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The video itself remains the source of truth.
The Philippines, particularly Dumaguete, offers a unique blend of timeless beauty, rich history, and vibrant culture that fosters a strong sense of community and belonging, contrasting sharply with the rushed pace of Western life.
The video begins with the host in Dumaguete, Philippines, experiencing a persistent rainy night. He shares his personal anecdote of getting caught in a sudden downpour, which leads to a reflection on the different perspectives people have towards weather, contrasting his own initial annoyance with the local appreciation for rain as a life-giving element. This sets the stage for a broader discussion about the pace of life and cultural differences observed in the Philippines compared to Western countries.
The conversation then shifts to the host's content creation efforts, including an upcoming interview with Chad Foster Explorers and preparations for a job interview. He touches upon the challenges of editing backlog and the split attention required by these tasks. The host also discusses his travel plans and the allure of exploring various islands and regions within the Philippines, highlighting places like Guimaras Island, Iloilo City, and the historical significance of lighthouses. He emphasizes the value of slow travel and immersing oneself in a location for an extended period to truly understand it.
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the unique charm of Dumaguete, described as a city with a small-town feel that fosters strong community bonds and a sense of belonging. The host contrasts this with the often rushed and less connected nature of life in the US, noting how the Philippines offers a more relaxed pace and a greater appreciation for social interactions. He also addresses the growth of his YouTube channel, expressing gratitude for his audience and the positive feedback he receives, while also touching upon technical difficulties like a faulty charger that might cut the stream short. The host concludes by reiterating his love for the Philippines and his desire to continue exploring its rich history, culture, and natural beauty.
Life in Dumaguete Philippines offers a unique blend of a slower pace and strong community bonds, contrasting with the hurried nature of Western life. It's a place where people appreciate the present moment and genuine social interactions are paramount, fostering a sense of belonging.
Dumaguete Philippines provides a welcoming environment for expats seeking a community-oriented lifestyle and a relaxed pace. The city's charm lies in its small-town feel, making it easier to integrate and build genuine connections.
The pace of life in Dumaguete is notably slower and more relaxed than in many Western countries. Locals tend to appreciate the present moment, including elements like rain, which are viewed as life-giving rather than inconvenient.
Community culture in Dumaguete is a significant draw, offering a strong sense of belonging and genuine social interactions. This emphasis on connection provides a fulfilling experience that can be harder to find in more transient Western lifestyles.
Philippines travel offers diverse experiences, from exploring historical sites and natural beauty to immersing yourself in local culture. Places like Dumaguete provide a welcoming and community-oriented environment, with an 'old meets new' dynamic combining traditions and a growing digital scene.
0:20 I'll start up when uh we get some folks in here. Apologies, I'm so sorry. My hands are balancing my laptop.
1:29 Hey Gerard, good to see you. Oh wow, we already got five people on here. How's everybody doing? It's a rainy night here in Dumaguete. That's why my hair looks like this. Got some weird, like, I don't know, yeah, got a weird hairdo right now. I thought I was going to be cool because I rode my trike out to where I'm living, and uh, I get about 10 feet off the trike toward the access road to where I'm living right now, and then the rain just all of a sudden starts pouring.
2:03 Did you get the vid? I'm not sure which video you mean, Gerard. But how's everybody doing tonight? Where, how's the weather where you're at?
2:33 Oh yeah, thanks for sharing that. Yeah, it's, it's pretty rough. I've been very fortunate, but certainly, you know, many people are struggling. It's, yeah, really bad inclement weather. I'm not sharing anything that anybody doesn't know, but one of my, you know, friend of a friend, I would like to meet him, I haven't yet. I have yet to meet him, but Monty, he, he got really, um, banged up. I'm so, I'm keeping him in my thoughts. He was, he was taking a ferry, and I, I don't want to dig too much into what you could argue as his personal business, but he's shared this publicly, so it's not something I necessarily feel like is, you know, I'm keeping him in my thoughts for sure.
3:33 It's really unfortunate. And hey Kyle, good to see you. Welcome, welcome to the live stream. Yeah, it's just really the weather has just been wild. It was, you know, the whole like for a month straight, the weather was fantastic. And I was thinking, we're gonna pay for this. We're gonna pay for this nice weather, and this is the payment. It's like a week of heavy rain, wind. It just seems intermittent, like it'll go away, and you'll go walk for 15, 20 minutes, and all of a sudden it just starts coming down. And it'll lighten up, and it'll come back down, and it's just an on and off thing. So everybody's, a lot of people, I think, have just been kind of chilling out at home, having more rest time, and just trying to, you know, enjoy themselves a bit in, you know, at home, in spite of the bad weather in town.
4:49 I'm doing a little bit of prep. I actually have an interview I put together with Chad Foster of Chad Foster Explorers. If you haven't already, I recommend checking out his channel. I'm sure most of you are familiar, but yeah, I sat down and chatted with Chad a couple weeks ago. Finally got it edited. I'm super backed up on editing, guys. I've got like five, probably five or six in the tank that I need to get completed. But I've also been prepping for this job interview I have tomorrow night, so that's about 24 hours from now. And, uh, so I've been kind of my attention's been a bit split. But yeah, it's...
