The Radio Vagabond

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I visit Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and celebrate The Year of The Rooster. This one was first released in June 2017.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I go searching for Sugar – known from the Academy Award Winning documentary, Searching For Sugarman. When this was first released in February 2020 it was two episodes – but today, you will get both in one slightly longer episode.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I make a new friend. Andrés Thomas tells the story of how he ended up running a guesthouse in San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala. This one was first released in September 2021.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I'm heading from Banjul, The Gambia, to the beach town, Cap Skirring, in the southern part of Senegal. This one was first released in April 2019.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I arrive in Toronto, Canada, with jetlag – and go on air. This one was first released in December 2017.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I do something terrifying in Durban, South Africa. I was very nervous and out of breath, but I did it. Join me as I'm swinging in Durban. This one was first released in July 2020.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I played badminton in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with my host and got my ass kicked. This one was first released in February 2018.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I share my journey in Luang Prabang, Laos and how I visited the UXO Center, which tells the heartbreaking story of the unexploded bombs from The Vietnam War. This one was first released in May 2017.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I explore the top 10 things to see in Cape Town, South Africa and I get a surprise visit from my daughters all the way from Denmark. This one was first released in April 2020.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in The Radio Vagabond's episode. I happen to be there when they celebrate the biggest religious event of the year – a celebration called Timkat. This one was first released in July 2019.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I almost (and only almost) went to Lesotho. It was like running a marathon in flip-flops. This one was first released in July 2020.

Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond with my kids, Amanda and Clara, where we uncover myths about Japan. Before I start the episode, there's one thing that I later found out we get wrong. It's the thing about using phones on the trains. We say that they do use phones, but we should have said, "yes, they use phones, but never ever will you see a Japanese on a phone call on a train". According to a local friend in Tokyo, this is not only frowned upon but even illegal. But it's okay to look at your screen, be on social media and answer emails. Just no talking. This one was first released in October 2017. And with that: Welcome to Flashback Friday.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in this episode of The Radio Vagabond, where I meet Roger, who was born and raised in The Bahamas. He shares his story, life on the island and how he saw Hurricane Matthew. This one was first released in February 2018.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in Atlanta, where I visit Coca-Cola, CNN, and go to an Ed Sheeran concert where my phone dies before my Uber arrives – and I have no idea where I live. This one was first released in September 2018.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in Albania, where I was working on becoming famous and visited the city of 1000 windows. This one was first released in October 2020.

Ric Gazarian (aka Global Gaz) is the co-founder of a brand-new festival for world travellers. Extraordinary Travel Festival is to be held in Yerevan, Armenia, October 14-16, 2022. In this episode, Ric tells us what to expect. If you want to go, you can get a 50 USD discount on your ticket by using "palle" as the code. See more on ExtraordinaryTravelFestival.com, and you should also listen to his own podcast, Counting Countries, where he interviews people on a quest to travel to all 193 UN countries.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. In this episode, I am in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka and attended a cocktail party with beautiful traditional music and dancing. This one was first released in September 2019, not long after the horrible terror attack in Sri Lanka. So, we're also going to be talking about that.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. In this episode, I arrive to one of my most favourite cities in the world, Cape Town. And this is also where I was inspired to start my life as a digital nomad. We begin with a visit to the hospital. This one was first released in February 2020.

As I was working on the next episodes from Saudi Arabia, I came across a recording from the car when I was driving across the country with Cynthia Rignanese – who calls herself "Cynthia Globe" because she travels so much. In fact, Saudi Arabia is her country number 124. She's a lawyer from Florida and has her own law firm, which allows her to take a lot of time off to travel the globe. And this episode comes out just a few days before we meet again for another epic journey in four African countries. Ghana, Togo, Benin, and São Tomé & Príncipe. But that's another story. PLAY THE GAME & TRY NOT TO HIT A CAMEL In this one, we play a game as we're driving across the Saudi desert, trying to avoid hitting one of the many camels walking across the road from time to time. And the speedbumps. Oh my god, the speedbumps... They just come out of nowhere without any warning. The game basically goes like this: We take turns asking simply, "would you rather A or B questions". And here they are so you can start thinking about what you would answer yourself. Would you rather go to the Arctics or Antarctica? The north- or the south pole? Would you rather go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or do the Rickshaw Challenge, driving a tuk-tuk yourself for ten days in India? Would you rather spend a weekend in the seven-star luxury hotel, Burj Al Arab in Dubai, or in a glamping tent in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania? Would you rather ride a camel or an ostrich? Would you rather do the Trans-Siberian Railroad or go dog sledging in Eastern Greenland? MEET CYNTHIA - AGAIN I met Cynthia in Florida when I was there in 2021, and you might remember the episode where we talked about how she got into collecting passport stamps. If not, go back and listen to that one too. RIDING AN OSTRICH IS WRONG We're having fun talking about the thrill of riding an ostrich in our conversation. But according to PETA UK, it is cruel to ride an ostrich. PETA stands for The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. An article says that the ostrich skeleton is not designed to support a human's weight, and this practice is likely to harm the physiology of the animals. We all live and learn (as we should), like when I went swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas and later learned that you should not support places where they keep and train dolphins in captivity. Listen to the episode about that if you want to hear more. In another article from PETA called "Holiday Attractions You Need to Avoid", they also say: "Please, never ride an elephant, a horse, a donkey, a camel, or any other animal at a tourist attraction." Specifically, when it comes to camel riding, they say that "Camels are intelligent, sensitive animals who suffer when forced to give rides to tourists. In some parts of the world, these regal animals being beaten bloody with sticks before being sold to the tourism industry. They are used for rides in the blistering heat, they are denied access to food, water, and shade." I'm not saying it happens everywhere ... but maybe, so make your own choices. When I rode camels in Morocco and the Dubai desert, I had no idea. Now, I don't need to do that again. MALAYSIAN VISITING GREENLAND We talked about visiting eastern Greenland, and I mentioned an interview we did when I was producing the LEGO Art podcast about the World Map. Here Malaysian-born, Wani Baumgartner talks about her trip there. We also speak to other amazing world travellers, like Thor Petersen, Dane and Stacey, and Earnest White III. If you want to hear the whole thing, go to LEGO.com/Art and click on the World Map. LET'S DO IT AGAIN, CYNTHIA This was fun. I'll see if I can persuade Cynthia to do another when we're soon travelling through Africa. The luxury train in southern Africa I was talking about is called Rovos. Go to Rovos.com to see more about that. My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.

In this episode, I ask the same five questions to six New Yorkers. I also visited the top of the tallest building in the western hemisphere, One World Trade Center. This one was first released in November 2018.

We're back in Uruguay, and if you haven't heard the first part of my visit to this little South American country, you should go back and listen to that one first. In that one, I arrived in Uruguay with a small group of nomad friends. We went on a tour of Montevideo, we went to prison, I shared a lot of facts about the country, I opened the history book, I talked about the weather, and then at the end of the episode, I went half an hour north of the capital and found a beautiful winery with the Italian sounding name, Pizzorno. VISITING A WINERY I'd just met Lucio Alonso when I left you at Pizzorno Family Estate. He was in the middle of telling us how he ended up working here as a winemaker at the age of just 22. When attending a wine conference in Brazil, he got a call from his old classmate, Francisco – the fourth generation at this winery. The vineyard is 21 hectares = 52 acres = 30 football fields (soccer fields) = 210.000 square meters. That's enough – figure out how much that is in square feet. The Pizzorno family's fourth-generation continues a family legacy, and the wines produced today by Pizzorno Family Estates represent a rich and prosperous land. The third generation Carlos Pizzorno is still in charge and has evolved production using modern vine cultivation and winemaking techniques. IS URUGUAYAN WINE ANY GOOD? If you're like me, Uruguay might not be in your top ten countries when you think of good wine-producing countries. But it seems like that's changing… that more and more people remember this little South American country. Lucio will talk about that in a minute… but first… LAW AND ORDER let's look into some statistics to see if it's a safe country. Crime rate The crime rate is relatively low, and one can visit the country without worrying about the crime other South American countries are known for. Taxis and means of transportation in Uruguay are reliable and safe. You don't even need to negotiate the price of the ride because all taxis use taximeters. Corruption With a score of 73/100, Uruguay once again leads the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and ranks first in Latin America and in 18th place worldwide. For reference… less corruption than France at no. 22, the USA at no. 27 and South Korea at no. 32… and about the same as Australia, Belgium, and Japan also at no. 18. Denmark is no. 1 the least corrupt country in the world according to the Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International. Safety In general, Uruguay is safe, and it is the safest country to visit in entire Latin America. It is economically and politically stable. Even though it is so safe, you should watch out for petty crime in tourist landmarks and crowded areas. The crime rate is low, but pickpocketing and bag snatching does happen, even though it is not very common. Here at Pizzorno Winery they have 11 different kinds of grapes and produce five different lines of wine – some for the domestic market and some only for export. The classic Merlot line is called Don Próspero, named after the person who started the winery over a century ago in 1910. I've you've ever been to a vineyard, you might have seen that the grapes are smaller and more compact than what you will eat as a snack. But the grapes I'm looking at here are big and look like something I would find at the supermarket. - - - - - - NOMAD CHECK I've been sharing many interesting things about Uruguay, and I feel it's very livable. And I've thought that this might an upcoming hotspot for digital nomads sometime in the future. So, let's look into that a bit more – with a little help from data from our friends over at NomadList.com. COST OF LIVING Montevideo is affordable. According to Nomadlist.com, you can get dinner for less than $8, a beer at a restaurant is around $4, a Coke is $1.27, and they say that cost of living for a nomad is $2,319 a month. But that of course, depends on the kind of life you want to live. INTERNET SPEED With an average of 9 Mbps, the internet is good. Not fantastic, but decent. QUALITY OF LIFE Again, according to NomadList, the quality of life is pretty good. On a scale from one to five, it gets a four. ENGLISH SPEAKING LEVEL It's not very good, so it helps if you can speak a bit of Spanish to get by. OVERALL SCORE This is based on all the different data points, with the highest weight given to cost, current temperatures, internet speed, and safety. Other indicators are also important, like air quality, if it's fun to live and, if there's good nightlife and low racism, and if it's LGBTQ+ friendly. The total score for Montevideo is 3.25 on a 1-5 scale. That ranks them far from the top of the list as number 387. And I must say that this surprises me quite a bit. But then… NomadList.com has the data. - - - - - - Then we came to the best part of the tour: Where we tasted the different kinds of wine. And I'm going to leave you with that. Thanks to Lucio and the team at Pizzorno Family Estate for taking the time to give us this pri

