Live from Da Nang, Vietnam - Southeast Asia Discussion

Introduction and Discord Housekeeping

0:10 Hey everybody, hope you're doing well tonight. I am live from Da Nang. Yeah, just been running around, checking out the city, mostly exploring the city by bicycle. I've got a sense of the layout, and it's super convenient because it's one of those cities. Let me pull up Da Nang here, and we'll give it a little bit just to make sure people have a chance to get on.

0:45 I'm going to run over to my phone just to drop a note in the Discord. If you're not in the Discord, you're welcome to join. I may have to do some kind of premium version, I'm trying to think of a more focused offering because I'm having some issues with the spammer that keeps jumping in my Discord. And then when I ban him, he makes a new account and wants to jump in to try to sell me services.

1:14 I told him off, and I guess he may have taken that as a challenge to try to convince me to hire him. I'm not interested in hiring him at all. And so, to filter it, I may have to do some kind of option where I have a public Discord, and then maybe do some kind of private Discord where we can chat a bit more. I don't know, something where there's some kind of fee, and then we can just hop in there and chat.

1:49 I give it out only to people who have, you know, joined the program or whatever, because I want to be able to connect with you guys. But as the channel grows and there's more and more of you guys, I've got to focus on being able to provide value for the people who most need it, right? And somebody who's trying to sell me stuff when I've clearly told them I'm not interested in their services, then they're not probably in a position to be able to travel.

Ants in Da Nang and Travel Experiences

2:30 So yeah, that's just kind of a brief discussion. Hey Christopher, welcome, good to see you tonight. I hope you're doing well in your area. I was just talking a bit, doing a bit of housekeeping. I may have to with my Discord, turn down my air conditioning too. I should have prepared a little bit better tonight, I'm sorry.

3:09 Guys, it's been a hectic day. So, yeah, I've just been dealing with some ants today in my apartment. And tomorrow, hopefully, I'll be able to get some insecticide to handle those ants because they're wild. I'm learning a lot about getting rid of ants; I've never dealt with them before.

3:29 So yeah, Christopher, great to see you in here. Da Nang is going overall well. Like I said, been dealing with some ants today. I found out if you take them out, they emit some kind of odor that I can't smell, but that attracts more ants that want to come and try to handle the problem. So the more I take out, the more they swarm in.

3:53 And it's a they're kind of chilled out because it's nighttime. I guess they're not nocturnal; they're more active during the daytime. But it's certainly something I wasn't anticipating because I've never dealt with that in other parts of Southeast Asia. So there's definitely a learning curve to living over here.

4:09 I dealt with some pests in California, but not ants. And Southeast Asia is even more hospitable to some of those creepy crawlies compared to California. California doesn't really get an extreme winter, but it's also typically not super hot. Christopher says, 'Just returned from Manila a few days ago, back in Indonesia now.' That's wonderful, Christopher. How was your trip to Manila?

Vietnam's Economy and Da Nang's Vibe

4:38 I'd love to hear more about it. We can chat a bit more about it. I'm starting to like try to figure out what I want to do in a few months, whether it be more time in Vietnam, which has been great. I've really been enjoying being in a new country, doing some different stuff.

4:59 Of course, there are some similarities to Thailand, but it's, you know, it's just got a different feel. And there's definitely a sense of optimism here that I'm noticing. Like the economy is growing really fast in Vietnam, and you can definitely tell. It's lively, there's a nice atmosphere, there's a cool kind of nighttime scene. It seems like there's more going on in the evenings, even in a city this for Da Nang, which we can go and pull that up actually.

5:31 I meant to do that earlier, just so everybody can get a sense of the city. So, but yeah, Christopher, feel free to chime in about your Manila trip. I'm sure a lot of people are curious about the Philippines. I know it's at the top of mine for a lot of people looking at Southeast Asia because of things like the prevalence of English.

Subscriber Meetups and Manila vs. Cebu

5:58 It makes it so easy for a lot of folks that are primarily concerned about language barriers. Ronell says, 'What up, bro? How you been? We need to link up, boss.' Hey Ron, are you in Da Nang right now, or are you coming soon? I do apologize. I think you might have let me know my channel has been growing so fast. I added like 125 people in the last week because my video about happiness and unhappiness in Thailand really took off.

6:30 And so, okay, so you're headed to the Philippines. Yeah, that's what I was thinking, as I recall you being more of a Philippines guy based on our conversation. I know somebody else mentioned they're coming to Da Nang soon. I've already got a friend here right now, and we've linked up, which was awesome. First time meeting a subscriber, which was super cool.

6:51 And yeah, I know if you, I know somebody wanted to meet up in Bangkok last month. I ended up getting sick with the pandemic stuff and having some immune system issues. Feel recovered from that now, but that definitely interrupted those plans.

7:06 Manila, Christopher says, 'Manila was all right, but it had some pretty gnarly traffic. I think I've seen enough of Manila and we'll try Cebu next.' So yeah, I totally agree with you, Christopher, in relation to traffic in Manila. My experience in Manila airport was that I had a layover there. I was flying either to Japan or back to Southeast Asia from Japan, I can't recall which. This trip was about four years ago, four and a half years ago.

7:38 And I'm walking through Manila airport, and a guy had just polished the floor, and I had to walk through it. Manila airport, one, is very dense. It's one of the busiest airports in Southeast Asia. Manila is the most dense city population-wise in Southeast Asia. So I have to walk through it, and this cleaner guy like tries to bark at me a little bit about walking through the area he just cleaned.

8:02 And I'm like, 'Dude, there's nowhere else for me to walk. I've got a transfer here. The nature of your job is that people are going to have to walk through this airport, and it has to be cleaned on a regular basis, whether I walk through it right now or somebody else walks through it in five minutes.' So my experience in Manila was that it's just a very, very busy city. People are, like you said, in traffic a lot. They're trying to get to work, they're trying to get home.

8:28 Imagine there's a lot of what you call like super commuters, people that commute several hours one way to work. So, it's, you know, there's a lot to admire about Manila, and I don't certainly don't want to trash Manila. I think there's a lot to love about Manila, especially if you're an expat, you want a big city, you want the conveniences of a big city, you want English, you want access to the Philippines, right? Because you could fly all over the Philippines from Manila.

Philippines Travel and Nature

8:58 There's a lot to like about it, but it does come with some tradeoffs that I would say apply to most big cities. I don't know that I could ever live there; I'd be happy to visit there in the future. But for me, Cebu is awesome. Cebu is, I really liked it a lot. To me, it felt like an American city. It reminded me of almost like a Los Angeles in a way. You've got the hills, you've got the lowly areas, you've got a lot of interesting development, interesting architecture.

9:29 Sure, it's not quite on the scale of LA, but it's maybe like somewhere halfway between like an LA or Miami or something like that. And yeah, I like Cebu a lot. I felt like it had a lot of hospitality and the conveniences that you'll get in like a Manila, but it's not quite as extreme. People talk about the traffic in Cebu. I found most of the traffic in Cebu to be going to and from the airport.

9:55 So when I was in Cebu proper, I didn't have any issues with traffic. I could imagine for people that are commuting from other parts of the island or a little bit further out, that they'd have some issues with that. But I liked Cebu a lot. I'd be happy to go there again. For me, the best part of the Philippines is the nature, if I had to select one thing. But yeah, Cebu, awesome city. I had a great time when I was there. I felt like it was just a good balance between big city having conveniences without being on the scale of Manila.

Philippines, Thailand, and Seoul Comparisons

10:35 Ron says, 'Philippines or Thailand and Seoul.' Those are great choices, Ron. I think those are two of, I guess I'd say the most popular countries in Southeast Asia. Most people, I hear more about the Philippines and Thailand than it seems like anywhere else, and for a good reason. Like Thailand has a long history, and then the Philippines has English. I've been to both. I've spent a lot more time in Thailand, to be fair, but I have some great friends in the Philippines and a bunch of people I want to meet up with there.

11:05 So yeah, happy to meet up if we cross paths. I don't know if I'll be going back to Thailand in the near future because I just finished up a year there. I love Thailand, but I do want to spread my time around because part of this trip is doing more discovery, trying to uncover, could I live in this place?

11:24 So I know all these places I love to visit, I love to spend time there, it's a lot of fun. You know, we talked a lot about vacationing in Southeast Asia, but I'm trying to figure out, okay, of these places that I like to visit, which of these places would I actually want to live long term?

11:39 And Seoul seems super cool. Like when I go back to America, maybe next spring, I'd like to do like a week in Seoul because I've definitely interacted with some people from there. Seems like a cool city, very, very modern. Yeah, interesting city, and I think you can't go wrong there. Plus, this might be kind of a dark topic, but with the aging population in South Korea, South Korea is one of those countries I want to get to before too long because I do suspect.

Dating in Da Nang and Language Barriers

12:09 I do suspect that those demographic issues that the media likes to dramatize will have more impact in the coming years. I'd like to capture a sense of what it's like before those continue to compound. Brown Puppy, this is my first time interacting with you. Great to see you tonight! How is dating in Da Nang so far?

12:38 I have mixed experiences so far. One woman that I started chatting with turned out to be a professional. No judgment on her, I totally get it, but that's not what I'm seeking out. So I went back to Co... oh, okay, okay, your name is Code. We've chatted a lot in the past. Great, very good.

13:04 Nice to catch up. I appreciate you letting me know you went by a different name, just because it's getting tough to keep up with everybody. I do appreciate the longtime subscribers. So, yeah, the woman I initially started chatting with turned out to be a professional, which is not what I'm looking for. No judgment to anybody watching this that that's their preference, that's just not what I'm interested in right now.

13:36 So, I matched with some other women, and we've just been kind of chatting in a cursory way, nothing super serious, just getting to know them. I think one of them indicated on her profile she's interested in friends, not romance, which is totally fine by me. I like it when people are upfront about that, and I'm not really in a rush.

14:12 Dating is all right. I think the language barrier can make it a little bit tougher. Communication is tough in a place where I don't speak Vietnamese. I will give them credit, a lot of them do have better English than what I would have in terms of Vietnamese at their age. So, yeah, it's going. It's just not a super priority for me.

Da Nang Navigation and Nightlife

14:40 Hope that helps. Christopher, tell us more about your impressions of Da Nang so far. Great. Thank you for helping me get back on track. I'm ADD, by the way, so sometimes I can jump around. Don't be afraid to help steer me on course. When I edit my videos, I have to cut out a lot where I just get off track to save you guys time.

15:02 Here in Da Nang, one of the things that's been helpful for me compared to other cities is that I find it easiest to navigate cities with clear landmarks. So for me, it's very easy knowing where I am. In the north part of Da Nang, in one direction is the beach. Down here is My Khe Beach or Quay My Beach. So I orient myself, okay, that's where it's at. That's the end of the map, like if we're thinking about it in terms of a video game. That's the end of the map, and I've got to stay over here. If I want to go back to my place, I'm here in proximity of the ocean.

15:49 Everything in the city is almost everything in Da Nang is either south or west of me that I have access to, because I can't just bike out in the ocean. So Da Nang is nice. It reminds me, a lot of people online used the phrase or the term, 'It's like Chiang Mai by the beach.' And I would agree with that sentiment to some extent.

