2023: 7 Countries, A New Life & Endless Lessons

Here we go again guys, another year draws to a close. This time next year will be 10 years since I wrote my first ever end of year recap!

A whole decade.

Where does the time go?

And despite publishing less articles this year than I would like, I definitely want to keep up with annual tradition and offer up everything 2023 did for me, taught me as well as what I will do different in 2024.

Regardless of your main interests, be it travel, be it training, be it philosophy or all and more, there will be something for everyone here, guaranteed.

So let’s start with the first part….

Travel

The very end of 2022 and the start of 2023 was the first time I had left UK soil since the end of 2019/start of 2020. We all know why as well.

Yet the thing with late 2018 into the end of 2019 was it was the first year of my life I had actually been on an aeroplane and left UK shores! I was 27 then!

Then the world went crazy and all of this stopped. The furthest I went in that time being Scotland; technically another country but still land connected. Heck, we’ll count it though!

Trip 1 – Lanzarote

Anyhow, come the start of 2023 I found myself on the shores of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands – a classic British winter getaway and that’s no exaggeration; Brits and Irish are EVERYWHERE out there.

But this doesn’t detract from the beauty of the place though, not at all. The beaches are beautiful, the climate is lovely and the sunsets are something else. The people and culture are laid back, the roads are easy to drive on, and the whole island is easy to navigate with plenty to do for tourists.

You can see why it’s a staple for many people each year, but you can also see why the locals aren’t the biggest fan of UK folk, we’re essentially beginning to take over their island. All in all though, Lanzarote was a great way to see in the new year and highly recommended.

Trip 2 – Polska

This was highly unexpected and not on my radar at all before now, but a friend suggested Krakow and I thought why not, a big influence being the proximity to Auschwitz, a lifetime bucket list item. This was the perfect opportunity to kill many birds with the same stone.

I have read many books on Auschwitz and have always thought it would be poignant to see, especially where you can put pictures to stories. And it didn’t disappoint….

We were blessed with incredible weather for mid-late April but it didn’t stop the sombreness of the occasion; you could just feel a sense of realness throughout every inch of the grounds, even more so in notorious places such as the shooting wall or gas chambers.

The tour guides are amazing and the whole day out from Krakow takes about 6 hours or so but it’s a must do if you have any interest in world history at all.

Outside of the main event we spent time in Krakow old town which is beautiful and very historic. There are endless churches, buildings of interest and places to take it all in with restaurants scattered all around the main square and on the outskirts, alike.

The other cool thing we did on this trip is visit the Zakopane mountains with their iconic thermal baths. This is a great place to chill and take in the views. And it rounded out the trip very nicely!

We found the people to be very friendly, the prices reasonable, weather exceptional and the whole vibe was very late 90s/early 2000s, which is great; life was more relaxed back then, right?

Trip 3 – MORROCO

Possibly the most exotic trip of the year? Less than a week after getting back from Krakow I was jetting off to Morocco for a Yoga retreat. This was a 2 in 1. A holiday and work mixed in as I was co-teaching on the retreat. Bringing my own unique spin on flexibility, handstands and movement, to share with everyone.

This was also the first time I’d graced the incredible continent that is AFRICA.

Endless beaches, beautiful slight third world simplicity, camels, different cuisine and sunsets you never tire of, this was more exotic than I could imagine. I even met my now girlfriend out there despite us living a 10 minute walk away from each other, for all these years previous!

Craziness…

Seeing the Souks (market), culture, crazy driving and breathtaking landscape has me smiling even recollecting my time there. The hustle and bustle of the markets had a simplicity well lost in our ‘sophisticated’ western culture. Trying the different dishes, Moroccan tea and experiencing day to day life had me feeling like a local in no time at all.

But perhaps one of my favourite moments was my 2 hour + coastal walk from one town back to the one we stayed in. Barefoot the whole way, across waterways, golden sand, mixed with rocky viewpoints, where I would see kids playing with balls on the beach for hours, not a care given to social media or electronics. I’d rub shoulders with camels and every so often the waves would wash over my feet, cleaning the sand off for the process to be repeated again.