5:32 It's, yeah, it's just been super busy. I did kind of chill out on Saturday too, over the weekend. I just needed like a little bit of time to slow down. But, yeah, hopefully this weather will kind of clear up later in the week. I think tomorrow shouldn't be too bad, so hopefully tomorrow, everybody will come out from home and be able to come hang out and socialize. And, uh, yeah, in spite of all that, I did meet up with a friend of mine tonight, new friend. And that was great. He's not on social media, so I'm not gonna go too much into it. But yeah, great opportunity.
6:11 If any of you are in the same place that I'm in, wherever I am in the world, feel free to reach out. I'm approachable. I may be a little bit confused at first because this is so new to me, having people approach me in public or want to meet up with me. But, uh, I'm not too good or too cool to meet up with any of you. I will say that may change in the future as the channel grows. The channel may get to a size where it's just simply not manageable to do so without like a large group setting, right? Just because that tends to be easier logistically. But, uh, yeah, Thailand and Vietnam have been suffering from heavy flooding. It's really rough. I noticed that the US, I think they sent a million dollars to Vietnam, and the EU sent, I think, additionally some money to try to help with kind of the recovery effort. It's, yeah, it's hitting hard this year. I mean, there's no way to sugarcoat it. The weather is just really inclement. I don't know if that's the proper grammar right there, but, uh, yeah.
7:18 I'm looking forward. You know, I don't know if I get an offer, I got to go back. But if I'm still here in November, December, I am looking forward to that weather. It tends to be a lot milder, cooler, perfect weather time of year for this part of the world. But to get there, we've got to get through, you know, the rainy season, the monsoon season. And, uh, it's, you know, my heart goes out to the people of Thailand and to Vietnam, also the Philippines, anybody anywhere in the world that's struggling with bad weather out of their control. I, uh, yeah, I keep you in my thoughts.
7:55 Hey, great, great to see you, Buick. It's, yeah, great guy. Really fortunate to sit down and chat with him a few weeks ago. And, uh, yeah, thanks so much for chiming in. It's been wild to meet all these wonderful people from all over the world. It's, it's definitely opened my eyes in a lot of ways I didn't realize was going to happen. But the Philippines is awesome because of the Filipino people. I'm always meeting wonderful Filipino people, but I'm also meeting a lot of expats, foreigners that I never would have the chance to meet back in the US. And if I met, if I went to their country, they're often so busy with work, you know, they don't really have time to stop and chat in the way that they do here. So I'm learning so much here, like about so many different topics. And, uh, yeah, 14 people watching, thank you so much everybody for joining. If you haven't already, please give us a thumbs up. It really helps with the algorithm.
9:02 I'm, I'm just finishing up uploading the interview I did with Chad. It looks like it'll technically be coming out tomorrow. Channel members will have early access to that, and then it'll be public access tomorrow evening, which will technically be Wednesday morning for those in the US. But yeah, what's, how, how's everybody doing? Anybody got any interesting plans for this week or maybe this upcoming weekend?
10:11 Here, it's, uh, yeah, I'm mostly just going to be trying to stay dry the next few days. I think tomorrow should be better. I think Friday will be rainy, so kind of an opportune time, right? Because we all like to go out on Friday night, and it's normally a night where I'd be excited to catch up with a lot of friends. And, uh...
10:35 It's, I'll keep that in mind, Buick, for next time. Unfortunately, the way YouTube's set up, I'd have to use a third-party service to be able to invite you to the chat. But I'd be happy to do that next time, definitely. I'll make a note of that for sure, because I think you'd be a really interesting guest to chat with and share your perspective with the audience.
11:00 It's, yeah, for those who don't know, Buick has many a multi-decade long kind of experience with the Philippines. And I think it's so interesting to chat with somebody that experienced the country prior to social media. I think a lot of us who are here post-social media have an easy time by comparison. We can pull up Google Maps, we can look up YouTube videos, we can do a ton of research. It doesn't feel like the amount of information that you have out there. It just doesn't feel that strange to be over here. I've adjusted really quickly. It's certainly different from the US, I'm not going to lie and say it's just like the US or Australia or the UK. It's very different, but in other ways, it's very similar. Or it's not similar, the information access is similar, such that you can learn so much from watching videos. I mean, Mike's got like 1100 videos, Paul has tons of videos. You know, there's just so much content out there that you can browse and get a strong sense of what to expect and what not to expect.
