Traveling Pod: Episode 9 – Singapore for The 6th!

September 20, 2018thearseniobuckshow

Here we go! The 6th country of the year. Boy, what the hell is going on. To be honest, I’m in a transition phase right now with work, and have been seen the dawn of the New Year.

Because this phrase has been ongoing, it requires me to leave the country often because of visa complications. However, now that I have a reputable agency working on my visa and documents, when I come back that following week, I’ll be getting my one year visa and I won’t have to travel for the rest of the year (I think 6 times is enough).

So, why Singapore again, Arsenio? My happy ass got excited with jumping over a pond to Hong Kong and ended up having the most FORGETTABLE trip of my life. Hong Kong is everything I didn’t WANT it to be, from the stereotypical immigration officers, to a wack ass hotel. Sure, I met a nice individual there, but it was still….BLAH.

Should I go to Cambodia? Terrified.

Singapore is a safe trip and allows me to go to the main airport in Bangkok, (versus the dog house called Don Meung). The main airport is connected with transportation that goes all the way to my condominium. I like my chances.

Singapore is going to be a trip of ME! Last time I went there I saw one of my ex-students, and now that she has grown up and forgot about her teacher (happens with youngsters, lol), I’ll go there to enjoy time by MYSELF and Vlog at the amazing Marina Bay Sands, a hotel I’ve always dreamed of seeing.

Now with having the ability to get outside the hotel and the area I’m living in, this could be a much more enjoyable trip compared to the last one.

Stay tuned for a variety of vlogs, instagram videos and other things that will be making their way here! Oh, and of course, a Ramble of Positivity!

Hong Kong Airport Review

August 10, 2018August 10, 2018thearseniobuckshow

Airport Link = Arrival Hall

Well, my first experience coming to Hong Kong Airport was forgettable, but this experience was stellar.

When I got off the train, I literally walked 15 meters and I was greeted by an open-air arrivals terminal. I thought it was spectacular to connect the train and even passenger drop-off (vehicles) directly to the arrival hall. There were literally buses and vehicles just above the train, which is unbelievably efficient. Not to mention that I got to the airport taking two trains across four islands in 30 minutes. HK has the most efficient train system (that I’ve personally been in) in the world.

In Bangkok, check-in would have about 3 people. With lines of 75 people, there would still be only 3 check-in queues, which is repulsive. However, Cathay Pacific and HK Airport had 12…speeding up the lines and never being a problem.

Immigration

After going to Malaysia and being in line for 45 minutes, I realized how pathetic it was. Hey, Los Angeles Airport, for visitors outside of America, is an absolute DISASTER! The lines are sickening! However, for American citizens, it’s a breeze.

Well, HK Airport was also a breeze. The lines for “visitors” was a bit long, but only about 10 minutes. When I came here, they didn’t have 2 officers per 75 people like KL Airport has. They had 12-15 officers…speeding up lines considerably.

So real big props to immigration in HK!

Hot Place To Eat – Beef & liberty

Hands down, the best place I’ve ever eaten at since the taco house at San Francisco Airport. Delicious beef burger (but without the fries) and a freshly squeezed juice. This was just after immigration (on the same level). I was a bit worried, because the worst experienced I ever had was at Vientiane Airport. Luckily I had eaten at a family-owned soup shop before heading to the airport because there wasn’t a single eatery inside the airport. Always do a little research before checking in. At Bangkok Airport, I always get the usual pepperoni pizza (ridiculously delicious) at Dean and Deluca. That’s another must have. If you’re not a meat eater, these shops have a great variety of vege dishes.

FYI – If you go there, make sure you get someone who’s “non” foreign. Apparently the foreign waiters and waitresses have terrible attitudes. LOL

Scenery

As I sit here, I’m looking at clouds blanketing the gorgeous green hills that are off at a very-close distance. Skyscrapers, and I mean a many of them, are just before the mountains, some of them even on the mountains. Cathay Pacific jets are coming in and out of the gates with yet again, a very efficient ground-working crew at the bottom. This restaurant, which has a spectacular view, has great jazz music playing and wonderful decor. What fascinated me the most was the girl who was sitting across from me. She’s absolutely American (with a Chinese heritage) because she didn’t pull out her phone once and had only a book. I miss those days. Just to the left of me is a businessman making a powerpoint and another guy on his phone.

All in all, this is my second favorite airport. I still think Bangkok Airport is quick with checking in, security and immigration (at times). However, there’s a massive separation between 3 and 2/ 2 and 1 — 1 being Singapore Airport.

Nonetheless, I’m so grateful for having gone on this trip and I hope you guys enjoyed all the content I put out. What’s next? Not exactly sure. Have to handle some documents and get a new visa, and if I do, I might take some time off until October/November.

Traveling Pod #8: Esther Inspiration, Chinese Food, CBD, Mid-Level Escalators & The End + YouTube Video

August 10, 2018thearseniobuckshow

Here I was before my travel vlog sitting in my hotel when I met a girl named Esther. Esther is a teacher who wants to become so many other things, and hearing what she had gone through was utterly heart-breaking. From physical abuse, to verbal abuse at a French school. So many different things have happened in her life for years — and most of them bad. However, the brilliance of this young individual and the ability to still be grateful — is amazing. In the wake of so much that has happened in my life, and not trying to compare my life with hers, but how could I complain about the things I’ve been through when others are enduring in so much more pain and anguish.

When the evening rolled around, I met up with her and we had an absolute blast. I had my first Hong Kong dish, and it was pretty good (although I prefer spicy because I just love Thai food so much now). I noticed that the way people talk to each other is amazing. LOL! They scream and look angry all the time. Well, not scream…those are the native Chinese, but even hearing some of Esther’s stories about the dispute because the two countries, was saddening. The way Chinese people are treated here is deplorable; and the way Hong Kong people are treated in China is worse. Why can’t we just get along?!

After the restaurant, something caught my attention while walking. There was this open area situated between gorgeous buildings, so I pointed to that area before walking there. There it was!

Here I stood in awe. It felt like Sydney, Australia all over again, but with an insane amount of humidity. This vibe and the energy that was in this square was something I’ve never felt before; and at the moment, I said, “oh boy, I hope Hong Kong isn’t growing on me!” Ha!

Mid-Town Escalators

I’ve always wanted to see these things. Because Hong Kong is a vertical city in its own right, they make it easier for people to get up hills (rather than going up the traditionally and stupendously hard way) by building escalators all around the Mid-Level area. These escalators were rows of three, and apparently there are much more stretching all around the city.

Colonial Square

Now, you guys already know how I’m not so particularly fond with the British (mainly because they’re deemed as gods in Asia for whatever reason), but this colonial (what looks like French to me) square at the top of the escalators, was amazing. Groups of three sitting down and laughing, people doing their hair, taking pictures, and of course, it’s never a square without seeing a foreigner with his two children, frowned out of this world and angry….sitting down. LOL!

In that moment, everyone was enjoying but he wasn’t. People simply miss out on life so much and it’s a damn shame.

We walked through some of buildings and found a quaint cafe situated just on the left side of where the picture was taken. Filipino girl with top-notch service got us some drinks, and then I saw a guy who looked like an islander. After having an amazing conversation, I wanted to ask him if he was Samoan. First, I asked him where he was from. He said the Philippines. I said, “hmmm, big and with that hair?” He then went onto say, without me even asking him, “my father is half-Samoan.”

BOOM! I win!

All in all, I was walking home and captured one final photo before doing a podcast interview with an ecommerce entrepreneur. That was the end of Day 2. Day 3 was just a relaxation day + the harbor. The trip is officially over, unfortunately. So many more to come though!

Podcast

YouTube

Traveling Vlog #1: Deep Within Hong Kong

August 9, 2018thearseniobuckshow

Wow! What a morning it was! I’m going to just sum what happened yesterday morning, then 3pm onwards, I’ll talk about my new friend and seeing the real city + escalators + amazing cafe filled with so many professional people with similar accents.

So, in the morning, it continued. That’s right…from the hotel staff saying, “we won’t give you water until you make up your room,” to not finding food. But let’s first start with the magnificent run I had.

I started off running in front of my hotel and it was just an endless series of rights, lefts, over the bridge, up the stairs, up the hill….this was a New York City type of run and I’ve never been there before! I think having the towering skyscrapers hanging over my head and seeing other runners pushed me a lot harder. I love the fact that it has such a business feel in the center of the city. Something tells me that this city has ample opportunity, but only time will tell.

After making about 100 rights and lefts while running, I ended up back on the street where my hotel is (and I didn’t even use my map). So, you know how I do — FULL ON SPRINT! I loved seeing the Hong Kong people look at me in awe, stride-for-stride, flying down the street. It’s what I live for. LOL

After that, I went up a ridiculous hill (which is the video in my Instagram), and was winded almost immediately. Grabbed some oranges and bananas from a lovely couple, then went to my hotel before I met Esther (in my podcast following this blog).

One thing about Hong Kong is it’s pretty difficult to find food. Where I am, it’s a bunch of dry seafood and pig hips hanging from the rafters. I was irritated as hell trying to find just a place that had some legitimate food, not a cow hip — uncooked.

I kept searching until I finally found a cafe tucked away on the corner of a street. I think it was a vegan café, but it was delicious to say the least. Also, foreign girl working there and she was pretty nice and attentive.

Honestly, as difficult as it was trying to find a place to eat, I went on search for Subway, which was apparently nearby…..and this is when my Vlog started…

Traveling Pod: Episode 7 – Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Impressions & Hotel

August 7, 2018August 7, 2018thearseniobuckshow

After writing blogs, posting videos, running into a student, and so many other things….including a big, succulent slice of pizza, I went to my gate and they were already boarding. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 5-star airline they call Cathay Pacific. The efficiency was magnificent getting on and we left right on time.

Aircraft A330-300 – an aircraft that flies middle-distance flights, was on hand today. 2-4-2 seat configuration with a fair amount of space was decent. This was a bit different from the previous once I’ve flown before on Singapore Airlines. Flight attendants were attentive and cooperative. What was really fascinating was the Thai flight attendants for Cathay are very proficient-speaking compared to others.

Immigration — Racial Profiling Hell

Yikes. This was definitely the worst I’ve ever been profiled since maybe America. Sure, some instances had risen in Thailand where immigration profiled me, but it was just a dirty look. When they got the information, they couldn’t do a damn thing but give me back my precious, American embedded document.

However, Hong Kong has its own share of racial profiling. Upon leaving the airplane, I past two immigration officers before one asked me some dumb ass questions while I was walking in about a 15-second “wtf-are-you-serious” walk. So, that was the beginning. They went to an Asian and a few others, too…so I felt better.

Boom, got to the long immigration line and was standing before an Indian man with a Chinese passport. Didn’t really know what that was about, but then I got to the immigration counter, just before the Indian guy who was standing there for some time…and just like that, the immigration officer signaled a girl over and I guess they had to do a thorough background check on him.

The immigration officer then asked, “are you with him?” Ummm….fuck no? Wtf? No…bitch. I’m America. You’re going to put some respek on my name. He cleared everything quickly and then I left to get my baggage.

This was the ugly part. At the “do not declare” zone — a green zone where people go not declaring any goods — an immigration officer picked me out of the entire crowd, looked at my luggage and gave me passport to another filthy officer who then asked me to put my luggage through the scan. No one else around. I was trying to fester up the words at that moment to sarcastically destroy such a repugnant human being, but I kept my cool and said, “ok, you guys win this time. Those were two quick, idiotic profiles….I’m coming with an insurmountable amount of heat, sarcasm and smiles next time.”

I know, “Arsenio, you will never win an argument.” Completely agree. That sense of peace and standing up for all colored people by telling white-media driven hooligans at immigration that what they’re doing is wrong — priceless. That’s true fulfillment.

Critical Stage

Do two, racist, vehement government enforced monsters represent an entire nation of people? Absolutely NOT. Can’t allow dumb shit like that control your mind, people. This stage is very important because I know a lot of us, including myself, hold an entire country accountable for a pair of jackasses. That’s unfair. I’ve met some amazing Thai people….should they be held accountable for others’ actions? Nope. Completely unfair. Now, of course the media demonizes the hell out of black people saying “one bad apple spoils everything.” Just because they do doesn’t mean everyone else should.

Let it go. Let ridiculous situations go and never take it so personal because it’s not about YOU! It’s about what the media has made it, twisted it, and impressed on the minds of those who are completely weak and unwilling of having their own opinions.

Hotel – Lackadaisical Staff

The reviews were a whopping 8.7, but very sub-standard. Hotel staff were unhelpful and the wait was ridiculous. However, there was one lady who was friendly, so I’ll point that out. No amenities, pools, bars, or ANYTHING. So there’s no way I can give this place anything above a 6-6.5 because they lack everything.

As the days progress, it will get better. I’m sure of it.

Stay tuned!

Podcast

The Journey Before The Journey: Humble Pie!

August 6, 2018August 6, 2018thearseniobuckshow

Here we go! We’re going to kickoff the festivities on a serious note.

After getting off the AirportLink here in Bangkok, Thailand, I grabbed my luggage and went down three flights of escalators before reaching the base of the station. Looking as incredulous as I possibly could at that given moment, I picked a direction and walked down the street with a huge smile on my face. A motorway starts at a perpendicular angle amount 100m off the train tracks…..so I decided to walk WITH the motorway (underneath it) and just looked for an opening into the neighborhood which was on the left side of me.

After walking about 200m or so, I found an opening and went down a very uninspiring street that looked rundown and drab (as a street would normally look like in the outskirts of Bangkok). The looks came, the head-scratching followed, and then the “man, where the f*** am I, man” was dropped. I walked, while dripping sweat, deeper into this neighborhood and made a right hand turn into a street that was full of homeless dogs, trash, and raw sewage. As I was walking, a guy yelled out, “hey! Where you come from!” — drunkenly. I told him and then a very soul-crushing stare followed — one that if you see something like this in Las Vegas, you run.

I reached a junction and saw two little girls playing outside with their full-tatted father (or someone) standing in the doorway with his hands above his head. They said something, and then a woman helped me (in Thai) and said I can continue going on. The girl, without any hesitation, was in awe that such a handsome man was standing before her very eyes (or so it looked). She then said, “ok?” LOL! As if she helped me. Giggles, smiles, and a continuation of what seemed like a super long journey ensued into the deeper crevices of what was turning out to be a slum. The sewage was more widespread, clothes on clotheslines outside (no, this isn’t uncommon, but they were soaking up the stench of the neighborhood), and girls playing on wooden floors with a green river just below them.

I crossed a dilapidated sidewalk and came upon a temple while seeing some technical college students hanging around (I emphasize the technical college because these students are probably the worst as seen through the eyes of Thais). Another broken bridge came, and finally I crossed the river before reaching my destination.

After that, I walked through this area again just to really get a few and to be grateful. We really don’t understand how precious things are in our life. What I saw reminded me of the “green river,” which to this day, is still on my Instagram (spend 30 minutes scrolling and you’ll find it). However, they seemed — happier. They were playing outside, unattached and completely oblivious to their surroundings. Remarkable, ey?

Stay tuned for days worth of blogs, travels and things coming from HK!

Spartan Beast Malaysia = Cancelled; Now What? Spartan Beast Australia!

July 18, 2018July 17, 2018thearseniobuckshow

I went from booking a ticket, thinking that my Spartan Beast in Malaysia was on a Saturday, to cancelling a plane ticket and realizing that plane tickets on other days were at extortionate prices. YIKES!

What a disaster. What seemed like a sure Spartan Beast and trifecta claiming weekend turned into a nightmare whereas I almost lost out on $167 dollars.

So, Arsenio….your health goals of 2018 have suffered a minor hiccup. What are you going to do now?

Well, there were three options. First, I’m grateful I don’t have to fly back to Malaysia at this point because I’m so sick of the garbage airlines (Malindo Air & Air Asia) that are ALWAYS late. I’m sick of almost getting in mid-air collisions (on Malindo) and Air Asia) and terrible service — along with cardboard box seats.

So, got it. “It’s a low-budget airline.” Well, no more!

I’d much rather take some time off from these low-budget airlines than deal with lunacy of them always being late.

Well, I’m first very grateful for having experiences both airlines, but it’s time to spend a tad more and fly reputable airlines from a better airline that’s connected to the rail link, which is connected to the city.

Anywho, let’s focus on the matter…my Spartan Beast has been stopped, momentarily, and now it’s either the Beast in Thailand, Australia, or Malaysia (lol) in December (in the Malaysian/Singaporean border town of Johor Bahru). What will I choose?

Traveling Pod: Episode 6 – From Hell To Heaven!

July 10, 2018thearseniobuckshow

Double check-ins, as mentioned before (at Don Meung International in Bangkok, Thailand), had some stereotypical treatment to them. Yeah, already mentioned. Then there was the delay turned almost mid-air collision with not one, but two other aircrafts. I saw it with my own eyes. We were ascending and we flew directly under a Singapore Airlines jumbo with another private passerby zooming the opposite direction, coming maybe 2km from both planes. I’ve never seen anything like it. Such a vast sky but Air Traffic Control failed miserably at this. Terrifying experience and none of the passengers knew what was happening.

Anywho, landed and immigration presented me with a 45-minute wait, pushing back an anticipated meeting with my content writer. After the nice officer cleared me, I ran to the Express train that connects the airports with the city center. After that, I went to 7-11 (due to starvation) before making a six-station trek to my hotel which I was abruptly greeted by loud ass music at the base of a 100$ USD a night hotel?! Checked in, and of course, card was denied. I said, “man, this is going to get worse.” During the “denial” process, my content writer called and said she couldn’t wait for me any longer. Great!

In the end, it was approached, finally, and I went upstairs, sleepily, not wanting to go anywhere and that was day 1. Definitely one of the worst travel days in history, but then, I knew what was going to follow.

Just one more snippet, and then heaven.

After waking up and feeling like complete ass, I knew I needed to head to the train station to meet my friend, Hakeem Khan, who’s a fitness entrepreneur in Kuala Lumpur. I didn’t forget, but I failed to go out and get a sim card in the night, resulting in me waiting and using wifi at the Sentral Station. I plead to Hakeem and told him, “meet me there at 10:45!” So then there it went…I got to the station about 45 minutes later and he wasn’t there. I was scratching my head, and then put a stop-loss on worry: “he has 10 minutes or I’m going back home.” I gave him five…I bought a ticket and went to the opposite side of the tracks, waiting patiently with my palm on my forehead, for the train.

I glanced over the railway for some odd reason and I saw someone waving their helmet. IT WAS HIM! I began to fun up the stairs, and at the same time, I was telling myself, “ummm, what excuse can I come up with at that moment to tell him what I was doing.” We laughed it off in the end, and then heaven broke through.

Heaven, come to me, baby!

I took a taxi to his gym, and boy, was I blown away! A 22-year-old with a gym like that? Loads of equipment inside, nice set up, a place where he does all of his videos, and in a nice, university section of Sham Alah.

I was on 4 hours of sleep from the night before, basically because a terrible hotel, but that didn’t stop him from getting the best out of me or me getting the best out of him. The podcast was sensational, followed by Nandos (Portuguese chicken restaurant) and lots of funny stories. After that was all done, I went back to my hotel in the evening and was greeted with some extraordinary news.

What I’ve been envisioning is teaching at a bank Mon-Fri in the morning. I got a message with the other person stating they have another project from the same bank they want to give me.

I’m just so grateful for everything. I find myself in gratitude a heck of a lot more than before because everything I’ve been through was because of this moment. This moment right here.

And so, here I am at the airport getting ready to take a flight back to Thailand….and I’ll be back in 17 days, too.

Stay tuned!

Ramble of Positivity: Episode XXVI – Number Four + A Resounding Offer

July 8, 2018July 8, 2018thearseniobuckshow

Here I am in the middle of the check-in line, grateful as hell (although the following events will lead to a different podcast on self-control) because this is a record forth country this year alone. Not only that, but an offer — here’s the story.

Back in 2016, I taught at a company in an industrial estate just north of where my previous job is. This company got in contact with my company and decided to sign a deal whereas they would send teachers there to teach. Let me give you a rundown of what my company (and others) do.

When marketing directors advertise a company to another company to promote their brand of learning English, they normally state a massive initial number in terms of the total course cost. Hardly ever does it stay that number, but the number still remained quite steep.

Some of the companies would be massive Japanese teach companies like Toshiba, and even Austrian companies like Swarovski. Anywho, The teach gets paid only a fraction of the total cost.

Let’s put it this way. I got paid 22$ an hour to teach at a Japanese tech company, but the company profited somewhere between 100-300$ per hour. This is one of the biggest problems because teachers are taken advantage of, but how can a teacher market himself? Let’s go deeper.

An ex student of mine contacted me via Facebook messenger and said, “excuse me, teacher. How much would it cost ____________ to pay you to come back and teach here?”

Let me put this at a macro scale.

They didn’t call my old place of work back; or maybe they did and realized that I no longer worked there (a really high chance). Therefore, one of the students got into direct contact with me and asked me for my services.

Do you understand how powerful that is? I just took down a 9-year-old language center because of maybe my online persona, charisma, or maybe because I’m just a devoted individual when it comes to teaching and inspiring?

When I got that message, my jaw-dropped. They didn’t call them; they called ME! They want MY services and they’re willing to pay me in FULL for the work I do.

See, guys, when you get to a stage in your life when you’re building such an incredible online persona, people will start getting in contact with YOU. Remember, a headhunter recently contacted me that’s stationed outside Santiago, Chile. I received another email from another guy about 12 hours later, and in the previous two months, and Indian tech company based in Delhi wanted me to teach there team in Bangkok.

It’s patience, people. I was just in a state of oblivion and despair the first three months of this year because I was trying to break the chains of an old job while trying to search for new ones. I was turned down by 6 different solo-job-applicants because the color of my skin; and another company disregarded all my emails after sending me six potential job suitors.

Create YOUR BRAND! Create YOUR PRICE! And NEVER give up when times get tough…because the breakthrough is on the verge!

Traveling Pod: Episode 4 – Vientiane, Laos — The Roots! Stunning Human Beings & Gratitude

June 14, 2018thearseniobuckshow

Air Asia flight bound for Wattay International Airport in Vientiane. Hmmm, I’ll just let the nostalgia sit in for a bit. Just 3 years ago, I was scampering across the streets of Vientiane with a Frenchman who couldn’t handle his alcohol, got snubbed by some tuk-tuk drivers (just like Thailand), and ended up walking home angrily, leaving the Frenchman behind (had no idea where he was after a few drinks). I know, it sounds like a trip from hell, and it sorta was. I paid next to nothing to stay in a garbage garbage room ($10 USD a night) and it was infested with mosquitoes (ripped me to shreds that night) and had spider nests in each corner of the bathroom. That was the last time I was cheap (LOL). The next day, however, I stayed in something sexy, met a funny guy in the immigration line, came across a wonderful breakfast with great locals and so many other things. I wanted to go back to my roots — just a bit — to relive some of those special moments.

Check-In + Security + Immigration = 5 minutes

Like, how can you beat that? Hey, I went from checking in, to the immigration line, to going through screening in FIVE MINUTES at Don Meuang International Airport (the sister of the massive one in Samut Prakan — located in south Bangkok). Now, the other airport that I refuse to spell does a pretty good job, too. However, I went from a traffic jam, to walking 400 meters to the airport, weaving through traffic (and I mean pedestrians) and got to my counter exactly 3 hours before check-in. Wow! Oh, throw in a workout I had this morning that included a crazy amount of arms and legs (which equates to soreness) and there you have it! It hasn’t even reached 10am and it feels like I’ve been awake for 8 hours already.

Arrival

I was a little bit scared about my hotel (S Park Design Hotel) because I received a number of emails from them….same emails. I received the 8th one over the course of four days and said, “guys, I’ve already emailed you! What’s happening?” Thanks to my instinct, I checked booking.com’s messaging screening through my email and they had responded to me, giving me their whatsapp number. So, I contacted them and they confirmed everything with suburb service!

[9:34 AM, 6/13/2018] S Park design: Hello Mr. Arsenio Buck, Thank you very much for contacting me.
[9:37 AM, 6/13/2018] S Park design: We will be there waiting for you for sure. Actually, we planned to pick you up even if we might not have your flight number. Anyway, it is perfect now. By the way, my name is Phonepasith PHENGVILAY, Executive Assistant Manager. My team and I are delighted to be part of your good stay at our hotel. See you soon. Take care.

Now that’s some damn good service!

Flight Mayhem

Ascending was already a pain in the ass, but what was even worse was descending. We were flying around some pretty dark clouds and it was tossing the plane as if was a god damn toy. After descending to about 1000 feet, we could finally see the ground. What guided me through this turbulence? Aloe Blacc’s “The Man.” LOL!

Failed Visa — Again!

I had no idea that I needed a visa on arrival. Last time I came to Laos, which was three years ago, I didn’t need a visa. But because I didn’t check this time around, I was in for a rude awakening. I had Lao Kip (local currency) and I brought only 66$ with me. The visa was more than half of that, so now I have about 20$ USD left! DAMNIT! I’m so pissed because I didn’t learn from my past mistakes!

The Arrival At My Hotel

And these are the days I live for. The overwhelming sense of joy when meeting such gracious people who are willing to help you. From the customer service, to the hospitality. It’s pretty remarkable to see the willingness of other people’s actions. All smiles (just as last time), funky hotel (pictures down below), and a very quaint room. This is only the beginning!

The rest of the stay is in my podcast. I don’t want this blog being insanely long.