Origin Stories

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[00:00:12] Hey everyone and welcome back to another edition of Rhythm & Roam with Benef, myself, Paul,

[00:00:19] and Trecia where we talk about and discuss our travel adventures and explore cultural differences,

[00:00:25] similarities, misconceptions and all those craziness that falls in between. Okay we're going to change

[00:00:32] it up a little bit today you know you guys have seen a couple of episodes of us already and this

[00:00:38] time we're wanting to do kind of like more of an origin you know it's been few episodes like I said

[00:00:46] and this origin story is going to be about us where you know we each have a travel experience

[00:00:52] that has made us fall in love with traveling and exploring so today we're sharing our travel origin

[00:01:00] stories you know the things that made us more savvy want to explore the world a bit more

[00:01:06] and have you know more adventures so I don't know who's going to start but I'm just going to pick

[00:01:12] somebody to just start this adventurous and kind of give a little bit more of you know your

[00:01:18] travel experience and I'm gonna go around what makes more sense I don't know because both we all

[00:01:25] have great stories so Benef why don't you just do it do it. I need you to call me. Right so my

[00:01:33] origin story so basically this will be the first time that I traveled alone as an adult

[00:01:40] because before that you know I traveled with my parents but like this was the first time traveling

[00:01:44] alone after I graduated West Point we had 90 days of free vacation so my friend and I decided we were

[00:01:51] gonna backpack through Europe that was like the cool thing to do and we had chosen Italy and England

[00:01:59] or UK as places to go so we took a Mack flight over like she handled all of this I couldn't

[00:02:05] even tell you how we did it but we went from like Dover Air Force Base to Naples Italy

[00:02:12] and that that flight was actually fine no no issues and Italy was I mean the island of Capri

[00:02:20] or Capri I don't know how to pronounce it. Capri. Yeah it was beautiful like amazing it was just

[00:02:27] amazing and then we went to Rome so this was where things got a little bit strange okay so

[00:02:36] we're tired it's like really flippin hot and we're sticky and you know we are trying to find this

[00:02:43] youth hostel and it was no GPS right so we're like we have like paper maps and we're like trying to

[00:02:48] navigate the streets of Rome um you would think we'd land navigation would be one of our strengths

[00:02:54] being in the army but you know whatever we find we didn't find the one we were looking for we

[00:02:59] found a different one we're like fine we're tired it's like 10 o'clock at night fuck this

[00:03:03] we're just gonna stay here um and so we do and they give us the you know the room we pay

[00:03:11] but it was like a room with like 12 bunk beds and I was like a hostel and it was a youth hostel

[00:03:19] yeah room with 12 bunk beds it's co-ed and I was like this is okay whatever it's pointing all over again

[00:03:27] I know and so the only bunks available were like the top bunks so we drop our stuff

[00:03:32] and we're like we just feel nasty we're gonna go shower um and so like everything was co-ed but

[00:03:37] thankfully the showers at least had some privacy um so we we feeling better we come back um trying

[00:03:43] to and then I was going to like put on a tank top and then I can't find it like I'm searching my

[00:03:49] backpack I mean I had literally like had been there that morning it wasn't there well turns

[00:03:54] out we found out later that those assholes had already rifled through our bags because

[00:04:00] that being the naive cadets we oh no graduates we had left our shit unsecured and just went to the

[00:04:06] bathroom like we're like nobody will a cadet does not will not buy and cheat or steal or tolerate

[00:04:14] those who do and so we just assumed like the rest of the world operated with this honor code

[00:04:20] and they don't so that shit was gone they had taken two of my tank tops two of my French

[00:04:25] shirts and a credit card from each so of course I did find out about the credit card until I called

[00:04:31] home and my parents are like yeah they called and because it's like the 90s there you know that

[00:04:38] there's no instant notification of anything it wasn't until like the last night that

[00:04:46] it was things got shitty so there's all there's like 12 people in the room it's dark

[00:04:55] everyone's wait did you not talk to any of these people beforehand like did you introduce yourself

[00:05:00] or well no but where were they from where were they all from I don't flip it no it's a good

[00:05:05] point like um that's a good point I don't actually know because I only remember the French Canadian

[00:05:11] guy this is this guy was like six feet tall big ass dude and that's the one that was sleeping on the

