Amira found and rented this wonderful 17th-Century house in the middle of endless northern Italian vineyards that will yield prosecco. What a wonderful place to work.
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Delicious Venice
We enjoyed a very nice sunset dinner tonight at a restaurant here in Venice called Pizzeria Oke. We got to sit right by the water. We ordered a better-than-average aperol, and a spectacular beer made here in Venice (called Redentor), as well as a plate of seafood and a really nice pizza.
The seafood plate was amazing. (Venice has some incredibly fresh and delicious seafood.) This dish included fresh sardines, a baby octopus, squid, cod, salmon and a breaded and deep-fried something or other that was very good.
After dinner we made our way back to our apartment, a process that involves general movement in the right direction, with a lot of dead-ends in painfully charming alleys (often terminating in a canal).
Venice is wonderful.
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In Search of the Ultimate Food Experiences
A friend recently asked me: "How do you find the best places?"
In fact, people have been asking both me and Amira this question for years. We've been sharing our foodie experiences on social media for the last ten years, and our friends and followers are often shocked by what we're able to discover and experience.
And it's more relevant than ever, now that we're inviting small groups of friends to join us for Gastronomad Experiences. (Our next three Experiences are in Barcelona, Fez and Mexico City.)
The answer to how we find the best places may surprise you.
Our discovery process has three components: 1) Time; 2) Investigation; and 3) Context.
1. Time
The time element is key. We find that it takes weeks or months of full-time exploration to truly discover cultural traditions and the real food scene in any city as well as those cities where the best food is found. This exploration is informed by weeks or months of research online and by phone, followed by additional weeks or months of research on the ground at each location. Amira does most of this work, and she spends a great deal of her time on this.
For example, in a couple weeks, we're headed to Europe to do advanced recon on a very special location for next year (to be announced).
Then, we're moving to Barcelona for a month where Amira will complete her research and outreach for the upcoming Barcelona Experience (even though we've lived in Barcelona several times).
After that (though we’ve travelled to Morocco several times), we're headed to Morocco for two full months of research and exploration for the upcoming Morocco Experience.
Because we, ourselves, are gastronomads, we have the time to conduct deep exploration of each city before events.
2. Investigation
We discover places through two basic processes. The first is that we cultivate serendipity.
We love to walk for exercise, and typically put in between three to ten miles per day. We systematically meander through a city's streets and alleys and boulevards, always on the lookout for undiscovered gems to explore.
The second process is investigation. Amira spends hours each day working like a detective or private eye or shoe-leather investigative journalist. She starts with a market or shop that looks high quality, grilling them about all aspects of their operation and philosophy, and also asking them about suppliers, traditional artisans, makers and farmers and food visionaries in the area. She then takes what she's learned to the next person, and continues this way through the city's high-quality food sector.
Over the weeks, she figures out who the real innovators and traditionalists are, who's offering what, and where the special farmers, vineyards, wineries, breweries, butchers, cheesemakers and restaurateurs are. She gets to the root of what drives the food scene in that town. We try and test and sample -- this is where I come in. (Hey, somebody's gotta do it!)
3. Context
Amira doesn't approach all this from a vacuum. She's spent her entire adult life as a food professional, beginning her career with heading food and beverage operations at prestigious hotels (Mondrian, Beverly Wilshire, Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles and Park Hotels in New York City). She’s also worked as the special events executive catering manager for the chancellor of UCSB, has her own practice providing health counseling and food counseling work and has been a lifelong creative force in the development of healthy, organic recipes and cooking methods. (Check out her amazing creations on Google+.)
In short, we discover the best food places with a lot of time and work pursuing our lifelong passions, and it's a joy to do.
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We're launching Gastronomad Experiences!
If you've followed us on social media, then you know that we consider the combining of work and play something of an art form.
We've always have told readers that we'd love to share our amazing meals, exquisite scenery and epic experiences as we travel the world. So now we're doing it!
We carefully select the most spectacular locations in our favorite cities, then host a small group of fun-loving foodies for a few epic days and nights to deeply explore the local food and drinks culture with experts in every field. We'll cook, explore each city's best secret food spots, markets, bars, wineries, history, culture and more. (Plus, we'll throw in some optional professional courses along the way.)
It's a nothing like a conventional packaged tour -- each event is a real and uniquely handcrafted, once-in-a-lifetime experience curated by Amira and me to reflect the way we live -- like "temporary locals."
