Travel is with all of us as a fundamental part of being human. On our journey we occasionally come to bridges. We stop in the middle sometimes and look around, watch the water flow by, gaze at the trees and the sky, and look to the other side.  This "Intermission" Episode lies between what was and what will be.  We look to the side where we came from during Season 1.  We look to the horizon on the other side.  As much as we like to think we know what it will be like, we don't. Stay to the end and we'll walk together off the bridge and travel on.   Let's leave it up to fate, adventure, the people we will meet, and what is far greater than ourselves.

Do you have ideas for the show, know if a guest that would be great, or just want to reach out?  Greg Traverso would enjoy hearing from you:  greg@metamo.travel

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Explore the Journey that awaits you!  https://metamo.travel/

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A few random moments walking in Africa.  From the tent to the main dining area unaccompanied by a Maasai guard makes you look extra closely for any sign of movement. Hornbills in Kileleshwa.  A Maasai Warrior discusses the process of taking on another wife. And another.  And another.   A chance meeting at Ace hardware (although it's hard to meet a Maasai Warrior there). This 35th Episode of the Metamo Podcast is a bridge of sorts - like the monkey bridges over the Lunga Lunga Road near Diani Beach, south of Mombasa, Kenya.  A bridge to other side of something. You just want to land in an aisle seat or perhaps a window seat, to be able to get more sleep.  It is always a toss up.  Get that glass of wine or cup of tea, take that walk or get on the treadmill.  Relax friend and we'll see you inside the podcast (and again on the other side). 

Do you have ideas for the show, know if a guest that would be great, or just want to reach out?  We would enjoy hearing from you:  hello@metamo.travel

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Explore the Journey that awaits you!  http://Metamo.Travel

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Birds are special creatures.  While there are no bees in this episode, there are cheetahs. How about you....Do you have a spirit animal? And how about a spirt bird?  On this episiode we visit again with our dear friends David and Ronah.  We give them a surprise quiz to see if we can stump them.  We then go on a story safari with them to hear of a couple wildlife adventures  from the field and beyond.  Get your binoculars and get ready for white bellied go-a-way birds, lilac breasted rollers, and of course, king fishers and more!  

Do you have ideas for the show, know if a guest that would be great, or just want to reach out?  Greg Traverso would enjoy hearing from you:  greg@metamo.travel

Like this podcast? Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts! We really appreciate it.

Explore the Journey that awaits you!  http://Metamo.Travel

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The winds of travel can blow you all the way around the world and back again. And again and again. They can take you to a cafe in Uttar Pradesh or on a wild rickshaw race from Rajasthan to Kerala in India.  It can take you to a fashion show in Nairobi where you have to piece together your 'best' traveling clothes into the best combination you can comically muster up. You end up on a boat off of Lamu Island fishing with string line for lunch along the mangroves and getting sea sick only to remember it, with time, as one of your favorite traveling experiences as predicted by a wise Swedish woman at the time. Or perhaps the winds carry you to Mexico where serendipity and fate of our times lead you to teach English for a year and write a book with someone you met in a the cafe back in Uttar Pradesh.  Importantly, travel gives you a deeper and richer perspective on life and a warm appreciation of home.

Do you have ideas for the show, know if a guest that would be great, or just want to reach out?  We would enjoy hearing from you:  hello@metamo.travel

Like this podcast? Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts! We really appreciate it.

Explore the Journey that awaits you!  http://Metamo.Travel

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When travel gets in your blood, watch out. Life will never be the same. 9 to 5's exist in that other world far away - you toss up grass blades to test the wind more often. If the wind  is blowing toward the southern hemisphere, you may travel in that direction. When it blows north, you are inclined to follow it back. The wind might even blow you to a German bakery in Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges River in India. You heard about this bakery from other travelers also following the wind. You order, of all things, penne pasta.  You are seated next to someone you've never met before.  You end up writing a book together.  The winds of travel. 

Pool is like life in many ways.  You can make a great shot but if you aren't planning for what comes next, or use the wrong or too much 'English,' ... watch out.  🎱
 
On this episode we travel from the smokey pool rooms of yesteryear to a most interesting room in India. We find a rich landscape of characters as we find ourselves in places and circumstances we were not supposed to be in but in reality we were.  The hidden depths are like the pool balls that drop into the pockets and disappear into the abyss, only to show up on the others side (hopefully not joined by the cue ball).  When we 'break' we hope for the best on this precarious if delicious journey across the landscape of travel like the top of the green felt of a pool table. 

Namaste 🙏🏽

Do you have ideas for the show, know if a guest that would be great, or just want to reach out?  We would enjoy hearing from you:  hello@metamo.travel

Like this podcast? Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts! We really appreciate it.

Explore the Journey that awaits you!  http://Metamo.Travel

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Have you ever accidentally  left a restaurant without paying your bill? Only to sometime later and quite unexpectedly have the unintended discrepancy righted without expecting it?  Life can be that way. The best moments we don't always recognize until years, if not decades, later. We have a lot to learn.  From a booth in the lost in time 'Eff' Restaurant in Nairobi off of Tubman Road (which no longer exists), we begin a story that one would never imagine being a story in the first place.  If the bill was paid like it should have been ... we wouldn't be talking about it now and there wouldn't be a story.  Well, such is life.

