Have you traveled in Eastern Europe? What did you know about the region before visiting? If you haven’t been to Eastern Europe, what country or city appeals to you most as a place to visit? How much does knowing about the history of a place inspire your future travels?

If you’ve read any of my blog posts or Indie Travel Challenge posts, you know that I LOVE CROATIA!

Roof tops in Dubvronik, Croatia taken from the top of the famous wall.

My first trip out of the country was to eastern Europe.  I’ve never actually been to western Europe.  And I would love to move to Split, Croatia.   Its gorgeous.  The old roman architecture, mixed with Middle Eastern and Slavic buildings and culture.  Eastern Europe is the true melting pot of cultures, ideals, food, people…and its just kind of fucking awesome!

I spent 5 weeks in the Balkans – Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and Bulgaria.    It is amazing.  hearing the morning calls to prayer while people in their Sunday bests walk down the street to go to the local Catholic church next door to the mosque.  There was no religious tension in the Balkans.  I would see a school girl in modern tank top and shorts laughing over the cute boys with her best friend in full Muslim dress and head-covering.

The food was a culinary eclecticism of middle-eastern kebabs, rich desserts, stews, fresh fish, ripe, pungent fruits, fresh herbs, and clear, jet-powering libations (me amo Rakia).

Eastern Europe still has much mystery about it because of its long history of being owned by various civilizations and regimes, the communism that shrouded the area in danger and spy stories, and its recent release into freedom.  Although this area has been famous for its beautiful coastlines, and great getaways for centuries…the political strife of the area has kept many westerns out, and makes this a relatively ‘new’ are for travel.  I was lucky enough to visit Croatia a few months before Lonely Planet named it ‘The Most Beautiful Country In the World’” , so there was many travelers, but it was by no means overflowing…and I would love to return to see if this ‘new status’ has changed my beloved Balkans in any ways.

getting ready to enter the blue grotto on Bisevo Island in Croatia.

Before heading to Eastern Europe, I read as much as I could about the history, political, cultural, economical, of this region…and it was not just informative…it helped me understand people there.   It also helped when talking with people, they appreciated that I knew some of there history…and had tried to learn there view of prior events (and the wars) …and they opened up to me more in describing their own personal experiences.   I know that I am definitely at a disadvantage here in South America…because I didn’t have time to study the history here more…because I didn’t know I was coming here until 3 weeks before I arrived.

Knowing a bit about the history of a place definitely inspires travel.  People go to Rome to see its historic ruins, I want to go to Cambodia and southern India to see its beautiful temples.   I would love to go to the middle East because it is the birthplace of civilization.    It really is the history of a place that defines everything about a place….culture, food, why certain things exist today, animal species, environment and geography (its not just human history people) so history sort of governs everything about a place that makes people want to travel to it.

It is definitely nice to learn a bit about the history of a place before you arrive.   The locals greet you more warmly when you have taken the time to learn about their history, culture, and life.

CHEERS!

This is part of Boots n All 2012 Indie Travel Challenge. I’m doing this in hopes of becoming a more consistent and better travel-blogger.   And because I really can’t wait until I can go back to see Croatia again (and the rest of Eastern Europe.) 

Donkeys wandering down the middle of the coastal highway in Ecuador somewhere between Manta and Montañita.   This may be a common sight in many parts of South America, but it is definitely something I would never see at home in Las Vegas!

This is part of a new photo series called:

“Things You Don’t See At

Home”.

Have your own photo of something strange, new, awesome you have seen while traveling and want to guest-post here as part of my weekly, Friday THINGS YOU DON’T SEE AT HOMEseries?

Send me an email at nomaddanib@gmail.com with ‘THINGS YOU DON’T SEE AT HOME’ in the subject, along with your photo (JPEG), short caption, link to your travel/fanpage and short bio.

Look for “Things You Don’t See At Home” photos every Friday. (to coincide with #FriFoto on Twitter).

CHEERS!

I am a master of procrastination.  And I’ve worked very hard at becoming such a master.  Here are some of my tricks for procrastinating writing your blog, while still being productive.

1. SOCIAL MEDIA. 

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Stumble Upon.  (If I were to name them all separately this would quickly turn into ‘Top 100 Ways To procrastinate Writing Your Blog’…and honestly, I’m just too lazy to do that).  You can spend hours, upon hours on social media.  And just think,  you are  promoting your blog and making contacts while doing so.

2. YOUTUBE.

Whether your thing is cute cat videos or the mutli-hour Stephen Lynch hour (funny ass comedian with more than wrong song/skits about his agingGrandfather andJesus Christ’s brother),  YouTube is hours of useful entertainment.  I mean, how do you know in hour 5, you won’t stumble upon a video that inspires a great idea for a blog post.  Plus you are keeping up on pop-culture and trends. 

So keep on a’ watching!

3. EDIT PHOTOS.

Edit Photos

Don’t feel like writing?  Why not go through the 1,000’s of photos you have.  Maybe post some to #1, or combine them to music and post to #2?  You are organizing visual aids for future blogposts.

4. EMAIL.  

We all have a ginormous inbox that needs our attention.   So go check your email.  Maybe write a few replies.  Maybe click on a bunch of links.  You never know what great deal you may find.  And you are cleaning out your inbox.  Yea productivity!

5.  CLEAN YOUR HOUSE.

Clean your House

Its really hard to write when you are staring at a dirty floor, a messy bed,  or hear dishes in the sink calling you.   So go clean.  You are removing distractions.  And now that your domicile is clean, you can go nap. 

6. NAP.

We all know its hard to write when you are tired.  You don’t want to make grammar and spelling mistakes or write a bunch of nonsense due to exhaustion.  So go nap.  When you wake up you will be refreshed and can write.  And maybe you will have an inspiring dream in the meantime.  Just remember…you aren’t being lazy..you are embracing physical and mental rejuvenation!

7. MAKE COFFEE/FOOD.

Cook – you can’t focus when you are hungry

Look, now you have cleaned, have food, and supplied your body with needed nutrients.  If you want to take a few photos while you cook, you can (tell yourself you will) now (eventually) write about said cooking experience.

8. GO OUT.

Relax with friends – its easier to write when you are drunk and stress-free

Writing is stressful.  Sometimes you just need to unwind.  So instead of staring at that blinding screen, call up some friends and go out for drinks. It can give you a great story to tell later. 

And everyone knows that exercising the body (like…by dancing drunkenly on bars) helps increase creativity.  Plus the alcohol will loosen up your storytelling abilities. I mean, most great writers were drunks anyway…right?

9. READ. 

You can’t be a writer without reading a lot.  So go read some blogs. Read a book.  Bust out that Kindle and go sit in a local coffee shop or hostel hammock and just read for a while.  You are avoiding the actual act of writing yourself while you build those brain cells and comprehension skills.  Can’t write if you’re dumb.

10.  GET EDUCATED.

Educate yourself with free online tutorials

You are learning stuff which will help you to build-up your blog, (well, except for the actual content part). 

What do you do when you visit popular places in order to have an indie travel experience?

This is the second part of BootsnAll’s week 9 Indie travel challenge.  I didn’t answer it then because, well, my post was about Cottanera Nume cabernet…and adding this part into the post didn’t fit.  So I’m going to write about it for you now.

An “Indie Experience” is a ‘unique’ one, something ‘off the beaten path’ and ‘unusual’.  So really, its something probably a whole bunch of other people have already done, and we (travellers) are just pretending we’re different.  Of course, there are always touristy places you SHOULD see, popular places are popular for a reason, but these popular places are still amazing spots for indie travel.

How?

By meeting people outside of the hostel and not lugging around guidebooks!

  I’m wicked horrible at seeing touristy things.  They usually just bore me. I like to do crazy things, or sometimes really normal things that every other local does….I like to have picnics, I like to make Rice Krispie treats, I like to drive to the coast and play on escalators.  I also like to dress up like a zombie, go to rock shows, go to the theater, and go on impromptu trips to the countryside.  I’m basically doing what I do back home, but in South America. 

I also purposely try not to stay in tourist areas.  

I like to live where I don’t see many or any other gringos.  

Why? 

Because as much as you can learn by meeting fellow travelers, you can learn more by meeting locals.   That is why I lived at The Wandering Paisa hostel for 4 months (because the events the hostel holds attracts as many locals as travelers), and why, I recently moved to a neighbourhood where; in my entire time in Medellin, I have never seen another non-Colombian person here.

So even when travelling to touristy or popular places, you can still have an indie experience just by getting away from the guidebook sights and local foreigner hangouts.   Go meet locals.  Make friends. Go to parties and events where, yes, no one speaks your language.  Have fun.  Laugh at yourself.   Do what you like.  Do something you have never done before.

Having an indie experience is just as easy to do in some secluded jungle trek as it is in a big tourist-filled city.

It just depends on how you look at it.

CHEERS!

This is part of Boots n All 2012 Indie Travel Challenge. I’m doing this in hopes of becoming a more consistent and better travel-blogger.  And having more crazy experiences abroad!

I recently visited Santa Fe de Antioquia, Colombia, a tiny, old, colonial town about an hour bus ride from Medellin.   While walking down the cobblestone streets I passed a mop and broom shop where they make both.  Luckily, I had my own personal translator with me to help me ask if I could see something being made.   The answer?  A giant YES!

The building where the mops are made

This place makes mops and brush brooms.  They lady inside was delighted to show me how a mop is made.  And WOW did she do it fast and make it look amazingly easy (which with the speed and agility she had, I knew that it must have taken years to become so fluid in her process).

Step 1. Put stick in hole.

First she took a giant dowel of wood and stuck it in a hole in the side of a table.  then she grabbed some wire, and with a homemade turning machine (using a bicycle foot pedal, and a rig that looked like threading a sewing machine) she pumped the bicycle pedal, which spun the wooden dowel and wrapped metal twine around the end of the dowel. 

Then she grabbed a handful of mop threads (not sure what to call them properly) and wrapped it in half around the metal just above the dowel, pushed the foot pedal and instantly tied the mop-threads onto the wooden dowel with the metal line.

Step 2 - start winding in mop-strands

winding the wire around the mop bottom

She did this 3 times and suddenly had something that looked just like a mop!  

hammering the mop in place

Then she stared hammering tiny nails into the dowel where the mop-threads were.  She did this a couple times, then stopped the metal, cut it, and grabbed some cloth banding (a spool of cloth about an inch thick).  

homemade mop making machine

She weaved it back and forth around some nails in a piece of wood that was attached to the wall.  Back and forth, like lacing a shoe, then wrapped the cloth up and over and down to the working end of the mop (with the mop still sticking in that little hole in the side of the table).

fabric binding wraps the mop

cutting the binding on the mop

She then again started pedaling, and wrapping the cloth piece around the top part of the mop-threads (where the mop meets the wood) and banded the mop, covering the wire actually holding the mop-threads to the dowel.  She then again took a few tiny nails to hold this in place, and with the skills of a ninja master, cut the cloth, pulled the masterpiece out of the table hole , and in what was a mere maybe 5 minute process was holding a brand new mop!

Ta-Da! A finished mop!

She grabbed a rubber end-cap thingy form a bin to top the other end of the mop (where you hold it) to cover the exposed and jagged end of the wood, and TA-DA  a new mop is born.

Tapping the plastic top of the mop handle into place

It was amazing watching how quickly she maneuvered a plain wooden dowel and a few pieces of cloth and wire into a beautiful, basic, and much used cleaning device.

And the brilliantly homemade contraption she used was amazing.  I don’t think any expensive, fancy machine could build a mop with the quality of this one that was now standing in front of me.

If you need a mop, or would like to visit this store, they are located at

There information is as follows:

Escobobas Y Traperas EL PAISA

Phone: 311-342-6605

(There is no address on their business cards.  Santa Fe is tiny.  Put your back to the church in the main square, then take your second left.   Its down that street about 5 minutes walking.  You will see its neon-orange sign on a corner on your left side).

An hour bus ride, and stop over in this quaint, little, church-filled town of Santa Fe is totally worth it to get a mop made from them.  If I ever need a mop in Medellin, I see another trip to Santa Fe to purchase a homemade mop.  Screw the big stores.  I want my mop to have a history (and be made with some good ol’ fashion homemade lovin’).

CHEERS!