We find secrets places and hidden gems that mainstream tourists don't know about. We connect with the locals and explore culture and culinary traditions that most travelers would never discover or know to do on their own.
Get the details on our Experiences page!
Our first event is: The Barcelona Experience. This exclusive, 5-night, 6-day experience is a celebration of life, Catalonian style! Get more information and apply here!
Our next one is: The Morocco Experience, which takes place in Fez, Morocco, at the end of September. Click here to get on the list for Morocco!
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The solar panel that keeps me going
I had an amazing time in Cuba. It wasn't a vacation. I was working the whole time. So I needed to keep all my stuff charged. But the thing about places like Cuba is: So much sunshine; so few outlets to charge my phone, tablet and laptop. They don't have a Starbucks on every corner -- or any corner.
I can't tell you how many times I've found myself in some random country unable to charge my phone. Where do you do it?
Meanwhile, the sun is often beating down -- the sun, of course, is what Elon Musk called "that big fusion power plant in the sky."
The obvious solution is some way to charge using solar power.
Fortunately, I was using an eval unit of a really great product called the Solartab Solar Charger. It's a BAB (big-ass battery -- 9,000 mAh, actually) that can be charged by plugging it into an outlet -- or by exposing its solar panels to the sun.
I can charge anything that plugs in with USB (like my iPhone) or USB-C (like my Nexus 5x).
The truth is that I normally charge it in the wall, not the sun. But because I have the solar option, I never have to worry about running out of juice. And I really have needed it a few times.
Carrying the Solartab is just like carrying a tablet. It's got a cover, which can be used to prop it up to optimize the angle toward the sun. It's also rugged and waterproof, so you don't have to baby it when you're hiking or sailing.
Here's all the gear I use and recommend.
#solar #solarpower #solartab
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe (a continuing series)
A few years ago, Amira and I, along with our good friend Kostas, were driving all over the Peloponnese doing cool stuff, and we decided to check out the Theater of Argos.
In reality, it's a big, ancient Roman theater built on top of a smaller, but even more ancient Greek one, which dates back about 2,300 years.
These ancient theaters are famous for their acoustics. If you stand in the right spot, you can whisper and everyone in the stands can hear you.
What blew our minds was that when we arrived, there was a German girl sitting on a chair in the acoustic hot-spot playing the cello.
She was very good. And it sounded amazing.
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This is how I make coffee
I'm obsessed with good coffee. And I've collected coffee making devices from all over the world. I've written about a few of them here.
For example, remember when I told you about my vietnamese coffee maker?
And my ugly Italian Bialetti coffee maker?
Or my beautiful one?
Or my obsession with making Turkish coffee?
I love them all. But the truth is that all these are packed away and stored in boxes. The coffee maker I actually travel with and use everyday is my Aerobie AeroPress coffee maker.
Here's why:
* It's light and compact, and so it's compatible with packing light for travel
* It's easy to use: When I'm done, I just pop the coffee and filter into the trash and rinse
* It's cheap: The coffee maker itself is very inexpensive, and it doesn't need a lot of coffee to brew a strong cup
* It's flexible. I buy coffee in random stores all over the world. Some of it is powder-fine. Sometimes I buy beans and crush them with a mortar-and-pestle. The AeroPress handles it all.
I love my AeroPress.
Here's all the stuff I use and recommend.
#coffee #aeropress
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When Your Own Culture Is Reflected Back At You
I live abroad to immerse myself in other peoples' cultures. But every once in a while, you see your own culture reflected back at you.
Amira and I were slogging across a part of Mexico City on foot recently, trying desperately to not get enticed into one of the many amazing restaurants on our route.
But one place looked too great to pass up, so we went inside. The restaurant is called Aurora Roma ( https://www.yelp.com/biz/aurora-roma-m%C3%A9xico ). They seated us right in front of the band. Turns out it was a Mexican trio playing American jazz.
Of course, American jazz is heavily influenced by so called "latin" styles. But this was a style of jazz without a latin influence, and they were truly great.
Another incredible product of nomad serendipity.
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Why I use a Ring Video Doorbell even though I travel all the time
My favorite gadget (other than my iPhone and iPad) is my Ring Video Doorbell.
Here's the thing: The Ring Video Doorbell is advertised as something for home-owners. You're supposed to mount it as a permanent replacement for your front-door doorbell. And I recommend that every home-owner buy and install the newer Ring Video Doorbell Pro.
