Podcasts about Nomad

A Note from JayHey all,I promise that I'll update the website with the show notes for these episodes some day. Life has gotten super hectic recently.But, on thing has happened: I now have an internet connection! Like, a proper, high-speed one, with a router that has blinky lights on it and everything.— JaySquidge, Alyxa, and Nomad (of the amazing Retro Wildlands) got together to discuss Metal Gear Solid 3. In this episode, they cover whether Dede is wearing and eye patch or not, whether Alyxa is sneaking around or not, and just exactly what are Snake's Snake Skewers? Seriously, Nomad!Content WarningThis episode contains references to spoilers, swearing, eating things to survive, and torture. But it also contains some seriously bonkers tangents and silliness. You have been politely informed. There are also topics which might not be suitable for the ears of the innocent. But nothing in this episode, or this podcast as a whole, is to be taken seriously.Please listen responsibly.Show NotesSee aboveLinks of InterestJoin our Discord server and be part of future episodesOur Facebook pageUs on TwitterSupport us on Ko-FiAlyxa on the web:Alyxa on TwitchAlyxa on TwitterAlyxa's VoDs on YouTubeLuso DubsRetro Wildlands podcastNomad's episode of The Retro Wildlands on MGS3Alyxa's Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater VOD playlistMusic Used In The EpisodeLinks to the music used in the podcast can be found below. Definitely check them out, because they're amazing tracks by awesome musicians.Intro music is Massive Scratch - Eight Bit/ChiptuneSpoiler Break music is Spectrum (Subdiffusion Mix) by Foniqz (BandCamp)Pallet Cleanser music is Breath Deep Breath Clear (Wu Chi) by Siobhan DakayOutro Music is Massive Scratch - Eight Bit/ChiptuneSigning Off... For NowAnd have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at https://ko-fi.com/jayandjaymedia ★ Support this podcast ★

In this special Easter meditation, writer and storyteller Gareth Higgins invites us into a deeper experience of reality—one rooted not in fear, despair, or division, but in love. With characteristic warmth and clarity, Gareth reflects on the challenges of our time: overwhelming empathy, collapsing certainties, and the temptation to believe that love is unrealistic. Yet through all this, he offers a simple but radical reframing—what if we are not only capable of love, but made of it? Drawing from spiritual wisdom traditions and personal insight, Gareth gently calls us to see ourselves and one another as we truly are: not broken beyond repair, not merely surviving—but bearers of gifts and just a little lower than the angels. Following Gareth's reflection, Anna Robinson leads us in a gentle stilling and examen practice, inviting us to pause, listen, and carry the meditation into our lived experience. Original music for this episode was composed and produced by Wilderthorn. Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad's thoughtful, wonderfully ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful, wonderful listeners. Supporting us gives access to Nomad's online communities through the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge and Nomad Book Club - as well as bonus content like Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections and Nomad Revisited. If you'd like to join our lovely supporters head to our Patreon Page to donate and you may even be rewarded with a pen or Beloved Listener mug! If you're hoping to connect with others who are more local, you can also take a look at our Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook page. Additionally, we share listener's stories on our blog, all with the hope of facilitating understanding, connection and supportive relationships.  

On this episode of The Vonu Podcast, I welcome Keturah Lamb and her husband, Andy. Keturah is part of a family that has gone nearly 100 years without social(ist) (in)security numbers. Herein, she gives us this story of resilience, of standing firmly on principles, and how life without slave tags… The post TVP #232: The Family That Doesn't Exist – 4 Generations Without Social(ist) (In)Security Numbers & Nomad Adventures w/ Keturah Lamb & Andy appeared first on The Vonu Podcast.

I continue with my 50 (54) countries that I have visited in my life and this week I am going to tell you about my times in Bella Italia. Travel: I book all my travels with Expedia. Check it out for yourself: https://expedia.com/affiliate/dhK8Z6z Finances: Check out the Revolut app! Absolutely perfect for people that travel a lot! Use my referral code when signing up: https://revolut.com/referral/?referral-code=christq7h5!APR1-25-AR-ON-REVPRO Poker: Do you want to improve your poker game and support this channel? Then use this link to sign up to Raise Your Edge: https://www.raiseyouredge.com/amember/aff/go/grin5ekatze Get in touch with NICE & SUNNY: - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/niceandsunny - Instagram: @niceandsunny - Twitter: @niceandsunny - Facebook: NICE & SUNNY - TikTok: @niceandsunny

