Isla Mujeres Stream #1

Introduction to Isla Mujeres

0:03 Alex here, and I'm here in Isla Mujeres, which is in Kentucky. Isla Mujeres, which is in Kentucky, and for those who aren't familiar, this is the Riviera Maya. It's a beautiful, beautiful, like, by the Caribbean. We're off the coast of Cancun.

0:23 Yeah, I'm hoping that the music in the background isn't getting picked up because I don't want to, of course, violate the rules about streaming audio. But feel free to ask away about Isla Mujeres or Mexico or just anything, really. I'm here for five more days. I'll be here until Sunday.

0:49 I'm loving the chance to practice my Spanish and to enjoy the sun. It's such beautiful weather here. It's really incredible. If you've never been here, I definitely recommend checking it out before the secret gets out anymore. I came here about four years ago and it was a lot fewer people.

1:07 But on the other hand, it is feeling good for the people that businesses here. I thought that just was here. She was really good. My friends would say he does a lot of good work here. And tourism is the lifeblood of this area, so it's not as much a mystery in Cancun. It's a lot more kind of geared towards providing services to tourists.

1:32 Businesses like aviation and voting.

1:41 Yeah, it's just so good, picture perfect here. I'll show you guys the beach okay, shortly. I just don't want to get too shaky with the phone because I know I can throw off...

Travel Backpack and Future Travel Plans

2:20 This is my travel backpack, but it definitely needs to get replaced pretty soon. I think when I started getting paid and my new opportunity, then I will probably replace my backpack with something a little bit more new. I've had this one for five years and it's been with me all over the world.

2:42 But yeah, I think after 15 countries, it might be time for a Manfrotto backpack, something a little bigger and something geared toward another five years because I want to do a lot more traveling in the next five years.

2:57 In the next five years, I think Turkey is on the list. What else is on the list for the next five years?

3:07 The water got higher. Turkey is a big one. Also, Argentina. I want to go back to Thailand, of course. Thailand has always been a special place in my heart.

3:28 So we got Thailand, Turkey, or Japanese.

3:55 India, of course, I haven't been yet, but I am Indian. And for Vietnam, my grandfather served over there. For Turkey, I think it just, I really want to just eat all the Turkish spirits. But now it's all the food I see coming out of Turkey, it's really, really good.

4:15 And Argentina, I think is another thing that, another place where I do want to try to choose. I also think it's interesting to kind of go to that place where you do get incredible value with dollars because for those who don't know, like one dollar right now, if you go for a blue dollar rate, you get like over 200 Argentine pesos.

4:34 So it's, you can really, really spend your money in Buenos Aires. And yeah, I think there's, there's arbitrage opportunities there. I'm all about geographic arbitrage and going to places that you get better value for money, even though this place has gotten more expensive.

4:53 In recent years, I think especially since 2018, it's probably, I would say it's at least 25% more expensive than in 2018. But it's still much, much cheaper than going to like Florida or going to like...

5:12 And you still get really interesting, like, you know, influences here. And you still have what you are in Mexico as opposed to being in the United States. But even the US, you do have like Mexican influence from...

5:29 in Los Angeles and in Texas and places that used to be part of Mexico.

5:39 I may have to switch to the mic on my phone just because my earbuds are dying, unfortunately. So I need to charge them up before I do another stream out here. But it's just really stunning.

5:49 So let's show you guys what's behind me. So we got the ocean, the Caribbean. It's so, so stunning. And then in front of me, where you saw the backdrop before, we have these beautiful trees. Like, right in there. So the palm trees are absolutely stunning.

6:10 And it's really an unforgettable place. The last time I was here, and I want to go see the same thing, but I'll show you if you can see where the boat is. The boat is like right out there.

6:26 And yeah, it's just really, really interesting because when I was out there before, oh, sorry for the background noise. So when I stopped there before, I saw like stingrays and I saw like manta rays. And I also saw some really interesting fish.

6:44 There is coral out there as well, like over in that direction. It's trying to show you. So like in that direction, near the Mia Resort, they have coral and they also have a variety of fish. I'm not the best with naming or identifying species, but there's a lot of variety here.

7:07 I'm sure if I need some looking, I could attach it to the video description. But yeah, I know it's the middle of the day, so a lot of people are busy. I hope you enjoyed checking this out.

Isla Mujeres Beach Experience

7:16 A little bit later on, when you get the opportunity, it's just so glad to be on vacation. It's just so nice to have a break from work and to be able to be here in Mexico and to share this with you all. This is my first live stream from another country, so that's a really big deal to me.

7:35 To be able to do this in another country, to have really good data. I think I got like 3.5 gigs for like $15, including the price of the SIM card. So that's, you know, it's not the cheapest in the world. I could get in Cambodia for like seven bucks.

7:51 But we are here in a really, really nice place. And so I don't mind paying a little bit more if I'm having these, like, once-in-a-lifetime kind of experiences. There's really nothing like this place. It's stunning.

8:04 Arguably one of the best beaches in the Caribbean, but even the world. I think I mentioned it earlier, perhaps in my test trial, but here you have...

8:21 Potentially be a little bit comfortable is like White Island in, um, on Chemical Island. So it's like right off Trending Island, and you can take like a boat over here, and it's stunning, white sand beaches, just like this.

8:35 And you really, really feel like it's your own place. Now, of course, this place is getting more busy, so there's a little bit less time to see. There's a bit more people, but if you go further out, if you swim further out, like I like...