16:12 First impressions: I think there's more of a late-night scene here than Chiang Mai. Post-COVID, Chiang Mai, outside of some holidays, seemed to be a bit sleepier after 10:00 PM. Here, I've been out on the beach even at like 2:00 in the morning, having sugar cane juice and people around me having street food. There are like four or five, it looks like they're selling some kind of sausage or something like that along the beach.

16:48 There are also, of course, a bunch of beachfront restaurants. A lot of the more established beachfront restaurants close before 2 AM, but there's still people hanging out there. So that's one of the first impressions: if you're somebody who struggles with insomnia sometimes, or drinks too much coffee like I tend to do, or is sensitive to coffee, you're up in the middle of the night. It's not like Chiang Mai where I go on these 'Doomer walks' or night walks where you're in kind of this fugue state, wandering around the city, and there's not really much going on, not many people out. You're like, 'It's safe, right?'

Safety in Da Nang and Driving Culture

17:26 Chiang Mai is safe, but you're not able to engage as much. Here in Da Nang, I can go out late at night. People are stopping on their motorbikes, they've got their Grab uniform on, and they're asking, 'Hey man, need a ride?' Which got old after the fourth or fifth time, if I'm being honest, but you got to respect the hustle. I've been in sales, you got to try.

17:52 One night, I did go to meet a woman who was visiting here from Thailand, closer to the downtown area. I just walked it; it was like several miles each way, and it was still somewhat lively. I still saw some food vendors around the downtown. I saw somebody with like, I don't know if you call it a bike repair stand or something, but they were posted up helping somebody with a flat tire by the... I don't know if it was on the Dragon Bridge, but it was this bridge, the Song Han River Bridge.

18:26 Somebody was at the start of the bridge. We'll zoom in here a bit. More around this side, helping somebody to fix their tire. I don't know if they got a flat or they just needed it patched or what it was, but that was kind of cool.

18:47 It's also another first impression of Da Nang: Christopher, it does feel very safe. I haven't had any instances where I felt unsafe. Not that I was expecting that; I've always heard that Vietnam is very, very safe. But I can confirm that from wandering around the city at all hours, I haven't seen or felt anything that made me feel like I was at risk.

Da Nang Accommodation and Bicycle Travel

19:12 I'll say the driving here is wild. It's something that you have to be careful about. I'm not riding a motorbike here, but I am riding a bicycle. My host, where I'm sitting right now, this studio apartment, the host is very gracious, very kind, perhaps one of the best hosts I've had in Southeast Asia. I don't know if she owns this building or works for the owner, but she's got this building, probably has 10 or 12 units, and she's been super helpful checking in with me. Her name is Hong.

19:55 I'll probably check in with her first, see if she's comfortable sharing her contact info. Remind me, whoever is watching this on repeat, comment and remind me, 'Let me get Hong's contact info if you want to stay in this building.' Yeah, so she's allowed me to borrow her bicycle. She's got this bicycle, and it's super convenient to run around the city, way faster than walking. I definitely recommend if you can get a bicycle here in Da Nang and you feel confident about keeping your head on a swivel.

20:31 I ride totally sober, I'm very, very careful, I'm looking around constantly, double, triple checking, because vehicles will come from either way, on your left side, on your right side. You have to be very cautious. The traffic here is wild, and it's just part of being in Vietnam. It's something that I'm still adjusting to.

Da Nang Traffic and Tourist Areas

20:56 I'd say the worst of it is during rush hour. If you can avoid running around during rush hour, I would say try to stay home. Or if you do come here to Da Nang, pick an area like My Khe Beach where you could just walk to dinner or walk to a food vendor or something like that, where you're not feeling like you have to cross the city. Because rush hour, even though the city is not Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the traffic can just be pretty wild.

21:33 I'm going to get some more of these comments and then happy to share some more first impressions. Christopher Brown Puppy asks, 'Do Vietnamese girls know how to speak English?' They speak fluent English. They work at the bar. You're, yeah, so a number of the women that I've chatted with tell me that their aspiration is to work in tourism, so they're actually studying tourism in college.

English Proficiency and Tourism Aspirations

21:58 There's this really big push in Vietnam. Hey Tony, welcome! Always good to see you. Tony is a longtime subscriber and a generous supporter of the channel through membership. Your membership is always appreciated, Tony. So yeah, I find that with the English, a lot of these women that are aspiring to work in tourism, there's a financial incentive for them to learn English. If they're able to have a fluent command of the English language, they could potentially start a tourism business. They could work in sales.

22:38 I'm not sure. I don't know much. I know real estate is very expensive in Vietnam, but I'm sure there's opportunities for them to work in sales where they're selling to Western people who speak English, like, 'Hey, do you want to buy a condo?' Well, somebody who's fluent in English is going to be able to command that deal a lot better than somebody who maybe doesn't have that English skill. So there's a lot of opportunity for them to learn English, and the growth of the economy speaks... says to me anyway, that there's... I don't know if it's more so than any other country, but there's really potentially strong benefits not just from working in a bar.

23:18 Some women do, in fact, work in a bar here. One woman I matched with on Tinder tried to convince me to meet her at a bar. I'm not doing that because...

23:29 I'm not doing that because it's just obvious. I mean, you Google a bar that she's suggesting that I come to, and the reviews are like, 'Yeah, I came down here because so-and-so convinced me to come down here, and I'm paying $12 a drink.' I don't drink at all, so no judgment if you do, but I don't care if the drink is 12 cents. It's just not my thing. So I'm not going to be tricked into coming down there and paying $12 a piece.

Da Nang Expat Scene and Visa Processes

23:56 I would pay $12 for a drink back in the US, so why would I pay $12 for a drink outside of the US? You're living in the expat tourist area, so actually, not so much. There's less where I am. The further away you get from this area, which I'm not staying in this area, by the way. K Beach, it's, you know, I suggest it for people who maybe are unsure, like they want those training wheels in Vietnam because Vietnam is still rapidly developing and the tourism trail is not quite so cut and dry.

24:39 There are a number of foreigners staying in my building. I think one of my neighbors is from the Netherlands. I haven't talked to any of the other neighbors. But like there's a gym across the street from where I'm living, and I've worked out there probably at least a half dozen times, and I've only seen a few foreigners over there.

25:04 The foreigner population drops off quickly when you get away from this part. I have pulled up on the screen most of the people I see when I'm riding around this neighborhood, getting coffee, recording videos, exploring, have been Vietnamese. There's a fruit market. I've never seen a foreigner. Like, basically, I don't see any foreigners when I travel around my neighborhood. And I don't think I've seen any foreigners except for a couple of people that live in my building when I come and go from here.

25:40 It's very different, right? Because in Thailand, especially Bangkok, Chiang Mai, you see foreigners all the time. I mean, these are two of the most popular tourism cities in Southeast Asia. And I think Da Nang, and Vietnam in general, has a little bit more complex visa process. It's just going to take more effort.

Thailand and Philippines Tourism Value

26:03 And people who want to buy their ticket and book their accommodation and be done with it, they're not looking to go through filling out the visa. They may not have had any friends that have been to Vietnam, where a lot of us have friends that have been to Thailand or heard of Thailand.

26:23 So yeah, if you want to see how the locals live, you have to cross the Agen Bridge. Yeah, I mean, like I said, I see some around here. How did you find your apartment? Through Facebook or a search engine? Yeah, so how I found it was that I actually found an Airbnb and then I exchanged contact information with them because I'm starting to realize that's a good way to get a discount.

26:47 I know people can get in trouble and lose their Airbnb account. I'm, you know, I may request that people private message me because I don't want to get my host in trouble. But I also just don't like Airbnb as a company, if I'm being totally honest. I think that they have some harmful practices, not so much in other parts of the world, but in the US, they've really done a number on the real estate market. They've played a role in driving up rents and trying to make everything as efficient as possible, such that people have a hard time in the US finding housing in certain neighborhoods because everything's turned into a hotel.

27:33 And I had a neighbor in Denver that did an Airbnb, and it was just a nightmare. Ron asks, 'Do you think the Philippines and Thailand are overrated?' Not at all. Not at all. I think that, you know, Thailand gets Bangkok was the most visited city in the world prior to the pandemic. Thailand is on track, I think they're trying to hit 30 million tourists this year.

27:58 Thailand is absolutely best as a country to be friendly to tourists. There's not a single thing that I could point at and criticize about Thailand when it comes to the tourism experience. The accommodation is great value, better value than almost any other country I've been to in the world, just the quality versus the price. The service is fantastic. The cuisine is world-class. You have this amazing cuisine that is famous all over the world.

28:33 I mean, I've had Thai food in many different countries, and people of many different backgrounds enjoy Thai food. Thailand, the flights are reasonable, you know, compared to some of the other countries in the region. I've always found the pricing to be reasonable going to and from Thailand, well, almost always. Can get a little bit pricey in the summer, but yeah, the infrastructure is fantastic in Thailand.

Philippines Social Culture and Americanization

28:57 And Bangkok, you have BTS, you have MRT, you've got vans all over the country, flights all over the country. And then with the Philippines, like, it's the English is priceless to me. Having traveled to a lot of different countries and struggled with the language barrier in many of those countries, being able to go to a country that has the natural beauty of the Philippines, it looks like Hawaii, but then being able to just talk to people. Some of the best dating experiences I've had in Southeast Asia have been in the Philippines because I could go and meet women and we could just immediately launch into conversation.

29:41 They knew more about certain topics related to the United States than I did. They were familiar with sports, they were familiar with culture. We had a similar sense of humor. It was almost strange to me how much I enjoyed the socializing aspect in the Philippines because I feel pretty introverted back in the US. And being in the Philippines, people are constantly coming up to you and saying, 'Hey bro, how are you doing?' just engaging you in conversation.

30:11 So I think the Philippines and Thailand, they are the most notable, I want to say the most notable, the most well-known places because of that ease. Because in Thailand, everything is set up for you to have a good time as a tourist. In the Philippines, you've got English, better English than many countries in the region. I'd say Malaysia is good, and Singapore is good as well. Singapore is expensive.

Southeast Asia Travel Preferences

30:48 I liked Malaysia a lot. I felt like the Philippines has more familiar people. People in the Philippines have more familiarity with US culture because the Philippines is a former US colony. Because you have the popularity of basketball in the Philippines, because you have a lot of veterans that have spent time in the Philippines, it feels like the most Americanized country in the region.

31:20 And I want to be careful when I talk about this. Ron, I love the Philippines, I love Thailand. I think all the countries in Southeast Asia are awesome. I don't think one's the best. I don't think, like, oh, this one's not good and this one's good. I just think it comes down to individual preference.

31:40 I think it comes down to timing. Like most people, you know, they have two weeks of vacation a year, maybe they're in between jobs and they can take a few months off. But they are limited, so they have to be expedient, right? They might love Laos, but they feel like, well, I've got two weeks off and I don't see as many vlogs coming out of Laos as compared to the Philippines. I see tons of vlogs coming out of the Philippines or tons of vlogs coming out of Thailand, so I'll just try those.

Scams and Bar Pitfalls in Southeast Asia

32:11 And then maybe next year I'll try Vietnam, or next year I'll try Malaysia, or next year I'll try Cambodia. And so people have to be really expedient because they've got limited time, limited budget. I totally respect that. If somebody says, 'I want to do something different from the Philippines and Thailand,' which was my feeling, well, I tried them, but I also wanted to try some other places when I came to this part of the world five years ago, and I'm glad I did. I wanted to sample all the different countries in the region.