This was on the last day as well and was my last ‘moment’ as our flight back was just a few hours away. It was 2 hours of sheer gratitude; reliving all the highs and taking in as much as possible, knowing I would be back ‘home’ later that day.

And not to mention the great group we had which had us sharing stories together over drinks, playing volleyball in the pool each night, practising yoga every morning/evening and so much more, will not be forgotten.

Morocco is a place I cherish and would love to return to.

Trip 4 – Crete

This was a very unique experience despite Crete being a common holiday destination worldwide. We had a group of us all around 30+ years old, able to have 5 days in the sun, doing what we want, not tied to commitments or pressure from children, spouses or anything else.

It was so much fun. Early starts and late nights. Volleyball in the pool. Sightseeing. And more importantly, MOUNTAIN CLIMBING.

Crete is notoriously mountainous with multiple peaks scaling 2000 metres or more at the summit, and this was a big driving force behind choosing it; to summit one (or more) of these bad boys.

As it turned out we managed the slightly uncommon summit of Gingilos – a mountain filled with all sorts: multiple routes, steep sections, scrambling, valleys and an epic viewpoint at the summit. The original plan was Pachnes (one of the highest mountains on Crete) but we messed up our navigation and couldn’t find the right start point, which cost us a day in the end but it’s all part of the fun!

But it led us to Gingilos which was exhilarating. And this wasn’t without blips either as me and one friend ended up wrongly going up what we didn’t know at the time to be a ‘death zone’ – apparently this sharp scramble section had claimed lives earlier that year, completely unbeknownst to us as we trekked ahead aiming at the summit of the mountain.

Luckily we realised before it was too late (JUST), as even when we did I remember being stuck, I couldn’t climb higher and I couldn’t go back down. I had my fingertips gripping a bolder up and over to the right of me, with my left leg split out and back to the side. Pretty much a spiderman pose! I can remember feeling the slight panic of feeling like I was stuck in one spot; I had to breathe slowly and take everything one micro step at a time.

Over the course of a good 30 minutes we managed to slowly skid and slide our way down to the point where we went off course, before rerouting onto the correct course and summiting a little while later…

A stark reminder these mountains are merciless and require the utmost respect.

Overall though, Crete is so diverse. Whether you’re looking for climbing, cycling, a beach holiday, more of the parry scene or all of the above at an affordable price, Crete is a great choice and I’d love to return.

Trip 5 – Menorca

This was a family trip for my dad’s 60th birthday back in July. Obviously a much quieter and more relaxed trip. The island of Menorca is simply beautiful. It has caves, coastlines that look edited and when we went the climate was exceptionally hot – 40 degrees during the day and almost 30 degrees at night!

Needless to say aircon is a must. Seafood is massive in Menorca with so many restaurants and dishes to choose from. Water sports are also commonplace as the whole island is just perfect for jet skiing, snorkelling, diving, boating or even just relaxing by scorching hot and beautiful beaches.

Of course I found time for some calisthenics training where possible, graced with stunning surroundings and lovely backdrops.

The island is easy to get around thanks to its small size, and easy to access from most of Europe, making it a great getaway spot. I would say it’s more suited to couples and relaxing holidays though, as opposed to group trips or those seeking activities.

Trip 6 – Scotland

Just like last year there was a birthday trip to Scotland in late summer, to try to bag more munros (mountains above 914m/3000ft). Our plan this year was to go more north east and delve into the Cairngorms, where many of Scotland’s biggest mountains lie, excluding Ben Nevis of course.

We stayed in a lovely rural cabin that had a built in steam room, it’s own lake and grounds for endless square miles.

The mountain climbing was a mixed bag as I managed to combat the summit that eluded us last year (Sgorr Dhearg), but annoyingly there were no views as the weather wasn’t kind that day. (It’s supposed to be some of the best views you can get on a clear day).

