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Living abroad offers profound personal growth, allowing for self-reflection, appreciation of different cultures, and a re-evaluation of one's own life and priorities, especially for introverted individuals.
The stream begins with technical difficulties, then transitions into a discussion about travel experiences and preferences, with the host expressing a fondness for Thailand and Cambodia. The host shares positive experiences in Cambodia, highlighting its resilience, culture, and resemblance to New Orleans, and mentions plans to visit Vietnam, noting potential visa complexities. The conversation then shifts to Cusco, Peru, which the host found surprisingly captivating due to its mystical atmosphere, ancient feel, and welcoming locals, particularly resonating with introverted travelers.
The discussion delves into minimalist travel, with the host advocating for one-bag travel for its convenience and simplicity, while acknowledging the need to pack essential personal items like deodorant and sunscreen. The host also touches upon their tech setup, including a MacBook Pro for video editing, and contemplates future video content. A comparison is drawn between traveling in Latin America and Asia, with Latin America being more accessible for short vacations from the US due to time zones and cultural similarities, while Asia offers unique experiences and lower costs for longer stays.
The conversation explores the appeal of the Philippines as an emerging travel destination with stunning nature and hospitable people, contrasting its lower tourism numbers with Thailand. The host reflects on introversion and living abroad, noting that many people travel for reasons beyond partying or pursuing romantic relationships, and that places like Cusco are particularly well-suited for introverts. The stream also touches upon the concept of Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE), and the benefits of a more sustainable travel lifestyle that avoids burnout.
Further discussions include the appeal of de-industrialized areas like Rust Belt towns and the historical significance of places like Chernobyl and Jerusalem, emphasizing the importance of learning from history. The host shares their experiences in Japan, noting its orderliness, long working hours, and pedestrian-friendly nature, while also acknowledging the potential for great value and safety for tourists. The stream concludes with reflections on the ease of weekend travel in Europe compared to North America and the potential of Eastern Europe as a long-term travel destination.
Living abroad provides a unique environment for introverts to experience profound personal growth. By immersing themselves in new cultures and stepping outside their comfort zones, introverts can develop greater self-awareness and confidence. This process encourages reflection on personal values and priorities.
Traveling, especially living abroad, offers significant personal growth by exposing individuals to diverse cultures and perspectives. This journey fosters gratitude, self-awareness, and a deeper appreciation for different ways of life. It challenges assumptions and encourages adaptability.
Certain destinations are particularly well-suited for introverts seeking personal growth abroad. Places like Cusco, Peru, offer a mystical atmosphere and ancient feel that resonates deeply. These locations often provide a balance of cultural engagement and personal space.
Sustainable travel for introverts involves mindful planning to avoid burnout while maximizing personal growth. Embracing minimalist travel with a single backpack enhances mobility and reduces stress. Choosing destinations that offer both cultural immersion and quiet reflection is key.
Financial independence (FIRE) is crucial for travelers seeking freedom and fulfillment abroad. It enables pursuing passions like content creation and exploring less-traveled destinations without the pressure of traditional employment. This financial freedom supports a more sustainable and enjoyable long-term travel lifestyle.
Self-awareness is vital when living abroad as it helps in navigating cultural differences and personal adjustments. By understanding one's own values and reactions, individuals can better adapt to new environments and appreciate the contrast with their home culture. This leads to richer personal growth.
0:15 Great, hey everybody. Sorry about that. I am very apologetic about that and still learning a lot about how the streaming works. My AirPods ran out of battery, and you can see them charging. And whenever that happens, I maybe need to check out on YouTube, just learning from other streamers like what they kind of do. I know some people do super long streams, like Destiny is a really popular vlogger. He does like, he'll do six-hour streams.
0:46 I'm not sure, I guess he just probably has a mic setup and he's not using something like this. Yeah, great to see you, Tony. Thanks so much for joining, and I appreciate everybody's patience. Wonderful, John. Glad to hear that. Yeah, okay, so I wanted to tackle, and I guess it muted me, but thanks so much for joining, Tony. I know you've been wanting to join and participate for a while. I'm so glad to see you here. Welcome.
1:17 And welcome back as well to John, one of our new viewers or subscribers. You mentioned Cambodia, so I guess kind of getting back to what I was talking about earlier, I know that some people have an extreme preference. I have not found anywhere I haven't liked. So I've been at this point to 17 countries and then had layovers in a couple of countries, and those two were China and Taiwan. So I haven't technically visited China or Taiwan. I would like to in the future, but the rest have been, you know, sprinkled throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and then Morocco as well for Africa.
1:56 And I haven't found that I didn't like anything about any of these places. There are places that I prefer, and there are places that I really want to go back to. There are places that I'm not as convinced that I have to go back there. I would say that, you know, Thailand ranks very high for me. It's among my favorites. It's the first kind of longer solo trip that I did on my own. Before that, my first country I visited was Israel, second country was Mexico, but the Israel trip was a study abroad for college, and then the Mexico trip was just like a week.
2:34 And it was really a lot of fun, but it was very short. And so the third one was Thailand for a month. And so Thailand has a special place in my heart, and it's just such a special place that I'll never forget it. And I always love it, but I love Cambodia as well. So, kind of talking a bit about what you mentioned about Cambodia, I found it to just be...
3:03 I learned a lot about resilience there. I learned a lot about needing to be strong. I learned a lot about sometimes, you know, when you come from a challenging background, you feel like the world is out to get you, or you feel like, why can't I just catch a break? And when I spent time in Cambodia, it really made me more appreciative of what I have. And I like the people a lot too.
3:29 I actually went there because I met a buddy of mine who convinced me to come check it out. We've been friends online for a long time through some online communities, but he was just like, you should check it out. I was like, I've been to Thailand before, but like, man, Cambodia, like a lot of people have kind of warned me about it. And he was like, no, just check it out. And I checked it out. We had a blast. We had so much fun.
3:53 We had so much fun in Cambodia. I mean, like in Phnom Penh, I mean, we went out on the town, hit up some bars, hit up, you know, like a karaoke spot, and it just, you know, I had the time of my life there. It was like, and then I met up with a local woman on Tinder, and she was a lot of fun, and she showed me a bit around Phnom Penh.
4:22 She, I don't know how to explain it, like that was a life-affirming experience. Cambodia overall for me, so many times, Phnom Penh, life-affirming experience. One of the best trips I've ever had, one of the best places that I've ever spent time in. Totally underrated. Had no expectations for it, and then I go in, I'm having a blast with my friend. I'm wandering around this city that reminds me of New Orleans.
4:49 If you've ever been to the United States, Phnom Penh reminds me a lot of New Orleans. New Orleans is one of my favorite American cities because it's got the French influence, not only just like the culture or the food, but also just the architecture. Like you look around and it's, they've got all these ornate decorations and like, it's just such a visually appealing city.
5:17 The main, I don't know if it's the temple, anyway, it's just such a cool city. I liked it a lot. I like the history. There's also a lot of tragedy there, which puts things in perspective. Learned a lot about just, you know, where the country came from through a lot of history museums and also through some displays.
5:37 Met another local woman who told me a lot, taught me a lot about just like other parts of the country and told me like, hey, Phnom Penh's cool, I'm from here, but like you should go to like Battambang or you should go check out the Cardamom Mountains or get out of Phnom Penh. Like it's a cool city, but it's just the tip of the iceberg.