32:39 And, um, yeah, that's I just wanted to share on that. Um, yeah, Christopher, $12 drinks, yeah, I'm not paying that. That's, I mean, that's you're talking like airport prices at that point, right? It's to trick and milk expats for money.

32:56 They think, 'Oh, she's gonna be my girlfriend.' No, she's not. Her job is to earn money. Her job is not to find a relationship. I guarantee if she wanted a relationship, she would have found one probably the first night she worked there. And I get it, you know, she's got to hustle, she's got to make money, she's got bills.

33:18 And there's a stream of guys who want to be sold, right? They believe in this dream, they believe in this idealism, and they don't think with this head. And hopefully, it's a learning lesson. Hopefully, you know, some guys that fall for that, they realize, 'Wow, you know, I came in thinking this, and actually the case is this. I'm not going to do that again. I'm not gonna make that mistake again.'

33:43 No, I've never made that mistake because I've just spent so much time, and I don't mean this in a bragging way, but I just spent so much time dating in my younger years. I felt like I saw it all in terms of bad behavior from different people. And when working in sales, that helped a lot too. You work in sales, you learn about people's motivations, you learn about what drives human behavior because you're trying to get the sale and you're trying to figure out how to connect with people.

34:13 And you're trying to figure out what people like and what they don't like, and how people work. And being so analytical, I didn't get it. And after a year of hardcore sales, I learned a lot about motivation. And I'm instantly suspicious when somebody that I've never met before invites me out to meet at a bar or a nightlife setting. Coffee shop, that's fine. You know, maybe like a cafe, sure, during the day, that's fine. But hey, come meet me at my bar at 11 p.m.

First Date Caution and Neutral Locations

34:44 Hey, come meet me at my bar at 11 p.m. at night. You've been here for four days and we've never met. No, no, thank you. I'm immediately skeptical. Now, part of the way she set it up was, yeah, we'll hang out. And then when it comes time to the arranged time, I was like, yeah, let's meet up at like 11:00 or whatever. Like, as in, uh, let's meet up at a normal location. Maybe we meet at like a roadside cafe, maybe we meet at the beach. I'm not looking to have drinks with a total stranger the first time I meet them. I'm just a very cautious person.

35:19 And so when she pivoted from, oh yeah, we'll meet, to come meet me at my bar, I'm like, no. Like, no. You and, and also there's dishonesty there. Like, hey, we're going to meet at a what I would call a neutral location. I think most people, when you're meeting for a first date, it's better to meet at a neutral location. And yeah, so I was just like, no, I'm not doing that. But yeah, great, great call, Brown Puppy. It's, uh, you know, like I said, I get it, but I'm not that kind of guy.

Philippines Expat Destinations: Dumaguete

35:54 And it was just, I don't know, I did see like probably several dozen comments or reviews on that bar saying, so and so invited me over here and then just like, you know, encouraged me to buy drinks and then I got a big bill. And then they're also encouraging to buy drinks for them. And, you know, I don't know how much I could say about it. This is not a situation where you're paying for some kind of end result. You're more so paying for like the entertainment factor of, uh, you know, being there.

36:28 Michael Watkins asks, what areas or neighborhoods would you recommend for someone looking for a Chiang Mai type vibe, but in the Philippines? You know, Michael, that's a good question. I've only been to, I'll just, to be totally transparent, and I need to grab my charger one sec, guys. Okay, we got that. So, um, I'll admit, you know, fully transparent, I've only been to three cities in the Philippines. Four, four if you count Manila airport, but I don't really count that. I've been to Cagayan de Oro, I've been to Cebu, and I've been to Keman Island.

37:26 I don't know if there's an apple-to-apple comparison as far as city goes in the Philippines. Um, I know Dumaguete is very popular. If I were to give some parallels between Chiang Mai and Dumaguete, then I would point out Dumaguete has a college, San University. Dumaguete is very popular among foreigners, like lots and lots of foreigners are living in Dumaguete, researching living there. I've heard rentals and real estate has gone up a lot there. You're going to have tons of English spoken there.

38:02 Chiang Mai not as much English, but it's improving. Chiang Mai has a lot more English than it did when I first went there six years ago, for example. Um, what else about, um, you're going to have some western-style conveniences in terms of the malls, also the dining options. You're going to have some western-style dining options. You'll pay a premium for them, but they are there. Places, I'm sure that I think there's like a steakhouse in Dumaguete. Um, so yeah, I would suggest researching it.

38:30 I know some people feel like it's overdone, it's too popular, that there's too many expats going there. But based on my conversations with some of the people that I'm friends with that live there, they like it because for them, it's almost like, and this is my perception too, one foot in the Philippines, one foot in the west. So they get, you know, uh, the tropical island vibe, but they're not totally out in the province where they feel like, ah, I never get to interact with other expats. I have to drive several hours to get to a shopping mall.

Introvert Experience in Da Nang: Noise and Construction

39:05 Dumaguete's got an airport, right? They've also got a ferry terminal in Siulan. So I'd start with researching Dumaguete and then I'd also just look up other perhaps other like cities with a college in, uh, different parts of the country. Um, I hope that helps. Tony asks, you may have, uh, okay, great, great, Michael. I'll, uh, I'll definitely get back to you on that in a bit.

39:39 Um, you may have covered this already. I just got here. How is the introvert experience where you are so far? You know, it's pretty good. Uh, Tony, it's, well, I have mixed feelings on it. It is pretty noisy. Um, there are, you're going to hear a lot of karaoke and that's the common thing, especially on Sunday. It seems like the karaoke gets turned up to 11. There are fewer modified bikes here based on my observation. I just, I get the sense that there's super modified bikes, which is nice because that can really wear on my nerves hearing bikes that have been had the muffler removed.

40:17 Because it's, it's not a safety thing. People will say, oh, they're removing the muffler because it's safer. No, no. The thing about the bikes, there's a few ways to be safe on a bike. One, top reason, wear a helmet. You wear a helmet, that's one of the safest things you can do on a bike. Two, ride at safe speeds. You ride at safe speeds, that's going to help you. Uh, three, be sober when you're riding a bike. Um, but just being as noisy as possible has no impact on other drivers.

40:48 Like, you can't control when you're driving, you can't control other people's driving. You have to take responsibility for your own driving. So saying, well, I could just drive badly as long as I'm loud, doesn't cut it. Um, so yeah, Tony, I would say the noise does get a bit noisy. Also, you know, this is something that's not really the fault of anybody, but Vietnam is at an earlier stage of development compared to Thailand. And so there's a lot more construction happening here. Um, people are building their houses, people are updating their houses, modifying their houses, people are building new houses.

41:28 I went up on the roof today to film a video that I'm trying to slot for, uh, for a Patreon. I'm thinking about creating a Patreon to put out spicier content that I don't feel comfortable putting out on YouTube. Um, so I went up there to film, and I looked like across like a few blocks away, and they're building another level on top of their house. So that's one of the trade-offs that comes with the economical aspect of Vietnam is that it is still developing a lot. They're still building, build a lot, updating a lot.

41:57 Um, Da Nang is growing super fast. It's a tourism hub in the country. So that's one of those other things that I think can make it a little less introvert-friendly. Is that one, the karaoke? But two, more importantly than the karaoke, which admittedly isn't so, like, is what it is, is the construction. You know, people just trying to start a real estate business, people trying to build onto their family house. Maybe somebody saved up the money they needed to get, um, equipment they needed.

42:33 So that, um, I would say people tend to be respectful of, like, people aren't young. People will approach me and talk to me. I do notice that. But middle-aged, older people, they're, I would, I used it in my video a few days ago, but they're more ambivalent. They're like, ah, you know, I don't really need to be friends with you. You know, I don't really need to get to know you. We don't need to hang out. Like, not being rude, not being ugly, but a lot of these people are super busy. They've got their friends and family.

43:06 Um, I also point out too, just the history here. Uh, other countries have not always been very considerate or respectful to the people here. And so that, I think that also goes into it. Uh, and you know, I get it, right? Like they, they're hustling. They're working hard. Like some of the hardest working people I've ever met have been Vietnamese. So I don't take it to friends, but I do, I actually do find it refreshing. I do find it refreshing that people, um, middle-aged to older people are not coming up to me and trying to, um, you know, trying to talk to me.

43:41 People are pretty business-forward. I do like that the young people are friendly. It's light-hearted. Like I get a lot of, 'Hello, hello.' And, uh, I include that in the video I'm working on right now. It's, I may need to go and record some more stuff for it, but I had some instances with young people wanting to practice their English and coming up to me and talking to me in restaurants, or if they're riding on in the street, they'll come up to me and talk to me.

Introvert Experience in Da Nang: Respect and Fitness

44:08 Uh, what else about introversion? Um, yeah, I mean, you know, people are friendly. Like, I don't want to say they're not friendly, but it's not, in some countries, people are over the top friendly because they really are that way. Like in Colombia, people, Colombians are so friendly. Um, but, you know, sometimes you just don't want to talk. Sometimes you just want to be in your own space, in your own head. Greatness is often crafted in isolation. And it's, uh, yeah, it's a nice change here.

44:46 And I noticed too, like with people who may not have any English, they'll smile at me. Uh, in some cases, but they're because they're concerned about being able to hold the conversation with me. Then, like in coffee shops, I'm left to my own devices. I'll get a coffee and there might be a half dozen Vietnamese guys sitting there and having coffee, but they're engaging with each other. Um, same in the gym I go to a gym across the street and I'll be the only non-Vietnamese person there. So they'll be talking amongst themselves. They're not trying to be exclusive.

45:17 They just feel like, well, we can't speak English, he can't speak Vietnamese, so we'll just give him his space. But people have been respectful in the gym, like very respectful. Um, nobody comes over and takes my equipment or, like in the US, I've had people argue with me over equipment multiple times. Um, they don't have this aggro vibe. Like there's, it's a really fitness-conscious city, which I really admire. It's one of the more fit, fitness-conscious cities I've ever been in, like tons of people at all the gyms I've seen. Um, but yeah, very respectful.

Red Flags and Southeast Asia Costs

45:53 Um, so yeah, I would say it's, it's introvert-friendly. Like, I don't know if I how I'd put it on a scale of 1 to 10. That's something I may need to do a video on. I do need to do a video on that, Tony. But, um, yeah, great question. Uh, Brown Puppy, Ronnell says, red flags. Yeah, red. Definitely red.

46:14 Red flags, yeah, red. Definitely red flags. There are tourists that run into that. You have to be cautious of scams anywhere in the world. I've heard similar scams in many different countries.

46:29 Michael says, honestly, I'm not quite so drawn to Chang Mai because of western-style things. It's more due to the idea of having cheap rent and lots of cheap things to walk to and do.

Philippines Cost of Living and Walkability

46:43 In that case, Michael, I don't know. The Philippines is not the cheapest country in Southeast Asia. I would put it behind Singapore and ahead of Malaysia. Malaysia has gas subsidies because it's really big in the oil and gas industry, which helps to reduce their transportation costs.

47:09 The Philippines doesn't have that. The Philippines also imports a lot of stuff, so a lot of the things that you're enjoying are getting in the Philippines have had to come there on a boat or plane. So I wouldn't necessarily call it the cheapest. I do know it has a reputation for being more economical than the US, which I would agree with, but I wouldn't necessarily call it the cheapest place.