12:06 There have been some things that I wasn't expecting, but the amount of information that I felt like I was missing, I felt like I got 80% of what it would be like to be in Dumaguete, and probably 20% I needed to be boots on the ground to fully get. But you know, you hear a lot of the bloggers talk about like Robinson's Mall, where I went today. You're hearing about places like Valencia up in the mountains, you're hearing about Dau where they have a lot of dive resorts, you're hearing about Siulan where the airport's at. It's, you really get a strong sense of like what the area has on offer. And it's, you also get a sense if that's not your thing, right? Some people, they're just not as into the idea of being in a foreigner area where foreigners are prevalent. They prefer more of what I would call an immersive experience where they might be the only foreigner in town, or they might be one of very few foreigners in town. And there's nothing wrong with that. I think this country has something to offer to everybody. It just really depends on what your preference is.
13:10 And getting a sense of what you like and what you aren't as much of a fan of, and traveling around, doing what I would call a discovery trip, getting out there, seeing what's going on, seeing the different islands. I've just heard about so many places I need to check out. I there's more places I need to go check out with boots on the ground, talking to friends and other foreigners, expats, travelers that I just didn't really fully appreciate when I was halfway around the world or even in a neighboring country or like mainland Southeast Asia. You really hear certain names of places pop up over and over and over again, you're like, okay, I got to go there. Like El Nido is one of those places that half of my friends seem to be telling me, man, you got to go check out El Nido. Why don't we pull that up on a map actually? That would be really nice to just have that kind of visual aid.
14:10 There we could just go ahead and pull this map up here. El Nido, C. Yeah, so El Nido, it's, um, so I'm down here in Dumaguete.
14:21 I'm down here in Dumaguete, and what I would have to do to get to Malapascua is I'd probably end up taking a six-hour bus ride up to Bohol. And then from Bohol, I think you could take a ferry over to Malapascua. I've also been hearing about Guimaras, like this island is supposed to be super nice. That right off the bat gets my attention.
14:57 It's just such an interesting country. It's so beautiful. I mean, some places in the modern world, you see like every five or 10 years, things change. But there's parts of the Philippines that are just so timeless. There's something where you look at the beautiful ocean and you're like, that'll be beautiful 100 years from now. There's nothing about that that's like, oh man, that looked cool 5 or 10 years ago, or 20 or 30 years ago, but now it's irrelevant.
15:35 No, I mean, this is a beautiful blue, turquoise water ocean. You have these beautiful trees. You feel like you can relax. Of course, the classic architecture and this monastery, I should say this lighthouse here. Let's see here, we could zoom in. In 1857, the general plan for lighting of marine coasts in the Philippine archipelago was drafted and implemented by the Corps of Engineers for Roads, Canals, and Ports.
16:04 The Guimaras Lighthouse, Faro de Punta Luzaran, is the second oldest lighthouse in the Philippines. Wow, I had no idea this was here. By the way, I just pulled up Guimaras because it's across from Iloilo, and now I'm seeing like one of the oldest lighthouses in the country here on maps. The structure is made of pre-fabricated metals from France, the tiles from Portugal, and the cement from England.
16:32 Okay, that makes sense because Faro is a city in Portugal. I've been to Faro, it's a really beautiful place. And the cement from England. This 18th-century Spanish ruin is very visible during nighttime to guard barques passing through the Guimaras Strait. Very cool, so it's, I guess it's still in use.
16:52 Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's really interesting that they still are using it to help navigate the waters and the beautiful blue skies of the Philippines. There's just something I find to be so timeless about this country.
17:21 And then they've got these smaller islands, Enam Pungan, so Resorts. Oh wow, white sand beach. I'm a fan of these. This looks like the beach near Sigay. This is stunning. These people look like they're having a blast. Yeah, this is gorgeous.
18:06 Oh wow, look at that. I mean, that's just a gorgeous house. What a beautiful home. I mean, maybe it's a resort. That's probably more likely to be a resort, but it's got the classic kind of Spanish architecture. Stunning, absolutely stunning.
18:29 I can't imagine what it must be like to wake up with this kind of view every day, overlooking the ocean. The, let's see what the, ah, Guimaras Strait. So it's overlooking the strait.
18:56 And then we could go over here to Iloilo City. Plaza Libertad, interesting. Oh yeah, this looks like kind of the town square that you see, similar to here in Dumaguete. Actually, it's got a statue. It looks like here, we can zoom in here. Plaza Libertad.
19:20 Okay, that looks like it's in Malate, so I don't know that I'll be able to understand, but, you know, really nice statue. I like this. Looks like it reminds me of the glass structure or the glass work in the ferry terminal at the Port of San Francisco.
19:42 So much history here. You could make the argument that the history of every country is interesting or fascinating, but the history of the Philippines, to me, is particularly interesting. Okay, this is City Hall. Okay, that makes sense.
20:01 I got to get up to Iloilo, and by proxy, I got to get up to Panay. Maybe I could do something where, and I definitely need to holler at Buick if it's going to be in the near future. But it's tough. You can only be in one place at one time, so I think that does make travel in the Philippines very well. You feel like you're getting pulled in a lot of directions.
20:19 Like I just hear so many nice things about so many different places. And, yeah, but guys, feel free to chime in in the live stream, share any thoughts or questions or concerns. This is also for you guys, and so I just want to be cognizant of anything that you're thinking about or wanting me to cover.