As you know, I'm a nomad. I live mostly in AirBnBs all over the world. That's why people are surprised that I use a Ring Video Doorbell everywhere I travel -- and I recommend that everyone do this.
In fact, even if you own a home and install the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, I still recommend buying a second Ring device for any travel you do. The benefits for safety and property protection are just too great.
When you travel, you're more vulnerable to theft and crime. When you stay at an AirBnB, the neighbors know you're a traveler and probably carry cash, passports, laptops, tablets, cameras and other valuables.
By placing a Ring Video Doorbell in front of the house, you can know whether anyone has entered the premises -- or if they're still there -- before you open the door. At night, while you're sleeping, you can see if anyone is trying to break in.
Ring camera products work by connecting to WiFi,and capture video of any motion or video when someone rings the bell. The video is streamed into the cloud. The alters chime your phone, and you can watch the video live, and even talk to whoever is there through your phone like an intercom system.
(The photo shows the view through my Ring Video Doorbell in an AirBnB I rented in Marseille, France.)
I think everyone should own at least one Ring camera.
BUT -- there are two things you need to know before you buy.
First, the newest product, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, is not usable for travel. The reason is that it requires a wired connection to the home's electrical system.
Instead, buy either the older (but cheaper) Ring Video Doorbell, or buy the Ring Stickup Cam, which gives you the camera but not the doorbell feature. Both these products contain rechargeable batteries that last for months between charges.
Here's where you can buy the Ring Video Doorbell.
Here's where you can buy the Ring Stickup Cam.
The second thing you need to know is: How to mount a Ring device temporarily.
The answer is something you can buy at the hardware store called "mounting putty." It's like Silly Putty, but can be used for securely but temporarily mounting anything. You just put for small blobs of mounting putty in each corner of the camera and press it to the wall next to the door.
Here's the mounting putty I buy, which works great.
There you have it, folks. Whether you own or rent a home, or travel full-time like I do, always have a Ring Video Doorbell or Ring Stickup Cam wherever you go.
#ringvideodoorbell #ringvideodoorbellpro #ringstickupcam
(Full disclosure: Links in this post are Amazon Associate links. Here's a link to all the gear I use and recommend.)
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Frida Kahlo Haunts Mexico Still (Through Tourist Trinkets)
The Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico City was fun to visit, in part because it was the home where Kahlo was born and where she died and also where she and her husband, Diego Rivera, worked. A lot of their stuff is still there.
The museum is the only site in Mexico City where we saw a lot of gringo tourists. Kahlo is a big attraction for Americans, and presumably for Euro-tourists as well.
The trinket-industrial complex has seized on Frida mania and now makes all kinds of Kahlo-related objects. You can buy Frida mermaids and Frida piggy banks and lots of other Frida-faced stuff.
It's weird, but vaguely funny.
GET THIS: The DREEM Fibonacci iPhone Wallet Case
I get frustrated buying smartphone cases because the most important feature to me is a kickstand that holds the phone vertically, in portrait mode.
Many apps don't display in horizontal mode, and I often use a keyboard with my phone to write columns and blog posts.
By eliminating all cases that don't have a vertical kickstand, I'm eliminating from consideration more than 99.9 % of the cases out there.
My other criteria are that the case should be tasteful and beautiful, slim and holdable (grippy and pleasant to hold) and feel very well constructed.
While hunting for a case for my new iPhone 7, I was shocked to discover a case that met all my picky criteria and -- get this -- had a 4.5-star rating on Amazon.com with 4,500 reviews!
The case is the DREEM Fibonacci iPhone Wallet Case.
The base case snaps on the phone, protecting the back and edges, but not the screen. It's super thin, elegant and pleasurable to hold.
A separate unit is a clamshell wallet, which covers the screen and back, and holds credit cards and cash. It's all made from convincing fake leather.
The DREEM has strategically placed magnets that hold the phone to the wallet and hold the case closed.
Those same magnets enable you to use the wallet part as a cradle for holding the phone in either orientation at multiple angles while resting on a table.
The wallet part has a slot that matches up with the iPhone's phone speaker, so you can talk on the phone with the wallet closed. Another hole in the back matches up with the iPhone's camera and flash, so you can take pictures without removing the wallet.
After using my DREEM case for a few days, I was so happy with it I bought my wife one.
