Wandering through Hyde Park

My first stop after visiting the palace was going to Hyde Park. I have been told by friends and family to make sure to visit this place. Luckily, it was about a ten-minute ride on the underground from where I was staying. So afterward, I can have a friendly chat with the Air BnB host for a little bit. I took the train and got out of the nearest station to the park.

entrance to hyde park photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Hyde Park’s entrance was interesting. It reminded me of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Just with an artistic image of a unicorn and a lion. I have no idea what they are supposed to mean. It just looks different than all the parks I have been too. So, I had to appreciate the uniqueness. I mean just look at it. It’s as if, the unicorn and the lion are dancing.

A path leading outside of the park photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Once inside, I was shocked at how similar it was to Central Park in Manhattan. A big park in the middle of the city. It almost makes you forget you are in one of the world’s biggest metropolis. I started walking around, I kept looking at how people were interacting. Everybody was relaxed and enjoying their time. It felt like Central Park without all the stress. Also, without the horse droppings. No need to watch your step here. The locals at this park look like they were genuinely enjoying their time.

the entrance to the garden photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I stumbled across a little garden near the entrance. I went inside to have a look. I took out my camera to take photos for you all. To my annoyance, the moment I was seen with my camera was the moment I became a photographer for random strangers. They asked me to take pictures of them with their phones. Me being the nice guy I was raised to be, I couldn’t reject the requests. I ended taking pictures for two different couples in that part of the park. I just couldn’t say no at the moment. They asked so nicely. Of course, none of it was with my camera. I charge for that. I’m not that nice.

The beautiful purple flowers photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After about 10 mins, I got back to my mission of taking photos for you all. The beauty of the flowers really made me appreciate nature. Sometimes you tend to forget, how prefect nature can at times. Even though I was alone, my smile and face exhaling any negativity. Parks just have this effect on you. It’s almost like time slows down and you are able to enjoy being in the moment to the fullest.

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 20, 2020 32

The Corona virus outbreak: Knowing someone is looking out for you

For those who are aware of what’s going on in the global news. There is a virus getting passed around China and Southeast Asia. It started last month in December. Someone infected started spreading the virus internationally. The first case of an international infected person was in Thailand. Eventually, more case were found throughout South East Asia.

Asian woman with mask

Chinese studying the virus

The reason why I’m writing this is because I was in Wuhan last month. Actually went there twice in one week. This means I was there when the outbreaks first started happening. Currently after about 30 days, I feel amazing and healthy! I have no signs of the sickness. Another close call that I have escaped. Looking back on all my experiences, I’m truly blessed. Someone or something has been looking out for me on all my travels.

Wuhan_dot — The yellow dot marks where Wuhan is on the Chinese map

As I write this, an estimated of 1, 723 people are infected. Currently there are screenings for flights coming from Wuhan. I went to get a medical check up and nothing showed up as alarming. All this is mind blowing when I sit down and think about it. About a year and half ago, I was on that Dubai Flight full of sick people. How I traded seats with two different people to seat away from those who were infected. Still to this day is hard for even me to believe it happened. Which at the time of the flight, I had no idea what was going on. As crazy as this sounds, I always follow my gut feeling. If I do not feel anything wrong, I’m usually at peace. That “sixth sense” has helped me out on multiple situations. Which a lot of you have read some of them. The one time I didn’t paid attention to that feeling, I broke my arm.

Regardless of what is happening, I will be posting about my time in Wuhan, China. So please do not read the posts with negativity. I really enjoyed my short stay there. It is a beautiful city with very friendly people and a rich culture. I hope when things die down, some of you will get the chance to visit this part of china. It will make you rethink about the Chinese stereotypes and what is heard on the news.

Happy early Chinese New Years everyone! 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!

January 22, 2020 33

How traveling saved my life

Been wanting to share this for a while now. I was just reluctant to expose myself to the world. Everything I’m about to express and share is true. I want you all to know that I’m not a trust fund baby that travels the world. I’m really lucky to be where I’m at. A lot of it is thanks to you all!

