting travel plans in the coming months – so stay tuned! (hint: maybe another train trip like we did in Europe last year) …

I also promised Nathan long ago that we would spend his 30^th birthday in India, so I’ll really try to keep that promise and after Thailand travel up to Myanmar, Nepal & India by September.

After all, what better way to celebrate the end of your 20′s than in India, a perfect representation of how your 20′s were – up-side-down, crazy, and inside-out..!

We would love to get some tips for things to do and foods to try in these places, so if you have any – share them below!

Our Travel Plans For The Next 6 Months – As We Travel – Travel Videos & Travel Blog

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AsWeTravel/~3/KidRIajPmVM/