Diederik's Beach Bar

This is not an endorsement or recommendation to use or play around with controlled substances.

Previous episodes with Marnix

Episode 7: Hippies in Nepal and tribal life in Papua New Guinea

Episode 8: LSD, DMT, martial arts, and traveling the world

About this episode

Marnix will talk about his experiences with Ayahuasca and how it has changed his outlook on life.

Ayahuasca is is an Amazonian plant mixture that induces incredibly intense altered states of consciousness, usually lasting between 4 to 8 hours after ingestion. It is mostly used as a medicine and as a shamanic means of communication, typically in a ceremonial session under the guidance of one or more experienced drinkers.

The psychoactive ingredient is dimethyltryptamine, or DMT. This neurotransmitter is found in the human brain, blood, and lungs. It is the stuff that creates your dreams, so technically, you’re tripping on this stuff every night. Yet, as a substance, it is illegal in most countries around the world.

The moment you die, your brain releases a mega-dose of DMT into your bloodstream, causing intense hallucinations and altered states of consciousness. This is where the stories come from when people have near-death experiences; the light at the end of the tunnel, seeing all one’s loved ones, having a flash-back about one’s entire life, meeting God, etc.

Many intense things happen when under the influence of DMT. Time distorts; 5 minutes in real time can feel like eternity. Religious experiences are often had, including by people who don’t believe in any deity. It’s a deeply personal experience, dictated by the deepest realms of the subconscious.

Long story short; Ayahuasca pulls you into the world that you enter after you die, only to come back into reality a couple of hours later. I can’t even begin to imagine how intense it must be.

Marnix will talk about the preparation required, the experience itself, and the lessons and insights he took from it.

Contents

00:03:00 – Big Green Egg cookin’

00:05:45 – Marnix’ new house on wheels

00:08:40 – Ayahuasca

00:13:30 – How to do it safely

00:17:15 – The arrival at the campsite

00:23:00 – The preparation for the journey

00:28:58 – The ceremony

00:54:50 – Compared to magic mushrooms

00:56:55 – The day after

01:02:35 – Round number 2

01:08:45 – Appreciation & clarity

01:13:00 – Cooking & food

01:20:05 – Camper van

01:21:38 – Lessons and reflections from an incredibly intense experience

Recommended reading

The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook

Notes & links

The place where Marnix had his experienceWikipediaAyahuasca infoErowid DMT vault

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com

Today’s guest is Roderik Faasen.

To say that he’s an interesting guy is an understatement. He’s a painter and a poet, but mostly a painter. The guy has traveled around the world and has been living an insane adventure for years. He easily has the craziest life of any person I’ve ever walked into.

When he’s not hanging out with Victoria’s Secret models, he’s wandering through the Bronx in New York by himself in the middle of the night, or making paintings on stage during some huge techno festival. The guy has been arrested for his crazy antics more than once, and he basically goes through life like a bonafide rock star.

He has a lot of love for his home city of Rotterdam, and most of his work is on display in a big art gallery on the north side of town. You can also find his paintings in many other galleries around the world. He’s got a few pieces in London, and next year he his work will get displayed in New York, so it’s slowly spreading.

Art collectors, pay attention, now’s the time to get in.

This is one of my favorite recordings so far, because it’s hilarious and crazy. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did recording it.

Contents

00.04.30 – How the painting started

00.11.00 – Inside the mind of the painter

00.17.07 – Maniakism

00.21.10 – Sad and happy memories from the past

00.24.30 – Going to jail for a sandwich

00.27.50 – A Dutch poem about Rotterdam

00.31.50 – Getting away with a DUI and driving through a red light

00.35.30 – A wild night (and morning) in London

00.50.45 – Getting lost in New York

01.01.29 – The Apollo 95 nightclub

01.03.55 – Ending on a funny note

Notes & links

Roderik’s websiteInstagramFacebookAAA Fresh gallery website

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com

My guest today is Ryan. We became friends when we traveled in the same group across the east coast of Australia.