In this episode we're going to visit a small country in South America. I'm on my way from Buenos Aires in Argentina with a small group of nomad friends that I've gotten to know from the Nomad Cruise. We're going to be spending a few days in Montevideo and then the others are going back to Buenos Aires, but I'm staying a few days longer because I have an interesting appointment in the countryside. Something I'm also going to share with you here on the podcast. FACTS ABOUT URUGUAY HOW BIG AND HOW MANY PEOPLE? Around 3.5 million people live in Uruguay. With 181,000 km2 (69,000 square miles) Uruguay is the second-smallest country, and the smallest Spanish speaking country in South America. Montevideo is the capital andwith 1.7 million people, the country's largest city. WHERE IS IT? It shares borders with Argentina to the west and southwest and Brazil to the north and northeast. And then it's bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast and the river we're crossing, Río de la Plata to the south. A MAINLY FLAT COUNTRY Much of the country consists of gently rolling land only a few hundred feet above sea level. Uruguay's highest point is Mount Cathedral at 514 meters (1,685 feet). RELIGION The majority of the population 58% of Uruguayans define themselves as Christian (47% Roman Catholic, 11% Protestant), and approximately 40% of the population says they have no religion. In the capital of Montevideo there's also a small community of Jews. Church and state are officially separated more than a hundred years, since 1916. Religious discrimination is punishable by law, and the government generally respects people's religious freedom. DEMOCRATIC AND TOLERANT Uruguay is a democracy and ranks high on global measures of personal rights, tolerance, and inclusion issues, including its acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Actually, being gay was legalized all the way backin 1934. The country has legalized cannabis, same-sex marriage, and abortion. EAT MORE BEEF THAN ANYONE We know that Argentineans love their beef, but Uruguay consume the most beef per person in the whole world. URUGUAY HAS THE LONGEST NATIONAL ANTHEM IN THE WORLD When Uruguay achieved their independence in 1828, they needed a national anthem. The poet Francisco Esteban Acuña de Figueroa offered to write one. The anthem originally had 11 verses but since many of them were rather rude about their previous colonizers Spain, Portugal and Brazil, only the chorus and first verse are now sung. But even so, it's almost five minutes long, making it the longest national anthem music in the world. URUGUAY HOSTED THE 1ST WORLD CUP EVER Like many South American countries, football (what you call soccer in the USA) is the most popular sport in Uruguay. The first-ever World Cup tournament was hosted in Uruguay in 1930. This actually came about after football was dropped from the Olympics program – after Uruguay had won gold medals back-to-back in Paris in 1924 and Amsterdam in 1928. And they also won the first World Cup and won again in 1950 – which was especially a big deal as that time they beat the favorites Brazil in Brazil. URUGUAY'S ELECTRICITY COMES FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES One of the most amazing things about Uruguay is how eco-friendly it is, particularly when it comes to energy production. In 2020 it was estimated that between 98-100% of Uruguay's electricity was generated through renewable sources – wind and water (hydropower) and a bit of solar and biomass energy. What's even more impressive is that it took less than 10 years for Uruguay to get to this point, and costs are lower. I hope more countries in the world can take pointers from Uruguay. THE FLAG Their national flag consisting of five white and four blue horizontal stripes and in the upper left corner on white background there is a sun with a face – "The Sun of May." The Sun is a national emblem for Uruguay – andalso the national emblem of Argentina, and they also have it in their flag. This sun symbolizes a god that was worshipped by the Inca Empire – the Incan sun god Inti. FREE WALKING TOUR OF THE OLD MONTEVIDEO We joined a "Free Walking Tour" through "Ciudad Vieja". On our 2.30 hours walk through the Old City of the capital Montevideo, our tour guide Rodrigo shared a lot about Montevideo´s culture, society, and history. The original fortifications are gone here in Ciudad Vieja, but there are churches and mansions dating back to the 18th century surrounded by narrow cobbled streets. After having been neglected for decades, dozens of buildings have been restored and now they house smart cafes, hotels, hostels, restaurants, and boutiques. Other buildings are still crying out for some tender loving care. We start the tour at Plaza Independencia, where there's also a big palace: Palacio Salvo. Rising 105 metres, it's the most eye-catching sight on Montevideo's largest square, and when it was unveiled in 1928, this "skyscraper" was the tallest building in South America. And you can actually rent an apartmen

Before this week's flashback, I want to say two things. First of all, I celebrated an anniversary two days ago. Wednesday this week it was exactly six years ago I started my life as a full-time nomad. It's so funny to think that when I left Denmark on July 6th, 2016, I thought I would be travelling for four years. Now, six years later I feel I've only just started. And the second thing: It's about time you get something new – something you've never heard before. And you will get that next week. Monday you'll get part one of my visit to Uruguay and already Wednesday you'll get part two. I've been putting a lot of work into those episodes, and I'm introducing a few brand-new elements that I really hope you're going to like. So, make sure you keep an eye on your podcast app next week. But that doesn't mean that you won't be getting a flashback every Friday. And this week, you can join me on board a cruise ship through the Mediterranean Sea with a bunch of amazing digital nomads. We're going to walk the streets of Malta, enter a talent show, and sample some delicious wine at a boutique winery in Greece. This one was released for the first time in September 2020. Welcome to Flashback Friday.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in Conakry, Guinea. This one was first released in May 2019.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in Toronto, Canada. This one was first released in December 2017.

Welcome to Flashback Friday. Join me in Rabat, Morocco. This one was first released in January 2019.

Welcome to a special episode of The Radio Vagabond – recorded in May 2022. At a conference for digital nomads called NomadBase Live in Croatia, I met Orest Zub from Ukraine. He's another digital nomad and a big part of the community Nomad Mania founded by our good mutual friend Harry Mitsidis. Orest have been to 129 countries so far in his ten years as a digital nomad. When the Russians invaded his country in February this year, he came back to Ukraine to help his country in the war. Not by being a soldier at the front line but by making videos showing the truth about what it looks like in his country, and what the war is doing to Ukraine. NOMAD BASE LIVE We were both attending the conference NomadBase Live – a fairly new thing organized by the same people who brought the world Nomad Cruise (that you heard me talk about many times before here on the podcast). When the global pandemic changed everything, they had to pivot and come up with new ideas. And one of them was creating NomadBase Live – a conference type event on land. This is their third but my first and it's always great to meet old friends, make new ones and be a part of this community of likeminded people. On this NomadBase held in beautiful Primošten, Croatia we were 274 digital nomads from all over the world gathers to share experiences from our digital nomad, travelling lifestyle. OREST ZUB ON YOUTUBE In one of the videos on his YouTube channel, he's driving to Kyiv with an experienced war correspondent, Rauli Virtanen. He's a 73-year-old Finnish writer, freelance journalist, lecturer, and television producer. He's also the first person who visited every country in the world – and for that a big inspiration for both Orest and myself. RAISING MONEY FOR AN ORPHANAGE It's a tradition on NomadBase Live (and before that on every Nomad Cruise) that we have a charity dinner where we all chip in with donations to a good cause. And Orest was asked to find a children-specific charity in Ukraine that needs support in this crucial time. He found an orphanage in town Velykyi Lubin near Lviv in the western Ukraine where he lives. This orphanage hosts children from the surrounding areas and those who come from the war-torn eastern part of the country. At the conference Orest shows a video, he recorded at the orphanage, and a 7-8-year-old girl with a serious look on her face says that she's from Mariupol, one of the places in Ukraine that has suffered the most. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city was a strategic target for Russian and pro-Russian forces. On 19 March 2022, a Ukrainian police officer in Mariupol made a video in which he said, "Children, elderly people are dying. The city is destroyed and it is wiped off the face of the earth." And this the city this little girl was having a safe and happy childhood until this meaningless war started. When Orest show this clip most of us had tears in our eyes. GETTING A VAN FOR THE ORPHANAGE In a Facebook post after the event, Orest mentions that our first contribution will be a van. So far this initiative has raised around 6500 USD which is probably enough for a very basic 8-seater van. If you'd like to contribute, you can do it on PayPal [email protected] or see this page for other options:OpenMind.com.ua/support.

Welcome to part 4 of my mini-series about Kenya and The Masai Mara. Click here to go to part 1, part 2, and part 3. After our exciting hot air balloon trip, I went to the Maassai village in the Mara. This was my last day in the Mara. I spent two nights in Lenchada Tourist Camp in the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya. And when we were asked if we wanted to go for a visit to a real Maasai village, I was the only one in the group who was interested. So, I got a private tour for a few hours. WELCOMING MAASAI A young boy from the village picks me up, and after a short walk just outside the fence that surrounds their little village, I meet up with Sammy, who would be my guide for the tour. A group of eight tall slim young Maasai men stood in a half-circle in front of me, singing, dancing, and jumping. They all wore their attractive colourful Maasai shuka – an African blanket they traditionally wear as a sarong. It's thick enough to be used as a light blanket for chilly mornings and afternoons. Each Maasai does not wear the exact same colours, but most of them wear red because it symbolizes their culture, and they believe it scares wild animals away. JUMP JUMP JUMP They jump high, straight up in the air. Later I learned that the higher they can jump, the less dowry they pay to the woman's family before marriage. The young Maasai men then invited me to join the dance. First, they draped me in a red shuka – and had a laugh watching this pale middle-aged, slightly overweight Scandinavian dude trying to jump. In the moment, I felt I did pretty good but looking at the pictures, I can see that I barely left the ground. So, it would be expensive for me to get married in this culture. ONE BIG FAMILY In this village, there were 20 families with 200 people from the same grandfather. They do not intermarry in their village. As mentioned, they are a semi-nomadic tribe that stay in the same place for around nine years, and they move to another place when the houses are eaten by termites. They are polygamous – which means that the man can marry as many women as he likes (or can afford). SIX FACTS ABOUT THE MAASAI PEOPLE Here are some hardcore facts about the Maasai people. 1. Most Famous African Tribe The Maasai is an ethnic group living in northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best-known local populations internationally because they live in or near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes. And then we know them for their distinctive customs, dress, and beautiful jewelry. The men very often also have a distinct tall and slim frame. More on that later 2. Population There are around 2 million Maasai people. 1.2 million are in Kenya and around 800,000 in Tanzania. 3. Language The Maasai speak the Maasai language, Maa – but except for some elders living in rural areas, most Maasai people speak the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and English. 4. Body Modification The piercing and stretching of earlobes are common among the Maasai as with other tribes, and both men and women wear metal hoops on their stretched earlobes. 5. Tall People They are considered one of the tallest people in the world. According to some reports, their average height is 6 ft 3 inches (190 cm). 6. When a Maasai Dies They typically don't bury people in the ground when they die – as they feel that it ruins the earth. They instead have a "scavenger burial" where they cover the dead body with oxblood or cattle fat and leave it in a bush for the wild animals to eat. The deceased is considered a good person if they are eaten on the first night. A LOOK IN THE HISTORY BOOK The Maasai tribe has not had an easy life. According to Maasai belief, the tribe originated in northwest Kenya, just north of Lake Turkana. As they are semi-nomadic, the Maasai tribe lives off the land. After a few years in one place, they move to the next area to survive. Before the European settlers arrived, the Maasai people owned almost all of the most fertile lands in Kenya. But their man-made spears were no match for armed British troops, so the Maasai tribe lost the battle for their best land in 1904 and signed their first agreement with the Europeans. While their land was some of the best in Kenya, the Europeans were not content and further fought to get more. So, in 1911 a small group of Maasai signed another agreement giving up even more land. Despite not being fully understood, these Maasai were tricked into signing away valuable land. A total of around two-thirds of their land was lost, resulting in devastating consequences for the Maasai people. POLYGAMY AND LION KILLING Back in the Maasai village, Sammy told me more about Polygamy in the tribe. Sammy has four children and only one wife, but his father has eight wives. And eight mothers-in-law. This is when I meet up with a group of other young men from the village, and they did a dance for me. They mostly dance during celebrations like initiations when a group of young bu

