Today we have a post from my new friends Jonathon & Quinn who write the blog Life Out of the Box, enjoy!

Ten months ago I remember sitting in my cubicle looking at Rob’s experience of leaving his office job so that he could travel the world on stophavingaboringlife.com. I was especially interested in what his life was like in Nicaragua. My girlfriend Quinn and I knew that we had to move to Nicaragua so that we could pursuit our dream of starting a business that gives back to the community. Everyone thought we were crazy. Perhaps they were right. No one understood why we would give up everything we own for a dream. We didn’t fully understand it either, but we knew we had to go. We had to take the leap.  So we bought a one way ticket and never looked back because we couldn’t.

There we were flying to a country neither of us had ever been to, knowing only as much as the Internet could provide, in hopes to learn Spanish and eventually start a business of our own. The trip was initially shocking. Managua at night was not a very fun place for us to be in because people everywhere targeting tourists (us) to see if they could make money. We were used to begging in San Francisco, but this was different. It was more desperate.

We eventually ended up in San Juan Del Sur where we forced ourselves to speak Spanish and further understand the beautiful culture that Nicaragua has to offer. We constantly searched for business opportunities but as a wise man once said to us before we left, “Opportunities come and go, you just have to be ready for them when they come your way.” After three months of getting used to the Nicaraguan life near the beach we decided that we needed to move out of town in search of more opportunities. We jumped on the bus to go to Granada for the night and saw a sign asking for a couple to run a hostel, bar and restaurant for a few months.

We were ready for this opportunity to save money on rent and perhaps make a little money on the side, so we signed up. We lived on the edge of a volcanic crater lake called Laguna de Apoyo. It was beautiful. We were on a spectacular piece of property that truly took our breath away. We loved it, but something was still in our stomachs telling us that we had to do more.

After being asked to extend our stay, we said goodbye to the wonderful staff and we began our search for handmade products that we could sell. We walked around rural towns, going door to door, asking locals if they could make some of the designs that we had come up with. It was a long and exhausting journey, but an amazing adventure that has made us who we are. We eventually found awesome local families that could work with us and from that point on we just made it happen. We work very hard to develop our products, as well as make sure that for every product we sell we give a product back to a child in Nicaragua and then show the buyer.

As you can imagine, it is a long process that takes a lot of work for just the two of us–but we love it. It is what we live for. We can’t think of anything more rewarding than giving children the tools to help them succeed. It’s wonderful and we love sharing it with others. So here we are. Living in Nicaragua (in large thanks to Rob’s inspirational website) and working hard to live our dream. If life’s not about following your dreams then what’s the point?

Go live your life out of the box. It’s a crazy ride but as long as it’s your dream you can’t go wrong…

The post Leaving the Country to Create the Ideal Life appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

Today we’re going to discuss a less than eventful fishing expedition of sorts to the the Manotick Mill aka Watson’s Mill in Manotick, Ontario, Canada. This is one of those areas where it’s kinda “fun for the family” but also fun for the fishermen if so inclined and willing to get a little bit wet.  It’s one of those areas where there are always lots of young families checking out the mill, the locks and whatnot.  Oh yeah… Some say Watson’s Mill is haunted but that’s a discussion for another day and maybe another blog, right?

A friend of mine who likes all things country had the idea to go fishing and fishing we went. I’ve been fishing in this area for years now as it provides some good game not far from downtown Ottawa. The Mill is located on the Rideau River which is home to some of the best fishing in the region. The Rideau River hosts the following species: bass, catfish, walleye, pike, perch, musky, whitefish and what else do you need? It’s actually near this mill that a friend of mine who comments here called “Flips” landed a musky which is known as the “fish of 10,000 casts”, true story.

We like to fish under the bridge which is nearby and not that hard to get to. The hard part is getting from shore to under the supports of the bridge. You need to cross some fairly fast moving and at times deeper than you’d like water. It’s also ridden with smooth rocks which become prime time for algae and sets the scene for epic slips. That said, once you’re under the bridge, everything is cool. You’ve got two spots at the end which usually get sun and the middle is well protected from the rays.

We got there at about noon yesterday and fished until 7pm. I caught a small whitefish and an even smaller bass, woohoo. My friend caught a decent large-mouth bass so it was not all a waste of time. That brings me to an important thought though, when fishing what you catch is secondary. Fishing is one of those activities where the act of just being there is the reward. It’s one of those activities where you can really just relax while still technically doing something, similar to golf actually.