5:59 And I feel the same way about Bangkok. Bangkok's a wonderful city, but like there's so much to Thailand. But yeah, I can't say enough positive things about my time in Cambodia. I'd be happy to go back. You know, if I wasn't squeezed for time, I would take a bus from Bangkok or a flight to Phnom Penh and then head on to Vietnam.
6:23 But I've heard it's a little bit tricky going through the land border from Cambodia to Vietnam, and that's why I'm doing the flight. Is that I feel like the flight will be easier because I won't have to rely on getting a visa at the border, which can be a little bit tricky. I'll be able to apply for it probably tomorrow. Probably tomorrow, after I make my final immigration run, I will apply for my Vietnam Visa.
6:48 Because if I get denied, like you have to be very specific on the form. The form, you've got to include your first and middle name, and then in the second part, your last name. Some people don't include their middle name, and they get rejected, but it is part of the passport. So that'll give me a runway. I've heard it can take up to a few weeks for approval.
7:07 Then, you know, by the end of this month, I should have that Visa, or if I've gotten rejected, I'll know what I need to do to correct it, and I'll be prepared to go to Vietnam. But Cambodia is definitely on my list to go back to. And, you know, who knows, maybe I changed my mind about going to the Philippines. Maybe I go to Cambodia instead.
7:31 It's also, Cambodia is also a place that I'm kind of interested in for like a year because pre-pandemic, and I don't know if they're offering it now, but pre-pandemic, they were doing like, they were offering like year visas for like 300 bucks. So, you know, for 300 bucks, you know, you go in, you're good for a year. You're not having to do like runs or extensions or like any of that kind of thing.
7:54 And that sounds like easy mode to me. Just, you know, pay your flat fee, you get your stamp, you're affiliated with the local business, and then you're able to just check things out. What I'd probably do at that point is I'd probably get an apartment in Phnom Penh and then use it as a base to go check out other places for a week or two at a time.
8:17 Or do what I've done here, like stay in Phnom Penh for a month and then go out to other parts of the country. Kampot is high on my list. Really want to check out the Kampot peppers. They have a lot of really good peppers up there that just really intrigue me. And then just seeing other parts of the country. Siem Reap, what am I thinking? Siem Reap is high on my list.
8:44 If for nothing else, like even though there's all this other stuff I love about Cambodia and I want to go check out, Siem Reap is really up there for me being able to see Angkor Wat, being able to see the other, the sort of second city in Cambodia. Super, super interesting to me.
9:06 Let's see. Tony says, I really liked your videos in Cusco. Alex, thank you so much, Tony. I was not expecting to love Cusco as much as I did. Not that I thought I wouldn't like it, but like, I don't know, like it just, it's got that mysterious vibe. Peru reminds me of Thailand, where you just feel like you're in some other world, like time stopped.
9:25 And that is such a comforting feeling for me coming from the US, that such a dynamic place that's growing, the economy grows rapidly, and things change, and towns change, and cities change, and people change, and there's all this change. And then you go to a place like Cusco, and you're like, this place hasn't changed that much in like five, six hundred years in some ways.
9:45 Of course, some ways it has changed. They do have computers and a great internet there, but in other ways, it's like, wow, like certain aspects of this town are just so ancient. And I like the people a lot. The people are very warm and friendly.
10:00 It was kind of surprising to me how friendly they were to outsiders and how welcomed I felt, not just the expats, but also a lot of the locals. Met some local friends as well. One person I want to go back and see at some point is a guy named Freddy. And I ran into Freddy by accident. I was just like wandering in some of the upper neighborhoods of Cusco near Sacsayhuamán.
10:27 And Freddy was like, hey man, what's up? And I was like, oh, hey, what's up? I'm just like wandering around Cusco, you know, trying to learn more about the city. He's like, well, you know, I'm a tour guide. If you want to go check out this spot, we could just hop in my SUV and go check it out. I'm like, that sounds great.
10:47 And so he showed me around. He told me about the local culture, taught me about kind of how they're adjusting in the modern world or adapting, how he felt like they were moving away from some of the Spanish traditions. And one of his goals was to move back toward the Incan traditions. He talked about struggling as a young man with anger and frustration, unhappiness, and how pursuing these Incan traditions really, really kind of brought him back to his roots and helped him to feel...
11:21 to his roots and helped him to feel centered and connected with his ancestors. Cusco is a really special place, one of those places that I do want to go back to. It's just really high on my list, and I felt that emotional connection to the place and to the people.
11:43 There's also this sense of isolation that you feel there because you're in the Andes mountains and you're so far away from everything. Most people get there by plane, so you're flying to the middle of nowhere, up at 12,000 feet elevation. You feel like you're on another planet, and you don't really see how you're connected to the Earth in some ways.
12:10 You might feel like you're at the top of the planet, but it's just such a cool feeling. I love Cusco; it's a really cool city. Tony says he also started following that YouTuber, who seems like a genuine guy. He also likes that guy on Cambo Vlogs; I'll have to check it out.
12:30 Tony says it's funny how people gravitate towards similar channels. He likes that channel because the creator is humble, quiet, and down-to-earth, like Alex. Thank you so much, Tony; that's very kind of you to say. I appreciate that.
12:43 I wasn't always a humble or quiet person, but I definitely had some tough lessons in my life that pushed me to be more reflective and to think more about gratitude. Travel has done some of that for me, right? When we're coming from a developed country that's so wealthy, we feel like we're rock stars or superstars.
13:10 Some of that goes to our heads, myself included. Then you leave and go to other places and see the struggles people have, the things they worry about, and the things they're concerned about. It really acts like a mirror, reflecting those feelings back, and you see yourself in a different light.
13:37 It's really, really appreciated that you said that because I haven't always been that way. John Paul asks how much stuff I usually travel with, if I'm a minimal traveler. I usually travel with a 40-liter bag that I can take on the plane, but I'm only traveling for two or three weeks at a time.
13:56 So, I can show you really quick, John. This is the backpack I got from my previous company. It's still in good shape even though I'm not working there anymore. I thought, why don't I use it for my travels? It's a North Face.
14:30 When I started, I went big, like those backpackers you see in Chiang Mai or Bali. I insisted I had to have this big backpack, and I lugged it all the way to Chiang Mai. As I traveled more, I realized the important stuff is as long as the important stuff fits in my backpack: laptop, camera gear, toiletries, and a few changes of clothes. I'm good to go.
15:05 If there's something that comes up, I'll just buy it. That has served me well this trip. There are a few things I wish I brought more of, like deodorant. I can't find the deodorant I like here very easily, and if you do see it, like Tom's of Maine, it's like $20 a stick, which is a bit more than I'm willing to pay.
15:26 But yeah, that's something I would have brought if I could have. I would have brought multiple sticks of sunscreen; I like the deodorant stick style sunscreen. And then also regular deodorant, I would have brought maybe two or three sticks of each of those. Those are a little bit harder to find here.
15:47 But yeah, less is more for me because especially when I want to move around, the less I have, the easier it is to kind of get around and do stuff. It took me a while to get there; I never thought I would. I always thought, how can people... when I first traveled back in the States, it's like two suitcases and a backpack, and I'd think, 'Oh gosh, is this enough?'
16:09 Packing my closet into my luggage. Since I've traveled a lot since then, I cut down on what I need. A lot of it's just accepting that I'm not going to have everything from back home. That could be a little bit challenging because we're so used to convenience in the West.
16:30 But I realized I've got to give it up, give some of it up if you want to fully engage and not be so consumed by carrying the stuff. It'll be interesting to see your tech travel setup. So, for my laptop, I actually should do a video on that, John. That's a... why don't I make a note of that video on tech travel setup?
