Bill Wiatrak is a travel author, entertainer and video producer of travel content. He is visiting every country in the world.
As i looked upward, the clouds slowly parted. An iridescent green ribbon suddenly appeared in the night sky and danced above my snow covered cabin. Its’s my last night at the Snow Hotel Kirkenes and Mother Nature put on the ultimate finale send off, a vivid display of the Aurora Borealis. A Themed Room at the Snow Hotel Kirkenes Photo: Bill Wiatrak The Northern...
Visiting Saudi Arabia Four years ago it was nearly impossible to get a tourist visa to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). However, with sweeping new changes from the new king, women are now allowed to drive (woohoo!) and tourist visas can be had online in less than 15 minutes. The floodgates are now officially open. The two most visited cities, Jeddah and...
HOUSTON’S MOST UNIQUE AIRBNB Airbnb has changed the world. There’s no doubt about that. All the things your mom told you not to do: Don’t get into a stranger’s car (Uber), don’t go to people’s houses you don’t know (AIRBNB) and don’t chew gum with your mouth open (okay, she was right about that) turned out to be wrong...
A Stop in Sao Tome and Principe The chocolate Islands; Who doesn’t love the sound of that? The official name, São Tomé and Principe sounds more like a vacation destination in the Caribbean rather than two islands thousands of miles away in west Africa; This former Portuguese colony is a jungle paradise full of cacao plantations, as well as a hub for coffee...
The Ancient Kush Empire As I rode the camel around the edge of the hill, I wasn’t prepared for the scene that appeared before me: golden sand dunes topped with pyramids as the sun cast its final rays. The burial site of the ancient kings is far off the main tourist routes but it is jaw-dropping. I have never seen anything like this ancient alien landscape in all my...
I had a premonition before I even arrived at the airport. Saudi Arabia has never been an easy country to visit. I rechecked the airline’s website just to be sure I had every document I might be asked to produce. Five security checks and one shuttle bus later, I found myself in front of the counter amidst piles of giant plastic wrapped suitcases and robed figures...
Women can be expensive, but $100 for 10 minutes is too much to spend for just about anything. Spas and lawyers don’t even charge that much. Why should a 3000 year old princess get that kind of cash? Nefertari is raking it in. I’m not talking about Nefertiti, the goddess with a similar name and the Grace Jones haircut. Nefertari was Ramses II’s favorite...
A Quick Stopover in Northwest Africa Moroccan food is one of my all-time favorites on this planet, so when I saw a flight pop up for $24 from Lisbon (Lisbon is my European hub for a current trip I’m doing to São Tomé), I booked it. There’s lots of low fares in Europe and nothing is really that far away. A Fruit Stall in the Medina Photo: Bill Wiatrak I’ve been...
OR…..Just get married in Paris. What do Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, Gustav Eiffel, Toulouse-Latrec and Matt Groening t have in common? They’re all contributors to Houston’s newest and most unique airbnb and event venue. Welcome to a little slice of Paris in H-town, Le Chat Noir. Watch TV in The Simpson’s Living Room- Photo: Bill Wiatrak Art: Natalia...
I didn’t always love tequila. Like many before me, I’ve knocked back countless shots of the cheapest well brands with enough limes to ensure I’d never get scurvy. Because of that, for years my perception of tequila was linked to hangovers and bad decisions. A few years ago I was traveling in Mexico when I stumbled across a local cooking up a batch of...