What makes fishing so fun and relaxing is that you’re surrounded by nature without a care in the world and if a fish bites, it’s a bonus. It’s often hard to believe how fast you can get into what feels like deep country only kilometers from the nation’s capital of Ottawa. In fact, most of Ontario is like this and when you couple that with the different species of fish inhabiting the waters, it quickly becomes a destination for fishing. I know this is about fishing but for every fishing spot like the one we’re discussing here, there is a golf course or two nearby.

In closing, it’s Father’s Day so a big tip of the hat to all the dad’s out there, especially mine.

Tips hat,

The post Fishing at Watson’s Mill in Manotick, Canada appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

Greetings,

Today we’re going to view the “main drag” aka “main street” on Little Corn Island, Nicaragua. Let me refresh your memory and remind you that there are no motorized vehicles of any kind. Yes that means no cars, scooters, motorbikes, tractors, you name it. If anything involves a motor it’s at sea and not on shore. As a result, the sidewalk I’m strolling down is the “highway” if you will where the largest vehicle you’ll encounter is the odd bicycle.

Without a doubt the “main drag” is the hub of the island where most of the restaurants are situated, cafe and of course nightlife. Sure there is the odd bonfire here or there but if you like going out at night, I recommend you stay somewhere near such said drag because at the end of the day, walking home in the dark, flashlight or not gets old fast and remember, no cars there.

Just watching this video reminds me how much I love it there and already looking forward to returning.

Tips hat,

The post Little Corn Island Video Tour of the “Main Drag” appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

Greetings,

Today we’re going to watch a timelapse from the Haleakala Volcano inside the Haleakala National Park. This was shot on the island of Maui in Hawaii which despite its remote geographical location is part of the United States. I don’t carry a lot of camera gear with me as fundamentally, I’m not a photographer but I have lots of respects for the men and women who do lug this gear around because well, without it you can’t make videos like this. Supposedly Dan and his friend lugged over 75lbs of equipment to the summit of this dormant volcano larger than Manhattan at 4:30AM to capture these shots.

Below is a bit of background on how this whole thing ended up getting posted here.

It was late Saturday night and I was sleeping which is a rarity. Suddenly I heard my iPhone vibrating on the desk next to my bed and I checked my mail, it was an email about possibly guest posting. I get these often and it’s usually some borderline illiterate marketer trying to con me into running a post of no value to anyone laden with links to their clients, no thanks.

This was different and below is the email I received about the Haleakala Volcano.

“Hi, my name is Dan Douglas, and I\’m a photographer based in LA. I was able to capture some really cool weather related clouds and movement on my trip to Maui last week at the summit of Haleakala. I took 5000 images and put them together in a time lapse video that I linked for you below.If you enjoy it, please feel free to share freely.”

I watched the video and loved it so I’m sharing it now and think it’s a great way to start any week.

Tips hat,

The post Haleakala Volcano Timelapse – House of the Sun appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

I originally wrote this from the train between Toronto and Ottawa but when you get real rural, even the wifi on VIA Rail doesn’t work so here we are, a few hours later. The weather is atrocious in Ontario right now and it feels like late fall and frugal homeowners who take pride in pinching pennies are even turning on their heat, huh?! Isn’t this JUNE?!  This reminds me of how I made the mistake of going to Europe before July on two occasions, that will never happen again and you should heed my warnings.

The above montage is a week in Toronto made with Qwiki because it makes everything oh so easy. To say I had an amazing time this last week would be an understatement.  Toronto truly is the largest city in Canada, the fourth largest in North America and absolutely, positively an international hub. Whatever you want is in Toronto, wherever you’re from you’ll meet others and whatever you’re looking for you’ll certainly find.

I’d go on but it’s time to kick back and relax until the next episode…

Tips hat,

The post Photos From a Week in Toronto, Canada appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

Greetings,

I was strolling along the sunny streets of Toronto with a new friend when I thought of all the creative content creators I met. It seems the same names get shown on cut and paste top lists from uncreative souls and I wanna change that. As a result I decided to make this list of 20.5 pretty out there and amazing travel personalities that I ran into while at TBEX 13 in Toronto, Canada.

Before we go too deep, let it be clear that this list is only for interesting / fun / pleasant people I met at the networking events OUTSIDE the conference hall. If someone is fun to hang out with in person outside of the realm of “work”, chances are they’ll be creating cool content now and into the foreseeable future, yes?

Considering this blog has a pretty wide and diverse audience, I think there is something for everyone.

I’d also like to mention that in order to keep this list from growing too large, I’m only listing independent content creators I met outside the conference hall. If I started listing industry people, the list would instantly triple, quadruple and not sure what comes after that to be honest.