16:57 And John, I made a note. I am going to do a video on my tech travel setup because I think that would be really helpful for people to kind of get a glimpse into my style. Basic, I'll just do a basic run-through really quick.
17:14 I've got a MacBook Pro I bought last year with part of my severance check. I really enjoy the computer. I know Mac is a controversial brand, but I just find it to be so great, especially for the horsepower for editing 4K. That's something I've found super helpful with having a Mac: I'm exclusively shooting in 4K now, and it has an easy time rendering and putting together those videos.
17:41 It's just saving me so much time and it's really helped me to increase my output. Tony, your reflections on your time in Cusco... that, hey, you know what? That might be an interesting video too, Tony. I'll make a note of that, reflecting on my time in Cusco.
18:04 Yeah, because I think a lot of people would enjoy that. And you know, I feel conflicted sometimes about calling my channel 'Eastern Dreamer' because I do feel a sense of attachment to Latin America and a curiosity about Latin America. I go back and forth on it.
18:25 On my next extended trip, should I do something in Latin America? It's even a short-term... In fact, I think Latin America, in some ways from an American perspective, can be better if I'm going. If, let's say, I'm working my normal 9-to-5 in the US and I get two weeks off, it's a much easier time to just fly down to Latin America. You don't have to deal with a time zone difference, so I'm not getting super jet-lagged.
18:53 And of course, it has like, the further I get away from America, the more time or energy or effort it takes me to integrate into the local culture scene. Latin America is closer in that way, culturally it's more similar. I think food-wise, it's more similar.
19:15 There are things that I recognized in Latin America from growing up in the US that I don't see as much here, like skate parks. I loved checking out skate parks in Latin America; they're so cool, and the people there are so talented. It's just a connection.
19:30 I didn't get to skateboard much growing up, but I always wanted to. So I'd go to skate parks, especially in Medellin. There are skate parks throughout the city of Medellin. I would talk to the skaters like, 'Wow, how can you do that?' and watch for hours. There are times where I just sit there for hours and watch skaters skate, totally mesmerized.
19:55 John Paul says, 'Tony, very true, Frugal Traveler kind of reminds me of a more successful version of Dave and Cambodia.' I need to make a note of Frugal Traveler. Jay says, 'Philippines is definitely on my list.' Yeah, the Philippines is incredible.
20:14 The Philippines is so beautiful; it's just such a beautiful country. The nature there is so gorgeous, and it's underdeveloped to me. I know some people think I'm crazy saying this, but there's some element of the Philippines that feels almost still like a secret to me.
20:43 For comparison of tourism numbers, Thailand last year had 29 million visitors. The Philippines had something like maybe three to four million. When I was there, I felt a genuine sense of welcome from a lot of people who were like, 'Wow, you came into the Philippines?' Local people were surprised because, I think, being a regional neighbor to Thailand, they see all these people going to Thailand. My Thai friends have never been to the Philippines.
21:24 So I did get that sense of gratitude and welcome that perhaps if you're in an over-touristed city area, like maybe some parts of Mexico, you're not getting that welcome as much just because they're so accustomed to seeing tourists or foreigners. But the Philippines is one of those places that I think people need to see before it totally goes big on the scene.
21:44 I mean, and it already has to some extent, right? You hear about it with a lot of the expats in the Philippines. A lot of Americans are over there. Unfortunately, some are not giving us a great name, but I think it's going to be more and more popular in the future because it's just such a beautiful place and the people are hospitable. It's very, very different visually from the US, but the people have English.
22:11 So yeah, Philippines, I give it a thumbs up. It's also got a lot of variety. You've got big cities there, you've got a lot of islands. Also, the different islands do feel quite different from each other to me, anyway. Last, when I was there four years ago, I visited Cebu, or Siquijor. I got corrected on a recent stream on Philippines Antics, but Siquijor Island, and then Cagayan de Oro. It was just really interesting to see the differences, to talk to the people.
22:46 And to learn, you know, people around over there move around a lot too. Like my buddy in Cagayan de Oro, who I went to meet four years ago, his mom's from Dumaguete. So even though a lot of people, they may think of it like in the US...
23:00 They may think of it in the US context, where it's like, 'Oh, I'm from Texas,' or 'I'm from California,' or 'I'm from Tennessee.' But even though he's from Cagayan de Oro, he still has that tie back to Taguig.
23:15 Tony says Cusco has such a mystical look and feel to it. Your videos in Cusco were really self-reflective on being introverted. Yeah, I need to talk more about introversion because I'm starting to realize, you know, from talking to you, that a lot of people are interested in that.
23:30 I think at face value, a lot of people think, 'Oh, you're traveling abroad, you're going to a party destination, you're just partying the whole time.' And that's not the case for a lot of people, and that's kind of been surprising to me.
23:46 Because when I first went abroad, that's kind of what I was expecting. Like, 'Okay, we're going abroad, we're going to have a great time, it's just to let off steam.' And then, Cusco was that place where I spent, until this most recent trip, I'd spent more time in Cusco than any other city outside the US. I was like, 'This is really a place I could live.'
24:11 This is not just a place I enjoy, not just a place I like. This is a place where I feel like I could live. And one of my friends that I met there, Maya, she's still living there. She's actually from Belgium.
24:22 I thought it was going to be one of those places like Chiang Mai. I love Chiang Mai, but Chiang Mai has a lot of people who come in for a few months, maybe three to six months, something like that. Maybe they just come for the high season, November through February, and then they're off to another destination.
24:39 But Cusco had a lot of long-timers, and that really stuck out to me. I'm like, and another guy named Cody, he's been there for probably four or five, maybe six or seven years. He recently had a child with his Peruvian wife.
24:57 That really shocked me. That was really, really shocking to me that you have these long-timers in Cusco. And that shifted my perspective again to where I was like, 'Okay, this is really doable. People really do this. People really live overseas for a long time.'
25:16 And it doesn't necessarily have to be about having a good time in the assumptive way that a lot of people, when you talk about living abroad, they assume it's for pursuing women or partying. And there's a lot of people that live abroad for a lot of different reasons.
25:34 Those are just kind of shallow assumptions that maybe some people make, but don't apply to everyone. John says, 'If you go to Siem Reap, check out La Residence.' It's a really nice hotel with a cool garden swimming pool, and they have a 100 to 150 monthly deal, month-to-month contract.
25:53 That's a really good deal. I'm going to look that up right now. Lock, immediately. Yeah, I'm gonna make a note of this. Lock, La Residence. Thank you so much, John.
26:36 I've walked through this plaza so many times. It's just, and the weather, oh, the weather in Cusco is some of my favorite. It's like, I can't think of the Celsius conversion, I do apologize, John, but it's like 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and it's just so comfortable.
26:51 At 45, it gets chilly, but you just get these big heavy blankets, ideally with some alpaca hair, and you just feel so cozy. It's just such a cozy city.
27:07 It's like, yeah, it's such a cozy city, and it's so beautiful. And you have the beautiful Spanish, I don't know if you call it a cathedral here, church, very, very beautiful. And then you've got these mountains in the background.
27:27 I've wandered around this place so many times and into some really odd places. I remember one time I somehow got myself lost in some of these places just for fun and excitement, maybe a little bit less now. But especially, you know, several years ago, I found myself in this random neighborhood, totally disoriented, on the back end of one of these hills, and I had no idea how to get back to the city.