[00:05:17] bottom bunk and it's the only guy I remember is he was he the one that was sleeping was he sleeping

[00:05:23] like directly under you or yeah how does that work okay underneath me so okay shock that is

[00:05:29] men and women and it was no hanky-tanky well there were was there were people doing things

[00:05:36] I really like making out or whatever but I didn't ever see anyone like screwing um so that was yeah

[00:05:43] but the the last night like I'm trying to sleep lights are out and then the bunk starts like moving

[00:05:52] like it's like rocking and yes like what is wrong because it goes on for like several minutes

[00:06:00] and I'm like can this guy just not get comfortable like because I felt like he was like

[00:06:03] crossing and turning is he just not able to go to sleep and so like finally I like peek over

[00:06:12] and I was like this guy was completely butt ass naked with his dick in his hand

[00:06:19] just going to town on himself like yeah and I was like

[00:06:24] like right now like who I am today is not who I was wait was he drunk

[00:06:32] okay wait a minute I didn't fucking have to talk to him I mean he was naked with 11 other people

[00:06:38] in this room yes yes he just didn't he just didn't give a shit no I mean I just knew he had a need

[00:06:45] and he was gonna he was gonna fill us that night assumed everybody was asleep

[00:06:49] and he's not yeah and it was a big guy well I mean I'm not gonna lie and so I was like terrified

[00:06:56] because I didn't want him to know that I was awake I mean I'm granted no kidding

[00:07:01] it's probably why he did it Benef because of what you just said

[00:07:09] it was awful so it went on and I was just like I don't want to move

[00:07:14] and then finally he stopped went to the bathroom I'm like thank you

[00:07:18] well he had to go to the bathroom to clean up you know

[00:07:22] this is over right now I'm giving you the man version I'm giving you the

[00:07:25] okay well thank you so then he he came back and I'm like okay finally I could sleep

[00:07:31] but that that motherfucker started up again whoa what the hell places do you go Ben

[00:07:41] now well this is why you like to travel no no this is how you don't be so damn naive

[00:07:48] and the West Point is coming out of freaking West Point oh my god okay all right double it back

[00:07:54] how old were you 21 and this was the first time you had ever traveled internationally

[00:08:00] other than outside of the military well I know I hadn't traveled in the military at all yet

[00:08:06] because I was just graduated so I had been to France before with my high school French

[00:08:11] class and we saw totally in the bubble protected but we did see the topless beaches you know people

[00:08:18] just everything hanging out okay but but yeah by yourself wow okay so welcome to the world

[00:08:27] oh my gosh we were like and I just I can't because like that never had even it's not like

[00:08:32] West pointers or saints or anything but I just hadn't ever experienced anything like that

[00:08:39] and so the next morning I mean and I can't do the French accent you'll probably have to do it

[00:08:44] because he was like how did you sleep oh so he was French he was French yeah French Canadian yes

[00:08:53] and I was like oh la la fine and then he goes I slept sound and I think he liked you Benette

[00:09:03] that's what it was and he wanted to show you his jewel so you can be surprised okay so wait

[00:09:10] so did you guys hang out afterwards and I don't have to get a drink of wine

[00:09:18] yes so we did like that we did so in Rome yeah we saw a lot of really cool things we went from

[00:09:25] Rome to Venice but I told my friend about we are not we are never staying at a youth hostel again

[00:09:31] we will stay in some place with a room that locks like we weren't going through that shit again

[00:09:37] well she slept with the whole thing I was the one that happened to be awake you know

[00:09:40] surprised you even traveled again after this I'm surprised you didn't even put any video together

[00:09:46] oh my god nobody did a video oh my god no but I mean so that like that so that was weird

[00:09:52] right I do imagine if tiktok was around back then oh god let's see this is why this is why

[00:09:58] I'm gonna postpone it for all the see it's like this did happen back then you know

[00:10:02] you know our kids today our kids don't think we ever did anything that's because we don't have it was

[00:10:08] snail mail that's why we don't have proof thank god thank god I don't like that ridiculous shit on

[00:10:16] social media destroy the episode okay we're kidding yeah like that was wow that's a hell of an origin

[00:10:24] story well other than that how so so what is your you know do's and don't tell this for your first

[00:10:33] experience of traveling well don't leave your stuff unsecure like come on now that was yeah that's