It was a real pleasure meeting / getting reacquainted with everyone on this list…

YP Jetset – He’s legit and a fun guy to party with; recommended reading for the YP.
TripHackr – Cool guy and writes great informative articles applicable to any traveler.
My Life Untethered - I’ve met Alicia a few times, and this time was no different.
Luke Spartacus – Always fun to hang out and same for his brother who should be blogging…
Travel Bare Feet – One of the most interesting personalities at the conference.
Tourist 2 Townie - This guy is legit and it was nice to finally meet him in person.
Uncornered Market – Dan was a quasi decent bowler and as nice as he appears online only more fun.
kris krüg – Just check the site, awesome photos and a real pleasure to hang out with.
Nomadic Notes - Incredibly down to earth dude and arguably one of the nicest people in the industry.
The Travelling Editor - Dylan always knows where the next party is, even when he doesn’t.
Seattles Travels - The name is Seattle it’s not a blog about Seattle, seriously.
Just Chuckin It – This guy is as interesting and colorful as his blog design.
Man on the Lam – Nice to finally meet this guy, fun.
Candice Does The World  – As interesting as you’d expect for a blog name like this.
Surf to Turf - Fun lady from beaches to boardrooms.
Jess on a Journey - Met her in Keystone and again here, same style different place.
TravellinLady – Cool girl and fun to hang out with or carry across town piggy back style.
World Wide Nate – Fun and down to earth dude who truly is “World Wide”.
Kick the Grind – Chill personality aside, dude did a flawless front flip in a dance circle – wow.
Nomadic Meg – Good times to hang out with and a decent bowler at that.
Slav – He helped save a board meeting from a premature finish but I can’t remember his blog, anyone?

That’s it that’s all and the last anyone will hear about “TBEX” on this blog for the next while.

Tips hat,

The post 20.5 Pleasant Travel Personalities From #TBEX Toronto 2013 appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

Good day,

I’m sitting here still sufficiently satisfied from last nights treat which was dinner and drinks at TOCA in The Ritz Carlton. The hotel is conveniently located in downtown Toronto and the restaurant had a laid back but sophisticated feel to it. This really struck a cord with me as somewhere I’d like to swing by with a date for a glass of fine wine, a cheese platter that pleases the palate or a dessert that looks like another world and tastes out of this one…

I did a little research before going and again went with my friend “The Dentist” as she is a true lover of fine wines and cheeses. Upon arrival we were greeted by a very gregarious and knowledgeable gent who was the wine director and I must say, every pairing chosen was nothing but pleasant and we explored wines from various regions around the world. The main courses were great but it was the wine, cheese and dessert that will bring me back. Yes, I even said dessert.

To start, we decided to try some terrific tartars.  After much deliberation and debate we ordered the Alberta classic beef tartar with arrived with a raw quails egg on top, it was delicious. We also decided to try to organic salmon tartar with avocado and micro tabouleh which was everything we thought it would be. I’m a huge fan of avocado and salmon so the two combined created a taste I’d like to further familiarize myself with. We paired this course with a 2012 Spanish Rose and a 2010 Burgundy Pinot Noir. That Pinot Noir may have been my favorite glass the entire evening.

When it came time for the main courses, my guest ordered a Ribeye and I decided to try the Piri-Piri Cornish Hen. The marinate which the hen sat in for 24 hours prior to serving consisted of fresh chili pepper, dry chilies, smoked paprika, garlic, shallots and olive oil. It was also served on corn puree with mascarpone, butter shallots and garlic. What’s not to like? This dish was paired with a 2011 Californian Pinot Noir and my guests dish was accompanied by a 2010 Baco Noir from the Niagara Peninsula.

Next it was time to try a cheese I’d never had before but thoroughly enjoyed. At this time I’d like to mention that TOCA has a unique cheese cave in the restaurant. It functions like any cheese cave except instead of being deep in some dark basements it’s on display for guests. They always have some cheese on the go but the vast majority of them are simply being aged, think of it as a wine cellar but for cheese. We were fortunate enough to take a tour and now I have the desire to travel to Prince Edward Island to play some golf and see how the cheese called Avonlea clothbound cheddar is created but I digress….

The next course was a cheese platter that featured Orcelli de Barolo. This cheese was from Piedmont, Italy and aged a full year in a barrel covered with Barolo skins. It consists of both goats and cows milk and was further aged another half year in their cheese cave. This may have been one of my favorite tastes of the entire evening and it left me curious and somewhat inspired to start discovering more of the world’s fantastic cheeses. This course was pleasantly paired with a 2007 Barolo.

