The Rainy Season is in full effect in Bangkok, Thailand

Introduction and Current Location

0:06 Hey YouTube, Alex here, and I am coming to you live from Bangkok, Thailand. The rainy season is in full effect. It's been hot, humid, rainy, overcast today. Not the best weather to go out in, so I've just been chilling at the apartment doing research on my next destination. Hey, we got a good to see you.

Considering Vietnam as Next Destination

0:43 Tonight, I am looking at going to Vietnam next. And I'll go ahead and pull up where I would like to go. See here, Vietnam. So you see here that, um, go ahead and launch. Well, I'm going to wait a few for people to jump on here.

1:38 Just talking about Vietnam tonight. So a lot of people when they think about Vietnam, they're familiar with Hanoi, which is in the north, the sort of the big city in the north. I don't know if you call it the capital of the north, but the large city. And then they're familiar too with like Halong Bay here, and really gorgeous scenery in the north. I've heard it even gets cold in the north actually, like in the winter.

2:22 And then the other part of Vietnam that people are familiar with, I would say more specifically people outside of Vietnam or people who have never been into Vietnam, people who aren't Vietnamese, they're familiar with Ho Chi Minh City, which is the big city in the south, the business capital. You got a lot of Western businesses headquartered here, also some Japanese businesses. I recently talked to a Japanese guy who's actually based here in Saigon. He works as a lawyer for a Japanese firm, but they have some business interests here. I didn't pry; I wasn't sure how much he could divulge as an attorney.

Exploring Da Nang: Bridges and Scenery

3:11 I think the city, I'm curious about the metro population. Ho Chi Minh City, wow, so 21 million people in the metropolitan area. Technically, it sounds like that might be more people than actually are in Bangkok. But it's not as much of a priority for me as I, you know, I'm going to probably head to Vietnam from Bangkok and I'll spend some time in a smaller city just to have a bit of a break.

3:46 And so that's why part of the reason why I'm looking at Da Nang. And this is in central Vietnam. And I'm trying to look for, I guess you could kind of see it here, that looks like the Dragon Bridge. The Dragon Bridge is one of the real big highlights of Da Nang. I guess I think this is it actually. It's a little bit, it's not as easy to see at nighttime, and the lighting is very nice, but during here, we go. Yeah, you can see. I mean, this is this Dragon Bridge just looks gorgeous.

4:43 It's this golden color and they illuminate it at night. But yeah, here's another angle that you can see it from. Really just a stunning bridge that connects the, I don't know if this is an island. Let's go back and see if there's, well, yeah, I guess it looks like an, no, it's a peninsula. So you connect to it from the south, but if you're looking to connect from this part of the city, then you'll just go over a bridge and you can get over there via not just the Dragon Bridge, but there's also, so this is called the Han River Bridge.

5:31 Here and look at those colors. It's just stunning with the light reflecting off the water. Fireworks. I like the signage too. It definitely has a little bit of those Thailand vibes with the large, well-lit signs.

6:13 This looks like a Chinese style temple. They have similar ones here in Thailand. Anywhere there's a Chinese population, even including in my area. So I'm in Sathon, and in the south part of Sathon, there's a Chinese cemetery, and they have one of these types of, I don't know if you call it a gate, but they're very...

6:53 beach. These fireworks displays are incredible. And then here you have the Vietnam flag. Looks like this building. I don't know if the building is covered in lights or if that's kind of something they can throw up like different displays or how that works, but it definitely looks really beautiful. The infrastructure looks great too.

Da Nang's Atmosphere and Attractions

7:26 I've heard of Da Nang described as like Shanghai on the water.

7:45 Umbrellas. Maybe this is them celebrating the Tet holiday. I've heard that's a really big holiday in Vietnam. But what can I pull up here? So this is, I guess, another bridge. Okay. So this is, I guess the, I don't know if it's...

8:11 wrong. This is the Dragon Bridge. Wow. So they put like a fire-breathing display in the head. That's really cool. And then they have the different displays there.

8:24 That just looks incredible. I hope I get to see something like that. And you see the neon color, neon-lit boats underneath. I'm really getting excited.

Da Nang's Appeal to Digital Nomads

8:45 You know, I love Thailand, but it's nice to do something a little bit different, mix it up, try a different place out. You've got the mountains in the background. Okay, this is, yeah, this is what I'm talking about. Look at this beautiful view. City, and then you've got the mountains and the water.

9:09 I've heard there's a ton of like remote workers here as well. It's really on the whole digital nomad crowd. I know Mike recently went over there. There's a lot of vloggers named Mike, but the Mike in, um, he was recently in the Philippines as well. He lives in, I think it's, uh, it's one of the Thai islands in the south. I think he is in Koh Samui.

9:39 But, um, yeah, he recently was over here. I think he enjoyed it. He also went down to the popular place south of Da Nang, down here, Hoi An. Hoi An, I've heard, is pretty chill compared to Da Nang. Like it's not as much of a city vibe. I've also heard it's quite touristic, so it's like one of those tradeoffs. Um, Jake, I think is actually in Da Nang right now, and I'm curious to hear his opinion on it and see, you know, how if he enjoyed it, if he liked Da Nang a bit more, just to see what his perspective is.

Reflections on Livestream Timing and Weather

11:06 Maybe not the best time for folks tonight. I notice we don't have anybody joining, so this may not be the best time. I'm happy to get on a little bit later tonight, or perhaps even later in the week. I know it's a Thursday, not a great day for a lot of people's schedules in terms of free time.

11:34 I'm also kind of tired. I'd probably use a nap or go to bed early.

12:02 It reminds me a little bit of the pier in Pattaya, the Bali Hai Pier. It's kind of located in a similar section where the hill comes up behind it, near the Pattaya sign.

Exploring Islands and Coastal Views

12:31 This looks interesting. You know, I haven't really taken much of a look at these islands. I don't know if they're, yeah, I guess it looks like there's a line where you can come here from Hoi An.

12:46 Cham, so the got and beaches by. By the way, I have no understanding of proper pronunciation of Vietnamese, so there's a long way to go as far as...

13:17 beautiful. You got some speedboats and guess this is around sunset.

13:33 These people are having a great time. They're really enjoying.

13:45 Jinan. Guess we could check out some of this stuff up here. It does look rugged. It does remind me a bit of the California coast. I know the water is going to be quite a bit warmer here, but even so, it definitely looks with the rocky.

14:27 California. Oh, and they have monkeys. I didn't know they have monkeys. They're probably not very friendly if they're anything like the monkeys in parts of Thailand. And some cloud of monkeys are not very nice. They definitely bare their teeth at you and they want your fruit, but they don't want to be friends. They're kind of pirates too, where they'll take your stuff and hold on to it for fruit ransoms. They want you to give them fruit, and then they'll give you your stuff back.

15:17 They do look cute. You catch them at the right angle where they're in a peaceful mood. But this is kind of the mountain next to Da Nang or connected to Da Nang. I guess part of it just jets out into the water.

Adjusting to Life Outside the US

15:35 But yeah, it's going to be interesting. This is the longest time I've spent outside the United States in one continuous stretch in my life. And after almost a year in Thailand, I'm really gonna miss it. I haven't really, I've adjusted to Thailand to the extent that it's going to be weird to go somewhere else outside of Thailand.

16:00 Right here throughout the country, I hear people speaking Thai, of course. The Thai, you know, their wonderful Thai food, the malls like the chains that you're familiar with, like 7-Eleven is super prevalent here. The malls like here, they've got the Central, which Central seems to be the most popular mall chain here in Thailand. I've seen them in, of course, Bangkok, where I am now, but also in Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, and I don't know if Pattaya had, sorry about the motorbike noise. I don't know if Pattaya has a Central mall, but yeah, there's Centrals throughout Thailand. And I've seen a few that you may be familiar with if you spent time in the Philippines. Robinson Mall is popular here in Thailand as well. And then the Terminal series. So there's Terminal 21. There's multiple Terminal 21s. There's one in Udon, and then there's also one in Sathon. And then there's one in Pattaya, and that one's really great just for having like variety. And they have, I think the artwork is really special in the Terminal 21 malls. They really go above and beyond when it comes to the artistic displays, and I think that's part of what makes them so appealing.

Da Nang Malls and Shopping Centers

17:33 What else? You know, I don't know. I'm kind of curious about the malls in Da Nang because I don't often hear people talking about them like I do the Thai malls. So, okay, let's pull this up. Vcom Plaza. Oh yeah, very convenient location. I'm actually looking at staying on the peninsula, so there's a lot of nice condos on there. And I think it'd be nice like in the evenings when it cools to come out here to the beach and just go walking on the beach.

18:11 And being able to not have to cross the bridge, right? Because it seems like in a lot of cities that I've been to around the world, the bridges are like these choke points for traffic, where anytime you have a bridge, it just seems like traffic kind of has to bunch together to cross that bridge. I've noticed that in Portland, Oregon, over to the Washington side. I've also noticed this in, I've even noticed it in Bangkok to some extent. Some of the Bangkok bridges in Bangkok can get quite congested. Of course, you see this in New York City, definitely in San Francisco. I can't count how many times I've been in traffic on the Bay Bridge, crossing from the East Bay to the city, and it's interesting because the traffic being a standstill, you see a lot of interesting cars and people. It's still got some of that eclectic vibe. Of course, it's quite tech-heavy these days, but...

19:09 But, um, yeah, I'm going to check. I'm looking forward to checking out Vcom Plaza. You've got VinMart. Vin is, I guess, like the biggest brand in Vietnam. So you have like hotels, they have what are called VinHomes, that are these condo buildings. Um, it's probably like a family of businesses that cater to different needs.

19:48 Grocery store looks very nice. I mean, these, this is a well-stocked grocery store. You've got a lot of different kinds of oils on the left, soy sauce is on the right. I won't be needing to go grocery shopping. I typically don't cook in Southeast Asia because for a single guy, it's not cheaper to always be getting takeout. But it's definitely more of a mix-up on the time efficiency. I think you really start to see benefits for cooking, um, when it comes to, uh, having two people, right? So if...

20:22 to having two people, so if you're in a couple or maybe you're traveling with friends or something like that, that's where cooking can be a benefit. But still nice to see, right? I mean, it definitely gives you that confidence that if you were a single guy traveling in Vietnam and you found yourself in a relationship, then you'd be able to come here to this grocery store and get a lot of these sauces and things.

20:41 I'm sure it's more economical to get other ingredients from fresh markets, but as far as prepared ingredients, I don't know that the fresh markets would carry things like soy sauce or cooking oils.

20:58 The design is cool. It definitely looks different, right, than what I've seen in Thailand. You know, Robinson's in Thailand, the design is very similar to Robinson's in the Philippines, but Vincom Plaza's got their own thing going on, maybe a little bit like some of the Terminal 21s, but definitely an original, a Vietnam original type of design there.

Fast Food Chains in Vietnam

21:19 And they've got Jollibee, which will be really, really interesting because Jollibee is this really popular chain in the Philippines. I've seen them make a lot of headway in the United States, like over the years I've lived in California, you just see them popping up more and more in California.

21:40 And you know, part of that is the big Filipino community in California, especially in Northern California where I lived. But it's also getting popular among Americans because they're seeing this happy-looking face and they're trying the food, and it's good. I mean, it's tasty.

21:55 Like, do I want to have it all the time? No, because I was like, as I get older, I am trying to cut back somewhat on the fast food that I have. I still have it sometimes, like I had pizza today, but I tried Royal Pizza, just to show you the box here, yeah, Royal Pizza. It's a chain here in Bangkok. I think they've got three locations.

22:21 And I enjoyed it, but not something that I want to have all the time. And especially in Vietnam, like with Vietnam, the local food is amazing. And so, I think when you're in a country like that, and I could say it about Thailand too, it's harder to like go out for fast food once you've adjusted, right?

22:36 I get it when you first get here, you're like, I want something that's familiar, I want something close to home, I want something I'm used to having. But, even so, you know, it's Jollibee's is invested in this store because they know that people are going to want to have it.

22:50 And I think for Vietnamese people, that, you know, it's not a cheap flight necessarily to fly over the Philippines and they can get a taste of the Philippines right here in Danang. As can travelers, people that have traveled to the Philippines, I really like the pies at Jollibee. They have these pies that they're just really tasty and the service is fun too.

23:13 The service is just, you get that fun, like that fun vibe when you see it. I think their brand really communicates fun very well.

Shopping and Entertainment in Da Nang

23:22 What else do we see here? This looks like a Daiso or like a mini-Daiso. Not necessarily a place that I need to frequent. They've got a lot of kind of knickknacks and small toys and things like that. I, you know, I've been in them many times and with Lazada, you know, I used to occasionally need to go in there to get like a charging cable for my phone, but with Lazada, I can order it on there.

23:51 Still, something like if you're a parent, you're trying to come to Vietnam with children, then it may be something where you're able to have a one-stop shop for small toys and things like that.

24:16 Probably have a movie theater in here. I'm not seeing. See, I'm not seeing any signage, but typically in Thailand, the movie theaters are on the top floor.

24:42 shop. I don't know if this is a view from the mall, but if so, that's a beautiful view.

24:56 So what else? What else? There's also pulled up on here. Okay, so there's another mall, Indochina Mall. So this is probably going to be a smaller mall, maybe not quite as well.

Comparing Da Nang Malls

25:08 Oh, it's that's funny. So it's across the bridge. So you cross, I guess this is the mall people that live on this side, like on the mainland. And then the mall, Vincom Plaza is one on the peninsula for the people that live on the peninsula.

25:42 luggage. Yeah, this looks less my speed. I mean, I'll probably check out the food court at some point. It's, I like to have the food court because you have this air-conditioned space and yet also you have some modestly priced eats. And you see people from all walks.

25:57 So I like is the food courts in Southeast Asia are these kind of like every man or every woman type of places where everybody gets to really see a mix, as opposed to some places that cater to maybe less well-to-do people or other places that cater to more well-off people.

26:27 people. Yeah, not, you know, probably not quite as popular if I just go based on reviews as the Vincom. You've got almost 9,000 reviews for Vincom, whereas you have maybe 1,500 for the Indochina Mall.

Da Nang Beaches and Coastal Vibe

26:42 We could check out some of the beaches. That is really beautiful. I love the palm trees. It's got kind of a Miami vibe, maybe even like a little bit of a South Beach vibe. Not sure if any of you have whether on the stream or watching replay have been to South Beach, Miami, but definitely has that South Beach kind of look.

27:20 Also, feel free to chime in in the discussion. We've got a few people watching. Feel free to share any thoughts or comments, suggestions.