We talk about why Australia is such a fantastic country to travel through. The journey started in Sydney, New South Wales, and went up all the way to the north of Queensland. Among the stops were the Hope Estate Vineyards and the Barrington Tops national park. The interesting characters along the way, the adventures of backpacking and life in hostels get plenty of mention.

We get a bit philosophical about travel in general, the reasons to do it, the reasons people come up with not to do it, and things of that nature. The rest of the show, we banter about Perth, North Korea, women, and other things guys talk about while drinking a couple of beers.

Contents

00:08:37 – Why Australia?

00:11:34 – 3 months in Australia

00:20:28 – Sydney

00:25:25 – Booze in Australia & Goon

00:30:00 – The disgusting drink called Mallort

00:33:20 – Hope Estate Vineyards

00:36:10 – Barrington Tops

00:40:28 – Why traveling is so great & hostel talk

00:51:20 – Podcasting talk

00:55:33 – North Korea

01:08:00 – Perth

01:16:05 – Australian girls

01:20:20 – Some people don’t get it

01:27:00 – Money & traveling

01:41:55 – Overused words

01:47:26 – The travel blogging community

01:53:30 – How to travel the world

01:54:40 – Wild, dark places

02:04:30 – Political correctness

02:09:35 – Podcasts & radio

02:12:25 – Travel advice

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com

This is not an endorsement or recommendation to use or play around with controlled substances.

About this episode

This episode is fine on its own, but I recommended you first listen to the previous episode to get the full context of what we’re talking about.

We cover several subjects in this episode, including:

Photography

In this episode I’ll continue my interview with Marnix. We talk about photography, so if you’re into that, you’re going to love this one. We get a bit technical and we talk about different camera body-styles (mirrorless, DSLR), and lenses. Marnix has a cool way of making photos, he calls it “Rock ‘n Roll photography”, and I feel it’s a good moniker. He goes out in the middle of the night with his camera, and sometimes trespasses to take some good photos. Fun camera-geek stuff, and adventure stories.

LSD, DMT, cocaine, and the effects

Later on we get into the mind-altering substances that Marnix took on his trip and how it lead to some revelations. We talk about LSD, DMT, and the effects they have. You’ll enjoy this part if you’re interested in psychedelic drugs and the way they change the way you think.

Travel adventures

There are also some good stories involving romance, spontaneous hippie festivals in the middle of the woods in Nepal, and the night he brought half an orchestra into a penthouse hotel suite in Melbourne, Australia (party like a rock-star). We also delve deeper into his adventures with the tribes in Papua new Guinea (more about this in the previous episode).

Martial arts

Marnix has been a Karate-kid since he was young. At the end of the episode we talk about martial arts and the lessons he took from that, and how it affected his journey.

This episode reflects pretty well what I want this show to be; there are a lot of original thoughts in there and ways of looking at things that were new to me. Inspiring stuff, too. Right after we were done, I wanted to pack my bags again and leave for a faraway land.

Chapters

00:03:20 – Photography

00:22:19 – The vehicle for the next trip

00:25:15 – Psychedelic drugs

00:27:30 – A gathering in Nepal (Pokhara)

00:34:50 – Ayahuasca & understanding how to use psychedelics

00:42:18 – DMT

00:49:30 – Spacing out with a gorgeous girl

00:52:15 – Partying like a rock star in Melbourne

00:58:38 – Chewing Buai in the jungle

01:06:00 – They called me the White Man

01:15:30 – Martial arts & focus

01:26:05 – A party with wild food concepts & music

Notes

Be sure to look up Pokhara, Nepal. It’s breathtakingly gorgeous.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com

World-traveler and master chef Marnix talks Rock N Roll Photography, LSD, DMT, and cocaine on his adventures in Nepal, Australia, and Papua new Guinea.

About this episode

This episode is fine on its own, but I recommended you first listen to the previous episode to get the full context of what we’re talking about.