47:44 Daggett does have the boardwalk. I haven't been there, like I said, I do want to go there next time I go to the Philippines. I will be going to Daggett. But Daggett does have that boardwalk where a lot of people like to walk up and down it. They've got a lot of people like to run up and down at too.

47:59 That provides a walkable place. Southeast Asia in general isn't the most walkable-friendly part of the world. It just seems like the nature of it is much more oriented toward motorbike transportation as opposed to people walking around on foot.

Dating in Dumaguete and OFW Dynamics

48:23 You may want to take a look though at Daggett, not so much for the western stuff, but because there are a lot of foreigners there and a lot of retired folks there.

48:41 Brown puppy feels that Chang Mai and Nan are better, but if you go to Daggett for the women, there are none because most work brought or taken. I would say Daggett is probably not your best bet for dating just because there are so many people there, so many foreigners there that you're not really sticking out as a foreigner. It's not as interesting.

49:11 There's not that synchronized sort of feeling where I like to date women in other countries because they have these unique experiences. They are also curious about me and what my life is like. In Daggett, telling somebody, 'Hey, I'm an American,' they've met tons of Americans. They've heard about what it's like to live in Cleveland, Ohio, or Seattle, Washington, or Ithaca, New York.

49:37 It's not going to be as interesting or exciting to them. And you also, like Brown puppy mentioned, you've got a lot of OFWs where there are plenty of people from Daggett that are actually living in the USA, UK, Australia. You've got that dynamic.

Loud Motorbikes and Law Enforcement

49:55 Christopher says, 'Oh, geez.' The loud motorbikes are bad in parts of Manila and here in Indonesia. I think it's just about being obnoxious.

50:05 Christopher, I agree with that. I think it's just about getting attention and being disruptive. That's one of the things that did bug me a little bit about living near Chenai University is a lot of, like, a big chunk of those young male university students, they're doing that for attention-grabbing, and it's just annoying.

50:26 It's just annoying. I don't know how else to put it. Brown puppy, there's no noise restriction. They'll do construction all day. Yeah, I mean, like I got woken up this morning about 8 o'clock from the gym. I go to turning up the music real loud, and then a couple hours later, there was a bunch of, you know, young kids screaming out in the street, and yeah, did not feel very good.

50:55 Eventually, I got back to sleep, but that can be a bit annoying. Christopher, fake mufflers tend to be loud and or called wrong here. People don't like them, and the cops are beginning to crack down.

51:14 Great, I'm glad to hear that, Christopher, because there's no point to it. It'd be one thing if there was some kind of genuine purpose or some kind of obvious benefit, if it actually made things better, if it was a safety feature, I'd be willing to support it.

Introvert Expat Destinations Video Idea

51:29 I know a lot of people, a motorbike is their only means of transportation, and they need to have it. But the muffler does not impact the removing the muffler does not improve the safety of a motorbike. It doesn't make it more gas efficient. It's not productive; it's actually harmful.

51:56 Christopher, great video idea: travel destinations that are palatable for introvert expats. And I promised Tony, like, probably a few weeks ago, maybe a month or two ago, that I'd do a video on that. Let me make a note of that: my top introvert expat destinations.

Introvert Destinations: Cusco and City Costs

52:12 You could call it travel destinations as well, but I could go through and talk about my top five or my top 10 introvert-friendly cities. I could mention a few that I'll include on there. One is going to be Cusco. Cusco is a real gem in Latin America where you get the warmth and friendliness of Latin America, but in the mountains, in that mountainous Andean region.

52:36 People do respect personal space. They do kind of keep to themselves. They'll smile at you, and some people do approach you. I did have some people approach me. People are very friendly in Cusco, but people aren't super boisterous. They're not looking to go out and have a night on the town. I didn't see a whole lot of the nightclub or dance club scene there.

53:00 Brown puppy, Manila rent is crazy expensive. Yeah, Manila can be very expensive, surprisingly expensive for the region. A lot of people think of Southeast Asia as this place where it's all cheap. It's like, no, Singapore is expensive, Manila is expensive. I found Quala Lumpur can be expensive for rentals.

53:23 I was paying like $600 a month for my accommodation in KL. I could have gotten that down some, but that was four years ago. That same, some of the same places might be more expensive now. And some of that is the infrastructure. I mean, in KL, the Metro system is awesome. Anytime you get that kind of development where you've got a very efficient Metro system, I assume that's going to come with a price.

City Development and Cost of Living

53:47 Buenos Aires used to be the cheapest world-class city in the world because of different things that have changed. It's now gotten much more expensive. Part of that is having a nice Metro system. Part of that is being really nicely developed. Good deals eventually go away, from my observation. Things even out. Demand goes up because a lot of people want to live in a city with a great Metro system, a lot of people want to live in a city with fantastic malls, a lot of people want to live in a city where everybody speaks English. These things are almost universally desired by Western expats.

54:30 Hey GMM, good to see you. Welcome, welcome from Bangkok. Um, and let's catch it. Yeah, yeah.

54:38 So yeah, and Brown puppy, I will say too, like, I know this isn't always ideal. I know it depends on the circumstance. You got to feel it out. But yeah, Airbnb can certainly be pricey, even by local standards. But yeah, $900 is pricey.

55:00 GMM, reusable silicone earplugs are your best friend in Southeast Asia. Yeah, I'm always, by the way, I'm always using my AirPods. I use these all the time. I'm wearing them all the time. If they're not in my ears, they're on the charger. They are such a big help.

Noise Reduction and Southeast Asia Travel

55:16 I actually had to replace these in Bangkok a few weeks ago. So I went to the Apple Store in Bangkok and got my right one replaced. So my right one needed the battery replaced. The left one is in so-so shape. It's got some different damage because I've been hard on these. I've started to learn how to take better care of them.

55:37 But yeah, that's a challenge. And then I got the case replaced. So actually, I had two of the three components of this replaced. And another thing that I have when these are not working is I do keep a nice pair of, I got these knockoffs of what are called Loop, and I'll throw them down there. Loop earplugs.

55:57 So they are these silicone earplugs that I recommend bringing a pair to Southeast Asia because depending on where you're from in the US, I don't think it's so bad. Like if you're from an LA or you're from a New York City, you're from Chicago, the noise might not be as surprising or might not be as invasive. But if you're from a smaller city or you've lived out in a rural area, and then even coming from a bigger city, like I came here from the San Francisco area.

56:24 San Francisco doesn't have motorbikes. There's very few people even riding motorcycles. You can get in trouble if you modify your muffler there, and a lot of people there don't even like big vehicles to begin with because the roads are really tight, parking is tight, everything is just crammed together.

Manila's Downsides and Surrounding Areas

56:52 Brown puppy, I visited Manila first time, my last time. Yeah, and like I said, I don't want to disparage Manila. I know a lot of people like it. I don't think it's for me, just based on what I know about myself and my experience traveling to a lot of different countries. And the short time I had at Manila airport, it's, you know, to me, the biggest things about the Philippines are the awesome people, the beautiful nature, some of the most beautiful nature I've ever seen in my life.

57:19 Probably the most beautiful nature I've ever seen in my life. Also, the laid-back lifestyle. And so when I think about a city like Manila, 25 million people, most densely populated city in the world, I don't think laid-back. I don't think, you know, there is beautiful nature within a few hours in Manila. And I have some subscribers outside, like there's a guy named Michael who's awesome. I've connected with him several times. He's been on some of our streams. He lives outside of Manila, so he gets the best of both worlds. He gets the conveniences of Manila, he gets to go to the shopping malls, he gets to have the...

57:55 The shopping malls, he gets to have Western-style restaurants, but he's not in that city. So, with Manila, I would say being willing to live a couple hours outside the city, you get the best of both worlds. You get the modern conveniences, you get some of the infrastructure that exists in Manila. You're not going to feel like you're totally provincial like in a province area of Manila. I think it's going to feel less provincial than say, in the Baban Bas region or Mindanao.

58:26 So I wouldn't totally write off Manila either. I do want to mention that like, city proper probably not for me, but would I live outside? I'd try it out. I still haven't checked out places like Trace Martiz, where Steve from Philippines Info Channel lives. I haven't checked out Tanza, or Angeles, where Philippines Antics are located, and I do plan to do that. I do want to take some time to explore the areas surrounding Manila because I think that's where a lot of people really find themselves appreciating the benefits in Manila without dealing with some of the downsides in Manila, being in a crowded city, dealing with the traffic to the same extent.

Online Income and Bangkok Comparisons

59:20 Brown Puppy, anybody make your money here online? If so, what do you do? Yeah, always curious about that. Feel free, but you know, I will say, Brown Puppy, too, all things considered, a lot of people do kind of protect their income if they've got some super unique or cool way to do it. If they're not retired, a lot of people are kind of wanting to keep it close to their chest, and I respect that. I've had some interesting hustles over the year that I tried to keep on the DL because I felt like if they got too popular, it might reduce the potential income there.

1:00:01 Tiny Condo Bangkok is a world-class city, that's why it's so popular with tourists. Absolutely agree, Bangkok is like Miami, but much safer and triple the size, to be fair. Triple the population, or two and a half times the population in the metro area. Also, just a lot more pleasant. People, like I took a cab ride in Miami about 12 years ago, it was terrifying. Yeah, it was terrifying.

Vietnam's Infrastructure and Manila Travel Hub

1:00:28 Vietnam is rough around the edges. Yeah, you know, it's still early on in development. Manila is a city that many only go to when they leave the Philippines, or they sit in the golden bubble in BGC. Yeah, that's fair. I think a lot of people, they're flying in or out at Manila because, you know, that's where I'll probably fly out of if I fly from Manila back to the US, or from the Philippines back to the US. And let's say Mindanao, well, I'm probably going to have to fly from Davao to Manila and then Manila to Los Angeles. So I'll probably have to route through Manila unless I fly from Davao to like Taipei or Davao to Seoul, which just doesn't seem to be as practical.

1:01:14 I'll probably have to route through Manila, and it could be convenient. Maybe I stop in Manila for a few weeks and go and meet Michael, go and meet the couple from Philippines Antics in Angeles. Maybe I meet up with some other subscribers that are in that area.

Da Nang Sidewalks and BGC Employment

1:01:40 Vietnam has no sidewalks. I'd push back on that. So here in Da Nang, the sidewalks are great, at least by the beach. And yeah, at least by the beach and kind of like the M area, the area on screen right now, they do have some solid sidewalks.

1:02:00 I'm going to catch up a little bit. Ronell, have you been to BGC? Motti, I haven't. I do want to go there though. And sometimes I regret not taking a job there. So a lot of people think, oh, you can't work in the Philippines. So I actually worked for a company that had an office in BGC and I didn't stay to check it out because I got another offer that was really lucrative. But if I had stayed at my old company, you know who knows? I might have been able to transfer over. I know an American from my hometown, Nashville, who actually moved to BGC, works for an American corporation, earns a western wage. Best of both worlds. She gets the western wage with living in the Philippines. I can't imagine a better arrangement if you're in your working years. But you know, there was some luck of the draw there. There was a lot of hard work that went into that.

Discord Community and Travel Plans

1:02:56 Tony says I have to get back to work. See you soon, Alex. Thanks so much for joining us tonight, Tony, or today in your neck of the woods. I hope you have a great day and hope to catch you next time.

