Travel Archives

The Best Food In The World Is In Malaysia

Updated: 04/03/2022 by Financial Samurai 30 Comments

Batu Caves Monkey — Monkey at Batu Caves outside of KL

As a foreign service kid growing up, I lived in Zambia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, and The Philippines. Then I worked in international equities for 13 years and traveled to over 60 countries. As a lover of food, I think the best food in the world is in Malaysia.

After 24 years, I finally returned to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a place I called home between 1988 – 1991 as a middle school student at The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL). I’d been wanting to go back for the longest time, but I never made the effort because it takes 20+ hours to get to from San Francisco.

When an ISKL classmate told me he was going to marry a mutual friend, I knew it was now or never! I decided to make it an extended four week trip by first stopping in Seoul for five days, then Kuala Lumpur for the wedding, then Pulau Redang for an island honeymoon getaway with the newlyweds, then Angkor Wat to see the ancient temples, and finally Taipei.

If you’ve never been to Malaysia, you’ve got to go. The food is amazing, the people are friendly, and the attractions are wonderful. This post focuses on the food.

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A View At The Edge Of The World: The DMZ, North Korea

Updated: 03/04/2022 by Financial Samurai 26 Comments

In order to get to my friend’s wedding in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I stopped by Seoul, Korea for five days. In addition to checking out some amazing palaces and eating kalbi every day, one must also take an hour bus ride, 35 miles away to the Demilitarized Zone, aka the DMZ.

The DMZ is ironically one of the most militarized areas of the Korean peninsula. It was established on July 27, 1953 as a 2.5 mile wide buffer between the North and South. The line in the center of the DMZ is called the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). I was curious to see the place for myself since a flare up in country relations always seems to occur at least twice a year.

So why was the DMZ created in the first place? It started with the Japanese when they took over Korea from 1910 until the end of World War II in 1945. In August 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and—by agreement with the United States—occupied Korea north of the 38th parallel. The US subsequently occupied the south and Japan surrendered.

From 1950 – 1953 over three million people died fighting for the sovereignty of Korea. The North, influenced by the Soviets and the Chinese with their communist ideology, felt they had right to rule the land. The South, helped by the Americans and our democratic ideology strongly disagreed.

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London, UK: You Are The Most Expensive City In The World!

Updated: 08/21/2021 by Financial Samurai 90 Comments

London is the most expensive city in the world. My city of San Francisco doesn’t come close! I’m currently buying as many ocean view homes as possible in San Francisco because they are so cheap compared to London!

Recently, I hopped over to the United Kingdom to meet some friends and perspective clients in London with a buddy. I have been everywhere, and I mean everywhere in Asia, Europe, South America, and the United States.

Despite my time in Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York City, San Francisco, Paris, Rio, Barcelona, and Venice, I can comfortably say that London, with its Great Britain Pound and $50+ million dollar royal wedding is absolutely the most expensive city in the entire world!

Here’s a sample itinerary of what I spent on a Friday. I’ve recorded to the best of my ability what I spent to give you an idea of what food, lodging, clothing, and transportation costs go for in London and how it compares to your city. Don’t shit a brick!

Let’s take a look at the costs of the most expensive city in the world: London.

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So You’re Thinking About Quitting Your Job And Traveling Around The World

Updated: 08/08/2021 by Financial Samurai 29 Comments

If you’re thinking about leaving your job, this post is for you. This is a guest post by NZ Muse, a mid-20s writer who just completed a six-month trip around the world and lived to tell the tale. I took NZ Muse and her husband out for lunch in San Francisco when they stopped by.

A lot of folks want to travel more for an extended period of time, but don’t because they’re either afraid they won’t have a job when they get back, don’t have the funds, or just fear extended travel in general. I feared taking a sabbatical because I didn’t want to risk making less since so much of my compensation comprised of a year end bonus. I also feared getting fired!

NZ Muse’s travel is why I really enjoy Australian and New Zealand culture. They are much more relaxed about work and everything seems to always turn out alright!

Traveling As A Lifestyle

When you make a life-changing decision, you generally expect some measure of shock and awe when you announce it to everyone you know. But due to the collective wanderlust that courses through the veins of most New Zealanders, the news that I was taking off to travel around the world for half a year didn’t make much more than a gentle splash.

American round-the-world bloggers usually speak of encountering serious pushback when they announce their plans to friends and family. For us, it was more like “About time!” or “Six months? Will that be long enough?”

In your 20s, farewell parties for friends going on their gap years are just as common as parties for birthdays, engagements, and anniversaries. I have plenty of friends who’ve already done their ‘OE‘ (Overseas Experience) and returned to New Zealand, and others who left for their gap year and still abroad a few years later.