20:46 What a gorgeous sign there. We'll back up a little bit. Oh, SM City. They've got one. That's when you know they've made it, is when they've got an SM City, because SM City malls are so nice. I mean, this is I gotta get up to Iloilo. The more I learn about Iloilo, the more it seems like an appealing city for me.
21:32 And yeah, I think a lot of foreigners are interested in Iloilo as well, because you get a lot of the conveniences of a bigger city. But I've also heard the development there is very nice, like everything's pretty orderly, and, yeah, they're just, it's really a nice, nice place to live.
21:47 I'd also be curious to compare it to Cagayan de Oro, because, you know, a lot of people, they like to go there. But here, when I'm talking to people here about where they like to go, they're talking about Iloilo. I'm sure people in Iloilo are talking about wanting to come to Cagayan de Oro. So it's kind of one of those places where it's a highlight of the region.
22:11 Okay, that's not good. Kanlaon Volcano eruption. Oh, that is, wow, that is really unfortunate. Let's keep these people in your thoughts. More than 3,000 have evacuated due to the volcano. Yeah, let's keep these folks in our thoughts. That's really tough right now.
23:02 Ilonggo. Oh, sorry about that, Olaf. Thank you so much for correcting me there. You know, I'm a real noob when it comes to the Philippines. So, they do speak a different language in Iloilo. It's called Ilonggo, so it's not Bisaya. Yeah, it shows you how much I have to learn. I've got to really learn a lot, but I appreciate the correction, Olaf.
23:23 Yeah, it's a different language. That's something that is taking me getting used to, because, you know, when I first came to the Philippines, I thought of it as primarily three regions. You've got, we can zoom out up here, you've got in the north, you've got Luzon, you know, Manila and the surrounding islands, basically. And then the central area, you've got the, you've got where, well, basically you see Tagalog is spoken in Luzon. And then in the central area, you have Bisaya. And then in the south, it's kind of a mix.
24:02 But no, you have actually Ilonggo and Iloilo, so that's, you know, Panay Island. Different language, a different dialect, and there's many different languages here. One of the ones I'm really curious about is Chavacano. So Chavacano is actually a Spanish-based language, and they only speak it in Zamboanga.
24:21 Of course, I know people have mixed feelings about parts of Mindanao, but it is interesting, even if I don't make it down there. It's definitely interesting to me to hear Spanish being spoken. I'm wondering if I'd be able to communicate with them because I have some basic Spanish skills.
24:55 A lot of people are telling me to go to Bohol. So I would say the two places that I hear the most about are Bohol and then Iloilo, as far as places that I need to go.
25:21 Does anybody have any plans for the upcoming week, or wanting to travel, or maybe stay at home? I'm not sure where everybody's at in the Philippines, or even in the world. I'm sure some of our viewers are watching from outside of the Philippines, and maybe they've got some interesting plans.
25:51 Yeah, I would also, so things are kind of up in the air, you know, with my interview and all that. But I'd also like to come down here to Malapascua. Still chatting with my buddy who lives down there. And that would, so I haven't talked about this as much, but that would involve a 12-hour, well, it's like a 12-hour journey from Dumaguete. So I'd have to take a ferry to Dapitan, and then I take buses, a bus or multiple buses, probably multiple transfers, probably a bus from Dapitan to like Iligan, and then Iligan to CDO, and then CDO to Malapascua.
26:28 And I talked a lot about it, but Badian Province, you have just some gorgeous places. This would be one of the spots I'd like to check out. I don't know how, I doubt we would be able to go to the top, it looks pretty rugged, but even just being able to do some hiking would be really nice.
26:54 Stunning. I mean, with the fog and, gosh, this country is so beautiful. It's to me, it's easily one of the most beautiful countries on Earth. It's not a competition, it's very, very unique. There's nothing like it. I mean, I could just look at this picture for a very long time and just feel at peace and feel relaxed.
27:21 Richard says, 'Just working, waiting for November to spend the month in Boracay.' Well, welcome, Richard. We're right around your six weeks out, and I think you're going to have a great time here. It's, I'm really enjoying it a lot. I'm really enjoying my time here in Dumaguete a lot.
27:39 It's, why don't we zoom back out here? I'm hearing a lot of people like Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon, but I don't, you know, I need to go see it for myself to get some personal feelings about it. It does look very beautiful. I thank you for the heads up.
28:04 Oh, Olaf, yeah, I'm sure you're gonna have a great time when you make it to Bacolod. That's actually where I'm streaming from right now, is in Bacolod. It's, yeah, it's just such a nice community.
28:17 I mean, let me just give you a little window into my experience tonight. The rain just starts pouring down. I'm like, 'Oh great, the rain is...' And then I get to the gate of where I'm living, and there's a, it's like a family, a family homestay is what you could describe it as. And the gentleman, he's getting rained on, and he says something to me. I couldn't hear him because I have my AirPods in.
