2020 2020

SRI LANKA, GALLE: The country I enjoyed touring the most in 2019 was Sri Lanka. The distances between tourist attractions are short and the country is full of incredible characters who make you feel welcome at not only your local Daru shop but upscale hotels as well. I therefore decided to kick-off the 2020 travel season by checking in to a luxury 5 star hotel in the old Dutch fort city of Galle.

After an absolutely horrendous flight where I was squeezed in next to two mega amazonian babushkas from Poland, I needed a serious deep sleep to recover. I therefore decided to splurge on the most luxurious hotel I could find.

My choice fell on Le Grand Galle, roughly 3 hours by car from the airport north of Colombo. With a private swimming pool accessible from my bedroom window, my own beachfront backyard and a24/7 gym i figured this was exactly what I deserved. So did this Sri Lankan boutique hotel live up to the high expectations set by those I stayed at in 2019?

SRI LANKA, GALLE: Before the steamed vegetables and fried fish arrives at your dinner table at Galle's five star hotel restaurant, Le Grand, they were sourced locally two different fresh markets nearby. These places can be highly entertaining and chaotic when you go alone. So I decided to take Le Grand Galle's master chef up on his offer to join him on his morning round to them both.

After procuring the ingredients it was back to the kitchen to see how it all comes together before sitting down on the edge of the Indian ocean for a most unique five star dining experience.

SRI LANKA, GALLE: ... or you'll end with anything but socks at a reasonable price Jokes aside he was a funny man and provided some much needed entertainment (although a lot of it unintentional) in what has to be the dullest market I've ever gone shopping in. I've asked at least a dozen people about a real bargain hunting market in Galle and every single person have directed me to this one right behind the bus station.

Yet as I wandered around there was hardly anything interesting to buy. I couldn't even find my staple purchase: socks! That was until a man selling bananas and carrying a Daru bottle decided to grab my hand and take me for a walk...

SRI LANKA, GALLE: Looking for things to do on the outskirts of town in Google Maps, I came across a Sea Turtle sanctuary operation. A family, with the help of volunteers and donations, have set up Sea turtle shelter on the beach where they nurse injured sea turtles back to health as well as rescue newly laid eggs from the dangers that lurch on the beach.

They dig-up and collect thousands of eggs and re-bury them within a fenced area, nursing them until they hatch. Then they set them free back in the ocean. They also help sea turtles damaged by fishing nets and propellers heal from their injuries (when possible).

Join me as I tour their facilities north of Galle city on Sri Lanka's southern coastline and get a fascinating look into this incredible operation.

SRI LANKA, GALLE: Since that first day when I went to the fish market with the hotel chef I'd been curious if it was possible to join the fishermen on a trip out at sea. A couple of days later whilst enjoying a Carlsberg on the beach a an opportunity to do just that presented itself.

A boat with a crew of lobster fishermen just came back from a day out at sea. Some of them joined me for a beer and although we had zero words in common I was able to make them understand that I'd love to join them on a dive for lobsters the following day.

They seemed to understand but just to make sure I brought a local driver down to the beach to ask if I could truly join. The answer was in the affirmative.

So at 6 o'clock before the sun was even up I rocked up on black rock beach as the locals call it, to begin my new career as a Sri Lankan fisherman or Lobster diver to be precise. Little did I know that a few hours later I'd earned the title of the nation's least seaworthy fisherman of all time...

SRI LANKA, GALLE: Fresh from being crowned Sri Lanka's worst fisherman, I rushed back to the room to get changed before going back to see the man who runs the Sea Turtle Hatchery. On my visit the day before, he invited me back to release some newly hatched baby sea turtles back into the Indian ocean. Naturally this was something I wasn't gonna miss.

After meeting his whole family who'd just arrived back from a village visit we ventured over to the holding tanks and picked out 10 lucky turtles. Then we walked down to the beach for the main event: seeing which of these sea turtles were natural born swimmers and which was not! On the beach we also ran into a mega iguana, the main threat to these sea turtles before they hatch, as well as a fresh track made by a mother turtle who had just buried her eggs on the beach the night before.

For a finale I got to hand feed some of the grown sea turtles.

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: With only half a day to to your weekly shopping, the Sri Lankans of the Southern district called Galle had their work cut out for them today. There are only so many supermarkets, corner stores and fish markets to chose from. And everyone had only today to replenish their fridge and freezers. Some people don't even have that and thus have an even harder stocking up on supplies for the long haul.