[00:10:38] like number one basic stuff um I mean I don't even know that you could trust people like that is

[00:10:45] because you were we had grown four years we'd been in the bubble of where we don't lock our

[00:10:53] doors and they have great so now I think but yeah so the key is then did you at least have a great

[00:11:01] first experience in Rome Rome was hot and sticky and dirty we were we felt better like Venice was

[00:11:11] better but once we finally got to England I felt like I could breathe because it wasn't as hot

[00:11:17] it was so hot so you went from hot to like rainy what year do I mean excuse me what time of the year

[00:11:23] did you go it was summer so it would have been June maybe that's a hell of an origin story

[00:11:30] hell of a I think the highlight is obviously you guys having the roommates in in the hostel

[00:11:36] kind of thing okay so Trisha can you uh one up what Benef just gave us a story

[00:11:44] didn't say it was probably not so but yeah we're gonna we're gonna try so mine

[00:11:53] is a little bit more innocent I really kind of fell in love with traveling and and I guess that

[00:11:58] kind of gave me a travel bug is I was an avid reader when I was younger and I I used to

[00:12:04] read two and three books a day believe it or not um I and sometimes I wouldn't sleep because I

[00:12:09] would read all the time I was an only child so books tv television all those wonderful things were

[00:12:15] kind of my babysitter I was latchkey kid so I was alone a lot so yeah I did a lot of a lot of

[00:12:22] reading so I always disappeared and and you know travel was in books um and I got to bring my

[00:12:29] traveling to life um and this is why my favorite aunt in the whole world my we used to call her

[00:12:37] it's my aunt Alma but we for her nickname was Aunt Mita you know we always used to call her Aunt

[00:12:42] Mita she was a school teacher um in Belize that's where my family's from and um she uh it was actually

[00:12:51] my first trip uh to Belize um I was about 12 years old and and and I've traveled I traveled

[00:12:59] previous to this because I actually lived in Belize for four years when I was smaller

[00:13:03] actually lived with with her I lived almost three years um in Belize when my parents got divorced

[00:13:09] my mom was getting uh re like set up again uh as a single mom and so I lived actually in Belize

[00:13:16] with my great-grandmother for almost three years I had gone she actually took us on a

[00:13:22] backpacking trip if you will um to Mexico um so Belize where Belize is located

[00:13:30] um it's very close to Mexico and it's and so I mean it's orders Mexico right so

[00:13:36] we took a trip from Belize um we took actually took a coach bus believe it or not and we had

[00:13:42] backpacks and we took a a bus from Belize city is where my family is and we took it up

[00:13:49] through Chetamal and we actually went into Cancun oh nice and and so and this was yes

[00:13:56] and this is like this is like new new Cancun this is like unspoiled Cancun not the touristy thing

[00:14:02] that you see here today what year is this by the way I'm sorry what year oh gosh this must have been

[00:14:07] 1980 oh lord 86 oh wow um yeah this is early this is early early times right so um uh so when

[00:14:22] we went to Cancun we stayed uh we stayed in Cancun I guess maybe for a week which is unheard of when

[00:14:29] you think about it um back then because it was myself my cousin Stephanie she was also from New York

[00:14:36] um and she was a little bit older um I was the youngest um and then my twin cousins Jules and

[00:14:43] Julia and Jill and so it was four girls and my aunt Mita and if you knew her she was a small

[00:14:48] stature but she was everything to me I loved her um and she always used to wear these um

[00:14:55] why I love clogs to this day is because she always wore clogs and she had the original

[00:15:01] which was wood he had the original clogs and they were they were like this high because

[00:15:07] she was so short and so and it was so great because um it was like my first pair of heels

[00:15:12] I ever wore because she used to give us turns in her heels around the living room so yeah just

[00:15:18] really sweet memories I have of that but anyway um when we were in Chetamal we we stayed overnight

[00:15:24] before we went to straight on to Cancun um and that borders Belize and I remember the night

[00:15:29] we stayed overnight because the bus was actually not going to be going to Cancun into the next

[00:15:33] day so we had to stay in Chetamal that night the only thing that my uh my aunt could afford

[00:15:39] for us to stay in is we stayed in a room that did not have a uh it did had no windows

[00:15:47] oh all it had it was an inner room and it had the opening because it was a cement building