27:54 The city where I was staying, like not too far from here actually, maybe like eight or 10 blocks away from the Plaza de Armas. And I find this family that's just, I don't know, they're at their house. I've wandered in front of their house and I'm trying to get back, but there's all these dogs that people are using as security.
28:18 So I've got to be careful to avoid these dogs. And they're like, 'Okay, you see these train tracks?' And they pointed down the hill at these train tracks. They're like, 'Okay, walk down to the train tracks and then you can follow them back to the city.'
28:31 And so that's what I did. I walked down to the train tracks and I'm like, 'Okay, I'm just trusting him.' Like, I can't see the city from our perspective, but I don't have any reason to not believe him. I even called an Uber before I tried that, and it's like, 'Okay, the Uber is gonna take like an hour to get to you.' And then the Uber just canceled.
28:50 I called another one, it was like, 'Okay, the Uber is going to take 45 minutes to get to you because there's so many winding and twisting roads.' And that Uber canceled. And so then I went to the people, they gave me the advice, eventually I found my way back to town. But that was just a really funny story towards the end of my time there.
29:14 Tony says, 'Your description of Cusco, the mysticism, the combo of...' Yeah, it's just such a special place, Tony. I'm so glad we have that shared experience.
29:23 Yeah, Cusco, like it's a little bit tricky to get to. You have to, you know, for me, I flew. Well, I came from Colombia, but going back, when I was going back to the States, I flew from Cusco to Lima. But a lot of the flights from Lima are late night, so you have to end up flying overnight.
29:47 So I flew from Cusco to Lima. I think I spent a week in Lima, or 10 days. No, I spent 10 days in Lima, and then I flew back to the States, which you fly overnight, so you get there at kind of an odd hour. I think I got to Atlanta and then I flew from Atlanta to Nashville, or no, Atlanta or Miami, and then back to Nashville.
30:10 But it's worth it. It's really worth it. It's a place I'd happily go back to, and I'd like to see more of Lima too. I felt like a week or 10 days was not enough in Lima. Some might disagree, but there was a lot there that I wanted to explore more of.
30:26 Of course, I made a friend here in Bangkok from Lima, and he kind of warned me about some of the safety issues in Lima. So he's opened a Peruvian restaurant here in Bangkok called...
30:41 Thanks so much. I do apologize for that. And thank you so much for letting me know because I want to make sure this is as quality an experience as it can be.
30:59 Wow. John says, 'Well done on being such a light traveler. One-bag travel is the way, best way to go.' Yeah, it's so much more convenient. I don't have this nagging feeling that I forgot something.
31:09 When I traveled with more stuff, I was always worried, 'Okay, what did I forget? Did I forget this? Did I forget that? Are they going to be able to mail it to me? Do I need to reach out to hotel reception and mention, 'Oh, I forgot this'?'
31:20 With one backpack travel, it also forces me to not buy a bunch of extra stuff that I don't need. When I was younger, I'd always be buying these trinkets or whatever, especially in America, when you feel like, 'Oh, I've got to buy something or it didn't count,' or 'Nobody will believe me that I went to Florida or California if I don't come back with something.'
31:40 And I don't do that anymore. Now it's like the memories are the important part, the relationships are the important part. And if I love a place enough, I'll go back there in my lifetime. And yeah, I agree, John, that one bag is the best way to go.
31:58 And you're just so much more mobile. I mean, if I want to, you know, if I'm checking out of a hotel and flying out that night, I just throw my backpack on. I can wander around and explore. When it's time to go, just call up a cab or hop in a cab and head to the airport. And yeah, just such a relief to have less is more. Less is definitely more.
32:19 Tony says, 'I haven't been back to Cusco in 25 years, but still am influenced by my time there and I still dream about it. The first videos of yours that I discovered were the Cusco ones where you talked about traveling as an introvert.' Yeah, Cusco is so introvert-friendly, and I really liked that about it. The people were a bit more quiet and a bit more reserved.
32:39 So you get the Latin American hospitality and warmth that you have in Colombia or Mexico, for example. But sometimes in Mexico or Colombia, I didn't feel pressured to socialize, but the people are so nice that you want to engage with them and talk to them and learn about them and learn about the way they think and the things that they value.
33:06 But that can take a lot out of me, right? That can take a lot out of me. And at times, I just want to think and wander and ponder. And Cusco is very, very good for that. It's really, really great for just not feeling like you need to be on.
33:27 And just taking in the environment and examining like, 'Oh wow, this building looks really cool,' and 'This street just has so much history, and you can see that it's been worn down by the sheer amount of pedestrians.'
33:43 And yeah, and just, I mean, people were really laid-back. I remember this was during COVID, and they would shut the city down like every Sunday, but people would be out anyway. I walked out anyway because I'm like, 'Look, I can't just sit in the hotel, I'll lose my mind.'
34:02 And the cops would drive by and they'd flash their lights and honk, but they wouldn't get out and do anything. They were just like, 'Hey, you shouldn't be out,' but they didn't care enough to enforce it. And so that was cool. That was really cool that I was like, 'I feel like I could get in trouble,' but like nobody's doing anything, so I'm...
34:19 But like nobody's doing anything, so I'm just going to keep going out every Sunday. It was fine, you know, it was fine. John Paul says you only get two weeks off a year in America. I heard about it, but I didn't think it was true. Go to Europe and it's 26 to 42 days off. I'm on 29, but my French boss is on 42 as a standard. I'm a little bit confused, 26 to 42 like total working weeks. John, if you could expand on that a bit.
34:56 Like at my last job, I worked at this financial technology company, and I didn't take a day off for nine months. I started that job in April of 2022 and did not take, maybe it was eight months. It was eight months I didn't take a day off until January of 2023. So I worked from April of 2022 all the way to January without, I mean, we had Christmas off and we had some like New Year's Eve off and stuff like that, but I didn't take any time off because I was like, just in the grind, needed to make as much money as I could while the getting was good. And I also wanted to learn a lot. It was a different kind of role, it was outbound sales, so a lot of cold calling and a lot of like cold outreach emailing people, trying to set up these software deals basically.
35:54 But yeah, I finally took a couple weeks off and I went to Europe for the first time. So that was the nice part about that job is even though time off was, you know, it was for me. I've been spoiled by long-term travel, so like two weeks to me in Europe just felt like a taste, whereas to people that are in the grind, like two weeks, how could you take two weeks off?
36:22 And my coworker established it because he didn't take time off until like November. So he was there for seven months and didn't take time off. Then he wanted to go do two weeks in New Zealand. So he set the precedent, he got some pushback, but he pointed out like, hey, I saved up my time. I haven't taken a day off in like seven, eight months because I want to go do two weeks and I've never been to New Zealand. So he and his girlfriend went there and really enjoyed it. And so I was like, okay, well, if he gets two weeks off, I get two weeks off.
36:51 And so I went to, started in London, went down, then had a day in London, flew down to Portugal, spent a couple days in Portugal in The Algarve, and then I ended up going to Spain because I didn't realize how easy it was to get to Spain. And so I then spent like 10 days in Spain, and then I came back to the Algarve for a couple of days in Faro and also visited OA and stopped through Tavira. But I really wish I'd spent more time in Tavira because Tavira is so beautiful.
37:32 Tavira is gorgeous. We just stopped through, but I'd like to actually take some time to explore. And then I had a day in London before I flew back to the San Francisco area.
