Miami (1)
When Simon arrived at his home near Central Park he was really exhausted. Having two large consecutive company meetings happening on Monday and Tuesday was really taking a toll on him. Even though it seemed very easy for him to manage everything, controlling three thriving companies and deciding the fate of their employees was very difficult, mentally.
The young entrepreneur couldn't even imagine the stress a real entrepreneur like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg had to suffer when leading Facebook and Tesla, because they didn't know what they were doing would be successful. At least everything Simon wanted to achieve was proven successful already by time itself.
His next important steps in his entrepreneurial journey would need to wait until April 5th, because he wanted to involve his three young trainee secretaries in the next process. This left him with roughly two weeks of free time. Even though he only returned from a long vacation not long ago and wanted to focus more on his work again, his free soul was already longing for a change of location. Why not just enjoy a few more weeks before venturing in the complicated world of business again?
After spending the rest of the evening in peace he gave the task of planning a trip to Miami to his private secretary. Honestly, planning a vacation by himself without having the luxury of the internet was really exhausting.
In general, travelling in the 1970s was completely different compared to his previous life. You wouldn't believe it without experiencing it yourself.
In the travel industry, by 1970 airlines had surpassed shipping lines as the dominant trans-ocean people movers following the introduction of jetliners early in the 60s. Within continents, bus travel (e.g. Greyhound) had replaced train journeys as major people movers.
Travel agencies were respectable and necessary businesses in large communities. Usually, I.A.T.A. (The International Air Transport Association) would only appoint one travel agency in an area with the privilege to able sell their member airlines. Airlines would provide the agency with their 'plate' so they could issue handwritten paper tickets. These chosen agents reported sales monthly and they then had 30 days to pay airlines.
Most agencies were financially successful because they had this exclusivity. They also belonged to another exclusive 'group' that sold tickets for ocean liners.
So, in 1970 if you wanted to go travelling, you really had to go to a travel agent.
For a number of years, package holidays (air and hotel included) had been operating in Europe, particularly from Britain to southern Spain. This concept was very new in North America in 1970.
No one was travelling to Asia. The Vietnam War was raging. China was still under Mao Zedong. A visit to Hong Kong was an adventure. In Europe, the Iron Curtain separated the USSR and its Eastern Block European satellites, including East Germany, from Western Europe. Tours into Eastern Europe and Russia had begun, but tourists had to go through a strict visa process and an official guide would accompany tourists.
The Middle East was relatively peaceful and overland journeys by bus or truck were actually travelling from Europe through Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, and India to Nepal. Some even travelled via Israel.
Kathmandu was the world mecca for travelling hippies.
At least Simon could travel via private airplane, making travel agencies unnecessary for him. The rich were privileged anyways. But he was heavily restricted when it came to traveling outside of the U.S and Europe. He visited Italy only one month ago, so travelling Europe wasn't piquing his interest enough. In the end he chose Miami as his destination for the next two weeks.
In the 1960s Miami was growing into a huge tourist attraction famous in the United States. But Simon was aware that Miami would face a very hard time in the coming years. Protests against war would turn Miami into a cradle of violence and the downfall would officially begin in the mid 1975s with the rise of drug cartels in Columbia.
Griselda Blanco was one of the most feared Colombian drug lords, and her reign of terror in 1970s Miami turned the tourist city into a city of sin. Griselda was a mysterious and terrifying woman, and her rise to power in the 1970s and 1980s led to the deaths of hundreds of people as her cartel dominated the streets of Miami, turning the city into a bloodbath. She betrayed countless friends and business associates over the years, but one person she didn't betray was Pablo Escobar, and despite the rumored couple's brief business relationship, there was no bad blood between the King and Queen of Cocaine.
There has never been a woman who achieved that level of prominence in any drug cartel. Ever
Simon was aware of the legendary stories told about Griselda Blanco and Pablo Escobar in his previous life. Meeting those two legendary drug lords was kind of on his bucket list, but right now he didn't feel strong enough to confidently deal with Columbian drug cartels. Once his business and influence could reach greater heights, he certainly wouldn't mind facing up to those legendary figures and maybe even take part in their history. Even though they were drug lords and ended very badly, nobody could deny the charisma and talent of those two.
Tens of thousands of people across Middle and South America wanted to turn their drug business into large and powerful cartels, but somehow those two were able to reach the peak of their business, becoming the King and Queen of Cocaine. You can't achieve this as an ordinary person.
Investing in them before they turn immensely powerful would allow Simon to gain access and influence in South America. Maybe this would be very helpful once his business empire stabilized, and his mind would turn from gaining wealth and influence to gaining power.
But for now, he only wanted to appreciate the beauty of Miami in the early 1970s and relax his mind one last time, before consecutive important business deals would keep him busy for months to come.