PODCAST · society
The Wandering Log
by Hiro the World
Adventurer walking the world from the Philippines to New Zealand, sharing daily stories from the road.
Episodes
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The Double-Edged Sword — The Hidden Cost of Losing Your Temper
In this episode, I reflect on a powerful realization I had while taking ferries across Indonesia: anger is a double-edged sword. From constantly rejecting aggressive taxi touts to dealing with incredibly slow lines, the urge to get frustrated is always there while traveling. But I’ve learned that...
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How I Eat with My Eyes Closed: A Tip for Enjoying Every Meal
In this episode, I share a simple trick I use to make every meal special, especially when traveling! Did you know we only have about 20,000 to 25,000 meals in our whole lives? When you realize this, every plate of food becomes important. I explain why I try to eat dishes I've never had before…
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Travel Dilemma: Go Wide or Go Deep?
With so much travel information available online, it is easy to make a long bucket list of places we want to visit. But how should we actually explore the world to find real joy? In this episode, I reflect on my current travels in Indonesia and explore the big question: Is it better to visit as...
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The Iceberg Project — Exploring the Unseen 90 Percent of the World
For the past few months, a friend and I have been quietly planning a new adventure centered around world cultures. We call it the "Iceberg Project" because, just like an iceberg, most of the world's diverse lifestyles remain hidden beneath the surface. In this episode, I share the vision behind…
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Sleeping with Hundreds of Strangers: My Experience on an Indonesian Ferry
In this episode, I share my experience riding the Pelni passenger ferry in Indonesia. You will hear about the tough conditions in economy class, where hundreds of people sleep together under bright fluorescent lights. I also talk about a surprising cultural difference I noticed when I saw a...
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Why You Need to Try "Tsuka Ramen" When You Visit Indonesia!
In this episode, I talk about my surprising discovery of ramen culture in Indonesia! Did you know that you can find authentic tonkotsu (pork bone) style ramen here, despite the fact that Indonesia is a predominantly Islamic country? The best part is a popular chain called "Tsuka Ramen" where you...
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The Walking Journey: Why I Decided to Slow Down and Explore Indonesia on Foot
Have you ever felt like you're rushing through a country without actually experiencing it? In this episode, I share my newest travel realization: the power of a "walking journey." I explain why I'm moving away from just visiting tourist spots and instead, focusing on spending more time in one…
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The Magic of Knowing Just a Little: Why Learning Local Languages Changes Everything When You Travel
In this episode, I share a realization I had while traveling in Indonesia about the incredible power of language. Sometimes, just knowing a few basic words in the local language can completely change your experience, helping you connect with people and have a much better time. I'll also share a...
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Ep Stuck in One Place — Where Did the Traveling Me Go?
What happens when your travels just... stop? In this episode, I get honest about something that's been messing with my head lately: staying in one place for way too long while I'm supposed to be traveling. I'm still in Ambon — over ten days now, maybe close to two weeks — and it's completely…
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🚶 Ep “You Should Cut Your Hair” — Why I Live by My Own Standards
Live differently, and everyone has an opinion about it. In this episode: the unsolicited advice that comes with an unconventional lifestyle, why you need your own internal standard to filter the noise, the one exception where you really should listen — and how genuine pride in your choices sets…
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🚶 Ep I Don’t Walk to Walk — Moving at Human Speed to Know the Worl
People assume my goal is to conquer miles — but honestly, I don’t even love walking! In this episode: why walking is just a tool for knowing the world, how moving at human speed unlocks real connection (in a way cycling never could), and the invisible cultures waiting for anyone willing to slow...
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🇮🇩 Ep53: Clear Water at 1:30 AM — 18 Hours on a Pelni Ferry to Sulawesi
18 hours on a Pelni ferry: tiny food portions, gritty local coffee, and new friends who share their instant noodles when there's nothing else to do. It all ended with the most unexpectedly beautiful sight — crystal clear water at a port, at 1:30 in the morning.
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🇮🇩 Ep52: A Keychain Made From Ocean Plastic — Goodbye Tarakan
Leaving Tarakan with a keychain made from ocean plastic, a heartfelt goodbye from new friends, and an overnight ferry ride that turned chaotic when half the ship gathered around a TV for a soccer match.