In this conversation, Tamala Floyd shares her journey as a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, discussing how spirit has guided her life and the importance of transforming personal hardships into wisdom for others. She delves into the concept of ancestral healing, explaining how legacy burdens can affect individuals and how to connect with well ancestors for support. The discussion also touches on the significance of imaginary friends as potential ancestral connections and concludes with Tamala's unexpected journey to writing her book on healing through internal family systems therapy and ancestor wisdom. In this conversation, Tamala Floyd shares her experiences and insights on connecting with ancestors, the power of internal family systems, and the importance of ancestral healing. She discusses how her ancestors communicate with her, the role of grand ancestors, and the significance of chosen family. Tamala also highlights the concept of heirlooms passed down through generations and the workshops and retreats she offers for healing. The discussion culminates with a message from her grand ancestor about the importance of living ancestors in healing the world. Tamala Floyd, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, IFS(Internal Family Systems) lead trainer, consultant, author, and speaker with over 25 years of experience. She received a master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California and an undergraduate degree in psychology from California State University–Long Beach. She has taught at the University of Phoenix and the University of Southern California in human services and social work. Her work focuses on women's trauma, mothering, and relationship issues, helping women identify and heal emotional wounds that impede their success and coaching them in achieving fulfilling life goals. Tamala leads workshops in the US and around the world. She enjoys living as a Nomad - going with the flow. You can get further information on her and her new book LISTENING WHEN PARTS SPEAK at: tamalafloyd.com Background music by Zoetic Ambience Hear more: HyperFollow: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/zoeticambience/come-and-go Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1dp3PIPjp4IFKN737IHMAa?si=VgxMwxAgTrCE8TH2vj-LIg Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zoeticambience Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, Tamala Floyd shares her journey as a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, discussing how spirit has guided her life and the importance of transforming personal hardships into wisdom for others. She delves into the concept of ancestral healing, explaining how legacy burdens can affect individuals and how to connect with well ancestors for support. The discussion also touches on the significance of imaginary friends as potential ancestral connections and concludes with Tamala's unexpected journey to writing her book on healing through internal family systems therapy and ancestor wisdom. In this conversation, Tamala Floyd shares her experiences and insights on connecting with ancestors, the power of internal family systems, and the importance of ancestral healing. She discusses how her ancestors communicate with her, the role of grand ancestors, and the significance of chosen family. Tamala also highlights the concept of heirlooms passed down through generations and the workshops and retreats she offers for healing. The discussion culminates with a message from her grand ancestor about the importance of living ancestors in healing the world. Tamala Floyd, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, IFS(Internal Family Systems) lead trainer, consultant, author, and speaker with over 25 years of experience. She received a master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California and an undergraduate degree in psychology from California State University–Long Beach. She has taught at the University of Phoenix and the University of Southern California in human services and social work. Her work focuses on women's trauma, mothering, and relationship issues, helping women identify and heal emotional wounds that impede their success and coaching them in achieving fulfilling life goals. Tamala leads workshops in the US and around the world. She enjoys living as a Nomad - going with the flow. You can get further information on her and her new book LISTENING WHEN PARTS SPEAK at: tamalafloyd.com Background music by Zoetic Ambience Hear more: HyperFollow: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/zoeticambience/come-and-go Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1dp3PIPjp4IFKN737IHMAa?si=VgxMwxAgTrCE8TH2vj-LIg Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zoeticambience Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we speak with Shane Meyer-Holt—writer, speaker, and co-host of In the Shift podcast—about the impact of capitalism on our understanding of ourselves, our relationships and our need for care. Drawing from his own experiences of parenting, community and faith shifting, Shane reflects on the way neoliberal values have colonised our lives. He invites us to critique capitalist assumptions with a view to building relationships and communities capable of holding the tension between the deep human desires for freedom and belonging. Following the interview Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Joy Brooks reflect on their own experiences of and responses to the impact capitalism has on care in the Church and wider society.  Interview starts at 13m 50s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad's thoughtful, wonderfully ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful, wonderful listeners. Supporting us gives access to Nomad's online communities through the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge and Nomad Book Club - as well as bonus content like Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections and Nomad Revisited. If you'd like to join our lovely supporters head to our Patreon Page to donate and you may even be rewarded with a pen or Beloved Listener mug! If you're hoping to connect with others who are more local, you can also take a look at our Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook page. Additionally, we share listener's stories on our blog, all with the hope of facilitating understanding, connection and supportive relationships.