8:49 Oh, hey, we got a viewer. Good to see you. Good to see you. I'm hearing this. I wanted to do a live stream at the beach.

9:03 I'm gonna have a little trouble reading messages, the live chat. Okay, there we go. Yeah, just great to see you. It's middle of the day. I know in the US, I guess it is evening in Europe, but...

9:25 I just saw the dentist this morning, and that went really well.

9:36 Hey Kiki, good to see you. Good to see you, PC. I guess it's around probably 8 PM in Ireland.

9:51 I do apologize for the shaking. I'm gonna try to sit down here and like prop my phone up so I can chat for a bit.

10:22 It's not that late. For some reason, part of me thought it would be later than that.

10:32 This is like the perfect place too for a live stream. I wish I was gonna be here for more than a week. I just love the palm tree in the background.

10:43 So I decided to come to Mexico. It's just so, so special.

11:08 In the US, it's quite chilly. Yeah, it is quite windy. I hope the audio is not too affected. It is pretty windy today. I think we may have a little bit of rain this afternoon.

11:20 But yeah, it's a nice breeze. I will say the water is a little bit chillier than when I was here in March of 2018. I think by March, April, it's warming up a bit more.

11:29 But it's super popular to come here right now because Chile here is of course much warmer than what we're used to in places like Ireland, places like the US.

11:44 I'm actually not that far from the US. I'm basically across the Gulf of Mexico from like Texas or Florida, in the Mexican Caribbean.

11:55 I would like to see some other places, but I think I'm going to run into the same thing I ran into last time I was here. Last time I was here, I had all these grand plans. I'm going to go here and I'm going to go there. I'm going to see Kazuma, I'm going to see Tulum, I'm going to see probably the apartment.

12:08 And then ultimately, I spent the entire week on this island because it's just such a nice place. It's so peaceful. You have around 12,000 inhabitants.

Diving and Snorkeling Opportunities

12:17 It is a bit busier than it was five years ago, I will admit. Four or five years ago, but it's still quite a nice place. And it's a double-edged storage. So I think I mentioned a little bit earlier, but on one hand, it is a bit busier, a bit more crowded. But the people who live here can do better business. You know, they can find work more easily and they can just have an easier time with that.

12:38 But I think I'm going to swap to my mic on my phone just because I need to charge my AirPods.

13:11 It's like something out of a movie. I can't describe it, but I look forward to just spending more time here. I definitely want to come back to this area again and again. I think it's a place I could come, like, I don't know, every couple of years.

13:26 It's just so nice here. And I ideally, like I wanted to do this, but I also was thinking I'm gonna be recovering from surgery and not be able to use it.

13:48 So next time I come down here, I should have an underwater camera. An underwater camera is toward the top of my list as far as things I'd like to buy to improve the content of the channel because I think there's a certain base level of equipment that you need to produce certain quality content.

14:05 Content that I want to produce and to make for you all. And that's going to come in time. But in the meantime, I still think there's some, there's some cool things to share and to show.

14:21 Definitely let me know what you think down in the comments of Isla Mujeres. It's really, really beautiful. I'll move my camera around a bit. Hopefully you guys can still hear me.

14:51 Lots of people getting sun. I'm enjoying the sun on my skin too. It just feels so good when compared to being in like darkness for so long in the US and working and being behind the computer.

15:10 So if you're somebody who likes ice cream, they have these gentlemen vending ice cream down the beach.

15:21 So he's got, yeah, he's got some ice cream there. Wait, there we go. Okay, yeah, I was trying to get me and him in the picture. But yeah, if you're somebody that likes ice cream, you want to enjoy your cold treats on the beach, this gentleman right here has got some great choices.

15:37 I had French toast for breakfast and I've also had a strawberry smoothie, so I don't need any ice cream right now. But I'm sure it would be really tasty.

16:05 Yeah, beautiful white sand beaches, different than the West Coast of the US. You guys see some more like...

16:09 Of the U.S., you guys see some more like, uh, cold water from the Pacific, and it's more geared towards surfing. Here, you're not going to see a lot of people surfing. I imagine there may be a few kind of surf spots, but this is the Atlantic, so it doesn't, uh, it doesn't necessarily have the variety of the quality of surfing that you have in the Pacific.

16:32 On the other hand, if you're somebody who likes to swim, you like to snorkel, you like to dive, there is a lot of opportunity for that here. So that's kind of the trade-off. It's also warmer, so you don't need a wetsuit to get in the water here, where I would suggest a wetsuit if you're going to be swimming in the Pacific or attempting to dive in the Pacific.

16:53 Of course, there's also not really like sharks here, unlike the Pacific because the water's too warm. They do have whale sharks here, and well, shark diving, of course. I'm a little bit skeptical of that because I think that from what I've read, feeding the whale sharks can kind of disrupt some of their behavior patterns. But on the other hand, that isn't the danger that you see in places like South Africa, places like, uh, Santa Cruz or San Francisco, near where I'll be living.

17:22 Just because, uh, yeah, that is a real concern. It's a real danger. There are, uh, you know, some attacks there in Northern California, but not the case here. That's something else I love about it is I haven't seen anything in the water here that would make me nervous.

17:40 We'll see how it goes. I apparently am lined up to interview a dive shop owner of the most. We haven't scheduled it, but a close friend of mine has connected us, my close friend who lives here on Isla Mujeres. And I'd like to interview the gentleman and kind of share about his business and provide some promotion for him to let everyone know because he is reputable.