37:52 The John says the French know how to do holidays. Yes, I've heard that. I have heard that that the French definitely know how to do holidays. Tony says, where are you from? Watching from Poland. Tony says, I'm in Canada. Oh, very cool. Poland, I've never been to Poland. What's Poland like? John, are you originally from Poland or are you there for your job opportunities?
38:39 John says, oh, okay, great. So John says, I mean, days can vary from 26 days a year is minimum and max out at 42 days a year in France. Only for that max, that's a ton of time off. That's really generous. That's, I guess that's a max of seven weeks off. And oh, that's 42 days, so that's actually more like eight weeks off and then an additional two days. So that would be amazing, man. Like I need to research more about France because having that much time off, I'd probably feel a little bit more lackadaisical about pursuing fire if I had that much time off to enjoy, of course.
39:19 You know, some of that would be transit time. Like if you wanted to do, I don't know, four sets of two-week vacations, then that might be nice. But the downside of Europe, you will be taxed so much on your salary. Average for a guy like you on a good salary is 40% and up, to 50% in Belgium. Yeah, that's nuts. That's super high. In America, I'm very fortunate that with this business, I can actually write off a lot of expenses.
39:55 And so, even with the high taxes in California, which to be fair, the taxes in California are up there, right? They're close to 50% if you don't have write-offs. With a business that can write off a lot of expenses, which is going to be wonderful, that's going to help a lot with the refund check. My tax refund check, but like for California, so first I pay 30% federal. So right off the top, close to a third of my income is paid to the federal government. And then California, at my tax bracket, I was in, it was another, I think it was 6.5, 7%.
40:35 So then that goes to the state. Then also consumption tax is like 10%. So anything I buy, I pay an additional 10%, whether it be takeout food or purchases from Amazon. There's another 10%. Then also property tax is baked into my rent. And so, you know, I imagine at least 10 to 20% of my rent was probably just paying the owner's property tax. So California can really add up.
41:05 But you've got a lot of ways to mitigate it, like IRA or not IRA, 401k contributions. So that helps me is I immediately, because my employer had a match, immediately put away, I think for that job, it was 6%. Then they matched me half that, so they matched 3%. And that helped reduce taxes, my tax burden. And of course, I can expense a lot of things now that I have my YouTube business going, which will help me reduce that even more, like my flights, anything related to business. So you pay it on the front end with the job being taxed a lot, and then ideally, you can get some of it back on the back end through strategic decision-making.
41:52 Poland is a fantastic place. Being here for 10 years, great value, beautiful ladies, amazing summers, and negative 20 winters. I love it here. You know, one YouTuber that's based in Poland right now, I don't know. I've been watching some of his content. I think we have different approaches or think about things in a different way, but a guy named Wes. He's Chinese, Filipino, American. So his family is originally from Manila, but he grew up in the states and he recently did a trip to Southeast Asia. He visited Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. And I think he's in Poland right now and he really likes Poland.
42:39 I actually discovered him because he was living in Medellin, or no, he was living in a town south of Medellin. I don't remember the name. Was it Manzanita? Maybe that was it. But he married a Colombian woman, it didn't work out, unfortunately. But he really opened up a lot about his experiences in Colombia. And yeah, I enjoy his channel. He focuses a bit more on the dating than I do. I don't consider dating as much of a priority at the current time, but yeah, he's got some interesting content. I look forward to seeing more of what he has to say about Poland.
43:27 I'll definitely reach out. John says, if you're, he's not Polish, but he's actually American, but he's based in Poland right now. And he's originally, his family is from the Philippines. He's a Chinese-Filipino guy, but American. And I say that just because he's talked about it. I share that just because as Americans, it can be a bit ambiguous. Like I'm an American, but I also am. So yeah, I like his content. Of course, like I said, he covers a lot, he focuses a lot on dating, not as much of a focused topic for my channel at the current time. But I think he has some interesting observations and I appreciate his vulnerability talking about his experiences as an Asian-American guy dating abroad because people have different feelings about it.
44:27 You know, some people feel like, oh, it's challenging. Other people feel like it's great. He's able to kind of share his experiences which have helped me to better understand the dynamic because he spent quite a bit more time outside the US than I have. Tony says, I'm also pursuing fire. I am two to three years away from getting there. Congrats, Tony. You're really getting close. Like, I'm definitely super excited for you and I'm going to be there to congratulate you when you, and hopefully, we're able to congratulate you on the stream and really just shout you out because it's such a big accomplishment. It's such an exciting thing. It's life-changing.
45:08 And it's cumulative efforts on your part for many, many years, advancing in your career, learning new skills, being disciplined about your purchases. And, you know, some people say, oh, the world would be ruined if everybody was financially independent. I totally disagree. I think the world would be a much better place if everybody were financially independent. Wealth is just assets that earn while you sleep. And everybody can have assets, right? We think about like robots in a factory producing wealth. There's no shortage of robots, there's only a shortage of engineering talent to build robots. So I commend anybody that attains it and anybody that pursues it. And even if a person doesn't attain it or takes longer than what they anticipated, then making strides to be financially disciplined is something that a lot of us that aren't pursuing that would benefit greatly from.
46:16 John says, where will you fire? Tony says, same for me, but I'm five years away, aiming for 900k Euro. How about you? What is your fire number? John says, where will you fire at? Asia? Tony says, probably Latin America. Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador are the places I think about most. Mostly great choices, Tony. Yeah, they're all beautiful places.
46:47 And several of those that you mentioned are of interest to me. Thank you so much, Tony. You are the first person that has sent me a super chat. I can't thank you enough. That is so generous. And I just really appreciate that. That's so nice of you. And definitely helping to make me continue to be able to create content and share with everybody. That's kind of a more long-term goal of mine is to do this full-time.
47:18 To do this full-time, the goal would be really to hit my FIRE number so that I'm not, I don't want to rely on it. I don't want to be one of those YouTubers that's like, and I've been in live streams where people are like, 'Do donations this and that.' And, you know, no judgment, everybody's got a hustle, but that's the dream of mine is to be able to just make tons and tons of content to help people better understand the world around them.
47:47 Because I think from a different perspective, the thing that I noticed about a lot of YouTube travel content or living abroad content when I first started traveling long-term was that a lot of it is designed to help you on your vacation plans. And I think vacations are important. Like I always say, the first step should be a vacation, then the next step should be a discovery trip, and then you actually make the move. You can't do a discovery trip without that cursory seeing whether you even like to visit there on a vacation, and you can't live there without that discovery trip.
48:21 So, being able to do this, helping out introverted people, helping out people with the financial side of things, because I often talk about it like, you know, people say, 'How do you do it?' And it's like, where are the sort of the holes in the boat that you've got to patch? And one of those things is the finance, right? Is like, how am I going to get to the point where my equity provides me with the money that I need to survive? And so that's the goal for a lot of people.
48:53 And trying to show the way to get there, but also the way to build a lifestyle that's not around having a good time. Because not really not having a good time, but people have a certain definition of what having a good time looks like. And for me, I've been able to have a lot of fun doing it in a way that fits my style, and I think is a little bit more sustainable.
49:24 Because I found that when I'm in party mode, and I found this out in my hometown when I was partying all the time when I was younger, I just got burnt out. Like my pleasure receptors were burned out, I was tired. I lost that sense of magic and enthusiasm. And I see that at times when I'm abroad, you hear about it sometimes too if you see certain expat YouTubers or content creators, and you can tell they're kind of burnt out on it.