1:03:10 Ronell Christopher says, great chat here. Perhaps an Eastern Jer Discord to share info between lives? Yeah, let me grab you the link for that really quick, Christopher, because I imagine you and some other folks would benefit from me throwing that Discord link down here. And yeah, here's the Discord link. So there's a Discord, if anybody is unfamiliar, feel free to join that.

Underrated Philippines Destinations: Baguio

1:03:55 Palawan and Baguio City are underrated. Yeah, Ron, I'd agree. Like I haven't been to Palawan, but Baguio seems awesome to me. Being up in the mountains, why don't we move over to Baguio here on the map? So you're up here in the mountains. It's like, I've heard 10, 15 degrees cooler than the lower lying areas in the Philippines. A lot of foreigners have moved here. So you've got like SM City Baguio, the super modern chain. You've also got plenty of hiking in the surrounding areas. A Filipina from Baguio actually added me on Facebook and we chatted a bit, but, you know, she wasn't really my type, so I didn't pursue it. But yeah, super popular among foreigners.

1:04:40 Baguio is super popular. It's, you know, I have heard it's a little bit pricier. I have heard it can get a bit crowded because everybody wants cooler weather when they're coming from countries like the US, where we're not often accustomed to the super hot weather there.

Wealthy Tourists and Asian Travel Habits

1:05:01 GMM, about prices, tourist prices go up fast, mainly because the very rich Koreans and Chinese have it as their playground nowadays, especially in the more bar areas. That's fair. You know, that's certainly fair. It's not just like there's a stereotype it's only the Americans that have money to splash around, or it's only the Australians that have money to splash around. But there's plenty of people in East Asia, Japan, China, Korea, that have a lot of disposable income. I mean, I haven't spent time in China or Korea, but in Japan, I mean, that's it's a very wealthy country per capita. I have a lot of Japanese friends on Facebook that are super into the car scene, and I have some Japanese friends as well that are into the boat scene, and they've got expensive hobbies. And you see it when you're there too. I mean, walking around in Kyoto, I would see luxury, high-end restaurants packed with Japanese people, just packed. And you're talking about probably $50 per person, and there'd be 20 people sitting at a table. And this was consistent, like over and over again. I also saw this in Osaka. So a lot of these countries have disposable income and they might not be looking at just the bar type scene. They might just want tropical weather. Some of these, like Japan, I remember it was overcast a lot. I imagine South Korea and China have some of the same overcast weather in the winter, and they want to feel that sun on their skin. They want to go to the beach.

1:06:31 Like I've done a bit of English teaching, and I had a Japanese student, and he would take his family to Thailand. He's like, we like to go to Thailand because my kids get to see the beach and we get sun on our skin. We get to warm up from the Japanese winter. So it's a lot of families too, to be fair.

Chattanooga to Chiang Mai Transition

1:06:50 Michael Watkins says, I grew up in Atlanta, but currently right down the street from Nashville in Chattanooga until the end of the year when I'm bailing and going to Chiang Mai. That sounds awesome. I've definitely spent some time in Chattanooga, Michael. Some of my high school classmates went there to UT Chattanooga for college, and Chattanooga is convenient as far as being able to zip up to Nashville or down to Atlanta. But you know, nothing compares to Southeast Asia, and Chiang Mai happens to be one of my favorite cities in the world. So I don't blame you there. I don't blame you at all for wanting to come to this part of the world.

Indonesia Travel: Bali vs. Yogyakarta

1:07:32 Christopher says, thanks Alex. Yeah, thank you, Chris. You always have great input. And if I wasn't going to the Philippines next, like I toy with the idea of coming to Indonesia. I want to go to Yogyakarta, the cultural capital. I'm not as much into the idea of going to Bali because it's super, super popular. It's not that I'm not one of those hipster types that says, oh, I don't like it if it's popular, but some places that are super popular can have a kind of a transient vibe, right? Like it can be a little bit tougher, I think, in a place like Bali to make long-term friends because you've got people coming in for a week, coming in for two weeks, and then heading on to the next destination, heading back to Australia, heading back to other parts of Southeast Asia. I mean, Bali is also popular among people from the Philippines, it's also popular among high people, Vietnamese people. Bali is just popular, period. So a little bit cautious about it, similar to how I'd be cautious about going to Cartagena, Colombia. Cartagena, Colombia is super, super popular. I didn't make it to Cartagena when I was in Colombia because I know how popular it is.

Indonesia's Scale and Komodo Dragons

1:08:51 But yeah, if I end up going to Indonesia, Christopher, would love to link up. We should definitely, you know, if that happens, exchange contact info, and if we can, you know, make something happen, you know, always happy to meet up. And yeah, Indonesia, like to me, is so intriguing because it's the most populated country in the region. A lot of people, why don't we pull up Indonesia here? A lot of people, they think Indonesia is just Bali, but it's like, no, like Jakarta is a huge city. And I think you have to be a big city person, like Jakarta, but there's like, I think 300 million people in Indonesia. So you're talking about approaching American population levels, which is wild. To be so far away from America, but you know, 10 times the population of Australia, 60 times the population of Singapore, triple the population in Vietnam, two and a half times the population in the Philippines. So yeah, Indonesia definitely high on my list. It's also, what some people I think...

1:10:00 It's also what some people are calling an Asian tiger, a growing economy. It's definitely a country of the future, and I think there's likely a sense of optimism in Indonesia from a growing economy, from a place that's increasing in popularity. People are branching out from Bali; like, Bali might be their introduction to Indonesia, but they want to go and see some other parts. I'm particularly interested in seeing Yogyakarta because I saw it on a Netflix documentary some years back. It was a series on Netflix about local food cultures, and the Indonesia episode was on Yogyakarta. That guy sold it really well; he was talking about it, and I was like, 'Okay, I've heard about Bali, but what's this Yogyakarta place?'

Komodo Island Travel and Safety

1:11:00 You've got a lot of culture here. It's also a college city, and you've got some of the conveniences as far as malls go. So that's where I'll start. There's a remote area, and this is going to have to be in the far future. I don't recall exactly where it is, but I want to go see Komodo dragons. There's an island in Indonesia that's remote, maybe I'll have to get there by boat. There's an island in Indonesia that's famous for the Komodos, and I want to go see them. I have to get a guide because they can be dangerous; they're these huge lizards.

1:12:07 I mean, look at these. They just look so alien. I know they're not evil, and I'm sure many of them are just trying to eat and live their lives, but they can be dangerous. If you see one, stay away from it. But yeah, just the leathery skin and the hollow eyes.

Baguio's Fog and The X-Files

1:12:47 Baguio is above sea level like San Francisco, so fog is common. Yeah, that sounds inviting to me. I love San Francisco; it's one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. I was so fortunate to live near there for a while. I love the way the fog looks; it's like mysterious and reminds me of The X-Files a bit. If any of you guys have ever watched The X-Files, for some reason, when I think of fog, I think of that show. I need to watch some reruns of that when I get some downtime because The X-Files, I went back and watched the entire series a few years ago, and it's a classic.

Bangkok's Size and Vibrancy

1:13:25 GMM, New York City, the Big Apple, clocks in at a respectable 302 square miles. Bangkok, the Big Mango, 4,000 square miles. So yeah, that's a great point. Bangkok is massive, and it's such an interesting city. It's so dynamic, it's so vibrant, it's so beautiful. The people are great. It's a hardworking city, it's a gritty city, it's also polished in some places. It's somehow, to me, like a city with a lot of heavy contrast in terms of different neighborhoods. I could go on and on about Bangkok, but yeah, it's massive.

Live Chat Duration and Southeast Asia Noise

1:14:41 Rell asks, "How long is your normal live chat? Do you do when you go on live on YouTube?" So, I've been doing them at 10 p.m. Indochina time. I've been starting them around 10 p.m. Indochina time. That just seems to be a good time where I catch some folks in the morning back in the United States, and it also seems like for the people in Southeast Asia who are working during the day, it's also after their work hours. I like to go for, I'd say most of my streams are around two hours. I've gone for three hours before, but I found my voice starts to go around the two-hour mark. Usually around the two-hour mark, I start to get kind of hoarse and get a bit of a dry throat. Speaking of which, I need to drink more water when I do these; maybe that would give me more longevity.

1:15:40 GMM, "Go to any exclusive rooftop bar and they're full of wealthy East Asians." Yeah, I could imagine. I haven't spent a lot of time on rooftops. I've been to some rooftop coffee shops, but that's more of a daytime thing. I noticed like when I went to some rooftop coffee shops in Bangkok, it was more like wealthy Thais. But I imagine at night, you know, a lot of these people who are expats from those countries, they're working during the day, right? So they're off work at night, and they might want to come out at nighttime when they're not working and they have some time to kick back and relax.

Rooftop Bars and Wealthy East Asians

1:16:17 Rell says, "Go to Taiwan and Macau and Hong Kong." Taiwan seems really interesting. Macau seems interesting. I know Gabriel Traveler; I'll throw his name down in the chat. I'm a fan of his stuff. He went to Macau earlier this year, and it looked like he had a great time. Hong Kong, you know, one of the flights I looked at routed through Hong Kong to the Philippines. So the flight was from Hoi An City to Hong Kong, a layover in Hong Kong for like 10 or 12 hours, and then a flight from Hong Kong to Manila. I still haven't been to Hong Kong.

1:16:57 This one of my Thai friends, she went to Hong Kong recently, and I've been talking with her a little bit about it. She had a really good time. She went for, I think, a weekend a few weeks ago, and she really, really liked it. She had a great time. She went to Disneyland there, Hong Kong Disneyland.

Bali's Popularity and Pushy Salespeople

1:17:18 Christopher says, "Bali is played out, overrun with backpackers and Aussies." Yeah, I get why people like it, right? It's Southeast Asia on easy mode. You're not going to have a hard time getting a SIM card, you're not going to have a hard time finding accommodation, finding Western food. But the tradeoff from that ease of access, that low barrier to entry, is that you're going to get a lot of people who are inexperienced travelers. You're going to get a lot of people who are just there for a week, a lot of people who are just there on vacation who want to have a blast.

1:17:52 I've heard also there's a lot of pushy salespeople there, like walking around in certain parts of Bali. I've seen videos of it, like Gabriel, who I mentioned down below, he shows a video of him walking around in Bali, and people are just coming up to him every single step, "Hey man, you want to buy this?" "Hey man, you want to buy that?" And that can just wear on you, especially if you've been traveling for a long time and you're maybe a little bit homesick, and you've gotten into this repetition where the destinations seem to blend together. You feel like you're in a theme park, or maybe not quite a theme park, but I just don't like pushy salespeople. When I was a salesperson, probably part of the reason I got laid off was that I had some caution or concern about being pushy.

Western Wealth and Display in Asia

1:18:50 GMM says, "The truth is, the Westerners aren't the rich people in Southeast Asia anymore." You know, I would say that the wealthy Westerners are quieter about their wealth in Southeast Asia because if you pay attention enough to Southeast Asia content, you hear about wealthy Western people; they just tend to be super low-key. They don't want to draw attention to themselves. They don't want people to know that they're wealthy. They may be concerned about people in their area finding out that they've got money and coming up to them and asking them for money, breaking into their house. Like, if you announce or advertise your wealth anywhere in the world, you will be a target to somebody, unless you're in Singapore, or Switzerland, or Luxembourg, or Liechtenstein, maybe you're on the upper west side of Manhattan, in some kind of exclusive enclave that could protect you. But most people don't live in those places.

