Random Episode 5: The Bloody, Filthy Travel Edition 174 Comments
This is a short Random episode — 10:30 — and easily the most disgusting to date. I also think it’s the funniest. Imagine Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations if he didn’t need to edit for cable.
This episode has some educational bits, but it’s focus is on enjoying the not-always-so-smooth experience of travel.
Not for the faint of heart.
From Glenn:
The following video segment is a continuation of the randomly shot randomian-thought random show project with Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose. This time, we’re not in a library nor are we out on a boat dock fishing for fish – we’re on a street corner in Jinggu. At night. And it’s not really cold outside. It’s slightly humid with a dusty breeze coming out of the southwest.
Audio Note: Most of this was recorded with a Shure-VP88 stereo condenser mic (good with headphones). Apologies for when I don’t have it pointed in correct direction (sounds like they’re behind us).
To borrow from Gary Vee, here is the Question of the Day (QOD): What is the most disgusting or confusing travel experience you’ve ever had?
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Posted on August 27th, 2009
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174 Responses to “Random Episode 5: The Bloody, Filthy Travel Edition”
August 27th, 2009
12:00 pm
Love the episode. It’s funny how down and dirty travel and beard growing competitions tend to go hand in hand. Loved it – reminded me of many a conversation i’ve had in hostels over the years. Typically accompanied by a few beers, lol.
That food looks awesome. I’m definitely jealous. Looks like an eye opening experience for Kevin!
I’m definitely gonna have to do some yoga before I head to China and face off with those Squat toilets. The splash and splatter is the part that I hate running into when i’ve encountered them in eastern Europe in the past. My favorite was a squat toilet on a train…rattling along. Devastating.
August 27th, 2009
12:04 pm
I can’t be certain… but it looks… as if your collar is popped.
August 27th, 2009
12:17 pm
Good fun as always. It’s nice to see it stuff that’s not censored or softened. You might consider a technical post on the cost of the trip and more detail on the approach.
August 27th, 2009
12:20 pm
OMG!!!
Thanks for reminding me why I work hard. I prefer to travel to places with nicer toilets.
I remember getting sick at a train station in India. Even though we had a first class ticket, the bathroom was disgusting. Never again. So like Continental’s slogan I ” work hard and travel well”.
August 27th, 2009
12:22 pm
I’m not sure I’m glad I watched that, but thanks for sharing? hehe
August 27th, 2009
12:29 pm
Sick. Can’t wait to make China. Chicken heads or better than rat heads I guess. lol
Whether my book or blog….once again Mr. Ferriss, I have learned something both weird and informative.
The parts with Kevin in those mesh pajamas are hilarious.
August 27th, 2009
12:30 pm
Love the episodes! Keep’em coming.
As for the question, I’m hard pressed to chose just one “most disgusting or confusing” piece of travel. I’ve travelled extensively in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding lectures for telephone operators and people in the telecom businesses.
I’d probably have to say that Guinnea-Bissau gave me the most interesting “disgusting” experience. It was just after a heavy rainfall and I went out onto the balcony of the hotel to enjoy some fresh air after being locked in with the mosquitos and other bugs (some of which killed my MacBook, but that’s a whole other story). So there I was, standing on the balcony and taking some deep breaths, when I see a man in his underwear walk out into the street. Now, note that this is a country where you only find asphalt on the runway in the airport, so basically this guy was walking out onto a hard-packed mud street after a heavy torrential rain.
It then strikes me that he’s carrying a bucket. Next thing that happens is that he bends over, picks up water from the side of the street and pours it over himself and starts scrubbing himself down; rubbing his armpits and enjoying a nice shower. He does this three or four times before walking off again.
August 27th, 2009
12:31 pm
Wow, looks like you guys are having a great time. Keep working on the beard growth though. I think it would be great to see you come back with full lumberjack survivorman beard
August 27th, 2009
12:32 pm
Oh my. Thanks for posting that *after* lunch, at least on the east coast :-)
August 27th, 2009
12:45 pm
well, my disgusting experience was when I was in China too. I was just transitioning from regular toilets to the squatties (It seems the more south you get in China, the less regular toilets you see). Anyways, it happened to be a little wet from former occupants, and as I was squatting I slipped, and bam! Wet butt. I felt pretty dirty the rest of the day.
Interesting note, in certain parts of Asia, Thailand for sure, they shake with their left hand? I’m not sure which hand it is, but the reason they do is because they don’t have toilet paper in these places, so they use water…and their hand. That’s it.
Nate
August 27th, 2009
12:46 pm
Awesome
August 27th, 2009
12:48 pm
This episode was so funny I nearly dropped a deuce watching it! Thanks for posting, I have been looking forward to the China episodes. I can’t wait to travel there myself.
My brother and I are actually planning a 4 month round the world trip set to start at the end of October. I just graduated with an Industrial Design degree and my plan is to travel around and interview different professionals in design, sustainability and manufacturing while also attending expos (and other adventures) then post the videos on my blog.
We are planning to start in Europe and then head east to China and try to make it to Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand and hopefully a few stops in South America before coming home to Phoenix.
From your traveling experience, do you think that it is a good idea to try to cover as much territory as possible on our first trip or to focus more on one region? Also, I have been looking into purchasing round the world tickets (RTW tickets). Do you think this is most cost effective way to travel? Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Adam Craft
August 27th, 2009
3:15 pm
Hi Adam and All,
A few things:
1) Congrats on the RTW decision. I’d suggest not fixing arrival/departure dates in advance (one issue w/ most RTW tix), so you can spend as much or as little time as you like in each place. That could mean you hit a new place each week, or it could mean you stay in one region the whole time. I expected to spend 4 weeks in Argentina, and I spent 9 months there :)
2) Kevin, Glenn, and I stayed in hotels, as it was a pre-arranged trip. Just for cost, though, we ended up getting, essentially, a penthouse suite with three huge bedrooms and three bathrooms, with wi-fi and living room with big screen TV, in Beijing for around $200-250 per night total, so about $80 per night. Not too bad.
Tim
August 27th, 2009
12:53 pm
another nice show – and don’t mind the language, it’s just really, really funny! :-)
hope that the next random show is going to be about one of your tea tastings?
qod: disgustingly dirty hotel toilet (though supposedly a hotel of “higher quality” … thank god we have hotel rating websites by now… ;-) )
August 27th, 2009
12:54 pm
Hi Tim
Question: where are you guys staying in this trip/during this video? Hostels?
Because accommodation is (in my case) the most expensive item on any trip outside of Europe (got a VW camper for Europe travel). How do you handle that in say, China, where you guys are now?
Greetings
David-Andrew
August 27th, 2009
12:56 pm
Tim,
Funny Kevin had a hard time with the “hole-in-the-ground” toilets over there…the same goes for Italy, Torino especially. I studied for a semester with my wife now, then girlfriend, the Spring of 2004, and a bar we frequented close to downtown called Murphy’s had squat urinals as well…not so bad for males doing a number 1, but definitely a worst case scenario for females either way.
Tell Kevin if he curses loud enough he may scare the mosquitoes away!! :)
August 27th, 2009
1:07 pm
Awesome episode. A bit grittier than the travel channel, but as interesting and informative as Andrew Zimmerman himself.
I will certainly cherish my toilet a bit more after watching this episode.
August 27th, 2009
1:10 pm
Freaking hilarious! Sweet short video and am glad you guys make the best of every situation. Kevin needs to rough it more often.
I’m a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain and Bizarre World. Wow, thanks for making every effort to make us laugh.
Enjoy the moments.
August 27th, 2009
1:32 pm
Tim,
Both you and Kevin are incredible people and considering all of the awesome content that you give away it pains me to pick on such a small, insignificant detail.
That said…that popped collar is killin’ me man! :-)
Thanks for the episode and for your books & blog.
August 27th, 2009
1:58 pm
Wow this looks pretty cool. i didnt listen to the audio though but looks pretty cool idea for an online episode. I WILL LISTEN eventually.