18:03 And I do want this channel to serve as a vehicle for people to connect with, uh, good operators in the tourism industry because there's not all, not all people in tourism are great, you know. Some are providing better experiences or better value than others, and if I can kind of vouch for some of these people firsthand by going on these experiences, then I feel like I've done my job as far as the content creator goes.

Remote Work and Mexico Travel

18:37 There's, uh, there's a lot of variety. Of course, I'm not certified. I've thought about doing the diving certification, but I may not have enough time, uh, here on the island right now. So we'll see. It's much cheaper to get it done outside of the U.S. So if you're looking for like PADI certification, Honduras is actually very popular for that.

18:54 I thought about doing mine in the Philippines. I actually almost did in the Philippines when I was there last time, but I, I don't want to get it and then not be able to use it for a long time. So like my hope is I can get some remote work and then get certified and then be able to do it like, I don't know, every other weekend or something like that.

19:15 I just, I've come to terms with the fact that I like tropical places. I like warm weather, and, uh, it's probably going to be that way in the long term just because of my ethnic background. Most of my, uh, my genetic makeup is from places that are quite warm and tropical, and so that's probably why I feel better in the sun and I feel better in the warm weather and the heat.

19:39 And just about what I'm evolving for. Even Tennessee, where I grew up, is hot and humid too. It's ironic, but, uh, yeah.

19:52 I try and slap my earbuds in just because I hear some music and I don't want to get in trouble with YouTube.

20:01 Yeah, it's, it's, oh, it's really special. Um, see if I can take you guys into the water a little bit, or at least over the water.

20:32 The combination of the sun is, uh, and the water is a lot nicer, and just great clouds in the water.

20:50 And the waves are picking up a bit too, so perfect. I can't wait to just go jump in the water. I brought my, uh, camera gear with me, so I don't want to just leave it on the beach.

21:00 I've heard that because there's more people here now, it's a little bit less safe, a little bit more, uh, prone to, um, so that's something to be careful about. Is make sure to be careful with your valuables. I haven't had any issues.

21:27 He says I can't swim, so I'll just be able to admire the scenery, lol. Yeah, it's, it's, it's still gorgeous and, uh, yeah.

21:33 Something is challenging. I will say there are some areas that are kind of more shallow closer in that you can, uh, that's the word, you don't necessarily have to swim in some showers. But it is, if you've had someone, it's important to be very cautious, uh, with the ocean and to make an individualized decision on, uh, what you can kind of do.

21:57 It's, uh, the same, I agree. The scenery is really, really quite beautiful here. And you have, um, you have variety here. So you have like Isla, which I love and I'm partial to, but you also have Cozumel here. Uh, Tulum has gotten quite a bit more expensive, but, uh, still a really popular destination.

22:18 You have, uh, Puerto Morelos, which is a little bit sleepier, a little bit more, little keys. For example, that's changing. They're building a lot in Puerto Morelos, but they're really building a lot like around this whole area, just because it's really appealing for a lot of reasons.

22:32 The weather, the people, the beaches, the water. It's paradise. It's, it's really in paradise. It's paradise as much as, uh, as much as I think most people become more to come up with when it comes to their vision of paradise.

22:49 There is a fair amount of English on the island. It actually surprised me because, uh, when I was traveling in Colombia and in Peru, there's not as much English, especially outside of Bogota, especially outside of Lima. You're just not going to get that.

23:03 But because here they have so many western tourists, that, uh, a lot of the local service staff does have some basic English, especially on the island. I did do a little bit of walking in Cancun. It's a little bit less the case because thing does have, uh, the sort of, you have a tourist-based infrastructure, and then you have like what I would describe as like the support infrastructure, uh, for the people that support the tourism.

23:32 So like there's, uh, there's places that like you may go to see a, uh, a car mechanic or something like that. Well, he doesn't really need to know English as much because there's just not as many, uh, people getting their car, uh, fixed with English. You know, tourists are going to run plays for like a week or so and then go back. So they don't need to have English as much.

24:04 He says, "Yeah, so about Mexico though." But you also have, um, so here in Mexico, you also have.

24:24 Wade 76 says, "Landscape at, um, portrait mode." Okay. Oh, it's, "Please rotate the device back." Oh, I need to edit the orientation. Um.

24:37 Oh, well, that helped a lot because that flipped it around. Why? It's confusing why they don't want, uh.

24:59 I may not be able to, uh, I may not be able to get it in landscape mode on this one. I was trying to rotate it to start off, and it just, my phone wouldn't register that.

25:09 I am buying a new phone. I would say within the next three months, so I may just have to stick with, uh, portrait mode for now, just because it's not one to cooperate.

25:27 He says, "Yeah, so about Mexico though." But you also have, um, so here in Mexico, you also have.

25:36 Oh, okay. Thanks, Wade. Uh, so you also have like Mexico City, Mexico, uh, City of Mexico, and it's the capital city of Mexico. You've got like 20 million people. If you're a fan of kind of the Los Angeles vibe, I haven't been to Mexico City yet, but I've done a lot of research, and it's high on my list of cities.

25:36 Oh, okay. Thanks, Wade. Uh, so you also have like Mexico City, Mexico, uh, City of Mexico, and it's the capital city of Mexico. You've got like 20 million people. If you're a fan of kind of the Los Angeles vibe, I haven't been to Mexico City yet, but I've done a lot of research, and it's high on my list of cities.