1:20:01 And so if you are very wealthy, I disagree that Western people aren't necessarily wealthy. I think that a lot of wealthy Western people have had to be low-key. Like, some of the wealthiest people I've ever met in the West are very low-key. I've met several billionaires when I was living in San Francisco; you wouldn't be able to tell them that they were billionaires on the street. I recognize them because I know about their businesses, I know that they are CEOs of publicly traded companies. I know they own, like the former CEO of the company I used to work at. You would never know; he didn't wear a Rolex, he was rarely wearing fancy clothes, he'd often come to the office in jeans and a t-shirt. There's nothing about him that, if you didn't know about his background, you would guess he was wealthy. He doesn't want to be a target, he doesn't want to get harassed, he doesn't want people to know where he lives, he doesn't want people to know how much money he's got.

1:21:04 At certain levels of wealth, you're just a target. And let's be honest, East Asian countries are higher trust societies than Western democracies. You're not as likely to be a target in Korea or Japan as an ultra-high-net-worth individual as you are in the United States. Like, I know on Facebook, I'm friends with a Nissan executive, and he's fairly ostentatious. Like, he posts pictures of him in Monaco. I have another Facebook friend I've actually met up with in real life, where he posts pictures of him in Japan driving an $800,000 Ferrari at the track. Extraordinarily wealthy. So there is this difference between the East Asian expression of wealth and the Western expression of wealth, where Western people, in my opinion, have to be much more cautious about how they display their wealth because their countries are inherently more dangerous than East Asian countries.

1:22:05 And I'm not saying... I'll say it right now, I'm not a super wealthy man by any means. You know, maybe I'll get...

Westerners on Pensions and Lifestyle Choices

1:22:13 I intend on keeping it to myself. I plan on dressing down regardless of my financial state. That's how I stay safe because I do sometimes go to countries or regions of countries that are unsafe. I've had the opportunity to purchase certain status symbols, and I felt like it just attracts the wrong attention. Sure, if you're fortunate enough that you have a Japanese or Korean passport and you're exclusively staying in fancy enclaves, maybe you could get away with it, but I wouldn't even feel safe in my home city dressing up really nice.

1:22:59 Now, are there a lot of poor Westerners? Let me contradict that a bit. Yeah, there's a lot of Western people on a pension that they can no longer afford to live in Australia or the United States anymore, and they're in survival mode. I know Mark from Every Man Has a Story, and I know he's controversial, but he's talked about that. He's talked about how he wouldn't be able to make it in the US. He's been very transparent about that. He's the type of guy that did pursue status symbols; he'll tell you he owned a fancy Infinity and had a really big house in the West.

1:23:40 So you do see a lot of guys where the choice is to either work until they pass on in the West, or come and live a modest lifestyle in Southeast Asia, rent a modest home, drive a modest vehicle. In some cases, they've been divorced, where they had to split up their assets, spend money on high-priced divorce lawyers, and pay child support. Their wealth creation has been mitigated by some of the personal factors in their life.

1:24:17 And yeah, that's just what I would say. Naturally, there's going to be a lot of guys that have some kind of pension and are trying to figure out what they're going to do because their working years are winding down. Maybe they're in their late 50s and they're seeing, 'Okay, well, X amount of years I'm getting Social Security, and I'm having maybe some health issues. Maybe I don't have the energy I had when I was younger, and I want to just take my foot off the gas and actually enjoy my life.'

Embracing Change and New Lifestyles

1:24:49 I can live here and make this big mortgage payment, pay these high property taxes, drive a fancy vehicle, or I could get rid of all this stuff and go actually enjoy the time that I have left in life. That could be a long time, that could be a short time, but I admire anybody that's willing to give it a shot, try something different, mix it up, and not just repeat the status quo.

Komodo Island Adventure and Safety Precautions

1:25:15 Christopher says, 'Kodo Island, dude.' Yeah, so before I got off on that tangent, yeah, here's Kodo Island. That guy, I don't know if this Komodo is sleeping, maybe he just ate a big meal. That guy has gut. So this is the one, thank you, Christopher, you already know about it. This is the one that I want to go to at some point. First off, it's gorgeous. Like, this is just gorgeous. I mean, it's beautiful, so beautiful, the green with the blue.

1:25:51 But it is remote. It is remote. I know it's going to be pricey. It's something where you'll probably have to get a tour guide to come here, which is fair because if you didn't, you would have people getting hurt, people not understanding proper safety protocols. I saw that a lot in East Tennessee. Please keep silent. So yeah, they don't, if you make too much noise, presumably you're going to disturb the animals.

1:26:21 But yeah, like in East Tennessee, we'll hop over there really quick. This is a place I used to go with my stepdad a lot when I was a kid, and we'd see bears here because you're in the Smoky Mountain National Park. People would approach the bears, people would get out of their car and walk up to the bears and try to mess with them. It's like, 'No, you can't do that. What are you doing?'

1:26:48 Naturally, that's become more of an issue there. I've heard of some people getting attacked. I know my stepdad even saw a bear running down the street. These animals can be very dangerous. People get in their heads that it's fine, but no. Gatlinburg is way more populous and has way more infrastructure than Kodo Island. Imagine if you have a problem on Komodo Island, you're probably not very close to substantial medical facilities.

1:27:20 It doesn't look very populated. I don't even know how long the ferry ride is. You may be able to chime in, Christopher, if you're still with us on how long that ferry ride is, but I imagine it's a fairly lengthy ferry ride to go to somewhere with infrastructure where you could get treated if you were to be bitten or attacked by one of these Komodo dragons. Their saliva is very toxic as well; it can lead to infection.

Classic TV Shows and Travel Nostalgia

1:27:48 Ronell says, 'I like Twilight Zone and Unsolved Mysteries.' Same. Yeah, both are very, very good. Christopher says, 'Neara Tangara, Timor.' And Ronell says, 'And Tales from the Dark Side.' Jim says, 'Long time I seen X-Files, maybe time for a binge watch.' That old series before mobile phones and internet, that's what I like about it. You look at the X-Files, and people aren't pulling out their cell phones, people aren't texting. It's the world moved a little bit more slowly back then.

Expensive Drinks and Business Value

1:28:24 It's I look back on that time fondly. Christopher says, 'Yeah, take a ferry to Komodo.' GMM says, '$100 plus for a drink at an exclusive rooftop bar in Bangkok.' That's not a normal tourist budget. Yeah, no, I cannot imagine spending $100 for a drink. I have a hard time bringing myself to spend $100 plus on a meal, and I love food. I'm a big foodie.

1:28:50 And you know, for me, there's a lot of diminishing returns. Now, if you're on a business trip, if you're trying to meet with a person who is a key decision-maker in your business, then maybe spending the $100 is worth it. Right? If you're going to go meet a banking leader or a medical specialist or a lawyer that has a lot of connections, then perhaps spending $100 plus on a drink will pay dividends. You know, you land the big deal, brings in a multi-million dollar sales contract, and that could pay for itself.

Dressing for Southeast Asia and Business Settings

1:29:32 GMM says, 'That's right. You never know how much money you have and brag about it. Dress down but dress good.' I'm not even so much as concerned with dressing well and I in Southeast Asia. Let me clarify, in that GMM, the weather is just not super conducive to it. The weather is hard on clothing people. You know, if you're not in Bangkok, I also don't understand the point because like in Bangkok, I get it. People want to dress up, go out for a nice meal, they might be dating, they might be in a relationship, they might be working there where they've got to maintain professionalism.

1:30:13 They don't want to go out looking like they don't want to go out in a hoodie because if their boss sees them, 'Hey man, you're supposed to represent the company, and dressing down doesn't represent the company in a good light.' But the other side of that is, depending on where you're at, dressing up or dressing well, like wearing a polo and khakis, I've just found that sometimes when I dress nicely in a business setting, it's a good idea. It's never hurt me to dress up nicely in a business setting.

Clothing Challenges and Proportions in Asia

1:30:48 But in some settings, people see that as a sign that you've got money and that you're somebody that they can scam or take advantage of. I don't know. I just have mixed feelings about it. I also think the weather here in this part of the world is hard on clothes in general. My clothes have definitely, I have been here for a year, but it definitely wears on clothes. The humidity, me sweating like I being Indian, I sweat a ton. I think that the amount I sweat is also hard on my clothing.

1:31:27 And I go through clothes faster. Like I need to replace some of my clothes, but I keep running into not finding clothes that are proportional. Like I have really long arms and a big torso, and the proportions here, I always find that the sleeves are too short. The torso will be big enough, but then the sleeves, they'll come up to like here. This one, I pulled my sleeve down, but that's something that's been hard.

1:31:59 You can import clothes, but I looked at the import costs. They're wanting to charge me 100% in Thailand. I haven't looked at what it would cost for Vietnam, but I tried to buy copies of all the clothes I have and send them to Thailand, and they're like, 'Well, we're going to charge you 100% value-added tax.' So a $15 shirt becomes $30. And a $25 hoodie becomes $50. These clothes aren't that special. I don't want to pay double the price just to have them.

1:32:28 So I'll, you know, even if I stay over here long-term, when I go back to the US next, I'll load up on clothes. I'll just set aside the money to go on Amazon and order. I also have a ton of clothes back in America. All the clothes you see me wearing, except for this jacket, but all my shirts and pants and even shoes, when they go on sale back in the US, I stock up. So I'll buy, if my favorite shoes that are $60 go on sale for $30, I'll buy two or three pairs.

1:33:04 The shirt, the pants, if they go on sale for, they're normally $25 and they go on sale for $18, I'll buy five or 10 pair. Same with the shirts. The dress shirts I have for when I'm in sales, if they go on, even if they don't go on sale, I'll just buy like five or 10 because that way I don't have to think about it. Stick them in the closet.

1:33:25 And I'm not, being almost 32 now, I'm not changing in size or shape so much that I worry about it.

Import Costs and Clothing Stockpiling

1:33:34 I do wish I'd bought more pants in Japan so my favorite pair of pants I got at Uno in Japan and they tailored them for me in the shop were the most comfortable pants that I have. If I go back to Japan, I want to buy like probably five pairs of those pants. They were like 40 bucks, which to me is a really good deal. I mean, they're the most comfortable pants I have, they fit really well, they look really great, and the color is this really nice gray. I love those pants.

Considering India Travel and Family History

1:34:15 Would you consider going to India? Absolutely. So my dad was from India, from South India. I've been meaning, I've been wanting to go to India for a while. There are a few things that stop me from going. One, it's an emotionally difficult subject. Like my biological father was not really involved in my life, and he passed away when I was 10. I made a video talking about some of that stuff. I tend to try to not want to be a whiner. I also struggle with vulnerability, but I am going to have to open up about that so that people get a better sense of my background.

1:34:49 Because, you know, part of it for me is just wanting to be strong and not letting the harshness of my background hold me back. But the other side of that is that I want people to know that you can come from a difficult background and pursue your dreams. For me, traveling the world has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. My grandfather used to order National Geographic, and he'd just hand them to me, and I would see all these different, like, crazy stuff from around the world. National Geographic back in the day was phenomenal, and it inspired me to travel.