Finally it was time for dessert and as I’ve mentioned time and time again, I’m not a big fan of dessert but what they gave us tonight looked and tasted out of this world. We opted for the planet chocolate which looked like well, a white planet of sorts until they poured intergalactic chocolate over it which formed a space crater on the top exposing the maltesers and pop rocks, need I say more?

In closing I’d like to say that I had a great time at TOCA and it was an enjoyable dining experience which I’d recommend. That said, in the future I’d probably stop in on the way to a show for some wine and dessert with a lady friend or roll in with a small crew on the way to somewhere and sample some exquisite cheeses while sipping on fine wine which is always a good time. That said, I’ve also heard wonderful things about their Market Brunch on Sundays and perhaps we’ll discuss that another time.

Thanks to Toca at The Ritz Carlton for their hospitality, we both thoroughly enjoyed our time.

Tips hat,

The post Dinner and Drinks at TOCA in The Ritz Carlton, Toronto appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

Greetings,

The sun is shining and Toronto is alive and well with weather that is starting to feel somewhat like summer. If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you may remember that I visited The Shore Club in Ottawa earlier this year and absolutely loved it. When I realized I’d be spending some more time in Toronto and the opportunity to revisit one of my favorite restaurants in another city surfaced, I jumped at it. Today we’ll discuss dinner at The Shore Club in Toronto, Canada.

The Shore Club is conveniently situated near the lake, Metro Toronto Convention Centre and busy Bay Street. The atmosphere was similar to that in Ottawa which was a formal yet at the same time intimate and inviting. It’s the kind of place you could bring your mom, the one you love or the ones you do business with and have the same result; a sophisticated time with splendid food and stellar service.

Before we go any further, The Shore Club is known for three things that it does exceptionally well and that is steak, seafood and desserts. Last time I had the steak and lobster which was so divine it took a lot of will power to stay spontaneous and delve from a dish that could only be described as delectable. They have quite an interesting menu which had several seafood specialties and steakhouse favorites that jumped at me and they include but are not limited to the porterhouse steak, herb-dusted seabass, jumbo lobster tail, bone-in rib steak and last but most certainly not least the centre-cut king crab legs.

After some serious thought about what was going to be our supper we decided to start with some seafood and white wine. We opted for the jumbo shrimp cocktail which is arguably my number one choice of appetizers anywhere and the pepper-crusted bigeye tuna. The shrimp cocktail was a winner from my first foray in to The Shore Club’s menu and the tuna was simply out of this world. We both savored most of the tuna before jumping into the jumbo shrimp. We paired these dishes with a great Chardonnay from Chablis, France.

Next it was time for the main courses of which I chose the herb-dusted seabass and my date “The Dentist” opted for the classic steak and lobster. Let me mention one final time that it took a lot of will power not to just order a personal favorite, the steak and lobster. The seabass was baked and served on a bed of mixed beans and for sides we chose the fresh asparagus, scalloped potatoes and sauteed spiced mushrooms. We paired this course with a 2008 Amarone which in Italian literally means “The Great Bitter” although it was nothing but soft on the palate with a smooth finish.

Before we go into the dessert I’d like to mention that I’m not a dessert guy whatsoever. I prefer savory over sweet and usually order another seafood appetizer should my main not sufficiently satisfy me. I mention this as I had no intention in having dessert and the sides are such generous portions that we couldn’t even make it through the three we ordered and that involved me going back for more than anyone really needs.

We decided to go with the special feature for dessert. I’ll described what was delivered for dessert in the pastry chefs own words “A biscuit base with a creme brulee center, covered with caramelized white chocolate and banana mouse. Covered with a chocolate glaze and roasted almonds. Served with white choco mousse, brandy snap, almond praline powder and strawberry sparkling wine Jelly.” Need I say more? I dug in timidly but ended up eating more than half, how could I not?

In closing, I’d like to once again thank The Shore Club Toronto for their gracious hospitality. We both thoroughly enjoyed the experience from start to finish and I have a feeling “The Dentist” will be returning with some other friends in the not too distant future.

Tips hat,

The post A Delectable Dinner Experience at The Shore Club, Toronto appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

It’s a Monday morning which means back to work and back to the grind. We’re going to discuss the Travel Blog Exchange aka TBEX that transpired over the weekend here in the terrific international city of Toronto, Canada. In case you’re in a rush, it was a solid time with well prepared parties, speeches and more networking opportunities than you could shake a stick at.

