The Travelling Hive Podcast

Hard to believe all of this started with the two of us screwing around on our balcony overtop of a suspiciously still little bee on the patio table. What a wild ride it turned out to bee.

SPOILER ALERT - Listen to Zai Jian Taipei Pt 1 first, if you haven't already...

In a flash our whirlwind, one-year tour around the world comes to an abrupt close when some tragic family news is shared with Chris. We bid adieu to the parallel reality where we explored the beautiful island and culture of Taiwan for the following 3 weeks, pay an abhorrent amount for rushed plane tickets home, and decompress abruptly without any safety stops.. Pause for nitrogen bubbles in the blood (that's a little scuba joke). Thank you Taiwan for all of the beauty, even just a taste was enough to tell us you would have made a beautiful home. Onward to Canada.

Taipei is an amazing blend of Chinese & Japanese cultures, with a proud democratic culture and amaaaazing food. We're posted up in Ximen district of Taipei (not to be confused with NEW Taipei City) and are immediately blown away by how comfortable & clean the city is. It's so cool to get a view of the history of Taiwan outside of the official international narrative, visiting the monument of Chiang Kai-shek, and enjoying dim-sum with our fantastic AirBnB host Brad (who fortuitously also has a degree in cuisine from Paris and runs his own tour company in Taipei ;). This is shaping up to be an amazing and unexpected experience. Ni hao Taiwan!

After a couple weeks of pure focus, we way overcompensate & knock our last week in Koh Lanta out of the park before jetting to Taipei. Keywords that start with S: Scuba Diving, (Drunk) Scots, Stand-up Paddleboard, Spirited Away, Snickers Adventure, S-tiny naked boy. Suffice to say it's been magical. Until next time!

After three months of straight training, Jess interviews Chris the morning after his premier Muay Thai fight in Williams Stadium, Koh Lanta. Chris recounts the moments leading up to the match in grueling detail, as he faced a local Thai fighter with his terrified wife watching on. This may well be as good as it gets out here in the world. We may have just reached peak bees, with one week left in paradise to make the most of it. Stay tuned for the riveting conclusion of this earth-shattering evening. Round One: Fight!

In this powerful retrospective we reflect on the interplay of expectation, privilege and empathy. They say you learn more from your losses in life than your wins. True to form, after a rocky start Philippines turned out to be the place where we had the most to gain from the poise and wisdom of the community we stumbled upon. Sorry in advance for the audio quality, it took a lot of tweaking to get it to where it is. Sometimes the greatest lessons are the hardest to hear ;)

Salamat, Siargao.

Join us in the setting of 2017's Siargao, a love story about a hidden surfing paradise. We spill the tea on one of Southeast Asia's most storied surf spots with our lovely local guide Nina, before jetting off to (secret location redacted)!

Joined by our amazing and talented local host & guide to Philippine culture, this evening is one we'll remember forever. After a few tough weeks in Philippines, we finally find our community and have one hell of a big night out on the town. Amazing new dishes, hidden speakeasies, and one rocking outdoor club in torrential rain with a few streaking Brits among a sea of generic white faces. Thank you Nina! <3

DISCLAIMER: The views in this episode are those of our former selves and in no way represent the views of our current selves. Also, please forgive the sound quality, we recorded in a full coffee shop and if you put a seashell up to your ear you can hear a bit of glorious 90s rock. You're welcome.

We kick off our month on the only island in the Philippines that's in wet season and tut tut, it sure does look like rain. But this is also the surf capital of the Philippines, a glorious island full of natural features and beauty, and we're here for it. Just as soon as we get over the massive typhoon that destroyed all civilization. 

Silly old bear.