varnawelcomesign

Varna, Bulgaria

My first flight on my Wizz all-you-can-fly pass was from London, Gatwick to Varna, Bulgaria.

I had bought the pass months prior, and this was a test trip to see how it worked and couldn’t have been happier. I was able to fly standby to anywhere I wanted for the most part even though it was a short ten-day trip. I have been able to use it five times which paid for itself already. I paid 499 Euros which was approximately USD 550. I flew my Phoenix to Los Angeles to catch my Norse Airways from London Gatwick. I have found many deals over my lifetime, but the Norse Airline flight was one of the best deals.

I found a one-way flight for USD 109 which is still unbelievable as I type this right now.

PRO TIP: Always check one-on-one trips as they are often cheaper than round trips as I blogged here:

Once I landed and cleared Customs, I went straight to the Wizz app to see what was available knowing the Varna flight left a few hours after I landed doing prior research. Boom, the first flight was booked, and I was off to the ticket counter to better understand the baggage rules.

PRO TIP: Use compression bags to fill your free personal item bag as you can squeeze tons in them.

I waited in line for an hour, and I was starting to get worried. Once I got to the counter, the agent advised that I did not check in online for my flight and it would not cost USD 65. I f#cking paid 10 Euro or USD 120 for my flight so I was pissed. Lesson learned as discount airlines will always try to nickel and dime. I got my boarding pass, and I was off to my gate with plenty of time.

My first Wizz all you can fly flight went off without a hitch after screwing myself not checking in online.  If you want to know more about the Wizz pass, you can check or my blog here.

Once I arrived in Varna, I got the familiar feeling that I was back in the Ukraine.  It has been over 20 years, but Eastern Europe is not as developed. The language felt familiar even though I failed Ukrainian 10 in high school, LOL!

Being Ukranian, the prices were right up may alley too!  I paid under $5 for some awesome cabbage soup with a roll and drink.  The buses and Ubers were also very inexpensive to tour the city.

I realize that taking pictures inside a Church may not be cool with some people but, I asked first.

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My Rocky Point Paquito casa (small studio)

I have been renting a small room in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) for almost seven years. Time flies when I cannot remember half the shit I do when I’m here, LOL.

I stayed here for the first time as an Airbnb on June 24th, 2017, and never left. I talked to the amazing owners asking them if I could rent monthly and never looked back. I am paying less monthly than my HOA in Arizona, so it does not bother me that I am not here a lot. 

Mi Mexican Familia Fortunado (El Jefe) and Lupe!! 🙌 🙌

   

Lupe is posing with her delicious Pazole soup she made for her guests during the Rocky Point rally; I posted details here:

El Jefe (The boss in Spanish) poses with a picture they used to use in the advertising credits at the Movies in Phoenix.  I call him El Jefe as he is the boss man for Airbnb as he and Lupe run a tight ship.

 

Just like life, my visits to Rocky Point have evolved over the years. I was working five days a week when I first started renting hoping to make it up once a month. Within a couple of years, I was working four days a week and able to make it a bit more. There were times when I came here every weekend and others I would not visit for several months. 

I just knew in my heart that I had a pad in Mexico and did not need to jump on a plane to get my fix. It was almost too convenient for playtime in Mexico at times.

Fast forward to 2024, I had an awesome plan to work here part-time, or so I thought.

I had just spent four months working in Hawaii under the radar, so I thought, why not Mexico? I prepared an office with backup power and bought Starlink Internet. I wanted to ensure I had my bases covered if there was a power or internet issue so I could run my office. The only thing I never considered was a backup job, LOL.

I set up my office during the Christmas of 2023 and everything was ready to go in January.

I got an email invite on February 1st, 2024, to attend a mandatory meeting. This was the same week the media announced we would be laying off. It did not take much thought to figure out I was toast.

My first thought was Thank God I had a place to stay as my Airbnb in Mesa, AZ was rented for another three months.

I was still pissed that I invested all that money in an office, but shit happens, and I hated the job anyway. I was just biding my time with healthcare and needed 2-3 more years.

I was given a decent severance package and six months of healthcare to figure out my next move. My next move was always the same, I took a trip to Central and South America.

OK – now that you have the full story, here are some pictures of my Mexico pad as I like to call it. 

Judgers remember, your one-night cost more than my full month’s rent ($5 a night to be precise). 🤑5

I set the place up to make it feel like home even though it is tiny. As mentioned, I set up an office with backup power and internet if there was an issue.

I hung a 50″ TV, kickass Sonos speaker, laptop, and tablet so I was electronically set up.

I had my paddleboard on the wall again, fat tire bike, golf clubs, snorkel, and fishing gear ready. I have not touched any of them, yet. Honestly, they make me feel younger and ready to use if I get off my computer. 

I bought a comfy mattress, beer fridge, air fryer, microwave, BBQ, Keurig.