So how long were the queues? what did we manage to buy? And how are people holding up? And can you buy Kassipu at a banana market?

Plus what did the diver from my Lobster diving video think about his newfound fame? This and more are I go shopping with two local Sri Lankans.

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: Before leaving my luxurious hotel, where the food was nothing short of superb, I expected my new life in a tiny Sri Lankan village in Hikkaduwa would be somewhat difficult when it comes to food. I couldn't have been more wrong. My neighbors, who own the house I'm staying in, have cooked up one delicious meal after another for the entire duration of my stay. So what's my favorite dish thus far? It's hard to pick just one but Sri Lankan pancakes are easily in the top 3. So how are they made and what do these delicious pancakes look like?

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: The only positive externality of the current curfew imposed on us all here in Sri Lanka for me personally has been that my taste buds have experienced a world of flavors from the local cuisine I didn't know existed before. A new local favorite of mine is the Sri Lankan rice Mango curry. But in the village, before you can cook and devour a delicious mango curry, you must first pick the mangos. That can be quite the adventure in and of itself....

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: New year's eve for Sri Lankans doesn't fall on December 31st, but April 14th. The occasion is marked by a family feast with some rather unique sweets that are prepared in the days before. Having gotten a thorough insight into what Sri Lankan villagers eat in the last 3 weeks of the year, I was eager to see what they cook up to mark the beginning of a new one.

More importantly I was eager to see if I could become a Sri Lankan Master chef. Needless to say things didn’t go according to plan.......

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: Although this curfew has been a culinary blessing due to the master chefs living next doors, it has been strange spending so much time locked up inside my house. I therefore decided to spice up my life and start scouring the village for available bachelorettes.

Luckily for me, the first woman I decided to court also makes Sri Lanka's best Halapa, the greatest homemade village dish known to man!

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: There are physically demanding jobs then there are exhausting jobs! The profession I witnessed today falls into the latter category. A day laborer ventured into the village and went from house to house asking if people had any coconut trees he could climb. Despite him not speaking a word of English I decided to tag along on his hunt for trees to climb.

So why does he climb these coconut trees? What does he get paid? How many trees does he climb per day and more importantly, does he like Kasippu?

SRI LANKA, THALPE: There are times when your food options are bountiful and there are times when you have no options at all. After over 90 minutes on the road, cruising along the Southern coastline of Sri Lanka, I finally spotted a tiny restaurant. It was the first one I'd seen open since I left Hikkaduwa. I ventured inside and the owner had already put down a rice curry dish on the table for me. But this was no ordinary Sri Lankan rice curry. For it contained a secret ingredient....

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: Since leaving Freeman's Airbnb, getting a proper meal has been an issue. Pizza Hut has closed (permanently it seems). There is no Burger King or McDonald's in all of South Sri Lanka. And there's no Chipotle in the whole country!

I've therefore ben forced to seek out alternate means of procuring my daily sustenance. That is no easy task given that most restaurants have closed due to the recurring curfews that just won't end. But I've been able to find 4 restaurants that are open. 3 of them got a major fail! More on that in the vid.

The only one that gets a massive Harald Approves is Mama's! The oldest restaurant in Hikkaduwa which is now in its 50th year of operations. So what pre-workout power meal did I devour? Did I break my leg on the tyre coconut swing? Can I use a paddle board? And does this restaurant also have Sri Lanka's most spartan gym?

HERAKLION, CRETE: Greece is open for business and travelers are once again welcome to the the countless museums, islands and stores that plays such a huge part in the economy. Whilst I do have history videos coming, I decided to kick things of with a shopping trip I made on the island of Crete. The capital Heraklion have a lot of intriguing shops that sells historically themes souvenirs. After sampling 4 or 5 such stores I decided to go back to the one I liked the most to buy some Greek souvenirs for a competition I have planned. The store has been run by the same family since 1961 and they still make the goods they sell in it by hand.

ATHENS, GREECE: With the last match of the season being played on their home turf of Piraeus, the fans of the 2020 league Champions Olympiacos gathered outside their stadium to watch the match on a giant screen and to celebrate like only Greek fanaticos can. Naturally this was something I had to experience as the the prospect of seeing thousands of fans as into their team as those I saw on Crete was an opportunity too big not to miss.

So I took a taxi and drove to the stadium. There the party was in full swing so there was only one thing to do to get into the zone; Alfa beer to the rescue!

