Went to the Museum of Ice Cream with my friend had we had a good time. Watch the video below to get a tour and decided if you wan to make the trip. If you decide to go you must get your tickets now if they are still available. It's only in town until Jan 22, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouDgRnZZy54
Had a blast on the road again with Revel Nation. They came in 2nd place and looking forward to them being first next year. Below are some snaps from Miami Carnival. Hope you enjoy.
Camera Used: http://amzn.to/2gK93HQ
So you been thinking about visiting Medellin but not sure if its safe to go? Well I can tell you that its not like it use to be 15-20 years ago. At no point during my stay did I feel unsafe. The people there were so friendly and I enjoyed everything about my stay.
Area I stayed in - El Poblado
1 Thing you have to do when there - take a day trip to Guatape.
Best place I ate at while there- El Rancherito
Wanna have my driver take you around? Call him & tell him I recommended you -Reinaldo +57 314 866 3820
Yes things are fairly cheap there - $1 = 2905 Colombian Pesos
Yes most of the women I saw were gorgeous.
Im not gonna write much so just watch the video if you want to see more of Medellin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8QtN8TFa_0
If you know my friend Shauna-gaye then you will know that she is one of the sweetest person you will ever know. With that being said I didn't hesitate on the offer to go celebrate her birthday weekend with her in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Shauna's birthday is actually the day before my birthday and from the highlight video you wouldn't be able to guess that. Yes my birthday weekend took a back seat to Shauna's 40th. (I celebrated the following weekend. Video coming soon). I wouldn't do that normally but it was her BIG 40 so I allowed my ego to take a chill. It was a weekend filled with nothing but love and the vibes was just right. Wayne Wonder sang her Happy Birthday. Spragga Benz passed thru and mash up the place. Bambino and Richie D on the turn tables. Amazing location, food and liquor what more could you ask for?
The following day we spent most of the morning at The Old Spanish Bridge. It's located about 45min from Ocho Rios and with some help from the locals you should be able to find it. Definitely not a tourist spot yet. So grab a picnic basket and the family and go try out the swing rope from the bridge. If you're not that adventurous to jump off the bridge then stick to a simple swim in the river.
After our river outing we returned to our villa for lunch where Shauna was greeted by one of her favorite gospel singer who stopped by to sing her happy birthday and did a mini concert just for her. She's one special girl I tell ya.
Shaunipoo thanks for the invite and glad I could be there to share those memories with you. Hope you enjoyed your gift. Love ya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCOurlo33UI
I visited Morocco with the main intention of visiting the Sahara Desert. We were based in Marrakech and you can find a ton of tours that will take you to the Sahara Desert from one to three nights. A friend of mine visited Morocco recently and did a desert tour with Mor'hara Morocco Tours, so I decided that I would go ahead with them since her reviews of them were pretty good. Hassan was my main contact with them. He can't type English well so instead he would WhatsApp call me. He always got back to me in a timely manner with his response and that to me said a lot about him before actually meeting him in person. When I finally got to meet him he was a very nice person.
Our tour was a private tour meaning it was just myself and my friends on this trip (6 of us). You need to understand that the Sahara Desert is very far from Marrakech- basically its about 10-12hrs away depending on how many times you stop and where you stop. Hassan came and picked us up about 7am and we didn't get to the desert till about 6:30pm which included a few stops along the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GqC619jNXs
Camera I used: http://amzn.to/2uCFCK8
Before I got to Marrakech it was describe to me in many different ways by my friends. One example is "It's like a bomb was dropped there." I've never visited Africa before and I decided that this would be my first stop on the continent. I went towards the end of May and even then the place was hot as fuck so I don't want to image going in the middle of summer. I'm from Jamaica so I can't say that much scares me when I travel. I was told to be careful of pick pocketers and I'm careful of that in my hometown. I was told the people there are very aggressive - somewhat true. Regardless I had to go see for myself.
After landing and clearing customs they found my drone and took it from stating that its prohibited there. They said I could pick it up when I was leaving. Not a great way to start my Marrakech vacation but I had no choice. Although I was still bitter from them taking my drone on our way to our riad that feeling quickly disappeared as I was filled with excitement from all the different imagery that filled my brain. Seeing an entire family fit on a motorcycle is not the norm for me so I was really excited and just being in a different place and seeing a different way of life was enough to get me excited. We then stopped in the middle of a square and was told we're here. I'm like wtf! Here where lol. I saw nothing that looked like somewhere I would stay. We were then greeted Muhamed and two men with oversized wheel barrows to escort us to our riad - El Kenz. The journey to our riad was definitely exciting and one I won't forget lol.
Once at our Riad - El Kenz, we were greeted by Burcin the manager and she was awesome. I couldn't ask more of her. I could always reach out to her for suggestions and her suggestions were on point and the staff at Riad El Kenz was awesome. Ricardo made the best tea for us (that tea should be free) and Rasheed did the best he could even though he hardly spoke English. The place is nice and quiet but close enough to most of the attractions if you don't mind walking for about 15min.
Get Lost
At our Riad, Burcin gave us a map and even told us how to get where we were going. Go out the door then you make a left, then another left, walk straight until you see the double arch then stay to the right and then you will see get to the main square. LOL needless to say we thought we followed that but still got lost a bit. We did figure it out after our short moment of being lost. There will always be someone to tell you how to get where you're going the issue is if we had listen to them we would have been worse off. Basically it seemed like they told us the opposite of what we should be doing. So if we were to go left they told us right. So be careful who you take directions from. They tell you that so you can get lost then charge you to bring you where you are suppose to be going. Don't even try google maps because it gets lost here also. Getting lost is not a bad thing because you will stumble upon places you wouldn't have found if you never got lost and eventually you will figure out how to get back to where you are going.
Souks/Markets
You will find damn near everything in the souks. From spices to oils you name it. They are a bit aggressive when trying to get you to buy items from them because this is their main source of income. If you tell them that you will buy it tomorrow hoping they don't recognize you tomorrow if you pass there again you will be wrong. They will remember lol. Just be polite for the most part and you will be good. Learn how to say no and mean it. One no may not do the trick and you might have to say no nine more times before they get the point. Learn how to bargain. If they tell you 500dirham chances are you can get it for 300dirham depending on how well you can bargain. I never bought anything at the first given price. One of the main square - Jemaa El Fna, there you can find a different variety of food stalls, souvenirs, and do some shopping. This place is a different place when night comes around. I suggest you see it both in the day and at night. If you take pictures of the snake charmers they will want money. How much? I don't know but I'm sure you can negotiate your own price. We did take pics with the monkey and the monkey handler and he did want to charge what I thought was an outrageous price but we met at a middle ground and we were both happy. Many locals their don't want their pictures taken so be careful how you use your camera and just get a zoom lens. Even the kids don't want you to take their pictures. Is it safe their? I felt completely safe there even though I did see some of the locals get beat up and box up by their own, but nothing I haven't seen else where lol. Be careful of the taxi drivers - know what the average price is so you don't get ripped off and agree on a price before you get in the taxi. One time we had 3 taxi drivers arguing over who will take us then another taxi driver pulled up not knowing what is going on and then we hopped in his taxi while the others were arguing and when they saw what we were doing they tried to take the keys from our taxi driver smdh lol and I had to stop them from taking his keys (poor guy lol) I don't suggest you try that shit if you ever in that situation. But honestly at no point did I feel unsafe there.
Places to Visit
Majorelle Garden - nice garden and nice place for Instagram photos. An hour here and you're good if you ask me. I've seen better gardens. Ben Youssef Madrasa - Great place for pics and if you're into architecture you will love this place. Bahia Palace - 10DH entry fee and another beautiful place for capturing amazing pics. If you're into mosaic titles you will love this place. Palais Jad Mahal - A nice atmosphere. They have fire breathers, belly dancers, and human chandeliers. When it came to the food though I wasn't really impressed. Les Bains De Marrakech - great place to get a hammam. I booked the hammam, scrub, and massage and didn't know what to expect at first. Overall a great experience. If they are a bit soft with the massage just tell them to add more pressure. Entire process could take about 3hrs. This place is beautifully decorated and invites you to relax. It cost me about $70 and if you look around Im sure you could find other places that does it cheaper. Be sure to make an appointment. They are that busy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i9eYKhXsJ8
Gear http://amzn.to/2uCFCK8
This year I was a bit skeptical about carnival in Jamaica with four different bands. I really didn't think it was such a good idea. One thing I loved about Jamaica carnival was the fact that I could see all my friends in one area. All I had to do was walk up and down the trucks and I would basically see everyone. Now it's four bands and four different routes. I spent the day with Xodus since that's where all my friends were. Overall I had a great time and was very surprised with Xodus. Xodus band looked like last year carnival to me in terms of the crowd. This shows that carnival in Jamaica is growing and maybe it wasn't a bad idea to have more bands. After all competition is good. Xodus costumes were on point. The music was awesome. The vibes was just right. My only concern was the chaos around lunch time getting your food and the very short time for lunch. After finally getting and eating lunch, before I could even fart it was time to hit the road again. This is the only area I think Xodus can improve in and thats a very easy fix. Can't wait for Jamaica 2018 carnival. Stay tuned for my vlog about my carnival weekend.
Venice is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world and I'm glad I got to check it off my bucket list earlier this year. Check out my video below for highlights from my Venice trip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhevDh30eDo
Florence - the birthplace of Renaissance.
Below is my highlight video of Florence, Italy. I really enjoyed my stay there and definitely a place to revisit. Hope you enjoy the video below and if you have any questions or concern feel free to drop me a line.
Thanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HnjnB3toXM&feature=youtu.be
Cinque Terre is the most beautiful place I've visited to date. Seeing the beauty of this place in books and on social media made me want to experience it for myself and its just as beautiful in person. We took the train from Rome to Cinque Terre which took us about 3-4hrs. Cinque Terre translate to five lands. It's made of five gorgeous seaside towns along the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. The five villages are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.
We stayed in Monterosso which is the northernmost village and the biggest of the five. Monterosso has many streets and even a few cars driving around. If you want a more resort feel to your vacation, then I suggest staying in Monterosso. It's also the only place out of the five villages that a car can drive in, so I suggest not driving there. It's relatively easy to get to all the villages since they are about 5-10min train ride away.
Lodging - If you're planning on visiting Cinque Terre make sure you book a place to stay way in advance. There aren't many hotels there so the ones there tend to book out fast. While in Monterosso we stayed at Marvit. It's located about 10min walk from the train station and very central to most things. We were greeted by Claudio when we arrived and he was nice and helpful. It's a very nice, quiet and clean place just about a 5min walk away from the strip and the beach. We stayed in the purple room that had a small balcony; perfect for drinking wine when we returned home from our daily adventures. Breakfast is provided and its a good one to start your day. Yes they have wifi and Marvit will set you back about 120 Euros a night.
Things to do - This place is a hikers dream. You can hike between the villages but depending on the time of the year and weather the entire trail might not be open. You have to pay about 8 euros to access the trail or about 14 euros for a unlimited day pass that gives you unlimited access to the trains as well. Don't forget to get your ticket validated before leaving the station. If you're not in good health, certain part of the trail might not be for you. The most difficult part of the trail is from Monterosso to Vernazza. Bring water and some snacks with you because there aren't places to stop and get some along the way. It could take you about 1.5hrs to 2hrs to complete depending on your fitness level. Apart from hiking try getting lost in all the five towns, they each have their unique qualities about them. Cinque Terre is known for its seafood so try it out and eat as much as possible. Enjoy a local bottle of wine. Try seeing the towns by boat. Watch the sunset every evening and don't forget to check out the beach in Monterosso.
Cinque Terre is a very beautiful and serene place and I can't recommend it enough. It's one of those magical places that will always have a place in my heart and it truly lives up to the hype.
Check out my highlight video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-CX83NFjms
I recently went to Cuba and this blog will give you some insight on my journey there. Maybe by the time you are ready to go to Cuba a lot of the restrictions in place from the United States may have lifted. I bought my ticket from VaCuba. The ticket cost me $359 plus $80 for the Visa. When purchasing your ticket you will need to bring your passport. You will also need an address of someone in Cuba. I don't believe they really check the address but they need it to put in their system. Purpose of visit was to see friends and family.
The flight to Cuba is only 40min. At the airport going to Cuba I traveled on Aruba Air. They will charge you for everything going there. You are only allowed 20lbs total to bring on the plane. So if your small carry on and your personal item combined is more than 20lbs they will make you check one of them and then its $2 for each additional lbs over 20lbs. When you are leaving Cuba to head back to the states they don't care about the 20 pound rule. So if you're a photographer and you have a small carry on along with a tripod you will have to check one of those things. Once I arrived in Cuba it was fairly easy except waiting for your luggage took a very long time. Basically one luggage came out every ten minutes. So I suggest travel as light as possible especially if you're only going for a weekend.
After I got out of the airport and my ride picked me up it was as if I had travelled back in time. It was truly an amazing feeling seeing all those cars fill the roads like back in the 50's and 60's.
Lodging - Three of us went on the trip therefore we got an 2bd 2 bath apartment that could accommodate four. Here is the direct link to the airbnb https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10499057 The apartment was pretty much like it is on the site. Very nice and clean with ac and hot water. Luis is who runs the place and he was very nice and helpful to us. He left us with a phone incase we needed to reach him and he would also get me wifi cards so I could connect to the internet. Overall a nice guy and nice place to spend a weekend in Vedado Cuba. The apartment is Central to almost every thing in Havana. Just two blocks away from the Malecon and two block away to the closest wifi spot. Fairly nice view from the eleventh floor. I would suggest staying in Vedado because the homes and apartment here are bigger and newer. One thing you should know is that when you use the toilet you can't flush the toilet paper down the toilet, you have to put it in the trash due to there lack of irrigation system. Also when you leave your place to head out on the road I highly recommend that you bring with you toilet paper or disposable wipes because most public restrooms won't have toilet paper and if they do they will charge you for it. Thanks for the warning Debbie.
Internet - Internet is limited in Cuba. In order to access the internet you have to buy wifi cards. If you buy them from the hotels or tourist spots they will cost you about 10-12 Cuc. Cuc is one of Cuba's currency. If you have the locals buy the wifi card for you it will cost you about 2-3 Cuc and that's what I did. Each wifi card will allow you online for an hour. Once you have possession of the wifi card you will need a wifi spot. These spots are limited in Havana. You can always tell a wifi spot because you will see everyone on their phones lol
Food - I was warned by several of my friends before going to Cuba that the food sucks and I would have to agree with them. Being a Jamaican I'm use to certain spices, flavor, and seasoning. The food in Cuba was lacking in all those areas. Cuban food in Miami is ten times better than in Cuba. Their food is very bland so if you're from the caribbean you may want to walk with your own hot sauce or seasoning to give the food some flavor lol. I ate at one restaurant that was nice and it was called Los Nardos. It's one of the best restaurants in Havana and I strongly suggest checking it out. If you get there too late in the evening/night you may have to stand outside for 30mins before you can get in and possibly more wait time once you do get inside but I'm glad we waited. The portion sizes were huge, the food was cheap. It was six of us and we all had full course meals with drinks and a few other items and the bill came up to about 62 cuc. It's located across the street from the Capitolio with a very nice atmosphere and ambiance.
Safety - Is it safe in Cuba? Yes I felt very safe while there. The heat will more likely do harm to you than anyone. It's very hot in Cuba so dress accordingly.
Currency - The main currency for tourist is Cuc which is about one to one exchange rate I believe. The issue is they charge you about 13% to change the American dollar. So if you can get Pounds or Euro you are better off with that.
Things to do - Take a stroll along the Malecon. It's one of the best places to people watch in Cuba. The Malecon extends for nearly eight kilometers and a nice place to watch the sun set. Sample their local rum. Go for a ride in a classic car. A decent price for an hour is about 30 Cuc or feel free to negotiate a lower price but never settle for the first price they give you. For 30 cuc you can fit about 4-5 of your friends in the car. Visit the Colon cemetery. There is a 8 cuc charge to enter for tourist. I have never been charged to enter a cemetery before and wasn't planning to start now so we snuck off without paying on our own. Very interesting site to visit if you have the time.
When I was leaving Cuba, I had the pleasure of meeting Rene who was my taxi driver and it was very nice to chat with him. My friends who left a day before me and the pleasure of chatting with him as well and they also spoke highly of him. I wish I met him when I first got to Cuba. If you are heading to Cuba and need a ride to and from the airport in the Havana area feel free to contact Rene at neyau@yahoo.com or 78338659 The taxi company is called Shalom. Again very nice dude.
I'm glad I got the chance to experience Cuba and I would go back but just not in any rush lol. If you have any questions for me regarding Cuba feel free to ask in the comment or email me. Hope you enjoy the video highlight as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CWkI08Kdyo
A few weeks ago I traveled to Italy on a four city stop. My first was the Eternal City, Rome. From Miami, FL we flew to Chicago which was about a 3 hr flight then from there we flew straight to Rome which was about a little over 8hrs. We only had 2 days in Rome so time was limited. We stayed at The Building Hotel which is pretty close to everything. In Rome its fairly easy to get around. You can walk or take a cab. Our average cab fair was between 8-16 Euros. Cost of the taxi increases at night.
Attractions - We visited a few of the popular attractions like St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, The Colosseum, The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and The Roman Forum. We took a tour of The Vatican Museum. The Trevi Fountain, The Roman Forum are free so no need getting tickets for them. Before you go to the Colosseum visit the Roman Forum first. Buy your tickets online in advance directly from The Colosseum site and the Vatican website or else you will be waiting a long time to get in. They are definitely worth the visit. The Vatican tour to me was a bit too long. If you're into history then you may enjoy it.
Weather - I couldn't have asked for better weather while I was there. I basically wore shorts and t-shirts during the day and at nights you may need a light sweater.
Food- The food there is amazing. Some of the best food I've had in my life. Do not eat close to the attractions because it will be more expensive. Instead go to the local restaurants that aren't too touristy. If you order pizza it won't come sliced. You have to cut it yourself or asked for it to be sliced. Ask for the house wine, its normally cheaper and pretty good. Be careful what you order because if you order something and change your mind because you don't like it after one bite you will still have to pay for it. Make sure you order cappuccino and of course gelato. Gelato shops are on every corner so it won't be hard to find. The best service I received while in Rome was from Roma Sparita. You must make a reservation to get in. There was a cover charge for normally around 2-3 euros and when I asked what was that for I was told for the just sitting down or for the napkins lol smdh
Tips - Wear comfortable shoes because you will walk a lot. Bring sunblock depending on the time of year. Do not let "Do you have wifi" be the first thing out of your mouth because Italians don't like that. They may actually be mean to you after if thats the first thing you ask for lol.
If you don't speak Italian you will be fine. A lot of Italian I encountered spoke english and if they don't you should still be fine. Its a very busy city, sort of reminded me a bit like New York. I only stayed 2 days but think I would have preferred staying 3 days instead. Over all nice city.
Below is a quick highlight video from Rome. Hope you enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7h8MJNprhA
I'm late on posting this image and maybe a few of you have already seen it first release on my instagram account. From there the image pretty much took over instagram's explore page along with numerous repost. It also made its way on Facebook and just from one account on Facebook (not even my account) it has already amassed over 5ooo likes and 117 shares. I guess its safe to say that the masses love this image. About the image - the model is Kimberley Grant. This was not the image we were suppose to capture that day but due to the cloudy weather we decided to move inside and try something else. As destiny would have it, we captured this simple but beautiful fan favorite image. I call it "All Fruits Ripe."
When I shoot I do try to make it a memorable image that once you see it you won't forget it. If you're a fan of my work 5-10 years from now if I ask you "do you remember the pic I took of the beautiful lady with the fruits in the kitchen" it should immediately come to the foreground of your mind. Not everyone will enjoy this image and that's fine; I shoot for myself not to please people. But if the majority likes it and you don't then it could be a reflection of you. Thanks to all those who enjoy the image and stay tuned for what comes next.
Check out Tanto Blacks Real Rich Video. The song is produced by my friends Bambino Musik and CopperShaun. Show your support by purchasing a copy of the song from iTunes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGr9P0Qv1no
Beautiful women, soca music, and liquor will always be a good combination. If it was up to me, every Tuesday would be Carnival Tuesday. If you were unable to make it to Trinidad for Carnival Tuesday this year, below is a sample of what took place with Fantasy. Special thanks to Nigel and Benny for making sure my team and I were taken care of.
