Taunting friends on Facebook is fun! While this started as a way to annoy family and friends back home, photographing my favorite ‘offices’ has become a bit of a hobby. Here are some of the best:
Tat Lo, Laos (above)
Pros: Beautiful view from my room’s balcony which extends over the river, dirt cheap ($8 per night), cold beer, reliable power, waterfall in the distance, old men net-fishing in the river, lightning bug show in the evening.
Cons: No wifi (like much of Laos), hard to get motivated to do anything.
Practicality: 2 out of 5 | Gloat Factor: 4 out of 5
Peppermint Cafe, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Pros: One of my all-time favorite spots, great food/service, solid wifi/power, on a quiet soi in the heart of the tourist district, order a coffee and stay all day.
Cons: The waitress is too cute and charming? The friendly Burmese waiter is too helpful? That’s all I’ve got.
Practicality: 5 out of 5 | Gloat Factor: 3 out of 5
Hilton Hotel, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Pros: Main reason to work here: it’s one of the few places in San Pedro Sula where I wasn’t worried about being shot. (Honduras is currently the murder capital of the world).
Cons: Expensive (my buddy and I stayed there on points) and bland.
Practicality: 3 out of 5 | Gloat Factor: 0 out of 5
Hotel cafe in the beach town of Tela, Honduras
Pros: One of only two places in town with free wifi, great view, nice breezes
Cons: Dial-up speed, tough resisting the urge to go swimming.
Practicality: 2 out of 5 | Gloat Factor: 4 out of 5
Carnitas Nia Lolas, Copan de Ruinas, Honduras
Pros: Free wifi, power available only outside (true story), amazing grilled beef and cheap beer.
Cons: During a rain, making your way home via the steep cobblestone streets can be a bit tricky, especially after a few of the ‘cheap beers’.
Practicality: 2 out of 5 | Gloat Factor: 3 out of 5
Lakeside view, Flores, Guatemala
Pros: Several cafes with decent wifi and power, good food, amazing views.
Cons: Mosquitos can be tough, odd hours in the off-season.
Practicality: 3 out of 5 | Gloat Factor: 3 out of 5
Lake Peten, El Remate, Guatemala
Pros: Great view of ‘El Crocodillo’, the hillside that looks like a crocodile’s profile (see it?), good food (for Guatemala), cold beer.
Cons: no wifi, glare can be a major pain.
Practicality: 2 out of 5 | Gloat Factor: 3 out of 5
Where have you found your favorite work space while traveling?
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooo, I’m liking the last 2 from Guatemala! I’d take an office like that any day. ;)
Damn, I wish I’d known about the Peppermint Cafe while I was in Chiang Mai.
My favourite cafe was Ponganes. They make amazingly good coffee (maybe as good as Ristr8to) but don’t have electricity for laptops and enough space to make a good office hideaway.
Good to see a new post!
I would take any of these over my current office situation! However, the wifi is pretty good…and it’s free!
Gloat Factor: 0
Practicality: 5
Practicality wins!
I really want to steal this idea haha I’ve had enough of other people making me jealous and I want to get some payback next year :D
The cries of “you jerk!” on Facebook are extremely satisfying :)
#1 looks great! Noticed there is almost always a beverage present, just to the right of your laptop. Back on topic though, well, someone has to have the office with a view – nicely done Wes.
Thanks, Maria. That beverage is just for branding purposes, of course ;)
I’d pick Flores for my office.
Flores is lovely. I had several favorite spots there.
The Gloat Factor probably could be 5 of 5 on any of them since you are not in an office. I love the concept of taking these photos. I am working from home the next month in Oklahoma, not as nice as the tropics. Safe travels.
No Mexico???
Wow! I would love to Peppermint Cafe and see beautiful waitress there. Well, of course to visit beaches in Phuket, Thailand and do surfing.
What a great idea for blog post Johnny! I think I’ll nick this idea if you don’t mind for when I hit Asia in the summer.
As always, I love following your life and stories.
Regards