49:57 And for me, I worried a bit about that when I came here to Thailand, but that hasn't been the case for me at all. I don't feel burnt out on Thailand at all. I love Thailand more than ever. I feel like it just keeps growing on me, and there's more depth that I find to Thailand with each trip. I meet more people, I see more and more of the country. I'm humbled by the kindness that the people show me, like just how kind people are and how nice they are throughout the country too.
50:37 Whether it's Bangkok or Krabi or Pattaya or Chiang Mai, it's just really been such a special place, and it's taught me a lot about how I can better conduct myself in a more positive, a more calm way. John, thank you so much. I really appreciate your support as well. It really means a lot to me.
51:02 I can't thank you and Tony enough for being my first Super Chat contributors. I'm humbled that I'm able to provide value for people enough that they'd be willing to contribute so of their hard-earned money to helping make my dream a reality. And I plan to continue to try to deliver as much value as possible, such that you guys are able to gain some kind of different insight or different perspective, and maybe some different ideas that help you in your journey.
51:38 Tony says, 'If these super chats keep coming, Alex is gonna hit lean FIRE in this stream.' Yeah, wouldn't that be nice, Tony? That's so funny. That's definitely a goal of mine to hit lean FIRE, or hit FIRE, and then have all of my bills covered, and then be able to just do this content and like, 'Oh, okay, well, if this video or topic wasn't successful, or if I want to go to some place that maybe isn't as popular, well, who cares? Like, I've got my bills paid by my investments.'
52:25 And this kind of niche place or this industrial city, which is an interest of mine, I'm weird in that way, but I like to see industrial cities. I still can't figure out why. Maybe it was from when I was growing up, my grandfather used to take me to construction sites, and he would take me to like the fire department. He was in law enforcement for his career, previous to that, he was in the military. And so he would just show me these industrial sites and like industrial places, and maybe that's just a throwback to that.
52:55 But there's some kind of interesting places and people that I'd like to go meet and tell their stories that aren't on the beaten path. And that's the long-term goal, to be able to do that.
53:27 Yeah, and you got it, John. I'll definitely be making a tech travel vlog. I think a lot of people are really going to enjoy that because I do have some friends of mine that are from my hometown that watch these, and I was kind of the first person to do these long trips abroad outside of like Europe.
53:48 Which nothing wrong with Europe, I think Europe's amazing. I would love to go back in the future. There's so much I have yet to see there. I haven't even scratched the surface, just having been to the UK, Portugal, and Spain. But right, like many of us are budget-conscious, and I think that Europe can be a little bit heavier on the budget compared to places like Latin America or Southeast Asia, especially for people that want to go for a while.
54:16 Like one of my high school buddies, we met in 11th grade, actually. This was 14 years ago, 15 years ago, and I never imagined this, but he told me that he's actually planning on coming to Thailand with his girlfriend for a month, and one of his close friends and his close friends' significant other as well. So the four of them are going to be coming to Thailand later this year.
54:39 Unfortunately, I'm going to miss them. Likely, I'll be in Vietnam when they come here to Thailand. But it shocked me, because I'm also friends with his kind of extended group, and I think at times there was a bit of nervousness there, right? Like, you know, when I talked about going to Thailand, people were like, 'Oh my God, you're going to Thailand? You're going to Mars.' Like, you are going to Mars by going to Thailand. A lot of the people in my hometown had that feeling.
55:07 And I'm like, 'No, it's not going to Mars, it's just Thailand. Like, I'm still on the same planet.' It's a long plane ride, but I'm sure the people there are nice. The first time I went to Thailand, I'd already eaten tons of Thai food across the United States. I had developed a love for the cuisine and started to dip my toes into the culture, learning about the culture online. And that was what was so shocking.
55:32 So, you know, making a video like that, kind of showing them like, 'Hey, this is how I pack light. You may feel intimidated because you're taking your first extended trip outside the country.' But then they've seen like, 'I've been here for almost a year with no issues, consistently uploading videos, showing different parts of the country, showing that hey, I'm safe.' Like, in many ways, I feel safer here than where I lived in California. I warn people much more so about like, 'Hey, I'm going to take a trip to California.' 'Hey, you need to be careful.' Taking a trip to Thailand? 'Oh, have fun, you're gonna have a great time.'
56:10 So that's kind of the dichotomy there, where I'm trying to demystify it. Of course, it's not a mystery for you, John, you spent a lot of time here in Thailand. But for some viewers, I take for granted because when I first went to Israel, we were in Haifa or in Netanya. It's not a very big country, it's actually pretty small. But we were in one of the beach towns, and it was Haifa, or maybe it was later in the trip, it might have been Netanya, or it might have been by the Dead Sea.
57:00 So we did this trip where we went to Tel Aviv, then we went to Netanya, then we came up to Haifa, then we came back down to Jerusalem, and then we saw Be'er Sheva and May, it was Ashkelon. I can't recall, it was toward the end of the trip. And I was there with my ex-girlfriend, she had jumped on the study abroad trip as well. And one night toward the end of the trip, I was like, 'Hey, I'm just going to go wander around outside. I'm just gonna leave the hotel and just go walk around outside.'
57:38 And to me, that was just normal. Like I had never been outside of the country before the trip, but I was like, 'How dangerous is it to walk down the street?' And I understand right now there's a lot going on, I don't want to get into all that out of respect. But at the time, it was fine. This was 10 years ago. And so I went out walking and came back to the hotel, and my girlfriend at the time was like, 'Why, you know, oh, that's wild, that's crazy, you can't just go out and walk?' And I was like, 'What? This is normal.' I was talking to the other students about like, 'Yeah, I just walked out the door and just walked around.' Like it's not, you know, I don't see the problem with that.
58:19 And she was shocked, and some of the other students were shocked as well, like, 'What? We need to just stay on the track, we just need to stay with the guide.' And I was like, 'Well, it's after hours, it's not during the day, and I'm also not walking like 20 miles, like I'm just going for a walk around the city.' But my ex-girlfriend was like, 'Well, these people...'
58:39 My ex-girlfriend was like, 'Well, these people just don't have your experience.' And I have to be fair, I traveled a lot in America by that point. I'd been to LA, been to New York, spent several summers in Washington D.C., been to Florida numerous times, been all over the country, been to Colorado. It wasn't a shock, but realizing that a lot of people do benefit from seeing step-by-step how to do that, I think that would be really helpful for a lot of people.
59:12 R says, 'How do you feel about Japan?' Well, Japan is interesting. Right now is a great time to go to Japan because the dollar is super strong. Are you coming from the US? Because if you're coming from the US, the dollar is really strong right now. It's like a dollar is, let's pull this up really quick, USD to JPY conversion rate is 158. So, it's really strong right now. You have great purchasing power. Japan is super safe.
59:50 I just spent a month in Krabi with the only Japanese man in Krabi. I didn't interview him because I didn't want to push. Japanese people can be shy. I'm part Japanese, I can be a shy person. Working in sales helped me get out of that a bit. But even so, it's, you know, there's so much I could say about Japan. It was emotionally hard for me in some ways just because people have a very clear sense of order, and Japan is a very orderly country.
1:00:26 People work very long hours. People work very hard. There are very multi-layered rules. None of these are going to apply to you as a non-Japanese person, but you'll have a wonderful time. One of my favorite history podcasters is actually doing a trip in Japan right now. He's doing his part of a guided trip where he's brought along because he's this history expert. He did a series on Japan as well, it's called History on Fire, Daniele Bleiler. He lives in LA.