If you are know the answer to the question posed on this podcast, or you just want to say hello (which we would love), there's no better place electronically anyway than here:  hello@metamo.travel

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Hospitality goes back to our primordial roots - welcoming strangers who brought news from the distant lands.  Today it can seem like a lost art - a transaction rather the sparkle of humanity.  In this episode we explore hospitality's roots but also go to where it is thriving today, in East Africa.  Some say it's something you can't teach.  If that is the case, those in the safari industry at the lodges, tented camps, resorts and hotels, are born with a great gift. As a traveler to Africa, you will be welcomed and cared for probably like you never have been before. 

So welcome strangers and friends alike.  Put your feet up and enjoy the podcast.  We'll bring you an ice cold fresh washcloth to wipe off the safari dust and some chilled paw paw juice.  Now refreshed, sit back and tell stories of the day and dream of your adventures to come. 

Karibu mgeni! (Welcome stranger!)

We'd love to hear from you!  hello@metamo.travel

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We travel. We love life. We get up in the morning and walk outside. We go through our day in wondrous ways.  When we pack out bags for a journey out into the world - whether it's to our job or on a great adventure beyond our borders, do we consider what non-material things we need to pack and bring along?  Of  course we don't want to forget our passport or our underwear but we also don't want to miss out on the richness that lies below the surface of the material world that we want to bring with us. On this first Internal Packing List Guide Podcast, we explore the non-material world of human communication as we travel hundreds of thousands of miles per hour together on this great journey.

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Have you ever got mugged but didn't know it?  How about ending up in a Russian hospital and being told you might have to find a different way home to America other than how you got there? From a small abode in El Salvador to the birthplace of the Beatles, we have some fun and mix it up with our regular co-host Bob Spoerl about his travels and life lessons learned.  Even Bob is surprised at how travel has almost unwittingly influenced everything from his work to his music. To shake it up even further, our former guest Jenna Adeleke (see Episode 25) joins us to co-host this episode with Greg. We have a blast with Bob, learn how spirituality has influenced his travels and, to add some frosting to the cake, get to hear part of one of Bob's recently released songs, High, Happy, Haunted with the lyrics written by Bob's wife Deanna.  

Bob is owner of the global communications company, Bear Icebox Communications based out of Chicago.  Visit the Bear Icebox website for all of your communications and PR needs:

www.bearicebox.com

Bob and his wife Deanna bring you their funny and boundary pushing (well not too far but they do walk to the edge) podcast Grocery Chat each week at:

www.grocerychat.com 

You'll really enjoy Bob's wonderful original music at: 

www.gingerbinge.info

If you love travel and adventure stories, don’t forget to subscribe to the Metamo Travel Podcast. We’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you find podcasts.

New episodes airing weekly! 

Learn more at http://Metamo.Travel

In this episode Greg flies solo for the first time and gives us an overview of where we are on our Metamo Travel Podcast journey now that we have passed 25 Episodes. We take a look at the concept of travel, with all of its twists and turns presented to us along the way.  The episode gives us a forest above the trees look at why we travel and how it can add quality and perspective to our lives.  For good measure and to keep our bearings, a few stories are sprinkled in along the way.  Buckle up, enjoy the ride, and we'll see you on the other side. 

In our 25th Episode, Greg describes a "typical" ride on his journey across Africa which was full of surprises.  We learn how to make a certain kind of traveler's stew, seasoned with a spattering of languages, thickened with a certain ingredient, and thrown against the wall until it sticks. We meet the wives of a certain and forgotten Zaïrois owner of a flatbed truck, experience light inside a glowing pumpkin, and come out the other side of night into a magical scene.  Hold on to your seat (if you can find one) and journey on.

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John Wanyokie spent four years at the Nairobi National Museum but his mind and heart are in the forests of Kenya listening to the magical sounds or out guiding on safari in the bush. John shares with us today his passion for conservation, wildlife, and how birds affect his life.  John discusses the importance of travel and how following his Mom to work one day when he wasn't supposed to opened up new pathways.

Deep in a bustling and vibrant market in Nigeria, Jenna Adeleke shares a transformational moment in her life.  In an instant, she knows just what she will do.  The humanity, the energy, and the vibrant colors permeate her very being.  Jenna would never be the same.  The story really begins in America when she first meets and makes an instant connection with the love of her life, "Leke." In this episode, Jenna travels to Nigeria to meet her African family for the very first time. She is blown away by the love, the warm hospitality, and the genuine connections she makes with her new family.  Jenna's passion for her 3 trips to Africa is contagious. She tells stories ranging descriptions of the culture, the food, to the brilliant colors everywhere.  Sit back and relax and enjoy - if this doesn't make you want to go to Africa to experience the culture and life there, nothing probably will.