Viewer Interaction and Personal Well-being

28:01 We're taking a look at Wayon.

28:19 bit. Oh, hey, great to see you, Isaac. Welcome to the stream. I hate to hear you're dealing with insomnia. I struggle with that at times myself. It's, that's tough, man.

28:30 Are you having to work today? Do you have to work later on? I guess sometimes when I struggle with insomnia and I'm awake at an early hour, it's like I've got to stay up and it feels like afternoon when really it's just partway through the day and I've got this long work day ahead of me.

Experiencing Bangkok's Rainy Season

28:49 But yeah, I'm doing well. You know, I'm feeling a little bit cooped up, to be honest. It's the start of the rainy season here in Thailand, and I went out around lunchtime and had lunch at this corner restaurant. Had like some chicken curry that was really tasty.

29:04 I've been walking by this restaurant a lot, but every time, half the time I walk by it, they close at like probably 5 or 6 PM, so it's mostly for like a midday place. And so finally, I got to try it. Happened to be hungry at the right time when they were open.

29:23 And it was super hot, and I could feel it, like I can feel the humidity. And then the wind came in, it started blowing around, and I knew I started running because I'm like two blocks from my apartment. And then just a total downpour just went from like hot and sticky.

29:40 So I ducked into like a parking garage for a condo building and I waited until it slowed up a bit, like probably a few minutes, and then I finished the walk back to my apartment and I've just been chilling here since.

29:59 Like last summer, it didn't bother me as much for some reason. Right now, I don't know if it's just like having adjusted more to Thailand, if it's raining a lot, or if it's, you know, super rainy day, I'm like, okay, you know what? It's one of those days, maybe best to just chill in the apartment, run the AC, pull that humidity out of the air.

Bangkok's Miami-like Atmosphere

30:20 And do some research, right? Spend some time researching my next step of my journey and where I'd like to be going next.

30:29 But yeah, thanks so much for joining us, Isaac. It's always great to engage with my subscribers and, yeah, yeah, it's, yeah, exactly. It does remind Southeast Asia, like to me, Bangkok is the most Miami-like city because it's just like this mega city and you've got it's just dripping all the time. Like everywhere you go in Bangkok, there's something dripping.

30:58 It's AC's dripping, it's like people's, you know, running off the roof, the water's running off the roof. There's puddles. Like it's, you've got bright lights, it's kind of glitzy with the shopping malls. It's got a luxurious feeling.

31:19 At times it can feel seedy, but, just really an interesting, interesting comparison there to Florida. And the weather is definitely reminding me that a lot. You know, some people are like, ah, you know, how do you adjust to the heat and humidity? And coming from Tennessee, like Tennessee is super hot and humid, similar to Florida. And so that's not as much of a stretch for me.

Exploring Attractions North and South of Da Nang

31:50 I do think it is more hot and humid here in Southeast Asia because we're so close to the equator, but it's not a totally extreme feeling. This castle is beautiful. Like, wow, I did not realize Wayon had a castle like that. I mean, it definitely has some. Reminds me a bit of what I saw in Japan. I love the.

32:29 lies. It's interesting to me. I have to see this. It's interesting to me that the Danang is like more of a mid-size city and the attractions are not in the city, but they're to the north like in the form of H and they're to the south in the form of.

32:56 Hon. And Danang is getting really built up a lot. I've heard there's tons of construction that you have to be cautious about where you rent because you may rent next to a construction site and then deal with noise that you weren't anticipating or having to kind of navigate around different kinds of construction equipment.

33:18 I've heard Wayon is like maybe 45 minutes north of Danang and it's common to ride a bike up there. I go back and forth. Part of me wants to get into riding a bit more just because there's a lot that you can only really reasonably see on a motorbike, but it's also quite dangerous.

33:39 And I don't know, maybe I could hire somebody to give me lessons to get me up to speed to where I feel confident riding. Here is maybe one of the more controversial tourist attractions in Danang called the Bana Hills. People online seem to have a love or hate with this. Some call it like something out of Europe with the gondolas.

34:00 Others love it. To me, I lean toward like, hey, if it looks cool, I'll go check it out. I don't mind if, you know, I don't mind if it's manufactured. There's plenty of entertainment in America that's manufactured, like amusement parks and beach resorts. But, yeah, I mean, it looks very artistic and very cool. It's something I'll think about.

34:26 It's definitely something I'll think about. I'll probably ask some other tourists too, like when I get over there, hey, have you been to the Bana Hills? What do you think about it? Is, you know, the internet tends to be pessimistic. They maybe too negative on some things that are otherwise pretty.

34:42 On some things that are otherwise pretty cool, like that looks really cool. I don't know if that's carved out of stone or if that's something that's like they use, like a plastic base and then paint it.

35:22 Hills, they've got golf. You know, I'm not a golfer, but that might be appealing to some folks. That seems to cover a lot of dang. I haven't been there yet so I can't speak from personal experience.

Da Nang's Pagodas, Parks, and Art

35:39 This pagoda looks beautiful. They look like little Lego heads. And they've got koi, wow. Well, I assume they're koi. I don't know if there's a Vietnamese equivalent to koi.

36:23 cat. This is a great photograph. I don't know what on how used, but that's a beautiful picture. I imagine too, if you're somebody that wants to look at the stars, going up to Hon or H will probably cut down on the light pollution from the big city of Tanang.

37:16 else Denain Bay. I guess I should pull this up. Cool. Oh, I love the colors. This reminds me so much of Phnom Penh and of Bangkok with the curve.

37:52 Not sure what this is. It's maybe just a neighborhood or something like that. That's what it looks like. It looks like a neighborhood.

38:06 They've got a 3D art, 3D museum art. Oh yeah, this looks cool. These people are having a blast. She's thrilled. Okay, that's a little bit dark. Oh, okay, that's just art. Okay, I was like, is this supposed to be a gorilla in bad shape? But yeah, that looks really cool. This is something I want to check out. I had no idea about this 3D art museum. I've never heard anybody mention.

38:57 Elephant. Yeah, this is neat. I got to check this out. I got to make a note to go check out the 3D art museum. Gigantic kitty with the cheese and the beautiful sea turtle.

39:19 Yeah, somebody or probably a team of people put a lot of effort into this, and I could really appreciate. Very cool. Yeah, that looks really neat. Point to check out the 3D art museum.

Resorts and Restaurants in Da Nang

39:48 Oh, they got gaming. I didn't realize they had gaming in Vietnam. Fama. So Fama is must be just popular throughout Southeast Asia. There's a Furama building, at least one Furama building here in Bangkok. There's also one in Chiang Mai. But yeah, I'm sure this resort is really nice. The RWS are fantastic. It's a five-star hotel for $140 US equivalent per night.

40:21 It's this looks really nice. Yeah, I mentioned people that are high rollers or maybe they're coming for a special holiday, special occasion, then this is going to be a fantastic place to stay by the looks of it.

41:06 I guess we could look at, take a look at some of the restaurants. I am curious about the food because I've eaten a lot of Vietnamese food in the US. I used to go to this restaurant with my ex-girlfriend back in Nashville a lot called Miss Saigon.

41:23 And you know, I recognize the N is not in the South, although there's going to be some Southern Vietnamese food there. And I'll be trying the Vietnamese food. I don't like the word like home turf, but like, you know, where it originated. And with a lot of these ingredients, super fresh.

41:40 And it looks really good. I have no idea what this is. It doesn't, it's not familiar to me. Maybe some kind of egg or pancake. They look like tacos, to be honest. You've got mushroom, you've got squid, and you've got pork. Uh, that looks like pork.

41:59 And then you've got spring rolls. Looks like chicken or pork skewers. Yeah, this B Quan looks fantastic. I love that this is a neat little straw like this. I haven't seen one in forever. They used to be a lot more popular in America back in the day.

42:23 For whatever reason, they've fallen out of fashion, but I always thought they were a really fun way to have some kind of drink. Maybe this is like a limeade or maybe a lemonade with some lime in it.

42:42 And so with the Vietnamese dong, it's like $1. One dong is 25,000 dong. So these each of these would be around $4. Uh, mixed banana flour salad, uh, fresh spring roll rice P. Oh, so it's a rice pancake that's so it was a pancake.

43:02 And then Vietnamese fried rice. This dish, I don't know what it's called, but I've had it quite a few times in Thailand. This vegetable, I like it a lot. Um, that looks like it may even have some shrimp or some prawns in it, and I am a fan.

43:29 Yeah, all this stuff looks great. I'm looking forward to this to be able to have traditional dishes at a fraction of the price that I'd pay in the United States. Sounds great to me.

Beaches and Outdoor Workouts in Da Nang

43:57 We got a soccer field. I'm not much of a soccer player, but it might not be bad to pick up just to get some exercise. I think a lot of people really enjoy running on the beach here. I've seen a lot of videos and pictures of people running up and down this beach.

44:12 And that's what's so cool about like a beach city like this is that you do have that space to get a workout in. I've also heard they have some outdoor public workout areas. I'm not sure where those are located, but I'll definitely talk about it when I get over there.

44:30 With the heat, it does make me lean toward just getting a gym membership because I find it to be, I don't know, I don't know what about the heat causes it, but I struggle to get the same invigorated feeling that I can get when it's a little bit cooler and I can really go in and work out hard and get my reps in and then cool off and not be pouring sweat.

44:56 Sweat definitely like holds you back too on the grips, like if you're trying to do pull-ups or something like that. My hands get sweaty and my arms get sweaty and my face is dripping. May just be me being Indian, but like sweating a lot definitely impacts my workout.

45:16 Okay, calisthenics park. So this might be one of those. Let's check it out. If they, yeah, okay, so they've got pull-up bars. These look nice. Um, that maybe the limit of what they have at this specific park, but really nice to have these in public spaces.

Markets and Local Shopping in Da Nang

45:31 You just don't see them as often in America, or if you have them, they're more designed for kids. It's probably like a liability thing. America is a really litigious country where people are afraid to take risks because of being afraid of getting sued, but you don't have that in Southeast Asia.

46:10 This looks like a market. Chach Mayan. So this must be like a, I don't know if you call it a wet market because a lot of this stuff looks like dry and packaged goods, but probably a place to get some decent value. Looks like she's got some seafood here.

46:40 Oh, is that durian? That looks like durian. Very cool.

Vietnam Visa and Travel Plans

47:21 Spa. You know, that seems to be the extent of it. Part of me, like if I go to Vietnam for say a few months, we'll scroll out here because I've been thinking I just want to go for a month and then go on to my next destination.

47:34 But I also suspect because my expectations aren't super high, that I might really enjoy it because that's happened every time I go into a country with low expectations, I end up really, really enjoying myself and wanting more time there.

47:49 So I'm wondering if it's going to be the same with Vietnam, where I go in not expecting a lot and then I'm like, oh wow, this is amazing. I want to stay here for the max duration of my visa.

48:02 And the difference is really cheap. Like for one month, it's $25. For three months, like 90 days, it's $50. So $25 difference. Not that much money, you know, if you think about like the difference, you know, getting an extra couple of months. It's just such an economical place.

48:22 That yeah, I, you know, in spending three months, like I could do two months in Dang, just knocking out work and getting some things done and then take like, I don't know, a month in Hanoi or maybe even do like two and a half months in Dang and then finish up with a couple of weeks in Hanoi.

48:41 I wouldn't mind a break from the bigger cities just because they can be overwhelming. But Hanoi, I know like my grandfather was there during the Vietnam War, and it'd be really interesting to see some of the history behind that, see some of the museums they have, specifically like some museums that are dedicated to the subject.

49:01 It's a mega city though, and mega cities can be overwhelming, especially when you've never been to a country. I find that if you go to the mega cities in a country, if it has what I would call a mega city and you haven't ever spent time there before, it can be really overwhelming.

Navigating Hanoi and Mega Cities

49:18 Like I was overwhelmed when I came to Bangkok for the first time because I'd just never been in such a hustling and bustling place where there's just such high population density. There's people everywhere. There's motorbikes going in every direction. It can be overwhelming for somebody who's never been there.

49:33 And of course, I don't speak Vietnamese, so that's another layer there of difficulty. This looks like a beautiful park here. It looks like Beni Kitty Park or, um, oh, this is supposed to be the lake. There's this big lake in Hanoi.

49:47 Let's back it up here. Hoan Kiem Lake. I've heard of this lake, and it's really popular to have some Vietnamese coffee and then come and sit down by the lake and enjoy, just like, you know, people watching and looking at the different, um, yeah, the different temples and things like that.

50:24 Hey Code, good to see you, man. How are you doing? I'm gonna get some water. My throat is dried out. How are you doing tonight, Code? We're just, uh, taking a look at the country that you're in right now.

Vietnam Travel Itinerary Discussion

51:02 Vietnam. I'm looking at Hanoi, but, you know, I'm going back and forth like whether how long I want to stay in Vietnam. My original plan was to come for 30 days and do all that in Dang. Maybe spend a night in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh.

51:15 Okay. Yeah, so Hanoi, you're saying the air pollution is rough right now? That's a good call. It was pretty rough in Bangkok, and now that the rainy season is here, it's cleared up a lot. AQI is decent right now. It's like around 50.

51:33 51. But, you know, thank you for the call out, Code. I'd like to go at some point, you know, if the AQI is rough right now, maybe something that happens on a subsequent visit, because I'm in need of some fresh air.

51:50 And yeah, I think Dang is going to fit the bill there. Maybe I fly into Dang and then I fly to my next destination out of, um, Ho Chi Minh City. And I need to check in with you, Code. I'm curious about something.

Vietnam Visa Exit Strategy and Future Travel

52:03 When I'm filling out my Vietnam visa application, do I have to exit through the airport I specify? Because, you know, if I decide I want to fly out of Dang and not have to, you know, fool with flying down to Ho Chi Minh City, I'm wondering if that will cause me issues on exit.

52:22 Because I want to go, you know, there's three folks watching this, and I'm sure people will catch it on that next one. I wanted to make it a surprise, but I am interested in going to the Philippines next.

52:32 Okay, for sure. I may post in the Vietnam expats subreddit or something like that and just ask because it's, you know, it's definitely cheaper to fly out of Saigon, but depending on timing, it may just be more efficient for me to fly out of Dang.

52:52 And, you know, I don't know, like I feel rushed whenever I come to a city for a night. So maybe it's something where I spend two months in Dang, or two and a half months in Dang, and then I go to Ho Chi Minh City for like...

53:09 And then I go to Huiman City for like two weeks and then I have time to immerse myself in the city, really explore, enjoy it. And then by the time I'm like, okay, I need a break from the big city, I'll be hopping on a plane to the Philippines.