1:01:04 He's a really interesting guy. He was on Joe Rogan a couple of times actually. I think they kind of had some differences in the meantime, but I just reached out to him on Facebook and befriended him. He's been through a lot in his life, and so I've kind of talked to him a little bit about that, and I found him to be a really warm and receptive person. But yeah, with Japan, like, you know, it's a really good experience.
1:01:37 You will notice people aren't necessarily stressed out to where it's going to affect you, but you will notice people are kind of worn down. People work really long hours. I remember walking around Osaka at like 9:00 at night and just being so confused because you look in the windows of these office buildings and people are still at work. What are you doing? I know we work long hours in America, but I'm not going to be at the office at 9:00 at night.
1:02:06 I've been in the office as late as like 6:00 or 6:30 p.m., but 9:00, I'm laying in bed, ready to crash out. But I'd also see I walk by fine dining establishments and there'd be like a bunch of workers with their boss there, having drinks and having dinner. So there's this kind of always-on feeling, I think, that a lot of people have in Japan that I think can kind of wear on people.
1:02:36 Of course, I have a unique perspective because I was raised by my grandmother from Japan, so I look at it in a different light than a tourist would. If you're just a regular tourist, you'll have a wonderful time. I found that there's great value for money in Japan. Things may be more expensive than some other popular tourist destinations, but people work hard for their money and they really deliver you great value when it comes to accommodation, food.
1:03:03 Transportation's pricey. Transportation can be a bit pricey in Japan, but even so, the cities are clean and orderly and safe. They're also quite pedestrian-friendly due to the war destroying a lot of the infrastructure. Then it's very easy to walk around. I walked at least 10 miles a day when I was in Japan.
1:03:26 In cases like in Kyoto, I had a hotel near the train station in the city center. The Dawa Hotel, actually, I have a video on my YouTube kind of doing a room tour, but it's pretty shaky so you might not want to watch it. But I walked from that hotel to the Kizu. Let's pull up a map here.
1:03:54 Okay, so I walked from... see directions. Dalk. Which one was it? I guess Dawa got bought by another hotel chain. It was center. Okay, maybe this... yeah. Okay, so I walked from there to... seems so much farther back then. Maybe I walked up here to the north part of Kyoto. Anyway, I walked from here to all the way to the temple. This is the famous temple that a lot of people think of when they think of Kyoto.
1:04:42 And this temple is so beautiful. 362,000 photos, that's how popular this temple is. That's the most photos I've ever seen of any location on Google Maps. And then walk through this forest. There's this like forest over here. And yeah, it's just so beautiful. You can walk so much in Japan. It's just so friendly to pedestrians.
1:05:11 And Fukuoka is nice too. Depends on where you go in Japan too. Like I would say kind of narrow it down to a region, like Kansai or Edo, like if you're going to go to Tokyo, or Kyushu, like where my people are from on Kyushu. Trying to do all of it is deceptively... there's such a dense place. There's so much to do there, so much to see that even though it's like the size of California, I wouldn't try to get everything in one trip unless you're going to go for say, two or three months.
1:05:47 Then you could do it. But if you're going for say, a couple of weeks, even up to a month, then picking one region, I think, will really increase the quality of your experience.
1:05:57 Tony says, 'I too like de-industrialized places. I live in one in Canada and also lived in West Virginia, Pennsylvania. I often watch videos of people driving through Rust Belt towns.' It is interesting, Tony. I'm gonna make a note of that to actually look up Rust Belt towns. I'm going to look that up later on tonight before I go to bed when I'm wrapping things up here because I like, I like that too. Like I like just kind of seeing the remnants of the past and seeing how things change and being reminded to appreciate what we have.
1:06:41 And I think that seeing those de-industrialized places, even though it could be a little bit sad, like one of my favorite places that I've been in America is Detroit, and that really surprised me. But I learned so much from going to Detroit. I went about seven years ago, and yeah, Detroit was really interesting. And to just see the change in scenery going from outside the city limits to inside the city limits.
1:07:09 And getting stared at a lot too. People could definitely tell I was not from Detroit. And just developing that kind of, like you watch documentaries like 'Roger & Me' and you hear about like the outsourcing and the offshoring, but you don't really fully appreciate it until you see some of these Rust Belt towns. Detroit being the most notorious, but of course, Pittsburgh is also up there. Pittsburgh's reinvented itself as far as, you know, having Carnegie Mellon and having some tech companies there.
1:07:44 But, you know, Rochester, I spent some at least one summer in Rochester, kind of the same story there. And it's, yeah, it's tough. I mean, it's emotionally difficult to see what these people have gone through.
1:08:04 Tony, if you like places like that, you've got to check out Chernobyl. I was there a few years ago. It's amazing to see how nature takes back a city, plus the overly friendly Chernobyl dogs. Harmless. Wow, they have dogs there. Why don't we pull that up? Actually, let's see.
1:08:35 Wow, I've never looked at photographs of it. I've seen Indigo Traveler videos where he visits Chernobyl, but I've never actually seen pictures of it. Yeah, it's definitely got a dark kind of vibe here. Wow. I do want to check out some former Soviet countries. That's like a weird interest of mine. I listened to this group called Molchat Doma. Let's see here. They have this interesting sound. I think they're from Belarus.
1:09:20 Yeah, but that is wild to see how this... I mean, you talked about nature overtaking a city. And you can see it here, right? It looks like a phone booth that's falling apart. Okay, that's... I don't think that's Chernobyl. Um, got a perhaps like an Orthodox Church. It looks like...
1:10:06 It definitely has that hollowed-out feeling too, where you notice most of these pictures, there's no people. That's so weird. Like I just noticed that. Like I appreciate that you pointed this out to me, John, just because I've seen some videos, but it's like it's been a few years, and in those videos, you're kind of just like shocked. You're not really paying attention to the details as much as you're like, 'Wow, I'm looking at Chernobyl.' But I didn't expect so many pictures to be uploaded because it's the same, same Orthodox Church.
1:10:45 I do apologize, by the way, if the background noise is disruptive here in, uh, Lad Prao. Like, you got a lot of these people love to come through and have fun, and it's, uh, it's kind of a busy intersection in the city. It's, I like it in that way, actually. It's crossroads where you see like the highway and the BTS and the MRT. And, um, it's, yeah, it's good to be back in Bangkok. I love this city. This is, um, yeah, this is that Ferris wheel that I think I recall from some of the videos I've seen.
1:11:18 That this Ferris wheel hasn't been used in such a long time. Like, just looking at it, it's but it's also like the only one of the only things that's okay. There this guy's wearing or is wearing a red jacket, but it's one of the only bits of color in this. Like you see the gray dead trees, you see a few green, but they're dark green, and then the gray of the buildings and the gray of the pavement, and then these yellow, these kind of bright yellow carriages. Like, I, yeah, it's just such a stark, stark photograph.
1:12:00 This looks like maybe it was a former billboard. I'm not sure what that is. Okay, that's nice. I like that. That's real creepy. Guess it was like maybe a hospital for children. So maybe a statue of former Soviet leader. I know some people might judge you, John, for checking it out. Like, 'Oh, it's this tough place. How could you, you know, go there?' I think, you know, more attention needs to be drawn to these kinds of difficult places just because we've got to learn from the history.
1:12:47 We got to learn from the history if we don't want to repeat it. I would definitely be open to checking it out at some point in the future, assuming things are safe.