28:42 And I pull him out, and he's smiling and he's grateful for the rain. He's like, 'It's raining!' and he's smiling. And I'm thinking, 'Oh, it's raining.' And so that's just kind of the difference in perspective there, where, you know, a gentleman like him, he's a Filipino guy, he has this gratitude for the rain, he has this appreciation for the rain. And it really just caused me to stop and think, like, to me, the rain is this irritation or this annoyance, especially.
29:13 This irritation or annoyance especially because it came out of nowhere and soaked my shirt and hair, making my hair look all messed up. But he loves it. He's seen many rainstorms; he's an older gentleman who has been through a lot of rainstorms, and he can still smile and appreciate it. It just made me stop and think, 'Man, why am I in such a hurry or so important that I can't get rained on and just smile and laugh about it?'
29:50 Now, I did have some electronics in my backpack, like my laptop, which I was a little worried about. But I had enough time to get to the door and get inside. I hope one day in the far future, I can appreciate rain. I think it would take me a while to get there because I'm going to have to go back and work in the US, where we're in such a hurry and don't really stop to appreciate these things.
30:14 It really just stuck out to me: 'Man, how many rainstorms has he been through in the Philippines? He's lived his whole life here.' And yet, I could just see his eyes light up. I imagine for him, it's gratitude, like, 'Wow, our vegetables are getting rain.' It's just this appreciation for something as simple as a rainstorm.
30:49 Thanks for the heads-up, Jesper. I do appreciate you letting me know the stream is blurry. I am sorry about that. The weather is pretty rough right now, and I think it's impacting some of the wireless signals. But yeah, thank you for the heads-up on that. I do apologize for that.
31:05 Richard says, 'American culture, we feel rushed to get from point A to point B.' I have learned to stretch out the travels, as it is not about the destination but the journey. That's how I feel, Richard. These days, I'm more of a slow traveler. When I'm working full-time and have a two-week vacation a year, I am in a hurry. But right now, I'm slow traveling.
31:30 I spend a month or maybe six weeks in Dumaguete. I'd like to go down to Boadon for a month. Ideally, all the places that I go to, I actually would like to live there for a month because, for a lot of the places I'm going to, I've really done a lot of research and spent a lot of time trying to understand the place. I want to actually live there.
31:52 There's nothing wrong, I get it. People have a short vacation, they're in a hurry, they want to get as many sights under their belt as possible. But Dumaguete is one of my favorite cities in the world. I could see myself coming back here for the rest of my life. I know I'll see everything over the course of my life.
32:08 I haven't yet made it over to Siquijor, and everybody's always telling me, 'You got to go there.' And I know when I go there, I'll enjoy it, but I'm not in a hurry. Same with other parts of the island, maybe further away like Catbalogan. There's just so much to see here, and I don't feel like I'm in a hurry here. That's the best way for me to put it.
32:30 If I spend every day of my trip in Dumaguete, there's nothing wrong with that at all. It's such a charming city, an interesting city with a small-town feeling where I'm running into people I know all the time. Even today, I ran into one of my friends; it just made my day.
32:54 The social interactions you have here are so priceless, and the community feeling that you build up here is just such a sense of belonging that has been very, very special to me. It's been very special to find a place where I feel like I belong.
33:15 That can be hard in the US, right? We're moving around for work, our communities are changing and shifting. People are moving into our communities, people are moving out. And yet, here in Dumaguete, just the timeless nature of this city.
33:27 I went to a couple of ground drivers, and you get a little bit of the drizzle. I don't know how to explain it. If you've been to Dumaguete, you know what I'm talking about. And if you haven't been, I definitely urge those who haven't been to eventually make it to Dumaguete.
33:53 I know some people talk about it having a population of foreigners, but that hasn't been my experience at all. I think it's more like 5%. About five out of every hundred people here are foreigners. And it's manageable, I'll say it's manageable. It's enough to keep it interesting and have maybe some of that shared cultural background without feeling overwhelmed.
34:23 I never see a crowd of foreigners, unless it's like an ex-pat get-together. The most I see at Robinson's is a couple of guys sitting at a table, or at Ground Zero, a couple of guys sitting at a table, or Tom and Tom's, a couple of guys sitting at a table. But that's the extent of it.
34:46 Olaf says, 'Life, rain is life.' If you have a farm, you suffered three or four months without rain. Absolutely, and it really was a learning experience for me to see him smiling and happy. Yeah, what a wise man I should say.
35:09 Richard says, 'I'm a Washington native, and cold, miserable rain makes tropical rain very relaxing for me.' My maternal grandfather grew up in Idaho, so I get what you mean with the cold rain; it's disheartening. You just want to stay inside by the fire.
35:29 The tropical rain here is cool, but it's like cooling. It's not freezing, it's not close to snow, you don't need to throw on a heavy jacket. When you get home, you may need to take off your jacket depending on what you're wearing, but you can throw on some dry clothes and warm up more quickly than you would with like a Washington rain that soaks you to the bone.