Learn more about Jenna's work on Etsy : Soul Creative by Jenna Featuring NaijAmore by SoulCreativeByJenna  https://www.etsy.com/

Or

On Instagram:  @soulcreativebyjenna 

In this episode Bob and Greg probe the waters of the topic of transformational travel.  At the heart transformational travel is the realization that the journey we are on is not so much an external journey but an internal one.  One goes out into the world to explore and seek exciting experiences but transformation cuts both ways:  the people you meet can be influenced by you as much (or more) than you are by them.  Metamo's mission is to provide a more fulfilling way to travel and to transform the lives of children through its One-to-One Promise in the process, providing  education to children who might not otherwise have the opportunity.  This episode skims the surface of transformational travel looking for opportunities to take a  deeper dive along the way.  

Each wildlife safari has its own magic to it.  You never see the same scene twice.  In this episode Bob asks Greg to share an example of a memorable safari he has been on. They end up on safari on the floor of Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, patiently watching lions hunt a notoriously ferocious beast known as the "widowmaker."   Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most stunning wildlife sanctuaries in the world.  It was once a massive volcano which may have been even bigger than Kilimanjaro.  On the floor of this largest intact caldera in the world live nearly 30,000 large mammals.  Let's journey together to meet a few of them on this episode. 

In this episode we continue our discussion with Maan Alyagout.  Maan describes how he was able to escape from Kuwait during the invasion by Iraq in 1990 into Saudi Arabia. A great storyteller, Maan continues to describe his journey that led him from the deserts of Arabia to the redwood forests of Northern California.  Using his wits and diplomatic savvy, Maan escapes with his life with dreams of returning to Humboldt County, where we speak with him today. 

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Our interview with Maan Alyagout takes us on a journey from the deserts of Kuwait, to the redwood forests of Humboldt County California, and back again. A great calamity befell the Kuwaiti people in 1990.  The invasion of Kuwait ensues and Maan finds himself in the middle of the morass. Using his wits and diplomatic savvy, Maan escapes with his life with dreams of returning to the redwood forests of Humboldt County California - where we speak with him today. 


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Today, we have a very special guest. Debbie Archangels is the host of The Offbeat Life. A podcast where she interviews travelers who ditched their 9-5 to become remote entrepreneurs and digital nomads. Debbie is also the founder of Howtocreateapodcast.com, a podcast consulting agency where she helps serious podcasters gain authority and income through their show.

Like this podcast? Follow us and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or just about anywhere podcasts are found! Just search for "Metamo Travel." We really appreciate it.

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On this episode we welcome back two special guests, David and Ronah Saunders.  David and Ronah share with us just a few of their favorite stories in the wild.  Ronah describes coming across a den of baby hyenas (she really wanted to bring one back home!). David recounts one of their most exciting safari experiences in Maasai Mara where smart wildebeest calf runs directly to their safari vehicle attempting to avoid almost certain death from a coalition of cheetahs surrounding it.  The tension builds and the fate of the wildebeest hangs by a thread. There are more stories too! 

Learn more about David and Ronah's work in Africa at  rrop.org

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Ryan Libhart Pereyda & Nathan Wirt push the boundaries of travel to the outermost limits. As they describe their wild adventures riding motorcycles from South America to California, across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, there seems to be no limit to how far these two friends and travel mates would go in the name of adventure. Our story picks up here as the two venture to all the way to Nairobi, Kenya. There, they meet someone who becomes a special friend (and who keeps an artifact from their trip). Life lessons and resourcefulness, insights into different cultures, and a sundry of stories from Nate and Rien on their two epic journeys together await you!

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Ryan Libhart Pereyda & Nathan Wirt push the boundaries of travel to the outermost limits. As they describe their wild adventures riding motorcycles from South America to California, across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, there seems to be no limit to how far these two friends and travel mates would go in the name of adventure. Their stories ultimately take us deeper and deeper into remote Africa across deserts to a remote oasis near the Libyan border, through war-torn no-man-land countries like Sudan and Somalia, and into some of the most isolated parts of East Africa and beyond. Life lessons and resourcefulness, insights into different cultures, and a sundry of stories from Nate and Rien on their two epic journeys together await you, never knowing what's around the next corner on Transcontinental motorcycle adventures with Ryan Libhart Pereyda & Nathan Wirt: Part 1. 

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When traveling off the beaten path it’s pretty easy to misread the most obvious. Sometimes we trip and fall down. Sometimes we just look foolish. And once in a while we learn something from it.

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Up in the hills of California's Coastal Range late at night in 1984, Joey Raspo and Skid draw out a plan on the back of an old napkin to travel to Egypt and climb to the top of the pyramids. Danny Puccinelli joins the escapade at the last hour and the three friends end up on an epic adventure.  Lost Italian relatives, sand storms on the Sinai, a Bedouin encampment, a sojourn in a cave, and a climb to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza await. This edited version of their odyssey changes the names to protect the guilty.   

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In this episode, we pick up where we left off last week. Greg is 1,000 miles from the coast to complete his journey across the continent of Africa. His last ride ends up being perhaps the worst one yet and he enters a Zen-like state to get through it. He reaches Cameroon and spies something on a train so familiar yet so foreign at the same time.  Greg finally knocks on the door of a French mission only to have to talk his way in using extremely limited French.  Finally, he takes a six-hour plane ride back to Nairobi and reflects on his seven-month journey. 

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