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🇮🇩 Ep51: A Layover That Became the Best Day — Tidung Culture & Wild Monkeys in Tarakan
A fast, nerve-wracking ferry ride into Tarakan turned into an unplanned deep dive into local culture: traditional artifacts, a hat maker to the president, wild proboscis monkeys, and a reminder that the best travel days are the ones you don't plan.
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🇲🇾 Ep50: Visa Approved, Ferry Cancelled — My Last Day in Tawau
Visa approved, but the ferry plan fell apart — a quick reroute through Nunukan, some incredible butter prawns, and one last nostalgic walk past the now-empty festival grounds before crossing into Indonesia tomorrow.
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🚶 Ep Buying the Person, Not the Food — My Golden Rule
My rule on the road: I don’t buy the food — I buy the person behind it. A good vibe makes the meal taste incredible; a bad one ruins even a great dish. But when extreme hunger hits? The whole system bugs out. In this episode: street food psychology, the “desert oasis effect,” and how survival...
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🇲🇾 Ep49: The Magic of the Unexpected: Finding Connection After the Festival Ends
Have you ever felt a profound sense of sadness after an amazing experience comes to an end? In this episode, we explore the quiet aftermath of a vibrant festival in Tawau, Malaysia, and discover why that bittersweet, empty feeling is actually a beautiful thing. Join me as we talk about...
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Beyond Sightseeing: Why You Have to Surrender to the Journey
Why do I really travel? Is it just to check unfamiliar places off a list, or is there a deeper purpose? In this episode, I share a recent, eye-opening experience from a three-day International Cultural Festival in Tawau, Malaysia. I realized that just showing up to a new destination only…
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🇲🇾Ep48: They Pulled Me Onstage — My Last Day at Tawau's Festival
The festival's last day brought a surprise dance on stage with the Timorese, a real gun at a police booth, a reunion with a friend from days before, and a crowd so thick a five-minute walk took thirty. Three days that taught me what real, everyday kindness looks like.
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🇲🇾Ep47: This Is What a Festival Is Supposed to Be — Day 2 in Tawau
A rescued balcony cat, chicken feet soup for lunch, and an evening spent dancing with strangers at a festival that felt like pure, unfiltered joy. Day 2 of Tawau's cultural festival, and I'm already counting down to day 3.
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🚶 Ep “Can I Use Your Toilet?” — The One Brave Sentence Every Traveler Needs
The hardest part of a walking journey isn’t the exhaustion — it’s when your stomach suddenly goes bad and there’s no restroom in sight. In this episode: managing your diet on the road, pure panic mode in the middle of nowhere, and why the courage to ask a stranger “Can I use your toilet?” is the...
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🇲🇾 Ep46: Stuck in Sabah, Stumbled Into a Festival — Rice Wine, Buffaloes & New Friends
Stuck waiting for a visa, I stumbled onto a massive indigenous festival in Sabah — rice wine, sacred buffaloes, traditional dances, and a warm Filipino community. Turns out being stuck isn't always a bad thing.
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🇲🇾 Ep45: Stuck in Tawau — What a Visa Wait Taught Me About Slowing Down
Stuck in Tawau, waiting on a visa that's taking longer than expected. In this episode: local food, port city prices, and why watching kids play street football every evening might be the most memorable part of an otherwise quiet week.
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🇲🇾 Ep44: A Japan Jersey in Rural Sabah — The Bounciest Bus Ride to Tawau
Seven hours of nonstop bouncing on a bus from Keningau to Tawau — made unforgettable by a Japan jersey in rural Sabah, a stranger who paid for my meal, and a beautiful coastal town waiting at the end of the road.
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🇲🇾 Ep43: The Market That Blew My Mind — Not Just a Transit Town in Keningau
I thought Keningau was just a place to pass through. A huge local market, unforgettable fish balls, and some of the friendliest people on the trip proved me wrong — turning a quick stop into one of the most relaxing days yet.
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🇲🇾 Ep42: A Passport Stamp Inside My Own Country — Sarawak to Sabah
A free ride turned into a passport stamp at a state border, a 100km drive to Tenom, dinner with a very accomplished family, a free hotel room, and coffee on a hilltop at sunset. Some days, the walking trip turns into something else entirely — and that's fine by me.