2 days later we set out for the Cairngorms mountain range. A fascinating 2 hour drive by road taking us across rivers, through forests, seeing mansions, houses and tiny cottages alike. Before arriving at the Cairngorms Ski Resort (the starting point for many mountains in this range), where our plan was to combine Ben Macdui (the UK’s second highest mountain) and the Cairngorm mountain itself (the UK’s 6th highest), along a circular trail.

All started well before Mr weather turned on us again as the winds picked up on the climb and heavy rain came in for the next 2 hours. Annoyingly but also I suppose, sensibly, we decided to abort mission and find a plan B.

All wasn’t lost though, as this led me to try and tick off another bucket list item…..the legendary LOCH NESS.

Whatever you believe about the monster and all the legends associated with this massive loch, you can’t deny it’s beauty and allure. On previous Scottish trips I hadn’t ventured any further north than Fort William, so it meant Loch Ness had never been actualised……until now.

So we pre-booked a boat trip and an hour two later we were on the boat, touring the mighty loch ness and its 7452 million cubic metres of water!

This was then topped off with a bucket list item, within a bucket list item…..swimming in Loch Ness itself, despite it being summer the water was barely 10 degrees! And the weather (unsurprisingly) for August was pretty wintery.

Trip 7 – EGYPT

And finally, quite possibly the most brazen trip of them all; Egypt. And not just your average trip to Egypt with the package deals, staying in a resort and barely leaving…..no, this was a fully independent gig. Separate flights, separate car, separate accommodation, separate everything.

Tell anyone in late 2023 you’re going to Egypt and the default response is: ‘are you sure?! Isn’t it dangerous out there?’. To be fair as well, the UK government were advising ‘against all unessential travel’, and in a country that seems to hang off the governments every word, people were always voicing their opinions.

Thankfully our week in Egypt was one of the best trips of my life, if not the best. We were delayed by our airline (EasyJet – never fly with these as their delays are just ridiculous all the time) by 5.5 hours all because a passenger was ‘nervous’, which then meant everything else on our trip was knocked out of sync.

We lost our car hire which meant trusting a guy to drive us the 200kms to the Red Sea, where we were staying (how do you know who to trust out there?). We had to check in 6/7 hours later than we were originally supposed to, and not having the car meant we had to organise travel for all of the various trips and excursions we intended to do.

In some ways though it was a blessing in disguise, particularly where car hire’s concerned. The roads in Egypt, but especially Cairo, are just on another scale! I was prewarned through word of mouth, YouTube research and forum trailing…..

Normally the reality is never as bad as the hype and warnings would have you believe. But in this case it was the other way around. The reality was worse……much worse.

People with kids jay-walking on motorways, drivers pulling out against a 6 lane highway without even looking, cars overtaking you at 70mph+ while being 3 inches away and angry drivers getting out their cars to argue with your driver, were all commonplace in Cairo, with hardly anyone batting an eyelid.

Of course this didn’t make the trip or experience any less enjoyable, fulfilling or exciting. Diving into Cairo meant we saw the pyramids, Great Sphinx, rode camels and immersed ourselves in the culture.

Trip 8 (bonus trip) – Scotland (again, for the 3rd time in 2023)

We rounded out the year in one of the places that just seems to get better each and every time I go there….

SCOTLAND.

Me and my girlfriend spent the new year up in the remote wilderness of the Western Highlands. The shores of Loch Morar (incidentally the deepest loch in the UK) were what we woke up to everyday – a sight I never tired of and have been missing since I’ve been back.

Highlights here were the magical Glenfinnan viaduct (Harr Potter fans will know the significance of this landmark ;)), a New Year’s Day swim in Loch Morar, a locally caught fish and chips meal in Mallaig, a snow covered drive up as well as just the best company and time with my special lady.

Which segways us perfectly away from travel and into some of the life lessons I’ve learnt through 2023, starting with exactly that….

Relationships In Today’s World

It’s becoming more and more known that dating in 2023/24 is a minefield. Particularly in the western world, and at one stage you would have said it was mostly younger people struggling, but now I’d say age is virtually irrelevant.

