That good Swedish eating

Alright, when I went Sweden didn’t expect the food to be good. I was thinking about eating at 7/11 or any other convenient stores. Trying to save a few dollars. When I was here, I was told to eat Swedish meatballs and pancakes. During my time explore Stockholm at night, all I wanted was some hot chocolate.

The dark street photo courtesy of Hugo morel

Kept walking in the cold dark street on the mission of finding some hot chocolate. It was at this moment, I really felt out of place. A strong cold wind passed through my coat and pants. I had about three layers on. I was built for the tropics. What am I doing here? Then, I remember the price of the flight being so cheap. I kind of asked to be put into this situation. So, I kept thinking about a warm place like the tropics. Surprisingly, this works out well.

The sign that attracted me to the restaurant photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After about 5 minutes, which felt like hours, I saw this sign. Swedish glogg, my first impressions were Viking soda. I thought this glogg was going to be very cold. It wasn’t until I got back that I learned it was an alcoholic drink. I was freezing. So I had no choices but to go inside.

Swedish pancakes photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Once inside, the atmosphere was a very “hipster.” For those who don’t know how hipster restaurants are, there is dim lighting with pop music playing in the background. Everybody was on their laptops. Kind of like a Starbucks that serves real food. I saw they had Swedish pancakes. Which, I just had to order. It felt good to be out of the cold. The waiters at the restaurant were from Ethiopia. Another reminder of the diversity of this country.

Once the Swedish pancake came, there was no chance for this Swedish dish to survive. Along with my hot chocolate, I had to regain the body heat my body let go during this night out. So, I had to eat for all the snowmen in the North pole. Most will say the pancake looks more like a kid’s dream than a meal. Still, I’m not complaining. It was really good.

The Swedish meatballs photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I had to find my way back to the hostel I was staying at. I just couldn’t keep moving with this cold. The later it got, the colder it became. There was a restaurant next to the hostel. I was told by the front desk that the restaurant has the famous Swedish meatballs. I had to try it. After a warm shower, I was ready to go to eat a real meal.

Swedish beer photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The meatballs were really good. I did not know at the time that reindeer was mixed with the meat. Never ate that type of meat. Got some local beer to drink everything down. Not much of a beer drinker. However, this was pretty good. It was great to end the night. I couldn’t wait to see what the next day had in store for me.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come true without breaking the bank. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

We have partnered up with booking.com and working on TripAdvisor. Here are some links for each hope you all enjoy!Here are links to hotels and other deals.For Hotels, make sure to click here. For apartments make sure to click here. For Resorts click here. For villas click here. For bed and breakfast and for Guest houses, make sure to click the link!

June 24, 2020 13

Exploring Tangier, Morocco At Night

Once the sunset passed, I was about go to sleep and write a little more on this blog. I was still trying to get used to the local time zone. Of course, that wasn’t what the course of events’ planned for me. I got a message on whatsapp, it was my local friend. She let me know that she was done with work and could show me around Tangier. I was a little suspicious of about meeting someone at night for the first time. However, she suggested we met up in a public location and she was a recommendation from another trusted friend. So, I agreed to meet up.

Outside of where I was staying in tangier photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Tangier at night has a different feel to it. It feels like a party town. This city is like Morocco’s Miami. Beaches and parties, that is what most locals and tourist do. Always a big event happening here. With the atlantic ocean near by, it not hard to confuse this with any city in the americas.

Tangier’s city center at night photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

My friend and I started in the city’s center. We walked around and I wanted to know what locals do for fun. She suggested we go and rent a pool table. Me, not knowing a thing about the game of pool I agreed. From what she told, Moroccans love playing pool. They have intense competitions held monthly in Tangier. Although my friend didn’t get far in the competitions, she was extremely good. Learned how to play pool that night. Proud of myself for not poking a hole in the table. Also, if we would had betted money, I would had lost an arm and a leg.

French food photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After playing pool for a few hours, we decided to go eat somewhere. I wanted some local food; however, all the local restaurants were far from our location. By the time we would get there, the restaurant would be closed. In the end, we ended up eating at a French Moroccan restaurant. Where they serve French food with a small Moroccan taste. It was the best we could do at finding a local cuisine. She did warned me it was fancy. Despite of that, the bill was no more than 40 dollars. Which we split even. I wasn’t mad because 20 dollars in New York City gets you a burger with fries or 4 tacos with a soda.