**warning: I’m going let my heart out on this post**

As a kid, I wasn’t much of a shoe-in for being a productive member of society. In fact, I was anti-society. My future didn’t look too bright. It looked more orange behind bars with not a lot of sunlight. Let me dive in a little deeper.

When I was 8 years old, the police came into my home looking for me. A couple of friends and I messed up a person’s car we didn’t like. We left threatening mail into his mailbox saying, “we were going to destroy him next time he disrespects us.” We were young and didn’t really know better. Everybody around us was doing it. We thought messing up people’s cars was normal. By chance, the victim didn’t press any charges. So we never got any time. However, we got time out from our parents.

3 years into the future, I got in trouble again. This time, I was caught stealing iPods. (Hopefully, you all remember those.) I would steal them hoping to sell for a 100 percent profit. I was young and didn’t know any better. Wanted money and jobs were not hiring an eleven-year-old. For some reason, the victim did not press any charges. Since I gave back his iPod and accepted my mistake. That was twice, I almost got arrested at a young age.

San_Francisco_from_the_Marin_Headlands_in_March_2019 — San Francisco

Now, this is when travel really got introduced to my life. Majority of my family lives in the New York City Area. I kept getting in trouble in California. So, my dad made sure I would get out of that environment every Christmas and summer break. He would send me to New York City to learn more about my family roots. I got to see another world that not many people who looked like me ever did. It gave me a different outlook on life. I started seeing what was important and what wasn’t. This would help me so much in high school.

800px-New_York_City_at_night_HDR — new york

A common theme with my friends I grew up with, high school is what changed everything. Everybody that I was close with as a kid started joining gangs and selling drugs. They wanted to live that thug life and be respected by everybody in our city. That was what all they knew. Our city and neighborhood, they wanted to put it on the crime map. Friends that were closed to me wanted to cause me harm because of who I grew up with. I didn’t fall into this trap because I saw another world that was not this. I was no longer apart of this self-destructive mentality anymore because my horizons were expanded, due to travel. Some of my closest childhood friends, were targets of drive-bys. By some miracle, they are alive. If I didn’t see another world other than the streets when I was young, I probably would have ended up like a lot of the people I grew up with. Many are in jail or just dangerous to be around. I had a few people close to me that died due to gun violence. For these reasons, are why I’m so passionate about traveling. It literally has changed my mindset and saved my life.

In memory of a friend that taught me to never give up. You always had some joke to say. Thank you for teaching me how to be a good-hearted person. Rest in peace Frank Serafin. I will never get over the fact, I’m living my life and you are not.

I have been able to start legal businesses, travel to over 30 countries and learned to enjoy the moment. Once again, thank you for all your kind deeds that you never asked for anything in return.

November 13, 2019 78

Enjoying the end of summer at Rockefeller Lake, Upstate New York

As summer comes to a close, sprinkles of fall hit us like strong pumpkin spices. Random days of a cool breeze mixed with days comparable to mid July. Had to face it, summer was almost gone. Back to wearing big coats and looking out for stepping on ice. Excited about Halloween and the pumpkin pies being just around the corner. I still couldn’t shake this feeling of not getting the most out of this summer.

small dock where birds gather photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Didn’t really to explore much this summer. In terms of going to Upstate New York. Did a lot of international flights these hot months, just didn’t explore my local surroundings. Truly love this state. From Manhattan to Cairo, New York, this state has something most states lack. Could never really put my finger on it.

close up of the dock photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Lived in California majority of my childhood. Also, lived in three different countries as a kid. However, none have my heart like this state. A place where you can have the tallest building in the country; yet, still be a few hours away from such a gorgeous place like this. Nature and city are actually my favorite places to be.

view of the lake photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I know California and other states are beautiful. However, not many can compare to this. This scenery pulls my heartstrings. The blue sky’s reflection on the water made me feel the much needed sense of peace. The fact that it is summer and everything is so green.

another view of the lake photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The reason why I am up here was to escape from the city life. Sometimes you just need to relax and step back. No stress, no deadlines just me and the music that the planet earth makes. That’s when I can truly appreciate the creation of this small blue planet.

my favorite shot of the lake photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

My time here was almost up. Just did a day trip to escape. Would have to leave tomorrow in the morning. So, I made it last. Sat down to enjoy everything. That moment where you are lost in your head but still enjoy what’s around you. It was truly priceless. When you visit New York City, make sure to stop by and check out Upstate New York. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

took this photo while reflecting about going back to the city photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Thank you so much for reading! Decided to change things up a little this week. Will go back to learning about Afro-Caribbean culture next week. Much love and safe travels everyone.