ATHENS, GREECE: The most advanced weapon of the ancient world was the Trireme. It was these ships that helped the Greek city states, with Athens bringing the greatest number of ships to the table, to defeat Xerxes' Persian invasion fleet. Now these original ships, being 2500 years by now, are naturally long gone along with any blueprints or sketches of their exact construction. What has however survived are written descriptions as well as stone carvings, one on the Parthenon itself, which Greece used to build a modern life-sized replica which is now open to visitors who wish to see this technological masterpiece of shipbuilding firsthand with their own eyes.

ATHENS, GREECE: My go to burger wherever I am in this world is the Double Whooper from Burger King. However, in Athens, I don't even think there is a Burger King. So where do local Athenians go then to get their hamburger fix?

BBQ is a hamburger chain who specializes in humongous angus beef burgers and is the locals' favorite pick. Everyone I've asked to recommend me their favorite burger have mentioned this restaurant with zero exceptions.

So naturally I had to give it a go and sample the biggest burger they have on offer, a monstrous angus beef burger they've named: The Brave One's Grandfather. An eight paddy mega burger with egg, bacon and cheese weighing in at 2kg+. When it arrived at my table it was hands down the biggest hamburger I've ever seen by far. So did I manage to defeat it?

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: Never have I ever encountered a hotel breakfast I've enjoyed. With no burgers, pizza or pasta bolognese on the menu, how could I? When I saw the price of the breakfast at Hilton airport hotel in Amsterdam was a whooping $30, and urge to investigate it came over me. So what did the breakfast consists of and is it worth the money?

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: The famous canals of Amsterdam are littered with houseboats in all shapes and sizes. Some are for rent but most are occupied by locals who've made a home for themselves on the water. Staying in one of these was top of my list of things to experience whilst in Amsterdam, so I opted for the priciest AirBnb houseboat I could find. A hotel room in this city is not cheap anyway so I figured it'd be worth it to pay a little extra to get the full riverboat experience. So what does the houseboat look like inside? Is it as spacious and comfortable as a hotel room in the same price range or a normal house? Can you swim in the rivers? And last but not least, what is in my suitcase when I travel? After the houseboat tour I unpack everything.

If you wish to rent the same house boat for your Amsterdam trip search for Houseboat-Apartment Sumatra. It is available through a number of different hotel booking sites.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: Cheap to mid-range hotel rooms in the centre of Amsterdam offer zero value for money and will leave you regretting you booked a room in the first place. The high range rooms, meaning those that cost $150+, in comparison, are not as overpriced as they deliver on the promise implicit in the price point to be better in terms of amenities and professionalism of the staff. As a guy who stays in hotel rooms (or AirBnb apartments) all year round, I often find the complete opposite to be the case in the vast majority of the world, with low to mid-range hotel rooms offer superior value.

This tour of the Craftsmen boutique hotel in the centre of Amsterdam will hopefully suffice to show you why...

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: The houseboats in Amsterdam up for rent on sites like Airbnb.com and Booking.com don't come cheap. In fact, they cost 3-4 times the equivalent sized hotel room. However, seeing as living on a genuine Amsterdam houseboat is an integral part to a first visit to the city, what choice does a tourist have?

Having stayed at a fairly modern and luxurious Airbnb houseboat earlier this week, I felt I'd missed out on the real deal. So I started searching for an actual houseboat that floats and has a more authentic feel to it. Sadly these boats cost no less and all of them have a 2 day stay minimum rule. So off I went to once again embrace the Amsterdam river houseboat lifestyle.... only this time as a carbon neutral flower power Amsterdam cat lady named Karen.....

LELYSTAD, NETHERLANDS: In the year 1628, the Dutch Merchant ship Batavia, named after the Germanic tribe the Romans called Batavians who inhabited the lands we today call Netherlands, was launched into the North Sea. Engulfed in an existential struggle with Spain and Portugal at the time, the Dutch Republic had still managed to become one of Europe's greatest sea-fearing trading nations.

MARKEN, NETHERLANDS: When I go shopping for shoes, the choice usually stands between Nike or Adidas. In the Netherlands however, it's less about the brand but more about the material; or even which type of wood. For the Dutch are famous for making shoes from European Willow trees or yellow poplar, called wooden clogs or Klompen!