25:52 So I have a list of countries I want to go to and a lot of a list of cities, and a lot of Mexican cities are super, super appealing to me because for me, I'm researching like remote working and like how I can take my career direction where I can work remotely. I am interviewing with some companies that I really want to work at. I'm hoping things go well.

25:52 So I have a list of countries I want to go to and a lot of a list of cities, and a lot of Mexican cities are super, super appealing to me because for me, I'm researching like remote working and like how I can take my career direction where I can work remotely. I am interviewing with some companies that I really want to work at. I'm hoping things go well.

26:10 I'm hoping that in the long term, if I can really demonstrate a lot of value for them, that they'd be comfortable with me living in a place like Mexico or in Latin America in general, because I can be on the same time zone. That's kind of one of the plans, you know.

26:10 I'm hoping that in the long term, if I can really demonstrate a lot of value for them, that they'd be comfortable with me living in a place like Mexico or in Latin America in general, because I can be on the same time zone. That's kind of one of the plans, you know.

26:25 Ideally, I love Southeast Asia, but I don't want to set myself up for failure 10, 20 years down the road to take much, much less money to do some kind of hustle in Southeast Asia. But I could be working for a reputable company in the Americas, saving money, contributing to social security, contributing to my IRA. These kinds of things that really are crucial to maintaining strong finances.

26:25 Ideally, I love Southeast Asia, but I don't want to set myself up for failure 10, 20 years down the road to take much, much less money to do some kind of hustle in Southeast Asia. But I could be working for a reputable company in the Americas, saving money, contributing to social security, contributing to my IRA. These kinds of things that really are crucial to maintaining strong finances.

26:49 Uh, so that's kind of something that is on my mind where I do look at places like Guadalajara, Mexico City, Cabo, as places that I want to research and I want to check out. I think that I will eventually do a trip where I spend several months in Mexico, where I do like a month in Mexico City, a month in Guadalajara, a month in Cabo, um, you know, Ensenada, Tijuana area.

26:49 Uh, so that's kind of something that is on my mind where I do look at places like Guadalajara, Mexico City, Cabo, as places that I want to research and I want to check out. I think that I will eventually do a trip where I spend several months in Mexico, where I do like a month in Mexico City, a month in Guadalajara, a month in Cabo, um, you know, Ensenada, Tijuana area.

Cultural Differences and Mexican Cuisine

27:15 And that way I get a real feel, uh, not just for what it's like to visit Mexico as the tourist, but what to Mexico. And I think it will be really interesting to see the differences and the similarities between Colombia and Peru. It's kind of funny, but I saw, you know, one of my Mexican friends here, and we were talking about travel, and it was similar to my conversation, the conversations I've had with Kiki, uh, where Kiki mentioned being interested in the United States, uh, because it's a little bit different than where she's from.

27:15 And that way I get a real feel, uh, not just for what it's like to visit Mexico as the tourist, but what to Mexico. And I think it will be really interesting to see the differences and the similarities between Colombia and Peru. It's kind of funny, but I saw, you know, one of my Mexican friends here, and we were talking about travel, and it was similar to my conversation, the conversations I've had with Kiki, uh, where Kiki mentioned being interested in the United States, uh, because it's a little bit different than where she's from.

27:40 And my friend said the same thing because I started talking about Colombia and Peru, Argentina, and he said, well, you know, we're a little bit more interested in America because it's different. It's different than what we're used to, Chile, Argentina, and these places are more similar to Mexico. So I thought that was kind of funny, and I could really relate to that because I love America.

27:40 And my friend said the same thing because I started talking about Colombia and Peru, Argentina, and he said, well, you know, we're a little bit more interested in America because it's different. It's different than what we're used to, Chile, Argentina, and these places are more similar to Mexico. So I thought that was kind of funny, and I could really relate to that because I love America.

28:01 But I also traveled a lot in America. That's something I've taken for granted for a lot that I've visited about two-thirds of the states. I've done a lot of what I want to do in the U.S. I'd say there aren't some things I still want to do, but there's a lot more things I haven't done in like Mexico and Canada and even Thailand.

28:01 But I also traveled a lot in America. That's something I've taken for granted for a lot that I've visited about two-thirds of the states. I've done a lot of what I want to do in the U.S. I'd say there aren't some things I still want to do, but there's a lot more things I haven't done in like Mexico and Canada and even Thailand.

28:18 Even Thailand, the place that I've spent a lot of time.

28:18 Even Thailand, the place that I've spent a lot of time.

28:22 That I've spent a lot of time, almost more than any country, comfortable with Colombia. There's a lot to see there as well, that's going to be really, really cool. But I've got to enjoy what I'm doing now and be in the moment.

28:33 And Mexico is really, really good for that. It's really good for being in the moment, for being present. And so it can be difficult to stream and do that kind of thing here while I'm on vacation, but it's crucial. I've got to share this stuff with the audience and with all of you.

28:57 Wade says, "Ever considered USA jobs or MWR jobs abroad? Use them to get you overseas and if you freelance or do extra jobs on the side." You know, I thought about that, Wade, and that is really, really interesting and appealing to me. I'll look into it.

29:14 What I'm looking at right now is moving back to Northern California because I can get a job that I'm hoping goes well. I'm scheduling my interview with the hiring manager tomorrow or Thursday. But it's with a reputable company and the deals and equities, so it would be kind of a route into the financial world.