We cover several subjects in this episode, including:

Photography

In this episode I’ll continue my interview with Marnix. We talk about photography, so if you’re into that, you’re going to love this one. We get a bit technical and we talk about different camera body-styles (mirrorless, DSLR), and lenses. Marnix has a cool way of making photos, he calls it “Rock ‘n Roll photography”, and I feel it’s a good moniker. He goes out in the middle of the night with his camera, and sometimes trespasses to take some good photos. Fun camera-geek stuff, and adventure stories.

LSD, DMT, cocaine, and the effects

Later on we get into the mind-altering substances that Marnix took on his trip and how it lead to some revelations. We talk about LSD, DMT, and the effects they have. You’ll enjoy this part if you’re interested in psychedelic drugs and the way they change the way you think.

Travel adventures

There are also some good stories involving romance, spontaneous hippie festivals in the middle of the woods in Nepal, and the night he brought half an orchestra into a penthouse hotel suite in Melbourne, Australia (party like a rock-star). We also delve deeper into his adventures with the tribes in Papua new Guinea (more about this in the previous episode).

Martial arts

Marnix has been a Karate-kid since he was young. At the end of the episode we talk about martial arts and the lessons he took from that, and how it affected his journey.

This episode reflects pretty well what I want this show to be; there are a lot of original thoughts in there and ways of looking at things that were new to me. Inspiring stuff, too. Right after we were done, I wanted to pack my bags again and leave for a faraway land.

So without further ado, here’s episode number 8.

The show

Contents

00:03:20 – Photography

00:22:19 – The vehicle for the next trip

00:25:15 – Psychedelic drugs

00:27:30 – A gathering in Nepal (Pokhara)

00:34:50 – Ayahuasca & understanding how to use psychedelics

00:42:18 – DMT

00:49:30 – Spacing out with a gorgeous girl

00:52:15 – Partying like a rock star in Melbourne

00:58:38 – Chewing Buai in the jungle

01:06:00 – They called me the White Man

01:15:30 – Martial arts & focus

01:26:05 – A party with wild food concepts & music

Notes

Be sure to look up Pokhara, Nepal. It’s breathtakingly gorgeous.

Recording details

Recorded on August 2, 2017; in Marnix’s house in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Recorded on the big setup.

The Polarizer Podcast is brought to you by…

ALLERT, The ultimate iPhone app for travelers with food allergies.

Allert helps you warn people about your food allergies in 44 different languages with no data connection required.

ONNIT

Onnit is a health & fitness juggernaut dedicated to delivering total human optimization to its vast customer base of athletes, thinkers, fitness gurus and entrepreneurs.

This is not an endorsement or recommendation to use or play around with controlled substances.

About this episode

Today’s guest Marnix is a professional chef on a very high level. He does wild experimental stuff with food, like using liquid nitrogen, extreme heat, and serving 30-course meals.

He ended up working at one of the most high-end restaurants in the country while he was basically still a kid, and started his own business when he was in his late teens. By the time he was twenty-one, he was running a successful catering business.

And then, he decided to sell everything, give it all up, and travel the world.

He backpacked Nepal where he lived with local families, and joined spontaneous hippie-festivals in the mountains. After that, he traveled through Singapore and Malaysia, and lived and worked in Australia for a year.

His next stop was Papua New Guinea, where he, though chance, ended up living in the middle of the jungle with an indigenous tribe for four weeks. The lifestyle there was very primitive; no electricity and running water. Real jungle life, a three day, off-road jeep-ride away from modern civilization. He was the first white guy to visit that village since the 1970s, and they adopted him into the tribe. Needless to say, he has very interesting stories about that adventure.

When he came back to The Netherlands after that 1.5 year adventure, we was very much a changed man. He’s one of the most free thinking, or some might say most spaced-out, human beings on the planet. Funny guy, too, we had some good laughs. We got a bit philosophical too here and there. I had a great time talking to him.

By the time we finished recording, I asked Marnix if he got into drugs at all during that big adventure, and he had many wild stories about that, as well. Separate interview-worthy stories, so that’s going to be the next episode. Dropping acid in the woods of Nepal, partying like a rock-star in a pent-house in Australia, and getting high on some jungle brew with the tribe in Papua New Guinea are among these.