Southeast Asia Travel Budget Breakdown

53:22 Isaac says, do you know how much you spend on average per month in Thailand or Asia? So that's a great question, Isaac. It depends on the duration. So if I'm, I guess what I'd like for you to clarify, if you can, Isaac, is are you asking more in terms of vacation mode or more in terms of living?

53:45 And I actually did a video addressing part of this question, but my laptop hard drive is filled up and I've struggled a little bit to clear it back down. I want to get that video edited, knocked out, and uploaded, but it's a persisting issue. And if I want to put out a video every other day, um, oh, that's funny. Uh, so yeah, yeah.

54:13 Definitely, I learned a lot in my SDR role. It was stressful in many ways, but I also learned a ton from that role. But yeah, so if I'm visiting Southeast Asia, if I'm coming over here and I'm going to do a month in Thailand, a month in Vietnam, and a month in Malaysia, just for sake of discussion, I've got 90 days for whatever reason, just picking an arbitrary number. Then I'm going to look at it like, I'll spend 1500 a month.

54:45 Maybe okay, yeah. So we'll talk about vacation mode first, and then we'll talk about, uh, long-term living. So if I'm here on vacation mode, typically I'm not going to be as cost-conscious, right? Because I'm in vacation mode, I'm there to enjoy myself. I want to get the most out of it. I'm also more willing to exhaust myself because it's like, okay, get as much out of this experience as you can.

55:13 For, sorry, excuse me, for your time and then go back home exhausted and, you know, get ready to go back to normal life. So I would say if you're here on vacation mode as a single guy, anywhere from 1500 to 2000 a month is what I would budget, including flights.

55:33 Now, you're, you know, you're not going to be flying every other day, right? I found that's includes flying a couple times a month, staying in decent accommodation, not luxury accommodation, but like something that I'd be comfortable with, like my studio here in Bangkok. You can see it's not super huge. There's I've got my own bathroom in there, there's my bed, I've got a small balcony there, and this is running $350 equivalent this studio, but that's the monthly rate.

56:09 So if you're, let's say you're talking about Vietnam, right? You're going to, you're coming in, you're thinking I want to do 10 days. Let's back up. Not that. Let's back up here. You're saying, let's just say you're saying that you want to do 10 days in Hanoi, 10 days in Da Nang, and then 10 days down here in Ho Chi Minh City. Well, then, you know, you'll want a budget for a higher daily rate.

56:40 So you may be getting a hotel in each of those cities and paying a daily rate. That where if you were booking for a month, you might pay $10 a day. Instead, you're paying say $15, $20 a day. But I would say anywhere from that 1500 to 2000 a month, overshoot that, like have emergency funds because you never know what will happen.

56:56 Especially if you're, if you've never been to any of these countries before. I find the first time I go to any country is going to be the most expensive because there's this big learning curve. I don't know, you know, the details about how to operate there. I don't know about the wireless carriers. I don't know about the local cuisine.

57:14 Um, and then, you know, for normal living, I would say more like in the 12 to 1500 per month range is good. You may not spend it all, right? Like I'd rather, if I were you, I'd rather overshoot what I'm going to spend and have some extra left over. Maybe, you know, if you overshoot what you think you'll need, you'll be able to really live it up your last month or something like that.

57:41 Um, I'm not doing that because this has kind of been an indeterminate trip, right? Uh, so for me, I aim to keep my expenses to around 1200 per month, including flights, um, including visas and things like that.

Cost-Effective Travel Strategies

57:57 But, uh, you know, that also gives me room, like I need to replace my shoes pretty soon. That's going to be $60. Uh, so fortunately, I've got that money. Um, and yeah, that's kind of the way I would split it up is like 1500 to 2000 a month as a single guy on vacation mode. And if you're in more like living mode, 12 to 1500 a month because you're going to, you know, in that, or in your living mode, you'll be able to do the month-long rentals that are going to bring your cost per day down.

58:30 Like right now, I'm pricing out my trip to, um, you know, Vietnam and Da Nang. And so I'm not going to be paying, you know, $20 a night or $30 a night for a hotel. I'm looking at condos on Airbnb. I'm, you know, I'm looking at paying like, anywhere from like, right around $300 for a month stay.

58:59 But there's some limitation there, right? I'm limited to the same building. I'm limited to the same neighborhood. I can get out and go around, but still, you know, keeping me in that same city. So that's the tradeoff there.

59:14 As a rule of thumb, the slower you travel, the more cost-effective that, uh, things become. You also, the financial advantage of doing the slower travel is that if I'm in the same place for a month, I start to learn basic words in that language. That helps me reduce expenses. I also find places or things that are good value for money.

59:36 Like when I'm new to a place, I might hit up McDonald's or I might hit up the balls to eat because I don't know where I am. I don't know exactly what I'm doing and I'm a little bit nervous about it. Like, can I try this dish? I'm not so sure. Like, even coming to Thailand when I first got to Thailand, I just walked around and looked at restaurants and just had no idea what they were serving because the menus are in Thai and the people only speak Thai.

1:00:03 And I have no idea what they're serving up. I'm sure it's great, but if I don't know what it is, I'm not going to try it. But if you're there for a month and you're kind of forced, like, okay, you know, this spot is covered up with locals, like tons of local people are eating there, and so I'm going to give them a shot. And if I don't like it, whatever, it was like $2 or $3, maybe it was $4, who cares? You know, that's a cheap lesson.

Comparing Southeast Asian Country Costs

1:00:30 Um, generally speaking too, like I'm going to zoom out and give you another tip, Isaac. The economics of Southeast Asia, in my personal experience, are that the mainland here tends to be more economical than the islands. So tends to be more economical than Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam. Vietnam tends to be the cheapest. I've heard Laos is cheap as well, but I've also heard there's not a lot to do in Laos.

1:01:04 By comparison, Myanmar, I would call off limits for right now, just due to various circumstances. You can check that out, uh, you know, when you have some time. Um, so Vietnam tends to be the cheapest. I would say Thailand is next, um, then Cambodia. Cambodia is dollarized and everything in Cambodia, well, much of what you can have in Cambodia is imported to Thailand or Vietnam and then imported a second time to Cambodia. So you'd be shocked at how expensive things can be in Cambodia because it has a reputation for being economical, but I found it to be more expensive.

1:01:46 Next, I would say Malaysia. Malaysia's like a former British colony. You have tons of English there. It's quite developed. Um, you know, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, very modern city, great public transportation. You have modern shopping malls everywhere. I have a buddy from Malaysia that, you know, when we communicate and hang out, you know, half the time I might think of him as an American or something, just because his English is so good and he's so effective at communicating that there's not really that barrier.

1:02:19 And we relate a lot as well, culturally. Uh, next, I would say I'm going to leave Brunei out of this because it's a fairly small country that, you know, doesn't get the same volume of tourism as, you know, some of these others. Next, I would say Philippines. Philippines is going to be more expensive than all of these except for Singapore.

1:02:39 Part of what makes Malaysia cheaper than the Philippines is that they have a large oil and gas industry presence, and so they have subsidized fuel, basically. And that helps bring costs down. I will say international food was a great deal in Malaysia. Um, I personally enjoy international cuisine, and that was something that was cheaper than expected. But the accommodations in Malaysia were more expensive than Thailand in my experience, and more expensive than Cambodia. Cambodia actually had affordable accommodation. I just found the food to be expensive in Cambodia, and also, um, some services were more expensive just due to the dollarization.

1:03:24 And international cuisine was more expensive in Cambodia as well than Malaysia. And then the Philippines, I would call the second most expensive because, you know, you're far out here in the middle of the ocean and you're far away from the mainland. Everything has to be flown in or brought in by boat, which drives up costs. You also have a lot of remittances, so a lot of people sending money to the Philippines from overseas, and so your currency doesn't have that same punch in terms of conversion rates that you would have in some of these other mainland destinations.

1:04:08 Yeah, I was shocked at the costs of some things when I went to the Philippines four years ago because some things were more expensive than they would be in America. Like I remember looking at this menu for a restaurant and the steak was like, you know, probably 50% more expensive than it would be in America. So yeah, Philippines definitely not the most budget-friendly place.

1:04:29 And more so, it's, you know, the more you want to travel around, that's where the Philippines really adds up. Is you can't just get in a car or a bus like you can in the mainland. You typically have to get on a boat or a plane, and that's more costly. And then Singapore is the, the mac daddy as far as expenses go. It's the.

1:04:47 As far as expenses go, it's the most expensive country in Southeast Asia. I went for a little under a week and I liked it a lot, but certainly, it's also quite orderly. So if you want something that's different from what you're used to, it's somewhat different, but it's so developed you don't necessarily feel like you're in a totally different world.

1:05:08 It was very predictable, very organized. You've got buses and transit all over the country. You've got, definitely a walkability factor in most of the Eastern neighborhoods of Singapore. Like most of this part of Singapore, really walkable, though not so much up here, not so much on the west side.

1:05:31 I took a bus across Singapore, across the country, and it was like a three-hour ride. I didn't make it to the Singapore Zoo, that's something I'd like to do next time. But Singapore is really cool, it's just something that the rules aren't going to apply to as much.

1:05:45 You're going to easily be paying like 70, 80 bucks a night for a hotel, and meals are going to run you at least 10 bucks. I remember seeing a hamburger was like 7 US equivalent in Singapore, so not the most budget-friendly.

1:06:09 And yeah, Cambodia is surprisingly expensive. It's kind of shocking because, you know, it's not as well-known as Thailand in some ways. Just look at, you know, inbound arrival numbers. I liked it a lot, I felt like it was underrated.

1:06:30 But yeah, certainly like for any kind of Western-style conveniences, you're going to pay a premium in Cambodia. And also, in Cambodia, I mentioned a few times the dollarization, but also you have a lot of Western brands in Cambodia that are charging comparable prices to what they would charge in Western democracies.

1:06:52 This is different than Thailand, that has plenty of domestic brands. I'd also say in Cambodia, the local cuisine is not as well-known. People are not as familiar with it as, say, Thai food.

1:07:01 So when I was in Cambodia, I found myself eating a lot of seafood and a lot of Indian food. Because I started eating the seafood, there's like some fantastic seafood restaurants in Phnom Penh. But then I talked to some local friends and they were like, 'Yeah, I wouldn't eat the seafood here.'

1:07:18 So, you know, that was their words, not mine. I didn't have any issues, but that's something to think about. Why don't we zoom in here on Phnom Penh?

Phnom Penh Markets and Coffee Culture

1:07:37 It's a decent place to get clothes. I will say like if you want to do some shopping, I did find some decent value there as far as getting clothing.

1:07:49 They have that small, that some of the surrounding countries have. This is Orussey Market, really. This looks like they've updated part of it. I don't remember seeing that when I was there last time.

1:08:01 This is what I'm more familiar with, the Orussey Side Market. It's got this like dome on it and all these vendors underneath. The people are very friendly. I found the people to be friendly.

1:08:12 The coffee was some of the best I've had. Now, I haven't been to Vietnam yet, but the coffee in Phnom Penh was fantastic. I think I paid around $2 for one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had.

1:08:25 I can't think of the name. It was somewhere in, I can't remember where it was in the city, maybe it was Riverside. But it was this guy that, like, he supplied all the coffee shops in Phnom Penh with beans.

1:08:43 And so, um, he really had fantastic, like, just the whole process was excellent. And I'd love to go back to Cambodia at some point because I felt like it was underrated.

Phnom Penh's Riverfront and Royal Palace

1:08:56 There's also, like, you know, some sad history there, which is worth learning about. Really an educational experience, one of the most educational experiences I had in my time in Southeast Asia.

1:09:07 Next time I go, I want to make it over to this. So there's this, I guess it's a peninsula. Yeah, it's a peninsula and I never really made it over the bridge because I was just having so much fun in the main part.

1:09:20 You know, they have some modern shopping malls, full, like, like I said, a lot of imported goods, different than Thailand, which has more domestic production. They have this M story.

1:09:41 Lots and lots of imported goods, which, you know, people have mixed feelings about. Some people, you know, they want more domestic stuff. I thought it was neat. I mean, it's super modern, it's they're building skyscrapers everywhere.

1:09:51 It's got a rapidly developing feel. The Royal Palace is beautiful too, like absolutely stunning. And they've got this really nice park near the Royal Palace where everybody gets together around dusk.

1:10:08 I think the best thing I did in Phnom Penh was the river cruise. So I had stored up a bunch of Chase credit card points and then I did this river cruise on the Mekong. And they also served a buffet on it.

1:10:22 And I met these, um, I met the other travelers on this cruise and they were all from, they were all Filipino. And so they really had a lot to tell me about the Philippines because I was actually preparing to go to the Philippines after Cambodia.

1:10:36 And they had a lot to share with me about it. They were really lovely people. It was maybe three or four hours and the views were gorgeous. And I wouldn't mind doing that cruise again.

Thailand's Value and Chiang Mai's Appeal

1:10:48 And the people working on the boat were so nice, like so friendly. Um, yeah, Thailand, I feel is the in the region. Like I said, I haven't been to Vietnam or Indonesia yet.

1:11:09 But, uh, best value for money, your prices are going to be fairly, you know, reasonable, especially outside of Bangkok and the islands. Bangkok and in the islands, the prices can be higher, not necessarily only because of accommodation, but also just opportunities to spend money.

1:11:26 I still think of Chiang Mai as offering among the best values for money of any country I've been or any city I've been to in the world. I lived in Chiang Mai for a while and, you know, if you're trying to live somewhere affordable, work online, get some stuff done, it's hard to beat Chiang Mai.

1:11:46 Some people call it overrated because they're looking for more of like a nightlife scene. It doesn't have that to the extent that Bangkok has. But for somebody like me that's just more of a chill, laid-back person, I definitely love Chiang Mai.

Vietnam's Popularity and Travel Safety

1:12:17 And then Cod is in Vietnam right now and he's mentioned, you know, it's not as popular among returned visitors. You know, I've heard that as well. I've read that stat as well, there's not as many that go back.

1:12:28 And that's something I'm going to be keeping in mind. That, you know, it may be a situation where I'm feeling like, you know what, once was enough. I'm glad I saw it, but it's not necessarily a place that I'm rushing back to.

1:12:46 That's not a critique or criticism. There's plenty of other places in the world that are wonderful places that I don't see myself going back to soon. I think Colombia is one of those places.

1:12:56 Cuz I loved Colombia, but when I was there, my friends were just constantly warning me about safety issues. Like the hotel I stayed in in, uh, in Medellin, we can pull that up.

