I’ve been busy (and lazy), and haven’t updated the blog in nearly two months. After receiving a few emails and texts from concerned friends wondering whether I fell off the planet, I figure it’s time for an update.
In short, things are legendary!
I’ve been settling in for a winter in Poland. Since I didn’t pack clothes for colder climates, my light jacket quickly became obsolete. My always helpful brother shipped my winter jacket, boots, hat and gloves, as well as some extra shirts, sports blazer and running shoes; it’s cheaper to ship all that than buy new, and I hate clothes shopping anyway.
Winters in Poland are not as harsh as in Montreal, with temperatures floating around -5C during the coldest periods. In December, you don’t even need to wear a hat most of the time. Unfortunately there’s only about 7.5 hours of sunlight these days, mostly with cloudy overcasts.
So you may ask, “Alex, out of all possible places in the world, why did I decide to stay in Poland for the winter?” and here is the answer:
Weronika and I are officially a couple, and she’s a wonderful girlfriend. Intelligent with a great sense of humour, lovely, sexy, generous, and just the right amount of crazy to match my weirdness. For example, when I was showing her my double sided belt, one side brown, the other side black, her first question was, “Which side will you use to whip me?” Hell ya!
Other than a new relationship, Stefan and I have officially started a small business together. We had a few solid ideas, and have moved onto the implementation phase with one of them. It won’t be revolutionary, but with a little luck, will be enough to create a decent passive revenue stream.
That’s good because I’m pretty much out of money. The budget I set aside for the sabbatical was perfectly planned: it plunged to $0 exactly at the one year mark. Now I’m running on reserves, kept afloat by a contingency fund and few small projects.
Trying to focus on work after such long break is more than challenging. I still don’t set an alarm in the morning, so the days are short and not terribly productive. But hey, I’m still on semi-vacation! The next destination is also already planned, Thailand in February. Weronika has a flexible schedule, so we’ll travel together for about a month. And yes, we’ll rent motorcycles there 🙂
Until the next update, I wish you happy holidays and happy new year! Make sure to spend plenty of time with family and friends, and cherish those precious moments together.
In just a couple of weeks will be the one year anniversary of my sabbatical, as I officially left Montreal on November 9th.
Since then, I’ve covered countless kilometers, flown several dozens times, visited 27 countries and 6 continents. I’ve traveled by airplane, seaplane, train, ferry, truck, car, van, motorcycle, tuk-tuk, paraglider, raft, scooter, bicycle, and foot.
Some of the things I did
Drank cocktails in speakeasy bars in Buenos Aires
Viewed the Iguazu waterfalls
Trekked Patagonia
Paragliding in Mendoza
Toured wine vineyards in Mendoza and Stellenbosch
Shark cage dived in South Africa
Safari in Kruger National Park
Hiked to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), 4130m
Stayed at an ashram in Rishikesh
Volunteered at an Eco ranch in Sri Lanka
Touched the Taj Mahal
Drove a motorcycle through the slums of Mumbai
Drove a motorcycle on a deserted beach in Goa
Danced all night long in Goa
Slept in a houseboat in Kerala, India
Visited a tea plantation in Kerala, India
Slept in a 5 star palace in Udaipur
Saw the cherry blossoms in Japan
Wrestled a sumo wrestler
Karaoked in Hiroshima
Ate Kobe beef in Kobe
Visited a ninja village in Japan
Ate dinner in the Hyatt Tokyo Bar (Lost in Translation)
Slept in a 500 year old Buddhist temple
Went to a Japanese baseball game
Visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone
Gambled in the world’s largest casino (Venetian Macau)
White water rafted in Australia
Scuba dived the Great Barrier Reef
Swam in lakes of pure rainfall
Surfed in Australia
Bathed in natural hot water springs
Visited Hobbiton
Ate an authentic Maori dinner
Visited the Super Trees in Singapore
Was humbled in Aschwitz
Traveled around Europe by motorcycle for 3 weeks
Surprised my brother in Florence for his 40th birthday, while he was there with his wife for their 10 year anniversary
Along the way, I met cool travelers and gracious locals, some of which I now consider long term friends. We shared precious moments, celebrating our limited time together while acknowledging a kindred spirit. And while it can be tough to constantly say hello and then goodbye to wonderful people, I’m happy to have slowed things down for the last 4 months in Poland.
I do miss my family and friends in Montreal, but am glad they read this blog to keep in touch (you guys do read this blog, right?) Plus the occasional Skype date helps.
The journey has humbled me, frequently pushed my comfort zone, allowed me to be completely comfortable with myself for long periods of time and taught me that all problems can be resolved one way or another. I firmly believe everyone should travel extensively, and if we all did, there would be less war and more love in the world.
My initial plan was to travel for a year and return to Montreal in November, but I’m having way too much fun and feel there’s still too much to do. Plus would you really want to be Montreal during the winter?
Thus I’ve decided to extend my sabbatical for another few months. The new plan is to come back to Montreal in spring.