But how on earth do you distinguish a quality wooden pair of shoes from one that will break with the first stomp of a cow's hoof? What is a fair price for a high quality authentically handmade pair of Dutch wooden shoes? Where can you buy these shoes? And how exactly are they made?

To learn more about how the Dutch made their wooden clogs in the olden days as well as buy my very own first ever pair, I set out to the stunning village of Marken, a 20 minute drive from Amsterdam for an unusual shopping spree.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam are full of boats cruising around with tourists eager to experience the maze of man made canals that makes this city such a unique experience. There are large boat that fits 100 people or more per journey. And then there is Ambolux, the family run company where YOU can be the only passenger with your own private captain if you so wish. Here is the full video of my luxury boat your of the Amsterdam canals.

■ There are many canal boat tours advertised around Amsterdam, but when I asked my hotel for the one they'd recommend for the ultimate in luxury and service, they came back with Ambolux. It's a family run company which has been going for 5 years. The manager at my hotel told me a lot of the boat tour operators approach the hotel asking to cooperate. Having thus tried several different ones herself, so she could in good conscience recommend one to her hotel guests, she concluded that Ambolux was the best.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: With my boat sunk after a naval engagement with the pesky British fleet, and with my life raft blown to smithereens by the North Sea cross wind, I helplessly drifted into the canals of Amsterdam. Luckily an ice cream boat was docked in the harbor and offered me 3 scoops for 6 Euros. Said delicious ice cream turned out to be Amsterdam's finest and the day was saved.

MARKEN, NETHERLANDS: Last week I went shopping for traditional Dutch wooden shoes. Whilst there I also asked if they sold wooden socks. The answer was obviously no, but a few days after my visit to the Klompen museum, I got a message from Agent 47, the wood carving artist who sold me my shoes. He said he was working on a pair of wooden socks and that the prototype would be ready any day now.

Elated at the prospect of getting my feet on the world's first ever pair of wooden socks, I travelled back to the village of Marken with my Federal Reserves locked and loaded lest I lose out in a bidding-war for these collector's edition authentic Dutch wooden socks!

MEXICO CITY: As a true connoisseur of fine dining, I've eaten at McDonald's in at least 50 different countries. The Angus burger at McDonald's in Brazil still reigns supreme as the best in the world. So what about McDonald's Mexico? Do their hamburgers compete with those of Brazil? That's what I set out to investigate with Simon Wilson, a true patron of Macky D's and Bald & Bankrupt, who loves nothing more than to start the day with an American hamburger in his mouth.

MEXICO CITY: I've gone shopping in some wild markets in my day. From the Haputale market in Sri Lanka where the Yes Man would not leave me alone, to Cusco's central market in Peru and Mumbai's Dharavi slum. Iv'e seen it all.... or so I thought. Coz never have I seen a a market like the one I stumbled upon today in the centre of Mexico City.

Sprawled out in a traffic intersection which is very much open for cars and motorbikes at all times, this market has everything from counterfeit perfumes to face-masks, dumbells and a live mariachi band.

But that isn't what makes it the most entertaining market in the world. The fact that it can all vanish in the span of 20 seconds is responsible for that.....

MEXICO CITY: Although my favorite Mexican food of all time is Tacos, the local street food scene have plenty of other dishes on offer. Wandering around downtown Mexico City with Simon Wilson and his new epic hat, we stumbled upon an alley full of street food stalls. It was thus time to experiment with some mystery dishes of unknown origin, taste and substance....

With my non existent Spanish, and dismal knowledge of local foods, the epic local residents of Mexico City (as usual I must say) took pity on me and decided to advice me on what dishes to try and how to eat them.

HIDALOGO, MEXICO: Apart from the mega city of Mexico City and the world famous resorts of Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, I know nothing about the rest of the country. And neither did my travel companion Mr. Bald or Simon Wilson. So we decided to rectify this situation by hiring a car and going on an epic roadtrip to explore the Mexico less travelled.

On the way I made sure I forced them both, to sample the local cuisine, mainly street tacos and other street food we came across on the road despite their objections. After acquiring the Nissan Micro, and re-christening Mr. Simon to Mrs. Simone, we came across what looked like a make shift collection of old shipping containers which had been turned into a little street tacos kitchen.

Out of the 6 taco street food stall I tried in Mexico city, only 1 was good enough for me to want to go back for round two. So what about the roadside food in rural Mexico? Does the tacos measure up to my impeccable standards? YES!