Welcome to part 3 of my mini-series about Kenya and The Masai Mara. Click here to go to part 1 and part 2. I decided to splurge and go on an early morning hot air balloon safari – very early the morning after New Year's Eve. I wanted to see the beautiful sunrise on the horizon of the savanna with exotic animals below me. So, after our game drive, I spoke to Francis who would arrange pickup for me just four hours after we entered 2022. Francis mentiones that the balloon will launch at 06 in the morning and take one hour. On landing we will be welcomed with a champagne bush breakfast. There will be plenty of room for take-off and landing, and he assured me that we would not disrupt any animals during the flight. He also told us to keep warm because it would get chilly. There would be no guarantee that we would see any animals as this was not during the migration season. It's something that is not included in the package. It's available as an extra option at 450 USD /408 Euros per person. So, it's not cheap. This is how I justified the extra expense: In ten years, I would be able to remember the experience but not the price tag. After the briefing, Francis mentioned that he would pick me up at 4.20 am. This would not be an easy feat. For the first time since I was three years old, I had to go to bed before midnight on New Year's Eve. THE RADIO VAGABOND LANGUAGE SCHOOL: SWAHILI Meanwhile, let's learn to say a few words that will impress the locals when you get here. As you heard in the previous episodes in this mini-series, Kenyans have English as one of the two official languages. And since you probably understand what I'm saying now, let's have a quick lesson in the other one: Swahili. You can hear the pronunciation on the podcast. Hello: Jambo Thank you: Asante sana You're welcome: Karibu Okay: Sawa Don't worry: Hakuna matata Note that no one says that in Kenya unless you are a tourist. The more common term is "Usijali" Friend: Rafiki Goodbye: Kwaheri OTHER INTERESTING FACTS: DANGEROUS ANIMALS Shane, who you had met the two previous episodes, also took us through the most dangerous animals. It's not lions but much more elephants and hippos. A lone male elephant is very dangerous. Hippos are also animals to keep away from. We added a third one in our previous episode when we were chased by an angry rhino. It is always to have an experienced driver with you as they know the signs of danger. Therefore, Shane says, do not try to self-drive so that you do not put your safety at risk. THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE I was picked up at 4.20 as Francis promised on the first day of the year. We drove for about an hour on the bumpy roads (what he called a Kenyan massage) and we went on the savannah in the middle of Masai Mara. We signed a few papers as the team got three hot air balloons ready. The birds were chirping in the morning and the air was crisp and fresh. The experience began at the launch site in the heart of the Masai Mara National Game Reserve. It was still dark, but you could hear animals grazing close by and the occasional lion roaring in the distance at his early morning kill. There was a lot of activity as the Balloon Safari crew team were bustling around the balloon basket and "the envelope" (as they called the balloon itself) laid out flat on the ground ready for inflation. As we checked in at their security desk (the hood of a Jeep), we could hear the fans start and in the pre-dawn light I started to see the billowing of the envelope as it inflated and flames from the hot air balloon burner-test lit up the darkness. With the first glow of sunlight flickeing across the skies, the hot air balloon filled and gently rose. Our Russian pilot, Sergei Nosov gave us a pre-flight safety briefing. He took us through all the safety aspects and landing procedures. The basket was big and could fit twelve people in four compartments and the pilot in the middle. With the basket still lying flat on the ground, we're asked to climb in and lay down – on what looked like shelfs that would become walls to our hips when we stand up as we went airborne. Next to me were two Norwegians, Regine and Christian. Regine was a frequent traveller too – with more countries under her belt than me. The pilot then blew more hot air in the balloon and slowly the basket with us in it stood up. When it was standing upright, he told us to stand-up, and the adventure began. We slowly took off and gently glided with the wind over the plains of the Masai Mara, the silence, beauty and magnitude were breath-taking! Flying high up above the Masai Mara is the ultimate safari experience. Against a backdrop of a stunning sunrise, there's really nothing quite like it. The view from a hot-air balloon flight in the Masai Mara was unparalleled and the experience unforgettable. Sure, the idea of waking up at the crack of dawn the morning after New Year's Eve sounded less than pleasant the previous day but the rewards of embarking on this high-flying adventure

THINGS TO DO IN NAIROBI In the last post, I was talking about Shane and Monica who I met in Nairobi. They both gave us tips on all the amazing stuff there's to see around the country, but there's also a lot to do in the capital. VISIT THE KAREN BLIXEN MUSEUM The museum is located in the town Karen at the Ngong Hills slopes just outside Nairobi. It was owned by Danish author Karen and her Swedish husband Baron. It became more famous after the renowned "Out of Africa" film. It's open to the public and you can enjoy guided tours and lots of materials to buy. You can learn more here. DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is one of the largest and most successful orphan elephant rescue centres in the world. They have successfully cared for 282 elephants and here, you can also get to adopt a calf (baby elephant). NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK Nairobi National Park is a few minutes away from the city centre. You can see rhinos, zebras, giraffes, baboons, wildebeest, and many other animals against a backdrop of the city skyline. Learn more from their website. BOMAS OF KENYA This is a cultural village representing the 42 tribes of Kenya. If you want to learn about the ethnic tribes and history of the country, this a tour that you should not miss. You also get to learn about the clothing, dances, and economic activities of each tribe. You can also try diverse Kenyan cuisine at the Utamaduni Restaurant. Learn more here. THE GIRAFFE CENTRE The Giraffe Centre is run by the Kenya non-profit organisation, the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, whose main purpose is to educate Kenyan children about their environment and wild animals. They also give visitors and opportunity to come into close contact with the world's tallest animal. I went there and spoke to Daniel Mutua the educator who shared lots of information about this majestic animal. When visiting the centre, you will get some pellets, walk on the platform, and get ready to feed the giraffes. David mentioned that the pellets are made from dry grasses, molasses, and corn. These act like snacks for the animal whose main food is grass, leaves and water. Kenya has three subspecies of giraffes: Maasai, Rothchild and the Reticulated, and in the late 1970s there were only about 130 Rothchild giraffes left on the grasslands of East Africa. The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife was founded in 1979 by the late Jock Leslie-Melville, a Kenyan citizen of British descent, and his American-born wife, Betty Leslie-Melville. They began the giraffe centre after discovering the sad situation on the deteriorating animal population. However, from the centre's efforts, today there are over 300 Rothschild giraffes which are safe and breeding well in Kenyan parks. Twelve of them are in the giraffe centre. The difference in the three species is notable on body spots and the animal habitats. Each giraffe has a different personality just like humans ranging from gentle, kind, playful and so much more. At the centre, they know them by name and by their characters. Inside the Giraffe centre there is the Giraffe Manor Hotel. Its resident herd of giraffe will poke their long necks into the window before retreating in the wild. You get to dine with the lovely animals. VISIT KICC On a clear day you can see Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro from the rooftop of the tallest building in the city. The KICC (Kenyatta International Convention Centre) Tower is an icon and a landmark for Kenya. It is a leading facility in the meeting industry in East Africa. I went up there and I got amazing views of the stunning city. It was a bit cloudy so I couldn't see the two biggest mountains in Africa, but I still saw a lot. I spoke to two of the four people that I met on the tower, and we had a great chat about the best and the worst about living here. SOME TIPS ON SAFARIS Choose a good car: The type of vehicle you use is very important. If you are in the 4-wheel drive normal vehicles, your viewing experience will be normal. For a spectacular experience, go for a higher wheelbase and a lot of window space. With this, you will have a 360-degree views. You will be driving for long hours a day and you need a comfortable vehicle. Choose a good package: Check a trip and package where you can enjoy a lot of time in the wild as much possible. Choose carefully and look at the itinerary and their professionalism. Your guide and the company you choose has a great influence on your overall experience. When it comes to the great migration, splurge a little bit more if possible and it will be an unforgettable experience. GAME DRIVE IN MASAI MARA Then we're off on the first game drive in the Masai Mara. It's one of the places with the highest photographic potential in Africa and the world. We saw lions throughout the park, and elephants, giraffes, a variety of gazelle species and zebras. Two cats that can be a bit tricky to tell apart are cheetahs and leopards. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the leopards (one

Welcome to this mini-series about Kenya and Masai Mara. This is part 1 On December 31st, I was excited to go to Masai Mara. I went on a 5-hour drive from Nairobi, Kenya, to Masai Mara National Reserve (often referred to just as The Mara). I knew that the game drives would start early in the morning, and I would not be partying too hard for New Year. The two-night/three-day safari trip was partly made possible by Scenery Adventures Ltd, which is owned and operated by Monica Musungu. Scenery Adventures does inbound and outbound travel. They take visitors to Congo, Tanzania, Seychelles, Egypt, and many other places. I got to know Monica when we were in Berlin in March 2020, just as the Corona pandemic was beginning to rear its ugly head. We were both there for a big travel event called ITB, which was canceled days before the event. As we had our tickets ready, we decided to travel anyway and that's how our paths crossed. MEETING THE TRAVEL CAMEL I also met Shane Dallas who I knew from the travel industry, and TBEX, which does conferences for travel content creators around the world. Shane is the conference director of TBEX Europe, Asia, and Africa. As I'm the co-host and producer of the TBEX podcast, Travel Matters, you can say that we're colleagues. Shane has been traveling worldwide for years – calling himself and his travel blog "The Travel Camel", but when he came to Kenya, he fell in love with the country and his wife, Maureen. He's been living here for a number of years with her and their daughter. He knows a lot about this country, but he's originally from Australia. It has been nine years since he went back to Australia. He is probably getting away from all the poisonous snakes and spiders. However, he misses his family, friends, cricket, and rugby. I asked Shane to give me some insights into what Kenya means to him. "Kenya is complex with more than 40 tribes, and each has its food, customs, and activities. I love it". That morning, I finally met Dennis, my driver, in Nairobi for the next few days. We got on the van with an open roof which would come in handy when we went on game drives in the park. That way, we could stand up and get a good view of the wildlife for taking photos. We were a group of 7 or 8 – a few from Kenya, and besides me was a guy from San Francisco. Not only was I going on game drives, but I also decided to spend a little extra time by visiting a Maasai Village and then start 2022 by going on a hot air balloon safari over the savannah early in the morning on January 1st. Here are some facts about Kenya FACTS ABOUT KENYA How Big and How Many People At 580,367 square kilometers (224,081 sq mi), Kenya is the world's 48th largest country by area. It is slightly smaller than Ukraine and a bit bigger than Spain. With more than 47.6 million people, Kenya is the 29th most populous country globally. Kenya is the World's Leading Safari Destination Kenya has been recognized by the World Travel Awards as the world's leading safari destination for 2021, a position it has held for seven years now! The country has 50 epic national parks and reserves home to diverse wildlife, including the renowned Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes). Official Languages There are more than 69 different languages spokenKenya, but they only have two official languages, English and Swahili. English is widely spoken in commerce, schooling, and government, and you can totally get by here. The English level on the street is very good – even though they do have a local dialect that can be a bit hard to catch sometimes for a western speaking ear. The Flag The flag is a horizontal tricolor with black, red, and green from the top and thinner white lines. The black stands for the country's people, the green stands for the landscape, the white lines represent peace, and the red in the middle symbolizes war. And then what is most unique of the flag: a Maasai shield and spears in the middle – and it symbolizes the defense of all the things mentioned in the colors. All in all, it's a cool flag. Religion Most Kenyans are Christian (86%), with 54% Protestant and 21% Roman Catholic. Islam is the second-largest religion, with 11% of the population. Famous Proverbs from Kenya They have quite a few sayings, but here are a few of my favorites: "Because a man has injured your goat, do not go out and kill his bull." "Do not slaughter a calf before its mother's eyes." "A hyena cannot smell its own stench." And the last one is a twist of one I've heard many times where I come from … that "a captain should go down with his ship". But Kenyans have a saying that goes like this: "A sinking ship doesn't need a captain." THINGS TO SEE IN TWO PERFECT WEEKS IN KENYA I also asked Monica and Shane about their recommendations on what to see in two perfect weeks here in Kenya. These were some of their recommendations. TURKANA It is Kenya's largest county by land area in the north-western part of the country. It's bordered by t

It's a sad week for the world, Europe, and especially Ukraine – as Russia invaded the country in an unprovoked attack yesterday morning. So, I thought I would share a conversation I had during a walk with Ksenia from UkraineToGo. We walked through the beautiful city of Kyiv when I was there at the very beginning of my journey, in August 2016. This was at a time when Ukraine also was at war with Russia after they invaded Crimea. As you will hear, it was a love/hate relationship with their big brother from the east. On one hand, we talk about some very popular toilet paper with Putin's face on them and on the other hand, a big monument called the Arch of Friendship – celebrating the friendship between the two nations. I wonder what the people of Ukraine think of that monument this week. I wonder what kind of history is being written this week and in the coming time. To be honest, I don't see how this is going to end. That sanctions are going to make Putin think "this was a mistake; I pull my troops out". Not likely. That the world and the Ukrainians just accept that Russia takes over this beautiful big European country with proud people that love their freedom and democracy. No, I don't see that happening either. What I fear the most, is that it will end very bloody and escalate to even more countries. I feel so bad for the Ukrainian people who just want to live in peace. But also, for the regular Russian people who didn't make this decision and will be suffering from what happens with the economic sanctions imposed by the world. All in all, this is a horrible situation.

