bit of a Rambler

Good sleeps in Japan, 

Mountains, sacred fields, temples, 

oops I overslept

maybe hit the brakes. 

what do you mean, they don't work? 

darn. we are high up.

is this a dream too? 

nope, damn, i can't use the force 

but at any moment...

mistakes on purpose, 

what is going to happen? 

i will find out soon.

School Bar Beijing Punks

screaming, smiling, music, art

where did you come from?

don't eat for a bit. 

an experiment that worked. 

it's safe...but weird, sure.

and how do i teach? 

book, game, break, book, game, 

hey, class is over!

Warm, bubbly, relaxed 

clean spirit, body and mind 

naked and no key?

Rumble a ramble

Hike, climb, do not fall. 

watch out, it's raining today. 

hey look, i'm not dead!

Another ramble

This school or that school? 

The trustworthy one, every time. 

They're easy to spot.

What does travel cost? 

Literally everything... 

nah, jk, it's cheap.

A hot air popper. 

It blew their minds totally. 

The popcorn was great.

sushi talks

This happened to me. 

I dance battled someone else. 

It surprised me too.

I'm going wheeeere?

Encanto, la la la laaa!

Get a haircut in China, the pre-cut hairwashing is extremely comfortable and cleansing, it's a wonderful mini massage.

If you like it, you can order a full face and scalp massage that I'll talk about in another episode.

ramble, ramble, ramble ooh new phone, ramble ramble

Simple all-weather 5-season(monsoons) hammock camping setup that costs about 30 bucks, lasts  a decade and weighs 3 pounds.  Can't recommend it enough.

Lordy, lordy.

I like airports.  Get a mask and some earplugs, have some movies or a good book on deck.

Enjoy the ride, wherever you're going is waiting for you with lots of surprises in store. Or  a couch that you can lay on and play video games, that's waiting also.

Ramble on, rambleon
#
#and ramble on

who knows anything? 

life is fast, impermanent, 

knowing things is hard.

video games, national forests, and...star trek?

yea.  star trek too.

I know the dire straits of the job market are nothing to sneeze at, but dozens of countries have thousands of job openings for someone with a native English accent from the US, Canada or UK and more neutral accents from fluent non-native English speakers.

If you want or need money, ESL is about as quick and easy a remedy as there is for fluent English speakers.

Panama still being cool despite a creepy old man hitting on me.

Talking out of my ears

Wanted to see what was out there.

Same as the first time I left.

Figured it out a bit quicker this time.

what happened this week?

"Number one" naturally referring to the first country you're going to travel to.

Which destination should you start with?

more rambling

A few reminders that you can absolutely learn any language you want to, all it takes is a little time and consistency.

Beautiful people locking themselves out of their rooms, still no crocs that I can find, and just a real good time in a realy nice city.

How all the things I didn't think about or forgot to do before I went traveling didn't stop me having a great time or even matter much one way or another.

hangin in panama, hunting for crocs, living the dream.

More of that good food.

Yak jerky, pulled pork sandwich, savory layered omelette, dry-fried green beans, stanky tofu

Panama life, panama fondas, panama crocs, panamanians.

Why pay taxes if you don't have to?

In the US, if you are abroad for 330 or more days out of the tax year, you file a single IRS tax form, 2555, the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and don't have to pay about 125,000 in earned income tax each year. takes 15 minutes to fill out.

Country doesn't matter, company doesn't matter, being out of the US 330 days or more entitles you to this legal tax eclusion.

Which is pretty great, I've saved probably tens of thousands over the years while traveling using this income tax exclusion.<...

first week in panama, buffets, the beautiful city, all that good stuff.

Have you ever tried to buy a Nintendo 64 controller and ended up teaching English in Beijing?

Welp, here's how that happened for me!

Thanks Guatemala, on to Panama City!

How to speak Mandarin:

the tones are 1. robot 2. question 3. unsure 4. angry

You already know these tones, and by using them you can speak every word in Mandarin.

bonus slice of life episode in which I ramble on about many things in particular.

Take it all in.

Walking is a very comfortable way to travel and will afford you with countless opportunities to learn and engage with the world around you.

When you get tired, take a nap.

After the nap, take a walk.

hello, Xela and my deliberately chosen weird airbnb.

Gotta give it up for something that isn't easier than traveling abroad, but still way easier and cheaper than living in a stationary home.

RVs are cheap, abundant and provide all the comforts of home, while costing hundreds of times less.

Ramble Ooooon

What is the minimum amount of money you need to start traveling long term?

About $200 bucks to a nearby country, $500 pretty much anywhere. 

Details inside.

bonus episode about many things in particular.

Back on the sauce! 

So many good sauces in China.

Casual rambling about birthdays, birds, and brr...the Last of Us 2

Travel is frugal, travel is cheap.

You can pick your budget, but if you are looking to save money, then travel is the way to go.

Noggin thougts.

If I ignored every other of the countless reasons I love traveling, bidets alone would be enough.

Bidets have significantly improved my life as well as the hygiene of the entire world, and they're only on the rise!

Get on that hygiene.

Welcome to the first episode of Ramble On, casual companion episodes where I'll talk about everyday goings-on each week.

Main episodes will still be out every Wednesday, Ramble On companion episodes come out Saturdays if I have somebody to respond to or something to talk about.

Thanks for listening, have a good one!

no contest.   between good, cheap, accessible food, free and culturally accepted camping, beautiful landscapes and vistas, bidets and most of all, public BATHS, Japan wins.

If you are a backpacker, you'll love Japan.

If you want to try backpacking for the first time, there's no easier onboard than Japan.

While A Tribe Called Quest may not have been talking directly to you, or about traveling, they still got it right.

If you are wondering if you can travel, the answer is overwhelmingly yes.  Hundreds of people who have never traveled before have asked me from all walks of life, at all ages, in any number of circumstances and my answer after hearing about their lives, has always been yes, they can travel.

My favorite foods living in China.  I tried to think of one favorite food and came up with 15 immediately, so there'll be a few episodes of favorites.

啤酒烤鸭(Beer-fried duck), 西红柿鸡蛋面(tomato egg noodle soup), 红烧牛肉(soy-braised beef), 麻辣蒜薹腊肉(numbspicy garlic scapes with Chinese bacon) and my favorite Chinese sandwich, or, one of only two anyway(teaser) - 驴肉火烧(donkey jalapeno panini).