I first visited Tuscany by car about ten years ago. It was a crappy car, with poor handling and awful acceleration, and the sweeping curves of the Tuscan roads taunted me. They knew I wanted to carve them as quickly as possible, while admiring the breathtaking valleys and surrounding vineyards. At point one, three super-sport motorcycles flashed past, their riders leaning hard into each turn. I couldn’t contain my frustration, and promised myself I would return one day by motorcycle.
Fast forward to today, and there I was, touring the exact same roads by motorcycle. Promised kept!
Weronika and I stayed at a splendid villa only a few kilometers from the place I stayed during my last visit, and a rush of memories flooded my mind. There was mama’s restaurant, where I tasted the best pasta of my life. Over there was the exact spot I made the promise to myself all those years ago. All around were the heart-stirring views of endless vineyards. (Tuscany is one of those magical places that you almost cannot believe is real) And over there was San Gimignano, famous for its medieval architecture and dozen towers.
While my stomach had calmed down, Weronika’s started misbehaving, and we had to relax in a garden for a few hours before entering the town. When she mustered enough strength to stand, we slowly made our way into the main square, to have lunch and of course, gelato.
It was here that I first sampled porchetta, a pork sandwich that was so tasty it didn’t need any condiments (In fact, when I had asked for mustard, the merchant yelled, “NO MUSTARD!” He was right, it was perfect without it) Obviously I tasted it again, and it was even more delectable than I remembered.
Day 16
I was never really inspired to visit Pisa, since the leaning tower was a tourist destination for a really dumb reason: poor engineering. For those that don’t know, the tilt is caused by inadequate foundation, as it was erected on grounds that were too soft on one side.
However, since we were passing right by it, we decided to stop over for a few pictures. No, we didn’t take the the corny, “Look! I’m holding up the tower” type of pictures. However it was interesting to take pictures of people taking those kinds of pictures.
Day 17
Many celebrities have summer homes around Lake Como in northern Italy, and it was easy to see why; a spectacular dark blue lake surrounded by deep green mountains. (side comment: I need to find new words for “stunning” and “breath-taking”, since Italy is pushing the limits of my thesaurus).
Our chosen route meandered right next to the lake, and we just had to stop several times to admire the views and deeply breath the crisp clean air. Does anyone have a spare million euros lying around, so I can buy a home here?
Day 18
The most exciting and dangerous portion of the entire trip was traversing the Italian mountains into Switzerland. At one time, the Stelvio Pass was awarded as the “greatest driving road in the world” by Top Gear, a famous British television series about cars. The pass was actually one of three we conquered over two days, and was mostly composed of 180 degree turns. Some turns were actually more than 180 degrees, and the sharp inclines and declines made it difficult to see oncoming traffic.
Adding to the fact I was holding a GoPro in one hand and the motorcycle’s massive weight didn’t inspire confidence, and it was a hair raising experience. Weronika and I had to take many breaks to catch our breath and to high five each other, exclaiming, “We’re still alive!”
It was definitely the craziest road I’ve ever been on, and although I’m very happy to have visited, I must admit I don’t have any desire to return.
Day 19
Once in Switzerland, the differences from Italy were obvious:
The roads were much better paved
The mountains were more spectacular, the villages more rustic and the houses more refined
The temperature dropped noticeably
The prices for our targeted hotels more than doubled
Despite the raw natural beauty, we didn’t linger in the country.
Day 20
Lichtenstein was another new country for me. It’s the 6th smallest country in the world, squished between Switzerland and a bunch of mountains.
Our stop was for a quick lunch to sample he local cuisine, and to visit one of my clients. He was happy to show us around and give us a brief history lesson. Although a sleepy country, it’s the 3rd largest GDP per person in the world, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world. Thus the quality of life is extremely high, if you like mountains and snow, of course.
Since it was a very cloudy day, and the visit was short, I didn’t take any pictures.
Day 21
On the way back to Poland, we passed through Germany. There is not much to say since the 1.75 days were spent mostly on the highway, with a short stopover to rest our weary heads. Germany’s autobahn are famous because they are wonderfully paved and occasionally have no speed limits. There were quite a few Porsches, BMWs and Ferraris blow past me while cruising at 140km/h.
Again, no pictures.
Day 22
Poland is considered to have depressing weather, with dark clouds concealing the sun most of the year. So it was humourous to see the change from open skies to dark clouds within a 1 km of the Polish border. How do the clouds know where to gather?!
Since the road quality was significantly reduced and the randomness of driver’s increased, we were not able to travel as fast.
Final thoughts
Overall, the trip was incredible.
Weronika was the perfect travel companion, as we never argued, and even supported each other while sick.
While the motorcycle was heavy, it was well suited for this type of long distance trip. There were certain moments I wished for my own motorcycle, especially during the curvier parts, but it would have been too stressful while off-roading.
Except for one day of hard rain, and two half-days of light drizzle, the weather was perfect. Sunshine and warm weather has a positive impact to your state of well-being.
I love motorcycle riding, and am very happy to have experienced this. It will encourage me to take even longer trips in the future, something I didn’t think interested me.