काठमाडौंमा स्वागत छ WELCOME TO KATHMANDU Before going to Nepal, I'd been told that this country has some very friendly people – that show a genuine interest in who you are and where you're from. And that was the case already in the taxi on the way from the airport to the city. In the car with Basu Rimal, he asked a lot about where I was from and what it was like there. He told me that he had been to Scandinavia. "I've been to Norway and Finland, but not Denmark yet. Scandinavia is really nice, I really liked it but it's very cold." Basu works in tourism and has a tour company called Nepalaya Treks And Expedition, where he does trekking in Himalaya. YOU DECIDED ON NEPAL In last week's episode, I asked you where we should go. And there was a big majority in the votes that said that we should go to Nepal. Thank you all for being so active in saying your opinion on The Radio Vagabond on Facebook. I'm here with a good friend from Denmark, and we're staying in a guest house called Ambassador Garden Home in a vibrant lively area called Thamel in the heart of Kathmandu. Thamel have the biggest tourist market in Nepal and the biggest business hub with a ton of guest houses, restaurants, shops, and bookstores. Obviously, I found Ambassador Garden Home on Hotels25.com. LANGUAGE IN NEPAL Nepal has 122 major languages. Nepali is the most common spoken by 78% of the population either as first or second language and has official language status. But the other 121 languages are all recognized national languages. PATAN DURBAR SQUARE Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur, around 10 km from the city center of Kathmandu in Nepal. This square is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, which are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Durbar Square is a marvel of Newar architecture. The square floor is tiled with red bricks. There are many temples in the area. There is also a bell beside the main temples. It's a stunning and lively area. NEPAL EARTHQUAKE In April 2015 the square was heavily damaged by the big Nepal Earthquake. The earthquake struck near the city of Kathmandu in central Nepal. About 9,000 people were killed, many thousands more were injured, and more than 600,000 structures in Kathmandu and other nearby towns were either damaged or destroyed. The initial shock registered a magnitude of 7.8, with the epicentre only around 77 km (48 miles) northwest of Kathmandu. And two large aftershocks, with magnitudes 6.6 and 6.7, shook the region within one day of the main quake. Here is a YouTube video shot right here when the earthquake hit. 7 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT KATHMANDU Big City in the Valley Kathmandu is the capital city and largest city of Nepal with a population of 1.5 million in the city, and 3 million in its wider urban areas across the Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu is the 17th highest capital in the world Last week we were in La Paz, Bolivia – the highest capital in the world, and Kathmandu is also up there. Standing at approximately 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) above sea level it's number 17 on the list. City of Glory Kathmandu is known as Kantipur which means the city of glory. The rich ancient culture and diverse religion make this city as the city of glory. UNESCO Hot Spot Kathmandu valley is full of cultures and heritage sites. It has seven UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Kathmandu Valley itself was accorded the status of a World Heritage Site in 1979. The World's Biggest Mountain is Close Mt. Everest is 240 km away from Kathmandu and is seen from Kathmandu valley. Never a Colony Even though this country lies in between the two big countries India and China, which was ruled by the British, Nepal was never a colony and never ruled by any foreigners and other countries. Kingdom Nepal was a kingdom ruled by the Shah family 1768 to 2008. The beginning of the end for the kingdom was when the Crown Prince killed his father the king, his mother, brother, sister, and many other members of his family in 2001. ROYAL MASSACRE I'm visiting the place where it all happened. Narayanhiti Palace is now a museum, and used to be the royal palace. This is where most of the royal family got killed by the Crown Prince on the 1st of June 2001. Here's how the official story goes: The Royal family gathered on a Friday, as they usually did on Fridays for a family evening. The king, the queen, their kids and a few cousins and close friends. In total 24 people were invited. After dinner, the Crown Prince Dipendra was in the pool room playing pool alone while drinking whiskey and smoking a cigar containing a mixture of hashish … as he often did. When his brother Prince Niranjan and other family members noticed that he was starting to sway back and forth and had difficulty standing, they suggested that he went to bed. While he was in the bedroom, he made several phone calls to his girlfriend, Devyani Rana. She later said that she noticed that his voice sounded a little weak and very slurry, so s

¡HOLA BOLIVIA! In this episode, we're going to La Paz in Bolivia. First, we're going over the city in what is called. 'The most spectacular public transport system on the planet'. Then we're going to what is called 'The most dangerous road on the planet'. And then we finish the best way possible by flying on a 1.5 km zipline more than 400 meters above a valley. EXPLORING BOLIVIA I arrived at La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, at 10 pm but unfortunately, everything was closed. Luckily, I found a street vendor where I bought water and snacks. I was exhausted, and I was looking forward to sleeping. I arrived in one of the tiniest and crummiest apartments that I have been to on my journey. I would be spending the next three nights there. This is the eighth-highest city in the world, 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level. One thing I noticed was that the air was thin, due to the high elevation, and it was easy for one to get out of breath very quickly. I also felt that it was cold, so I had to bring out the jacket that I hadn't worn in a long time. If you are reading this – and are a bit of a geek, you might say, "Hang on, Mr. Bo… La Paz is not the capital of Bolivia. That's Sucre". Well, yes and no. Let's just get some facts straight. INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LA PAZ La Paz is the De Facto Capital of Bolivia It's the seat of government and the legislative and executive capital. The constitutional capital of Bolivia, Sucre, remains the judicial power. A Remarkable Location La Paz is in west-central Bolivia 68 km (42 mi) southeast of Lake Titicaca. The 3rd Most Populated City in Bolivia With an estimated 816,044 residents, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bolivia. Its metropolitan area with a population of 2.3 million makes it the most populous urban area in Bolivia. The Illimani Mountains are an Incredible Backdrop of The City Overlooking the city is the towering, triple-peaked Illimani Mountain. Its peaks are always snow-covered and can be seen from many parts of the city. Highest Capital City Globally At an elevation of roughly 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world. It is one of the Seven Wonder Cities In May 2015, it was officially recognized as one of the New 7 Wonders Cities. This was a project aimed at highlighting the greatest cities. MY CABLE CAR La Paz is also home to the largest urban cable car network in the world – and it's really something special. It's called "Mi Teleférico" in Spanish, which translates to "My Cable Car". It's an aerial cable car urban transit system and the first line was opened in 2014. Now the system consists of 26 stations along ten lines. One more line and extensions are in construction. Based on its master plan, the completed system, which is being built by the Austrian company, Doppelmayr, is intended to reach a length of 33.8 km (21.0 mi) with 11 lines and 30 stations. While other having urban transit cable cars (like the Metrocable system in Medellín, Colombia) works as a little extra add-on to existing transport systems, La Paz is the first to use cable cars as the backbone of the urban transit network. Before My Cable Car, it was both expensive and time-consuming to move around the city in the chaotic traffic with both environmental and noise pollution. Each line has a maximum capacity of 6,000 passengers per hour, each car seats ten passengers, cars depart every 12 seconds, and the network is open 17 hours a day. It moves around a quarter of a million passengers per day. And then it's crazy cheap! A ticket is only 3 Bolivian Boliviano or less than 50 cents, and the locals can get it even cheaper using smart tickets. The system connects La Paz to the neighbouring city, El Alto, where I'm heading right now with my friend Alex. The two cities are separated by a steep slope about 400 m tall (1,300 ft), which were previously only connected by winding, congested roads. Now we're floating high above this, and we get to see La Paz from a different angle. My Cable Car has become a must-visit for all travellers, and not only is it good for the locals and the environment, but it's also now a major tourist attraction. While in El Alto, we found a market where we found some fried chicken. See what it looked like in this video. DEATH ROAD At 07.30 the next morning, I was heading to Death Road with my friend Alex. I could see many people on mountain bikes while waiting on other travellers at our rendezvous spot. Yungas Road, also known as Death Road (Ruta de la Muerte in Spanish). It was named in 1995 as it was the world's most dangerous road. There are reports that nearly 300 people were killed on this road every year until 1994. So, Death Road got its name because of its high death rate. Some people say that the name comes from Paraguayan Prisoners of War that died during the construction of the road back in the 1930s. Now it draws about 25,000 tourists per year and is a major La Paz tourist attraction. We were out of breath when clim

Welcome to an interview episode of The Radio Vagabond. We're talking to digital nomad expert Marisa Meddin from Atlanta, USA. I know that you guys listening love to travel and hear about adventures in far-away places. But a lot of you are also interested in the nomadic lifestyle. How is it even possible to sit on a beach somewhere in the world with your laptop and do your work? Well, that's the picture often portrayed… that we sit on the beach with the laptop and an exotic cocktail within reach. Try to Google "Digital Nomad" and go to the image section. This is not the case. Rarely. Our guest today, Marisa Meddin, has a company with two partners that helps you become a digital nomad – so you also can travel the world. And they taps into that image by calling it Beach Commute. If you are interested in that, you should listen. Also, you should hit PLAY if you want to hear some great travel stories – like the time, she got invited to a wedding in Egypt and said yes to the invitation. Marisa Meddin has been a nomad for six years (a little bit longer than me at the time of the recording) and in this episode, you can hear how she became nomadic and how she makes it work. We're also going to be talking about communities, making friends and romance along the way, what it's like being a solo female traveller, and then she will share her thoughts about the good and the bad about living this lifestyle. USEFUL LINKS: Marisa also hosts a podcast about being a nomad, called Digital Nomad Experts. And if you want to hear the interview with me on that podcast click here. The company she co-founded is called Beach Commute and you can also find them on Facebook. Follow Marisa on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. All-in-all there is so much information, tips and tricks in this episode. Now listen and enjoy. My name is Palle Bo. And I gotta keep moving. See you.