Fruit Dessert photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The food was awesome, didn’t expect it to be so good. With french hip hop playing in the background, she told me the local life. Life is not that great for locals. She works at a tour agency translating French and Arabic for English speaking tourists. She has to sell her own custom made t-shirts to tourists to help her little brother. For the average Moroccan, she still lives extremely well. Her own apartment and studying in school, she is a hustler. To be honest, I was expecting her to try to sell me some shirts or items. To my surprise, nothing of that sorts occurred. Glad to meet and see the entrepreneurial spirt of the Moroccan people.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

May 27, 2020 11

Eating Mexican food in Ireland??

Ireland is know for it’s beer, bars, party and friendly people. Ireland is never associated with Mexico. Besides, the flags have a similar design minus the eagle and change the red with orange. Regardless, Mexican food in Ireland is not talked about. In the land of potatoes and beer, there is a Mexican gold mine waiting to enrich your taste buds.

20190901_135207 — The Boojum Mexican restaurant photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

On my way of seeing Dublin, I noticed my stomach was rumbling. I was so focused on seeing the city that I missed eating a real meal. Kept looking around and I stumbled across this restaurant/bar. I was so surprised to see Mexican food in Ireland?!?! For some reason seeing a Mexican restaurant in Dublin never crossed my mind. That feeling of nostalgia started pouring. All my childhood memories of growing up in California, hanging out with my friends at the local taqueria. For those who don’t know, taqueria translate to taco shop from Spanish to English. In the USA, you get a more authentic taste if you go to one. It’s a lot better than taco-bell. Also, no ugly taco dog.

20190901_133915 — Inside boojum photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I when I went inside, I noticed the layout looks so similar to chipotle in the usa. You are greeted when it’s your turn in line to choose what you want in your burrito or salad. I chose to get the normal burrito. Meat enriched with all the Mexican flavors wrapped inside a tortilla. I sound so Californian now. Unfortunately, there were no vegan options. Although, they do only serve vegan food on world’s vegan day. Here is the link to this restaurant’s menu.

20190901_133913 — Where the people sit photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Ended up having a friendly talk with the staff. Learned that one of the workers was Mexican. Apparently, Dublin had a Latino community. They were mostly from Brazil and Mexico. Also learned that is this the Irish version of Chipotle from another staff worker. The american mega food chain has only been in Dublin for about 5 years. In my opinion, I always prefer local food stores than american. It doesn’t feel like I went anywhere, if I ate McDonald’s everywhere I go. It makes me feel like I’m helping out local businesses. No matter how small of a help I’m contributing.

20190901_133909 — My Burrito photo Courtesy of Hugo Morel

With my food at hand, found a place to sit down and eat. When I took the first bite, the taste was amazing! It had the Texmex flavor to it. As the flavors blasted my mouth I almost felt as, if I was eating at one of my cousins’ home in Houston. Yes, I got family members who are part Mexican. We used to stop by on holidays excited about the home cooking. Ironically, burritos aren’t really Mexican. They are Mexican American. Only burritos you will find in mexico are the small donkeys. Where exactly burritos were created in the USA is up to debate. I know the mission district in San Francisco claims to be the first. Also, San Diego and all the major cities in Texas have something to say as well. Regardless of exactly where in the usa this food was invented, it’s really good.

Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

We have partnered up with booking.com and working on TripAdvisor. Here are some links for each hope you all enjoy!

Here are links to hotels and other deals.

For Hotels, make sure to click here. For apartments make sure to click here. For Resorts click here. For villas click here. For bed and breakfast and for Guest houses, make sure to click the links!

March 7, 2020 20

My first time in Madrid, Spain

Landed in Madrid on December 23 , two days before Christmas. The flight from Tangier to Madrid was about an hour long and costed me 25 dollars. I never been to Spain, so I was super excited to see what this city had to offer.