35:52 Because Tennessee gets a similar kind of rain in the winter or late fall, early spring, where it just seems to soak to the bone. It takes a long time to warm back up from that. Even if you're by a fire, you just have to sit there for like an hour and wait for your skin and hair to dry.
36:18 Isaac, welcome. Richard, very true. You can tell with how many people drive or walk into stores that they're trying to move fast. I notice it all the time, Isaac. When I'm here, I know somebody's fresh off the plane when they're in a hurry, rush, rush, rush, and they're kind of strutting around like, 'I'm going there, and I'm going here.'
36:43 I'll have that same kind of vibe when I come back from the US next time I visit the Philippines. That'll be me. I try to be mindful of it, but you just can't. I mean, if you're in a work environment, you're expected to hurry, you're expected to act with expedience. If you just take a casual stroll, you're probably going to get yelled at or fired.
37:05 And so you just have to work at that pace. I can't tell you how many times I've been at work and been in a meeting, and people I'm working with are just shoving food in their mouth because they need to get back to work. They've got to rush, rush, rush and eat on their lunch or eat during a work meeting.
37:31 It's just like, 'Man, how do you even breathe?' The pace is just... you see the road rage in the US. You don't see road rage here. If people honk, it's to alert other drivers to their presence, like, 'Hey, just a heads-up, I'm coming behind you,' or 'Hey, just a heads-up, I'm about to pass you.' It's not, 'Get out of my way' or 'I'm coming through here.'
37:56 I mean, such an aggressive culture in the United States. And people are lacking self-awareness a lot of times; they don't understand how aggressive they are. They don't understand, like, they don't just see themselves as stressed out; it's like they almost become numb to it or desensitized to it.
38:17 It took me several months in Thailand to lose that. It took me about three months in Thailand before I finally started walking slowly because I noticed when I was walking on the street, 'Wow, I'm really walking fast,' and the Thai people seem to be at a much more relaxed pace. It's just something we have to unlearn.
38:37 There's no substitute for that but time. Joe Gonzalez, hello from Texas. Welcome, Joe. Welcome to the live stream. Great to see you. Texas is a great state; I have several friends from living down there in Texas and Houston. Went to Austin for the first time a couple years ago, really enjoyed Austin.
39:07 Richard says, 'I did not like Siquijor as it had too much of a tourist vibe.' Yeah, Richard, I think it definitely is more catering to the short-term tourist crowd. I think it's got to be a really interesting place as far as the resorts go and the party vibe. But yeah, certainly, I would call it more oriented toward a short-term visitor, somebody coming in for a week, maybe a long weekend, as opposed to Dumaguete, that seems to cater more.
39:39 Olaf says, 'Go Lena in mind.' Oh, wow, that is stunning over there. I mean, this is beautiful. That is stunning, never seen anything like that before.
40:07 Tony says, 'Many new people following the channel and these live streams.' Yeah, the growth of the channel has been mind-blowing over the last five or six weeks here in the Philippines. I want to say the channel's grown by 50%. I'm so grateful for all the new watchers and subscribers, and everybody's taking time to engage with the content and enjoys the content. I've got an interview with Chad.
40:34 I've got an interview with Chad which is, let's see where it's at as far as the upload. Oh wow, 44%. So, we'll go ahead and schedule for members. It'll come out tomorrow night for everybody around 7 PM. So yeah, it should be ready in about an hour or two for our channel members.
41:05 The growth has been mind-blowing. I can't thank everyone enough. I have so much gratitude that I remember when back in the day, and Tony made a joke about this last time, which had me cracking up. When I started doing these streams, it was literally me and Tony, just us kind of chatting about different stuff and talking about Peru, a country I'm a huge fan of. If I wasn't here in the Philippines or enjoying Thailand a lot, I'd probably be... I'm a huge fan of Latin America. I love the vibe, I love the relaxed nature, I love the food. Peru has some of the best food in the world. It's fantastic.
41:48 I like the Philippines a lot. I'm very grateful to be here. I've been able to connect with so many interesting world travelers, people who have been all over the world, people who could live anywhere, visit anywhere, spend time anywhere, and yet this country is where they choose. It says a lot to me that a lot of these guys could be anywhere they want, and they really prefer to be here.
42:28 I'm kind of curious how long it would take to do a loop around Siquijor, just to do a full loop from where the ferry lands. It's probably about a six-hour, maybe four to six hours on a Jeepney to go all the way around the island. There aren't any internal roads, so you can't cross through the middle; you have to go to the perimeter road and then go all the way around.
43:11 It's charming. I think Siquijor is quite a bit bigger than... but yeah, it seems interesting. I do meet some people in Dumaguete from Siquijor, and a lot of them do come to Dumaguete for work, which is interesting because a lot of retired guys come to Dumaguete to live and enjoy their lives. But it's also because of the growing population, the high quality of life there, and the job opportunities. You see people coming from all the surrounding areas to work in Dumaguete, so it does have an interesting vibe.
