Colliding Continents - For The Adventurer Within

Monday, September 28, 2009

Cultural Awakenings

This is Dan. Dan never had a mojito before this picture was taken. When he told me this I felt obligated to introduce him. It is, after all, my duty as an advocate for cultural immersion. So we immersed ourselves in a whirlwind of mint, white rum, lime, a touch of sparkling water and one raw sugar cane (the magic touch). Dan was impressed, so much so that we eventually found ourselves on the upstairs level of Havana Village in Washington DC's Adams Morgan neighborhood dancing salsa (or trying to) with some lovely ladies.

Havana Village was the perfect setting and the cool thing about this place is that it offers free salsa classes! So if you are ever in the DC area and in need of some serious salsa action, you now know where to go. While you are there, think of Dan and that happy look on his face and grab a mojito.

Labels: Adams Morgan, bars, Dan McKay, Dancing, DC, drinks, Havana Village, Latino Bar, Mojito, nightlife, rum, Salsa, USA, Washington

Written at 12:28 PM by Sebastien.

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Monday, September 21, 2009

Manta's on Curacao

While I was on Curacao, I stayed with some wonderful people in one of their beautiful studio apartments. The place was called the Chamba Apartments and it had an amazing view of Playa Piscador. Well, just recently one of the owners of Chamba sent me this video of giant Manta Rays playing in that same beach and looking to steal a fishing boat. How they did it, I have no idea...but the funny thing is the boat they 'stole' was much larger than the boat I took a ride on - I included video of that ride below as well.

Labels: Adventure Travel, boating, Caribbean, Curacao, Destinatons, Islands, Manta Ray, Netherland Antillies, Playa Piscador, sailing, West Punt

Written at 4:19 PM by Sebastien.

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Decibel - Sake Bar, Plain & Simple.

Decibel Sake Bar, New York, NY

Decibel has been around since 1993, tucked away underground with only a small sign indicating its existence, it can easily be missed but once found it is a very cool surprise. Making my way down the stairs, my curiosity kicked into overdrive with a flurry of images flashing through my mind trying to anticipate what I was about to walk into. I thought of the movie Rising Sun specifically the scene of characters engaged in nyotaimori - the practice of eating from a naked body - silly I know, but I have an overactive imagination. With every step I thought of something else until I hit the dreaded line where imagination meets rationale - "What if it is just some corporate, yuppie set up where a bunch of bankers take clients...ewww." That thought was quickly washed away as I entered the door and was greeted by the host wearing the most unenthusiastic expression as he stood behind a rope and asked for ID.

The first thing that caught my eye were the walls, adorned with graffiti covering almost every square inch of available space. Coupled with lanterns and prints, the clash of the traditional Japanese restaurant art with urban expression was perfect. It was a set up, it must've been, because I fell in love instantly. Much like the graffiti on the walls, the menu was packed with a list of every imaginable type of sake. I opted for a light, crisp sake the name of which escapes me. It starts with an H. It was good.

Decibel is dark, not broodingly like an old Pub but interesting, like something out of a Manga graphic novel. It is a place you can get away and disappear from the insanity of Manhattan or a great place for a small group of friends to talk. This is where I see myself talking to someone for hours and not realizing what time it is until the staff stares over at us in unison and gives us the universal "get out of my bar" look.