Hi friend. In the first half of 2024 I traveled, mostly solo, to Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, UK, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and China. You tend to have a lot of free time when you’re untethered and alone, so I also read 80 books and visited 30 museums.
It’s difficult to encapsulate each location in its entirety; of its depth and of its impact on me. However, I’d love to bring you along with me and so I will build some dimension into each place with three visuals, one or two soundtracks, a journal entry, one fun fact, the vibe/culture, and a story.
A heads-up: the journal entries might lean existential. I spent a lot of time alone on the road for months, visiting some not-so-safe places as a female solo traveler, exploring historical museums, and reading extensively on history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and politics.
Costa Rica
- 👉 Costa Rica contains nearly 6% of the world’s biodiversity, despite being only 0.03% of earth’s surface.
“Pura vida” is the Costa Rican slogan for a pure life, to cherish the simple things and finding joy in them. And it’s very much felt in the laid back, relaxed, and friendly vibe of the country. Costa Rica is also one of the few countries that does not have a military.
🎵 WHERE SHE GOES by Bad Bunny
01/12/2024: Humanization vs Objectification
Make an active effort to humanize and not objectify. With empathy and connection. We empathize when we take time to hear their story - like character building in a fiction book. To spend significant amounts of time together, trying their favorite foods, traveling with them and living their lifestyle, conversing to understand their inner world, understand the context in which they grew up, see the world as they see it, watch them go through hardships and grow from it (all part of a round character), learning their culture, and being immersed in their community. That is the road to really knowing someone.
The opposite is objectification. To reduce to a caricature, to flatten the character, to not interact directly and connect, to create distance between you and them. To fantasize, stalk. In anyone that we get to know or want to grow with, we have to make an effort in closing the gap.
Colombia
- 👉 I hate to bring up cocaine but the statistics are truly staggering: Cocaine is set to overtake oil to become Colombia’s main export. Bloomberg Economics estimates 2022 exports of $18.2 billion.
🎵 PROVENZA by KAROL G | UN NOCHE EN MEDELLIN by KAROL G, Cris Mj, Ryan Castro
01/20/2024: Life as a game
Where do you want to play? There are an unlimited number of worlds. There are 195 countries in the world. 10,000 cities. There are 4000 religions. Unlimited number of cultures. There are 8000 sports in the world, 200 with international recognition. In a top college, there are over 3700 courses, in 50 undergraduate fields. Over 7100 languages in the world. There are over 12,000 careers. Over 1,300 music genres in the world.
If you can have anything in the world, what would you choose? If you could spend your time with anyone in the world, with whom would you spend it with? If you can read any book in the world, about any topic or hear any story, what would you listen to? Who would you want to share most of your meals with, to hold space for, and have as a witness to your life? If you could play any sport in the world, join any social circle or community and belong there, what would you choose? If you can be anyone, who would you be?
Buenos Aires
- 👉 The inflation rate was at 211%, which means 16-20% of the value of Argentinean peso was lost every month. Everyone stored their money in USD. My tennis instructor asked whether I wanted to pay by Bitcoin or USD.
When Argentina won the World Cup, the government announced it was a national holiday. The winners partied in Buenos Aires and had to be helicoptered out of the city because the streets were so packed. During my time in BA, I went to one football game to see the Rivers Plate play, and the stadium of 80,000 was passionately singing and chanting for almost the entire time. Overall, Buenos Aires, named the “Paris of the South”, is very pleasant and well developed due to a great economy in the past, and I felt very safe.