[00:15:52] so all it had were the slits for the you know for the hallway so it was it was open

[00:15:59] but the door was locked but it had no actual windows and it just had the beds around the room

[00:16:05] and I shared a shared a bed with my my other cousin so that's where we left overnight

[00:16:11] but here's the here's the here's a really cool thing when you walked out of the hotel you

[00:16:16] could go upstairs to the roof and you had the whole world because there was all these stars

[00:16:22] it was such a cool thing I that is cool especially at the age what was your age yeah

[00:16:28] what was that you said that was 12 yeah I was 11 12 at the time so it was the coolest thing so yeah

[00:16:35] so that was the that was also the summer that I learned to swim um it was really cool um and

[00:16:43] and we stayed at a hotel and then we ended up staying uh a night uh in is uh Isla Mojarras which

[00:16:50] is you know the island that's just off of Cancun there and at the time it was unspoiled

[00:16:55] is untouched now it's littered with hotels but the only thing that was on that island more

[00:17:01] nature and stuff like this yes just completely nature reserve it was nothing but sand dunes

[00:17:06] it was clear the straight beach and just clear clear clear clear water the only hotel was the

[00:17:13] El Presidente that's it nothing else and you could see straight down in the water uh just walk

[00:17:19] out to the beach so Christine Cancun that's what that was my very first trip and from then on I've

[00:17:26] had Wunderlust to travel that is that has been especially doing it like to believe now like

[00:17:32] re done that yes I have and believe it or not that was not my last trip because if I remember

[00:17:37] correctly that was the same year also um we went that I believe that trip she also treated us

[00:17:45] to um a week uh there's a uh it used to be an island it's not anymore in Belize because now there's

[00:17:52] a bridge that you that you can reach to it but uh they've now since excuse me built a bridge but

[00:17:58] you you used to have to go over in a boat um in Belize you call it a dory because a dory is a small

[00:18:03] boat and luggage everything you used to have to go in this thing and so it was four of us our

[00:18:08] luggage we went to Placencia is what it's called um Placencia Belize and you could walk

[00:18:13] the island in 20 minutes and again untouched now it's it's built up a little bit more but it only had one

[00:18:20] it only had one uh restaurant and it was called Jackie's and Jackie used to especially make burgers

[00:18:27] for us because she knew that we were um we were American yeah so she used to make she used to make

[00:18:32] burgers for us and um my aunt had a friend uh she because remember she taught at the school

[00:18:38] and so there was an american friend that had a house out there and that's where we stayed

[00:18:42] for the week we stayed at a beach house and it was right on the water and you can just walk right

[00:18:47] out there and we swam that sounds amazing yeah and there was a rastafarian that lived on the beach

[00:18:52] that was right there and he used to talk to us and hang out with us on the beach when i tell you

[00:18:57] we swam from sun up till sundown on that beach that was the first time that i realized that

[00:19:02] black people could get a sunburn uh uh yeah we got the melon yeah we melancholy and and

[00:19:10] that was the actually and i do remember this too that was the first that was actually the

[00:19:14] summer that i read mommy dearest oh god nice nice but yeah that was that was my first

[00:19:23] nice no that's that's awesome and in the fact of matter you were able to do it when you were

[00:19:28] young so let me tell you my origin a little bit um is nowhere near as benefs but i'm gonna give

[00:19:36] it a shot but my first uh travel alone would be when i was working in the government or when i was in

[00:19:44] an officer in the military and i was stationed in in germany and i decided to you know i knew

[00:19:52] i wanted to go somewhere and then a friend of mine who was also stationed with me we decided to

[00:19:58] go running with the bulls and if you guys don't know running with the bulls you know

[00:20:02] in pump alone in spain yeah wow and i never did it before i don't know what made me say yes to it

[00:20:09] but i was dangerous it's an but i didn't know i just remember seeing it one time on on esk and a

[00:20:16] whole bunch of bulls running i didn't know what to expect but it was probably one of the most

[00:20:22] fascinating exciting trips i've ever done because clearly i i end up continuing to do it because

[00:20:29] i did it three more times after that so you actually ran like you were in i actually ran

[00:20:36] i'm saying something about yeah yeah if you're gonna do it isn't it scary though like it is but

[00:20:42] i was not an idiot where i'm going very close to the bulls and if if the bulls are coming you