This episode’s a bit out there, and if you like this one, you’ll probably like the next one even more. Part two will be released on Oct 23, 2017.

Chapters

00:04:50 – High-level cooking

00:11:40 – Leaving to Nepal

00:19:50 – Singapore and Kuala Lumpur

00:23:39 – Working in Melbourne, Australia

00:33:42 – Making music in Melbourne

00:38:27 – Going to Papua New Guinea

00:43:20 – The merits of being sociable

00:46:30 – Going into the jungle

00:52:50 – Becoming a part of the tribe

01:00:25 – Tribal languages

01:02:55 – How do people party in the New Guinaen jungle?

01:09:45 – Coming back home & the importance of friends

01:17:00 – The next plan: hippie-van life & WWOOFing

01:23:39 – Surfing

01:28:30 – Go outside

01:30:48 – Future plans

01:36:30 – A wild night in Melbourne

01:43:55 – To travel or not to travel

01:48:03 – Camera talk

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com

“Big” Jim Brown is on the podcast today. He’s been a professional touring musician for over ten years, and his job is being a guitar player and singer in the band Big Jim Brown and the Speed Kings. You can find him play music at Seville Quarter downtown Pensacola, FL. He also runs a music school: The Gulf Coast School of Music.

Hailing from New Orleans, LA and later Pensacola, FL, he’s played shows in every state in the USA except for Alaska. We talk about life on the road, band vehicles, money, and adventures. At one point we get a little bit philosophical about the Internet, phones, and the state of the music industry today.

It was a very laid-back, fun conversation, recorded on the porch on a nice sunny evening on the Florida Gulf Coast. It felt great being back there and hanging out with a good old friend. I’m sure you can tell from the general vibe of the recording.

Chapters

00:02:30 – Food in the States

00:07:00 – The beginning of the band

00:19:50 – Stories from the road

00:24:45 – Finding gigs & winning over an audience

00:26:45 – Glued to the screen

00:37:00 – Based Generation Z

00:40:45 – Putting it into numbers & different ways of success

00:44:45 – Making money off your music in this Internet era

00:46:40 – Drive & reflection

00:51:25 – The vehicles for the band

01:00:47 – Road warriors (Drive By Truckers mention)

01:04:42 – Stories from the road

01:10:35 – Talk radio & podcasts

01:17:24 – Shows in 49 states

01:20:40 – Political correctness

01:24:00 – “Marry a nurse.”

01:30:55 – Advice to young musicians

01:37:08 – Song: “Big Jim Brown – Golden Sun”

Notes/links

Big Jim’s website

Gulf Coast School of Music’s website

Listen to Jim’s music on Pandora, iTunes, and Spotify. Buy the album on Amazon and CDbaby.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com

Today I’ll be talking to Tomas. He’s a good friend and a really smart guy who’s lived in some interesting parts of the world.

Tomas wrote his first Master’s thesis in an embassy in Zimbabwe, and he traveled through South Africa for leisure. His first Master’s degree is in International law, and he’s currently studying in Taiwan for his second Master’s degree in Asia-Pacific studies. On top of that, he’s learning Chinese down there. In his spare time, he DJs, parties, and has a little shoe store going on as a side-business. So, very ambitious dude, fun to talk to.

We talk about what his adventures and lessons overseas were like and what it’s like to be able to speak Chinese.

Tomas and I know each other through being in a rock-band together when we were in our teens. The rest of the band members show up at the end of the show and say hi, so that’s a fun little moment.

It was a fun show to record, and I hope listening to it will be too.

