Gisteren was het een grote storm in de online community. De creatieve app Instagram werd ook beschikbaar voor Android users, nadat het jaren enkel beschikbaar was voor de iPhone. Niets schokkends. Maar toch wereldnieuws. Op twitter werd snel duidelijk dat er toch een immense spanning heerst tussen Android- en Iphone-gebruikers. Rassenhaat, vingertjes wijzen, oorlogje spelen. Ik houd daar niet van.
Ik houd van beelden! Bij de lancering van Instagram was ik helemaal opgetogen. Communiceren via beelden! Eindelijk iets dat me 100% lag. Geen links, geen (of niet veel) zever, enkel foto’s.
Natuurlijk werd mijn oog de eerste maanden geteisterd door ‘brol’ of misschien beter gezegd ‘ruis’. Ik erger mij dood aan rommelige beelden. Zo vermoeiend! Dus regelmatig unfollow ik mensen die 10 foto’s van hun familiealbum posten of hun hele reis van vorig jaar op instagram smijten. Daarvoor zijn andere kanalen (facebook, flickr, webgallerijen,…)
Instagram is voor mij een ‘speciale’ plaats voor beelden. Het is een venster op de wereld. Wat mensen doen op exact dat moment. En dat is een heel sterke middel waar je geweldige dingen mee kunt. Het maakt niet uit wie die maakt. Of met welk merk, zolang het een smartphone is.
Ik heb geen grip op hoe Instagram zal evolueren. En ik ben zeker geen heerser van deze app. Het aantal comments en likes zijn voor mij ook niet zo belangrijk. Maar vanuit mijn expertise zijn er enkele richtlijnen die volgens mij Instagram mogelijks tot iets geweldigs laten groeien.
- Instant. Fotografeer wat je meemaakt op dat moment. Je communiceert met beelden ipv woorden. Instagram is zoals twitter. Snel en vluchtig, een opname van dat moment.
- Smartphone. Alles wat je met een ander toestel maakt komt toch niet tot zijn recht, door oa het vierkante formaat. De smartphone heeft beperkingen. Speel daar mee!
- Wees creatief. Zie het als een uitdaging om het dagdagelijks leven vanuit een andere hoek te bekijken. Letterlijk of figuurlijk.
- Thema. De interessantste volgers zijn diegene die zich tot één thema beperken. En elke dag dit vanuit hun kijk op de wereld in beeld brengen.
- Eigen foto’s. Post je eigen beeldmateriaal. Niet alleen vanwege de copyright, maar wees origineel. Dankzij alle technologie kan iedereen foto’s maken. Maak dus je eigen ding!
Het is aan jullie, iPhone- en Android- gebruikers, om daar iets mee te doen. Iedereen is vrij. Gelukkig is er nog die ‘unfollow’ knop indien nodig! Dat is beter dan zagen en je ergeren. 
Wie graag de beeldjes ziet maar geen Android of iPhone heeft, die kan alles bekijken via de website Inkstagram!
Havana, a city of contrasts
Mexican roads
After driving Pablo the Beetle 4400 km on the Mexican roads, it’s time to share some tips!
- People warned me never to drive at night. They are so right! Roads have to many wholes, roadworks without announcing trucks or people cross the road without watching, etc.
- I advice to drive with 2 persons. 4 eyes see so more than 2! And you need these extra eyes to detect the holes. It’s especially tiring when the sun sets hards and blinds the details in the shadow!
- Be aware to have ‘topes’ everywhere! These bumps never come alone. When you seen one, be sure you have another one right behind it. If you see the sign of a small town, for sure you can expect some. If you see a (small) street on the left or right, it’s another warning to get one! The same counts for areas marked as 30 or 40 km/h. Little of them are painted bright yellow, most of them are hidden well. And loads of them just stand there, without any reason. So keep your eyes open to track them on time!
- Drive behind a Mexican car. They know the road. If they suddenly drive at the left side, this means there’s a big hole at the right! Or check their stop lights to detect one of these crazy ‘topes’!
- Always expect upcoming traffic in (narrow) curves up the mountains. Mexicans don’t respect the road signs and overtake whenever they feel like it. Yes, even in dangerous curves!