 

People tell me; that nobody wants to travel like you. I take it like a compliment from the airport there frosty. ☃️ LOL!!

The thing that sticks with me is that people also compare me to my mom.  

She was a simple Ukrainian who lived the same way in retirement. She lived in a small trailer in Yuma, AZ. and did a lot of things herself just like me. If they don’t like it, they can kiss my ass was one of her mottos later in life!

Mom was lucky enough to spend over 15 years as a snowbird living until 84. Seems like a good way to live to me and take it as a compliment.  I miss you every day Mom and I am bragging not complaining! 

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Cebu, Philippines

 I spent five weeks in the Philippines Islands in the fall of 2024. It reminded me of the importance of slow travel as I was able to immerse myself in The Philippines culture with a home base the entire time. 

I rented an Airbnb studio condo for the full five weeks in Cebu City:

It reminded me of the awesome feeling of learning a new city and not having to rush.

I was able to live like a local and able to take advantage of the inexpensive lifestyle.

I was bringing American dollars, and everything was in Philippine pesos making everything super inexpensive. I had a local barber that I used every Monday for a $5 hot shave, drop-off laundry service was $4 a week, and a fast-food meal was a few dollars a week to give you an idea.  

Everything you would do was so much cheaper too! I would get a chair massage almost daily $5 including a great tip.  Going out to eat was amazing too as Cebu is a call center hub.  Since they worked the overnight shift to support the Americas, everything was always open to keep the city moving.  

I would see people going to work at 8 PM with McDonalds breakfast and coffee for example.

I could get my favorite Korean BBQ or noodle fix 24/7/365 at a fraction of the cost of back home. The next time you check your credit card bill or warranty and get The Philippines, just know they are eating well, LOL.

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Abu Dabhi, UAE

I have always seen the Emirates football (soccer) jerseys and Emirates Airline’s amazing first-class service on social media. An Uber driver once told me it was not expensive, and I have been intrigued ever since.

When I bought the Wizz Airlines all-you-can-fly pass, Abu Dabhi, and Dubai were at the top of the list. When I planned my European trip in the fall of 2024, I kept checking the standby availability and accommodation options. I was able to make it happen after Austria with a little logistics. I took a Flix bus from Vienna to downtown Budapest, Hungary, and an Uber to the airport. Once I arrived (hungover AF) I had a few hours to spare for my six-hour direct flight. Holy shit, it was happening!

I did not land in Abu Dabhi until later at night and was without a phone charger that was left on the bus in Budapest. After some currency math, I bought a $3 USB charger for 25 dollars at the Abu Dabhi airport. That allowed me to grab an Uber to my hostel. I grabbed my USD 30, 30-minute Uber and was on my way after the long self-inflected but I was knocking out a huge bucket list item.

Arriving at my hostel after midnight it was already quiet time which is normally 10 PM – 8 AM unless you’re at a party hostel like the Mad Monkey I stayed at in Palawan, Philippines as there was no quiet time. Damn kids, get off my lawn, LOL!

I was still fired up from the reality I was actually in Abu Dabhi and got to visit Dubai too. I went outside as they had a nice courtyard to relax. The first person I met was who we all called Bahrain as that is where he was from and that was easy to remember, and what an absolute GEM. He was wearing a traditional men’s abaya, smoking cigarettes, and drinking a beer.

If you know the culture, this is not normal, so he was my best friend immediately. We talked for a while and then both made our way to our shared room. It had seven single beds with an IKEA-type shelf for each assigned with a lock assigned to each bed. I unloaded my stuff as quietly as possible and hit the sack for about 4 minutes. The dude in the next bed was snoring like a chainsaw. As a reference, I am almost deaf in my right ear and could hear his through the pillow with my left ear, LOL.

This guy was Syria, my next best friend in the hostel after we hashed out the snoring in the morning which entailed “go get a hotel if you do not like it” which was fair, LOL.

Over the next several years days, Baharan, Seria, and I would spend a good amount of time talking.

Baharan (left) could not speak English so a lot needed interpreting, but his body language and animation made it pretty clear what was going on at most times. I was constantly laughing at him, and he knew it so kept up the entertainment. From a whoop whoop, nope nope, she/he broken, sad/happy face with loud YESS and NOO I got it.

Syria (right) was also an old soul for someone who was only 26 years old hanging out with Bahran and me in our 50s. He had been through so much in his young years with the war with Palestine that I would not even pretend to understand. Both of his houses and his restaurant were leveled in the fighting.

Some people in UAE would not associate with him because he was Syrian as well. It hurt so bad listening, but he had an amazing no-quit attitude. I got to Facetime with his beautiful fiancé who was in Michigan and could tell how much he loved her and missed her. Great news, I saw on IG that she was in Abu Dabhi, and they got married. I could not have been so happy for him as he deserves so much happiness.

