Why You Should Not Buy Any Zhiyun Gimbal

My Zhiyun Smooth 5 Gimbal Broke After 7 Months

Two gimbals from Zhiyun ended up stopped working after a few months. This doesn’t look like a coincidence and that’s prompted me to write about my experiences, so you don’t waste your money like me.

My first Zhiyun gimbal was the Zhiyun Smooth Q3. I purchased it in August 2021 and it didn’t even last a year. The problem was that it was having difficulty balancing and was unusable, as videos were too shaky.

I didn’t feel too bad wasting $100, but I also didn’t take any lesson from this and purchased a more expensive model from the same manufacturer.

I bought the Zhiyun Smooth 5 in February 2022. At $235, it was expensive, bulky and wouldn’t fit in my bag, even after folding it. But I didn’t mind these issues because it was performing well. I was happy with the product.

But then, after only 7 months, history repeats itself. My Zhiyun Smooth 5 became unusable, as it couldn’t balance my phone anymore. I have a lighter, smaller phone and it was even having difficulty making the video quality smooth.

It’s not like it stopped working totally. My Zhiyun Smooth 5 worked, but unable to do its job properly. I became so upset that I didn’t want to bother calling customer support and wasting my time.

I am a content creator, so I need a gimbal that functions right away and I decided to buy a newly-released DJI OSMO Mobile 6.

If you are planning to purchase any Zhiyun gimbal at any point in the future, think twice before spending any money; it might save you a couple of hundred dollars and lots of hassle.

Don’t Make This Cox’s Bazar Mistake - World’s Longest Sea Beach

What Foreigners Don’t Understand About Cox’s Bazar – The World’s Longest Sea Beach

On my last Bangladesh trip, I had the opportunity to visit Cox’s Bazar – The World’s Longest Sea Beach. What I realized is that most tourists make a big mistake and that’s what I will talk about today.

Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh is the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. Cox's Bazar beach has a gentle slope and an unbroken, uninterrupted length of 155 km (96 mi). It is so big that there are many beaches on its unbroken shore with different names.

Most foreigners only visit the main part of the beach known as Cox’s Bazar beach, as this is adjacent to Cox’s Bazar city and next to the hotels. In my opinion, this is the worst of the all beaches and also too crowded.

What tourists don’t realise is that the other beaches which are still part of Cox’s Bazar’s 155 km (96 mi) stretch and offer a much better experience because they are a lot better, cleaner, provide a better visual awe-inspiring experience, and are less crowded than the main beach.

Some of these beaches are Laboni Beach, Inani Beach, Patuartek Beach, Sohnkhali Beach, Bestway Long Beach, Sonadia Island Beach, and I’m not even sure how many more there are.

I have visited a few of these beaches and I was shocked to find out that most tourists have never heard of or stepped on these beaches. It’s like you are leaving after reading the first chapter of a book, but the book gets better as you go through the remaining chapters.

So next time you are visiting Cox’s Bazar, I recommend not spending all your time on the main Cox’s Bazar beach. Rather, look for the other hidden gems which will make your travel to the world’s longest sea beach more meaningful and memorable.

What You Must Check Before Taking A Rental Car

Simple Checks You Should Perform Before Driving Off A Rental Car | Best Car Rental Tips

Don’t rush to leave the rental car station once you get the keys. Spending 10 more minutes to do these simple checks will save you a lot of hassle and time.

I will go over some basic checks for you in this article. If you think I missed something, definitely add it to your list next time you rent a car and drive off the parking lot.

Vehicle Registration and Insurance Papers – These should be in the glove compartment, but don’t assume they are always there. Check and make sure your rental car has all the required documents you need.

Tire Pressure and Flat Tire Tool Kit - Check the tire pressure by kicking them and also make sure the trunk has a flat tire tool kit such as a jack, a wrench, and a fully-inflated spare tire. Also, ask the associate what their policy is in case of a flat tire. Some rental companies don’t allow customers to change a flat tire (you have to call their provided emergency # in that case) and some want you to try changing the tire first before calling for help.

Also, get the emergency # to call from the associate and save it on your phone.

Check & Record for Damages – Check the whole car inside and outside, including the trunk for any damages and scratches. Better yet, video (using your phone) the car as proof, which will be hard to dispute in the case of the rental company blaming you for something which was done by the previous renter. This simple video trick helped me a lot when I discovered scratches after exiting the parking lot and didn’t notice it before.

Gas Metre (Fuel Gauge) – Take a picture of the gas metre, as you will need to refuel it to the same point it was when you took the car.

A bonus tip is to check where the gas tank release button is located. It happened to me in the past that I couldn’t find the release button, as it was hidden.

Exotic Travel Destinations – 2 Continents

Trips to Asia & Africa | Coming Up

I have a trip to Asia this year planned months before, but what was not on my itinerary was the Africa trip, which was unexpected.

I had a change of work – forcing me to change my 1-month Asia trip to a half Asia, half Africa trip. As I was close to my departure, I spent countless hours 4 days in a row searching online, calling the airlines, and calling the travel agent to design a new one-month long trip to 2 continents.

I am not mentioning any names of the countries because I would like to disclose it once I am at the airports or at the destinations. What I can tell you is that both places are exotic and different.

You can follow the full trips on my YouTube Channel here: Ahmed Dawn

While most YouTube channels want you to stay in the box with a specific topic, my goal is to break out of the box. As such, on this one-of-a-kind rare hybrid channel, I am always trying new and different ideas to take you beyond such boundaries.

If you are into thinking outside the box, this is definitely the channel for you. And there is a lot more to come from across the globe for viewers like you who are not afraid to try something new and different.

My flight leaves Toronto, Canada on this Saturday, September 10, 2022. To stay updated, please follow the YouTube link above.

Where to Rent A Boat in Toronto | Cheapest Small Boat Rental In Toronto

Best Place to Rent A Boat in Toronto

Today, I will talk about where you can rent a small boat in Toronto for 1 to 4 persons. I am not talking about yachts or big boats costing $400/$500.

When it comes to renting a basic powerboat in Toronto, options are limited. After searching online and asking here and there, it looks like there is only one place you can rent a small boat in Toronto for cheap.

Harbourfront Centre in downtown Toronto, offers various sailing, powerboating, and kayaking rentals. Their website and address are below:

https://harbourfrontcentre.com/program/sailing-and-powerboating/

Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto ON M5J 2G8
(416) 973-4000

However, you can't book on their website, so call them first to book before you go to pick up your boat.

Harbourfront Centre is not really cheap, but it is cheaper than others where renting boat costs have skyrocketed, as they only offer big boats and yachts with captains to rent.

When I rented my boat, a Paradise F13 was going for $109 per 1 hr (up to 2 people) and a Lund was going for $129.00 per hour. Fuel is included, so you don’t have to worry about anything else.

All their boats are too old and rundown. I think that because of the fact they are the only place where you can rent a boat, they are not interested in upgrading and offering better prices and services; customers have no other choice.

Still, I go there to rent once in a while and will put up with their old boats until I can find better options.