- Be prepared to kill loads of bugs, some lizards and even iguanas. They love to bath in the sun on the road. And most of them are too slow to get away on time! Just be happy if you don’t hit a dog! Most dogs love to come up, bark and follow your car!
- Stay calm when a police officer makes you stop. (I am not so good at that, but it’s the best thing to do.) Most of them want a mordida (bribe) for an invented delict. When you have to show your documents, hold them and don’t give them away. Although some insist of letting your papers go… Than you just do that, especially when they carry an automatic shotgun. Two tips. 1. Say your Embassey knows you’re travelling and you will give them a call. Most of the time, that scares them. Do make sure you have the emergency number of your embassy, just in case you need it! 2. Keep a ‘fake’ wallet where you have about 100 pesos to bribe them (if they don’t care about you mentioning ‘embassey’). If they see more money, they will take it.
As for now, the free roads (libre) in the North are in a better condition than the South. I don’t take the highways (coata) because I want to see smaller places and the Beetle goes slow anyway. But the coata is a good option to drive safe and fast!
In general, the Mexican government is doing a lot of effort to improve the roads. They have loads of work left to get everything safe. And they could use some advice in road signs and safety clothes to make the works more visible. But yeah, it’s Mexico. Don’t expect things are than in an efficient or decent way!
Mexican hotels
After sleeping almost 2 months in hotels, I start to grave to have my own room again. Luckely you can find cheap hotels almost everywhere, starting from 180 pesos (10 EUR) up to 350 pesos (20 EUR). Prices are always higher in touristical cities.
The best thing is to go and have lunch or dinner in the city/village you will stay. Get some energy before you start your search! ‘Cause it really helps to check 4-5 hotels to get a better price. Some Mexicans dare to ask too much money for a crappy room! And if you want to be sure, ask to see the room. It’s the same as asking the menu before you enter a restaurant. It’s pretty common here!
If you the hotel has stars, please keep in mind that stars are given easily. As for my experience, one star stands for:
- a curtain in the shower (yes, loads of rooms have the water spread all over your toilet and basin!)
- an elevator (didn’t got any hotel with an elevator up to now!)
- two towels if you ask a room for two people (and if you’re lucky, two of these “rosa” soaps!)
- and half a star for a small pool
- and half a star for a restaurant that closes at 6pm! (made us drive up to the next town for a decent meal!)
A (safe) parking space is really important for me too. I don’t want Pabo the Beetle standing outside on the street, and wake up the next morning without mirrors or wheels! It’s very common that Mexicans steel parts from your car. So if you travel with a car, make sure you get free parking space in the hotel. Otherwhise you can pay 100 pesos (6 EUR) or more for a pension at an ‘estacionamiento’.
How to survive Mexico?
My boyfriend arrives tomorrow in Mexico City! It’s his first time here.
My first time is 9 years ago but I still remember some frustrated moments… And many people wonder about the safety here. Until now, I never had problems. Well, I almost got raped one time, but I shouted some bad words (cabrón! hijo de puta!), and he took off! I was walking at night in a skirt ’cause my plans of the day turned out different than expected. I hardly wear skirts now! Most Mexican women in Mexico City don’t wear skirts!
Here are some tips “How to survive Mexico?”
1. Always smile (Mexicans do too)
2. If you ask the way, always ask 2 different people (They can’t say “No, I don’t know the way”. So they invent something, sending you the other way!)
3. Learn a few words Spanish: eg “Gracias” (Thank You), “Buenos días” (Good morning). (It shows your interested in their culture, so they are even more nice to you! And they hardly speak English or any another language!)
4. Be patient. (Everything takes a bit longer here in Mexico. Punctual Mexicans excists, but traffic – especially in Mexico City – is hard to predict)
5. Don’t ware any jewels or other expensive items. (This count for every country or big city. The more you show off with your expensive goods, the more likely you get robbed!)
6. Throw toilet paper in the trash bin (So don’t get shocked by these bins full of paper. The draining canal doesn’t work that good here!)
7. Give the waiter/waitress 10-15% tip in a restaurant (Most of the world is not used to give a tip, but here they get a pitiful salary!)
Keep this 7 tips in mind, and you’ll enjoy your stay in Mexico (City) even more!
