Going into 2019, I was in the mood for familiarity. It just wasn’t the time for ambition, so rather than navigate deeper into South America or try to deal with the Wifi at some seaside town, I opted to keep it simple and put myself in a position to live near the beach and get some work done. So for the first few months, Playa del Carmen (so the family could come down and get their dive certifications) and Mérida (for after they leave, because I heard it was chill) were going to be the major basecamps. Continue reading I paint flowers so they will not die. →

Return trips for me are rare, but Edinburgh is a nice place. Forget all that sunshine, beaches, and warm weather in Spain – not sure how anyone tolerates all that. I’ll take this constant sea of 60 degree mist any day. After arbitrarily choosing a hostel, upon arrival I realized it was the same one I stayed in over three years ago. I get older and the kids in here stay the same age. JK it’s an old person hostel. Continue reading Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, The hills of the Highlands for ever I love →

We flew straight from Galapagos to Lima to jump over the not so noteworthy expanse that is northern Peru. We spent the first few days in Miraflores (the Gringo area), which is what you’d expect for a more affluent section of a large city. Walkable, neat outdoor mall on the coast that afforded a nice sunset or two, and a reasonable selection of coffee shops and vegetarian places in the main area. Continue reading It makes you wonder. All the brilliant things we might have done with our lives if only we suspected we knew how →

Our flight from Quito landed us on the island of Baltra (which was a WW2 US army base at one point), then a bus to the edge of the island, a ferry over to Santa Cruz, and then a taxi to the town and we were there. In all, the day went Bus-Bus-Plane-Bus-Ferry-Taxi. But we made it, and we were ready to see how the whole “evolution” hogwash was supposed to work. Continue reading Those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed →

After a few days in the hostel in San Jose, it was time to start making my way towards Panama. There were a couple people also going in that direction, so I had some sustained social interaction from place to place over the next week. The first stop on that trip was Puerto Viejo, which is on the Atlantic coast in Costa Rica. Continue reading Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. →

The San Pedro Sula airport had a Dunkin Donuts in it, so it’s one of my favorite places now, highest per capita murder rate or not. Even so, I skipped to the last few pages in each of my books, just in case. The flight to Roatán was less than an hour, and I found my hostel easily before strolling along the boardwalkish area. It’s beautiful, but hot and humid. So hot. Continue reading Jeez, I’m out of it for a little while, everyone gets delusions of grandeur! →

I dragged myself out of bed after two hours sleep so I could leave at 4am and catch a bus to my flight. All went quite smoothly, actually, and I arrived and checked in to my hotel on Santorini just after 8am (room was available so I didn’t have to wait). Opted for a quick nap and began my day around 11am instead. Continue reading One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings →

My bus ride between cities was finally only two hours this time, after my string of 6-8 hour journeys. Just had to cross from Croatia into Montenegro basically. And as nice as Dubrovnik was, it was a little too nice, so when I arrived in Kotor I felt like I could breathe a bit more. Even though its old town area is also quite touristy, everything had a bit more of an authentic feel to it. Continue reading Enough to travel the world with you until one of us has to take an honest job →

The bus from Split to Dubrovnik was a long one, but it was full of nice views of the coastline. There was also a nice sunset as we arrived in the city, but I didn’t get a picture of it because my window was weird. But it’s Croatia, so there’s plenty of sunsets to be had. Continue reading A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of sheep →

The first night I went to Charlie’s Bar with a guy from my hostel in Sarajevo, which was fun. The next night I went to Caffe Bar Mosquito to have some coffee, a beer, and get some work done. Similar to Iceland in that their coffee shops turn into bars, which is kind of cool. I’m mostly working, so not a whole lot of sightseeing is accomplished each day. Continue reading Even Beethoven had his critics. See if you can name three of them. →

Continuing my ongoing quest to use every London airport, I left from Stansted this morning and flew to Budapest on Ryanair, which went extremely smoothly. My hostel is fairly centrally located, and I quickly located the nearest Starbucks, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Hooters, so I don’t think there will be any issues here. Continue reading The plot thickens, as they say. Why, by the way? Is it a soup metaphor? →