The opening event was hosted at Roy Thomson Hall by Tourism Toronto and well, they threw an amazing party. The food was exquisite and having wine country around the corner sure didn’t hurt. I’ve found at every conference the opening party is usually the best time of the whole event. Everyone there is excited and all the firepower from the hosts is on display. If you’re going to make a play, that’s the time.

The first day of the conference was good and at the end there was speed dating. I didn’t do the speed dating last year and this year I found it kinda awkward. I think it’s built for people who don’t have the wherewithal to just say hello to someone they find interesting. The first date I had was a complete disaster but the subsequent ones after were swell. In fact, the second day I had no appointments but just talked to people I found interesting that were free, it was infinitely more productive and made it a legitimate connection instead of me being “just another dude trying to sell himself”.

On the topic of selling yourself, lots of money rolling into this industry right now. I’m seeing large corporate giants sponsoring many bloggers and I like to see that. End of the day, writing a blog for fun is a great time but if talent isn’t compensated and nurtured, the result is usually having to leave this life behind. I’m curious where this will all go and if in the future, there will be more a line in the sand between someone who writes a blog and works with sponsors versus someone who writes for sponsors and has a blog, ya get where I’m going?

Saturday night had a few official and unofficial parties aka solid times for those of us who love socializing.

The final day was similar to the first and most of my time was spent on the trade-show floor. I attended the Visit South Africa campaign report and was just as honored to be included in the talk as I was to have been invited to the destination. Afterwards I did more networking with destinations in thirty minutes than even I thought was possible. It was nice to meet destinations that seemed as interested in collaborating as myself and also shared the same end goal of creating creative content.

The take away is this… Destinations “get it” that blogs and social media aren’t just some fad but a legitimate means of distributing carefully crafted content through independent and trusted sources. The future looks bright for those who like to travel and also take the time to share their experiences online. Basically, I’m not sure what the future holds but it’s looking bright and that’s always alright.

Big thanks to TBEX for organizing such a professional conference and Toronto for hosting us.

This fall it’s in Dublin, Ireland and guess what? I’m going.

Tips hat,

The post Thoughts on TBEX 2013 in Toronto, Canada appeared first on Stop Having a Boring Life.

Greetings,

I’m writing this from a friend’s apartment on a balcony overlooking a busy street named after a King. The area is  alive and teeming with ambitious and curious looking creatures aka it’s my scene. I just love coming to Toronto because it’s a city where you can feel the people here want to be here. It’s not one of those cities that just has the vibe of people are here because they grew up around the corner. It’s also a city that makes you thank your lucky stars you’re still single as let me tell you, plenty of pretty fish frolicking in these warm waters.

Last night I attended my first Toronto Travel Massive and it was a solid time. I didn’t know what to expect as I’m usually on the road and totally oblivious to anything and everything happening in the industry. Basically it’s a gathering where like minded individuals that are passionate about travel come to mix and mingle and drink pints until their noses go red and tingle, my kinda place. Not sure how many people were there but it was a full house at The Irish Embassy Pub and if there is ever an event like this going on in your neighborhood, I highly recommend you look into it.

Afterwards myself and a small splinter cell made our way down King Street West on what felt like an urban hike / adventure all wrapped into one. We saw all sorts of curious creatures including a tranny big enough to bench press myself and all my belongings dressing up a piece of street meat in stilettos, welcome to the big city! We kept moving until we reached our destination which was some bar, later we were joined by other adventurous souls and drank until it got old.

Today I’ve been cruising around the city on what can only be described as a delightful day. The sun is shining and it’s not too hot or too cold, people are walking  around with smiles and attractive women are dressing bold, what’s not to like? Besides that I also went to visit my friend we’ll call “The Dentist”. Last time I was in town she told me to promise that I’d never let anyone else ever drill my mouth again after the whole “Costa Rican Dental Catastrophe”.

After visiting this clinic and having my mouth drilled this morning I’ve come to a conclusion about dental tourism. When it comes to getting your teeth cleaned, do it anywhere in the world that not only looks but is clean. If you get them cleaned often you’ll probably avoid all the major work anyways so it’s just a good practice. In the event that  you need some serious work aka drilling and the like, shop around and try and find the best dentist you can as it’s serious stuff;  you don’t need some dentist running a joke running a muck in your mouth, yes?

Now it’s time to kick back and relax aka wander around sipping spring water and snapping shots..

Later this evening there is the TBEX opening party and guess what? I’m looking forward to it.

Tips hat,

P.S: HUGE THANKS to “The Dentist”.

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