In this episode, we travel to Dubai and meet the world at the Expo 2020 Dubai. From cancelled Cruises and great lessons and connections from the travel world. WORLD EXPO DUBAI I am back in Dubai for the Expo 2020 Dubai. My friend Jason spoke warmly about the event, and I was convinced. If you don't remember, Jason is my Couchsurfing host from Connecticut, and he was also the main organizer of the CouchCrash I had the pleasure of attending a few years back. For the last 40 years (since 1982) Jason has attended every single World Expo and spoke warmly about the experience. I'd heard about the event, but I booked my trip and added it to my list when I heard that it was going to be in Dubai. I've always seen Dubai as a place that strives to do everything bigger and better, so this could only be over-the-top amazing. My trip was up to a good start. After the expo, I had planned to go to Cape Town via an exciting cruise. It was an 18-day cruise from Dubai - Oman - Seychelles - Madagascar- Mauritius - 3 places in South Africa - Cape Town. However, after many changes, the organizer decided to cancel the cruise altogether. Although I was disappointed, I just had to look for an alternative and decided to spend some more time at the expo. FACTS ABOUT EXPO 2020 DUBAI Before we walk through the expo doors, let's start with some interesting hard-core facts about Expo 2020 Dubai: EXPOS have been held every five years Expos have been held every five years (more or less) across the globe since the first World Fair was held in London in 1851. Expo 2020 Dubai takes place from the beginning of October 2021 to the end of March 2022. Yes, it was postponed for a year because of the pandemic but kept the name Expo 2020 Dubai. This is an excellent fair that typically attracts more visitors than the FIFA World Cup and Olympics put together. The organizers in Dubai expected that a whopping 25 million people would visit the event despite concerns about the pandemic's impact on global travel and tourism. Expos connect minds World Expos are a global gathering of nations to find solutions to the pressing challenges of our time. Dubai won the bid in 2013, beating competition from Russia, Turkey, and Brazil with the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future." Brand new metro station The site is located in the Dubai South area, and they even made a dedicated metro station. The station is equipped to carry as many as 44,000 passengers per hour, per direction. The station is called Expo 2020, but after the Expo's six-month run, the station will be renamed District 2020. The area of the expo is the size of 800 football fields The area of the expo was 4.4 km2 or 1.7 square miles, and that is around 800 football fields. That is a large area to walk but provides good exercise for people as they move from booth to booth. However, Expo Explorer trains were available with stops at the thematic districts. You could also rent Expo Buggies or jump on the free busses called People Movers. The expo had the world's biggest screen The ground was divided into three central thematic districts (sustainability, mobility, and opportunity). In the middle was Al Wasl Plaza. Al Wasl means "connection," and this was Dubai's historical name. There was a huge 360-degree dome that turned into the world's largest projection surface at night. It was almost as wide as two Airbus A380s placed wing-to-wing, taller than the leaning Tower of Pisa, and it was made from 550 tons of molded steel. It also weighed as much as 25 blue whales. Under the dome, there were also live performances. A few days after my visit, Alicia Keys performed with a white grand piano. Find a video with a clip from her performance here. AUSTRALIA PAVILLION I started exploring the different pavilions at the expo. My first stop was Australia. The Pavilion highlighted the country's diversity, ingenuity, and contribution through 60,000 years of innovation and indigenous connection to land, sea, and sky. They called it 'Blue Sky Dreaming, ' and they aimed to condense the aspirations and achievements of their nation and harness the Australian spirit of optimism and ideas. It was spectacular and celebrated Australia embracing openness, diversity, harmony, creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. Visitors enjoyed a series of immersive and dream-like exhibition experiences inspired by aspects of the Australian landscape, culture, and invention. MEETING THE WHOLE WORLD One hundred ninety-two countries were represented at the expo. Therefore, it felt as you could meet the whole world at Expo 2020 Dubai. And in that sense, it's the biggest Expo ever. But my friend Jason told me that this one seemed less visited than other expos. I can only imagine how big the expo was in previous years. He mentioned that previously, you had to wait for 45-minutes to get to each pavilion, and here it only happened a few times in peak hours. VISITING MY HOME COUNTRY'S PAVILION Next to the big Australia Pavilion, there was

In this episode, we have an interesting conversation with a public speaker, stand-up comedian, quizmaster, magician, mind reader, DJ, genius dancer and arguably one of the most entertaining things to come out of Wales since Tom Jones. His name is Eddy Jenkins but on the cruise ship we all know him as "Cruise Director Eddy". Hear how he travelled to nearly 100 countries and what it's like working on a cruise ship.

BONJOU FROM THE CARIBBEAN This week I'm going to take you to three different islands in the Caribbean. We will visit an independent UN nation Saint Lucia, then head over to two autonomous islands that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. CRUISING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC In August 2021, I explored Saint Lucia through a 12-day cruise with Celebrity Cruiselines. I was still traveling through the pandemic and knew that this would impact the cruise. There are stark differences between how we traveled back then and now. For example, we all had to be fully vaccinated and present a negative COVID test. Instead of having a buffet lunch option during lunch, we had someone serving us lunch. However, we didn't have to wear a mask on the ship. There were also some excursion restrictions for some destinations that we visited, and I noticed that the itinerary had changed quite a bit. The original plan was that we would travel to six UN nations, and since I am one of those travelers that travel intending to visit every country in the world, this was one of the main attractions for me. I knew that this trip would see me mark my "visit 100 countries" goal. However, that didn't happen, and I was a bit disappointed. Nevertheless, I made peace that things will not always go according to plan during a global pandemic. If you listen to the podcast, you will notice that I have touched on this in previous episodes. And sometimes, plans change during travel, and we have to accept, find solutions and move on. When you're on a cruise like this, the cruise line offers a few different tours or excursions on the port days. And because my trip happened in August 2021, we had to book a trip with the cruise line for some of the stops. That was the only way they would let us off the ship. This is obviously to curb the spread of the virus and make sure that we only traveled with other fully vaccinated and tested people. And that was the case with Saint Lucia. DAY TRIPPING IN SAINT LUCIA I made my way through the checkpoints on the pier in Saint Lucia, and I managed to book a tram trip around the port city, the capital of Castries. The little yellow trolly train is run by a local company here in Saint Lucia, called Hibiscus Train. But then nature intervened. A rain cloud quickly came in and covered the melting hot sun almost instantly and we were almost left soaking wet on the pier (when we were sweating from the heat only moments before). Island life, hey. I grabbed a poncho and took shelter in a nearby building and waited for the downpour to subside. This kind of flash rain is a regular occurrence on these islands, as a quick cooling intermission to break up the heat. We travelled on a tram, well train, well, we weren't on tracks, so it was just a type of car dressed as a locomotive. It had a little roof thank goodness, so we had shelter from the rain. After a tour around the city with a few stops, like the cathedral The Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, we ended up at the exotic Vigie Beach, just on the other side of their tiny airport. Saint Lucia was so beautiful and the people are so friendly. Here are some interesting things that I learned. 7 FUN FACTS ABOUT SAINT LUCIA It is a small capital built on reclaimed land. Castries is the capital and largest city of Saint Lucia, the island country in the Caribbean. It's a small city in a small country, and the urban area has a population of only around 20,000 inhabitants. It is built on reclaimed land and has undergone several restorations after fire destruction. It is one of the smallest countries in the world. Saint Lucia is tiny, with 616 km2 (238 sq miles). It is number 178 on the list of 193 UN Nations. It is smaller than Micronesia and Singapore and only slightly bigger than Andorra. The population of the country is only 184,000. It is the first country to be named after a woman. It's the first country in the world to be named after a woman – Saint Lucy of Syracuse. It's one of just two countries in the world to be named after a woman. The other one is Ireland. Saint Lucia gained its independence in 1979 It gained its independence from Britain in 1979 after ownership of the island was swapped seven times between France & Britain in the 1800s. After 1979 it also became a member of the Commonwealth. You can still feel a bit of Britain here. For example, they love playing cricket, driving on the left-hand side of the road. And English is still the official language even though 85% of the population also speak Saint Lucian Creole. It's hard to take a picture without their famous UNESCO landmark. Saint Lucia is home to the Pitons mountain range, a UNESCO World Heritage site. As the island is small, it's hard to take a picture anywhere in Saint Lucia without the two mountain peaks visible. There are 21 different types of rum in just one region. Like many destinations in the Caribbean, rum is big business in Saint Lucia. And the Roseau region just south of the capital is home to

I met up with my old friend Dave Brett in November, when we were both visiting World Travel Market in London. Dave is a solo adventure travel blogger and we've met several times here and on conferences around the world. We even went on a press trip together to Sri Lanka a few years ago – you might remember him singing on the bus in one of the episodes from there. So, it was about time we sat down and recorded a chat about travelling and how he works as a travel writer. Read his blog post from the slow train trip in the Pyrenees that Dave talks about in this episode – and see the YouTube video he made on that trip. Be sure to check out Dave's Blog, Travel Dave UK where he's travelling the world, one adventure at a time. His globe-trotting adventure travel blog featuring travel tips and advice, travel stories, travel videos and travel photography that will inspire your next trip abroad, and help you plan it too. To read more, please visit his "About Travel Dave Page". Follow Travel Dave UK on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

BIENVENIDO A SAN SALVADOR The first leg of my trip in El Salvador is the capital San Salvador. I take a walking tour and connect with warm Salvadorans, indulging in coffee and pupusa. El Salvador's airport is around 40 minutes from the capital, the biggest city in this incredibly interesting country. I arrive in the country in the afternoon and spend the first night in the airport hotel because I don't want to arrive in the city after dark. This was a mistake. There isn't much to see, and I could have gone directly to the city. I get up bright and early and climb into a "chicken bus". This is a convenient and cheap way to travel in some countries. Travelling from the airport to San Salvador is only 61 cents. #DontSkipElSalvador El Salvador is great, and you shouldn't skip it. With fewer tourists than in other Central American countries, you have more space to explore. I considered skipping my visit to San Salvador because this is a country with beautiful nature, which was what I was here to see. I discover there is a lot to see in the capital and decide to go and I am happy I made that decision. Though the adventure and beauty of El Salvador remain in the countryside, you get to explore both the city life El Salvador has to offer as well as the picturesque beaches and villages in more remote areas. When I get to the city, I hail a taxi – and have yet another conversation in broken Spanish. He takes me to the hotel I booked through Hotels25.com. I chose a small, wonderful little place called Hotel Santa Elena. EL SALVADOR SAFETY CONCERNS Many people say El Salvador is a dangerous place, another reason I nearly steered clear of San Salvador. Marked as red on Travel Risk Map.com, El Salvador is the fifty-first most dangerous country in the world. It's all about using common sense, a local, Edwin, tells me. Pickpockets aren't a risk, but dark alleys and isolated areas should be avoided. FREE WALKING TOUR IN SAN SALVADOR As you know, I love embarking on free walking tours when I get to a new city. A walking tour is a great way to get a two- or three-hour overview of a city and bookmark some places you want to go back to and see more of it. Edwin E. Carrillo is the owner and operations manager of EC Tours El Salvador, a company he started six years ago that offers walking tours of San Salvador, volcano tours, hikes, and more. They were the first company to offer free walking tours in Central America. Post-tour, I speak to Edwin and Estefany Hernandez from EC Tours on the third floor of a parking garage. The garage overlooks Plaza Morazan and the big, beautiful building holding the national theatre. What started as an Airbnb for Edwin quickly became a booming business. He noticed that tourists would stay one night and leave the next day. Deciding that the visitors needed to see more of this fascinating part of the world, he started the walking tours to add value to his Airbnb guest's experience. He noticed that they would stay longer. EL SALVADOR IS THE LAND OF VOLCANOES El Salvador lies in the pacific ring of fire, an area with the most seismic and volcanic activity on the planet. There are around 170 volcanoes in this small country alone, 6 of which are still active, the most active being the Chaparrastique stratovolcano. There have been 26 eruptions in the last 500 years. With an eruption that happened in 1976, lava gushed from the volcano. The structure of the city was influenced by volcanic activity. San Salvador itself was built on at least 20 meters of volcanic ash. Due to the unstable foundation skyscrapers cannot be built and wiring can be seen everywhere. No underground building activity can take place. If you find the ground shaking beneath you, Estefany tells us not to be scared. Tremors are registered every day, and earthquakes around once or twice a month. Just another day in El Salvador. The fit and brave can even hike up one of the oldest and highest volcanoes in the country, the Santa Anna volcano which last erupted in 2005. On top of the crater, you overlook a greenish sulphur lagoon. This is something I do later, so stay tuned as I hike up there in a future episode. 6 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT EL SALVADOR: El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America. It has an area of just over 21,000 sq km which is about the same as Wales and slightly smaller than the state of Massachusetts. Most densely populated With a population of almost 7 million people, El Salvador is the most densely populated country not only in Central America but in all of the Americas. No Caribbean coastline It's the only country in Central America without a Caribbean coastline. The El Salvador weather is tropical. The rainy season is from May to October and the dry season is from November to April. The national dish is the famous pupusa. A pupusa is a thick corn tortilla stuffed with a savory filling, like cheese, refried beans, different meats like pressed pork or chicken... Or a combination of them all. Dollars and Bitcoi