43:49 Richard says, 'I enjoy your sincerity and your openness, which is why I believe your popularity is growing. Good on you.' Thank you so much, Richard. That's such a nice compliment. I really appreciate that. I really try to be as open as possible. I try to share as much as I can and not have as much of a persona because I just like being myself and connecting with people. I know that people have a lot of different options as far as channels to watch or content creators to watch. There's more and more every year, but it does mean a lot to me that people can appreciate my personality and my goals for the channel.
44:36 Tony says, 'LOL, yes, the days when it was just you and I in the live stream were the old days.' Yeah, I can't thank you enough, Tony, for sticking with me and helping me work out the pacing and responding to comments and taking time on that. It takes practice. I didn't think of this as what I was looking for. It's difficult, but there's a learning curve. You have to kind of get into this rhythm, almost like working up a pace and being able to stay on point and respond to comments.
45:16 I look at it as a constant stream of effort because I don't want much pausing or spacing where it's disconnected, or you're thinking, 'I hope this loads up.' I just get bored and click off, so I try to make the content at the pace of my ADD mind, very fast-paced and engaging. As soon as I start to lose my voice and run out of steam, that's when I call it because I don't want to give people a less-than-excellent experience for their time. And of course, if people are joining halfway through, I want to maintain that energy for them.
45:54 It's a lot of fun. I have a lot of fun with these, and I enjoy making videos too. But sometimes when I'm sitting there grinding away at the editor, I just wish I could just engage with my audience. The videos are important engagement and they do tend to bring in more new subscribers, but I think this way is really a positive thing to connect with the audience.
46:20 How's it going, Tony? How are you doing? Hopefully. It's a little bit strange, but that's strange. It's not charged, right? Let's try that. I'm having a little trouble plugging in my charger here. Guys, we're not totally out of battery here, but definitely running a little bit lower. If I can't get the charger plugged in, I'll probably have to call it in about 15 minutes.
47:28 Yeah, Tony, I'm glad to hear that it's a busy time of year for you and your line of work. I'm hitting my stride here for sure. The Philippines is high on my list. I will have to go back to work eventually, but this is a country I could see myself spending a lot of time in. There's a lot to see, the history is interesting, and for me, I'm kind of a history buff.
48:04 For me, going around the country talking to people about the history of their city, the cultures, the languages, the way of life – I think there's this sort of old meets new here. On one hand, you see these ancient churches and gorgeous beaches, and yet it's also like the social media capital of the world. Everybody's got phones, and everybody's doing interviews and videos and content. It's very interesting to me in that way.
48:41 You have this old meets new where some places you go, it just feels very much old world. Parts of Latin America aren't as vibrant. There are safety concerns in certain parts of Latin America where I'm wondering why nobody is out on the streets. Then I talk to local friends, and they're like, 'Yeah, they ain't out on the streets because it ain't safe here. You can't be just wandering around at night.' It's simply not regarded as safe enough for that.
49:12 The Philippines doesn't have that issue. In the places that I go, you could be out late. You see people playing billiards, grilling barbecue, driving around on their motorbikes. It's a very lively atmosphere, and it's just more spread out. Some people feel like, 'Ah, you know, you hear Paul sometimes say sleepy Dumaguete.' To some extent, I'd agree. It can be sleepy, but on the other hand, if you cruise around late, maybe you're not a traditional retiree.
49:46 I'm definitely an old soul, so I'm much more like him. I'm ready to go to bed pretty early. It may not seem that way because I'm up, and it's almost midnight, but I'm preparing for late-night interviews. When I'm doing a job interview back in the US, to make it a comfortable time for the company, I'm having to do it at like 1:30 in the morning, 1 AM, 12:30 AM. But my normal preference is to go to bed at like 10:00, 10:30.
50:21 Pretty early. But if you're not that way, you can get into some activities late night here. They have bars, people playing billiards, a lot of variety late night.
50:45 Isaac says, 'The charger thing is so relatable.' Yeah, Isaac, it's still not wanting to cooperate, so I might have to wind down in the next 10 minutes. It may be the electric because I'm getting the flashing light. It may just be the electric right now is not wanting to cooperate, which is disappointing because I don't want to wrap up early.
51:25 I'll probably have to wind down in the next 10 minutes because the charger is just not cooperating right now. It's really unfortunate because I normally like to go for about an hour and a half to two hours. Yeah, it's just flashing. I have to get work.
51:44 Tony says, 'I have to get back to work. Congrats on the growth of the channel. Keep up being young in the Philippines.' Thank you so much, Tony. I wouldn't be possible without your support. It definitely helps as far as just covering some of my basic expenses here. I definitely didn't get into this with necessarily a business goal. My opportunities back in the US are fortunately very strong, but it definitely helps with covering things like the cost of camera gear and, you know, things like meals and coffee. Coffee is a big one for me. I'm drinking a lot of caffeine to get all these interviews done and be waking up early and being ready to go in the morning, and then also staying late.