Honestly, I was sad when Syria found a new place but happy for him as it would allow him to save money and start working again. I still got to hang out with Baharan a couple of times and felt even worse when he dropped me off at the airport a couple of days later even though his driving was scary AF. He gave me a hag and one of his head garments as we said goodbye:

I was back in London on my way back to America as I was at the end of my trip after visiting Varna, Bulgaria, Vienna Austria, Budapest Hungary, and both London Gatwick and Heathrow areas of London.

I wrote a post on a day trip to a camel farm and here are a few of those pictures:

The amazing architecture in Abu Dabhi is almost impossible to share so added a Google link here to help share what I saw in the five days I was there. I also made a day trip to Dubai, but I will post about that amazing trip.

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Bohol, Philippines – A beauty and talented kids!!

This was my first ferry road trip after spending my first week in Cebu. I had been on several boats in the past traversing the Island in Thailand, so I was prepared plus almost everyone speaks English.  I woke up one morning at 3 AM as adjusting to the 13-hour time difference was horrible.  I packed a knapsack took a shower and I was off to the local bus station.  I took a 3:30 bus, arrived at the terminal at 4:30, and bought a ticket for the 5:10 AM to Tagbilaran which was the first stop.  

They transferred us all to a bus for the remaining trip.

Once I got off the bus after the ferry ride, I needed to take a 20-minute tuk tuk ride.  I had been on many tuk tuks in the past in Thailand, but this was my first in The Philippines to get to Alona beach. 

I was a little on edge with little sleep as might be able to tell in the video but normally feel safe.  

Once I got settled in my $ 15-a-night Airbnb, it was time to check out the beach area which brings me to a long-winded hockey story.  

* If you are already ready for the Edmonton Oiler blog, you might want to skip it.  

** A lot of my stories are long-winded often running out of brain processor speed and switching between seven tabs in my brain telling three other stories. As the kids say IYKYK.

*** Since all of these beaches are beautiful, I often get confused as I took four different ferry trips.

Several years ago, I made a random video in Rocky Point Mexico, and it turned into our friend chat goal song during a couple of Edmonton Oiler playoff runs.  Well, they created a monster as I have been trying to find the next goal song using the same guy a couple of years later.

The first video is the one that caught on during the exciting goals along with Oiler good luck charm Kait! 

I even made two more renditions with the same Mexican guy for good luck, nope!  They won’t even play the original as they are probably tired of me trying.

Most people would give up but, I am just annoying that way so keep trying!  Here are some really talented kids from Bohol, Philippines that I recruited.  Just like a new post with zero likes, nope, nope and IPA drunk nope. 

Like Mi Amigo, the kids thought I was as crazy too but loved the great TIPs! 

honuhardrock

Honolulu, Hawaii

I have stayed in the same Honolulu Airbnb three times, and I love it!  I stayed there for two months to start 2023 working incognito.  It was perfect for me as I was only home to sleep and work otherwise, I was touring the island or fishing in Kona and wrote a post about the amazing fishing here. 

It is a studio with a single bed in a complex that has seven units so there are many options. Honestly, it is not in the best area near Chinatown, but I have never had an issue as I am normally home by dark or soon after.  

The walk to the bus stop is five minutes with buses going directly to Waikiki in 30 minutes or the North Shore in two hours.  I have taken both buses many times for $2.50 packing a cooler, hammock, and lawn chair.  Both beaches are spectacular for different reasons.  Waikiki is famous for Dukes but there are always thousands of people packing the beach.  The North Shore is more secluded and my favorite by far.  You can always find a quiet beach or park to sit and enjoy the waves.

My favorite thing to do in Waikiki is catch happy hour at the Yard house which is 2-5:30 Monday to Friday.  Waikiki is not the cheapest place so grabbing an early dinner and beer is affordable.  The pole and poke nachos and a Coconut porter brewed in Hawaii are my favorites shown below:

After dinner, I stroll down main street and sit on the beach in front of Dukes and listen to live music and the waves. There are also ABC Stores (Fancy Hawaii 7-11) on every corner if I want to grab a beach beer too.  It makes for a perfect day!

If I head to the North Shore, I will grab some poke and a couple of O’la seltzers from Foodland grocery and sit on the beach which makes for an equally awesome way to kill a day in Hawaii.  

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NAD Darrell promotion videos!

I had so much fun learning to edit from scratch to prepare NorthAmericanDarrell.com  

Here are some of the videos that I made so far as teasers for the website launch. 

Some even made the cut on FB and IG stories which was scary as overall, I do not know WTF I am doing or where this is going. 

It is pretty easy to tell which are the newer ones which gave me the confidence to post some. 

I am getting a bit better IMO, I hope you like some of them. 

The pictures are all from my travels, I am just getting this party started too!! 🙌

12-hour layover in London, UK

I had a 12-hour layover in London in the fall of 2024 and made the most of it. I was able to reach out and “tuoch” so many pubs and made a pretty cool video that I wanted to share. 

* the video template misspelled touch and do not know how to fix it, LOL