🎵 BELLAKEO by Peso Pluma, Anitta
01/28/2024: Poor Thing
So safe is your dome, your safety, your ego, your sanctuary. But take the time to see the realities: the starving, the bombing, the wars, the evils, the greed, the self interested at its extremes, the murders, the thieves, the rage, the hyper capitalistic, the drug and alcohol abuse, the misogyny, the assaults, the human trafficking, the child prostitution, the violent urges or acts, the incest, the genetic disorders, the oppressed and the oppressor, the pseudoscience, the racism, the inequities in this world, the money with no origin, the exploitations of the less powerful, the homelessness, and the purposeful ignorance of cruelties and injustice. The world is not the sunshine and rainbows, and you have to continuously step out of your glass castle and be aware of these things. It’s not always a pretty place. In fact, that is the exception and not the rule. There is almost always way more going on underneath the surface. Everyone has something to hide. The worst of human histories is actually not that long ago. The worst of human nature is not that far removed from our common human condition — we don’t evolve that quickly.
But of course, human beings are beautiful too. They love fully, they laugh, they cry, they rejoice in each others company, and for a moment, you can believe none of this extra stuff exist. Of course you’re kind to your loved ones and when things are going well, anyone can be. What the true test of character is how you feel and how you treat any and all other persons in this world, in all times. It’s not difficult at all to love people that are easy to love, that have no flaws, that treat you well. But can you offer love even when it is not given? Can you give love even when they are deeply flawed, and they aggravate you to the bone? Not in the sense of accepting abuse, but in never lowering the principles you’ve set for yourself.
The true test of integrity is not in a small town where nothing happens. The true test of integrity is when there are stakes involved, emotions involved, people involved, money involved. How do you treat people that have less power or knowledge than you? How do you treat the people you stand to gain nothing from? How do you behave when no one is looking? That is the true test of integrity, not the moments in which you’re at your best, when the sun is shining, when there is more than enough to eat. Your character and strength is shown and built not during peacetime, but during war time — and your leadership and the quality of your decisions revealed. You can’t possibly know a person when there are no stakes involved. And you can’t know what you’re capable of when there are no stakes involved.
Rio De Janeiro
- 👉 The Rio Carnival attracts 2 million people on the streets everyday at its parades, celebrations, and block parties (blocos). The Samba parade/competition goes on for 5 days, however the block parties can go for a month. This year, Rio de Janeiro is estimated to rake in an historical high of 5.3bn reais (£846m; $1.06b) from tourism-related activities in February.
People dance on the streets, the beaches were packed and we clap on sunset, and people party for Carnival like there’s no tomorrow from the trains to the streets to the stadiums. I was eating acai bowls and wearing my havaiana flip flops everyday. Everyone and their moms knew how to dance, and knows the latest Tiktok dances.
As fun as it was, it’s by far the most unsafe I’ve felt of all my travels. Me finding that the best way to deflect strangers as a solo female traveling is to remain polite, respectful, looking them in the eyes, a firm no thank you, and to keep walking. I was with my friend when a group of boys came by and ripped the fanny pack off of her and ran. I had another a friend that got hungry at 2am and was walking along the beach and someone pulled a knife on him and asked for his things. He started to run, holding tightly onto his food while being chased with the knife. Luckily, he got away and was able to finish his food.
🎵 Ta OK | Forte forte de Lacoste by DJ Jeeh FDC, etc
02/20/2024: Do hard things
To be courageous is in expanding the circumference of what you think is possible or what you can handle. Expanding it again and again and again and again and again. Not letting life happen to you. You can actually control the wind and the waves if you remain the observer.
To be confident is in expanding your circle of competence. To be compassionate and empathetic, it is in expanding your circle of empathy, expanding your ingroup again and again and again, and in recognizing the common humanity between us all.
None of this happens naturally; you have to make an active effort to draw out those concentric circles.
Iguazu Falls
- 👉 Iguazu Falls borders Brazil and Argentina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was featured in Black Panther and Indiana Jones.
- ✌️ “UNO MAS” (one more) my waterfall cruise driver shouts as he drives us straight into the falls again.