1:13:16 So I stayed here, so I stayed at this hotel in Medellin. Back then, it was like 20, maybe 15 bucks a night, something like that. And the owner, um, I want to, I thought it was on a bonita, Colombia.

1:13:32 I don't know if this is the one. Anyway, he would keep the door locked, and when you'd go to exit, he'd unlock the door and let you out. And when you came back, he'd unlock the door and let you back in.

1:13:46 And so I never had issues in Colombia, but that definitely didn't add to my, you know, good feelings. And then when I was in Bogota, we go up, um, down to Botah. I was staying in the north part of the city.

1:14:00 And this is considered, these are the nicest neighborhoods in the city, Usaquen and El Chico, Chico Norte. And so here, and I was walking like five blocks, maybe six blocks to my hotel for my buddy's apartment.

1:14:20 And he was like, 'Man, even five or six blocks, like, you're going to get robbed.' Take a taxi. And I was like, 'It's just five or six blocks. Like, we're surrounded by Embassy.' Passing by the Ecuadorian Embassy, the Japanese Embassy. I'm like, I don't know.

1:14:36 But you know, when you have those experiences with locals, you really have to think in your mind, 'Is it safe?' So not an issue with Colombia. I'd love to go back. You know, I know it waxes and wanes in terms of safety. I didn't personally have issues, but my friends warned me.

Experiences in Colombia and Local Partying

1:14:48 That like I asked my buddy in Colombia, in Bogota, like, 'Where do you want to go next?' Cuz he's also a traveling guy. And he was like, 'Well, I want to move to Portugal.' So, you know, he didn't mention another place in Latin America.

1:15:02 And I also, my friends in Mexico, I asked them where they're interested to travel. And they said, 'You know, we're interested in the US.' And I was like, 'Why not Latin America?' And they're like, 'Well, it's very similar to what we're accustomed to.'

1:15:14 So, um, I got a runny nose. I'm gonna blow my nose, guys. I don't like sounding like I've been in Colombia. Okay, that's a lot better. I can breathe a lot better. It's pouring down rain right now. I don't know, I doubt you guys can hear it.

1:15:38 But yeah, you know, and that's what I heard about Cambodia. Cod, now I didn't get out of the city of Phnom Penh, but a lot of people told me, 'Hey, Phnom Penh, it's rough around the edges, like be careful.'

1:15:50 I didn't have any issues there. The, um, the worst experience I had there was I approached a guy trying to figure out where I was. And, uh, we can go back to Phnom Penh.

1:16:07 The worst experience I had is I was out here by National Stadium, like, and I asked a guy for directions, and he kind of like growled, 'No English' at me. He didn't like physically, you know, do anything, but he just seemed uncomfortable or put off by that question.

1:16:25 And so that was the only negative experience I had. Other than that, I had a freaking blast in Phnom Penh. I mean, it was just a wild party city, like a wild party town, but like more in line with my kind of party.

1:16:41 Like, how to explain it? I like to party with local people, and in Phnom Penh, I did that and had a lot of fun. Um, I find that in some places when you're partying, you're partying more with foreigners.

1:16:53 No offense to foreign people, I'm a foreigner, but if I wanted to party with Western people, I'd just go party in America because I have plenty of friends that like to party and we have all these shared experiences. And so that's, you know, I don't know, I just haven't enjoyed partying with tourists as much as I've enjoyed partying with locals.

Stress Levels and Trust in Society

1:17:12 To what extent I've enjoyed partying with locals, partying with locals is something I was able to do here and something I'd like to do again in the future.

1:17:26 Isaac asks, "Do you feel less stressed out there than in the USA?" Oh, 100%. America, if I didn't get out of America, I mean, I was in a really bad mood when I left America last summer. I was really upset because I dealt with a stressful job and I worked it for a year. I saved 70% of my income, so you can imagine living on 30% of your income can be very stressful.

1:17:51 I was in the San Francisco area, and we can just pull up. I was working, I'm not going to specify my office, but I was working in Downtown Oakland, living up here in Berkeley. So I would just try to do my best to avoid spending money. I was like, I need to save every penny I possibly can, and I did. But it was stressful.

1:18:17 Then I went back to Tennessee, which is its own version of stressful where I'm from. And, you know, people in America are just rude and often nasty, sarcastic. Not everybody's like that, but there's a large chunk of the population that is just unpleasant to be around. I don't even want to talk to them because America is a low-trust society. That's one of the best ways I could put it.

1:18:43 America is a low-trust society. People, you cannot trust other people. I think that if you trust people blindly in America, you're naive. And so you stick to yourself, especially if you're somebody that's living in a big city, maybe not your hometown. You just can't have a social life.

1:19:02 Even though I can communicate with people, I find people to just be sizing you up, trying to figure out what they can get out of you. And if they can't get anything out of you, they don't really put a lot of effort into conversation or relationship.

1:19:13 I don't like American culture either. I feel like it's just this money-driven culture where because it's so expensive, because people come to America explicitly to make money, that money is just constantly on your mind. You're constantly trying to figure out how to avoid spending it, or how to get more for your money, or how to make more money. And people don't really live life.

1:19:44 To some extent, Japan is a high-trust country, but I have a buddy from Japan that I've talked about this with, and he said all the developed countries are like that. Even though you have this affinity for Japan, Alex, we still have a lot of that financial stress. It's still expensive for young people, like all the developed countries. The older people tend to be happy, and the younger people tend to be unhappy because the population breakdown is such that the young people are having to pay higher and higher taxes to cover all of these benefits that the older generations have voted in for themselves.

1:20:20 And so that's what you experience in the West. And so you know, you're hustling and grinding, and you don't necessarily feel like you are benefiting from all the work.

1:20:35 Yeah, it's a low-trust society. It's very unfortunate because the United States used to be a high-trust country. You used to be able to trust people. People used to talk to their neighbors, people used to socialize more. But because of a lot of the bad decision-making, the bailout of the banks in '08 really contributed to a lot of these issues because that was a turning point where people thought, 'Oh, the bad guys are going to pay.' And then the bad guys get bailed out of their poor decision-making, and the general public is left footing the bill.

1:21:11 Which, you know, they basically turned on the money printer. They put in artificially low interest rates to benefit the asset holders, the asset owners. And so, yeah, America has lost a lot of what makes it special. A lot of people say, 'Oh, well, America's not special.' It's awesome to be rich. It's like, no, America used to be awesome where you didn't have to be rich to enjoy your life. And now it's just like a lot of other countries.

1:21:41 I call it the 'latinization.' I don't mean in terms of demographics, I mean that it's much more similar to Latin America in terms of corruption, social unrest, and a lack of trust, crime, homelessness. Just a lot of these problems that were common in this part of the world, except for America, except for Canada. But now it's, yeah, it's just not what it used to be. It's past its peak. I would call it just like civilization in decline.

1:22:25 I think it's going to look more like Brazil in the future, where you've got high crime, people have to stay in gated compounds, which they already do. Like you go to San Francisco, there's all kinds of gated communities where the rich people just try to hide out from the general public. So, yeah, its best days are behind it.

America's Decline and Global Interests

1:22:42 I would say America was at its peak from the post-World War II era, where it was the only country that wasn't wiped out in World War II. And you had a lot of domestic manufacturing that really spread the money around. And up until, like I would say 2007, there was this like 50-year period where it was unequivocally number one in the world, like great opportunities to move up. Real estate was affordable compared to incomes. You had intact families. You had a lot of these things that contribute to a healthy society, a healthy civilization.

1:23:27 Some would say you know it started with the Vietnam War, where it was the first war America lost, and it was very clear we were no longer the good guys. Where I think pre-war or pre-Korean War, it was understood Americans, those are the good guys. But now, I don't think that people really feel like the US is necessarily the good guys, not necessarily the people, but the powers that be in the US. I mean, I don't think they're the good guys.

1:23:53 And you know, some people, especially older people in America, get offended when I say that, especially conservative older people back in America, like the Boomers. 'Oh, how could you?' Some Boomers, I by the way, I know some awesome Boomers, but some not-so-awesome Boomers. 'How could you say that this is the greatest country in the world? We're number one, we're a force for good.' No, nonsense. America is a country that is there to serve the elites, global interests, large corporations, at the expense of whoever they can throw to the meat grinder to pay taxes.

Advice for Young Men Traveling in Asia

1:24:28 Yeah, Asia. You know, young men should come to Asia, try it out. It may not work out. You may find that you don't like the weather. The weather is a big adjustment for a lot of Americans. You may find that the language barrier is tough in a place like Thailand or Vietnam. And I say this because I don't like the idea of selling the dream. I don't like this idea of, for $9.99, just follow my advice and your life's going to be perfect.

1:24:56 But I look at it like it's worth a shot. When I came to Thailand six years ago, I was 25, and the trip to Thailand was full of what I call life-affirming experiences. Back in America, I felt like I was just an extra. I felt like I wasn't really valued by society and not really appreciated. And I went to Thailand, and you're getting called handsome man, and you're having these wonderful dates, and you're having these experiences with other Asian people. Not as saying you're Asian, but like for me, anyway, I was like, 'Oh wow, like Asian culture is the norm here. I'm not seen as a weirdo.'

1:25:40 Because where I grew up, there's very few Asian people, so people are like, 'Why do you eat that?' and 'Why does your grandma talk like that? Why doesn't she talk like American?' even though my grandma came to America in 1950 at the age of 19. Even at 90 years old, she's still looked at as a foreigner. So in America, Asians are perpetual foreigners. No matter what you do, you're going to be looked at as an outsider.

1:26:05 I noticed this in some, not all, but some sales organizations where, you know, most Asian people are in the technical side, and I wasn't. And so you definitely feel a bit weird. Now, that's not totally over the top. As you go up in sales, there's more and more Asian people, but definitely toward the bottom rungs, it's, you know, 'Do you want to talk about football?' or 'Do you want to talk about basketball?' And it's just the same conversations over and over again. It's like, I don't watch either of those sports. Nothing wrong with them. I think it's awesome if people have a way to be physically fit and active and healthy, but those just aren't my personal interests.

Southeast Asia as an Alternative Lifestyle

1:26:55 But yeah, if you're 25 and you're single, you don't have obligations, I would say save up some money and buy yourself, you know, your first time over. You might buy a round-trip ticket, maybe go for like two or three months, check out a few countries, see what you think. Maybe load up a dating app, meet up with some nice young ladies, ask them to help you out as your guide to show you around town, and go from there.

1:27:29 It doesn't work for everybody. I knew I had a subscriber from the UK, he was like 19 or 20, and I helped guide him. He chose the Philippines and he gets a condo for a month, and then he wimps out. He's like, 'I'm afraid to leave the condo,' even though he's in the nicest IT park, the nicest neighborhood he was in. And I say this not to scare you, but I don't think of Southeast Asia as the dream. I think of it as potentially an awesome alternative to people whose lives are awesome in America, which there are some people who have great lives in America. They've got an intact family.

1:28:16 In America, they've got an intact family, they've got assets, they've got kids, they're in a happy marriage. There's no reason to leave. You've got the American dream that doesn't exist for a lot of people. But if you're not one of those people, give it a shot.

1:28:27 So he's in IT Park, and we'll show you. He's in this neighborhood and he's telling me he's afraid to walk around at night. People keep looking at me and staring at me. I was picking on him a little bit, but I was just like, 'Dude, you're being ridiculous. Just go out for a walk.'

1:28:57 He kept refusing and, you know, breaks down crying at one point. I'm like, 'You know, man, if you don't give it a shot, that's on you. You spent the money to fly over there and you're going to lose your deposit.'

1:29:11 So he lasts a week, basically hiding out in his condo, and gets on a flight and goes back to the UK. I have no idea what happened to him. He had never had a girlfriend before, but he had a girlfriend for the week he was there. He actually met a woman and went and met up with her.

1:29:25 She was in a rougher part of the city, and he kept talking about how sketched out he was and couldn't differentiate between this neighborhood and any of the other neighborhoods. I'm like, 'This is, I mean, IT Park is a premier neighborhood in Southeast Asia. Like, if you can't make it in IT Park, Cebu, maybe the Philippines isn't for you.'

1:29:51 And you know, there's the equivalent of IT Park in Thailand, you know, Bangkok, in Cebu, and Saigon, there's certain districts like that are really nice. But, you know, some people just get out of their own scar. Now, you are a bit older than the 20-year-old, you're so you probably have a little bit more life experience under your belt.

1:30:07 But yeah, it's worth a shot. I mean, it's, you know, what I look at it like, worst-case scenario, you find out it's not for you, you go back home and resume your life. Some people would say, 'Oh, you failed if you did, if it doesn't work out for you, you failed.' Well, and you're a loser.

1:30:25 Well, if I was, if I'm a loser before the trip, then, you know, what is it like? Am I a loser because I go back home and resume my life? So then you're just calling me a loser. The trip has no bearing on whether I'm successful or not.

1:30:42 So it's, you know, you're risking the cost of the flight, the cost of your accommodation. It's a calculated risk, in my mind, that's worthwhile to take, especially for unhappy young men. And there's so much to see and do in the world.

Researching Travel and Age Considerations

1:30:56 People will say, 'Oh, how do you know you'll like it?' Well, you can look at vlogs, right? You can pull up vlogs from any of these countries, any of these cities, and you can see what it's like to be walking around. You can even pull up videos of people just walking around, just holding a camera and walking around these neighborhoods, and you can see what it looks like on the ground.

1:31:18 So there's, you know, there's just so much information that exists nowadays that didn't exist in the past. And it's, it's worth a shot, right? It's worth a shot.

1:31:31 And the other part of that too is you may find, 'Well, I enjoy being outside of America, but Southeast Asia isn't for me. I'm gonna go give Latin America a chance or something like that.' So there's just so much variety in the world.

1:31:47 And as long as you're cautious, like you do your research, you're probably not going to run into issues. I've spent almost two years of my life outside the United States, and they've been the best times of my life as an adult. Like, I have no regrets.

1:32:01 And some people will say, 'Well, you should just wait till retirement age.' Well, one, my grandfather had his first heart attack at 38 years old. So I'm almost 32, you know, maybe I have my first one at 38. Am I going to be doing a lot of world travel after that if that were to happen? Probably not.

1:32:19 So you're not going to be a young man forever, and you will have, you're at your peak physical health and fitness and well-being. And so a lot of these activities that you're going to want to try in some of these countries are not going to be as possible when you're at retirement age.