3D/BINAURAL AUDIO In parts of this episode, I used a special recording technique. Some call it binaural audio; some spatial audio and I normally just say 3D audio. This technique creates a three-dimensional audio effect that brings out so much more detail and depth than regular stereo (where the sound comes from only left and right). So, put on your headphones and give this episode a listen to get the full experience. Levántate y brilla desde Colombia Well, before I landed in Colombia, I had a few difficulties boarding my flight in Madrid, Spain. I wasn't in a hurry to get on the plane as I already booked my seat online. So, to avoid standing in line, I just sat around until there were hardly any people left. That turned out to be a mistake – and something that would almost make me miss my flight. This is the story we're starting with. Only so you can learn from my mistake. And there's a solution to my problem and a great travel tip at the end of that. PRE-FLIGHT TURBULENCE Prior to arriving at the airport, I made sure that I had everything in order. I got my Covid test, filled out all the immigration forms for entering Colombia and was pretty sure that I has everything sorted. But then when I got to the gate (as one of the last people to board) I was asked for a return ticket or an onward ticket as proof that I wouldn't overstay my visit in Colombia. And I didn't have any of that. I told the boarding gate official that I had visited the website of the government of Colombia and followed the steps described and nowhere did it say that I had to have a return or onward ticket. He said he was following orders, and that I had to buy either a return or onward ticket – right then and there. Then, when he saw that I was one of the last in the line and he was about to close the gate, he just casually (without any empathy) said: "I suppose you cannot fly, sir". And then he spoke in Spanish to some of the other passengers in a similar situation. I was totally stressed out and quickly got on Skyscanner.com to desperately buy a ticket anywhere out of Colombia so he would let me on the plane. At the same time, worried that he would give my ticket to someone else. To be honest this is such a rookie mistake from me. I've experienced a similar situation before in my time as a nomad. I guess I've just gotten a bit rusty during Covid… RADIO VAGABOND TRAVEL TIP #1 Not all, but some countries, do require that you have an onward ticket. Why is this? Well, countries want to make sure that you don't overstay the set amount of time you can be in their country. It's also to prevent illegal immigration and also because they want to confirm that you have enough money to actually buy a ticket and leave the country. Honestly, these are all very valid reasons. The airlines are held responsible and are required to check for proof of onward travel. They don't always ask so you could be lucky and board without it. But my advice is don't take that chance and end up like me: frantically trying to book an onward ticket on your phone just as they are closing the boarding gate. ALL ABOARD…? I went on Skyscanner and searched "Medellín, Colombia to anywhere" looking for the cheapest ticket. As I was stressing out trying to enter my credit card details on my phone, someone asked me if they could hotspot my phone just as the boarding gate official was asking me if I have checked a bag. Like he's in a rush to get my bag out of the plane – as I'm obviously not going to fly. And then he gets in an argument with the other passengers for the same issues as me which was adding to the already tense mood. Finally, my onward ticket to Panama got confirmed as I approached the tiny General of the Boarding Gate Republic. My heart was racing. I didn't want to get told that my onward ticket was somehow invalid and that I wouldn't be able to board my flight. Thankfully, he accepted my onward ticket and my ticket to board the flight, and I was off, not without exchanging a few terse words in his direction for the way the situation was handled. RADIO VAGABOND TRAVEL TIP #2 There are ways to avoid getting in a situation like this. If you don't know where you want to go and when you want to leave, you can find an airline that will let you refund and get your money back. An easier option is to use Onward Ticket which allows you to "rent" a ticket for $12 which is valid for 48 hours. They send you a confirmation to show to the airline and then this onward ticket is cancelled once you have arrived. NOT SO FAST, PALLE When I eventually got on the plane and strapped my seatbelt it was 5.02 pm. Then 6 hours later, I was back inside the terminal… Ice in the flight engine delayed our flight. We were asked to disembark a few times and had to wait for ages in the airport. This, of course, impacted my plans upon arrival, including arranging my meeting with my Airbnb host in Medellín. I was expecting us to fly at around midnight. That didn't happen. We waited another 5 hours bef

A warm hello from sunny Florida, USA. The glorious thing about the CouchSurfing community is that you get to make friends all over the world. In fact, the community is so warm that you also get to meet their friends (and friends of friends), too. When I CouchSurfed through Connecticut I got to know Jason and the ConnectiCouch crew. When I came to Florida, I asked him if they knew of anyone's couch I could crash on when I'm here. The answer was "Yes, you absolutely must meet Cynthia when you're in Florida!". So, after making contact with her we arranged to meet at the beautiful Lake Wales, smack in the middle of Florida. She lives close by, and I told her I would wait for her on a lakeside bench. When I arrived, I saw a woman sitting on a nearby bench wearing a South African cowboy hat. Something told me this was Cynthia. Of course, it was her. We exchanged warm Florida greetings and I immediately put her to task by asking her to tell me some interesting facts about where we were. INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THIS PART OF FLORIDA 1. LAKE WAILES WAS A BEACH Cynthia tells me that when the dinosaurs were roaming the earth, the area that is now Lake Wales was actually a beach, so the geology of the region is very unique from the rest of Florida. 2. WALES TOWN/WAILES LAKE The town of Lake Wales is spelt differently from the actual lake of Lake Wailes. In the 1800s the town was served and given the name Lake Wales. Then, in the early 1900s when the area was plotted, they named the lake, Lake Wailes. 3. RURAL 30 years ago, the town only had 10,000 people and one traffic light. Today, they have around 18,000 people and a few more traffic lights. 4. CENTRAL Lake Wales is very centrally located. It is about an hour south of Orlando and close to four hours from Miami. Each coastline is about an hour east/west. Cynthia wears a necklace that is a world map as a reminder of her spirit of adventure. She has travelled to 117 countries so far, all 50 US states, and isn't planning on stopping anytime soon. We were talking about cool it was to meet up at the suggestion of our mutual CouchSurfing friends. "For me, CouchSurfing isn't about the couch it's about the people you meet along the way. I have been blessed to meet over 1100 people in person. I have been CouchSurfing for a long time, and I am actually one of the CouchSurfing ambassadors for the United States, together with Jason and three others. We really believe in the power of community and connecting the world one person at a time". ROLLING UP SPOOK HILL After our lakeside chat/meet 'n greet, Cynthia and I got into our cars and headed for Spook Hill, a famous attraction in this part of Florida. Spook Hill is a gravity hill, an optical illusion that makes viewers believe that cars seemingly roll uphill, defying the laws of gravity. When I got there, I could see with my own eyes that the hill goes up. "Wow, it really is big and definitely is going up," I said. "Is it?" Cynthia asked with a knowing grin. The sign at the foot of Spook Hill tells the story of the legend (next to a drawing of a ghost): "Ages ago, an Indian Torn on Lake Wailes lake was plagued with raids by a Huge Gator. The town's Great Warrior Chief and the gator was killed in the Final Battle that created the huge swampy depression nearby. The chief was buried on its north side. Later, Pioneer Haulers coming from the foot of the old army trail atop the ridge above found their horses laboring here… at the foot of the ridge … and called it Spook Hill. Is it the gator seeking revenge or the chief protecting his land???" And then the sign says: "Stop the car on the white line, place it in neutral and let it roll back." I did just that. I stopped at the white line at the bottom of the hill. I placed it in neutral and low and behold…it rolled back. Really spooky. Or could it be just an optical illusion? Check it out for yourself on this video. COUCHSURFING Let's talk a little bit about CouchSurfing. I'm sure most of you know what it is but for the uninitiated: It's an online platform called CouchSurfing.com where you can either host or stay with someone. No money changes hands: you pay with a little gift, a dinner, or simply by telling a story, singing a song or being a great guest. Usually, you don't really spend the night on a couch. In the 50+ times I've CouchSurfed, I've only slept on a couch once. And that was a big one – on a blueberry farm in Maine. The most important thing is that you get to meet amazing locals and as a host, you get to meet some interesting people from around the world. It's such a great platform. (COUCH)SURFING THE PANDEMIC WAVE Obviously, it's also been tough for CouchSurfing during the Pandemic. Recently, they have had to ask users in their home market USA to pay a little bit to keep the platform alive. The community has grown very rapidly since it started. When Cynthia joined in 2007, there were roughly 100,000 people on the site. She knew almost all of them either through direct contac

Uma recepção calorosa from Rio de Janeiro My first Sunday morning in Rio gave me the quintessential Brazilian experience: chilling on a packed Copacabana beach listening to traditional samba music performed by a group of local friends sitting around a breakfast table. It didn't seem like these people were an organised band, and they weren't doing it to make money from tips. I just got the feeling that they were doing it for the love of samba. How can you not have a smile on your face when you find yourself experiencing this beauty on the world's most iconic beach only a few minutes' walk from where you stay? What a city! The night before, I also got to hear some Brazilian samba. I teamed up with a friend of mine, Shannon from Los Angeles, and asked some locals where we could find a unique samba experience. SATURDAY NIGHT SAMBA We were given insiders information on where to find a tiny samba bar known only to locals. When we arrived, we couldn't believe just how authentic this place was. It was a small bar – kinda like a bodega. The band was not on a stage; they were just sitting around a table with their instruments and drinks. The place was packed, and we were standing around their table in a circle. It was a truly unique experience. After the band put down their instruments in favour of their drinks, we stepped outside onto the street and walked a bit until we came across another very local place where they had a karaoke night. It didn't have any windows, so people walking by could hear the not-so-great 'singers' attempting their versions of famous songs. Shannon's face lit up, and with a big smile, she said, "Hey Palle, let's go in and get a drink". The thing is, Shannon "Sangin' Diva" Pearson is a professional singer. She began her professional career at the age of 15, doing studio work around Los Angeles. Over the years, she's had the privilege of sharing the stage as a backing singer for artists like Natalie Cole, George Duke, Stanley Clark, Al Jarreau, Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan, Evelyn Champagne King, Sean "P-diddy" Combs, Kelis, Leona Lewis, Katy Perry, and many others. She's also appeared on TV shows like Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel, America's Got Talent, and even How I Met Your Mother. As a solo artist, she's performed all over the world as Sangindiva Shannon. And now this singing diva was about to have her Brazilian debut in a not-so-fancy little karaoke bar in Rio de Janeiro. The people in there had no idea what was about to happen. Shannon was almost jumping in her seat and smiled like a kid in a candy store when she was flipping through the song folder to pick a song. She then went up to the lady controlling the show and pointed at a song. When it was her turn, we all sensed that this was a professional from the second she was handed the microphone. She connected instantly with the sleepy people in the room with her presence. She then belted out a loud "Hello from Los Angeles California!". And then the music started: Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Unlike other karaoke singers, she was not looking at the screen for the lyrics. She was looking at the audience, dancing and spinning around. The people on the street stopped and looked in awe of what was going on. It was like they were looking and thinking, "Wait a minute, didn't Whitney pass away a long time ago?". We ended up staying there for hours, and Shannon kept going back on stage again and again… Check out Shannon's outstanding performance below. https://youtu.be/nZnWVsxriJE ESCADARIA SELARÓN OR SELARÓN STEPS The following day, I met up with Shannon on Copacabana beach, and we were both still high on the musical experience from the night before. We strolled along the beachside, taking in the sights and sounds of this splendid place. We then slowly headed to the next beach over, Ipanema. We found ourselves at the 'hippy market', a lovely little flea market kitted out with artsy items such as musical instruments, brightly coloured shirts, hats, and curiosities. We then headed up to Escadaria Selarón, also known as the Selarón Steps – a world-famous steps attraction in Rio de Janeiro and the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who claimed it as his "tribute to the Brazilian people". In 1990, Selarón began renovating the steps that ran along the front of his house. At first, neighbours mocked him for his choice of colours as he covered the steps in fragments of blue, green and yellow tiles – the colours of the Brazilian flag. It started as a side-project to his main passion, painting, but it soon became an obsession. He was constantly running out of money for the project, so he sold paintings to fund his work. It was long and exhausting work, but he continued on and eventually covered the entire set of steps in tiles, ceramics and mirrors. There are 215 steps, measuring 125 metres long, covered in more than 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries around the world. It is considered an iconic tourist attraction of

SUNRISE ON THE BEACH Welcome to an episode from Sri Lanka. This is a rerun and a mix of two of my episodes from here. I visited the island in 2019, just before the pandemic shot the world (and Sri Lanka) down. Now that everything is slowly opening again, I wanted to remind you of the beauties of this country and its people. As you're joining us in this episode, we're staying at a hotel called Pigeon Island Beach Resort at the eastern part of the island. It's literally on the beach just north of Trincomalee. The next morning I got up at 5 am so I could go to the beach facing east and record a time-lapse as the sun was rising. Much to my dislike, eleven young men were walking into my shot. Then I realized that they were pulling a rope. They were dragging a net full of fish out of the water, and I went over there and helped them pull it for a while. Someone later told me that when tourists do that, they share a few of the fish with the people that have helped them. I didn't stay to the very end, so I never got my fish, because I needed to go and get ready for the next day of exploring. I want to go back and spend at least a week at Pigeon Island Beach Resort. Especially when I saw that they have a Scuba Diving Centre, and it's just been too long since I've been scuba diving. But the itinerary didn't give me time for that, so I guess that gives me another reason to come back to Sri Lanka. FACTS ABOUT WHERE WE ARE The highest point in Sri Lanka is Mount Pedro, reaching 2,524 meters above sea level. With over 400 waterfalls, Sri Lanka has perhaps the largest number of waterfalls of any country in the world, in comparison to its size. Bambarakanda Falls is the tallest waterfall in the country, with a height of 263 meters. There are 22 national parks and 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka. CONTROLLING BULLS IN A FORREST NEAR HABARANA It was time to head down to Habarana 100 km (62 miles) southwest of Trincomalee. This is where we're staying tonight and also where we're going into nature. When we get close to Habarana, we leave the paved road and on a dirt road get to a small clearing in the forest. We about to go deep into the forest on small Bullock Carts. Four people in each cart with two white bulls dragging us. I was in front with the guy steering the cart and controlling the bulls. He had commands for left, right, stop, and go faster. The bulls seemed quite lazy, but he was sitting right behind them, and if he swung his leg just a little bit, he would give them a gentle kick in the balls. And that would make them go fast. Halfway he gave me control of the cart and jumped off. So, there I was, controlling a bullock cart on a dirt road in a forest in Sri Lanka. Now that was a first for me. And no, I didn't kick any balls. WATCH TOWER AT THE RICE FIELDS We still had a bit of a walk to do before reaching our destination. On the way, we saw a tree hut close to a rice field. This hut is used for keeping guard at night and scaring animals that might away with firecrackers and drums. We crossed the river in a double-paired canoe – kind of a catamaran that they use for fishing. The river wasn't that wide because it's dry season right now. In the wet season, the water level will rise a couple of meters and makes the river much wider. We're heading towards the small village where we will experience a traditional authentic Village Lunch and get a local cooking demonstration. We also go on an elephant safari and see herds of elephants in the wild. And then after a bit more walking, we got to a small house with a grass roof. Inside was a smiling Sri Lankan woman about to cut a coconut in half with a big knife. AUTHENTIC VILLAGE EXPERIENCE I get to taste a bit of the coconut milk, and then she starts grinding the inside of the coconut. She's using a piece of metal at the end of a stick she's sitting on. The desiccated coconut falls on a banana leave. It looks so easy, and yet we can see that she was very skillful. She has done this a million times before. Especially after Joanna and Viola from the group tried to do it, we realized that they just didn't have the same touch. We go outside where there's a big rock. Here she puts some chili and salt and starts rubbing with another stone the size of a loaf of bread. She adds the desiccated coconut, onion, and lemon, and rubs some more. This coconut paste was scooped back to the banana leave and was to be a little part of the meal that awaits us. This coconut paste was to be a little part of the meal that awaits us. The rice and the chicken drum stick curry had been cooked over a fire outside the hut. And there was so much delicious food on this authentic Sri Lankan buffet that we were eating with our hands. There was so much delicious food on this authentic Sri Lankan buffet that we were eating with our hands. On the way back to the bus, we sailed a bit more in the catamaran canoes, following the river on to a lake. Visiting this small village in the forest, having the au

Hey from The Big Apple I started my adventure in the Big Apple sitting in a park in Brooklyn on a Saturday morning watching small kids and grown-ups playing football – yes, as a European, this is what I call the game where someone kicks a round ball with their feet. I'm waiting to meet up with my friend Scott Gurian. Even though we'd never met prior, we do consider each other friends. Scott is a fellow veteran travel podcaster and one of the best in the business. He's the guy from the Far from Home podcast you must have heard me talk about many times here on the Radio Vagabond travel podcast. Scott planned to spend his Saturday with me in Brooklyn, Queens, and New York showing me around some interesting places in his hood while we chatted and got to know each other. Scott lives in nearby Jersey, just across the Hudson River, so we're Close to Home for Scott today. As we walked over to Scott's car — a nice big new Toyota — I immediately joked that it was very different from the small, old car that played a big part in the first season of his podcast. FAR FROM HOME Scott participated in the Mongol Rally and drove a tiny, beaten out Nissan Micra stick shift across Europe and Asia about five years ago for an epic 18,000 mile (29,000 km). He did this crazy adventure from the UK to Mongolia with his brother and two friends – and after that, he decided to drive back in the same car. The first season of Far from Home is outstanding and got me hooked on the podcast long before we knew each other. I highly recommend listening to it if you haven't already. Also, watch a few clips of his journey to experience the trials and tribulations first-hand. Naturally, he has so many memorable stories and anecdotes from that trip, so I wanted to find out which stand out most in his memory. "Oh, so many. Driving across Iran with my brother and two friends (as Americans and Brits) was amazing; the friendliness of the people was memorable. Also, travelling through 'untouched' countries in central Asia like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, etc., was excellent. Seeing Cappadocia in Turkey with its hot air balloons was also amazing. And, of course, Mongolia is incredible with its vast open spaces and extraordinary scenery. It took us about seven weeks to travel from the UK to Mongolia, so as you can imagine, I have many incredible memories from that trip." Scott wanted to see more of the world, so instead of flying back to Europe (like any sane human would), he decided to drive back to explore more countries and regions, like Siberia in Russia. THROAT SINGING IN SIBERIA In one of the episodes of Season 2, Scott visits the remote south Siberian Republic of Tuva to learn about the traditional instruments and the ancient art of throat singing. He even attempts to throat sing himself! Read more about this visit and see photos and videos here. "Russia is such an enormous country with so many different regions home to vastly different cultures. Tuva was a 12 hour journey out the way to visit and it is so unique. It is close to Mongolia so the Tuvans look very similar to Mongolians." HALLUCINATING ON AYAHUASCA IN PERU In another episode, he meets a medicine man who invited him to attend a hallucinogenic healing ceremony where he drank ayahuasca. All while holding his microphone. Have a listen to the episode by clicking here. CLOSE TO HOME Due to the pandemic, Scott hasn't been able to travel overseas. But he is content as he tells me that living in Jersey, there is a lot of adventure that awaits in and around New York. He started cooking and even home-brewing to keep his itchy travel feet scratched. Scott was due to meet me at AfricaBurn – the South African Burning Man just outside Cape Town when lockdown hit. Scott stayed in Jersey, and I was stuck in Cape Town for a while (so be sure to listen to my Radio Vagabond South African travel adventures). We were supposed to travel a bit of South Africa together, but alas, it was not meant to be. SCOTT GURIAN'S NEW YORK TRAVEL GUIDE One of the cool things about making friends worldwide is that they can show you places you usually wouldn't visit. Because I had visited New York several times before, Scott wanted to take me to places few tourists would know about. Here is a list of Scott's unusual but must-visit places in New York Scott took me to: DUMBO A part of Brooklyn is called DUMBO aka "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass" is a trendy neighbourhood to walk through Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT MUSEUM In an old subway station, you can visit the New York City Transit Museum. Move further down and see some 100-year-old subway cars. WILLIAMSBURG Williamsburg is a hipster neighbourhood that is cool to stroll through. QUEENS MUSEUM OF ART Next to where they hosted the World Fair, you find Queens Museum of Art, where the Panorama is now housed – a scaled model of every borough in the greater New York area in the 1960's. THE CITY RELIQUARY The City Reliquary is a