Every Uber ride is unique. There was the man that dropped me off at a restarant that asked me to be his girlfriend, that was when I first started solo traveling so I got very frightened. There was the time with an older driver, in my broken Spanish, that I discussed music with. I played his favorite song and he was so touched and I was sitting there so touched to share in his favorite song. And he asked me to play my favorite song, and I played a Chinese song. Another time, in Iguazu Falls, I remember a ride and I don’t know how this came up but the driver told me that he understood his meaning of life the moment his son was born. That it all made sense from that point forward. That all his actions became purposeful.
🎵 Water by Tyla
Words can move individuals, influence, connect, make them feel heard and understood, make them feel special, motivate, start a movement, start a war, end a war, inspire hope, and gift love and affection. Yes, words are important to get right. And to be brave enough to say them when the time is right.
What do they say is the main predictor of happiness in our life? It’s in the quality of our relationships.
London
- 👉 Oxford University is older than the Aztec civilisation.
- 🫶 I went to a great number of museums in London. One particular one I stumbled upon was the Clink Prison museum that dates back to 1144. It was absolutely filled with torture and inhumane conditions.
🎵 The Good, The Bad & The Ugly by Consequence, Kanye West | I KNOW ?
Budapest
- 👉 Hungarian is very unique language, sharing essentially no similarities with the languages spoken in its neighboring countries.
03/15/2024: There are no rules
I’m just a little human in my little place, out of 8 billion. It’s really not that serious. I’m given the knowledge of the universe, of all of human history and beyond in the palm of my hands.
Szentendre
There was a period in late elementary school where I would rush home everyday to play Runescape, this MMORPG. I’d do my daily tasks of chopping trees, mining ores, fishing lobsters, and fighting little monsters. I’d feel a sense of accomplishment accumulating gold, leveling up my skills, and strengthening my character. Coming to this historical open air musuem of a village really blasted me back to those days, and it’s one of my favorite stops in my entire trip.
🎵 eternal sunshine | Jungle
Athens
- 👉 The birthplace of Western philosophy, science, democracy, and the Olympics. (no big deal)
- ✌️ I loved visiting all the historical sites and museums, and reading greek philosophy while I was here. It’s not the most carefree vibe because there are pickpocketers and people trying to sell you things on the street. For a more relaxing trip, I’d definitely visit the Greek islands next time.
🎵 Denver by Jack Harlow | we can’t be friends by Ariana Grande
03/17/2024: It’s all written on your face
Everything shows on your face. From the way you walk to the way you talk. If you’re winning in trades vs when you’re losing trade after trade. If you’re creating real value vs it’s all smoke and mirrors. A heavy conscience or a feather light one. When you’re talking from years of expertise or straight out of your ass. You wear it on your face. Your posture. Your stride. In the intonations and the certainty of your words. In the confidence of your gestures. The amount of space you take up. The repeat customers and the word of mouth. The market will always tell you in its reactions to you. You have to participate to calibrate yourself.
The only viable way I see is in excellence or in dropping the thing altogether. You don’t want to let anything compromise your essence.
Istanbul
- 👉 Istanbul is located in both Europe and Asia, and was the capital of three empires: Eastern Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman.
- ✌️ Inflation was at 67% when I was there. Istanbul itself felt uncomfortable at times with many trying to heckle and scam. But at the same time, the city is filled with friendly and generous people. It was a very beautiful visit, rich with culture and history.
I stayed with my friend’s family near Istanbul. Her whole family are doctors and her mom was in pediatric intensive care. Her mom tells me that when things got crazy, she didn’t leave the hospital for 4 days straight, only taking naps here and there. Taking hundreds of patients a day in a high volume place like Istanbul, the doctors here are very well trained. She says if she was to be born again she would still choose to be a doctor, every single time.
The two photos on the right are of the Hagia Sophia, a mosque in the heart of Istanbul. It was during Ramadan and people pray inside and break their fast outside in the evenings with loved ones.
03/23/2024: Encounter at the coffee shop
guy: where you from?
me: I’m Chinese
guy: we were betting. he says china. i said from russia. he wins.
me: what does he win? money?
guy: cigarette.