TURAGOI, MEXICO: After 4 hours on the road, and with Simon starving as he didn't indulge in the Tacos on our previous pit-stop, it was time to hunt for something edible. Right after a toll-booth an American Subway restaurant was spotted. I decided to accompany Simon for moral support, as who likes to eat alone, but as we started walking I spotted an epic looking street kitchen. Turns out it was a family run Quesedilla street food restaurant. Not knowing what that actually means (yes, really) I decided to see how these Quesedilla's are made and taste like.

Churitzio, Mexico: Due to Mr. Bald's complete and utter lack of navigation skills, and Simon's oblivious attitude towards time management, we didn't manage to reach Guadalajara before nightfall. In fact we were hours away when the sun inevitably set. Time was running out if we were to safely secure a hotel room for the night. In this rural part of Mexico there aren't many cities along the highway nor are there any hotels. Luckily I spotted a sign which said Churitzio 3km. A quick conference was held and out choice was made to sleep, drink and eat in Churitzio for one night. There was only one problem.... did this town actually have any hotels?

TEPIC, MEXICO: Guadalajara to Mazatlan is a 7 hour drive. With Simon Wilson behind the wheel, and Mr. Bald as Chief Navigator, it's at least 11! In other words, a horrendous and excruciatingly long boiling hot day on the road lay ahead for the three albinos making their way up the Western coastline of Mexico to Sinaloa.

A pit stop had to be made! Luckily in Google Maps, Harald Baldr The Great spotted a city called Tepic with a Burger King in the centre of town.

Our breakfast plans were made! After breakfast we decided to have a little cruise around Tepic to see what this city was like. That's how I ran into the epic Machette Man of Tepic's most entrepreneurial intersection....

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: The premier beach resort in the state of Sinaloa is called Mazatlan. As with most Mexican cities they are theming with exotic street food dishes. The specialty in Sinaloa seem to be seafood. The main beach of Mazatlan was no exception. The only problem was that I dislike seafood with a passion. Lucky for me I came across a dish called Coco Loco. Essentially a coconut covered in shrimps and spiced up with some sauces and spices of unknown origins.

CULIACAN, MEXICO: Mazatlan has been the biggest surprise of this Mexico roadtrip thus far. I had never heard of the city before some random mechanic recommended it to Simon on one of our first food stops after leaving Mexico City.

Turns out not only does Sinaloa's premier beach resort have one of the liveliest beaches I've ever come across, it also has the best food as far as proper restaurants are concerned.

But what about the roadside cafes and street food? As we had a 6 hour drive to the Sinaloan capital of Culiacan ahead of us, I was about to find out....

CULIACAN, MEXICO: After 5 days of traveling with only a tiny backpack everything I had brought with me was dirty and smelly. And with laundromats being non-existent at every street or hotel we'd stayed at as we drove up the west coast of Mexico, it was time to go shopping for something clean to wear. Besides I was anxious to see what the centre of Sinaloa's capital, Culiacan looked like. What better way to experience a new city than to go on a market shopping spree and chat to the locals.

But first I needed to buy something to eat. Luckily I spotted an ice-cream vendor which satisfied my immediate hunger. This freed up enough time to go on a search for a local football jersey for the best team in Culiacan: Dorados De Sinaloa. That however was easier said than done....

CULIACAN, MEXICO: Before going to Mexico a haircut was long overdue. I resisted the urge to trim my long luscious locks though, hoping there'd be street barbers in some of the smaller towns. Since that wasn't the case, my number one priority upon reaching the city of Culiacan was to get a proper haircut. Whilst shopping for a Dorados De Sinaloa soccer jersey in a market in the centre of town I stumbled upon a newly opened barber with unbeatable prices.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO: There has been plenty of mundane hotel videos I could've filmed this month, but I've been holding off on the uploads for a special nature series that's in the works. Today however nature decided to go bananas and seeing as I found myself stuck alone at a hotel in Mexico 's resort city of Playa Del Carmen: hotel vs. nature video it is.

The whole Yucatan peninsula have been open to international tourists for a while now and the hotel industry has seen a modest recovery. But mother nature seems to have other plans sending two hurricanes in just a couple of weeks smashing into the area.

Not knowing what to expect, and with nowhere to actually go and hide as I only first heard about it when everything started closing down and it was already upon us, I settled down on my sofa with a bottle of red to ride this one out with my fingers crossed, hoping the hotel balcony's windows would keep the rain, winds and trees out of my room.