1:13:14 Interesting. I wonder what the translation of that sign would be. There's another picture kind of showing nature taking back over.
1:14:04 Really interesting, tragic, but interesting. And you know, I've heard there's still some people living there. That's, I think, one of the most surprising things to me. Like, I know I mentioned you don't really see a lot of people here, but I've heard there are some people that just like, you know what, I don't have anywhere else to go, I'm gonna stay here.
1:14:24 John says, "I was in Jerusalem about six years ago. It's an amazing place. The amount of history there is mind-blowing." Yeah, it's one of those places that put things in perspective because, like, in America, America is a fairly young country, like 300 years old, less than 250 years old. Going to a place like Jerusalem makes your problems feel small, seeing that people have lived there for thousands of years and fought for what they believe in, and civilizations have risen and fallen.
1:15:00 And like, you get kind of a different perspective on time, I think, being in a place like Jerusalem. Why don't we look that up? Actually, pull up the ancient architecture and the golden dome. I remember that distinctly. And the, I think this is the Wailing Wall.
1:15:42 I did meet an interesting guy at my hotel when I was staying there because I couldn't sleep, so I went to go swimming in the pool. It was like 2 AM, and there was just one other person there, this tourist. He was a local; he actually lived in Israel.
1:15:59 And I learned a lot just by asking some questions about it because I knew my professor had a certain perspective, and I wanted to get the perspective of a local. He told me, you know, this is probably a bit idealistic, and it's not meant to be callous or inconsiderate of the current situation, but he said, you know, he was a Muslim guy. He's like, 'I got Jewish neighbors and Christian neighbors. We all get along.' Like, my barber's a Jewish guy. When I go to get my haircut, I see a Jewish guy.
1:16:29 And he said he felt like, you know, without getting too much into it, he said, 'Here on the ground, like, we're neighbors.' And that was his perspective. Of course, I know that doesn't represent everything. I know there's a lot of tragedy going on right now, and I don't want to get too much into it, but I really learned a lot from talking with him.
1:16:56 It kind of reminded me of the movie I Am Legend. The craziest part of the tour is they take you to the nuclear station that exploded. You go to the workers' canteen and have lunch. You end up eating alongside the workers.
1:17:15 Wow, yeah, that does sound like... we can pivot back to Chernobyl. Chernobyl, can't... let's see if it... wow, we could. Is this... this might be what you're talking about.
1:17:40 Yeah, I could see why having a nice meal in a place like this would be kind of... I don't know, like I don't know if I have an appetite, right? Like knowing that you're in this place that's seen so much tragedy and hardship, can you fully sort of...?
1:18:26 It yeah, this is this is strange. This is like a restaurant. Atron... Noy. So confusing. So this is the cooling tower. This was not the reactor. Why am I looking at? I'm looking at reviews of this anyway.
1:19:46 Radiated. How do you? I'm curious, John, how do you know where is safe to go? I mean, I guess you have a guide. Like, what are the places that are safe to check out that are not too high on the radiation? And then what are the places that are not safe? Safe versus unsafe, kind of curious if you could chime in on that because I've always had that paranoia in the back of my mind. I want to go check out Chernobyl, learn about the history, learn about what happened there, but is it safe?
1:20:13 In the case of my grandmother growing up in Japan, she was very lucky because she grew up in a part of Japan where the wind did not blow in that direction. So when the radiation got dispersed, it didn't get dispersed where she lived, and she was fortunate that way. I wouldn't be here if it had, because she had a lot, she knew and had a lot of friends as adults that could not have children because of that. So it is a really unfortunate part of history in Japan.
1:21:09 Also, we've got five watching. I've had a lot of great conversation with Tony and John, but other folks feel free to chime in with any questions or thoughts that you may have. Just here in Bangkok, in town for extending my Visa tomorrow. So tomorrow I'll wake up and, actually, why don't I... this might be a little interesting, kind of things some people may have not seen. I'm gonna go to this spaceship-looking building. I've become very familiar with this building.
1:21:47 And yeah, I'll just be here to extend my education Visa. Then got like a running track here too. I've walked around it a number of times. And some days I don't know what the schedule is, but they've got all these vendors down here to check out, and it's kind of a nice place. Even though it can be a bit time-consuming to come to immigration to do the things, they make it as nice as it can be from a visitor's perspective. You've got 7-Eleven in the basement, you've got places to walk. I always bring my laptop and try to get some stuff done while I'm waiting.
1:22:37 Well, thank you so much again, Tony. I hope you have a wonderful day. It was wonderful to chat with you, and yeah, take care. Look forward to seeing you next time, Tony. So glad you could make it today.
1:23:07 It might be nice to show a little bit of... the guide picks you up in Kiev, and then when you get there, you just follow them around, and they give you some kind of handheld machine to test the radiation. Okay, that's good. Yeah, that's good. That would definitely inspire confidence knowing that you've got the guide, and then you've also got the radiation tester. I think it's called a geiger counter machine.
1:24:35 I will admit, by the way, guys, I am starting to lose my voice a bit. But happy to kind of answer any more questions or thoughts that anybody has. I'll probably wind down the stream in the next 10-15 minutes just because, yeah, definitely feel my voice going a bit and need to get some water and probably grab a bite to eat before I head to bed.
1:25:19 You know, something that I do want to mention that I think is so cool, John, about like you being in Europe, is that you know something that you have in Europe that we American people don't have, is that you're able to do a lot of these really cool weekend trips to other countries, right? Or week-long trips to other countries. Of course, you have the extra vacation time, but you also have like proximity. I think for a lot of people in North America, we're primarily thinking, if it's going to another country, we're thinking about Canada if we're coming from the US, or US for Canadian, or Mexico, maybe Central America as well. But not as many of us are thinking, 'Oh yeah, I'll jet over to Europe for a weekend or something like that.'
1:26:05 So that's a really big appeal of being in a place like Poland, where you can easily check out places like Ukraine or, um, I think your neighboring Germany. Let's pull that up on a map, actually.
1:26:34 Czechia, Slovakia, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine. And not that far from a lot, like not at all far from the Baltics and the former Soviet block countries, like Serbia, Moldova. Yeah, Poland is definitely on my list to check out at some point.
1:27:21 And you know, I mentioned a little bit different, of course, the neighboring country. I mentioned Belarus because I grew up with a dude from Belarus, and he told me a couple of things. He said, 'One, let me know when you go because my grandparents still live there, and I'll connect you with them.' And then he told me, 'Don't walk around the outskirts of the city.' Like he said, you'll get, you know, there's hooligans there, so be careful if you're going to like Minsk and you want to go outside the city center, then it can be a little bit iffy in some areas.
1:28:05 And it's a piece of the puzzle. Like I've been to Latin America and Southeast Asia, and I think for a lot of people, Eastern Europe is part of that trifecta of long-term travel destinations or places that they want to spend a lot of time. And assuming things get resolved in Ukraine, then I think it could open back up as a really popular place for people to go, especially people that are open to cold winters.
1:28:38 Yeah, thank you so much, John, for joining us. I really appreciate it, and I hope you're able to catch us next time as well. Hope you have a great rest of your week, and yeah, definitely will keep everybody posted on my Thailand journey.
1:29:00 But everybody else, I think I am going to wind this stream down just because I'm getting pretty tired. It's pretty late here in Bangkok, and I think it's probably time for me to get a shower and head to bed. But I hope all of you have a great week, and I'm going to try to do a stream this weekend. And yeah, take care. Have a great, great rest of your week until next time.
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