It’s so easy to tell a professional from a non-professional. The former have business cards.
After my first set of photo cards was exhausted – and because I have a new phone number and new URLs for my blogs – it was time to make some new cards.
The choice of photos was not easy, but I narrowed it down to six photos of memorable places that I visited in the last two years.
Here’s what the photos show:
- Chapada Diamantina, a national park in Brazil. And yes, I hiked down into that canyon, spent two nights there and hiked back up again.
- The central square of Cochabamba in Bolivia. Of all the places I lived during my travels, Cochabamba was the friendliest and most welcoming city. And I often sat on Plaza 14 de Septiembre under the shade of the palm trees, reading a book or a newspaper, listening to a storyteller, watching a protest, adoring the beautiful architecture, enjoying the perfectly mild climate of the “City of Eternal Spring” and discussing the constitutional referendum with random strangers.
- I tried not to include any country twice, but Lake Titicaca is simply the most beautiful place for hikes. The photo shows an old Inca road on the way from Copacabana to Yampupata on the Bolivian side of the lake. Hiking all around Lake Titicaca is still one of my dreams.
- My selfies don’t get more extrovert than this one from Easter Island. Also, I wanted to include my hat from Romania which has accompanied me around the world and has protected me against sun, rain, falling rocks, snow, hailstorms, lightning, dogs, snakes, gunshots and women.
- The train station in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia. A beautiful city and the biggest surprise on my first trip to the Caucasus. Also, I wanted to include it because too many people don’t even know of Abkhazia or believe that it’s dangerous. It’s not.
- Persian architecture in Tbilisi. The capital of Georgia (that in the Caucasus, not the one in the US) offers a mix of different architectural styles.
These cards should be nice conversation-openers. The previous set of cards actually saved my life once. I had gotten terribly lost in Bolivia and was close to dying of thirst, when a young shepherd discovered me and led me down into a canyon where there was some water to drink.
He was very interested in my camera, asked me to take a photo of us together and then wanted to keep the camera. Firm to my belief, I respectfully declined. He picked up a large pebble stone, ready to smash in my head and extended his demands to money. “I don’t carry any money when I walk into the wilderness,” I lied, but took a few business cards from my shirt pocket instead. “I only have some cards with photos from Europe with me. Let me show you where I come from.”
As I was showing him photos from Estonia and Macedonia, Lithuania and Italy, he let the stone weapon fall back to the ground. I gave him all the cards I had.
If you also want life-saving business cards, you can get them from MOO.
The Happy Hermit 
Interesting journey. Must get visiting cards when I go to Dresden.
Deberías hacer negocios con el sombrero, muchas personas quisieran comprar un sombrero con un blindaje tan eficiente.
:D Si, es un super-sombrero! El secreto es que es un sombrero de los Gabor. Son gitanos húngarohablantes en Romania.
Hoy en el bosque me ha protegido contra un jabalí.
That shepherd would have never been seen again had he threatened me with a rock.
On a lighter note, in the U.S. there are lots of fake professionals with business cards. Business cards lend no credibilty whatsoever. Proof of qualification is not required to order them.
But let’s keep in mind that I would never have been seen again either if the shepherd hadn’t shown me the way to the water and then out of the valley.
And on your second point, you are giving me some ideas…
True, but I have a short memory for gratitude when someone threatens to kill me, caveman-style. Someone is going to bleed, and not me. You could have roasted him like a Meerschweinchen and eaten well for days.
So, you have ordered your 007 business cards?
I was thinking of “Lonely Planet” business cards to get free stays at hotels. ;-)
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Still travelling?
A bit less since I returned to university. But I cannot stay in one place for too long.
I like that.
Awesome story!
It taught me the value of being a good storyteller. Now I am confident I could even talk my way out of being captured by the Taliban. ;-)
Una belleza, gracias por utilizar Cochabamba y llevarla contigo.
Claro! La ciudad está en mi corazón. – Espero que voy a conocer bolivianos, porque sería una gran sorpresa cuando presento mi tarjeta.
Especialmente cuando vengas a trabajar a cocha
Is that with Moo?
Oh just read it. May get some from them.
Yes, with MOO. But please don’t put scary dentist pictures on them! 😷
Not for that but for photography ;-)
Please Sir, may I have one😉💪☀
Absolutely! By mail or in person?
Anyway u are able . It will be my honor. ☀ ;-)