El Salvador a Hidden Gem

You hear a lot of shit about this country. Mostly from idiots who never leave their neighborhood. I’ve been twice now and spent over a month there. Traveling all over it. Still haven’t been to the east part. Maybe next time. I love it there. It’s quite charming and beautiful. Especially the tiny towns in the northwest part of the country along the Ruta de las Flores. Ataco is my favorite. Everywhere you go, a volcano looms in the distance. The breakfast is probably the best ever. You can get it from KFC if you want. The people are swell. Go to a mercado and get cat called by the abuelitas. “Hola amor!” It’s a fun place.

Cuban Cheese

I was never so happy to get back on the plane from Havana to Atlanta. As soon as we landed, I stuffed my face with some good ole Chipotle. Cuban food is pretty lackluster. Mostly from the US embargo preventing Cuba from importing a lot of essential goods that go way beyond food. If you eat there, you must stick to the items that are grown on the island. Some of the best fruits you’ll ever eat. Don’t mess with the cheese. It’s like rubber or something.

Extremity

All things extreme are unsustainable. One life experience from it all ending. When I first moved to Santa Monica I was a complete fitness nut. I was biking 30 miles per day and training doing calisthenics at Muscle Beach. I consumed no sugar, preservatives, no chemicals on a mostly vegan diet. I was eating mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. The diet and training worked as I was ridiculously shredded and in the best shape of my life. It was extremely rigorous and challenging. During my peak, I was riding down the bike path in Venice Beach and some idiot biker hit me from behind. I wiped out and broke my wrist. I’ve never been the same since. I could probably get back to that level if I tried, but the nostalgia of those days is lost on me. I’d rather go on about my life the way it is now. I’d never be able to maintain that lifestyle for long anyways. It was too much dedication. My day had to be planned perfectly for it to work. Life is full of bumps in the road. Better to find a nice groove to live out life. Extremity is unsustainable. Look to Stockton Rush if you don’t believe me.

Being Tall

It has a lot of advantages but I think it’s quite tough when you’re doing street photography. I’m 6’3. In the 97.4 percentile. So only 2.6% of people are taller than me. I was thinking about it today. I ran into a guy a bit taller than me and I pointed my camera at him and thought wow. I just have to point and shoot. No bending down. It could be a lot worse, but something to think about.