[00:20:47] can jump on to like you know people's buildings i've seen people trying to climb to get out of

[00:20:53] the way just climb out of the way but i would also be worried about being trampled by other

[00:20:58] people though that's the stupid people that don't want to move out of the bulls way because the bull

[00:21:02] don't want to hurt you they just want to run after the cows into the you know wherever they're

[00:21:08] running to and that's it and it's i know somebody that's you know probably you know pita related

[00:21:16] is probably gonna hate me for this but i loved it and i went running with the bulls but the

[00:21:21] fascinating part about it was you know when i got there clearly when i first got there the number

[00:21:27] one thing was when we get there we need to go do what the spanish people do what was that uh

[00:21:33] sangria and i wanted to see because what made running with the bulls famous was a her Ernest

[00:21:39] Hemingway novel and he used to go out there all the time too as well so that fascinated me and

[00:21:45] i was just like okay whatever let's do that let's do have some sangria before the bull run you

[00:21:52] do like a festival called san for men and what that is is you're just having a big old community

[00:21:59] food fight with ketchup main aids mustard and flour and you're literally just throwing it on

[00:22:07] each other don't ask me why we did it it was just the most exciting and bizarre thing but here's

[00:22:13] where it took a turn because the next day was running with the bulls and you have to dress up

[00:22:18] in the all white with the red and stuff like that like you see everybody and what happened was you

[00:22:24] know of course you got to take photos and you want to take photos of this and stuff like this and i

[00:22:28] ended you know was taking photos clearly i don't speak spanish the way they you know and i was

[00:22:36] told that you're not supposed to take photos of the bulls because the flash or whatever might

[00:22:42] cause them a reaction or something like this yeah stupid american of me taking photos because i'm like

[00:22:49] why would i miss this you know and fyi denis rodman was uh actually there i saw him running with

[00:22:58] the bulls like i was not too far from where he was okay and i just thought it was hilarious

[00:23:04] right right i thought it was hilarious so i was sitting there i was taking photos and so on me and

[00:23:09] my friend and then i we ended up meeting some other cool people who were actually from canada too as

[00:23:14] well but from vancouver and something about canadians and you know and to this day i'm still friends

[00:23:25] with with this with this with this person his stuff like this too as well but the where the

[00:23:30] story gets interesting is that while i was taking photos me you know the canadian and i think it

[00:23:37] was an australian or something like this and my friend we're taking photos and then all of a sudden

[00:23:42] this the cops came and the cops came and grabbed us and took us away and like literally when i say

[00:23:51] grab where you talking about like they grabbed us and just like yank yanked us away and threw us

[00:23:58] in the paddy wagon so i got arrested oh my gosh you got arrested i got a picture taking a photo

[00:24:07] taking photos with with we didn't know that that's the reason why we got arrested at first because

[00:24:12] denis rodman no no no me and and my friends that i was with and i'm just saying we were taking

[00:24:18] photos before you got arrested before clarification that was for clarification no no no no yep

[00:24:23] that's fine and and i got arrested and it was right before the bull run was going to happen and

[00:24:28] and mind you i was just like okay what the hell's going on they confiscated my camera and everything

[00:24:33] like this and then next thing you know we got to the police station the bull run is supposed

[00:24:38] to happen like in an hour and a half or something like this we got arrested prior to that and we

[00:24:45] got to the to the police station and i just remembered there was other like people there

[00:24:51] that got arrested that were also you know tourists and stuff like this and they were trying to figure

[00:24:56] out why and they were talking Spanish to us and all this other stuff and they're about to tell us

[00:25:02] you know charges and put us in jail and i was like scared because i'm like okay this doesn't look

[00:25:06] good as a government employee and i'm gonna get like so you know in trouble right now and then

[00:25:14] what like all of a sudden all of our stuff was on the table and then you know the cops were

[00:25:19] just talking to some other people doing whatever they're doing and then these Aussies i just remember

[00:25:25] they were like i'm not staying here mate you know i'm taking my shit and then all of a sudden we saw

[00:25:31] them just sneaking away and taking their shit and then just hauled ass so i looked at my friend

[00:25:39] and we looked at each other and i'm just like i just grabbed my shit and then i just hauled ass

[00:25:45] and i just because we just ran oh my god out of there like like so basically i feel like i'm a