1:35:29 So even though I have had a difficult background, it's sorry about rambling, by the way, guys. But as far as India, I do plan to go. There are a few reasons I haven't gone. One, the visa is tricky. It's similar to Vietnam where you have to plan it in advance, you have to apply for it. Two, my Indian friends. I want to go to India with at least one of my friends from India. So several of my closest friends back in the US are from India, and they're busy, right? They work in these highly technical fields, they don't get a lot of time off work. They're very, very conscientious people, like they work extremely hard, they're very, very smart as well.

1:36:12 And India seems like one of those places, like they've all warned me about it. If I'm being fully transparent, all my friends from India warned me, 'Hey man, if somebody comes up to you trying to like ask you for money, tell them to go away. Hey man, there's pickpockets at this train station.' So there's this mixed feeling where I'm drawn to it because I want to learn about, like, you know, my father, like where he came from. But on the other side of it, my friends warning me about it and telling me, 'Hey, you need to be cautious.'

India Travel Warnings and Value for Money

1:36:43 It's like, as an example, my buddy Sean, that's his American name, he's got an Indian name. But when we were in India, his parents own a house in India and they go and check on it like once every few years. And you know when they've, they're supposed to have people that maintain the house, when they go over there, everything's broken. Like the light fixtures are broken, the bed is broken, like everything's just broken. And they're riding in the, like, there's a lot of mob justice in India too. Like, you'll see if people get mad, they'll just get in their heads to handle things on the spot, lose control.

1:37:33 It's a place that can wear on you based on what I've heard about it. Here's a much more mild example. I was looking at going to India a few years ago, and I was talking to this guy who's got a small hotel or guesthouse in Goa. I'm like, 'Yeah man, what's the name of it?' Oh, cool, cool. I made a note of the name. 'Oh yeah, you know, what's the internet like?' 'Oh, it's fantastic, man.' Well, I pull up the reviews, and all the reviews are complaining about the bad internet. So it's like, okay man, right off the bat, we're not off to a good start here. I'm asking you about the internet, you're telling me it's amazing, and then all the reviews are telling me it's bad. So already I'm suspicious.

1:38:16 And this is like the first time I'm talking to a hotel here, and I assume would say, 'Well, that's just one guy.' But, you know, things like that, I don't have that problem in Southeast Asia. Some of it also is value for money. So if I can come to Thailand and spend the same money I'd spend in India but have a better experience, it's like, okay, well, you know, I'd rather go, I'd rather come here.

Winning in Asia and Relationship Expectations

1:38:47 People that show bling bling and brand things in Asia where the perfect copies are cheap are often pretty broke. Seen many green gold chains over the years. Yeah, that's a good point. And I mean, you know, it's I don't think part of it is just avoiding status games. Social media is bad about that. But yeah, there's no need to pursue like high-status, like hotshot lifestyles. To me, if you have like solid income, if you have wealth, and you can live in Asia, you've won. You freaking won. Life, if you're a wealthy person in Asia and you can live in a place with social cohesion, with safety, with amazing food, with proximity to all these other countries, you freaking win.

1:39:39 On my standards, so to me, just knowing I could live in Asia in perpetuity for the rest of my life, I don't care if people think I'm homeless. I don't care if people think I'm an alien from outer space. I don't care about any of that stuff. Now, if I do settle down and I get into a serious committed relationship, I there would be some, you know what's the word, meeting my significant other halfway. You know, if she's got certain expectations, if her parents have certain expectations, I'm not going to, you know, I'm definitely open to meeting them halfway.

Cultural Humility and Self-Confidence

1:40:16 But part of that is already getting done on my end. I'm already researching these different cultures, these different countries. I already grew up in an Asian household, so it's not a stretch to me to be respectful of older people, be respectful of their interests. One, I'm interested in. We had a conversation and I said something kind of crass, and she didn't kick me under the table, but she was like, 'Hey, hey, shut up.' So, you know, being willing to say, 'Hey, you know what? I don't know everything.'

1:40:49 Which is tough in America. I mean, America, like, you know, people expect you to be overly confident, especially in business. And I have struggled with self-confidence at times in my life. Twin Peaks is good too. Yeah, I've heard a lot about Twin Peaks. I need to look into that one and watch it. Thank you for mentioning Twin Peaks.

Teaching Opportunities in Da Nang

1:41:15 Grapes says, 'I'm hoping to teach in Da Nang next year.' Grapes, let us know if you make it over to Da Nang next year. Teach, chime in, let us know how it goes. Da Nang is, I've heard, one of the tougher markets to teach in because there's a lot of opportunity in Hanoi and in Hoi An City because of the size of those cities, also the international business scene. But Da Nang seems to offer the best quality of life, right? You've got some of those big city amenities, but you're not dealing with Hanoi rush hour, Hoi An City rush hour. You're not dealing with the same level of crowds, noise, pollution, all those things.

Komodo Island Tours and Tailoring Clothes

1:41:59 Christopher says, 'Haven't made the Komodo trip yet, but I believe there are some guided boat tours.' Eight-hour tour? Okay, very cool. Thank you for letting me know, Christopher. That's definitely on the radar for, maybe like, 10 years out from now, something like that. It just seems super, super cool.

1:42:20 GMM, I'm too in Nordic slim. I have no problem to buy clothes here in Southeast Asia. Buy big and go to local seamstresses, they are cheap. Thank you for that tip, JM. I will keep that in mind. Yeah, I'll definitely keep that in mind because I have not found it super easy to find clothing to my liking, and that will save me some headaches. Because there are some nice-looking clothes over here, you know. There's some really, like, Vietnam is very popular for getting suits made. Thailand is also very popular for that.

Passive Income and Real Estate Investments

1:42:58 But there's been this disconnect where I just haven't done the research, and I haven't needed it, right? I haven't needed nice clothes over here like I do back in the US, where in the US I am in business settings, I do have to dress a certain way, I do have to present a certain image for business purposes.

1:43:19 Ron El says, 'Sorry to hear that, condolences.' Thank you so much, Ron. Or if you have passive monthly income, so that's the big goal, I think, for a lot of people. Ron, is getting up to a certain passive income where that income covers their bills and allows them to save every month. And that's the ideal where you've done the work, you put in the work, and you're leveraging investments to cover your expenses.

Dividend Income vs. Real Estate Investments

1:43:47 That's the dream, that's really the dream to have that passive income to live where you want to live. I think that's what a lot of people are working toward. When I go back to the US, I'm debating on going to trade school because I think it could give me some exposure to understanding the real estate business, and real estate seems like a great vehicle to help add to passive income and create some income there. And that's what a lot of expats have too. Like a lot of the successful expats, they've got real estate back in the US or in Australia, in Canada, and they live off that income.

1:44:28 They, you know, they get they collect that income every month, they get paid. Then they're able to pay their rent from that. I know living abroad does that. He's got real estate in Canada. I know, speaking of Asia, he's got real estate in London. I know some of the other vloggers, I suspect have real estate back in the United States. They haven't said that, but it just seems like based on context.

1:44:56 It just seems like based on context clues that that's the case. I am more of a fan of dividends, like Jason Fieber. He's an American expat in Shanghai and he has dividend income. I don't like with real estate; I necessarily want to have the hands-on aspect. I don't want to have to be an overseas landlord where I'm picking up the phone in the middle of the night and talking to contractors, plumbers, electricians, whatever it may be.

1:45:22 I already get annoyed having to deal with my banks and my investment companies, much less having to coordinate labor or coordinate with tenants. You are going to get more money, you've got tax write-off options there, but it seems very, very much a headache. And if something goes seriously wrong, you know, you're probably having to get on a plane, depending on how many, yeah, depending on your situation, getting on a plane and going back home and trying to sort that out. And that doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me.

Property Management Challenges and Fees

1:45:56 I'd rather just collect my dividend check, even if it's not as efficient as the real estate investment vehicle. I'd rather just collect my dividend checks, pay my bills from that, and not have to do any work. You know, if you're collecting dividends, you don't have to go to work for that company. You don't have to tune in to the shareholder meeting live. You're not hoping they don't lay you off. It's more passive in some ways.

1:46:24 Now, some would say hire a property management company. I've heard different stories. I've had my own horrible experience with a property management company back in Denver, so those aren't surefire ways of handling things. You've got to trust that company. Some of those companies will just collect a check and that's all they're really doing for you is collecting a check, taking their 10%, and then paying you out your 90%. And they're not really going to handle things.

1:46:53 Or if they coordinate with contractors, then they're charging you not just on your rental income, but they're also charging you to organize the repairs. And then you may pay a high fee, they might happen to be their brother-in-law who charges 20 or 30% above the standard rate.

Shopping in Bangkok and Burma Travel

1:47:14 Perfect fitting jeans and shirts, corrected by good seamstress for two to 300 baht. Do you go to Platinum Fashion Mall? Because I went to Platinum Fashion Mall and that's where I got my red dress shirt over there. And Platinum Fashion Mall seems to be really nice. I think that dress shirt was 350 baht or 400 baht. And I think she said if I buy four, I can get them for 250 baht a piece.

1:47:45 But yeah, Platinum Fashion Mall seems like probably the best place to get bulk clothes, but bulk nice clothing. THC 11335 says, have you ever been to Burma? No, I haven't. I'd like to go, actually. I know a copywriter named Brian, he's from Adelaide, Australia, and he bought a house with his wife. His wife's from Nepal. He bought a house in Burma right before the situation became unstable.

Burmese Community and Food in Chiang Mai

1:48:22 I don't know which it was, one of the big cities in Burma. I don't know if it was Naypyidaw, I think that's the pronunciation. I have not been to Burma. I did grow up around some guys from Burma, some Burmese people. Actually, they owned the sushi vendors in all the Publix grocery stores back in Nashville. And this Burmese family would work. They all went to high school with me as well. Super friendly people. I had no idea where Burma was back then.

1:48:52 But no, never been there. You know, by the time I wanted to head over there, it's in a rough circumstance, I'll say. I'd like to go, but I think it'll be a while before I can do that, unfortunately. Because I love Burmese food, I used to go to a Burmese restaurant in Chiang Mai. Why don't we pull that up?

Burmese Cuisine and Indosphere Cultural Influence

1:49:21 Actually, I used to live right around the corner from here. I ate at this restaurant a lot, and they serve fantastic Burmese food. If you're ever in Chiang Mai, I recommend checking out Golden Gate. It was like most of their lunches were like lentils and chicken and a curry for like 50 baht. And then sometimes they'd have bigger meals like Biryani chicken for like 100 baht or 150 baht. Anyway, great value, really tasty food. I look forward to next time I'm in Chiang Mai to going back to Golden Gate.

1:50:01 We can look at, yeah, this is the dish I'm talking about. And they'd also have this spicy, some kind of spicy tomato paste. I'm not sure what I'd call it, but really good stuff. Lot of variety. I never tried the tea. I always wanted to try the tea, but yeah, great.

1:50:24 Ronell says, gotta go, driving for Uber. I hope you have a great day, Ronell. Thank you so much for joining us. Hope we see you next time. Yeah, THDC, yeah, this was in, I think it was Yangon. I can go and check his photos, but he hasn't been back since. So he bought this house, I don't know if he might have even built the house. It was like brand new when he moved in. He was showing pictures of it.

1:50:49 And you know, he's done really well for himself. Like it's, you know, he's not counting on that being his only place. He's got a place in Australia. But yeah, I know it was a disappointment for him because he really enjoyed living in Myanmar.