August 27th, 2009
2:03 pm
Reminds me of my travels in Turkey. As for bathrooms, I have to say that for women at a certain tipping point (har har), squatting becomes more effective and comfortable than trying to hover ;)
On a more intellectual note, I enjoyed the hand counting info. Pilots use one hand for nordo operations. Contrived by Americans of course, I didn’t realize how different other countries could develop the same . . . differently. That also begs the question: why do other countries use one hand counting?
August 27th, 2009
2:08 pm
Good to see some of the original roots of 4HWW, which is taking mini-retirements and exploring the world for unique experiences.
The one thing I don’t miss are the living conditions in those hotels…why not stay in better accommodations?
Keep living well!
August 27th, 2009
2:35 pm
Hey Tim and Kevin,
Another great video! Not exactly full of brilliant insight like they usually are (aside from the dangerous toilets) but still entertaining.
My most discussing/worst travel experience:
I got some type of food poisoning in Rome. I woke up the middle of the night no less than 4 times delirious and sick at my stomache.
The fourth time for some reason I decided to go out the door of our room to get sick instead of the bathroom. Afterward I was so dizzy I passed out, hitting my face on the door frame on the way down.
I woke up the next morning with a giant bruise on my eye and no fluids left in my body. The next day was the worst 8 hour bus ride of my life.
Have fun with the rest of your trip!
Lucas
August 27th, 2009
2:45 pm
Please stop swearing. I watch this in front of my daughter.
August 27th, 2009
3:01 pm
Most disgusting travel experience:
Coming back from Cancun to LA, with a major hangover, when suddenly my gift bottles of Jose Cuervo in my carry-on bag, crack open shortly after departing! auh, not cool. I felt bad for everyone else too.
For goodness sake, I was so traumatized from the nauseating smell of liquor that I couldn’t touch tequila for years. I was sick as a dog on that flight and the overwhelming smell in the flight cabin made me think twice about bringing bottles of alcohol from my travel vacations.
Life is exciting.
August 27th, 2009
3:09 pm
Tim—great video man. So my strangest experience which may or may not surprise you based on your time in China:
I was in the Hoffbrau house in Munich drinking beer with a few friends when I blinked and the whole room became filled with Chinese men. Once they discovered that I was American, and the only American male there they hovered around me like a celebrity. They bought me rounds of beer, took videos, and a bunch of pictures with me. I couldn’t figure out what was going on until one of the guys told me in English that he went to Johns Hopkins and that they were a group of medical professionals on a business trip. He said that they had never seen a real live American before and they “Don’t get out much”. That’s why I love to travel. How else will you find yourself hugging a dozen Chinese men in the birthplace of the Nazi party??
August 27th, 2009
3:27 pm
Hey Tim,
My favorite episode yet! I especially like the way you cover a number of things in just 10 minutes (cultural facts and trivia, humorous stories, food education, etc)…THIS is what I like about these shows! Sounds like you 3 had a great time, any plans to travel anyplace else in the future?
August 27th, 2009
3:29 pm
Choppy audio and even worse video. Please go back to your youtube style videos. Could barely understand what what was going on. And not the 1st time this has happened. Keep the videos coming, just in a more universal format that we can all enjoy. Thanks!
August 27th, 2009
3:43 pm
Great episode! I think the net pj’s of Kevin’s are going to go down as one of the single funniest things I have ever seen. There is a very thin line between practical innovation and just looking like a pussy, I think he crossed it :).
August 27th, 2009
4:04 pm
My most troubling Travel experience was when I bought a cup of tea in (how do I say it? call it a third world country) and the guy selling the tea used a stirrer he was picking in his ear. That really disturbed me. I did not drink the tea, I just walked away but I will never be able to shake the experience from my memory. Squatting bathrooms are the style you would find most of the third world countries, if you don’t know how to use it properly, you could shit on your pants.
I would give this piece of advise to Tim and Company in China… seeing places outside of the tourist districts is messy business and specially so when traveling in third world countries. I would advise you edit your future videos carefully and what you say in the video not so much what you show but choose your words carefully. You may be holding public office tomorrow, or you may find yourself running a huge corporation or be engaging in public speaking forum with multinational companies that are sensitive to image control. Later on, the media or the public would not be so understand of your vacation excitement. Take measured caution to not offend people’s sensibilities or their culture. I do understand you guys are having fun and do respect the Chinese people and culture but I am not sure your video does come out that way. Just little editing is not that of a bad idea.
August 27th, 2009
5:37 pm
Thanks for the comment. Kevin and I are so screwed for public office, it’s past the point of no return! I understand your point, though. That said, it’s the squeaky clean politicians I worry about. They’re usually hiding some truly scary skeletons. Makes poo talk look like Dr. Seuss.
Tim
August 27th, 2009
4:08 pm
Haha thanks for the break in the part of my day that involves reading marketing and business blogs. Can’t wait to see what else you get into (although I’m glad I didn’t have to see anything that came out of you).
August 27th, 2009
4:10 pm
Tim! We’re also off to China for a month come October. I prob should start working the quads now…
Quick Q you mentioned ingesting lots of fat prior, how effective was this for you and any idea of quantity to effectively minimize bowel changes. I’d also love more specifics on Glenn’s approach.
Also I really want to explore tea factories out there – how did you and Kevin pre-arrange all that, was there an agency/company you guys used, any particular city/region excellent for this? Any recommendations/opinions on this would be uber helpful!
August 27th, 2009
4:11 pm
Visiting Petra in Jordan, was overwhelmed with the most violent diarrhea I have ever had. The bathroom I used had no toilet paper, no water hose for rinsing (common in middle east countries), no shower curtain from which I could tear off a piece, no nothing.
There were, however, a few stale pieces of pita bread in the garbage can…….
August 27th, 2009
4:30 pm
@ Andrew Barbour
That’s a sick (funny) comment, but very common. Nothing beats taking a dump during unflattering circumstances. The gas isn’t pretty.
August 27th, 2009
4:42 pm
@Nate – other way around: shake w/right, wipe w/left.
@Andrew – ROFL!! (So was that really a Pain In The Ass? :):)
August 27th, 2009
4:50 pm
Great episode. Makes me even more eager to get out and see the world. In a few months I’ll be off to Japan, and I hope that’ll be the start of a long vagabonding experience. :-)
August 27th, 2009
5:22 pm
My most disgusting travel experience is a tie between having to use one of those ditches in the jungle in Thailand or seeing an old man use the middle of subways cars in Seoul as a toilet. The most confusing has to be trying to figure out why there are so many ladyboys in Thailand.
August 27th, 2009
6:04 pm
Ah yes, the squat toilets…
Wild stuff. So many memories of backpacking in Europe. Awesome times.
Mike
August 27th, 2009
6:04 pm
Very Cool video. Having been to China several times myself, I do relate to several of the horror stories. It certainly was much easier for me though to deal with several problems, (like the mosquitoes and food) since I myself am Asian and speak Chinese as well.
Great experiences that you’ve shared and looking forward to lots more fun!
August 27th, 2009
6:14 pm
LOVE THIS EPISODE! Awesome!
August 27th, 2009
6:54 pm
@M: Si j’etais francais…. oui, ca aurait ete “pain” au cul!
August 27th, 2009
7:01 pm
Tim, your Chinese accent is really something else…I assume it’s extremely northern? Or just not used all that often? All my Mandarin is infused with an extreme Fujianese accent, so I’m not a good judge.
Please tell me you were sipping on TsingTao. The only Chinese beer worth drinking (don’t believe those Sunsing-touting liars).
August 27th, 2009
7:30 pm
sfw?
August 27th, 2009
7:55 pm
Found this episode intriguing and I know that this is the experience I would wish to have when I’m traveling vs. the nice homogenized verison you often get when traveling with a tour group.
Good for you on your experience and I look forward to sharing mine when the time comes.
Renee
August 27th, 2009
7:59 pm
Thank you so much for posting this video!!
Our family went through China on our own (no tour) in 1998.
Some things don’t change.
1. That’s not chicken on those sticks. (Notice that you don’t see any stray animals of any kind anywhere. There’s a reason.) They also serve mystery insect on a stick.
2. Good idea to brush your teeth with the boiled water in the hotel room.
3. Sometimes instead of a trough on the floor there is a hole. In the case of a river cruise in Guilin the boat’s toilet was a hole and when you missed there was a bucket with a rope attached to it. You lowered it over the side, filled it and rinsed the floor. Of course everything went into the river, which is where they wash the dishes…
Stay safe, have fun!
August 27th, 2009
8:36 pm
Wahooooooo…..love the episode! Where do you plan on going next?
This is the episode I’ve been waiting to see. Obviously I’ve done a ton of your recommended reading but it’s great to see you guys in action. Going out on a mini-retirement. Quick question, do you have any favorite places to go in Amsterdam?
Thanks again,
Erik
August 27th, 2009
8:39 pm
Check out 8:58 of the video. For those Gen Y’s reading this blog Tim is looking a little bit like Duke Nukem. :P
Good work guys, keep up the effort.
August 27th, 2009
8:52 pm
Made me laugh! Reminds me of the time when I lived in Beijing. Some of the stories from China, people just won’t believe them!
August 27th, 2009
8:52 pm
Dude… Do you have the prep collar Kicken in that episode? LOL
August 28th, 2009
2:56 pm
Hells yeah. Japanese rugby player style. I don’t mess around.
August 27th, 2009
9:13 pm
LOL bunch of whinos haha :P
August 27th, 2009
9:30 pm
If there’s one thing i love about travelling, its disgusting stories.
One of my favorites happened in Ecuador, in a little surfer-paradise town called Montañita. We arrived on a friday, got a room, threw our bags in and went to eat and drink ridiculous amounts of alcohol. Nine hours later we stumble into our hotel room in a hazy drunken stupor. I crash-land on my bed, barely able to put the mosquito tent on top of me and kick my sandals off.
I remember falling asleep with the distinct notion that something smelled funky. I couldnt figure out what it was, so i just blamed the plumbing on the bathroom and went to sleep.
I wake up 5 hours later, choking on the room’s hot air. Someone closed the windows and its gotta be 110 degrees inside, a thick humid sticky air that gets only worse when the smell I felt last night comes rushing in, ten times worse. My stomach reeling at the mixture of dubiously safe-to-eat street hamburguers from last night, plus the hangover nausea and the SMELL… I fall back to bed. And the smell just gets worse… Its the bed. I smell it. Thats not it. I lie back face down into my pillow trying not to gag. And then it hits me. I lift my head, open my eyes and for the first time realize that my pillow is covered with tiny black dots. Some of the dots actually growing white hairs, like a fruit gone bad.
Im hungover, nauseous, dry heaving, my stomach feels like a septic tank and I’ve been boiling my head in a pillow so seldomly cleaned that it has actual lifeforms growing on it. Perfect start to one hell of a week in Montañita!
August 27th, 2009
9:32 pm
Ha, that video kicked a……….s……………s……… Way to keep the blog gruesome and fresh………
From the Heat of Dallas…
Jose
August 27th, 2009
9:54 pm
That was hilariously priceless! What amuses me the most is Kevin’s absolute indiggnation at the indiggnity he has suffered..!
And I am also captivated by the juxtapostion between MLK one day and bowel movements the next – that’s so great – really tickes my inner eccentric.
Nothing like a bit of 3rd world travel to make you appreciate your toilet!
August 27th, 2009
10:02 pm
Hey Tim,
You mentioned you visited Harbin a couple of years ago, what led you up north?
A friend and I visited two years during Golden Week before heading south to Dandong to see North Korea. We both loved the city and the Russian influence on a Chinese city was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Keep the episodes coming!
Austin
August 27th, 2009
10:43 pm
I was in ???Yun Nan?3 years ago and this place is simply amazing. You guys should definitely check out ??(li jiang) which is also in YunNan Provence and I kid you not this is the prettiest place in the world (or at least prettiest where I’ve been)
Sanitary is a problem :) not all of China, this is a pretty poor part of China and Kevin just need to get used to it.
Anyway love your episode and Tim is mastering the four tones and I have to say this is one of the best pronunciations by a foreigner I’ve heard so far.
August 27th, 2009
11:40 pm
LOVE THE QOTD! ;) Hope all is well bro and this one time in Napa…
August 28th, 2009
2:55 pm
:) Crush it, big G!
August 27th, 2009
11:56 pm
This video marks the dawn of Transparency 2.0! I love the fact that you and Kevin don’t over analyze the negative implications that “defecation strategies” may have on your digital brand image. Continue to keep it real but please don’t turn this into another justin.tv ; )
August 28th, 2009
12:28 am
Ohho, was that a WordCamp ’09 shirt I caught at the tail end? OH SHI-
August 28th, 2009
1:14 am
Loved the video! I’m glad you all are enjoying both the best and the worst of China. I appreciate that you kept it really and didn’t gloss over any of the nasty stuff.This video was the most “real” of any that you’ve put out and it was fun to see everyone’s personality really start to show. Maybe the the alcohol helped a bit ;)
Anyways, please post more about your trip: the good, the bad, and the ugly!
August 28th, 2009
2:52 am
Another great episode which brings back a lot of memories! Going up Kong Tong Shan in Gansu province last year where the toilet was in a hut, with the maggot slurry and a view from the pit straight between your legs down a cliff was quite an experience – good squat control highly necessary!
Have you looked into Couchsurfing? I guess that money for hotels isn’t so much an issue for you guys, but if you choose your hosts well you can get a much more authentic experience of an unknown place. I had the most incredible time staying with locals in Tokyo, Kyoto and Seoul over the last few years, as well as plenty in Europe and Africa.
August 28th, 2009
3:11 am
Answer:
That would have to be an ear infection in Costa Rica, which left me feeling like two sumo wrestlers were each trying to push a giant marble into each ear canal which screaming through a megaphone – and then, the only way for them to administer the dose of antibiotics was through a shot in the arse :/
August 28th, 2009
3:43 am
The audio is really bad from the 2nd half on.. very funny dough.
August 28th, 2009
4:33 am
Mr. Ferris, I hope that while you’re in China, you will consider using your influence and reach to actually do something good for all the dogs and other animals that are tortured, slaughtered, skinned alive, used and abused in that country and around the world for that matter.
August 28th, 2009
5:27 am
Hi Tim. About your question… I was in India three years ago. I had quite good and bad experiences. The most strange [not so disgusting] experience: I entered an large restaurant [300-persons capacity] and everyone was eating using their hands. I do not mean picking food using fingertips… totally wrist-depth: shocking.
August 28th, 2009
5:40 am
Another great episode and looks like an experience to remember! My wife and I are in the process of planning an indefinite travel around the world maybe or just to the regions we end up in…since I work from home online I plan to utilize a lot of your suggestions and techniques from your book, which also gave us the willpower that it is definitely possible to do :)
Have you ever discussed veganism or vegetarianism? I am curious to know your thoughts on this subject. We both have recently embarked on becoming vegans and so far, feel great about it. I also lift weights and in no way plan on being skinny, so I wonder how this will effect our travels and also if you will mention this in your new book??
August 28th, 2009
2:53 pm
Hi Gene,
Being vegan and healthy overseas will be a challenge. I’d suggest you perhaps adopt being a lacto-ova vegetarian (dairy and eggs) or pescatarian (fish) while you travel. Just my two cents after seeing this happen a lot.
Good luck!
Tim
August 28th, 2009
5:49 am
Thanks for that video. I enjoyed watching it. Looking forward for the next episode form your trip.
August 28th, 2009
6:00 am
Hey Tim,
Just got back from three months in China myself. I almost came out to your twitter invite at the hotel in Beijing.
You like your shirt?
August 28th, 2009
6:55 am
To borrow a quote from a commercial on TV. He is “The most interesting man in the world.” Man that is cool living. Let me go work harder at making things work out for me.
Leroy
August 28th, 2009
7:20 am
Welcome to Asia.
Ha.
Ha.
Ha.
August 28th, 2009
8:04 am
What an amazing experience! I really enjoyed watching your video. The voices of the little children in the background were so cute. Great footage.
As for my most confusing travel experience, it was in high school when I went to Italy and traveled to Greece with a friend and her family and we had to use the good ol hole in the ground for the bathroom. It was so much smaller than ya’ll have there in China that’s for sure.
Looking forward to more video and travel stories.
August 28th, 2009
8:12 am
great post! as a female who likes everything from camping to traveling the world, I’ve seen some scary things. However, females are ready for this and therefore make great traveling companions. My chinese friend based in Guangzhou doesn’t leave her house without kleenex because between the food and the toilet situation there are no guarantees.
Foodwise – my funniest story is when I asked to try a bit of some snake (which ends up being very tasty) – this turned into a 3 hour progressive snake dinner including snake meat, snake meat served with chicken feet, snake blood fried rice, snake belly with ginger, snake intestines, snake liver, an entire blue heron and snake chopped up and roasted in hot pot together since snake and bird traditionally go together representing earth and sky, and top it off with the green juice and gall bladder snake cocktail for power. They held up the green gall badder and popped it to let the green juice flow out. I took 50 pictures but wished I had a video camera. I am wow’d by my lack of skill at getting snake meat off the bone or chicken feet like my chinese brethren. I applaud how nothing goes to waste there.
Toiletwise – since 3 world countries are expected to be sketchy the biggest surprise in my life was actually in the states. Port-a-potties at Jazzfest in NO were unbelievable horrendous and I would have paid for an outside ditch.
August 28th, 2009
8:22 am
Tim,
You probably have so much fun in China.
I’m still laughing about toilet story. Kevin, you are the winner!
What is exactly purpose of the trip in China?
Have you ever vistied Korea(SOUTH)?
Please, come.
August 28th, 2009
9:25 am
The best way to spend lots of time is by far still…….. toilet jokes (based on true experiences). Didn’t expect the maggots and all after the splash!
Kevin swore a lot. Must be a very traumatic toilet experience for him.
August 28th, 2009
10:00 am
Another nice video post! You’re making me want to go on another vacation again. Being out in a foreign place at night is simply the best. Keep em’ coming. It’s nice to see the idea of the meat vendor cart has spread globally. lol
August 28th, 2009
10:49 am
Tim great video. Big fans of both you and kevin for several years now and love that you guys do awesome stuff like this. Keep living the dream!!
August 28th, 2009
10:57 am
Could you please put up iPhone compatible Videos up. (maybe as an alternative)?
Or provide a video Podcast link I can subscribe to.
Thanks.
Paul.
August 28th, 2009
12:08 pm
Great clip! I’ve been waiting for an update from your trip. I’ve had a similar experience when I went to China years ago. I was in Shenyang and went to this “amusement” park (it was more like a park built with Chinese architecture for tourists). The bathroom was basically built with a top level with holes in each stall. In each stall, there’s a hole and you can see the poo and stuff at the bottom. If I miss a step, I can literally fall inside the hole!
Now you know what it feels like when women travel to places that have gross bathrooms. We have to crouch all the time regardless if it’s for #1 or #2!
It’s also funny that when I travel to China, my family/friends and I have the same conversation about the bathroom situation. It always revolves around what we are going to eat and when we have to go :P
August 28th, 2009
1:17 pm
I’ve traveled more when I was younger, and on a budget. Toilet stories are just a normal part of that….especially when you’re trying the local cuisine.
QOD: Traveled to southern most part of Colombia and got bit by some scary mosquitos. I got really sick and spent the whole week in bed with a fever/chills, headache (that was about to explode into space) and back pain. Had to fly home (original plan was to take a boat). I thought I had contracted dengue fever (almost as bad as malaria). After going to the doctor, turns out I was just so constipated (hadn’t gone #2 in about 10 days) that I was poisoning myself with my own toxins.
That was a little embarassing to share, but future travelers might appreciate it and give special attention to staying “regular” while on vacation.
August 28th, 2009
1:45 pm
Recently my EMBA class took a trip to Beijing and Chengdu. Our thoughts mirrored the two of you exactly! We have more than a few pictures of toilets. We timed our, um, duties around when we would be back at the hotel. The ladies had a more difficult time.
Luckily (I guess) it was hot enough that I simply would sweat through all my fluids and only ended up going to the bathroom twice a day, in the morning and at night.
But it was a great trip, met some great people, had some fantastic business conversations.
August 28th, 2009
1:48 pm
It is definitely a plus to see some down to earth random humor talk. I wanted to ask you a question about some holistic technology I just bought. I haven’t been able to get a hold of you any other way. I wanted to get your opinion about the performance technology that has to do with sound frequencies reacting to the electrical charge in your body. The product I just bought is called Power Balance. I done the tests to many people and it has worked with about 98% of people.
Surfers seem to wear the bracelet. It is supposed to improve your balance and core to keep you more stable, along with other benefits.
Let me know if you have any opinions about it. Thanks.
Keep having a blast in China. I am heading to Costa Rica in October. Can’t wait for that adventure.
August 28th, 2009
10:46 pm
Haha that pretty much sums up my most disgusting travel experience. No mosquito body suits, though, and I’m allergic to certain toxins that mosquitos carry. Kevin especially sounds like a hoot to travel with! Thanks for the tip about eating good live fats before leaving the country, too!
August 28th, 2009
10:49 pm
I’ve always been a computer geek, but I’m just now starting to get into blogs… and I love yours. These random episodes with you and Kevin Rose are great.. You mentioned that yall might take a break from the “random” episodes.. please don’t do that! lol I just started watching, and I love ‘em ;)
Sarah Christine
August 29th, 2009
12:02 am
Total curosity, what is the purpose of having a total calorie dense day? How is this different from your usual cheat days?
Nite
Jose
August 29th, 2009
4:24 am
Love the video Tim.
I’m off to Thailand in two weeks to explore a lot of the concepts you talk about in your book.
Keep up the great work,
August 29th, 2009
7:07 am
Ever since I read your book about 3 months ago, I’ve been working a plan to put away some additional cash and to start working remote. Once I meet my cash savings amount then I’m quitting the day job and going forward on a business venture. As it turns out, I’m getting a full-on remote opportunity by the end of the year. The problem is, rumor has it, that I may get laid off instead. No worries, I’ve just been inspired more by this and now planning on traveling SE Asia and China for an undetermined amount of time. Your book has been inspiring and this video just adds more push for the trip. Keep doing what you do.
August 29th, 2009
8:36 am
I hate to ask, but how do you wipe? Are you expected to carry toilet paper around with you everywhere?
August 29th, 2009
9:18 am
Tim,
Is ist just me? This video loads extreeemely slow. It took me over 2 hours to get 5 minutes. Other Vimeo videos same deal
I live in Taiwan (Some video platforms have regional filters) Perhaps that has something to do with it.
Anyhow, Love the stories! I have similar travel stories myself! Thats what makes it adventure!
August 29th, 2009
9:21 am
Hey Tim,
My favorite calorically dense foods are brownies with ice cream, pupusas, yuca frita, sweet potato french fries, thai and pizza for a binge.
What’s on your list?
FYI: called that 401 # from Twitter, good laughs my friend :-)
August 29th, 2009
9:23 am
Hey, this is a shout out to Gary V! Nice to see you on the blog!
Live it up.
August 29th, 2009
12:08 pm
Oh man, I just shot coffee out of my nose! The splash-back story will certainly help me prepare for my trip to China in Oct. You guys should seek out some grand masters in the hills for the next kung-fu episode. I wanna see trees punched and bricks smashed! Thanks for snapping me out of a 200 hour work week!
-Ben
August 29th, 2009
7:17 pm
Tsing Tao?
August 29th, 2009
7:44 pm
Hilarious!
Almost as hilarious are the people inspired to emulate this experience. “Hey, I can’t wait to do this, too!”
And Andrew Barbour. Man, that is some story about the pita bread. Le pain.
Still laughing-
August 29th, 2009
8:24 pm
Great video. I’ve been to Yunnan province twice (to the city of Jinghong right on the Thailand border), and I love how different China’s frontier areas are from the big east coast cities, especially with the minority influences. The Dai are a very interesting people. If you like lamb kebabs and the border-town vibe and don’t mind a run-in or two with the police, check out Xinjiang province in the northwest. The Uighurs are really fun to get to know.
Nasty toilets are part of life in China’s rural areas. I don’t have anything as grotesque as Kevin’s story, but over five trips I inevitably have accumulated a few Chinese toilet incidents of note, both more embarrassing than disgusting.
The first was in a McDonald’s in Xiamen, Fujian province, when a woman walked in on me in a squatty, only my legs were tired from the squatting, so I was standing up, fully exposed, facing the stall door when she opened it.
The second instance occurred when I accidentally padlocked myself inside a Mongol’s concrete house in Xinjiang (no bathroom inside) and then realized that I had what the Chinese call “la duzi” that wouldn’t wait. Luckily, I had a gallon-sized ziplock in my pack. The rest is a plastic bag full of history that my friends will never let me live down.
August 29th, 2009
10:43 pm
Hilarious! I only wish I had watched this before I saw you guys Thursday night. I would have had so much fun giving you a hard time about it. :-)
August 30th, 2009
5:02 am
Love it. I’ve been waiting for this one and it didn’t fail to amuse. Enjoy!
August 30th, 2009
7:46 am
Funny stuff guys.
Tim, how are the vegetarian options out there? Worthwhile? Delicious?
It looks like a great trip. I’m excited that the three of you got to share that experience together, and with us. More video, plz!
Finally, thanks for writing that book. I just quit my day-job (too much W4W!) last night and am set to leave this country on September 16. You can learn more about my bicycle trip, supporting myself with an online business by clicking on my name.
Thanks to you, Tim!
August 30th, 2009
10:17 am
Looks like it was a fun and interesting trip. Good to see your arm back out of the sling.
So where to next. Any more cool trips planned?
August 30th, 2009
12:42 pm
Funny stuffy guys! Gives me the itch to travel once again after I graduate in a few months.
Sounds like Kevin needs to work on his Metabolic Flexibility.
rock on
Mike T Nelson
August 30th, 2009
1:38 pm
Looks like you had a great time. I can really relate to your toilet stories.
Regarding diarrhea , I’ve never had it in China although curiously I always get it when I come back to Europe after a China trip.
August 30th, 2009
4:06 pm
Hey Tim!
Great episode, my favorite so far! I would have to say North Africa for me. In 2000 I was in Tunisia staying an old camel traders inn. After a late night of dinner and exploring I came home dead tired, fell asleep only to wake up an hour later literally covered in bed bugs and fleas. It took another half hour to track down and wake up the inn keeper who went directly to my room, pulled the mattress and bedding outside into the courtyard and set the whole thing on fire! So, by now its 2:30am and all of the guests are running outside to assuming the entire place is a blaze! After calming everyone down he then informs me that the inn is fully booked and even if there was an empty room there is no extra bedding, one set per room!
After putting out the fire he tells me that I was welcome to sleep in the open courtyard for the rest of the night and I should not worry about any bugs or fleas because its way too cold for them to be outside! The next 4 “bug free” hours were the longest of the trip!
Craig Green
August 30th, 2009
6:50 pm
I think I can handle the toilet situation, but the pork, dog?, chicken head, and all the other food discussions grossed me out way more than any fecal matter.
I cured myself of some of my squeemishness when I pranced into an Alaskan cannery in a ridiculous high heel/mini-skirt combination during high school and tried to convince the management, and myself, that I could handle the job of “egg girl”. That is the highly scientific term for walking past the salmon gut tote for the gutting line to gather the salmon roe that I would then process and prepare for shipment overseas to Asia.
One day, my lucky day I guess, I slipped and fell into the gut tote that was brimming full of lovely fish innards. Although I was hosed off, I carried the fish odor for at least a week, but, like I said previously, I made leaps and bounds progress in the squeemish department.
I’m mostly a vegan, except when Wild Alaskan Salmon is dangled before me. When a host puts a dish before you when you are visiting in their country, etiquette says that you graciously eat it. Is there a rule for hiding the food until they look the other way and then tossing it out the window? I hope so.
Also, on the mosquito topic, I once counted sixty mosquito bites on one of my legs alone. I lost count after the first leg. It was on a trip outside of Nome, AK that took four hours by truck, then a couple hours up river by boat, and then on the last mile hike to Pilgrim Hotsprings I got eaten alive even through mink oil repellent. So, yah, I’d probably suffer looking like a fool, just to avoid the nasty blood suckers. So, I’m on Kevin’s side.
I loved the video and couldn’t find anything I would change about it. Oh, and I loved the beards!!!!!
Elizabeth
August 30th, 2009
9:23 pm
Hola Tim,
Your book is great! I have been reading it again and again since I bought it a month ago, I always get a lot of good insights that I apply in day to day life. I am unable to somewhat implement your overall principles or lifestyle because I am in an 8 hour job (and happy) but certainly I pick tips here and there that have really improved my performance at work.
I have since endorsed your book to many of my friends. I even bought some and shipped them to friends who recently lost their jobs (It has helped them a lot!). You have inspired me also to start a blog to express my own interests. I have wanted to do this for a long time, you helped my breakthrough. Thank you and keep up the good work. Please visit my blog if you have time.
When is your next book coming out?
Gracias y saludos,
August 30th, 2009
9:41 pm
I don’t care what the benefits of squatting are. I don’t travel where there aren’t flushable toilets
August 30th, 2009
10:26 pm
Dear Tim,
If this made it passed your outsourced email than I succeeded. I wanted to suggest that you could save more money (instead of renting an apartment) staying with a local family- this gets you the language, housing, food (really good food), and learning challenge for under 50$ a month.
Other than that after reading your book I believe my philosophy matches almost exactly and I would love to take you out for a drink should you happen to be in Katmandu in the next 6 months (I realize you were just in China).
I am 24 and I have lived in/ traveled to Laos, Thailand, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Italy, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Morrocco, Uganda, Kenya, Palestine, Jordan and Costa Rica mostly on study/grants/work (I am a photographer). Thank you for your insight in the book and for reaffirming my life style choices.
Anyway I have 3 months free before getting my master’s in Public health next July if you are interested in traveling in Asia check out my website/ let me know.
….write/call famous person…..check
-Jessica
August 31st, 2009
7:19 am
Two years ago, my first hours in Tokyo, in the men’s room at Tobu Asakusa train station… Hot, humid, stinky, all squat toilets, nothing substantial to hold onto, single-ply John Wayne paper, no source of water other than a sink far far away, no soap by that sink, no paper towels, no hot air hand dryer.
It was horrifying, but I think it might have been pure luxury compared to anything involving maggots. We quickly learned to look for handicapped stalls in Japanese public restrooms. They’re more likely to have a western-style toilet, sometimes with a washlet!
August 31st, 2009
8:31 am
Hello Tim
I just looked at your video about your trip in China.
I live in Japan and had friends visit me from the states and they also had a hard time squatting, as Japan has the same custom as China (just no maggots in the toilet)
As you may say it’s late I just bought your book as one of my friends recommended your book to me while we where doing a trip from Malaysia to Laos. As I only made it to Northern Thailand due to a bike accident and it was time for me to go back to work in Japan.
I love your book and the information it provides I have been reading several other books on making a job that does not pay by the hour nor picks the place.
After living in two different countries and getting a taste of it.
Small travels do not do it anymore and look forward in making remote work happen.
I would just like to thank you the inspiration that you have added.
Cheers!!
One tip in squatting is to stand wide as your shoulders and finish before your legs fall asleep!
August 31st, 2009
9:48 am
That clip just gave me a flashback to the army…. 3 months in Honduras, sick on malaria pills. Ah, the good ‘ol days
August 31st, 2009
9:59 am
haha..good video. You guys should buy a better quality mic tho..
And now time to bust balls a bit:)
that pic of you at 8:58, is too too much.. That shirt, god help china!..lol.
August 31st, 2009
10:04 am
Oh, and South China looks like it sucks, as far as experience vs. quality of life is compared. I think my taste for adventure quality (read: shitty) conditions has waned in my early thirties. I couldn’t put up with that hotel room. Give me the traveled road any day… Bangkok Hilton here I come! (Not the prison, the hotel..)
August 31st, 2009
11:57 am
To Tim or anyone willing to help with suggestions:
Situation: My friend and I are planning to go to China for two weeks the only problem is I only have one week of vacation time left. What could I do to squeeze out another 5 days (work week) without getting fired?
My job can’t know I am going to China*
There are no more Vacation days*
Thank you in advance
-Louis
August 31st, 2009
3:24 pm
I really liked that tattoo. Nothing more to say about that. I used to think that backed-up exploding toilets would be my biggest worry, but now I have a new bathroom foe to face: Maggot holes. I must face this challenge soon ::bows::.
What really interest me is the tea tours and the street food, love it. I hope to see a lot more of that.
August 31st, 2009
4:23 pm
Hello Tim.
I have to say that I love your posts, I love your blog and I enjoyed every single page of your book. I can’t wait for the second one to come out. Do you have some prelim release date already?
Anyway I just wanted to tell you to keep on the good work and I posted your site as a link on my own web site. Feel free to drop by and leave some stories to fill the pages if you have some.
Regards
September 3rd, 2009
12:42 am
Thank you :)
Pura vida,
Tim
August 31st, 2009
8:13 pm
awesome. Bathroom stuff reminds me of Ukraine ;)
August 31st, 2009
8:48 pm
I hope you get through your tough times and don’t forget you have many people who care and admire you.
Keep up strong
- Jose
August 31st, 2009
10:53 pm
Tim,
I’m almost finished writing a book, and I’m about to embark on my life’s adventure in 4 weeks. I can safely say that none of it would of been possible without your inspiration. No joke. None of it. You’re like a real life Zarathustra. All I can say is thanks, and (even though I know you will be)…. I hope you’re OK.
Best,
Max
September 1st, 2009
12:48 am
When people ask you to stop talking about menstrual clots and hot loose bowel movements when eating with them, then Iyl let you know about some harsh moments I’ve seen/noticed/experienced.
Health professionals have high tolerance to “disgusting” things. We end up trying hard to top each other.
:o)
September 1st, 2009
3:24 am
I went to the Kumbha Mela in 2001 with the Himalayan institute, they have a compound by the Holy Ganga. Its the largest spiritual celebration and gathering in the world, looking forward to 2013!!! Toward the busiest day of the celebration I took a raft out with my brother and sister. When we got to the water where the two rivers, Ganga and Yamuna, cross I decided to jump in and take a bath in the holy water. The experience was great, however for days later and a 16 hour flight back to the states I was deathly ill with flu symptoms. Although, if I had it back I would have done the same thing.
September 1st, 2009
7:11 am
Craziest episode yet! Good experience for Kevin! I can’t wait for the next one.
September 1st, 2009
7:23 am
Tooo freakin funny. Kevin, don’t let em tell you otherwise, your mozzy net pyjamas make perfect sense to me too!
September 1st, 2009
1:24 pm
Man looks like the sequel too the Dear Hunter ! You sure your trailers are not around the corner w/all the luxuries, Beday and Shower? You need to take this act to the Comedy Store on Sunset! Love it!! Couldn’t stop laughing..
Randy
September 1st, 2009
1:57 pm
here’s a current one. We are completing our first mini retirement (thanks for the book Tim) learning to surf. A month ago we were crossing the border via TicaBus from Panama into Costa Rica. Though learning Spanish, my wife and I are not yet fluent. What seemed to be a (relatively) painless border crossing soon became pretty scary. About 45 minutes into Costa Rica we were stopped by the Police, who found that though we did indeed have our passports stamped 2 hours ago when leaving Panama, we did not have the entrance stamp into Costa Rica. The ensuing 8 hours of travel nightmare peaked the moment we were LOCKED IN THE BACK OF A PADDY WAGON, SEPARATELY! Luckily this was only about 15 minutes of sweating and freaking out, after which a different police man came and unlocked us, letting us wait outside the vehicle the rest of the time. I have a suspicion that the first, younger cop was just messing with us. 3 Police stations and 3 Police escorts later, we got our stamps and were relieved to get back on the road (which turned out to be a monster LOCAL bus the rest of the journey.)
You live and you learn…..
September 1st, 2009
2:21 pm
Mosquito nets do nothing if they’re lying flush against your skin – they will just land on you and suck through the holes. So that mosquito suit is a bit of a swindle…
September 1st, 2009
8:56 pm
I call it the phenomenon discussed in this video “splashback.” And yes, it can happen to you.
September 1st, 2009
8:58 pm
After 12 days in India. Delhi India airport bathroom. floor toilet, no tp, empty mangled plastic bottle, and a faucet w/o a handle low on the wall with no drain in the floor. I survived but it was the nastiest way to end a trip to Ludhiana, Agra, New Delhi, etc. Make sure you go at your hotel before you leave for the airport and take a z pack, aka cipro.
September 2nd, 2009
4:53 am
Ok, you guys are hilarious. Food looks interesting. Bathroom story makes a good case for fasting while traveling…….
September 2nd, 2009
1:57 pm
Great episode. So funny. Just thought I’d post the 100th comment on this post!
September 2nd, 2009
2:20 pm
Timothy,
I love you to death, but for the love of Xenu, please please please refrain from popping your collar in future episodes.
You mentioned an episode or so that you need a stylist. I’m here, ready, and willing, if you are. Come to Denver, we’ll hang.
Ciao.
~Jeffrey
September 3rd, 2009
12:32 am
Hahahaha… OK, deal. I just felt too Dead Poet’s Society with it down, but point taken.
Tim
September 3rd, 2009
5:57 am
Also to avoid splashback, drop toilet paper on the surface before doing your business
September 3rd, 2009
11:56 am
Tim,
I have friends w/crazy clothing styles. What I enjoy most is their uniqueness. You have the confidence so keep popping your collar.
by the way, funny stories on this post. @ Nestor, thanks for the tip!
September 3rd, 2009
5:43 pm
dude, who was that hottie sitting behind you guys? i hope you bought her and her friends a round of skewers.
September 3rd, 2009
8:36 pm
This site is so fun — can’t believe I am just now “discovering” it. The video made me laugh out loud, and the dialogue amongst you all was really charming. Wish I could have been there eating chicken skewers too!
September 4th, 2009
2:26 am
Hey Tim,
Ah this post just screwed my rehab from pijiu and jiaozi!
I just finished your book by the way. Thanks ;)
September 4th, 2009
4:44 am
Popping the collar is more than 5 years old at least…..not a stylish move anymore and soooo old school here in Oz…..the only guys that still do there here are the jock type – i don’t think u want to be a jock type do u Tim?!
P.S. Awesome episode, funniest ever. When are you going to post more about the trip? I am a tea fanatic and want to know everything about your findings. I will also be in China (Beijing only) in October so would luv to get your top tea tips!
September 4th, 2009
8:05 am
Thanks for the great read.
Good read as usual.
Thanks
September 5th, 2009
4:45 pm
O….M….G
not since my welder days have I heard such talk! my sailor-mouth-loving heart is warmed….
trip story: not my own. my sister was just in Portugal and witnessed in DOWNTOWN Lisbon: a buck naked gent squatting on the sidewalk, bestowing it some mocha gifts, then sashaying over to a trashcan to deliver an incomprehensible (to her meagerly Portuguese’d ear) tirade on what she could only surmise was the trashcan’s very very very bad behavior.
no one in the vicinity appeared to bat an eye.
September 6th, 2009
12:21 am
Awesome stuff, Tim.
I personally feel like often times a popped collar is actually more comfortable…
Interesting note on the finger counting. Your language learning techniques have been quite helpful in getting me started learning Chinese before I start taking classes this fall at University.
Keep the episodes coming!
Ted
September 6th, 2009
9:03 pm
Thanks, Ted! Agreed on the popped collar. I wasn’t doing it for style in rural China. It was f-ing hot, and popping the collar made my neck sweat less.
Good luck with Chinese!
Tim
September 6th, 2009
10:54 am
I love these episodes, keep it up. Those people watching you while you were making the video must’ve thought you guys were crazy, haha.
September 6th, 2009
11:14 am
Hi Tim
Fantastic post really interesting,I will be visiting more often.
Cheers
Derek Overington
September 6th, 2009
5:28 pm
Hi all,
I just came from India where the disgusting travel experiences line up before you are out of the airport. Spitting, burping, and loud coughing is only the beginning! The poor poo on the sidewalk or by the train tracks, and once I saw an old man who could not bend his knees, but still insisted on wiping his butt by the roadside with what I believe was an old rasta braid used to decorate cars with. At a train station an old lady didn’t bother to queue up for the toilet, so she just sat down and peed on the floor where we others were standing, washing our hands …
Key
September 8th, 2009
11:27 am
Brilliant camera work by Glenn.
Loved the episode!
September 10th, 2009
4:00 pm
Love the episode. As much as travelling to places like India and China can be a culture shock to many, I love the way you guys embrace the diversity and view it as just another way of living life!
The potty tricks are always a favorite topic of conversation for those who travel. When I was in Hampi, Karnataka (it houses the ancient ruins of the last Hindu empire in India), my friends and I chatted up with another bunch of travelers seated next to us at a restaurant. Within minutes, I was coerced to give a mock demonstration of how to wash your behinds after finishing your duties on an Indian WC (commode / potty?). At first I was quite embarrassed but our conversation attracted a whole group of foreign tourists wanting to learn the great Indian “wash your bum with water” trick.
While I took my own time learning whether to use the toilet paper from the front or the back, I do have a smoother time doing it the Indian way.
Okay I will stop.. and you can skip the “thanks for sharing” replies. :-)
P.S. A toilet graffiti read “Men who wipe from the front have smelly balls”
September 11th, 2009
6:00 pm
I have had occasion to use such toilets (or outdoors) for a #2, and I finally caught on to the trick. DO NOT DROP YOUR PANTS AND UNDERWEAR TO YOUR ANKLES. just push them down (up, once you’re positioned) to mid-thigh. And when you achieve your Bombs Away, you have quite a sense of accomplishment that you don’t have when you sit on a seat toilet.
September 11th, 2009
9:26 pm
This is THE CRUCIAL DETAIL. Thanks for pointing this out! If you go to the ankles, you are asking for all manner of problems.
Tim
September 12th, 2009
8:12 am
Tim,
Wow, this is exactly how I grow up…. Why do you think all of us (Chinese MaFo) knows Kungfu… because we doing the special squat all day long babe…. ha ha..
That will build up your legs…. If you get fade, or give it up, you will be end up at worst place…
I am glad you went to China… It makes me really thank for my Toilet in the US…
One day soon, I am gonna live the life style like you..
You are a truly inspiration…
BeachBody Coach Han
September 13th, 2009
10:26 am
I think you will like this profile (FT, 9/11) about the man who invented exercise. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e6ff90ea-9da2-11de-9f4a-00144feabdc0.html
Morris is today a neat, bird-like man who uses a cane to get around. He turns 100 next May but still regularly makes his way to his poky little office at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It is here that he describes the day he saw the data that changed medicine. “The very first results we got were from the London busmen,” says Morris, in Glaswegian tones undimmed by seven-odd decades in London. “And there was a striking difference in the heart-attack rate. The drivers of these double-decker buses had substantially more, age for age, than the conductors.”
(c) Financial Times
September 15th, 2009
7:55 am
Tim,
I have lived in China for about a year, and though my Chinese is good, my accent needs work. Your other articles about language were fantastic, but the one thing that it doesnt provide for is accent acquisition.
What are some exercises or techniques — especially for Chinese — that you can provide for accent acquisition? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
September 15th, 2009
3:09 pm
Hey man,
Great post, this is the first time I have visited this site. I love how you don’t hold anything back, people love authenticity.
September 16th, 2009
11:54 am
So this is a great example of how to balance work and life as I sit here slaving myself in front of the computer living carelessly through you guys. I have wondered as I watched you eat all this stuff, how in the world you prevent getting sick to your stomach but it seems you have been adjusting well. Being the geek that I personally am though my team is not far from me, we work a lot, many times pulling double shifts because we get so many requests for work, thank goodness we love what we do but when I watch the videos Tim, I wonder if I shouldn’t just pack my bags and follow your trail to see little bit of the amazing World we live in, have done some travel yet not enough. Keep them coming.
September 18th, 2009
3:05 am
I love it when rich white men go to poor asian countries and find everything so fascinating. Lovely~
September 22nd, 2009
2:24 pm
Can’t let the comments stop with the bad one above. So… most confusing travel experience:
I’m sitting in an “Italian” restaurant in Lima, and after traveling for six months I really feel like having a calzone. I don’t see any on the menu, so I ask the waiter “Tienes Calzones?”. He looks at me strangely, mutters No, and I reply, “Realmente queria calzones”. The guy kicks me out of the shop, points to something down the street, and leaves me standing there with absolutely no idea what’s going on.
Two days later, I tell my friend (who speaks much better spanish) about it and he starts laughing halfway through my story. Apparently calzones mean “panties” in Peru… the guy was trying to send me to a strip club!
September 22nd, 2009
5:37 pm
Great video..Realistic travel in Asia..:)
September 23rd, 2009
11:13 am
Hey guys,
Thanks for a funny and a bit … different… video.
As I’m typing this i’m in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on day #293 of a year long mini-retirement. I’ve been all over Asia (Unfortunately not China) And, I can confirm what happened in the video – they do come up to you, look you deep in the eye, and stare for a few minutes. Scary as hell.
As for the toilets public restaurants and sneaking into places have saved me so far – but i’m glad I watched the video. Gotta work on the legs to be prepared.
REPLAY/QUESTION TO TIM +a question:
“…I’d suggest not fixing arrival/departure dates in advance (one issue w/ most RTW tix), so you can spend as much or as little time as you like in each place…”
Unfortunately I found this a bit complicated as most countries (and even flight companies?) demand onward tickets (out of the country) to assure you a tourist visa on arrival. I tried to book a one way ticket to Thailand but were told that my visa nor bording of the plane was guaranteed without a ticket out of the country. So I decided to buy a one-way ticket out of the country (To Bali.) but ran into exactly the same problem. I ended up buying 8 different tickets at once just to feel confident with the whole tourist visa issue. Not the best solution but i prefer that over the risk of getting declined a visa upon arrival. How do you deal with this Tim?
About the cost to travel:
——————————
Regarding the people asking about the cost to travel and hotels / accomodation– Asia really is dirt cheap if you have the patience to bargain and look around for the best deal.
I recently went to an island in Malaysia and stayed in a 4 star hotel for 10 days for around $280 (for 10 days..) for a double deluxe room with breakfast — that’s $14 per person if you’re travelling with someone else. This was during low season, but the weather and experience was still the same.
As for the question of the day I can’t really recall any disgusting experiences.
About 1.5 month ago I did, however, loose my (and my girlfriends) passport(s), all other forms of ID, credit cards and cellphone in a snatch theft / robbery in Thailand. We went to the police station and they, instead of really doing anything useful, tried to charge for a translation of the police report (which we, er, explained was impossible due to the .. as mentioned in the report… theft of all our money.)
then we went to Western Union who couldn’t help either as their anti-fraud policy prevents collection of funds without a … passport (duh.)
With the embassy 5 hours away, no money, no phone, no passport and nobody to trust it felt pretty confusing. 24 hours later family managed to wire funds which we could pick up with a copy of the police report and some papers from the embassy. 3 weeks later we got new passports and new cards. But, trust me: Those were 3 very long and nervous weeks.
September 25th, 2009
6:44 pm
Great Video guys! Fucking hilarious! HAHAHAH
September 30th, 2009
3:43 pm
Hey, Tim, that eastern counting system is interesting indeed, but I’d rather count my fingers in binary (http://is.gd/3Pqdd). Just makes more sense to me and I get to count up to 31 with one hand and up to 1.023 with both. Learning to count binary has helped me quite a lot, why don’t you give it a try?
Cheers!
October 1st, 2009
7:34 pm
Interesting video. I would think that for a normal bowel movement the squat would be okay but what about when you are sick and things are working as well as they should?
October 2nd, 2009
8:52 am
Hi Guys
To move from the normal onto a food cart is the best way to taste the city I totally agree!
It can be a gamble at the best of times but that’s the adventure isn’t it?
I can see the excitement in Tim’s face and the horror in Kevin’s and as he eats the ‘food’ he’s just trying to work out not if he’s going to spend some time on the toilet, but how long….
Ahhh travelling such fun !
October 2nd, 2009
9:34 am
OK, I’m about 1/2 way through the 4hww book and am just discovering this site. I simply wish that I had read about or uncovered or discovered this info 20 years ago. Lots of gray in the hair now, but it’s never to late to break the bonds. The blog posts and vids are great, but what is the story with this tea?
October 2nd, 2009
7:56 pm
Tim,
I’m Chinese but from not from China and I think this episode is argubly the most hilarious of the Random series.
The combination of your approachable infomative personality and Kevin’s hilariously frank but nice personality makes Random a really a watch.
I speak 5 languages (English, Bahase, Chinese, French and Japanese) but all not too well. I find that once I start learning a new language, my brain starts focussing on processing everything in that language format and all my other languages starts mutating. You’ve however mentioned that your ‘base’ language is English and it stays the dominant language to translate the other languages. I hope that makes sense. Do you have a tip on how to maintain languages effectively besides having to go through the books and tapes all over again?
Also I recognise your method of not putting dates on your blogs for the purpose of the new readers, but how does a regular reader find out about the lastest blog update?
October 4th, 2009
5:42 pm
Tim, do you practice that hooked-hand over-the-top cup hold to look all macho, or are your arms just so big that you can have your elbows next to your body (and your pinkie extended) like us dweebs?!
You guys should go to a Wal-mart equivalent there and see if everything’s made in the USA. Or find the factory that makes 1000 types of plastic tubs for westerners to hold all their crap in!
October 4th, 2009
5:43 pm
crap! mean’t “…can’t have your elbows next to your body (and your pinkie extended) like us dweebs?!” EDIT EDIT!
October 15th, 2009
8:55 am
I was traveling on an overnight train from Vienna to Budapest. It was 12 am and the train was scheduled to leave and I was alone in a sleeping car. All the sudden, two men entered my car and settled in. One was large and fat, the other small and skinny. They both spoke English. They told me that they were just released from detention due to immigration issues from Morrocco. They smelled so bad. They told me that they haven’t taken a shower for a week.
They told me that they were gypsies and started asking a ton of personal questions,ie. my nationality (I became Canadian), religion, etc. They then pulled out a tea set and some bread and asked me to drink with them. I declined. They then asked “do you like porno?” I pulled out a stash. Really odd. I was backpacking alone at the time and all of my belongings were on top of the beds. No easy way of escape. I heard of many stories previously about people riding that route and attempting to steal. Anyway, i decided not to sleep and stood in the hallway next to the car. As I was standing, I stuck up a conversation with a man next to me. He was a fellow backpacker like myself from New Jersey who was training to be a chef.
All ended well, the gypsies never bothered me, and the Chef and a few other Americans I met thereafter on the train hung out in Budapest for the next few days.
October 15th, 2009
8:58 am
I was traveling on an overnight train from Vienna to Budapest. It was 12 am and the train was scheduled to leave and I was alone in a sleeping car. All the sudden, two men entered my car and settled in. One was large and fat, the other small and skinny. They both spoke English. They told me that they were just released from detention due to immigration issues from Morrocco. They smelled so bad. They told me that they haven’t taken a shower for a week.
They told me that they were gypsies and started asking a ton of personal questions,ie. my nationality (I became Canadian), religion, etc. They then pulled out a tea set and some bread and asked me to drink with them. I declined. They then asked “do you like porno?” They pulled out a stash. Really odd. I was backpacking alone at the time and all of my belongings were on top of the beds. No easy way of escape. I heard of many stories previously about people riding that route and attempting to steal. Anyway, i decided not to sleep and stood in the hallway next to the car. As I was standing, I stuck up a conversation with a man next to me. He was a fellow backpacker like myself from New Jersey who was training to be a chef.
All ended well, the gypsies never bothered me, and the Chef and a few other Americans I met thereafter on the train hung out in Budapest for the next few days.
November 9th, 2009
3:19 am
Tim – I have serious respect for you guys. That was not only hilarious, but it was done with taste (if that possible on a topic like maggets & nads). I thought the way you guys walked the line of showing the realities of travel in China (or Asia even) while still holding the people and culture in such a high regard was really wonderful. I live in Hong Kong, and have lived in Thailand and sometimes it is just too easy for people to have a laugh at the expense of another culture, especially in Asia where the differences can be so great. Well done and thanks for sharing. Your Chinese sounded pretty good too ;)
Cheers
Perri
January 11th, 2010
4:22 pm
Tim’s Chinese accent is pretty good! But at 1:52 when you said “ten,” (i.e., shi), it sounded more like third tone than second tone. ;-)
January 23rd, 2010
12:59 am
I realize this post is old, but peeps may find my travel story interesting anyway. I’m a traveler, always have been, and have lots of stories. Arguably the worst was in Guatemala for me.
Back in the days, during Guatemala’s simmering civil war, I took on a solo bicycle trek through the Peten region of Guatemala. My original plan was to exit through the jungle to Chiapas. This was at the height of the rainy season – suffice it to say I learned a lesson.
Though vaccinated, I contracted an illness. My urine turned the color of CocaCola. I thought I was going to die – ironic, since earlier machinegun-toting (soldiers? Rebels?) hijacked a bus I was on for several hours. The locals hid me under the seats in the back… to die alone in the jungle seemed anticlimactic.
I struggled (and how) to a hotel. For six dollars a night I got a bed and a concrete shower. When, feverish and needing to cool down, I turned the shower on… it emitted an wheeze like an old tubercular man punched in the gut, and dribbled a brown trickle from the plastic pipe emerging from the wall. The concrete floor was cool with my face pressed against it though, and the trickle was cold.
When I finally, after days of this, had enough strength (after gobbling every antibiotic I had), I stumbled to the nearest restaurant. The cook was asleep on the grill, which should have been a sign. But I was too weak to explore. I saw “hamberguesa” on the menu – good Lord, a hamburger! Comfort food for a very sick traveler. I was in for a surprise.
Inside the bread, the patty was paper thin, and crunchy, like a potato chip. I opened the assemblage, and I swear it looked like it was covered in matted fur. It was incredibly salty. After days of delerium, I needed the calories. I just gritted my teeth and ate it.
This is the worst thing I’ve ever eaten – whatever animal it was – and I’ve eaten things like aged khlea in Morocco. It was worth it though!
January 26th, 2010
6:45 pm
Disgusting/crazy travel story: Kevin’s story about going #2 reminds me of when I lived in Thailand. I had to travel to Malaysia from Bangkok by train, and just before boarding I had a bottle of orange juice. The OJ made me pretty sick and I spent most of the 21hr train ride on the toilet, which consisted of a hole open to the ground moving swiftly below. I soiled every pair of underwear that I’d packed, tossing the previous pair out on the next trip to the toilet. At the border, I somehow convinced customs that I was *not* sick, and stumbled about 1/2 mile into town before collapsing in front of what turned out to be a hostel. Fortunately, they owners dragged me inside, and nursed me back to health with plenty of tea and some toast – I’m forever grateful. Lesson learned, stick to bottled water when traveling, and bring extra skivvies! – Dan
November 13th, 2011
1:22 pm
Hilarious Tim, reminds me of a trip to Serendipity Beach, South Cambodia! Funny that I still want to go to China after this post! Cheers, Ewan