Category Archives: Cuba

The Gentleman Backpacker Year in Review: “Courage”

Lady in the Wind, Antelope Canyon
Lady in the Wind, Antelope Canyon

As 2015 draws to a close, it’s time to take stock of the year that was. Today I received an email from a complete stranger, one who came to “know” me through a hockey blog that I follow and post on regularly. It was a congratulatory email for the path that I am taking. If I may quote a small passage from it, he says:

“There will come a time, perhaps it has occurred already, when you will question what you are doing. You will second guess the choices you have made. When that time happens, just remember that many of the people you know, back in the corporate world, admire you for your resourcefulness and courage. Most of them would like to follow your example and do something audacious, but they are too tied to social norms.”

Thank you for those words. This has been a year of many highs and lows–a transitional year that was one of the toughest of my entire life, but also one to celebrate.

Continue reading The Gentleman Backpacker Year in Review: “Courage”

TGB’s Road Trip of a Lifetime (yet again)

White Sands
Picturesque White Sands National Monument

It’s been a while since I last posted; for that, I apologize. It has been a crazy month. I drove down to New York from Toronto via Niagara Falls, skipped down to Grand Cayman a couple of days later for one night before heading to Cuba, then spent nearly three weeks in the Southwest United States before arriving in LA yesterday. Currently, I am typing this post as I relax in the business class cabin of All Nippon Airways, snacking on good old rice crackers, bound for Japan. So much has happened in between. Here are but a few of the highlights. For the purposes of catching up, I’m only going to post quick snapshots taken with my phone (Sony Xperia Z3) for this post. Future posts that break down each stop will feature better photos, I promise!

Continue reading TGB’s Road Trip of a Lifetime (yet again)

Cuba Libre: Exploring Havana

 

Ready to go?
Ready to go?

By now you’ll have heard the news that the US is moving to normalize relations with Cuba for the first time in over 50 years. This is huge news. For Americans, this is a new, unexplored destination just a short shuttle flight away from Miami. For non-Americans, this is your last chance to go before the big multi-nationals move in and “spoil” the place. The great news for both groups is that I’ve already been and I’m here to help!

Continue reading Cuba Libre: Exploring Havana