29:34 And I think there's a lot to be done about having a career in finance. I'm fascinated with finance, it's really interesting. And kind of being able to get in a financial role where I can take that overseas and just have that one job. I have in the past done side hustles and things like that. Of course, you could call my YouTube a side hustle.

29:53 I put a lot more money into it than I've got now, not a big deal. But I like the idea of having a solid career with an employer that I know is going to keep winning in the long term. Without revealing too many details of this new opportunity, it is a job and an employer that I can stick with for 20, 30 years.

30:11 There are a few companies like that, but this company has been around for at least, I think, 100 years. And so that is a pretty big appeal to me. Hey, we got some more people, good to see you all.

30:31 But yeah, that's a great, great question, Wade. I am considering that, and that could be a backup plan. Like if this opportunity doesn't work out, I want to continue to look at opportunities that could lend themselves to me making an American salary but living in a much lower cost of living. I want that arbitrage where I'm earning a larger sub, but then getting really good value for my money.

30:51 Mexico certainly provides that. There's a lot to be said about the value that I experienced up here in Cancun. Arguably, Cancun provides less value than say, some other places that aren't tourist hotspots, where here you're not just competing with local Mexican people to purchase things, but you're also competing with tourists from around the world.

31:14 Germany, UK, Ireland, United States, even Japan. I'm pretty sure I saw some Japanese tourists earlier. I've definitely seen some Chinese tourists here. It's getting a lot more international here because previously, I think people associated Mexico with extreme danger. And now people are starting to find out, hey, they're just trying to keep it a secret. It's actually a wonderful place to be.

31:37 I'm not gonna say it's as safe as some places in the U.S., but honestly, I feel a lot safer here than in the U.S. It's really a tough discussion sometimes with other Americans. They're like, 'Oh, you're going to Mexico? It's been so bad, isn't it such a big deal?' And I'm like, I feel safer here than I do like in my home city, like Nashville in Tennessee.

31:56 Doesn't feel like that's safe to be honest. There are crime issues in that city. Mr. Garcia says, "Hola brother, have a safe stay and don't forget to smell the roses." Thank you so much, Mr. Garcia. I will definitely be smelling the roses. I'm enjoying this ocean breeze. It smells incredible, the saltwater and the beautiful sun and the ceviche I had.

32:25 Some wonderful ceviche. Oh, it's so good. The ceviche here, in my opinion, it's different than Peruvian ceviche. I think it's, if I had to rank it, I think it's better, at least what I had. I'm better than the ceviche in Cusco, but perhaps not as good as the ceviche in Lima.

32:51 But of course, ceviche is a Peruvian dish. I wouldn't, well, it could be, I guess you could call it Mexican. I'm not even saying it was not as good, only that in Peru, they have certain ingredients that they don't have here. So they're like the Aji Amarillo pepper, they didn't have that here.

33:08 And I really like that. Now, maybe they presented to me, I just didn't see it. But that's something I do like. I like that spice, I like that beef. And so when I do go to some places here, I am looking for that pepper sauce, that hot sauce, the real kick that you can get from those foods.

33:25 That's something that I love about traveling in Mexico is that there's no shortage of flavors. Even in the U.S., I'm eating Mexican food like at least two times a week. I should be able to come to Mexico and have Mexican food here, and it's a real treat. And it's something I don't take for granted.

33:45 Like the, there's so much, it's hearty. You know, that's the way I would describe a lot of Mexican food as, it's hearty. Generally, you have your protein, you have your fat. It's hearty and it's flavorful. You have, I like beans, you have rice, you have avocado, you have lime juice. It's all these things in combination that every bite is satisfying.

34:17 And also, you know, something else I think too is, you're seeing some people in Mexico really get ahead and really enter the middle class. Like, as they mentioned, this place is more and more appealing to Mexican people. It's not just the Europeans, it's not just the Americans, but it's also local Mexican people that they want to go to the beach too.

34:37 They want to enjoy the ceviche, they want to enjoy the sand and the sun and the water. And so it's, I like to see that. I don't like to go just to places where you only see western people are able to access this kind of thing.

Community and Personal Growth

34:53 I'm looking forward to February. Mr. Horses, I'm looking forward to February. I'm getting 15 days in Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding area. That's perfect. 15 days is perfect. I'm just here for seven in total. I wish I could do two weeks because you really get to relax a bit more and get a little bit more into the day-to-day of things with a couple of weeks.

35:14 I am grateful for the time I have here. I'm so fortunate to have friends that live here on the island and they do host me, which is extremely generous and considerate. I hope to be in that position myself one day, as far as being able to host people, because I think it's just so wonderful to share Mexico with people like the way that he can.

35:35 Because uh, he talked me into it, my friend Jose, that lives here in Isla. Because when he told me about it, you know, we were kept together at Burning Man. And each of us in that camp at Burning Man was tasked with preparing one meal for the whole camp. And we had around, I'd say we had around 30 people in camp, maybe 25.

35:57 And so each meal, somebody would have to prepare 25 different meals. I think I'm going to get up and move just because there's a little bit of noise around here. Yeah, we're just gonna run over to this other palm tree.

36:38 So yeah, so uh, what was I talking about? Um, oh yeah, so Burning Man. So Jose and I camped together at Burning Man, and each person had to prepare one meal during the event. And I made, I think I made like falafels. Yeah, I think I made like falafels and served them with pita and hummus. And Jose made tacos.