1:32:36 It's one thing to go snorkeling in the Philippines when you're 27, it's another thing entirely when you're 67. Right? No judgment to the older guys. I know that a lot of the older guys are discovering it for the first time, but there's just a lot of these things that you can't do to the same effect.

1:32:51 And dating too, right? Like, a lot of older guys that date in Southeast Asia feel that it's transactional. Well, when you're a younger man, it's not going to be transactional. There's going to be a lot more genuine desire there, in my personal opinion.

Dating and Cultural Perceptions

1:33:06 Like, as far as age, like most people want to date, like at least most women I've met want to date guys their own age, maybe a little bit older. And you have more in common. You probably watch some of the same TV shows, you listen to some of the same music, you have some of the same interests.

1:33:23 They're going to be able to keep up with you. Like, 'Hey babe, let's go for a hike.' Well, you can do that, right? That's not an off-limits thing. 'Hey, let's go check out this beach.' 'Hey, let's, you know, get adventurous and try out some interesting cuisine.'

1:33:38 Hey Tony, good to see you. Welcome to the stream. Great to see you this morning, right? It's morning in Canada right now.

1:33:58 So, I think that, you know, with Americans, then there's a few things that go into this. So one, I find that people are... Now, I can't speak for the ugly American stereotype, right? The Americans that are loud and brash and coming in and you do this and you do that, acting like throwing their little bit of pocket change around makes them an all-powerful god or whatever.

1:34:24 But from my perspective, people have been welcoming to me. So, very few Americans actually have a passport. That's changing. More Americans never got a passport last year, and I expect that number to keep going up. The passport backlog is now like, if you're getting a fresh passport in America, I think it's like a four-month wait.

1:34:44 And that's part of why I'm not going back is I don't want to wait four months to replace my passport. So mine expires next summer. I plan to get it replaced this winter. And if you're outside the country, then you can get a replacement in three weeks. So they prioritize Americans outside of America when it comes to replacing passports.

1:35:04 But no, I find most people don't hold Americans to that standard, just as when I go to any country, I don't. I separate the people from the powers to be. And in any country I go to, I think Americans are treated fine. I mean, most people just want to do business.

1:35:22 I found that in every country I go to, most people want similar things. People have different ways of getting those things. Most people want to take care of their families, most people want to be well-fed, most people want to have a safe place to live.

American Perceptions Abroad and Trust

1:35:39 Most people are not caught up and concerned about where you're from. Like, most people ask me where are you from. Now, in America, I get asked where I'm from, and I tell them, and then they say, 'That's not good enough. Where are your parents from?'

1:35:56 But when I go to other countries and people ask me where I'm from, I tell them United States, and they just smile and nod. It's not a big deal at all to them. And I think that a lot of people are often excited that you're giving their country a chance, that you want to visit their country, that you want to see what it's about.

1:36:21 That you're open-minded enough to come over. I think there's also this belief that you probably have some disposable income because international flights are expensive. So they figure, 'Hey, if this guy or this gal has disposable funds to come over to this part of the world, they must be a half-decent person.'

1:36:37 Now, we know that's not always the case. There are definitely some broke expats out there. But I think that, you know, as long as you maintain a positive attitude, you're friendly, you're patient, then you're going to receive the same in return.

Objectification and Ethnic Perceptions

1:36:54 Yeah, I mean, Code says 'open-air prison.' I think of America as an open-air asylum. But not that different, you know, it really gets down to it. Code says, 'If you're brown or Asian, yes.' Yeah, it's a curious thing.

1:37:09 Well, yeah, you know, I think it's a curious thing, but it's also like an objectification thing. It's a reductionist perspective. I get it as one of the first questions too, which is kind of inappropriate to me.

1:37:24 Like, um, you know, it's just. And to be fair, it's often by people who have had, you know, a little too much to drink. But it's like, why not try to get to know me?

1:37:34 When I'm in Asia, I never get asked about my ethnicity. In fact, people, a lot of people in Asia look at me as like, they think I'm like white European. I, in Cambodia, one of my friends, Lena, she got married recently, but she told me, 'You look so handsome because you have Asian features, but you have light skin.'

1:37:55 Now, I don't necessarily like agree with that sentiment, but I definitely kind of adds to, um, you know, to their thoughts about it, how they conceptualize the different groups of people and how they think about it.

1:38:10 And yeah, but feel free. We've got four folks on here. Feel free to chime in with any questions or thoughts that you all have.

Indian Influence in Southeast Asia

1:38:29 Yeah, Code, Southeast Asia has Indian influence, and there are Thai Indians. So, like, there's a Gem Tower near me where they do a lot of jewelry business, and a lot of those businesses are owned and operated by Thai Indians. So the Indians here tend to be very, very well off.

1:38:47 They tend to be owners of restaurants and other types of businesses. And Thailand itself is within the Indosphere. So I'll back up here. I think of Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar as being within the Indosphere, so heavily influenced by India. And Vietnam is in the Sinosphere.

1:39:11 India and Vietnam is in the Sinos, so Vietnam is much more influenced by China. But yeah, I've had friends, like my Thai friend D Chanok, she's an artist and she's been to India. That's how we connected; we met on Tinder and were talking about India. She was like, 'Oh yeah, I've been to India, it was awesome.' So there's this positive perception, unlike maybe some other parts of the world about Indians. A lot of the names in Thailand too are coming from Sanskrit, so their names sound very similar to Indian names.

1:39:51 I also live near a Hindu temple here in Bangkok. There's a Hindu temple not too far from here, a really beautiful temple. Then other parts like Indonesia, Malaysia, and also the south of Thailand. I was down in Hat Yai in March, and it has a large Muslim population. So when you go to the southern part of Southeast Asia, it's much more influenced by Muslim culture. The northern part up here is more Hindu influence, and the northeastern part is more influenced by China.

Indonesia and Future Travel Plans

1:40:47 But you know, people in all these countries have treated me well. I happen to love a lot of Muslim food, and that's part of the appeal to Indonesia. I would like to get over there eventually, but it's such a big country. It's the most populous country in Southeast Asia, and it's something I just don't want to rush through. Bali is not necessarily my main draw, but there's so much to see and do there.

1:41:20 Tony asks about going back to Latin America, especially Cusco. That's a great question, Tony. I have some interest in going back to Latin America, but unfortunately, at some point, I'll need to go back to the United States for the next job I get. The tech industry is currently in recession, and I'm getting rejections on my applications. I'm not in a rush to go back, but the longer I stay here, the more time I tack on to the end of this trip.

1:41:56 The more time I need to spend back home earning money to hit my FIRE number, my Financial Independence number. So, basically, how it's going to work out is I suspect I won't get a job back in America for another six or seven months. I think they'll start to cut interest rates this fall, and we'll start to see tech hiring pick up toward the end of the year. That's when, assuming I don't have a relationship here in Southeast Asia, I might start another job.

Argentina's Appeal and European Architecture

1:42:33 Because, you know, I may meet a nice lady over here, and that would probably cut down my exploration. Then, my next trip, assuming I don't meet a lady and I'm back in America working, and I've got my week or two weeks vacation, I really want to go to Argentina. Peru was wonderful, but I'm hesitant to travel back to Peru until I see more of Latin America.

1:43:06 I really want to check out Argentina. I've been wanting to check out Argentina for a while. From what I've heard, it was one of the wealthiest countries in the world a hundred years ago, so it's super developed. Of course, they've got the insane inflation that everybody's familiar with, which they're trying to sort out right now. It's not a political interest, by the way, with Argentina; I was interested in it before. Buenos Aires is supposedly like a European city in Latin America, very organized and developed.

1:43:46 A friend of mine's brother lived down here to work on a construction or architecture project. I think they'll turn it around and go back to being on the upswing. You see this architecture; it looks like Paris, just absolutely gorgeous. Sabbatical is probably one of my favorite YouTubers; he lived down here for a couple of years and has a lot of positive things to say. I recommend checking out his Argentina content because, I mean, look at that. It's gorgeous.

Cusco: Best Value City and Culture

1:44:30 I think they probably have some, if it's anything like Peru, like Peru has some Japanese architecture clearly from Japanese firms. That really reminded me a lot of Japan. So I love Peru. Tony, that's a fair question; Cusco is among my favorite cities in the world. Personally, if I were to suggest the best value-for-money city I've ever lived in, it would be Cusco.

1:44:58 If I was only looking at what I can get for how I could maximize my dollar spent, I technically think Cusco is the best. The 'menu del dia' there is mind-blowing. I'm talking about small steak lunches for the equivalent of $1.50, like six soles. Vegetarian lasagna for like 12 soles. Just the local cuisine and the variety of food, the fresh fruit. Pomegranates for like a dollar. It's insanely amazing because you're so close to where they produce all this stuff.

1:45:39 If you're looking to have kind of a natural lifestyle, I found Cusco to be the best value of any city, maybe even more so than Chiang Mai, just my personal opinion. Let's pull up Cusco here. Quick in the historical sites, I'm definitely a history enthusiast, and you'll never run out of historical sites in Cusco and the surrounding areas.

1:46:14 I also found the culture. Like I've talked about, Tony, having that introverted culture where you're in Latin America and you get the warmth of the people, but the people are also fairly quiet and respectful. The street dogs could get a little bit out of hand. If I were to go back, I might want to bring something just to carry in case, because you occasionally run into one that's not very nice. Some people unfortunately do get bitten, but that's something I'm willing to overlook because I liked it that much.

1:46:53 Cusco also has this underrated international feeling, similar to Chiang Mai. You get tons of people passing through to go to Machu Picchu. Even though it's like a half-million people in the metro, it punches far above its weight in terms of variety and options. Great sushi. It's cool and accepting and tolerant. I remember when I was there during COVID, the cops would drive around, and every Sunday you were supposed to not go out for whatever reason, but nobody followed that rule.

Cusco's Safety and Accommodation

1:47:33 I'm not going to stay inside 24 hours a day just because of COVID, so I would go out and wander around. If the cops saw you, they'd be driving around, but they wouldn't even stop and say anything to you. It was just like this finger-wagging, like, 'Hey, it's not reasonable to expect you to stay inside, but I've got to do my job.' It's a very peaceful city; it felt very safe. I've heard there are some unsafe areas, but I didn't personally encounter those. They're mostly near the airport, so I didn't explore as much around the airport.

1:48:11 Here's the airport. I was much more up here, like around not too far from Sunblast. I stayed at this hotel for several months, Hotel Golden Inca. Great value. They have coca tea in the lobby. You could just pull up the rooms. They take any of your Western credit cards. Really a nice place.

Experiences with Thai Bar Girls and Pattaya

1:48:47 Code asks, 'Have you ever dated a Thai bar girl?' Never. I've never had any interest. I've never even been in a bar in Thailand, actually. I think I've been to a few restaurants that have bars attached. I went to Zoey and Yellow; there's this popular nightclub in Chiang Mai, but it's more of a nightclub, not like a bar scene. I just don't find the bars of interest to me. No judgment on those who enjoy them, but it's just not the happiest environment for my perception. I spent a month in Pattaya, and it wasn't for me.

Recommended Travel YouTubers

1:49:39 Tony had asked, 'I noticed you deleted it, but any other YouTubers that come to mind? Sabbatical is one of my favorites.' Who else can I think of? Indigo Traveler, but you've probably seen his stuff. He hasn't uploaded in a while and tends to do controversial stuff. Some people don't like that he goes to places like Haiti and, you know, dangerous travel. Not for everybody, but I'll look up Pilar Travels. I haven't heard of Pilar, but I'm always interested.

1:50:29 Oh, very cool. Yeah, I'll throw a subscription on here because this looks interesting to me. I see he's doing Argentina. So, yeah, new subscriber. Thank you, Tony. Who else comes to mind as far as travel YouTubers? I mean, one that all of you have heard of is Walter's World. He's part of who and Gabriel Traveler. These are the two that are kind of the OGs, and they're who got me into some of these destinations.

1:51:09 Like I went to Portugal after a recommendation from Walter's World. He's talked a lot about living in Portugal, also living in Argentina. Both of these are huge channels. Gabriel Traveler is around 600k subs, and Walter's World surpassed a million subs. And who else? I think somebody had asked before if I'd go to China. Will you visit China? China is of interest to me, but it's not as high on the priority list just because of the amount of legwork. There's a lot of effort that goes into getting a visa.

1:51:46 effort that goes into getting a Visa. I've done business a lot with people in China, like in Shenzhen. They've always been super friendly and would welcome me to show me around town and visit and all that. But it's just a lot of leg work.

Pre-COVID Travel and Frontier Towns

1:52:01 It's also, I feel like it's one of those places that some would disagree, but maybe not changing quite as rapidly as some other places. Some of the countries that I've really fallen in love with are rapidly developing and such that I feel like if I don't see them soon, I'm going to be missing something. Some people will say, 'Oh, don't have FOMO,' but I am so glad I traveled pre-COVID.

1:52:26 Pre-COVID, like some of these places were quite a bit more lively, Chiang Mai being an example of that. Pre-COVID Chiang Mai was, it's still dynamic, it's still fun, but it was like a, I don't know how to explain it, a Wild West kind of feeling. And Phnom Penh especially, I mean, Phnom Penh, like I can't think of a more like Frontier type of a town.

1:52:50 Like you go to, you know, pre-COVID, I went to Phnom Penh and I felt like I'm on the edge of the Earth here. Like, just the wild stuff that you see. I remember going and seeing piles of burned-up fake money and I had no idea what it was. I thought somebody like caught a counterfeiter and set fire to all this money. Turns out, burned money is part of some kind of luck ritual.

Phnom Penh Hotel and Riverfront Experience

1:53:10 We're staying in this like shady hotel and the owner, lighting up cigarettes in the lobby and just talking to me about how much he loved America. This owner is Chinese. He's like, 'Oh, yeah, I took a car and I drove from Miami to New York City and it was like, totally wild.' And he's just being Uber friendly to me and I'm like, 'What is going on here? Why is he being so nice to me?' He was genuinely nice, like he wasn't trying to upsell me. The room was like 15 bucks a night. I think he was just surprised because I think he just didn't get very many Americans.

1:53:49 We'll pull that back up. Phnom Penh, where was that hotel? I think it might have been the U-S-I Hotel. I don't know if it's still there. I don't think this was it. No, that wasn't it. I can't think of it. I stayed in Phnom Penh, I stayed over here. We'll just pull it up because it's not showing up. New season. This is where I stayed, and it's right on the riverfront. Wow, they've been updating the riverfront. That looks beautiful.