The minefield doesn’t discriminate. With the rise of feminism and money making sites like OnlyFans, more and more women are getting a distorted view of their place in the world. They have hundreds of men willing to give them money, attention, validation, sex, gifts and whatever else, all at the click of a button.

So why should they value you? Why should they cut you some slack? I know you’ve got morals and loyalty. I also know you’ve got a good income, drive a nice car and are a solid 7-8/10 in the looks department.

And yet it’s still hard as fuck for you to do what your parents did; have a family and a wife in your late 20’s/early 30’s. Some people force their head in the sand and pretend it’s not the case. They have children anyway, not screening their partner or giving themselves time to figure out who they’re really with, and more importantly, who they’re bringing another life into the world with.

It’s no secret that I’ve had more than my fair share of toxic relationships with moral-less women. Girls who pretend to be someone they’re not, girls who cheat, girls who are abusive, the lot. I’ve even wrote about it a few times (READ THIS: Why Feminism Is F*cking Up Modern Relationship Dynamics) however, 2023 was a key turning point in this department, as I’ve already alluded to.

I’m pleased to say that after 8 months and counting, I’m yet to have any issues or blips with my current girlfriend. The naysayers will say it’s early days still, and it is, but prior to this, across all my previous relationships, I’d never got this far before seeing completely different sides to people, than the ones they’d only chosen to display.

But what I want to do here is outline some things I know to be reasons for our success so far. Quite possibly the biggest factor of all is taking responsibility for your own impact on a relationship’s success or failure. This time around I was absolutely determined to do everything as right as I can, and if things were to fail, I’d have no personal regrets.

Of course all of this is assuming the girl (or guy) in question has the traits you’re looking for in a potential life partner. Much of this could be subjective but I would like to offer some personal key points, if you’re a guy looking for values in a girl with long term potential. The first one being her relationship with her father.

This is key in my opinion. How she views, interacts and feels towards her father will most likely be how she feels towards men in general. Including you. People may disagree but the pattern I’ve seen is spot on – both with my own experiences and many many friends. And I agree, sometimes it’s not her fault. She may have had a deadbeat dad who let her down constantly from a young age.

Her mother may have brainwashed her into believing men are bad and have no purpose other than as sperm donors. There are loads of possibilities but the outcome is very similar: a girl who doesn’t respect men, and if she doesn’t respect them, she’s going to find it damn hard trying to truly love one.

How she handles conflicts or mishaps tells you loads too. Does she stonewall you? Gaslight you? Pretend things are fine when her actions tell you they aren’t? Does she overreact to things? Hold grudges? Message other men as soon as you do something she doesn’t like? Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

Or does she apologise when she’s in the wrong? Let you explain your side? Respect your opinion? Let sorry be sorry and draw a line under things? Is she proud to be with you and does she showcase it?

You want to be saying no to the paragraph before last and yes to the last paragraph, or you’ll be in trouble. #facts.

And finally, there’s your own role in things as I mentioned earlier. What toxic traits or habits do you have that might bring out the worst in others? Do you contribute to your own downfall by lacking self-awareness and not amending previous errors?

I’ll be completely candid here and share mine. I would sometimes struggle to deal with my own reactions, responses and feelings to things and then go silent as a result, almost as a form of punishment. And sometimes these things weren’t even that big a deal, it was more me being personally sensitive to stupid stuff.

This time around I’ve tried to not do it at all and always ask myself how the other person would feel, along with if my behaviour really is justified. 99.9% of the time I’m being too sensitive and unfair and I’ve fixed it this year. It’s not been easy but I’ve managed it thus far.

How though? A big factor is the respect I have for her, which ties in with her behaviour too. I don’t do anything to her she wouldn’t and hasn’t done to me. Essentially exercising the age-old motto of, ‘treat others as you would like to be treated’. Most of the times previous, all the inconsistencies in the behaviour I’d see would cause me to retaliate.