37:00 And Jose's tacos were the best meal of the entire week. And I got to talking with Jose. I was like, Jose, I eat tacos like all the time in my home city. I think that when it comes to food, at least in America, Latinos are some of the only people that are serving substantial portion sizes. A lot of these restaurants I go to, I'm still hungry after I eat there.

37:23 But that doesn't happen with Mexican food. It doesn't happen. They're serving so much food that I actually am satisfied. It's hard to satisfy me when it comes to portions. And so here's me, you should come down. I'm like, ah, but I've heard, you know, some things. And he's like, oh no, where I am is safe, it's beautiful.

37:41 And so I took his word for it and I came down about four years ago, and it blew my mind. It was so different than what I expected. It kind of was Pandora's Box for me in a way when it comes to travel because after I realized a lot of people are lying about Mexico or they're just talking about what they've heard on the news.

38:02 I realized, oh wow, there's a lot of places out there that I'm sure are really, really wonderful, beautiful places that I just haven't really considered before. That they have a lot to offer, but because there's some kind of stigma, or maybe it was dangerous 30, 40, 50 years ago, that it's still dangerous today. And that's not the case.

38:31 Wade says, "I saw a crazy video about the Guanajuato exploding camera festival." Yeah, that's pretty well, that doesn't sound too safe. Wait, but I'm sure it's a blast. I don't know if I could handle an exploding hammer festival. Um, I think I'm a little bit more interested in perhaps some of the traditional festivals like Cinco de Mayo, also, uh, Dia de los Muertos.

38:55 So they have the, these kinds of things that are an important part of Mexican history. That's another thing too, like if you're a fan of history, if you want to learn about world history, if you want to learn about history in the Americas. Um, sometimes I get a little bit tired of hearing about American history because it usually gets political, which tends to be divisive, right?

39:14 I'm more community-minded. I like coming together and that kind of thing. Uh, then here you can learn about politics. And yes, there is tragedy. I'm not gonna downplay the tragedy in Mexico, but it's, it's different. You know, maybe it's just me, maybe it's just the people I know, but it seems like people here are a little bit more in touch with Mexican independence.

39:37 You know, Mexican, American independence happened in the late 1700s. I think Mexican independence didn't happen until like the early 1800s, so several decades later. And you could say that Mexico is continuing to establish itself, where the U.S. in some ways seems a bit more established on the world scale. I think.

40:00 Established on the world scale, I think Mexico still feels like they're growing more and more. There is that attitude of optimism here. I asked my buddy from Venezuela about that, I was like, "Why does it seem like so many people in Latin America are so optimistic?" And he's like, "Well, that's all we got sometimes. All we have is the optimism." So yeah, it's something to think about too, is that in some of these places where people have had more difficult lives, or at least the average person has a more difficult life, people are a little bit more in touch with what's important to them, I think.

40:40 For me, coming to these places has allowed me to become more in touch with what's important to me. Friendly people are important, living in a community, a high-trust community where people trust each other, they like each other, they greet each other. You see people that have been friends for decades meeting at the same cafes, the same restaurants. This kind of thing is just really, really appealing to me.

41:10 You know, when I was younger, I liked the change. I wanted everything to change, oh, it needs to change. And the older I get, the more I'd like things to stay the same. So, come back here and see Jose after four years is really, really wonderful. To see Maurice, who's a partner, Maurice, she's really wonderful as well. It's really, really a special thing.

Travel Philosophy and Military Service

41:31 I am getting that thing where the Walters World talks about, for those who don't know, Walter's World is one of my favorite travel YouTubers. He talks about people asking him, "Hey, are you going here? Are you going there?" He says, "Well, you know, next year, our goal is to go back to a lot of places we've already been. We want to go see our friends." He wants to go to Argentina, he studied abroad there, he wants to go back to Argentina and see his old friends.

41:54 Same with like Portugal, he went to Portugal and Italy as well. So, these are some things to consider: if you do really like a lot of research on places that you want to go and places you want to spend your time, you may end your search early. You may find yourself like, "I want to go back to the same places over and over again" instead of constantly looking for new places.

42:17 I will say the next place I go is probably going to be a new place. Even if I go back to Southeast Asia, depending on how much time I have, I'd like to start off in like Vietnam and then work my way over to Thailand. I'd also like to visit Cambodia, but Vietnam I haven't been to yet. And I've had some Vietnamese-American friends, and I think that it would be really enlightening to go to that place and visit Hanoi, visit Saigon, visit the beaches of Vietnam. I've heard Natrang and Danang are both wonderful beaches that you can have this wonderful beach experience. They're one of the most budget-friendly, if not the most budget-friendly beaches in the world, are in Vietnam.

43:00 And yeah, that's super, super appealing. Oh, thanks so much for... Wade says, "Join the military, do four years in the IT field, then get set up with VA benefits, and you get disability and education benefits that can be used abroad."

44:22 You know, I've really been thinking about that. I'm not gonna lie, I really have been thinking about joining voluntarily. I actually read to an Air Force recruiter, and I think that would be a really smart, kind of conservative approach to the living abroad thing. I really like this YouTuber, his name is Forest Lee. If you guys haven't seen him, he's, I think he's Chinese-American, ethnically Chinese but from America. And he, I don't know if he's retired from the military or if he just finished out his contract, but he lives in Thailand and makes a lot of really, really cool content out there. So check him out. Forest, F-O-R-R-E-S-T, and then Lee is his last name.