1:54:37 But you walk right out into the hustle and bustle of things at this hotel. You've got the riverfront there, people would be out there doing these like group exercise classes, and that was the first time I'd seen something like that. Like, why are all these people working out like this? It was really lovely just to see people concerned about their health. And then the Indian restaurant was downstairs, so it was like you could stop downstairs, have a bite, tea, go out and have a wild night, or you could come back and if you weren't getting back too late, you could get food and then, you know, go and crash out.

Phnom Penh Arrival and Tuk-Tuk Incident

1:55:13 Part of my Phnom Penh journey, part of what made it so wild. Yeah, Steve Ross is actually a subscriber to my channel. Tony, surprisingly, I'm definitely a fan of Steve, and yeah, he's left me a comment. I watched his interview countless times a while back and I really liked it. Steve's an interesting dude, I can appreciate his story a lot. He talks about how he's like, 'Of course I'm selfish, I'm an only child of a single mother.' And I'm like, 'Wow, I relate to that so much.' Like, I was an only child of a single mother, so I can really relate to Steve Ross a lot.

1:55:50 But yeah, so with the new season, I get to the hotel and I get there. I think my flight landed in Phnom Penh at like 11:30 in the morning. And I walk outside the airport, the immediate area of the airport, and I get a tuk-tuk. And I get it right there, and we agree on a price. I think it was like five bucks or six bucks or something like that.

1:56:16 And we get to this hotel and he drops me off. I pay him and then go inside. The tuk-tuk driver immediately starts screaming and yelling at me. Oh my God, I think he wanted a bigger tip or something like that. But, you know, I figured I gave him the payment, like I gave him the tip. Like, you're not shaking me down. So he's shouting and yelling at me, and I don't know if I'm in trouble because I'm half awake, I'm jet-lagged, and I'm still getting the bearings of where I am.

1:56:48 Coming from the airport, and we could pull up Phnom Penh airport really quick. On the way from the airport, we'll just actually show the map this way. So this is the route. So it's about a half-hour ride along the way. We're passing chickens in the road, we're passing people riding their bicycles, we're passing like gigantic trucks. I'm just like staring out the window or the flap of this tuk-tuk, wondering, 'Where am I? What alien planet did I land on?'

1:57:21 Because in America, everything is super orderly, right? You get in the car, the car goes onto the road, everybody's in their lanes. And on here, you know, there's people pulling off there, there's people just stopping in the middle of the road. And it was just total chaos. And so we get there, and you know, we get here, and then the tuk-tuk driver is yelling at me.

Phnom Penh's Chaotic Streets and Nightlife

1:57:46 The guy he happens to be from Bangladesh, one of the guys working there, and he opens up the door for me and he welcomes me in. And I'm like, 'Wow, this is nuts.' He's like, 'Yeah, this city has problems.' And I'm like, 'Oh my God, where did I go?' As soon as I get here, the guy is warning me, like, 'Yeah, this place, the inside of the hotel is nice, but out there sucks, man.' And I'm like, 'Oh my God.' But, you know, whatever, I'll enjoy it.

1:58:16 And so I just went upstairs and I passed out at 1 PM and I wake up at like 9 PM and I'm like, 'Okay, so I'm super jet-lagged. I guess I'm just going to wander around.' Well, I had no idea this is a nightlife district, Riverside. And so I'm walking around staring at all these girly bars like, 'What is this place? Where did I why did I come here?'

1:58:43 But not in necessarily a bad way, just like very, very overwhelmed and didn't know what to make of it. That's not my thing, and I wasn't about to change my mind about that. And eventually, I made it back to my hotel. But yeah, it was just so confusing, like it was just such a sensory overload to see all these neon lights and the cities tightly packed and the tuk-tuk drivers every five steps, they were saying, 'Hey, do you want this, man? Hey, do you want that, man? I can get it all.' And I'm like, 'Oh no, no, I'm good. I'm good.' Just a super overwhelming scene there, but wild.

Travel Vlogging Styles and Payment Methods

1:59:29 Wild town. I mean, one of the wildest towns I've ever been in. Chev and Dev, most boring, sanitized travel vloggers. You know, I struggle a little bit with the more sanitized vloggers because it's not a judgment call. I know a lot of people, you know, they're looking for a more stable vacation or standardized trip, but I struggle to get value from some of those more sanitized versions that I can't just find through Googling, right?

2:00:00 Like, to me, if I'm watching a travel vlog, I want to see or experience something that's not going to be easily found on Google. I want to see and experience some things that, you know, are totally different from what I'm accustomed to. Like, what does it smell like? If the blog only shows the nice restaurants, nice hotels, you're not going to smell the barbecue on the street, right? You're not going to smell like, you know, people lighting a fire in a barrel to stay warm, like just kind of wild stuff that you experience in person.

2:00:38 And yeah, so that would be a challenge. Code says you can't do anything without WeChat Pay. That would be a challenge because, you know, if you can't pay with cash, then I think there's some friction there that you have to be aware of. I noticed what you're talking about, Code, because I've transited through China multiple times through Xiamen. That was part of what made the Phnom Penh trip weird is I flew to LA and then I flew to Xiamen, China, and then I flew from Xiamen. We'll just zoom out here. I flew from Xiamen.

2:01:12 Where is Xiamen? Xiamen is here. Yeah, so I flew from Xiamen, and it was there was like five people on this airplane from Xiamen to Phnom Penh. I'm like, why are there like, why are they running this flight with like six people? But when I was in the Xiamen airport, I wanted to get orange juice, but I didn't have any Chinese Yuan, and I think they had a WeChat thing, and I didn't have WeChat either. I'm like, well, whatever, I guess I'll go without it.

2:01:45 But, you know, that's something that's something to be aware of is that, you know, without being able to easily pay for things, that's some friction that I don't experience in Southeast Asia. Like Cambodia, I could just pull out US dollars at the ATMs or the US dollars I brought with me and start spending, and it makes it so easy. Everywhere takes dollars, they even prefer them to the Riel. And so, you know, that's easy. Thailand, of course, Thai currency, the Thai Baht, is the 10th most circulated currency in the world, so very easy to get Thai Baht. Vietnamese Dong, you know, very easy to convert.

Phnom Penh's French Influence and Architecture

2:02:28 So that would make it challenging. I'm not opposed to going to China, but it's, you know, it's something that's going to take more research and leg work than say, places like Vietnam or Thailand. Hosia Hos mentioned, okay, yeah, burning money for the deceased. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I was just so confused by it because, yeah, I just had no idea.

2:02:51 I remember, too, in Phnom Penh, seeing like a Rolls-Royce and being like, 'Where am I?' There's a fantastic, speaking of which, there's a fantastic French restaurant. Let me pull it up. I'll look it up.

2:03:05 Let me pull it up. I'll look it up really quick. French restaurant. There's quite a few really nice French restaurants in Phnom Penh. That's it.

2:03:38 This spot, Kamay, I guess, this restaurant, Kamay, is really nice. I went here for breakfast and it was amazing. Amazing croissants and fantastic omelets. It's a really, really nice place. The yogurt was really, really nice.

2:03:58 I've never been to France, so it was definitely interesting to experience some of that French influence. But the architecture in Phnom Penh is super cool. It's an underrated city for me.

Tuk-Tuks and Ride-Sharing Apps

2:04:11 R says, 'Love the Cambodia Tuk Tuks. Why aren't Tuk Tuks on Grab in Thailand?' You know, that's a good question, R. I'm going to make a note of that. I want to ask. I'll get back to you about that.

2:04:29 Why aren't Tuk Tuks on Grab? I have ridden in one with some Thai friends. I've never ridden in a Tuk Tuk in Thailand on my own, so I've always heard that they tend to overcharge if they see that you're a foreigner. That's something I've been concerned about.

2:04:46 But my Thai friends, you know, when we were at the Grand Palace, we hired one outside. My friends that speak Thai helped negotiate the price. But I think about when I use Tuk Tuks, I think about flexible pricing. I was comfortable using them in Phnom Penh because you access them through Grab. I used Pass App, and the price you're notified about it upfront, which I liked.

2:05:22 I was getting bugged everywhere in Phnom Penh by the Tuk Tuk drivers about getting rides. For me, I always prefer using the app when it comes to transportation because I want to know how much it's going to cost before I agree to it. Because I just have more control that way.

Recommended YouTubers: Nomad Push

2:05:39 Chris Lewis, yeah, I watch Chris Lewis. Thank you for mentioning Chris Lewis. Tony, I think he does some interesting stuff.

2:05:54 What else? What else?

2:06:02 Pull up my YouTube page and just check out my recommendations. This one guy has been blowing up really fast. I don't mind sharing because he's really blowing up. He's this homeless Japanese guy, assuming he is really homeless.

2:06:28 His channel has just been popping off. You guys may have gotten his channel suggested to you. Nomad Push, yeah, he is hilarious. I like his energy. He's just got an interesting vibe about him.

Recommended YouTubers: Greeny Travels

2:06:47 Who else could I mention? Greeny Travels. Yeah, so Greeny Travels. You know, Greeny and I discussed me going on his podcast. He's based near Pattaya, kind of the South Pattaya area.

2:07:03 We haven't really lined something up. He's been traveling a lot lately. He went to Vietnam. He's been in Hong Kong recently. So I may not be able to link up with Greeny before the end of my trip here.

2:07:14 I may shoot him another message just because I'm on my way out of here in Thailand in about seven weeks or so. I'd go down to Pattaya, you know, to do a podcast with him, just kind of talk about some experiences.

2:07:29 He's fully retired. Like, he owns his condo in Bang Saray. He's got a car down there. Like, he's committed to Thailand. I like his Midwestern kind of vibe too. Me being from the Southeast, I definitely can appreciate some of the cultural nuances of a dude from the Midwest.

2:07:50 But yeah, Greeny's got some interesting stories. He's already been married and divorced here in Thailand too. He's talked about it in his vlog, so I don't think I'm oversharing there. He's really just lived fully on here in Thailand. He's a former detective as well, so he's got, you know, I appreciate his sharing about that.

2:08:12 Another one, Tony, that you might like is Sly Life. I think Sly is kind of underrated. He's got like 100, 110k subs. I'm surprised he doesn't have a lot more. He's traveled everywhere. He retired from the military and he's just been like everywhere.

Recommended YouTubers: Sly Life

2:08:27 He's been to Africa. I actually ran into Sly in Cusco. I didn't know Sly back then, but I was filming in Cusco and passed by Sly. I'm in his Cusco video. So I need to find it and share it sometime.

2:08:46 Sly was in Cusco when I was in Cusco in 2021, walking down the street, recording myself. He's walking in the opposite direction, recording, and he's like, 'Oh, there's a guy recording.' It was so funny.

2:09:02 If you watch Sly's Cusco vlog, you should see me in there. I think it's around the halfway point. I'd love to meet up with Sly at some point. He's probably one of my favorite vloggers because he's just got a positive attitude. He seems like a genuinely happy guy.

2:09:21 He's in Russia right now, actually. But I think he's almost running out of places to go because he's been all over Africa, all over Asia, all over South America, and to Europe. He's been to like Western Europe. He's been to like almost everywhere, it seems like.

Critique of Scripted Travel Vlogs

2:09:41 I like his channel too because he's down to earth and he's kind of real. He shows you, 'Look, I'm not staying in some five-star hotel. This is my normal hotel.' You know, I'm trying mid-range restaurants. He's somebody that I could relate more to, and that's what I like a lot about his channel. Sly Life is super underrated in my opinion.

2:10:01 Who else can we go for here that I'm a fan of?

2:10:27 I like Mike's Philippine Retirement. You guys are probably familiar with...

2:10:37 I like Vagabond Awake. I don't like the kind of showing off of the lady as much. This isn't like a judgment thing, like, 'Oh, I'm too good for this.' It's just like, I get it. It drives engagement. People like to look at an attractive woman.

2:10:56 But to me, it can distract away from the realities. The reality is most of us aren't going to date a Malaysian model, right? Most of us are not going to be in a relationship with a model from Malaysia in an age gap situation.

2:11:13 To me, some vloggers can get... and he also, yeah, yeah, see, he also does scripting a lot. He's done a lot of scripting in his videos, and I'm not as much of a fan of scripted content because it's just too orderly.

2:11:34 Maybe I'm just a chaotic person, but I like to be off the cuff and not filter what I'm thinking because I want people beyond what's required. I can't, you know, I prefer not to use foul language on YouTube. I prefer not to talk about certain subjects that may not be valuable to my audience.

2:11:56 But it's too productized in a way for me. The product is too clean when you have a lot of scripting going on. I wonder how much of it is a character. I try not to be a character in my content. I try to be more like who I really am, to whatever extent I possibly can be.

2:12:14 If I were to script my content, it might take away from the authenticity for me personally. Other people probably do well with scripted content. They can come across as more authentic. I just feel, I don't know, I guess what I'm getting at is I don't feel like I'm acting.

The 'Cheap Olympics' in Travel Vlogging

2:12:35 It's, you know, first and foremost, it's fun for me. The other thing about Vagabond Awake is sometimes he gets into the cheap Olympics a little bit, in my personal opinion. He'll disclose how much he's earned and then be like, 'Oh, we're only living on $800 a month here.' Is that really necessary?

2:12:58 If you're at retirement age and you make, let's say, $10,000 a month, why live on $800? And also, is that really true? He's done videos where he'll interview somebody that's living on $500 a month, and it's like, I don't really know if it's a good idea to try to convince people that they can come over to this part of the world and live on such low amounts.

2:13:22 Especially when that might not be telling the full picture. Does that cover their emergencies? Who knows? Maybe they rent. Maybe they go over to their friends' apartment and, 'Oh, look at this tiny hut I'm living in.' But really, they're living in a big place down the street.

2:13:41 I think at those amounts, it starts to get into danger territory. Some would say, 'Well, I'm saving for an emergency.' But it's like, if you're that concerned about your health, I don't know if living abroad is the best decision, because you're probably going to be able to get better healthcare in your home country.

2:13:58 A lot of older people do have different kinds of health insurance schemes that they can get through the government that will help reduce their healthcare costs. The quality is, you know, arguably easier in terms of language, lack of language barrier. So that's another thing.

2:14:12 I get it. There's an element of it selling the dream. But when you lower the barrier to entry too low, then I think you may encourage people to make risky decisions. They would say, 'Well, it's up to each individual to do their own research.' But how helpful is it for me to watch a video that's telling me about how you live in your apartment, go for walks, and cook at home for $500 a month?

2:14:38 When I want to not cook, I want to live in a more nice condo. I don't know, it just... some people are better off in their home country, and I don't think that's anything to be ashamed about. Most people, many people around the world would love to live in a western democracy.

Daily Routine: Planning and Hydration

2:14:58 So, you know, it's more so in my mind, it's great for some, not great for all. Can you talk about how you spend your day? Like your daily routine?

Daily Routine: Exercise and Exploration

2:15:10 Yeah, so that varies a lot lately. The last week, I've been focused on trying to plan. If I'm parked somewhere for a while, I usually start off every day. Wake up, drink water, try to rehydrate because sleeping under the air conditioner all night does seem to dry me out. Like, more a lot.

2:15:39 I'll throw on some clothes and go to the gym. I like to do a workout, whether it be lifting weights or doing some cardio.

2:15:46 Weights or doing some cardio type stuff is a big thing for me just for my mental health and well-being. Working out is crucial. If I don't have access to a gym, like if I'm in a part of the city that doesn't have one or during COVID when gyms were closed, I'll try to do a lot of walking.

2:16:03 Some weeks here in Bangkok, I've walked as much as 15 miles in a day, over 30 kilometers. Which sounds crazy, but I'll just go out walking. I'll pack my backpack with all my batteries for my camera, my power bank for my phone, my wallet, and cash.

2:16:27 Then I'll just go out walking, pick a direction and just go. Or I'll pick a certain attraction that may be an hour or an hour and a half walk away and just go in that direction. I'll hop on the bus, but to me, knowing that heart disease runs in my family, I place a high priority on exercise.

2:16:54 It's something I don't get to do enough of in the West because I'm so busy with work. Along the way, you see and experience a lot of random, weird stuff that you wouldn't experience if you just traveled there by train, bus, or car. Then I'll find a temple I had no idea was there, and I'll stop in to check it out.

2:17:19 If I get hungry, I'll stop at a restaurant and have a bite to eat. That's how I mostly spend my day. When my feet hurt, usually around the 8 to 10 mile point, I'll start making my way back home, taking a different route than I took to get there.

Daily Routine: Planned Activities and Safety

2:17:54 That way, I get to see a lot of random stuff I wouldn't normally see and experience restaurants I wouldn't find normally. Not always the case, though. Sometimes there's a specific thing I want to go see, so I'll plan for it.

2:18:19 With Pattaya, I found out about Koh Larn. One day involved walking down to the pier. I stayed in Jomtien, so I hopped on a songthaew bus on Thappraya Road and came down here, then walked down to Bali Hai Pier. From there, you just hop on a ferry over to Koh Larn.

2:18:45 I just walked around the island. I'm not a motorbike rider, so I have some concerns about safety. I've seen probably half a dozen accidents here in Thailand this year alone, so I'm just really cautious about it.

2:18:59 I'll just go out, walk around the island, check out some beaches, and enjoy it that way. Exercise and being outdoors, living outside, is like the focal point of a lot of my travels. In America, I feel like I stay inside all the time because of safety concerns.

2:19:24 Here, in this part of the world, I feel a lot safer, so I want to just go out and explore. I want to see everything and experience things too. If there's a certain attraction or activity I want to do, I'll make it a point to include it.

Daily Routine: Filming and Editing

2:19:36 I try to film a lot too. Sometimes, on a day I just go out walking, if I find a quiet place to film, I'll try to shoot a video there. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, because of the ambient music and noise like motorbikes and vehicles that can make recording difficult.

2:19:59 But that's how I mostly spend my day. If I've got a date, I try to schedule them more at night, hang out at night when the day has cooled off. Typically, the women I've dated have had jobs during the day, so their free time is at night or on the weekends.

2:20:22 We'll meet up and hang out. Depending on the context, if things are going well, they might come over and spend time at my place. But yeah, that's mostly what I do.

2:20:28 Some days, if I've got editing to do, I'll just hang out at the apartment all day. I'll stay home and just get through editing. Usually, as soon as I get home and cool off with the aircon, I'll pull all my footage over onto my hard drive and my laptop.

2:20:46 I'll try to edit, and it usually takes me several hours to edit each video. Then I'll do my uploads. That's roughly my daily routine.

Daily Routine: Research, Takeout, and YouTube

2:21:05 If I'm getting ready to go somewhere new, I spend a lot of time in the evenings researching. Most of what I do outside is during the day. I go out at night sometimes, but I try to maintain a more normal sleep schedule for my health.

2:21:24 I mostly like to edit in the evenings. I'll order takeout from Foodpanda or Grab, or hit up a restaurant within walking distance of my apartment, and then just edit. I also spend a lot of time watching YouTube.

2:21:40 When I'm out walking, I have YouTube going in my pocket. I probably watch or listen to YouTube like four hours a week, if not more. I listen to different content creators, trying to understand their logic or reason, and finding new ones that can give me a different angle.

2:22:01 I also participate in some live streams, like Philippines Antics, if I wake up early enough. They start their streams at like 8:30 AM Philippines time. Sometimes I'm a guest on their channel where they open up their live stream to a panel format discussion.

2:22:27 I'll join in on those in the mornings and participate. Mostly, I listen and ask questions because I don't know as much about the Philippines; I've only spent about a month there. That's something I've been doing lately, jumping on those streams as a guest.

Daily Routine: Gym and Social Interaction

2:22:44 I haven't been on one recently, it's been a few weeks, but I find value in connecting with other content creators. R says he uses resistance bands. I think that's a great way to do things; it's efficient and you're able to get a more varied workout in than pure bodyweight.

2:23:02 That's something I need to get on. Actually, in Chiang Mai, I was really consistent about going to lift weights because I had a gym, Gold's Hillside, that was like a 15-20 minute walk from my apartment. I'd go there, do a workout, and then start the rest of my day.

2:23:26 It always put me in a good mood to have a hard workout in the morning or around midday if I woke up late. Then I'd come back to the apartment, shower up, change, and get into editing or exploring, going to have a nice meal or something like that.

Stream Wrap-up and Future Content Ideas

2:23:48 Great questions, great comments. Thank you so much everyone for your input. Feel free to chime in with any thoughts or questions. I'll probably wind down in the next 15-20 minutes or so.

2:25:15 If you guys can think of any channels I should watch, feel free to throw those down there too. I'm always looking for interesting content, new channels to look at when we hop back over to Southeast Asia.

Vietnam Destinations: Chiang Mai Comparison and Vung Tau

2:25:30 I'm looking forward to this. It's going to be really interesting and it's going to be more like Chiang Mai from my observations. Chiang Dao is going to be a lot more like Chiang Mai.

2:25:48 I've heard it described as Chiang Mai with a beach, or Chiang Mai on the ocean. I've heard I could go down to Vung Tau. I've heard good stuff about Vung Tau. I don't know if you could chime in on that, Code, if you've spent time in Vung Tau, but it's quite close to Ho Chi Minh City.

2:26:37 Actually, I forgot which one of these cities somebody told me it might have been Matt. They told me one of these cities was kind of rough and I should avoid it. Maybe it was Vung Tau, I can't remember which.

Recommended YouTubers: Roaming Hogan, JP and Amelia

2:26:54 I've heard Nha Trang is really popular among Russian tourists, kind of similar to Pattaya, because apparently they like the hot weather more so than some of the milder climates up in Da Nang or in Hanoi. Roaming Hogan, okay, I'll see here.

2:27:33 Oh yeah, I think I've watched his videos. He might have been unsubscribed from him by YouTube sometimes. That happens, or I'll be following a channel and for whatever reason get unsubscribed.

2:28:00 Oh, I forgot JP and Amelia. I'm a fan of JP and Amelia. They're in Europe, but they were in Ecuador for a while. Great channel as far as Latin America topics. Now they're more on the road, just dealing with challenges in Ecuador, but they're great as well.

Recommended YouTubers: Patty Du

2:28:15 I like that they have this kind of positive and optimistic outlook. Oh yeah, Patty Du. Definitely have watched a fair amount of his content on Thailand. He's got such thorough coverage of a lot of places in Thailand.

2:28:28 I think he's been to like every province in Thailand. I think he speaks Thai quite well as well, which is unheard of among the foreigner population. So yeah, shout out to Patty Doyle, great content.

Ho Chi Minh City: Historical Context

2:29:12 I think I'm gonna call it here pretty soon just because my voice is starting to go a little bit, as you can tell. I know a lot of folks are trying to think of just any more topics that we want to cover in this stream.

2:29:36 I guess we could look at one thing I wanted to look at was tackle that, and that'll probably carry us through to a nice stopping point. Hoi Min City, wow. I heard about this city and read about it when I was younger because my grandfather served in the Vietnam War, and it just seemed like this mysterious, far-away land.

Ho Chi Minh City: Modern Development and Malls

2:30:00 He was over here for a couple of years. I do think he was more in the north, but I heard a lot of soldiers passed through Hoi Min on their way to Vietnam or on their way out of Vietnam. It was probably a very different city back then as far as development goes.

2:30:17 I think this is the tallest building in Vietnam, Landmark 81. That's just beautiful, and I think these are Vin homes surrounding it. That's a popular company there in Vietnam. It reminds me of like the Empire State Building.

2:30:47 What a beautiful pool, and it's such a high level too, where you can get a crazy view of the cityscape. Man, Thailand definitely has a lot of those Blade Runner vibes, but who knows, maybe in the future, Vietnam will be giving it a run for its money.

2:31:04 I'm still thrown off by all the gigantic billboards in Bangkok, and you see these huge faces. It's a sight to behold. What else here in Hoi Min City? Ah, a supermarket, interesting. Oh, Van Vanan Mall. So this looks like a popular mall.

2:31:28 It's got a similar layout to the mall that's attached to Bangkok Immigration. It's got this kind of futuristic design, open air at the lower level. Fairly utilitarian design, not so many artistic frills as some of the Bangkok malls.

Ho Chi Minh City: Food and Parks

2:31:56 This is nice. I like these flowers. What else? You know, I really haven't researched Hoi Min City a lot. Oh, the most obvious one that everybody's watched is Best Ever Food Review Show. He's probably my favorite.

2:32:16 Of course, he's massive, so much so he was on like The Joe Rogan Experience, but he lives in Hoi Min City. That's where he's based out of, and I think that speaks a lot to the quality of the city. If somebody like him, who can afford to live anywhere in the world, chooses to live in Hoi Min City, then that's a lot of brownie points for this city.

2:32:41 And it makes me want to spend more than just a day or two there. Maybe I will commit to a longer duration. Of course, I have heard you have to be cautious about pickpockets and some issues with stealing in Hoi Min City. So that's something that would have me on my back foot a little bit.

2:33:06 Of course, that's not everybody, just a few people can really add to that negative experience there. So this must be a Korean Supermarket. Lot is like a popular Korean brand, and it looks fairly walkable. I mean, maybe this is an upmarket district, but the sidewalks look pretty nice.

2:33:53 What else? Okay, this looks cool. Sala Urban Park. I like these. I don't know if there'd be shade structures, but I'm a fan of the fish.

Ho Chi Minh City Temples and YouTubers

2:34:05 So, man, this is really impressive. I didn't know Taon was like this. I mean, this looks gorgeous, really well-done.

2:34:50 Temple. It's very, very beautiful and ornate. Yeah, I had a friend from South Vietnam, and she told me her mom is Buddhist AF, as to put it in her words. And this really speaks to what she was saying about it.

2:35:05 Very, very ornate. You can tell a lot of work went into these. Oh, and I don't know why I didn't mention it, but I like Channy. I like Channy a lot. He's just got kind of this personality.

2:35:36 It was the first time I realized there's a space for Asian YouTubers to really succeed. Just his upbeat attitude, his sense of humor, not being too proud to joke around about cultural idiosyncrasies. I think overall, he's like a force for good.

Negative YouTuber Encounter

2:35:57 And yeah, I mean, I did have a negative experience with a YouTuber. He wasn't a travel YouTuber, called Jarvis Johnson. He's from the Atlanta area, and I thought I might, I'd watched his channel. Ran into him in San Francisco, and I was like, 'Oh wow, I've seen you on YouTube.'

2:36:20 And he was immediately like, 'So what?' and just kept walking, like this dismissive, like, 'Dude, come on. You have 1.5 million subs. You've got to expect people are going to run into you on the street.' Maybe he was having a bad day, I don't know what it was, but it was just like, almost like this 'Who are you?' attitude.

2:36:38 So I don't watch his content at all. Of course, he doesn't do travel stuff, so not really relevant to this channel, but that was the only negative experience I've had with a YouTuber. And Ron asks, 'When are you back in the USA?'

Return to USA and SDR Job Experience

2:36:48 So Ron, that's a great question. Maybe next spring. That's kind of roughly what it's looking like. I'm hoping by next spring that the tech industry hiring will pick back up, and I'm able to get a good job back in tech to keep grinding it out toward my goals.

2:37:08 Code asked earlier, 'What did I hate about the SDR job?' You know, the thing I didn't like about sales work is that you can do everything right and still fail. That's just a broader commentary on sales, where it's really all about timing, territory, and talent.

2:37:31 So if your talent is there, but your territory is maybe a less strong territory, or the timing is not right, your buyers aren't ready, then that can make your job very difficult. But no, I mean, it was I learned a lot of valuable skills, and even though it was stressful, I definitely developed my social skills a lot working in that sales role, talking to people all the time.

YouTuber Encounters and Future Plans

2:38:01 But yeah, Ron, I mean, I'm not in a rush to go back to America. Financially, I'm doing fine, so I'm not in a rush. And so I want to hold out for a good job there. I could probably get a job right now if I wanted one, but the compensation, like some of the compensation I've seen, has been kind of embarrassingly low compared to what it was a few years ago.

2:38:27 And of course, it's the peak of the market was a few years ago. But oh, that was the guy. He was 1.5 million subs, not a fan of him. I'll throw his name in there. This isn't me calling him out or anything. It may have been a bad day, but I was just shocked by his bad attitude.

2:38:46 I guess he's having a bad day, but to be ugly to somebody that says they enjoy your content and you run into them in San Francisco, like, we ain't in LA, and your celebrity ain't that big. I get it if it's Leonardo DiCaprio or some other famous actor or actress, but a YouTuber who's like a programming nerd? Come on, dude, we're all nerds. This is the Bay Area, we're all nerds.

2:39:21 But yeah, Channy's awesome. Best Ever Food Review Show. These are two really big channels. Awesome JP and Amelia, awesome as well.

Content Creation vs. Tech Career

2:39:35 Yeah, well, you know, maybe he just found it too stressful. Maybe he wanted his privacy, right? Like maybe people recognizing him, he didn't like that. But yeah, no rush to go back to the United States, but I'm hoping by next spring I'll find something good.