Picture of a bodega in Madrid photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Took a taxi from Madrid’s international airport to my Airbnb apartment. Got into a conversation with the taxi driver about the current affairs in Spain. Barcelona really wants independence. They been fighting for it recently and it’s had become more intense. I was told to not speak Spanish to locals in Barcelona. It might cause a fight.

Flan in spain photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Once settled, I had to eat. I haven’t eaten since being in Morocco. There was no food given out on that flight. Maybe, that’s why it was so cheap.

Found a place near the apartment I rented out. It was owned by a Chinese couple. It was interesting to see Chinese people speak Spanish with Spaniard accent. It was kind of mind blowing to be honest.

Of course, I ordered rice with beans. For desert, it was flan with a glass of sangria. These are so common in Latin American countries that I almost felt at home. Speaking Spanish was so simple and natural to me. Coming from Morocco, having people around that spoke Spanish felt like 10 tons of weight left my shoulders. Compared to my time in Morocco, they only spoke french and arabic. Few spoke English or Spanish.

People were surprised to hear me speak Spanish with a non-Spaniard accent. They couldn’t believe I was from the USA. Americans really don’t have a good reputation around the world. I’m constantly reminded of it. PS. We are known as culturally ignorant. Please, make sure we change their views.

Madrid street with Christmas decorations photo courtesy of hugo Morel

Once my meal was done, I walked around little bit. Didn’t want to go too far because getting lost was not my ideal situation at the moment. I usually wait for the second day. Got back to my apartment and was ready for the next morning.

Thank you for reading! Stay safe and much love!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

We have partnered up with booking.com and working on TripAdvisor. Here are some links for each hope you all enjoy!

Here are links to hotels and other deals.

December 6, 2019 1

Off to new horizons, saying good bye to Belize

My time in Belize was coming to an end. I had to sneak one more meal. The food was spicy and tasted like the Caribbean sun. The chicken had a hint of curry with the black beans and rice remind me of my mother’s cooking. Just like the last post, this is why I love traveling to the Caribbean. Honestly, I would probably gain like 30 pounds if I lived here haha

My last belizean full meal photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I was somewhat reluctant to leave. Had to go back home and be normal for a while. The winter cold in New York was not going to be fun. I could feel the breeze already. Regradless, I had to awake up early to catch the water taxi. I thought my flight was a lot earlier than it actually was. Of course, that meant waiting at the airport for hours.

My breakfast at the airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

While at the airport, I started to get hungry. I went straight to the water taxi and didn’t even had a time to eat a meal. I stopped by a restaurant. They had Guatemalan food mixed with belizean flavor. You know I had to eat like I haven’t eaten days. The owner was so nice. I truly recommend them. She didn’t let me take a photo of her and the restaurant. However, it’s right across the Belize City International Airport. It’s the true definition of a hole in the wall. Small space but you can taste the effort and care in the food.

Belizean sunrise photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The clock was clicking, my time here was done. I started to board the plane. I was remind of the photo I took on the water taxi. I was off to come back home. Couldn’t wait to see what new adventures waited for me in New York City and beyond. Belize is definitely a place, I would come back to see. This tiny country has left a big mark on me.

Ps. Next country will be in somewhere in Asia!

August 31, 2019 20

Who are the Belizean people

As my time in Belize was coming to an end, I kept noticing the mixture this country has. I mentioned this before in another post. However, I never really went in depth.

The people of Belize Photo courtesy of belizing

With a country with a little over 350,000, the people living within it’s borders are very mixed. The people are mixed with African, Native Mayans, European or east and south Asian. Most Belizeans have some mixture of one those ethic groups. There are recent immigrants that are not mixed. However, by the next or the following generation, they would mix with the majority of the population.

Women of belize Photo courtesy of https://www.northernbelize.com/cult.html

Growing up in California, there were so many descendants of the Mayans that were my friend. From the Salvadoran to the Guatemalan and Mexican, I was very familiar to the Mayan facial features. Coming to Belize completely shocked me. It was like seeing all my Mayan descendants friend speak English with Caribbean accent. All this was so surprising and it was a little hard to believe.