45:05 Coast Guard? Okay, yeah, I'll look into the Coast Guard as well. It seems like a really smart way to kind of have that baseline where, for my understanding, you know, if you stay long enough, you do get these benefits and they stay with you for the rest of your life. My grandfather, he was actually in the service, he served 20 years in the Army, and that service has basically granted my grandmother healthcare for the rest of her life, and she also gets, of course, his military pension and really has done a lot to take care of her.

45:48 I think that's a really good option for a lot of young guys and gals to consider if they're growing up in the US, they want to live abroad, they know they want to explore other countries, they want to try this kind of lifestyle out. They're going to have that reliability. You know, it provides a bit more predictability or stability than safe freelancing. I think freelancing is really, really good for a lot of people. I did freelance a little bit in the past as far as sales, but I think that the US military, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. And you're talking about institutions that have stood the test of time. I think there are a few today that are really comparable.

46:30 And you know, they're not going to run out of money. You know, they're not going to delay payment, which can be a hassle in freelancing. Even if you're like a freelancing attorney, an attorney I hired several years ago, a friend of mine worked for him and told me he even had a hard time tracking down payments. And that seems like the last kind of person you want to mess with, to be a lawyer. But Coast Guard is the best military, non-military, stateside. Four years passes quickly, lots of benefits.

46:57 Yeah, you know, I'm going to look more into that and I'm going to reach out. I'm going to reach out to the Coast Guard recruiter and try to check that out a bit more. I think I could, I'd have to get a waiver because I'm 29. That's kind of what appealed to me about the Air Force is, Air Force will allow you to join even up to like 39 years old, or I think at least be employed by the Air Force up to 39. As far as lower positions, I'm sure there, the general, the higher-ups, there's more leeway and forgiveness as far as age goes that I tend to see. People like the general ranges, people that are more in like the 50s and you know, that kind of age range.

47:32 But yeah, strongly, strongly recommend checking out the military, considering the military if you're a young person and you don't have tons of family money and connections, but you want the lifestyle. The internet has really democratized a lot of these kinds of things. You know, that's the thing about places like Mexico is, it seems like at one time, in a less global society, it would be much more difficult to come to this place with no Spanish and no internet.

48:13 Okay, cool. No, wait, says no age waiver needed for 29, so I would be... Cool, yeah, I'll definitely hit you up if I decide. Wait, I really appreciate you mentioning that. It's a strong opportunity, certainly, to all the viewers. If that's something you're interested in, if you are in the US or an American, then I would consider it because I also really admire the military for being able to teach young people discipline. I think the discipline, in some ways, is lacking for a lot of young people, and I think that a lot of young people want that direction, they want responsibility, they're craving it, especially, I think, a lot of young men in the US.

48:55 But due to various circumstances, tragedies, like in my case, my father passed when I was 10, my mother passed when I was eight. So I just didn't have that, that just wasn't an option. It wasn't a personal responsibility situation at that point, because certainly children are responsible for the tragedy. But what I will say is that even though I've gone through these things, and it's not my fault for going through these things, it is my responsibility to address these things. It is my responsibility to do the best I can, to work hard, to give it my all, and my job to try to bring my best self to my relationships and to every aspect of life.

49:29 One of my favorite quotes is, "How you do anything is how you do everything." And it's really important, I think, to have discipline to iron out those weak spots. Through something you don't know about, if it's health, if you have insecurities about your money, if I don't know, you have any kind of issues, which we all do. Fifty percent of your efforts need to be attempting to sort those out, and I'd say the other fifty percent needs to be self-acceptance, self-love. For example, if you have a serious disability that's not solvable, well, you can't just work hard to fix that kind of thing in some cases, right? As you have to say, "You know what? I'm going to love myself even though the situation isn't ideal." But on the other hand, you have to think, "Okay, I'm in this situation." Like in my case, not having folks, I could just give up and go live on the street in a box. Of course, I didn't do that. I don't do that. I worked really hard.

50:29 Unfortunately, I earned enough. I'm in a country like the US where I can earn enough to pay my own way, but I really took initiative on my part. And I don't think I would be as disciplined as what I do have if I hadn't had influence from my grandfather up until I was about three, he passed away.

Life Lessons and Future Streams

50:48 He's a really, really good guy and really gave everything for our country. Thank you so much for your service, Wade. I really appreciate it. I appreciate all service members, anybody who makes these significant sacrifices for the United States. They deserve our respect.

51:26 Something else you mentioned, Wade, is that you could stay stateside. I go back and forth on that. Sometimes I have interest in the idea of living overseas or being stationed overseas, but I also worry. What if I get stationed in Siberia? What if I get stationed in the Middle East? I think the stereotype is that you'll get stationed somewhere like Okinawa, a tropical paradise, but the reality is there are limitations on how much control you have over where you're stationed.

52:01 Wait says, "I was U.S. Marine Corps to Iraq after about 11 years. Finished the contract and joined the Coast Guard so I could help save lives." I see. Well, thank you so much for your service in the Marines.

52:22 My perception from the research I've done is that the Marines have some of the most stringent requirements and highest standards in the U.S. military for physical tests, cleaning, and many other things that some other branches may be more relaxed about. I think you really deserve more credit for attempting to not go the easy route, because being a Marine is certainly not easy. I would not call the U.S. Marine Corps easy at all; it's a difficult branch and a really important institution.

53:09 I think I'm going to go for about seven more minutes. That'll be about an hour, and then I've got to roll back to pay my dentist. I had about 80% of what I needed to pay her, and then I needed to hit up the ATM to get the rest. She's going on vacation, and I started about 3 PM.

53:53 USA 2010. Wow, that's been 11 years now. That's really something else. Congratulations. Service members, they come back from overseas and they feel like strangers in their own country.

54:18 Oh, I see. By choice. Okay, cool. And so you've gotten to explore a lot of these places, being paid to do so, rather than coming out of pocket like me. You're actually able to have money coming in.

54:41 When they don't really plan out what they're going to be doing, they imagine themselves drinking margaritas on the beach. That's wonderful for a week, but that's not a real life. That's not a lifestyle. That's not the same as having purpose and contributing and knowing what you're going to do most of the time. Having a base to build your life around, like for these 40, 50, or 60 hours a week. I know sometimes they have long duty shifts, and in some cases, you could be on call 24 hours. You've got things to do, and you kind of do the fun things around that, rather than trying to find enough fun things to fill up your day.

55:28 I think he says, "I fear it'll take the size of the Philippines to fully rebuild the infrastructure. Destruction was absolutely shocking. The whole island got hit pretty hard, pretty bad." Wade says, "I visited the Philippines without stationing in Guam." That's so sad. I haven't looked at the pictures yet, but I know from what I've heard from Paul, he and May have been having to go into town to a coffee shop and limit it to like one hour just to get internet service. They don't have internet, the power is out, and they don't have water.

56:08 That's just a horrible tragedy. It's really sad because it really hurt a lot of poor Filipinos the hardest, the people living in flood-prone areas, the low-lying areas, perhaps where the land is a bit more marshy or harder to be productive on. I'm really sorry to hear that. I actually dated a woman from Bohol when I visited Cebu in 2019. She talked about how her family has a resort there on Bohol and they do some farming.

56:51 I tried to check in with her, but maybe she moved on. We were kind of a thing, and then the Philippines closed down. I got into work and being busy, and wasn't able to stay in touch with her as well as I wanted to. People have to move on. That is kind of the sad part about world travel: you have to accept that some of the people in the places you left behind can't wait around forever. Not that I didn't make any promises, but if you want to build and have ongoing gains, you may have to research and find places that make you the happiest, and then focus on going back to those places over and over again.

57:43 But yeah, definitely keep the Philippines in your thoughts if you're following my channel because it's a really difficult time over there. A lot of people are already beaten down from the pandemic restrictions, not being able to serve tourists. To take it a step further, a lot of destruction has happened. People have lost their homes, their businesses, their family members, everything in some cases. I'm definitely going to be trying to research, read about that, and talk about that on my next stream. I'm bringing a little more awareness to it now because we don't talk about it as much in the United States. If you're not connected to the Philippines, you're just not as familiar.

58:28 I should check in with Menchie as well. I have a friend named Minji, she's a Filipina. Her family still owns property in Cebu, but we went to grade school together in Nashville. I'm going to check in with her and make sure her family that's still over in Cebu is okay.

58:52 Wade says, "I visited the Philippines in 2016, 2018." Good choices. The Philippines is incredible. I love the Philippines. If the infrastructure were better when it comes to internet, I would probably live in the Philippines long-term. The only issue I had was just trying to get service, even in Cebu City, was really, really quite difficult. For me, because I have to make such a strong commitment to working online, I can't compromise. That's non-negotiable for me as far as world travel. I need strong internet because if I'm going to travel for six months at a time, I can't just take a six-month long vacation. I've got to be able to have some money coming in.

59:39 And also, I get bored easily. So for me, working a lot and being productive helps stave off boredom. Trying to get things done, trying to help people, trying to do the hard stuff. One of my favorite quotes is, "Hard decisions, easy life. Easy decisions, hard life." It is a tough decision to go to a lot of these places and be working. There are times where I'm like, I just want to put up the computer and go for a walk through the city or walk along the beach, and I have to get things done. I still have to contribute to the teams and the people that are reliant upon me to be successful.

1:00:23 But yeah, I think we're at the top of the hour. If you guys want to just get in any last questions, I really appreciate you all joining me today at Isla Mujeres. It's really a stunning, beautiful place. I'm looking forward to the rest of my week here. I'm going to be going swimming, snorkeling, maybe do some scuba diving. Definitely going to be doing plenty of walking and filming. I want to try to film buildings of Isla, but it might be a little bit difficult. My legs are already pretty beaten up from the amount of walking I've done.

1:00:56 Even so, it'd be really cool to share a building's video because there's plenty of videos out there on Isla, but not as much focusing on the architecture, which is so fascinating to me. I don't know, there's a stereotype that you're going to go to other countries and see only tin shacks and mud huts, which is not the case at all. I see people living in absolutely stunning homes, gorgeous homes. Most people, in my opinion, would be incredibly proud to live in well-maintained homes.

1:01:32 Wait says, "Enjoy watching your channel. Your outlook and problem-solving is so motivating." Thank you so much, Wade. I really appreciate that. I really appreciate you taking the time to share about your experiences in the Coast Guard. I thank you for your service and your contributions to our country and to the world.

1:01:49 And yeah, I hope you guys have a wonderful week ahead of you. It's so beautiful here. Wherever you are, I hope if it's cold, at least you're cozy and you have hot food on the table. So, yeah, until next time, I'll see you all later.