They come in 8 colors, support all 6 and 7 iPhones and the price is right.
I love this case!
(Sadly, the case is for iPhone only. I've asked the company to tell me if and when they plan to sell Android cases, and I'll let you know what their answer is when they reply.)
(Full disclosure: This is an Amazon Associates link)
#iPhone #iphonecase #smartphonecase
GET THIS: electric immersion heater
One of the handiest items I carry everywhere is an electric immersion heater. You just hook it into a cup of water and plug it in. In a few minutes, the water is boiling so you can make coffee, tea, soup or whatever. They're cheap, too, typically costing less than $12.
(I also carry teabags and instant coffee.)
#immersionheater
GET THIS: DJI Osmo Mobile
Camera quality is one of the main things we all look for in a smartphone. And we spend extra to get it. But no matter how good the optics, software and electronics in our phone cameras, it's never enough to compensate for the users' imperfect ability to hold the camera.
Every hand shakes enough to blur photos in low light. And when we try to take video, or panoramic fast-motion sweeps, the quality of our video looks amateurish because, as Steve Jobs once told us all, we're holding it wrong.
Professional quality video looks professional because professionals use advanced stabilization gear. But now that technology is available to consumers.
The best camera stabilization for consumers I know if is found in the DJI Osmo Mobile -- yeah, the same DJI that makes consumer drones.
DJI Osmo Mobile is a three-axis motorized gimbal that uses gyroscopes and software to dramatically stabilize your phone for photography and videos.
The DJI Osmo Mobile makes your videos look cinematic.
The DJI Osmo Mobile makes your low-light photography sharp and clear.
The DJI Osmo Mobile automatically tracks the subject, even while it's on a tripod.
And finally, the The DJI Osmo Mobile does a wide rage of really cool tricks, such as Motion Timelapse (it smoothly pans as it does your timelapse).
It also gives you customizable joystick control for pans and tilts.
Get the DJI Osmo Mobile as a holiday gift... for yourself!
#djiosmomobile
Picnic On an Aztec Canal
One of the coolest things to do in Mexico City is to enjoy a boat ride in the borough of Xochimilco.
Before the Spanish arrived, Mexico City was a kind of land-locked Venice -- an island in the middle of Lake Xochimilco served by an enormous network of man-made canals and artificial islands.
Xochimilco is where the Southern shore of the lake was. And that's where today you can find the last remnants of this amazing ancient city. Some 110 miles of canals are all that remains of the extensive water highway system built by the Aztecs which once connected most of the villages in the Valley of Mexico. (The Spanish drained the lake and most of the canals.)
Nowadays, you can hire one of these boats and spend hours gently floating down the canals. Each boat is a shaded flat gondola-like craft (the "driver" uses a pole to push the boat) and has a long picnic table and wooden chairs.
Floaters are offered a wide range of services, from mariachi bands to a wide range of food and drinks and so on. All these services are provided from other boats. You just call them over. They attach to your boat, and they provide the service.
Some Mexicans attach two, three, four or more boats together. We saw one with seven boats -- four filled with customers and three boats providing music, food and drinks.
The canals are surrounded on either side by botanical gardens.
Boating in Xochimilco is a perfectly unique experience, which you shouldn't miss if you ever go to Mexico City.
GET THIS: Ray-Ban folding aviator sunglasses!
I've worn these sunglasses all over the world (pictured: Greece, Morocco and Kenya). They fit great, provide awesome sun protection and -- the best part -- they fold up and fit into a case, so you can actually carry them in a front pants pocket.
I tend to break everything, but these sunglasses seem to be indestructible. I love mine. I think you'll love them, too.
(Full disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, so I'll get paid if you buy it. I only recommend the products I love...)
#sunglasses
GET THIS: The Microsoft Mobile Keyboard
I use my iPad, iPhone and Nexus phone with a physical keyboard -- a lot, and always have.
Just about any bluetooth keyboard will work with just about any phone or tablet. A lot of people don't know this.
For years, I used the standard Apple Magic Keyboard. I liked the feel of the keyboard, and it was pretty durable.
The problems with it as a mobile keyboard are that 1) it doesn't hold the device like a cradle; 2) the keys are at risk from jostling stuff in side my backpack, and could get damaged; and 3) it uses AA batteries.
A while ago, I did a comprehensive review of truly mobile Bluetooth keyboards, and the Microsoft Mobile Keyboard came out on top of my review.