52:31 It's certainly not required, but greatly appreciated. Richard says, 'My fiance starts work at 3:00 AM. Wow, so our early to bed suits my lifestyle. Never been a late-night party animal.' You know, Richard, I was when I was younger, to be transparent, I was definitely a late-night guy when I was younger. Growing up in Nashville, Music City, rock and roll, or country music city, but also just the party scene.
52:56 The charger is just not been trying to get it to go, but we'll probably have to wind down in the next eight minutes or so. You know, I was that way when I was younger.
53:08 I was that way when I was younger. I was really into going out to concerts and having a good time, but when I hit about 20, I would say 23, 24, especially 25, I became much more of an early-to-bed kind of guy. I just like being up in the morning and feeling the sun on my skin and hearing the birds chirping.
53:31 If you get up really early, before most people are awake, I feel super productive. If I'm up at like 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM, that's some of the most productive times I've ever felt, where the world is silent and I've got a couple hours to just get work done without interruptions. Nobody's calling me, nobody's emailing me; it's a great time to get things done.
54:02 I've really shifted a lot in that way, but I think you knew yourself and had that self-awareness from an earlier age than I did. You were up and at 'em at an early time, and I think some of it too is just the city, right? In Nashville, everybody's having a good time. It's kind of like Vegas; they throw around the name Nash Vegas a lot these days, and it's definitely a late-night city in certain ways.
54:30 Gerard says, "How long has it been raining?" For Gerard, it's been like a week of solid rain. I think it started last Wednesday and it's been every day since then. It'll probably go for another few days. The forecast check shows it might go for another week.
55:09 We're getting some days in the next week that are just cloudy, not this downpour. Wednesday should be pretty good, then Thursday, then we get three more days of kind of rain. Monday looks like it'll be decent, Tuesday looks like it's going to be raining a lot. I may actually be rolling out on Tuesday if I go down to Badon, so hopefully that won't be too bad.
55:35 It may stick it out an extra few days or even a week if it's continued to be bad, because the inclement weather can really make travel a challenge here in the Philippines.
55:52 Richard says, "So when I was in my youth, so was I, but I am 65 now, so I need a little sleep before dawn. Early morning has always been my time." Yeah, I think early morning is wonderful. I like the smell of the air in the morning, and if it's been raining too, you get those earthy smells that remind me a little bit of coffee.
56:14 I associate early morning with coffee too, so having a nice cup of coffee and then smelling the after-rain or morning dew that we would have a lot in Tennessee where I grew up was really enjoyable.
56:33 Let's give it one more try with the charger. I don't want to wind down this early. It's still not cooperating. I'm gonna have to try some other ports in the room. I appreciate everybody's patience with me.
56:48 Yeah, it's been a great stream. This one's been short but sweet. Does anybody have any final thoughts or questions? I thought I'd tackle in the next five minutes or so before we wind down.
57:24 Isaac says, "How long do you plan on staying in the Philippines?" Great question, Isaac. If I get a job offer, I have a final, hopefully final, interview tomorrow for a job back in San Francisco. If I get that offer, I'd like to push my start date out to mid-October and stay in the Philippines for an additional three weeks from today.
57:47 If I have to go back sooner, I will, but I'd like to go back and have a week's runway to go ahead and lock my apartment down. I already know they have openings in that building back in the East Bay; I'd be living in Berkeley, California again.
58:02 If I don't get the offer, which could happen, it's a very competitive job market right now, I'll probably stay till spring. I'd like to stay another five months or so. I'd go down to Badon for a month, maybe a couple months, maybe get Elo in there too, and then come back to do Spaghetti. So anywhere from three weeks to an additional five, maybe even six months.
58:44 But yeah, great question, Isaac, for sure. I'm loving the Philippines; it's been a great experience so far. The English is wonderful here, the nature is wonderful here, the people are the best part, the culture is really wonderful. I'm really glad I came here; I wish I came here sooner.
59:04 I knew that once I came here for a longer trip, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else. It's going to be hard to convince me to try some other places, but if I get back into my Corporate America job, then there's some other places I'd like to do for shorter duration. Poland is interesting to me, the country Georgia is interesting to me.
59:27 In this part of the world, Indonesia is the last major country in Southeast Asia I haven't visited yet that I'd like to visit, so Indonesia's on my radar.
59:37 Richard says, "No questions, but stay dry and safe. If you're still here in November, would love to feed you and have you meet my tribe." Yeah, Richard, that sounds wonderful. I'd love to meet your fiance and also all the people in your community. I think you mentioned her sister in our last chat; that sounds like a wonderful invitation.
59:56 I can't thank you enough for your kind words and your open heart. Gerard says, "Try to stay dry." We'll do, Gerard. I gotta toss this hoodie, hang this hoodie up so it'll dry out. Thanks so much everyone for watching.
1:00:13 If you're watching this on replay, please subscribe to the channel down below. Give us a thumbs up; it helps with the YouTube algorithm. Comment down below: Did you enjoy this stream? Did you not enjoy the stream? Is there anything I could do to improve? Your feedback is a gift to me.
1:00:29 Yeah, take care everyone. We'll see you soon.
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