Bangkok
- 👉 Bangkok is called the Venice of the East because there are 83 canals. Floating markets fill the canals, with as many as 10,000 boats full of fruits, vegetables, and fish.
It’s often not a big deal of money but it feels shitty to be scammed. Seeing a man scam me for a taxi ride, then complimenting me like crazy when I accepted and didn’t bother arguing.
It feels shitty to see people suffering. I walked around Bangkok a lot and felt pretty safe overall, I saw a ton of young kids walking around by themselves. But I also saw poverty. To see a child dig food out of a thrown away KFC bucket. A traveler friend said she was heartbroken in Phuket, seeing all the young girls prostituting on the streets - she booked a flight out immediately.
🎵 World, Hold On by Bob Sinclar, Steve Edwards, FISHER
03/27/2024: If everything is arbitrary, how do you choose?
The dog that is yours is the one you take home and you spend all your time with, grow a relationship with, and fall in love with. The plant is the one you water and nurture, and watch grow. The home is the one you build, renovate, decorate, garden, and fill with love and the smell of cookies.
“The reason it’s scary is because you can’t control it.”
Kuala Lampur
- 👉 Malaysia has 9 Kings, one for each state, and they rotate to serve as the King of Malaysia every 5 years. They’ve done so since their independence from UK in 1957.
- ✌️ The best food because the city is a blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian - and extended influences from the Middle East and Europe. So so flavorful.
🎵 Congratulations - Piano Version
04/09/2024: Spiritual Reflections
In Asia, it was the Buddhist temples and Hindu temples. A few Sikh temples back home. In South America, I learned of Spiritism and Catholicism, and I visited a meditation plus out-of-body experience center. And so so many churches, especially in Europe. I’m just thinking, the most breathtaking has to be Hagia Sophia, during Ramadan in Istanbul. I’ve never been a religious person but I was in awe the moment I walked in and felt taken away when sitting amongst all the praying.
Seoul
- 👉 “Squid Game” generated almost $$900 million in value for Netflix, and it cost $21.4 million to produce. It was the most watched show in 90 countries, and the most watched show in Netflix history. It would have costed 5-10x the amount to produce the same film in the US.
- ✌️ Vibes were immaculate: friendly, orderly, polite, fun, fashionable, and clean.
🎵 MOONLIGHT SUNRISE by TWICE
04/15/2024: Our brain is a program
Every action you take, every conversation you have, place you go, information you consume, person you hang out with, every event that happens is actively shaping you. Programming what you believe in, programming what you do essentially, as actions follow beliefs. If you spend 10 years in NYC, you’d be a different person than if you spend 10 years in SF, or 10 years in Singapore, or 10 years in the south of France, or 10 years in Buenos Aires. You can program your mind to be the way you want it. And, of course, we’ve already been heavily programmed since birth: our culture, our religion, and our ideologies, our families, etc, but there is so much life left and we are so impressionable. So what do you stand for? What do you want to stand for?
China
- 👉 Shanghai has the longest metro system in the world, totalling 826km (513 miles), 396 stations, and 2.83 billion trips annually. For reference, NYC is about 394km (245 miles), 472 stations, and 2 billion trips annually.
I was sitting on the park bench with my bigger sister, someone I’ve followed my whole life. She was just a kid when she had the weight and responsibilities of being a big sister. Someone that cares, entertains, and protected me my whole life. And this time I visit again and we were talking about my niece and our childhood on my bed last night. She had so many fears and worries she would be a bad mom. But I’ve already seen how much she’s changed from the woman she was a few years ago. The level of care and consideration she has for my niece is really touching, and to be a witness to it all has been a great joy for me.
04/27/2024: On parenting and value
Context: I got really overwhelmed one day, living with my 5 year old niece
Well, if it doesn’t just test you again and again and again and again and again. And just when you thought you had no more patience, you’re asked to draw more patience out of yourself.