And then the cycle was almost set in stone. None of this is healthy at all and sometimes just smiling and letting small things go, with the bigger picture in mind is the best things to do. Of course all of this is in the context of your partner being a decent person. And luckily my girl is.

Training Wisdom?

No annual roundup would be complete without some final words on training and the lessons thereof. 2023 was an interesting year for training as it was the year I sought professional help for the first time in my life, regarding my ongoing bicep tendinopathy for the past couple of years.

This caused an inevitable mindset shift from growth to regrowth. It wasn’t about doing what I’ve never done before for a while, but instead it was about doing things I’d done previously but this time, better and with no pain. And my ego was fine with it. Slowly and surely I worked my way back to a good level once again, but I must say that wasn’t the last I heard of the injury, and I knew it wouldn’t be. Just like I said in the video below on injuries, they’re rarely if ever fixed and never seen again.

If only it was that easy…

My symptoms resurfaced on and off throughout the year, depending on what I did and how much I did. This led to exploring and experimenting with many coping strategies, from direct rehab to daily stretching, to adjusting training frequency and volume.

Around the middle to latter part of the year (August), after taking part in Paul Twyman’s workshop, I adopted a ‘daily practice’. Which is essentially a mixture of moves you do daily, without fail, to keep the body adapting, limber and to improve/’grease the groove’ any skill(s) you’re working on/towards.

And I can honestly say I’M SOLD. It makes total sense; why should your body allow you to do what it never does?! Of course you have to keep doing things in order to keep doing things, if you know what I mean? The best thing of all about it is there’s no end to what can be done in a daily routine. The only rule is it must be adherable and not overly taxing – but even then what was once taxing becomes normal with enough sensible exposure.

I plan on doing a separate post delving deeper into this concept in the very near future. I think a fitting time would be around the 6 month mark since I started it. And I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a single day since August 2023. It’s become part of what I do and not even in a stagnated sense, where you stick to your routine without modifying it for years, stubbornly. I’ve already made loads of effective modifications that have paid dividends, both to my joint health and movement capacity.

The other (and final) factor I’ll touch upon on this topic is knowing when and when not, to train something on a given day. This is both a lesson from last year and a ‘new year’s resolution’ tied into one.

I’ve always been awful at this as I can be very robotically minded. Which is great for success in many cases but in the case of human physiological adaptation, it’s not so good, as the body hardly ever adapts in straight lines and more doesn’t equal more, as annoying and unfair as this truth is.

Some people are naturally great at knowing when to leave it for the day, whereas others are so hungry, so passionate, so obsessed, they have to do what they’ve always done, even if they’re not fully recovered yet. And this is the million dollar point: if you’re not recovered fully, can you expect to push yourself past your previous best?

Nope.

And yet we still try?! I have done for years and I bet you have too. But it’s so so counter-productive. See, in the last few weeks of 2023 I was experimenting with only working on something if it felt good enough in the warm ups to actually surpass what I did last time, or at the least match it with a little more ease, and I’ve found great results already.

My joints hurt less, I actually make much more significant progress and I’m more at peace with the days things don’t feel perfect. I just do something else that day, even if it is much lower intensity than I would have liked (or my ego would have liked) and I’m fine with it. I just know that in day or two’s time when I try it again, it will be feeling perfect again.

With my years in the game now, it makes sense. You just need longer than you think sometimes between stuff to get better. And contrary to the common fear/belief, you don’t lose your strength/flexibility/skill in a few days or even in a week or two. The hard part is the discipline to let go of days that aren’t great, without judgement, and do something else; in some cases do nothing at all.

I fully intend to apply this discipline throughout 2024 just like I’ve applied it to the daily routine I mentioned. We’re already 15 days+ and going strong.

To fully see the benefits though, I’ll need longer……much longer. Nothing in this world happens fast, at least nothing fulfilling, rewarding and wholesome. And this is coming from a guy who started writing online 10 years ago and still hasn’t got the audience he’d like, but he appreciates you reading this far and every article you’ve read so far.

Happy 2024 to you. I just know this will be another great year as you have all the capabilities to make it so.