WanderLearn Podcast

• Podcast

Last year, I stayed in Cairo's Sheraton hotel. I spoke with two representatives to learn about the dirty underbelly of running a luxury hotel in Egypt. 

I asked them:

• When was the last terrorist act in Cairo?
• What's hard about running a 5-star hotel that most people don't think about?
• How can Egyptians run a casino when Islam forbids gambling?
• At 22:00, when the hotel realizes they won't sell out their rooms, why don't they just drop the price to $40 to at least make a little bit of money rather than lose money with the unused inventory?

For some background, read my article on Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/francistapon/2018/02/04/luxury-hotel-face-off-in-cairo-sheraton-versus-the-four-seasons-plaza/#5c754c0385fb

And see this YouTube video:

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• Podcast

Tomas Higbey has been an environmentalist for over 2 decades. In this 45-minute profound and sometimes funny conversation, I debate environmentalism with him to get a rise out of him.

Listen to find out what he thinks is the:

• Most important environmental problem we're facing.
• Solution to global climate change.
• Elephant in the room regarding the environment.
• Urge to reproduce - are men and women different?

 In the 2nd half of the conversation, we discuss some of his travels, specifically:

1. Chile, where Tomas lived for 5 years. 
2. Africa, where Tomas traveled and worked in. He was in Somalia when there was a serious war going on.

 Tomas is witty and always fun to listen to.

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• Podcast

A skeptical teenager named Wolf asked me a bunch of questions about Bitcoin, so since his parents are one of my patrons, I am happy to address them.

The WanderLearn podcast focuses on travel, tech, and transformation, so Bitcoin fits in there.

Moreover, Bitcoin has important travel implications, especially when you go to places that have sanctions and other controls.

One hour before I recorded this episode, Bitcoin passed $10,000 - an important milestone. I recommended buying it in Dec 2018, when it was $3,500. I predicted it would double in 2019. If it drops to $7,500, I will be right!

I recorded this episode live for my Patrons. Although you can't see the video, I'm sharing the audio with you.

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• Podcast

Frank Isaac was my roommate for a couple of months in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Here are some of the questions I asked him:

• How is Tanzania's government fighting corruption? Is it working?
• It seems that African men are rarely at home. Is that largely the case or is that a myth?
• How are Ugandans different than Tanzanians (Frank lived in Uganda for a decade)?
• Do Tanzanians date between tribes?
• How popular is polygamy?
• Is witchcraft a big deal?
• How faithful are Africans to each other?
• Do African men spend much time with their children?
• Do men often abandon their kids?
• What's the future of Tanzania?

How Frank disappointed me

Here's a sad, true, and disappointing story about Frank Isaac. After this podcast, we got along great for a couple of months. There was never any sign of negativity or conflict.

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• Podcast

Mark Joseph hiked El Camino de Santiago with his father's ashes. The father and son had intended to walk the long trail together, but, like many people, they postponed their dream hike until it was too late.

He's filmed a documentary about his walk to Muxia, the end of El Camino de Santiago.

Between now and August 3, 2019, he is running his Road to Muxia Kickstarter project which aims to raise an eye-popping $83,500!

In the interview, Mark mentioned he wants to raise $65,000. Since the interview, he raised the bar. He realized that making a film is a lot more expensive than you can imagine! 

I was the 2nd backer on Kickstarter. Support him. If he doesn't raise $83,500, your credit card won't get charged.

In my 40th WanderLearn episode, I talked with Mark and his cousin, Ariel Jonotan Fernadez Arias, about El Camino. We discussed:

• How they met
• How Mark convinced Jonathan to get involved in his documentary
• The challenges of doing the documentary
• Why anyone should hike El Camino
• How Mark's dad died

My article "10 Reasons Why El Camino de Santiago Sucks" has had 3 million views. It's an often misunderstood article. I support anyone who walks El Camino, including Mark Joseph.

Listen to the interview

Watch the Interview on YouTube

Promoting Health Access Sumbawa

One of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit. In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org

More info

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