September 25, 2019 20

Facing reality while Swimming through the Second Biggest Barrier Reef

This is something not many people know about Belize. Belize’s Barrier Reef is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. Commonly known as the Great Mayan Reef. It was such a great opportunity to able to swim and see it in person.

unhealthy coral photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Being the second largest Coral Reef in the world, I couldn’t believe all the colors that my eyes were seeing. I was breathlessly taken away with all the corals. I went scuba diving before but, seeing that the corals are alive reminded me how amazing unwater life is.

More unhealthy coral photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The corals kept moving like an animal made out of stone would. It’s still crazy to see rocks move on their own. Seeing the fish hiding under and in between the corals made feel like the cameraman in Finding Nemo 2.

photos of the great Mayan reef photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Still in awe, I kept swimming with my group. Trying to keep up, I kept taking photos. Always at the end of the group, the tour guides kept pointing to keep up with the pack. However, it was hard for me to not stop every ten feet of swimming.

more photo of the Mayan barrier reef photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

There was a point where the water became shallow that the Reef was almost sticking out. Had to swim back a little so I wouldn’t get cut and attract sharks. Well, we would still attract sharks; however, that’s a story for another post.

Looking back, all the photos I took had signs of unhealthy coral. When the water’s temperature starts to rise, the coral almost start a process of suicide. The coral will start becoming white through a natural bleaching. Through this bleaching, the coral will start hardening and with time will die. Experiencing climate change twice in less than two weeks, made really think twice about our current atmosphere’s health. The ice glacier in Iceland, I saw last week, was about to melt and the second biggest barrier reef on the verge of death. We really need to look at ourselves in the mirror and face reality. Our world is changing and we are one of the main reasons for it. I just hope these nature’s beauty will last long enough for my future children to be able see them.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

July 27, 2019 28

A stroll by the Nile River: Why Travel makes you more human

As my days in Egypt were nearing, I could feel the long awaited departure. I will finally be able to come back and tell my love ones how beautiful Egypt is. However, I felt a sudden sadness.

Graffiti of a kid that died in the Egyptian revolution taken by hugo Morel

Reality hit me like a car going 80 mph hitting a brick wall. I would be leaving behind a country, I felt so spirituality connected to! I grew so much as a person here. Got over my negative views of muslims and became a more empathetic human being.

Two kids playing by the Nile River taken by Hugo Morel

Decided to walk by the Nile River to get my mind off things. Needed some me time. Had to reflect on all of my personal growth. Learning about the Islamic culture made me feel more human. For once, I didn’t feel like a robot. A robot that has been programmed to fear the different and unknown.

Another view of the Nile River Taken by hugo Morel

Walked up a few stairs to get a better view. I wanted to really absorb the moment. People were laughing and having fun. Enjoying what little they had, the benefits of living a simple life. A life away from the big cities in the USA. Where people complain about simple issues. Like, the Air conditioning is not working or someone on the internet doesn’t agree with them. We are so lost in capitalistic gains, we forget how lucky we are compared to the world.

As the sun was setting, I walked back down the stairs to be back, where the people were being people. If you ever went people watching, you will understand that last sentence. The sounds and the energies of moment were priceless.

Nile river with Cairo tower in the background taken by Hugo Morel

For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace. It was a feeling of being happy because I’m experiencing life to the fullest. Im not just some program who can’t think outside of the box. I am a traveler who has his own opinions. Opinions that are not formed by the media biases; but, through my life experiences. This is what means to be human. To be unique, not follow the crowd and to have empathy towards those who are different to you. Took me a flight halfway across the world to learn that.

Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that you are seeing in person, the place you read in history books. Funny how someone who never got good grades in history class, gets to experience the locations in person. Life is truly amazing.

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

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

Check out our latest e-book “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

March 23, 2019 33