Top Spot Travel

March 15, 2013 by jfalbelda

Why the hell would you go to Kansas City?

Yes my friends, a very valid question. Kansas City is in fact one of the most random US cities you could possibly conjure up, hell, it’s not even in Kansas! But, when my job with Jeep required my presence in middle America, I heeded the call. There are cheap flights to Kansas City from almost all parts of the country as it’s pretty much at the epicenter of our great nation, so it ain’t so hard to get to believe it or not.

I spent 5 full days in Kansas City, Missouri for the auto show, probably longer than anyone who’s not from there would plan to spend in such a place, but to tell you the truth, it’s actually a cool city, and has a way more sizable, clean, fun and interesting city center than other bumblefuck metropolises – I refer to Saint Louis, Louisville and Greenville, South Carolina.

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February 23, 2013 by jfalbelda

The Top 5 Tallest Buildings in the World

Ah, the big city – the sounds, the lights, and of course, the testaments to human ingenuity at their most phallic. Being surrounded by statuesque structures is one of the most appealing aspects of living in or visiting a big city. Of course its one thing for a building to be tall, it’s quite another for it to be among the tallest (though the latter category is more interesting.) So, without further ado, here are the top 5 tallest buildings in the world!

1. Burj Khalifa – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Burj Khalifa quickly earned its reputation for being the tallest man-made structure in the world – even before it opened for business. The skyscraper reached an amazing height of 2,722 ft by Jan. 17, 2009, nearly a full year before the official opening on Jan. 4, 2010. Burj Khalifa wiped out the reign of Poland’s 2,120 ft. Warsaw radio mast, which held the world record for 17 years (1974-1991.) The bottom 39 floors of the mixed-use building feature the chic Armani hotel. Continue reading →

February 8, 2013 by jfalbelda

My Motorcycle Obsession Travels Stateside

If you’ve been reading this site for the past few months, you’ve seen I was just in Asia and doing a lot of exploring on tiny motorcycles. It was the cheapest, most liberating way to get around, and I had a blast doing it – until I shit the bed and crashed in Pai, Thailand. It didn’t deter me too much, and after about a week healing up, I was back riding under-powered, two wheeled vehicles screaming around the countryside with not a care in the world.

After my fateful return to the stars and stripes, I just couldn’t shake the idea of how cool it would be to ride a REAL motorcycle here in Miami with the almost ever-present sunshine, flat roads, and beautiful coastal views. So to really solidify my quarter-life crisis (got two tattoos on my arms last month as well), I signed up for the motorcycle endorsement class (required by Florida) and was sitting in a dingy-ass class room in the hood of Miami Gardens at 8 am that same Saturday. My class was full of rag tag miscreants like myself, you know real scum of the earth, a young Jewish lawyer, Brazilian kid who owns multiple gas stations and a professional Serbian basketball player. Continue reading →

January 18, 2013 by jfalbelda

How Traveling has Changed in The Past 10 Years

Travel Agency

When I used to travel with my parents back in the day (hell only in the early 2000’s), things were much different than they are today. The internet was definitely gaining a lot of momentum, but people were still very wary of paying for things online, and especially booking their hard earned vacations. I even remember my dad refusing to let me have his credit card to order a CD on the web because he thought everyone was going to steal his identity (fart noise).

This was the golden era of the travel agent. One who utilized the web to make their bookings and do a little research, but still had the masses at their mercy who knew no other way of planning a vacation. I remember my parents, who were definitely pretty savvy travelers, still going to the travel agent to book our trips not so long ago. Continue reading →

January 15, 2013 by jfalbelda

Anything but Crabby in Krabi Town, Thailand!

After thoroughly enjoying northern Thailand for a few weeks, I was given a sign from Allah when I crashed my motorcycle that it was probably time for me to slow things down and kick back in the south and let the sunshine heal my beer-battered body.

I decided to crack my Lonely Planet and instantly became overwhelmed reading about the million different islands with crazy names I could never remember (or pronounce), so I decided to just take my chances and book a direct flight form Chiang Mai to Phuket which would get me into the southern mix.

I had always seen pictures from the beaches in southern Thailand and heard about Phuket (I guess because it has an international airport), but after reading a little bit more, it seemed that Phuket Town itself was actually a slum and the nice beaches and islands were all just surrounding it.

So after arriving in Phuket, I decided to spend a few days at the beach town next door called Patong (absolutely insane place with more hookers than you could possibly count, ((or have sex with))(((unless you’re a dirty old 60 year old from The States or UK))), I figured I better send myself somewhere a little more chill to let my foot heal up a bit and experience more of an authentic Thai town.

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