2:39:58 Technically, I could keep traveling, but I want to get to that point where I can leave the United States to never come back. And so I could keep going and try to do it through content creation, but it seems fairly risky to me. And also, I don't want to be in the position where, you know, as in YouTube, I'm an independent contractor, right? So I'm not an employee of YouTube.

2:40:26 And it seems fairly risky to totally rely on it. I know some people are very successful with it, that really are amazing, but I don't know if what I add or talk about is so valuable that I could get to that point where I'm able to make a full-time income.

2:40:45 For me, a full-time income isn't extravagant. If I can make $1,500 a month or something like that, that would be great. But for me, in the software industry, it's just a very straightforward path to making money that is harder for me to turn down, knowing what the earning potential is in sales.

Vietnam and Philippines Travel Timeline

2:41:02 Because in tech, the margins are so high. If you're good at selling, you can really earn very well and invest a lot of that money. And then I'd rather be in a position to do this for fun than, 'Hey, I really need the money.' So that's just kind of where I'm at with it. Like I like YouTube a lot. I don't want to get to the point where I don't like YouTube, but I need to do it because of financial reasons, if that makes any sense.

2:41:31 And when will you go to the Philippines? So that's a great question, Ron. Philippines, I'm looking at anywhere from August to October. So next, I want to go to Vietnam. I'm actually trying to sort out my visa right now, figuring out the complex visa process for going to Vietnam.

2:41:58 And then after Vietnam, I can decide if I want one month in Vietnam or three months in Vietnam. So that's where I'm at right now. But after that time is when I'm looking at going to the Philippines. And I'm also just trying to line up interviews because I've got a few people that have reached out to me that want to interview me.

2:42:19 And then I've got a few people I need to reach out to that I'd like to do interviews with. So that's what I'm trying to sort out, is nailing down how long do I want to spend in Vietnam. And then from there, but yeah, I'll be going to Vietnam mid-July at the latest. Maybe I'll go before then, but that's technically when my Thailand visa expires, and there's still quite a bit more Bangkok that I'd like to shoot, like to film before I leave.

2:42:52 Recordings at the street level and of some of the artwork and signage will help me to build more Thailand content after I leave. There's a bunch of stuff that when I'm in the moment, living in the moment, it's hard for me to really cover it. But after I have some time to think about and reflect on my experiences, then that content I can go and revisit that stuff that I'm storing on my hard drives and make it.

Philippines Travel Itinerary: Magallanes and Malai

2:43:15 Yeah, it really comes down to how long I spend in Vietnam. And then after Vietnam is when I'm looking at the Philippines. I don't have my flights booked yet, but I've got a rough idea of where I want to go.

2:43:31 I'm gonna start off and do Magallanes because that's really a hot spot for a lot of the people that want to interview me and people that I want to interview. And then I'm going to go, let's see, I'm going to go down to Malai.

2:43:57 Malai, I really want to see Malai. I wanted to go see it last time, but my buddy works there. He's been pressuring me every time we talk, 'Hey man, you got to come visit, hey man, come check it out.'

2:44:07 Elo is on my radar and I want to see it, but I don't know anybody there. And so, for me, a country like the Philippines, it really helps to have like a friend on the ground that can help you negotiate and show you around and tell you about things because it's not as well-traveled as Thailand.

Philippines Tourism Development and English

2:44:28 Thailand, there's so much you can learn just watching videos and reading about online, but people are still discovering the Philippines. They've still got a long ways to go in terms of tourism development.

2:44:40 I think there are some great channels contributing to that, some of whom I'll be talking to. But I don't know, it's like people being able to speak English is a blessing and a curse in the sense that it's helpful, but it also can be overwhelming because I'm an introvert.

2:44:58 I expect to kind of move around and people just see me as a ghost, which is true in Thailand to some extent. But over there, that's not the case. People are engaging you in the Philippines.

2:45:05 People are coming up to you and talking to you. People are like giving you hugs, like I have people just giving me hugs in the Philippines, people I didn't know. And so yeah, I didn't experience the shyness maybe as much as some other people do.

Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Travel

2:45:24 Ron says, 'I want to go to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.' Those all sound wonderful, Ron. I think you're gonna have a blast in all those places. I've been to Singapore, haven't been to the rest. I had a layover in Taiwan, but that doesn't really count.

2:45:40 But Singapore is awesome. I think you'll have a great time. I may have a layover at some point in Hong Kong. Some of the flights I've priced out from Vietnam to the Philippines have me having a layover in Hong Kong.

2:45:51 One of my co-workers also lived there for a month last year and she loved it. So certainly very developed. I had a subscriber living there, but he and I had kind of some differences of opinion, but that's not a commentary on Hong Kong.

2:46:08 And I think, you know, all those places are very developed and you'll enjoy it, Ron. I'd love to hear about it too if you make it over there and have these experiences. Feel free to let me know which places you preferred and what really stuck out to you about them.

2:46:23 A couple of my subscribers have been to Taiwan recently, like Jake. He went to Taiwan before he came here to Thailand and he loved Taiwan. He had a great time in Taipei. And another subscriber did as well.

BGC Rent and Job Opportunities

2:46:36 He went to Taiwan before he came to Thailand. And Gabriel Traveler went to Macau, I think last year, and he had a good time in Macau. BGC rent is too expensive for a Southeast Asian country.

2:46:52 Yeah, BGC seems to be, you know, quite pricey, you know, a premier destination. Funny story, I almost, I probably could have gotten a job in BGC. So I was working for a company called ServiceSource about three years ago, and they had an office in BGC.

2:47:12 I actually knew of a woman, a friend of a friend, who moved there. So she actually was working for ServiceSource in Nashville, and they wanted somebody to come from the States to go over and manage their Philippines office. And so she ended up going and subletting her apartment in Nashville.

2:47:30 She was just going to go for like a year, and she's been over there for like five or six years now, maybe longer, living in BGC. And I almost thought about doing that because I'm like, hey, look, I'll get paid like a western wage but get to live in BGC. It's like, you know, best of both worlds.

Career Choices: Philippines vs. USA

2:47:47 But I thought about it, it's like, you know, do I want to be working full-time in the Philippines such that I'm not able to travel as much as I'd like? Of course, you do have that career stability, of course, there is that managerial element.

2:48:04 Plus, it wasn't guaranteed either, like I didn't know how the economy was going to change. It's like, okay, I could work toward that for a year or two and then find out, hey, we're deprioritizing that. That company ended up getting acquired by a company called Concentric.

2:48:19 And so I don't know what happened to her role. But yeah, I mean, it seems like, you know, an opportunity. What do you think about computer science? Is that a good career?

2:48:30 I think it can be. You know, I stopped studying because I was able to get a job. So I pivoted from that job at ServiceSource into another role, a more sales-heavy role, and my earnings increased a lot. So I was making a lot more money.

2:48:46 And that was the other side of it, it's like, do I want to go live in the Philippines and make X amount, or do I want to stay here in the States and make 3X that and be able to save a lot more? And so that was what I opted to do.

Career Advice: Crypto and Long-Term Planning

2:48:58 It could have been the wrong decision. Yeah, you could create a cryptocurrency. I think there's some value in that, but I think also, you know, it's inherently there's risk and all that. And you also have to now, crypto is, I think it's going to be a lot more regulated going forward.

2:49:18 And so I think whatever you do, do it for the long term. Like, pick something that you know you feel confident you could do for 10, 20, 30 years, like the rest of your career, and something you'll enjoy.

2:49:29 I went with sales just because I have a sales background and it was more straightforward to me than programming. Plus, my exposure to technology, then it's easier for me to kind of combine those things. And I figured too, if I make the big bucks in sales and invest a lot, I'll build my own passive income through investments, at which point I can go and travel overseas.

Retirement Options: Pensions and Overseas Living

2:49:58 My brother-in-law works for UC Davis Medical. That sounds like a great option. I know that one of my subscribers, he retired from the University of California system as a professor, and he's living in Thailand. He has a great lifestyle in Thailand, he's got a great pension.

2:50:23 He's been here for five or six years. I think that's a very straightforward way to get your pension and basically not have to worry about the money side of living overseas, right? You know you're going to get X amount every month, you're not having to manage the investments. You've earned it through putting in your time as a professor or a teacher.

Ideal Financial Independence and Lifestyle

2:50:46 And yeah, I think that's a great, great option for a lot of people to pursue. My ideal would be to work in sales and make the big bucks for like maybe three or four years and then move here to Southeast Asia in my mid to late 30s.

2:51:01 Because, you know, just with the history of heart illness in my family, I don't know if I'd make it to pension age. Right? Like, even now, I've been working on my blood pressure, but I already suffer from high blood pressure to some extent at my age, at 31.

2:51:16 So there is a risk in pursuing a high-stressful job like sales. But on the other hand, it's like when I'm done, I might actually be done for. You know, done for the long term if I earn enough money and invest it wisely.

2:51:29 A lot of retired military got Asia, South Africa, America, Africa. Ron, you know, I'm so very fortunate to have discovered this lifestyle that I love. And I feel that it's not about quantity, it's about quality.

Health and Lifestyle Choices

2:51:45 And I find that my life is just so wonderful in this part of the world that if something were to happen to me tomorrow, I could honestly say I came to an end doing what I love and full of joy and happiness. And no regrets, right?

2:52:03 Just being able to see these beautiful places and meet these friendly people and have all this delicious cuisine. And, you know, live this kind of frontier or a new world or old world lifestyle is, yeah, I feel very, very fortunate.

2:52:30 Man, I got hypertension. I'm sorry to hear that, Ron. It's unfortunate. I hate to hear that. Yeah, I found the most success on going to a low-carb diet. I haven't done that. Yeah, water is definitely a big part of moderating blood pressure.

Dietary Changes for Health

2:52:43 I found lowering my consumption of refined sugar, lowering my consumption of things like bread, cutting out soda, cutting out like sweetened drinks like coffee or tea. Sodium is a part of that too.

2:52:59 But, you know, I did the keto thing for a while, keto diet, and that was really good as far as making me feel healthier. I'd like to get back to that, but it's certainly not easy in this part of the world, right?

2:53:11 In America, you can do things like I would go to Chipotle a lot and just get the bowl, like without the wrap and no rice, no beans. No, I appreciate you, Ron. It's a good call out, and I'm all about health.

2:53:28 And that's something that, you know, I would be valuable for me to talk about more on my channel is like healthy expat topics, like not just the psychology of why being over here is good for our mental health, but also some of the lifestyle changes I can make whereas back in the US, I'm kind of...

Healthy Expat Lifestyle and Vietnamese Cuisine

2:53:47 Can make whereas back in the US, I'm kind of chained to a desk. Acknowledging that I'm able to walk a lot more, work out a lot more, and make more conscious food decisions. I'm not always going for the convenient, but I'm able to go for the healthy. That's especially true in Vietnam. From what I'm hearing, Vietnamese food has a lot of healthy options. They include a lot of vegetables, and you can really see why Vietnam is one of the healthiest or skinniest countries in the world. I think that speaks a lot to the health and benefits of the way that they eat.

2:54:31 A lot of retired military personnel are in Asia, South America, and Africa. That's interesting. I think a lot of these military guys see behind the curtain. If you think about life in the US, it's kind of this Wizard of Oz scenario where there's a hidden reality. When you're in the military and you travel, you realize that this place isn't so bad. You open up your mind to all these different lifestyles.

Military Travel and Cultural Appreciation

2:55:05 My grandfather loved traveling in Asia. From what I gather, I didn't get to talk about it because he passed when I was young, but he loved traveling in Asia. He lived in Korea, Vietnam, and Japan, working for the military. He admired the cultures. I've been to Morocco, which is as far into Africa that I've been. I visited Europe for the first time last winter and made it down to Dubai.

2:55:41 Dubai sounds awesome, like super developed, super built up, with a lot of man-made attractions. I've heard Kenya and South Africa and Ghana are okay. Ghana is popular among a lot of passport bros. A fair amount of African-Americans trace some of their heritage back to Ghana and Nigeria. My buddy did his genetic testing and found out he's part Nigerian.

2:56:21 Walter's World has done some great Kenya content. I've heard great things about Tanzania as well. South Africa, I've heard mixed things. There are some safety issues. A buddy of mine from high school, who's actually of Nigerian descent, went to South Africa last spring and loved it. He went with his girlfriend, who is Vietnamese, and they had a great time. He said it was beautiful; they went to Cape Town.

2:57:00 Egypt is nice. The challenge with Egypt, and probably somewhat with Morocco, is that you have a 'backshish' culture where you have to pay extra. I got pressured in Morocco when I took a picture of the outside of a restaurant. This guy grabbed my arm and tried to tell me it was unacceptable. I started screaming 'Police, police, police!' and he eventually let go. That gave me a bad impression of Morocco, though I know it's just one city and one guy.

Travel Stops: Korea and Japan

2:57:52 I know Sunny, from Best Ever Food Review Show, had some trouble in Egypt. I've never been to Korea, so Korea is one that I may stop over on. There are a few places that when I go back to America eventually, I want to break up the trip because it's a long journey from Southeast Asia. There's a 12-hour time zone difference.

2:58:17 My ideal would be to fly through Europe, stopping in either the country of Georgia or Italy. I haven't been to Italy yet. Or, I could go the Korea route, flying from Manila to Seoul, staying in Seoul for like a week, and then flying from Seoul to LA or San Francisco. Korea is definitely high on my priority list. I know they're struggling with this birth rate collapse, and I want to see Korea before it changes too much more.

Australia and New Zealand Costs

2:58:56 Japan is awesome. I love Japan and would love to go back. It's super clean, super safe, easy to get around, super walkable, and very clean. I'd love to go back to Japan at some point.

2:59:19 We're coming up on the three-hour point, and my voice is starting to go, so I'll answer your last question, Ron, and then I'll wrap the stream up. I really appreciate everybody staying with us tonight or this morning. I can't thank and appreciate all of you enough for supporting the channel. What do I think of Australia and New Zealand? Both seem amazing, they're just expensive.

2:59:46 For me, I'm still at a stage where I'm budget-conscious. While I want to go to both, I also know both are two of the most expensive countries in the world due to high wages and import costs. There's kind of a barrier there as far as cost goes. Being remote, I would like to go at some point. I'm not opposed to going to Australia or New Zealand, but they may be something where I do a week vacation if I'm working full-time and have the income for it.

Stream Conclusion and Farewell

3:00:22 One of my co-workers went to New Zealand last year and had a great time. He went with his girlfriend for a couple of weeks, and they loved it. Thanks so much, everybody. I really appreciate all of you. I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll probably be streaming this weekend as well. Until next time, we'll see you later.