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🇲🇾 Ep41: A Mystery Drink, Meatball Snacks & a Free Meal in Lawas
I overslept in Lawas and turned it into a full day of discovery: a busy Saturday market, a strange pear-flavored drink called TEBU, and a free meal — all because I said a few words of Chinese to the right person.
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🇧🇳🇲🇾Ep40: Dodging Cars, Deep Grass & An Unexpected Reunion — Brunei to Lawas
An unexpected reunion, a family pulling over for a stranger, and twenty brutal kilometers of dodging cars into deep grass — the road from Brunei to Lawas tested me and rewarded me in equal measure. Ending the day with fish cake, fish balls, and a whole lot of gratitude.
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🚶Ep Alone Since Age Two — What a Woman in the Philippines Taught Me About Resilience
On a small island near Cebu, I met a woman who has lived essentially alone since age two — and is now fighting her way through university at 27, one paycheck at a time. In this episode: the village safety net that raised her, the illusion of the “normal” path, and what her story taught me about...
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🇧🇳Ep39: One More Night in Bangar — Morning Markets & the Sultan's Birthday Festival
An impromptu extra night in Bangar turns into a full day of discovery — a chaotic morning market, a monument locals insisted I walk right into, and the Sultan's birthday festival lighting up the night with street food and conversation. Sometimes the best travel days are the unplanned ones.
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🇧🇳Ep38 A Broken Cart, Free Tea & the Kindness That Fixed My Whole Day — Into Bangar
A rattling pull-cart, a free cup of tea, a surprise ride to the border, and sparkling water from a total stranger — how a day that could've gone badly turned into one of the best of the trip. Ending the night in Bangar with incredible street food and a well-earned hotel room.
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🇲🇾Ep37: Longhouses, Crocodiles & the Bittersweet Goodbye
Leaving Limbang with a local tour of longhouses, a crocodile warning sign, and a massive water village — plus one of the best fish dishes of my life. But underneath it all: the quiet, lonely reality of always having to say goodbye, and why that feeling is part of the beauty of traveling.
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🇲🇾 Ep36: 20km Through the Borneo Heat — Wild Monkeys, a Food Desert & a Stranger's Couch
20km through brutal Borneo heat, wild monkeys, and a total food desert — until a mini-mart, a stranger, and an unexpected connection turned a rough day into one of the warmest nights of the trip.
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🇲🇾Ep35: Zero Cash, Jawi Script & a Cop Who Paid for My Lunch — Into Malaysia
Crossing into Malaysia with zero cash in my pocket — and somehow ending the day full, safe, and completely blown away by local kindness. In this episode: Jawi script, a police officer who paid for my lunch, a stranger's open door, and a night of Iban rice wine and karaoke.
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🚶 Ep The Country Where Nobody Walks
Have you ever visited a place you knew absolutely nothing about? In this episode, I’m sharing raw, on-the-ground impressions from my third day in Brunei — a wealthy, oil-rich nation that’s completely shattering my preconceptions. We talk about the extreme car culture (seriously, nobody walks here…
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🇧🇳Ep33: The Day the Whole Country Paused: Friday in Brunei
Moving day! Today I decided to leave the busy city center behind and head closer to the border to find a more local, authentic vibe. Along the way, I met an amazing local driver named Yazdi, and I witnessed something truly incredible—the entire country completely shutting down for Friday prayers....
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🇧🇳Ep32: Missed the Party! The Sultan's Birthday and Golden Mosques in Brunei
Happy July 15th! Today is a huge day here because it’s the Sultan of Brunei’s birthday. I woke up so excited for the massive festival in the capital, walked all the way there, and well... I completely missed it! But even without the party, this city is absolutely incredible. Join me as I check…
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🇧🇳Ep31: Goodbye Philippines, Hello Brunei! The Bittersweet Vibe of Travel Days
I'm packing up, saying a bittersweet goodbye to the Philippines, and catching a flight to a country I've never been to before—Brunei. Honestly, I didn't think it was a super popular tourist spot, but the airport crowd completely surprised me. Join me as I share my first impressions of landing in...
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🇵🇭Ep30: Saying Goodbye to Cebu: Why We Travel & Why Friends Matter
It's July 14th, and it's finally time to say goodbye to Cebu. I packed up my bags at the guest house and took a taxi to a hotel near Mactan Airport to rest up before my flight. Getting sick on the road really taught me how much friends matter when you're traveling alone. Grab a coffee and join me...