[00:25:52] fugitive in spain i i don't know if i should say this but this was years ago i got you on the

[00:25:58] wallet list we literally took our shit and we just hauled ass and ran and the moral of the

[00:26:04] story is this is that basically in pomp lona and i'm gonna say this because i was pissed that

[00:26:10] they they arrested us and the reason why is because they're i felt like they were taking advantage of

[00:26:15] tourists that's what it sounds like yes they wanted because all in order for us to get our stuff we

[00:26:21] have to pay to get our camera back and good and stuff like this and that's why i followed the

[00:26:30] same decision that the australians uh that was in front of us then where first of all they were

[00:26:36] stupid to put all of the evidence on a table second thing they were doing was they were stupid

[00:26:42] conversating with everybody else and not looking at everybody that they arrested no not even it yeah

[00:26:47] first of all makes you think that yeah it was just them trying to get you guys exactly thinking

[00:26:53] i was like working to leave because were there any signs that said don't take photos or anything

[00:26:57] like maybe but i don't remember seeing it they said that there were but i just don't remember

[00:27:04] seeing it because you gotta remember the city of pomp lona it's packed it's packed and it's

[00:27:09] really packed and people sleeping out on the streets yeah so you're not gonna really see that

[00:27:15] and then people are wasted so who's yeah seeing signs that says whatever and you're wasted and

[00:27:22] all this other stuff um but i just you might still be in that spanish jail shoot right and

[00:27:28] i was like first of all you didn't put us in a jail you just took us to the police station and

[00:27:36] you know what you didn't expect somebody gonna run if you didn't put me in a jail so maybe they did

[00:27:42] it out they probably that's why i said you're a little story they were smart yeah they wanted

[00:27:48] money is what it is and they would have gotten it because tourists were paying it because i saw

[00:27:54] people paying in order to get their shit back so all biting citizens were paying not when i tell you

[00:28:02] when i tell you my track skills came into play because i hauled as away from my friend

[00:28:08] i don't know where we were running to but we were running that scholarship came in handy oh my god

[00:28:15] i was running my ass up and then call run the minute like thank god we were able to get there

[00:28:22] just in time did you see the yeah that's what i was wondering if you had yes it was like 20 minutes

[00:28:30] before that's a heck of a story and we hauled ass and we were able to do it and voila everything is

[00:28:35] cool that is that ever since then i've been loving those type of event adventures and

[00:28:42] that's why i'm going to yeah for sure and stuff so there you have it spanish or spain don't

[00:28:51] look that was back in 2003 or four so i think there's a statue of limitation on it so

[00:29:01] i would imagine you're okay i'm sure no but hey look these stories you know these are just one

[00:29:08] of many stories that we probably have and eventually one of the things that that we would

[00:29:14] like to do is to be able to share some of these and you know obviously some do's and don'ts with

[00:29:19] these stories or or or whatnot that will help out with folks that's doing it i know with mine

[00:29:24] i will definitely tell people if you've never run with the bulls before highly recommend it i

[00:29:31] honestly truly do because it was such an adrenaline rush that i wish that i can continuously keep

[00:29:37] doing it but i got a back issue i can't do that shit anymore i ain't gonna recommend no one to do

[00:29:43] do what you're not gonna recommend the hospital but but do keep track of your

[00:29:48] shit that's for sure don't leave your stuff on to care but i mean it would be fun to hear some of

[00:29:53] the the listeners stories because we can't be the only people that have crazy ass stories

[00:29:57] no so anyone who's listening yeah stories like mine really cute story

[00:30:03] anyone who's listening out there right now sentimental stories yes please send us your

[00:30:09] recording or send us your comments on your stories and we would love to be able to even

[00:30:15] share them on the on the site and stuff like this too as well but um just to wrap it up a little

[00:30:21] bit again i thank you guys for listening thanks uh benef and trisha for sharing your

[00:30:27] wonderful stories and i hope you guys enjoyed this episode of our rhythm in rome podcast and i

[00:30:35] hope you guys continue to join with us but always always don't forget to subscribe click that button

[00:30:42] and subscribe and tell us also what other things you would love to hear from us too as well

[00:30:49] along this journey until then have a good night have a good day wherever you are in the world

[00:30:56] and see you guys at another time take care