3 Uses of charcoal during TBEX 2018

What a week! The more I learn about this industry, the more I meet with great people, the better it gets!

TBEX, as Rick well said, is a family. Ok, it's a Travel Bloggers conference but it offers much more than that. Today I'll talk about the 3 uses of charcoal in this year's edition.

1. Mining Charcoal

Ostrava in Czech Republic, was an unknown city to me up to that point. The only city other than Prague that I knew of, was Brno. Turns out that Ostrava is the third biggest city in Czech Republic and a major coalfield. During one of the Pre-TBEX tours we ended up visiting an old mining area and learned about the heavy-industrial past this city had.

Events like TBEX and Colors of Ostrava bring life again and make it more human. People were truly happy to see us all there and so were we. Mining charcoal taught me that every place or person have a great story to tell. You just gotta listen to them.

2. Activated Charcoal

Yes, that same charcoal you take when you eat something wrong in Thailand. Along with a few others, we had the unfortunate unlucky to eat some meat (we still don't know which of them) in Ostrava that didn't end up well in our stomachs. That means a lot of 'outputs' during the night, feeling miserable and some had to reschedule their talks and just rest.

I wasn't feeling any good for the entire day either, but a fellow TBEXer, and friend from Singapore, was kind enough to offer me one of the charcoal tablets she had brought with her. Activated Charcoal definitely helped my stomach but also helped me confirm that I can count on people and that TBEXers are supportive of each other.

3. Charcoal cocktail

I won't remember the cocktail name (probably better that way) but a tiny hidden place in Ostrava offers one of the best cocktails I ever had. Made of charcoal as a tribute to the city, this was one of the great cocktail selections at U Gustav. That marked the last night and end of TBEX.

We started with a group of 4 or 5 and 10 minutes later we were about 30. Give it an hour and an entire street is consumed by TBEXers - a great atmosphere, with great energy and a great way to end the conference. The charcoal cocktail reminded me that as much as we're in a conference and doing business, we should have fun!

I want to especially thank Rick and Shane for trusting me and inviting me to be there again, but also to all other TBEXers I met, people from the city and the Czech tourism. You guys are amazing and I can't wait for the next TBEX!

Watch the video at TBEX Ostrava (subtitles available)

Ahoy,

Ed