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🇵🇭Ep29: My First Cockfight & A Wild Last Night in Cebu!
It's July 12th, and my last day at the guest house turned into a totally wild adventure. My local friends took me to a real Philippine cockfight, and it was intense and eye-opening. Later that night, we hit up a local karaoke bar, where I realized just how much I overthink everything. Grab a…
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🇵🇭Ep28: Can Local Rum Cure a Cold? Crashing a Friday Night Street Party!
It's July 11th, and I'm slowly recovering from this awful cold. I spent most of the day sleeping, but when I forced myself outside to grab some food, I ended up crashing a local Friday night street party! I took a gamble on some local Tanduay rum to see if it would cure me — and honestly, the…
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🇵🇭Ep27: Catching a Cold Right Before the Next Country!
It's July 8th, and with less than a week to go before I fly to my next country, I've gone and caught a cold! I tried to push through and even had an amazing Japanese dinner with a friend, but afterwards my body just gave up on me. Listen in to hear why I'm so incredibly grateful to be resting in…
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🚶50 Days on Foot — When You Step Outside, Drama Happens
50 days into my walk from the Philippines to New Zealand, one realization keeps echoing: when you step outside your comfort zone, drama happens. In this episode, I reflect on what 50 days on foot has taught me — the strangers who stop you on the road, the exhaustion of 20km days, why you’re the...
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🇵🇭Ep26: When Your Body Says "Stop": A Strange Sick Day on the Road
It's July 7th, and honestly, today didn't go as planned. I went out for a nice local breakfast at a carinderia, but not long after, my body just started feeling heavy and off. Sometimes travel catches up with you, and all you can do is listen to your body and sleep it off. Grab a cup of tea and...
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🇵🇭Ep25: The Joy of Giving: Sending a Surprise Gift to Bohol
It's July 6th, and today was all about doing something special. I went shopping at Ayala Mall here in Cebu to pick out a birthday present for the friend I met back in Bohol. She told me she's never once had her birthday celebrated — so I decided to send a surprise straight to her island! Grab a...
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🇵🇭Ep24: Racing to Catch the Last Ferry & the Deepest Connection of My Trip
It's July 4th, and it's finally time to say goodbye to Bohol and head back to Cebu. I started the day by keeping a promise to a local friend who shared fresh fruit — and some really personal life stories — with me. Then came a stressful dash to catch the very last ferry out of Getafe, and before…
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🇵🇭Ep23: Why I Walk: Finding the True Meaning of My Journey
Today is June 29th, and I took a rest day to just sit down and think. I spent the whole time reflecting on the true purpose of my journey and what my actual mission is. Sometimes, just putting one foot in front of the other isn't enough, and you have to find a deeper meaning to add value to the...
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🇵🇭Ep22: Slowing Down in Batuan: Why Rushing Ruins the Journey!
Today is June 28th, and I am still hanging out in the quiet town of Batuan. Instead of hitting the road, I decided to book an extra night just to rest and catch up on some video editing. I also helped a local friend with some English content and finally stopped worrying about what other people...
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🇵🇭Ep21: Skipping the Tourist Spots & Finding My True Travel Purpose
Today is June 27th, and it’s a much-needed rest day here in the quiet town of Batuan. Even though there are famous tourist spots like the Chocolate Hills nearby, I decided to stay in and focus on what really matters to me: connecting with the culture and making videos! Listen in as I talk about...
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🇵🇭Ep20: Finding a Hidden Emerald Lake
Today is June 26th, and what a day it's been! I started the morning with a super random, itchy crab bite, but it totally turned around when I found the most beautiful hidden emerald lake in Batuan with a local friend. After that, I hiked through some crazy hills to finally reach the coolest…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Adventurer walking the world from the Philippines to New Zealand, sharing daily stories from the road.
HOSTED BY
Hiro the World
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Wandering Log have?
The Wandering Log currently has 144 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Wandering Log about?
Adventurer walking the world from the Philippines to New Zealand, sharing daily stories from the road.
How often does The Wandering Log release new episodes?
The Wandering Log publishes regularly with 144 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Wandering Log?
You can listen to The Wandering Log on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Wandering Log?
The Wandering Log is created and hosted by Hiro the World.
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