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How To Develop Emotional Intelligence: The Key To An Easier Life

Updated: 01/26/2022 by Financial Samurai 62 Comments

EQ (emotional intelligence) is more important than IQ. I don’t care how smart you are, if you are a weird selfish prick, you won’t get as far as someone who is less smart, but gets along with everybody.

In a previous post, I discussed how I was able to stay at a $2,000/night hotel for a week for free.

The travel hack didn’t involve writing a review about the hotel or using a gagillion credit card points. This travel hack has to do with building good relationships. Let me share some background.

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Dealing With The Fear Of Being Alone Forever

Updated: 03/29/2021 by Financial Samurai 83 Comments

Do you have the fear of being alone forever? I never have because I’ve always been with someone since 14. However, the older I get, the more I meet people who are still single in their 30s and 40s. That fear of being alone forever grows.

When I went to Switzerland this summer I had plenty of time to contemplate living life alone. There was nobody to call in Zurich to hang out with until the wee hours of the morning.

I couldn’t share a walk along the romantic Chapel Bridge at sunset in Lucerne. Nor could I experience with someone the amazingly steep Mt. Pilatus Railway that arrives at the top of Obwalden. Every experience is locked up in my memory. What a shame words nor pictures can do them justice.

The Fear Of Being Alone Hit Me

Although a week of traveling alone isn’t a long time period at all, I’ve realized I fear being alone as much as I fear being broke. I did everything I could after high school to make sure I wouldn’t have to depend on anybody to survive. I’m not sure I can say the same for finding companionship since my family has always been there. It’s like I’ve taken them for granted. I’ve also never not been in a relationship since college as luck would have it.

If I didn’t take companionship for granted, I’d probably be a nicer, more patient person. I’d probably exercise more and eat less lemon meringue pie. I might even try and learn some jokes. Alas, I’ve got a ways to go.

Popping over to Mallorca after Switzerland with nine other people in a villa only buttressed such fears of loneliness. We literally went out every single night to unspoken amounts of fun. We’d sleep in the next morning, make us some jamon with slices of honeydew by the pool for brunch, hit the clay courts after and then relax on a nearby beach before going out all night again.

It was one extreme to another, neither of which I could handle for an extended duration of time. But if I were to choose, I would select being surrounded by interesting people any day.

Relationships Are Straight Forward

If you fear being alone forever, then you must work on your emotional intelligence. We want to spend as much time with someone who likes us as much as we like them. Unfortunately, the pain is unbearable when you discover the other side doesn’t feel the same.

This simple concept is scalable to practically everything that involves another person. As a landlord, I get a huge urge to want to select a prospective tenant who just crows on about how much she loves the place.

At work, all I want to do is sing someone’s praises if they sing back. You can see the harmony demonstrated every time a maitre d greets her regulars. There’s something about reciprocity that generates so much positive energy.

It’s not fair to say that there’s someone out there for everyone if you are already with someone. Yes there are billions of people on Earth, but that just makes folks feel worse when they’ve got nobody.

Break Out Of You Comfort Zone

Traveling has allowed me to re-kindle old relationships and discover new relationships I never thought possible. Traveling takes us out of our comfort zone and forces us to speak to other people much in the same way as a new kid does at school.

For those of you who are able to travel for extended periods of time alone, I’d love to know how you do it. One suggestion given to me by a nomadic traveler was to stick to hostels. Hotels simply close you off to the world, while hostels open you up to endless possibilities. What else?

What about those of you who are more introverted by nature. What are some of things that allow you to enjoy the silence? I understand being an introvert doesn’t mean you don’t want to be with someone. I’m just trying to get some perspective to tame my restless soul.

Perhaps the problem is that I never got to be a crazy 20-something year old after college because I was so busy working so I didn’t have to work forever. It’s as if I grew up too fast and am trying to make up for things now. Does anybody feel the same way? Do you fear being alone forever?

Updates Of Fear Of Being Alone Forever

Update 2/3/2015: I no longer feel lonely. I’m working three consulting jobs and keeping myself busy. It just feels lonely traveling alone for eight weeks. It’s too much! I’ll keep the traveling alone limit to three weeks next time.

Update 11/26/2016: Reading this post now is pretty interesting because I haven’t felt alone since I traveled to Switzerland and Mallorca since the summer of 2013. I went on that trip to find myself. It was one of those passages one goes through after leaving their occupation of 13 years.

Update 2021: My life is full of companionship because I had a son in 2017 and a daughter in 2019. Every day is an adventure. I don’t fear being alone forever. I do sometimes wish my kids would love me more sometimes!

Now, not a day goes by where I’m not thankful for having broken free from the corporate grind. All the sacrifice to get here was worth it. I’m so happy I started this site back in 2009 when the world was falling apart. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be here, absolutely free to do whatever. I’ve got a loving family and a business that allows me to be present.

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