The Microsoft Mobile Keyboard is truly awesome. It's a clamshell design, so the cradle part that holds the device at an angle also folds over to protect and cover the keys. It's instant to use; opening the lid turns on the keyboard. The battery last for weeks or months (no idea, since it has never died on me). And you can set up three devices, which you can choose with a switch -- I often use my tablet and phone side-by-side, and switch between them. It's durable, too.
Best of all, the keys feel GREAT to type on.
It makes a perfect gift, too.
(Full disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, so I'll get paid if you buy it. I only recommend the products I love...)
#getthis #microsoft #mobilekeyboard
I love my luggage!!
I bought this Osprey Meridian Wheeled Luggage at the beginning of the year, and put it through hell since. I've taken it to Cuba, Mexico -- twice! -- France, Italy and elsewhere.
I've dragged it over medieval cobblestones, subjected it to rain and dirt, boat ramps and airport baggage-handling systems around the world, and still it looks and works like it's brand-new.
I've stuffed it so full that the internal pressure must of have been enormous, but the fabric, stitching and zippers seem indestructible.
It's inherently flexible. I can hold the handle on the side while climbing up stairs, the handle on top while giving it to the airline agent and both top and bottom while loading it into the trunk of an Uber. I can roll it, and the wheels are amazing. Or I can wear it like a backpack.
A really nice day pack zips and straps on to increase the content.
I love this backpack!! Click here to buy one for yourself!
(Full disclosure: these links are affiliate links, so I'll get paid if you buy it. I only recommend the products I love...)
Digital nomad survival tips you can use anywhere
I just got back from Mexico City, which tourists usually avoid because they don't feel safe there. It's a shame, too. Mexico City is awesome -- and can be safe.
Three years ago, I wrote a piece here called "Digital nomad survival tips you can use anywhere." The column was based on everything I had learned (often the hard way) about how to stay safe while living and traveling abroad since 2006.
In the past three years, however, new tech has emerged that enhances safety even further. And I've learned a few new tricks as well.
The Street Food in Mexico City Is In a Class Of Its Own
I love Mexican food. Always have. But there's something transcendent about the street food we tried in Mexico City.
For starters, it's clear that Mexicans love street food. All the good places had big crowds all the time, with vendors churning out tacos, quesadillas, tortas, enchiladas, huaraches and on and on.
There's also a range of vendor types, from people with "carts" to literal holes in the walls (ad hoc kitchens assembled every day in a depression in the wall of a big building) to indoor market stands where you sit at a narrow board-like table surrounding the kitchen.
Somehow, the cheese and corn and all the ingredients taste better in Mexico City than anywhere else I've tried Mexican food.
As a capitalist, I assume the quality of street food in Mexico City result from free-market competition. The Greater Mexico City area has about 21 million people living and eating there. Make awesome tacos, and the crowds reward you with business. Make so-so tacos and be ignored and go out of business.
Mexico City is also a magnet for people from all over Mexico. The country has 31 states, not including the city itself, which like Washington D.C. isn't a state or in a state. Each of these Mexican states has a rich and unique food culture, and each is represented in Mexico City by countless food operations. Unlike in American cities like New York or Chicago, where street food is radically international, Mexico City street food represents the Mexican food in all its variety and regionality.
In any event, we plan to return to Mexico City a.s.a.p. and spend some quality time scarfing amazing street food.
Boating In Mexico City
Amira and I Ubered down to Xochimilco, which is one of the 16 boroughs of the city. Before the Spanish arrived, this area was on the shore of Lake Xochimilco. The Aztecs built an elaborate series of canals and artificial islands here, which are still functioning.
The locals offer slow, leisurely rides in colorfully painted Mexican gondolas, which are called trajineras. Each boat has what is essentially a picnic table with wooden chairs on either side. Amira and I got one to ourselves.
Mexicans take full advantage of these boats by having floating picnics and parties. If the size of a party exceeds the capacity of one boat, they lash them together. We saw one floating event with four boats conjoined.
It gets better. Smaller boats offer a wide variety of services, from meals to treats to booze and bands. Each service is provided from a boat, which is attached to the other boat. We got some grub from one boat and some surprisingly good pulque from another. (If you're seeing this on the web site, click on the photo to see the rest of the pictures.)
This activity is on the top of our list for recommendations for what to do in Mexico City.