OM SUASTIASTU FROM BALI Before I tell you about drinking the world's most expensive coffee made from beans that have passed through a cat and pooped out, let's kick off this week's episode with an Balinese language lesson. THE RADIO VAGABOND LANGUAGE SCHOOL: BALINESE I always try to learn a few words and phrases when I visit a new place. For today's The Radio Vagabond language school lesson, we'll learn essential Balinese phrases: Hello: Om suastiastu Good morning: Rahajeng semeng My name is Palle: Wastan tiang Palle Thank you: Suksuma I'M IN BALI, BABY Bali is an island province in Indonesia, so obviously, they speak Indonesian, but they also have their own language – Balinese. Despite practising the basics above, I still managed to mess up suksuma (thank you) when I met Putu, our local guide. Luckily for me, Putu was a good guy and didn't make me feel silly. FUN WITH NAMES Putu explained a few funny things regarding people's names on the island of Bali. In general, Balinese people name their children depending on the order they are born, and the names are the same for both males and females: The firstborn child is named Wayan, Putu, or Gede. The second is named Made or Kadek. The third child goes by Nyoman or Komang. And the fourth is named Ketut – like the old wise Balinese man in Eat, Pray, Love (which translates to" little banana") So, what do they call their fifth child, you may ask? Well, they simply start over again and name him or her Wayan, Putu or Gede. Anyway, together with a few friends, we asked Putu (a firstborn) to take us around to some interesting places in Bali. But before we explore, let's learn more about this beautiful island. 7 FACTS ABOUT BALI DIGITAL NOMAD HOTSPOT Bali is a small, well-known beautiful island in Indonesia (Southeast Asia). The capital, Denpasar, is the island's largest city and home to the international airport. But the most well-known Balinese places are probably Ubud (in the centre of the island) and the beach town of Canggu (on the western part of the island). Both are hotspots for digital nomads like me. HINDUISM IN A MUSLIM COUNTRY Bali is the only Hindu-majority province in Muslim-majority Indonesia. 86.9% of the population are devoted to Balinese Hinduism. BALI IS A SMALL ISLAND Bali is 95 miles (153 km) from east to west and only 69 miles (112 km) from north to south. It has a population of 4.3 million people. TOURISM IS VERY IMPORTANT Pre-Covid, they had almost 6.3 million tourists stop by every year. Tourism is the beating heart of their economy, as around 80% of the island's economy depends on tourism. As you can imagine, it's been a tough couple of years for Bali during COVID. The 6.3 million visitors in 2019 dropped to less than 1.1 million in 2020. NEW YEAR'S EVE IS QUIET Unlike almost everywhere else in the world, there are no big parties on New Year's Eve in Bali. The day is called Nyepi, and it's a day of silence and meditation. The whole island shuts down, and no work, travelling, or even noise is allowed. When I heard this, I thought, "What…? That's what I experienced as I (sort of) remember a big New Year's Eve party here". That's because Nyepi is not celebrated on December 31st but mainly in March. BABIES NEVER TOUCH THE GROUND In their first few months, Balinese babies are thought to be connected to the spirits and to stay connected, and they should not touch the ground. When they are about three months old, the infants finally touch the ground, and their family holds a big celebration to mark the occasion. THEY ONLY HAVE TWO SEASONS It's moderate throughout the year, and Bali has only two seasons: the dry season (April to October) and the wet season (October to April). MONKEYING AROUND IN BALI Putu picked us up in Canggu. He had a great sightseeing adventure in store for us, including a visit to the cat poop cafe (well, not really, but kind of). More on this later. On the way to the coffee farm, we passed the cultural centre of the island: Ubud. We drove past the famous Ajuna Statue, which Putu explains is part of the Hindu religion. We talk about how tolerance is a major part of the island culture. We made our way to the famous Ubud Monkey Forest, which is a forest filled with, you guessed it, monkeys. The guidebook tells me not to carry anything in my hand as the cheeky monkeys will likely come and take it from you. I held my podcast microphone and was a bit worried that they would steal it from me and take over this podcast. BALINESE HUMOUR Back in the car, we chatted more about the funny name situation on the island, and Putu decided to tell a joke. Let me set it up: Four people get on a plane. One is from Paris, one is from Denmark, and the other two are from Bali, named Putu and Made. "The Parisian drops her perfume but doesn't mind because there is a lot of perfume in Paris. Then, the Danish drops his chocolate but also doesn't mind because there is a lot of chocolate in Denmark (apparently). Then, Made drops Putu out the window, but doe

Meet Mark Wolters of the Youtube channel, Wolters World. For 12 years he's been giving us honest travel advice on different places around the world. If you're going somewhere there's a good chance that he's done a few videos from the place. woltersworld.com facebook.com/woltersworld twitter.com/woltersworld

An ass-slapping hello from Dominica Before we kick off this episode, I have a suggestion: Get your headphones on! 3D AUDIO RECORDING If you prefer to read about my awesome adventures here on my travel blog rather than listening to my sultry voice in my travel podcast, that's awesome. But...you're kind of missing out on the true Radio Vagabond experience – hear me out... When doing my travel podcast episodes, I try really hard to create an immersive audio experience for the benefit of my loyal listeners. I record a lot of live-action elements and add music, interviews, and diegetic sounds for an up-close and personal listening experience. For example, after reading this blog post I highly recommend you give this episode a listen as I used a special binaural recording technique. It's also known as 3D recording, so I suggest you put on headphones for this one to get the best experience. Ready? Let's jump into it. My name is Palle Bo, and this is The Radio Vagabond episode 210. Welcome to Dominica in the Caribbean Sea. HANGING WITH MY BEACHES IN ANTIGUA Before I got to the island of Dominica, I revisited another one of my favourite islands in the region where I spent a week prior – the beautiful Antigua in the island nation Antigua and Barbuda. Since I have already seen every corner of the island known for its 365 beaches, I decided to do a trip around the island on a catamaran ship and see the beaches that way. The trip was amazing. We took a long stop at one of the beaches where we got to snorkel in the corals for a few hours. I absolutely love this place and the people. They are so chill and have a great sense of humour, perfectly encapsulated by our hilarious tour guide. If you haven't heard the three episodes from the last time I was here, I highly encourage you to go back and listen to them. But not right now because we're about to arrive in Dominica. DELIGHTFUL DOMINICA When I saw in the cruise itinerary that we were going to visit Dominica, I thought it was the Dominican Republic. But Dominica is not the Dominican Republic – it's a separate island and independent country over 1,000 km (600 miles) away in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The official name of the country is The Commonwealth of Dominica, but people mostly refer to it simply as Dominica. It was named by Christopher Columbus after the Spanish word for Sunday, the day of the week on which he first spotted it. Our cruise ship docked in the capital city of Roseau, located on the western side of the island. And the island is small: only 47 km (29 miles) from top to bottom and 26 km (16 miles) at its widest. That makes the tiny island only 750 km2 (290 sq miles) in total. Technically, you can drive around the island along most of the coastline in 5-6 hours but driving on the island of Dominica is not for the faint of heart. Of the 780 km (484 miles) of highways in Dominica, nearly half are unpaved. And cars are driven on the left-hand side. I didn't drive myself. I booked an excursion and went on a bus with local Alvin as our guide. We headed to one of the many stunning waterfalls on the island – Jacko Falls. I got to chat with Alvin which I'll tell you about, but first let's learn more about Dominica. 5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT DOMINICA There's a river for every day of the year While Antigua and Barbuda has one beach for every day of the year, Dominica has over 365 rivers – one river for every day of the year. With so much water running around, it's no surprise that Dominica is also a dream destination to chase waterfalls. It's home to the second-largest boiling lake in the world Dominica is home to the second-largest boiling lake in the world after New Zealand. It's one of the most famous places on the island, especially for hikers. But this is no easy stroll – you'll need 6 hours to get there and back. There are nine active volcanoes Dominica has nine active volcanoes – the world's highest concentration! But don't worry, there hasn't been a major eruption since 1997 and before that, it was in 1880. So, being a volcanic island, the beaches are black. Two-thirds of Dominica is covered in rainforest Gorgeous tropical rainforests cover over two-thirds of the island. And these rainforests are home to more than 1,000 different plant species – so hiking here is great. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies were filmed in Dominica Dominica is one of the filming locations used in Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3. The place where Will Turner and his shipmates are hanging in bone cages (called "Cannibal Island" in the film) is right here in Dominica. As you heard, Dominica is home to endless rivers, waterfalls, rainforests, and volcanoes – and for that, they have earned the nickname 'the nature isle of the Caribbean'. ALVIN OUR DOMINICAN TOUR GUIDE When we arrived at the stunning Jacko Falls, I took the opportunity to get to know our warm and friendly tour guide, Alvin ("like the chipmunk" he jokes). "This beautiful Jacko Falls is part of the Morne Trois Pitons Na

It is exactly twenty years after the tragic events in Manhattan, New York. And since I was there a few days before the anniversary and stayed at an Airbnb that was there when the Twin Towers came down, I decided to make a special episode for us all to remember how it affected our worlds.

Buenos días from Guatemala. After getting an Uber from where I lived in Zone 10 to the bus station in Guatemala City, I took a 3.5-hour bus trip headed West to Lake Atitlán. MEETING ANDRÉS As you heard in the interview episode with Siobhan last week, we got to know each other when she was organising the Digital Nomads Beyond 50 online summit, where I was one of the speakers. One of the other speakers was an American writer, Andrés, who has also worked in radio for many years. I met him in real life for the first time in San Lucas Tolimán on the shore of Lake Atitlán. Andrés is writing a book – or should I say a literary project, because it's so much more than just a book. Actually, Andrés likes to call it "the book that is writing him". He's living in San Lucas Tolimán on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. Here he runs a small guest house, and when I planned to visit Guatemala, I decided to come and spend some time here. We quickly connected, and I feel I've made a friend for life. ARRIVING IN SAN LUCAS TOLIMÁN San Lucas Tolimán is a small town of 17,000 people. It sits on the south-eastern shore of Lake Atitlán – Lago de Atitlán. There are 11 towns and villages around Lake Atitlan, and the best way to visit them is to get on a small boat. It's cheap and by far the fastest way. A few days later, Siobhan joined the little nomad community in San Lucas on a beautiful Sunday. She arrived by bus from the airport in Guatemala City later in the afternoon. Since she would end up in Panajachel on the other side of the lake, we went to pick her up and decided to make a day of it. Andrés and I decided to take a day trip to visit a few other places on the lake's eastern shore. Together with his dog Catzij (who follows him everywhere), we jumped on a "lancha" – a small boat. BOATING LAKE ATITLÁN The trip was amazing; we saw so many locals enjoying a typical relaxing Sunday by the lake. The water is a little cold, but Andrés tells me there are a few hot baths around the area. Our first stop was San Antonio Palopó, a small town with a few cooperatives that Andrés wanted to show me. The first one was right on the shore where the lancha dropped us off — a chocolate factory where I got to meet Elias, who took me through the whole process. ELIAS & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY "This is where we make love and happiness," says Elias. There are three main regions in Guatemala where the cacao plants are found. He tells me they ferment the white seeds for five days using banana leaves in boxes, creating a natural yeast. This creates 70% alcohol which is illegal in Guatemala (5-12 seeds is like having a tequila shot). Then they sundry the cacao for up to 90 days, after which they roast them for 25mins. Then Elias shows me how to grind the cacao. I ended up buying more than I needed. Some of it was some round chocolate bars with different flavours for making hot chocolate. Really yummy-yummy (as Elias calls it). After the tour, we walked through the city and also went into a small shop with a lot of textiles. This is part of a women's cooperative. Here I met Flor, who is one of these women. FLOR THE GUATEMALAN ARTISAN "16 women are part of the cooperative and each one works on their own product. One family works on the shirts, another on the backpacks, and my family works on the traditional Guatemalan clothing attire," she says. It takes about three weeks to produce one tablecloth using an entire belt loom. Flor tells us about the manufacturing process and the reason why the items they sell cost little. The shop is a bit tucked away in a small street and can be hard to find. So, they also sell their products on markets and in small pop-up shops at the harbour. Flor is such a lovely woman, and it was so interesting to learn more about how they make such stunning garments. SANTA CATARINA PALOPÓ As planned, we caught a pickup truck taxi from San Antonio Palopó to Santa Catarina Palopó. Or as we started calling these two little towns: San Antonio Palle Bo and Santa Catarina Palle Bo. As we were walking through Santa Catarina Palopó, we turned down a small street to the lake and met a little girl in a shop selling something that looked like it could have been made by Flor and the other women in the cooperative. Lake Atitlan is one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen. It sparkles in the sunlight and is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes covered with blooming wildflowers. It's in the Guatemalan Highlands of the Sierra Madre Mountain range and sits 1,562 m (5,125 ft) above sea level. From here, you can look across the lake to where we were staying in San Lucas Tolimán, including the three major volcanoes: Volcán Atitlán, Volcán Tolimán, and further out to the right Volcán San Pedro. You can also see a big rock at Cerro de Oro close to San Lucas Tolimán, which Andrés explains the local legend about it being the head of one of the volcanos. "The legend says that there was a fight between the Gods Atitlán and Tolimán, which ended with Atitlán behead