Chapters

00:03:00 – Zimbabwe

00:23:30 – China’s hunger for expansion

00:32:15 – The difference in ideology between the West & the rest

00:35:24 – Bali, Japan & Thailand

00:41:30 – Learning Chinese

00:52:40 – Communism

01:00:41 – Grandma’s wine & the band

01:05:50 – Life in Taiwan

01:23:52 – DJ King Ming

01:31:20 – Cursing in Taiwanese & Chinese

01:36:35 – Dogs in Taiwan & China

01:41:50 – Band talk

01:51:30 – The band is back together & old recordings

Notes/links

Laurens’ portfolio:

http://laurenzius.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com

In this episode, Tomas will talk about what it’s like to be an exchange student in Zimbabwe & Taiwan. He will share his experiences and adventures.

About this episode

Today I’ll be talking to Tomas. He’s a good friend and a really smart guy who’s lived in some interesting parts of the world.

Tomas wrote his first Master’s thesis in an embassy in Zimbabwe, and he traveled through South Africa for leisure. His first Master’s degree is in International law, and he’s currently studying in Taiwan for his second Master’s degree in Asia-Pacific studies. On top of that, he’s learning Chinese down there. In his spare time, he DJs, parties, and has a little shoe store going on as a side-business. So, very ambitious dude, fun to talk to.

We talk about what his adventures and lessons overseas were like and what it’s like to be able to speak Chinese.

Tomas and I know each other through being in a rock-band together when we were in our teens. The rest of the band members show up at the end of the show and say hi, so that’s a fun little moment.

It was a fun show to record, and I hope listening to it will be too.

The show

Contents

00:03:00 – Zimbabwe

00:23:30 – China’s hunger for expansion

00:32:15 – The difference in ideology between the West & the rest

00:35:24 – Bali, Japan & Thailand

00:41:30 – Learning Chinese

00:52:40 – Communism

01:00:41 – Grandma’s wine & the band

01:05:50 – Life in Taiwan

01:23:52 – DJ King Ming

01:31:20 – Cursing in Taiwanese & Chinese

01:36:35 – Dogs in Taiwan & China

01:41:50 – Band talk

01:51:30 – The band is back together & old recordings

Recording details

Recorded on August 31, 2017; in the backyard of my place in Krimpen aan den IJssel, The Netherlands.

Recorded on the big setup.

Notes/links

DJ King Ming: Facebook page

Laurens’ portfolio: http://laurenzius.com

The gang drinking some Taiwanese backyard-booze

The ribs

Today’s studio

Tomas in his Beer Pong outfit

The Polarizer Podcast is brought to you by…

ALLERT, The ultimate iPhone app for travelers with food allergies.

Allert helps you warn people about your food allergies in 44 different languages with no data connection required.

ONNIT

Onnit is a health & fitness juggernaut dedicated to delivering total human optimization to its vast customer base of athletes, thinkers, fitness gurus and entrepreneurs. Through a wide array of products and supplements, Onnit combines cutting-edge science, Earth Grown Nutrients and time-tested strategies to help people reach peak performance. Get up to 10% off your entire order by using this link or by using the promo-code POLARIZER.

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In this episode I’ll be talking to Nick. He’s a guy I met in Perth, Australia, and he afforded his travels through Australia by working on a farm and later in an iron ore mine in the Outback. We’ll be talking about what’s that like, and what kind of money it’ll make you.

This is a good episode if you’re interested in going to Australia on a working holiday, as it mostly goes into how to make a living in the most popular backpacker’s jobs.

We also discuss buying an old car and doing road trips with it, backpacker life in general, and the area where we were: Perth and Fremantle.

Chapters

00:03:10 – Working hostels & cheap cars in Australia

00:07:00 – Farm work in Manjimup, WA

00:24:00 – Hippies in Australia

00:34:00 – Working in the mines

01:02:14 – The cost of living in Australia

01:10:48 – Future travel plans for Australia

01:18:18 – Tips and advice for people traveling to Australia

Notes/links

Check out Nick’s photography page on Facebook (NvMFotografie). A lot of long-exposure work, abandoned buildings, and other cool things. I like his creative style.

Recording details

Recorded on Febuary 17, 2017; in the backyard of my place at the time in Perth, WA, Australia.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diederik.substack.com