Closed out the Ring Road in preparation for the boat trip to Denmark. It was a lot of coastline driving, and we drove up into the foggy mountains for a bit as well. Very nice landscapes, etc, and then eventually made it to Seydisfjordur a bit early so we could relax before the trip. Continue reading Don’t just stand there, kill something! →

I decided to AirBnb in Seattle, so I rented a Condo just off the train line between the airport and downtown Seattle in Othello. It’s about a 15 minute ride into the city and it’s much cheaper than staying directly downtown. Plus it comes with a gym, rooftop area to cook and relax, and it’s close to a couple parks to run. Overall, a pretty good location. Continue reading I am looking for a dare to be great situation →

Wednesday was a work day, but I balanced things pretty well.  Worked from early until around 3pm, and then I met up with Laurens and we rented bikes for a few hours and rode down to Ojo de Agua, some natural spring on Ometepe.  It was a serene place, just hung out in the water, read for a while, and relaxed. Continue reading I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion. →

After a full day of toiling to get my phone case off, which was successful Thursday morning (finally), it turns out the SIM card is just behind the volume adjustments on my phone.  Figures.  Anyways, I bought a new SIM card, added some minutes, and I now have a working Nicaraguan phone number. Continue reading Violence has been Nicaragua’s most important export to the world. →

Hilton Head Island has been rather calm, as I intended.  So that works out nicely.  I was able to get a lot of work done and start trying to take the next step with the business, so I consider that productive.  However, it doesn’t make for particularly enjoyable updates here.  It’s just like, a normal blog of my life, which would be excruciating if forced to consume those pages on a regular basis. Continue reading And I’m not askin’ to be loved or be forgiven →

So I’ve now been in Hilton Head 10 days, and have finally begun to explore the island a little bit more.  My pattern resembles that of shipwrecked seafarer marooned on a deserted island slowly making wider circles around his home base searching for things.  Except my reason is mostly laziness. Continue reading Oh! Ian Knows All About Hilton Head! →

I went to the 1000 islands camping with dads family.  We took a long walk to get ice cream, and people were drinking a lot of those Bud Light fake margaritas.  I did not have any of them. Continue reading The record shows I took the blows and did it my way →

Finally Saturday came, meaning it was time to take my tour to Giants Causeway.  It’s a hexagonal formation of layered basalt due to volcanic a long time ago.  But as I’ve figured out with these tours at this point, they make you see other things too.

Game of Thrones is shot in Titanic Studios (right next to the museum I was in earlier in the week) and also throughout a lot of Ireland that we visited on this tour.  I’ve only seen one episode, but a lot of people were really into it.  So now I can say I’ve been where Game of Thrones is filmed at least. Continue reading You know nothing, Jon Snow! →

So I’m used to hostel breakfasts which are just toast, maybe some cereal, and tea. The hotel breakfast had all those things, plus juice, and fruit, and yogurt, and croissants, and you got to order something (so I got scrambled eggs). It felt weird, being waited on.

But anyways, my room is situated so that I actually get a pretty nice view of the Irish sea. Continue reading History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake. →

After another relaxing day of work, jumping hostels and getting settled in I decided to finally hit the touristy trips.  My main concerns right now are my fingernails, which are growing uncomfortable and I can’t find clippers at any of these convenience stores.  In other news, my beardcation growth is substantial and it’s now at the point where it will become increasingly ragged.  I’m going all Paul Bunyan on Europe. Continue reading Boys I ain’t never seen nothin’ like a Galway girl →

I like to get an early start, so I walked to a coffee shop and worked from 7-10 to make sure the Internet doesn’t fall apart.  Thoreau said something to the effect of “a morning walk is a blessing for the whole day,” but I don’t think he took his morning walks in Midtown.  Anyways, I went to Culture for a couple hours, which was a busy little shop with good espresso. Continue reading Chapter One. He was too romantic about Manhattan as he was about everything else. →