Another photo of the women of Belize Photo courtesy of https://hashtagiamenough.com/project-proud-to-be-belizean/

When I first saw the Belizeans, I expected them to speak Spanish. After seeing the people at my hostel, you could tell they had some African roots. This mixture is really interesting to me. I had a few friends growing up that were half African American and half Mexican. The Belizeans I met at my hostel could pass as my friends’ siblings.

Traditional Belizean food Photo courtesy of https://flavorverse.com/traditional-belizean-foods/

The food in Belize is amazing! You can taste the diversity of this country. It was like eating Mexican food mixed with Caribbean dishes. The rice had the flavors of Jamaican/west Indian. The rice and beans were spicy. You can taste the Indian curry in the meal. I almost felt like never coming back to the USA, after eating a few dishes here. My family comes from a Caribbean island. So eating this food reminded me of my childhood. Bringing Mexican food from the restaurants then mixing it with the home cooked Caribbean meal my mother used to cook me. The sweet plantain made the memories even stronger. All these flavors reflected the people of Belize.

Mennonites women with their children photo courtesy of https://www.belizehub.com/belize-mennonites/

Lastly, the funny thing about Belize, there is an ethic group of Europeans that speak German as a first language. They are called the Mennonites. The majority of the Mennonites have been historically white European. However, in recent years there have been some converts from all the racial groups of Belize. Yet, the white European are still the majority within that ethic group. Also, the Mennonites are a form of Christians. Think of them being similar to the Amish of the United States. I didn’t get to see them because I spent most of my time on the islands. The Mennonites are usually on the main land of Belize.

Photo courtesy of https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/mennonites-belize-christian-sect-community-central-america-a8541116.html%3famp

As you can see, Belize being the tiny country it is has a lot to offer. With so many ethic groups and so much diversity, it’s hard to come back home as the same person. Coming to Belize has really opened my eyes. From North to South America, the countries in them are enriched by immigrants and the culture they bring. All that mixture is what makes the western hemisphere so interesting. Glad, I got to spend my time in Belize. I wish I could had stayed longer.

Thank you for reading! Much love and safe travels!

To start your own adventures, check out the link below.

August 24, 2019 16

Saying farewell to the cold and Iceland

As when I was heading towards the airport, it was dark. Like completely dark to the point, it did not look like 7 in the morning. Had to google the local time a few times just to make sure. Thought I miscalculated the time differences. One of the biggest issues for a traveler, make sure you have a local SIM card. It changes the time on your phone automatically. Or at least, having a service plan that gives you International data. To be upfront, it’s cheaper getting a local SIM card.

The view outside of the hostel waiting for the shuttle photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I was waiting for the airport shuttle, when the sun was starting to rise. It’s still really hard to believe that I’m so far up north. I thought it would be like some parts of Alaska, where sunlight is only out for a couple of hours. However, this country only gets dark in the early morning and after 3 p m. So there’s about 5 hours of sunlight here during the winter. Which is about a few hours less sunlight than New York City in December. Iceland still amazes me.

After about 15 minutes in the cold, the airport shuttle arrived. The crazy thing about Iceland’s shuttles, they have free wifi and USB ports to charge your electronics (I was definitely not in Cuba). Sat down for the 45 minute ride to Kavilf Airport.

The sun starting to rise photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Got to the airport, passed through customs with ease. Eventually, got hungry and walked to one of the airport stores. I was talked into buying some local chocolate. I did not regret the choice. It had an interesting flavor. Imagine the sweet milky chocolate taste with a little hint of salt. It was definitely something worth remembering.

Icelandic chocolate bar photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After some time passed, I kept thinking about my experiences in Iceland. Still surprised I haven’t came back with a cold or some flu. The fact that humans can live in such extreme temperatures, it really opens your eyes. Humans are very adaptable. From the bitter cold of Iceland to the heat of the Sahara Desert, humans will find a way to live. Im really lucky to have experienced this island all the way up North. Can’t wait to see the next country and what it had to offer.

Walking to the airplane photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

As I walked to the pathway to board the airplane, I was excited about going to my next country. It would be a complete 180. This place will be warm with a Caribbean coastline. A new experience was waiting for me. As I took my sit, I sat there in excitement. Central America, here I come!!