Local Markets and Tailoring in Southeast Asia

1:51:10 Samuro, looks like Indian. Yeah, there's some, there's definitely some influence in Burma from India. So we can zoom out here. So Myanmar or Burma is part of what I would call the Indosphere. So let's see India. So I would call many of these countries here like, and some of them might not like me saying this very much, but they're being part of the Indosphere. So part of before these countries were broken up by colonial powers, they were heavily influenced by the culture from India. They have some similar belief systems.

1:51:54 And like you'll see some between temples in India and temples in Myanmar. Buddhism and Hinduism are tied in some ways.

1:52:07 H GMM, nope. I like local markets and the local seamstress here. They're cheap as heck. Many Thai do the same, especially the ladies. Yeah, my Thai lady friends dress impeccably. I mean, they always look really, really nice. I need to check in with UGM next time I go to Thailand as to where some of these local markets are at, because I thought Platinum Fashion Mall was nice, but if you suggest a better option, I'm all ears. Like, I'm definitely all ears for some nice clothing options.

Online Shopping and Product Availability

1:52:41 Samuro says, I think Anthony Bourdain did an episode of Myanmar. Check it out. I'm going to go ahead and load that up. Let's see, Myanmar. Yeah, I'll watch that later on, like before I go to bed tonight. We'll probably wind down in the next, I'd say, 15, 20 minutes, maybe half hour. We'll see. My voice is still doing good. Maybe that water will give me some longevity.

1:53:17 Yeah, I'll definitely watch that. Thank you for calling that out, Samuro. I had no idea he went to Myanmar. I've been watching some of his content lately on Vietnam, but I'll happily check that out. GMM says, another way to shopping online. I do believe that Vietnam has Lazada and Shopee too. 5XL are like a Western XL. Okay, cool. Very cool. I was using Lazada every month in Thailand. I was using Lazada a lot, like super, super helpful for getting products.

Northeastern India and Travel Content Creators

1:53:48 I never use Shopee, but I'll try Shopee as well, because there's some products that I need right now. Like I need to go buy more deodorant, I need to buy some laundry detergent. And in Chiang Mai, I just go to 7-Eleven. Like in Bangkok, I just go to 7-Eleven. They all, the 7-Eleven throughout the country have the same deodorant, have the same detergent. And it's so easy. But here in Vietnam, I'm having to learn new shopping options. And having some support from being able to buy online would be awesome.

1:54:23 Samuro, I always wanted to visit those Northeastern Indian states on the border with Burma. I've been to India many times, but not that far across. I have Indian friends in the film industry that made a documentary in Nagaland. Very cool. I don't know if we can pull up Nagaland here. Oh, wow. So on the border of Burma, you know, I think Sabbatical went to Nagaland too.

Travel Content Creation and Interview Challenges

1:54:56 Have you ever seen? You've probably seen Sabbatical if you're a fan of my channel. He's got a huge channel and I love his content. His name is Tommy. He's from New York and he goes into some interesting places. And yeah, he's just had an interesting life. He lived in Argentina for a while, he lived in Shanghai for a while. He was in Buenos Aires. One of his best videos was when he went down to Barry Barry Loce.

1:55:34 Yeah, he's just done a lot of like off-the-wall content. I'm wondering how he comes up with some of these ideas. H GMM, yeah, Lazada shopping online. Shopping is very addictive. It's so cheap. Yeah, GMM, it's crazy. Like I really like this serve moisturizing cream and it's like I found a vendor that sells these for 10 bucks and this jar is like 15 in the US. I don't think it's like a knockoff product, the quality seems identical to me, but I really like this stuff. And yeah, I buy it on Lazada.

1:56:11 I eventually I'll probably have to buy another jar here in a few weeks. Samuro, oh yes, I think I saw his videos in Tibet, but I was checking out the Nagaland video if he went there. Let me look that up. I could be wrong on that. By the way, I watched so much travel content, it kind of just bleeds into itself.

1:56:41 Yeah, so he went a couple months back. He went to Nagaland. That's okay. I've got to watch this one too. Thank you for prompting me. He puts out a lot of content and I just have, I watch it sporadically. Like I'll watch five or 10 of his in a row and then I'll just get caught up in work and other things and then I'll come back to it. But he does some really original stuff.

China Travel Aspirations and Business Connections

1:57:15 And if I go to India, I'd love to connect with your friends there. Samuro, like if there's a chance to collab with Indian people, I want to do that. You know, I want to meet people in India and hear their stories. I need to start doing more interviews because one, I enjoy getting to know people. Two, people love interviews.

1:57:46 The format to me is a little bit tougher in some ways because I've got to control for a lot more. Like I've got to

1:57:53 I have two mics, so I've got a dual set of mics. I could do them, but I'm so cautious about the time of other people that I'd hate to do an interview and then have a technical issue or have some background noise that ruins the interview.

1:58:08 I did them in Peru a bit, and I just found them to be a little bit more difficult because when you're on the move, it's harder to find solid places you can record. When you're traveling and doing them, it's not like having a studio where you're controlling the environment and can have more predictability.

1:58:35 I've been to Unan and China. Have you been to China? No, so I've had a couple of layovers in China in Xiamen and in Shenzhen. I used to do a lot of business when I was an Amazon seller with people in Shenzhen and in Guangzhou.

1:59:08 I used to do a lot of business with people from China. I have done some teaching English to people in China, but I haven't really spent any time there. I'd like to, and I intended to pre-pandemic. I think it's become more challenging to do so.

Silk Road Travel and K2 Climbing

1:59:23 But I'd really like to go at some point. I do think it will happen, probably after India. It'll probably be a few years before I make it to India. I want to narrow down my priorities and the possibilities because it's such a hard choice.

2:00:03 I followed the Silk Route from Pakistan via the Karakoram Highway, which is the old Silk Road, across the Taklamakan Desert and then across into Xinjiang. It was incredibly beautiful. I then went overland into Vietnam, which was very, very cool.

2:00:16 Somebody reached out, you mentioned the Karakoram. I'm familiar somewhat with the Karakoram because I'm linked up on Facebook with some mountain climbers. I used to climb in Colorado.

2:00:46 There's this mountain K2, and I've done research about the region. I was trying to think, I knew I'd heard that term before. It's gorgeous, but not for me. I'm not that adventurous. K2 is extremely dangerous.

2:01:03 That's definitely not a beginner-friendly climbing environment, but gorgeous. It's like another planet.

Extreme Climbing and Pakistan's Beauty

2:01:25 I've done the baby version of this in Colorado, much, much easier, much less demanding, more accessible, doable on a weekend as opposed to a multi-month journey where you're having to spend weeks acclimatizing, tens of thousands of dollars in supplies, porters, supplemental oxygen, and trash removal.

2:01:56 K2 is harder to climb than Everest, way more dangerous and way more time-intensive. I've seen photos just because I connect with people on Facebook like Kristen Hage, who's been in some controversy unfortunately due to an accident in one of her recent climbs.

2:02:25 Also Kristen Bennett, who's a professor in Massachusetts, who climbed K2. They're both Kristen, they mixed up there with Kristen Hage, but I look at their pictures and I'm like, yeah, there's no way I could do that.

2:02:44 These are climbs that people prepare for a lifetime, with lots of training and quite dangerous. Pakistan is also incredibly beautiful, difficult to travel but worthwhile for sure.

Viewer Appreciation and Nepal Trekking Offer

2:03:03 I don't know how the visa situation goes with Pakistan, but it's definitely intriguing to me. But yeah, it looks like everybody's tapped out. I'll probably be winding down here. Feel free to share any last thoughts or opinions.

2:03:23 I do greatly appreciate everybody who's joined us tonight. Samar, it was easy when I went to Delhi in 2009. Very, very cool.

2:03:40 I'll keep that in mind. I remember I need to reach out to a guy named RG. He lives in Nepal and mentioned you'd be willing to take me on an Everest Base Camp trek if I did a video and recorded the experience. So that may take me to Nepal at some point.

2:04:03 He didn't say if it was a closed-end offer or if there was a limited timeline on that. When we talked about this, it was right around 2021, so right after they reopened.

Altitude Sickness and Mountain Hiking

2:04:21 I need to take him up on that because he seemed really friendly. And it's also a safety thing. It's just hiking in the mountains of Colorado took a lot out of me.

2:04:53 I climbed this mountain to 12,500 feet where I started getting altitude sickness. I made it to pass this. I'm not seeing any photos. This might be it. I made it to right about here and started to get seriously sick from altitude. I was dizzy, having trouble keeping fluids down.

2:05:34 That was just at 12,500 feet, so I'd really need to adjust if I was going to take on even base camp Everest. Now, I had less issues when I was in Peru. I don't know if it was that I spent several months in Colombia and was adapted, but yeah, I was fine in Peru.

2:05:57 I don't know if it was also the cold because Colorado is a lot colder and harsher in some ways than Peru. Samar says he's been to Nepal a few times, trekking there is priceless and unforgettable. He went to the Langtang region, 15,000 feet.

2:06:18 Wonderful. But yeah, this is Winden Peak, and this is in the southwest of Colorado. I lived in Colorado for several years, and so this one is crazy. You drive down to Silverton, and Silverton's already in the middle of nowhere. It's difficult to get there in the wintertime.

Remote Colorado Hiking and Camping

2:06:46 I was living in Delta, Colorado, and you drive all the way down this highway, and it gets progressively steeper and sketchier as you go further down the highway. These places are really dangerous in winter.

2:07:04 You get to Silverton, I park my car, and then you take a train from Silverton down to Durango. But there's one stop in the middle of nowhere, and you do the hike from this stop. The train stops, like I said, in the middle of nowhere. You depart from the train, and then you go hiking.

2:07:30 I did it by myself and camped out. There's a bunch of goats around the campsites, and they lick where you went to the bathroom. It's really out there, super remote, but that was a taste of that super remote lifestyle.

Winding Down the Stream and Weekend Plans

2:07:54 But yeah, guys, my voice is starting to go a bit, so I'll probably wind down. Is anybody wants to share any last thoughts or questions or ideas? I'm all ears. I just don't want to be too hoarse when you guys are spending your finite time with me.

2:08:31 Any weekend plans? It's Thursday now. Tomorrow, I'm going to be meeting up with Jake, and we're probably going to grab a bite to eat. I may ask him to do an interview; I think he might be open. It would help to share his channel with some folks.

Da Nang Beach Events and Stream Schedule

2:09:06 Weekend? That's a good question. I'll go to the beach. My host here mentioned there are some really cool events down by the beach happening every day for the next few days. She's been really kind to try to include me and encourage me to engage and get out and do more.

2:09:30 And to feel welcome here in traveling. Anyway, thank you all so much for watching. It's been a great stream. This has been, I think, the best stream yet, and I look forward to the next one.

2:10:02 I'll probably do a stream this weekend, probably Saturday night. We'll see. I may have a date, but if that doesn't pan out, I'm happy to stream. And even if it does, I could pick a different day or stream before or after.

Stream Engagement and Algorithm Boost

2:10:18 But yeah, if you're watching the replay, feel free to comment, and it helps to generate interesting dialogue. Also, subscribe to the channel if you're watching and you're not subscribed, and give us a thumbs up. It really helps to boost the stream in the algorithm.

2:10:38 We'll see you soon. Yeah, thank you so much, Samar. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye.