Our Story Thus Far

I will begin by simply saying Portland, Oregon is astonishing. I love it, quite frankly. I flew in around 4pm today and the adventure never stopped from there! Actually it started before with many enjoyable conversations with many different people. A gentleman by the name of Ramon (his son wants to be a pilot and gets good grades) and Marcus (shoe-shiner in the Seattle airport) were a few among them.
You will be proud of the amount of pictures I took today... because I sure am! Those who follow this know I am not very adept at taking pictures. I'm just not usually that kind of guy. However, aside from the touristy look of it and catching myself walking around Portland with my mouth wide open more times than I can count, they turned out great. I'll post some when I get home.
I realized something again today though. People need to take more chances. We can't settle for what we're handed if it's not really what we want or if we're simply 'comfortable' with it. Get out there! Make mistakes and learn from them. Don't stay comfortable. Nothing great was ever accomplished by those who settled for something less than what was achieved with their best. I left an expo at the Memorial Colesium with some friends I had made on the way over there, when one informed me since he had been in Portland before, we should go to the food court in the mall down the street. It was one of the only places he had been to and known.
But I am in Portland. I have never been here before. Why would I simply walk a block when honestly everywhere I look across the river, there are huge buildings, tall pine covered hills with houses, and awesome architecture you just know is harboring a great hole-in-the-wall place to eat!? No Subway for me, thanks. I actually ate at a random fish taco stand which turned out to be delectable in every sense. The owner is a fisherman and catches fresh fish for it all the time, with varieties of tacos ranging from cod to Pacific Red Snapper (I had that).
I simply took the MAX transportation system down to Old Town and winged it, if you will. Best thing I have done here yet. Get kind of lost on purpose. I saw so much stuff I couldn't put all of it here. At night, in this big city square, they were showing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on a huge screen with hundreds of people watching! There was so much going on wherever I looked. It was similar to San Francisco in the sense of activity level, transportation, certain areas, and even the characters. It's beautiful here, and I will continue to update you as I progress. Good night and good luck.

Sleep With The Fishes

Check this out! This is an underwater hotel scheduled to open in 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey. Apparently, Istanbul will be the place to be as the opening will be around the same time it will be nominated as the Culture Capital of Europe and become a top player in the tourism industry globally. It is said to be at a 7-star rating!


Sounds like it will definitely be something of an experience. Dubai also has one in the works named Hydropolis, as well as the Poseidon Underwater Resort in Fiji. Hydropolis seems to be a possible setting for an old James Bond flick to me haha. I'll definitely be looking into booking a stay there when I can afford it haha. You can bet rates will be a little steep...

Hydropolis

http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/Hydropolis/

And for Fiji:
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2006-12/1200-square-feet-under-sea

Sounds like a good time and looks great to me. Who's on board?

Next Step

The beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. Or so I'm told! This will be my first trip to Portland and Oregon in general, but from what I hear, it is not only a sight pleasing to the eyes. I have heard tales of a famous doughnut shop that puts bacon on maple bars, and has parks and gardens rivaling those of the most famous. I know the music scene there is something to discuss with great fervor. You could say it sounds like a modern day promised land haha.

I will be there for business, but will take some down time and go explore as much as I can while I'm there. Most of the conducted business will take place from midday Saturday to Sunday evening intermittently. I will be flying in Friday and leaving Monday morning. When not at my headquarters (hotel room), I'll be out and about seeing what I can see. You know the drill, I share what I see as best I can, as well as what I learn and experience. Has anyone else been to Portland? Any input? What was your experience?

Destination: Seychelles

This place looks amazing. I definitely want to experience it firsthand. Seeing pictures of places like this makes me think of all the places in the world I have never even heard of yet, but are just waiting for me to discover.


Man how cool would it be just to relax on the beach and know everything's working out and you don't have to worry about things when you get back home? You can just lay back in the soft, warm sand looking at the clouds and listen to the waves methodically hitting the beach.



I want that vacation. I want that life.