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come without breaking the bank: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe0

June 29, 2019 22

The Beauty of New York City

There’s a reason why I choose to live in the New York metropolitan area. As the “capital” of the world, you get access to pretty much any type of food from any culture.

Taken by Hugo Morel

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay, you do not get the access to all of the cultures that you do here in New York City. My family here would tell me stories about hanging out with thier friends from Mongolia and Turkestan. My cousin would tell me about how he used to get invited into thier home and they would cook him authentic exotic food. I was always envious of him growing up. We only had awesome Mexican food out in the Bay Area!

Traditional Mongolian dish by google

The skyline, the food and the culture is what really attracted me to this city. Truly love this city, as expensive as it is. I truly wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Downtown Manhattan taken by Hugo Morel

Being the capital of the world, the New York City metropolitan area has two international airports and one national. It has three airports in total. Being the traveler I was, I just had to move here. So much food, culture and possible airplane tickets.

Curry chicken with rice at a Jamaican restaurant taken by Hugo morel

The reason why I am posting about New York today is because we are going to start a series of food from all over the world that is found in New York City.

Be on the look out!

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this post. Much love!

December 5, 2018 42

When travel changes you, are you prepared for it?

A few weeks passed after returning from my trip throughout Europe, I was trying to adjust back to being “normal.” Adapting to the “normal” life of going to the bars and hanging out with friends.

A dive bar in Manhattan taken by Hugo Morel

Getting back into this life, was lackluster. Everything stayed the same; however, I changed so much. I was no longer the same person. My friends and I were no longer on the same page. All they talked about was politics, which is just a tool used to divide people. Everything was black and white with them. When in real life, they are so many different shades of grey.

An actual bar in NYC taken by Hugo Morel

All these people were trying too hard to act cool. I mean look at the image above. This is the actual name of a bar in Manhattan!! It’s so corny! Too much effort in trying to be different and hip makes all your efforts become uncool.

A beer called Golden monkey taken by Hugo Morel

Alcohol and the bar culture felt so juvenile to me. I was maturing too fast for my friends to keep up. All this felt pointless and a waste of money. Money, I could be using on airplane tickets.

Bar food taken by Hugo Morel

When it comes to bar food, no need to try them. They are so expensive, at least in NYC. 20 dollars for a small burger, not including drinks that would cost you about another 10 dollars. The food is as American as it can get. There was no fun or excitement in the food. The food didn’t tell me history, nor culture influences. It felt like I was just eating fat! I couldn’t take it. After many years of living this lifestyle, I couldn’t relate to it.

An Indian restaurant sign showing what’s on the menu taken by Hugo Morel

It was at that moment, I realized that I will no longer going to live that life of partying and bar hopping. My life is now about culture, traveling and eating foods that are unfamiliar to me. I’m no longer the same person who I used to be before my trips abroad and I was fine about it. Hopefully, my friends and family will be too.

Thank you so much for reading our post. Much love! Stay safe and have an awesome weekend!!

November 17, 2018 41

The foods of Venice

Italy is known for it’s food and it’s rich history. Different parts of Italy have different styles of food. Venice brought it’s style and gave me something to remember.

The best pizza in my travels of Italy was in Venice. The pizza here on is another level compared to the other parts of Italy. Just remember, pepperoni is not called pepperoni here. The right word is salami. I can talk for days on how good the pizza was here. Let’s just say, new york style, chicago style and any other type of pizza style will not compare. This feels like pizza’s true motherland.

The pasta here was fantastic! Honestly, I had so much pasta in Italy that it was hard to say which one was the best. All of it was good! Truth be told, I ate pasta everyday while in Italy. No complaints!

The gnocchi was really good! It’s potatoish pasta. That really is the only way to describe gnocchi. When you take a bite, you taste the potato. I loved it and enjoyed it. First time trying gnocchi and I was not disappointed.

How can I not mention gelato while being in Italy? This lemon blessing was no expection to the Italian food hype. It was truly a gift from heaven. Took my time eating this for obvious reasons.

Thank you for taking your time to read this! Much love! Have a merry Christmas and a happy new years! Also, happy holidays!!! Next week, we will finish up Venice.

December 23, 2016 24