Summary: Romeo Oriogun, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Florida Atlantic University, joins Dean Michael Horswell in our latest edition of In Conversation. They discuss poetry, migration, and the role of African literature in global literary discourse.Romeo Oriogun is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Florida Atlantic University and explores themes of migration, queerness, and survival in his poetry and nonfiction.A Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, Oriogun is the author of Sacrament of Bodies, Nomad, and The Gathering of Bastards. He has received the Nigeria Prize for Literature, the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Prize, the Nebraska  Book Award for Poetry, and was a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. 

In this episode I tell you about what happened between Thailand and now, here, at King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. Travel: I book all my travels with Expedia. Check it out for yourself: https://expedia.com/affiliate/dhK8Z6z Finances: Check out the Revolut app! Absolutely perfect for people that travel a lot! Use my referral code when signing up: https://revolut.com/referral/?referral-code=christq7h5!APR1-25-AR-ON-REVPRO Poker: Do you want to improve your poker game and support this channel? Then use this link to sign up to Raise Your Edge: https://www.raiseyouredge.com/amember/aff/go/grin5ekatze Get in touch with NICE & SUNNY: - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/niceandsunny - Instagram: @niceandsunny - Twitter: @niceandsunny - Facebook: NICE & SUNNY - TikTok: @niceandsunny

We cover Cap #178 panel by panel - Nomad Part 3. Steve Rogers is no longer Captain America! Sam Wilson must battle TWO Lucifers... alone! The classic Steve Englehart story continues! Plus... Rick explains "Nevernudes" to Bob...Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EZ1nTKUxBk0Love the show? Help support with a one-time donation or become a member and get cool perks! https://buymeacoffee.com/capcomicfansConnect with Rick & Bob and fellow Cap fans at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/captainamericacomicbookfans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please subscribe, rate and review! Our home page is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://captainamericacomicbookfans.com⁠

This post contains affiliate links. Amy Suto began her career as a Hollywood TV writer before hitting the road and becoming a digital nomad and freelance writer, which was the subject of her nonfiction book Six-Figure Freelance Writer: A Holistic Guide on Finding Freedom in Freelancing. The Nomad Detective: Volume I is Amy's debut workContinue reading "Becoming a Ditigal Nomad"

Summary: Romeo Oriogun, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Florida Atlantic University, joins Dean Michael Horswell in our latest edition of In Conversation. They discuss poetry, migration, and the role of African literature in global literary discourse.Romeo Oriogun is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Florida Atlantic University and explores themes of migration, queerness, and survival in his poetry and nonfiction.A Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, Oriogun is the author of Sacrament of Bodies, Nomad, and The Gathering of Bastards. He has received the Nigeria Prize for Literature, the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Prize, the Nebraska  Book Award for Poetry, and was a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. 

Meet Angela,New Yorker now living in Brussels, Belgium. After a layoff as a teacher in the US, Angela decided to make her first move abroad to South Korea. As South Korea did not "feel like real life", as in she did not see herself settling there for good, The Netherlands seemed like a good option for her. She moved there, and set up her business discovered the local culture for a few years before moving next door to Brussels with her partner, but this time pregnant.In this episode she shares her tips to settle in a new culture and welcome a child, also how important it is important to communicate with your partner your expectations and boundaries for life abroad, and life abroad with children, moreover when both of you come from different cultures.Her recommendations in Brussels

"Star Trek" has always loved its various probes, from Nomad to V'Ger to the "Inner Light" time capsule, and now "Discovery" is getting in on it with their mystery info sphere in "An Obol for Charon". Unfortunately it ends up wreaking havoc on ship systems AND Saru's biology, threatening both! And I guess everyone, at least based on the former. Also the Tilly Mushroom Friend (?) plot continues. Also this week: odd song, odd chest, and recasting the DS9 guests! [Timestamps: Obol: 01:27; Blog: 1:03:24] [A funny array of folks: https://www.tumblr.com/sshbpodcast/779751603440893952/fantasy-casting-ds9-recurring-characters?source=share]

Three months later and it's not as bad as it seemed. But it's not really getting better, either.  It's been a Redux-heavy month, so planning to do some new episodes of various sorts in April. =========================================================== Lucy Hires a Maid Verna Felton aka Mrs. Porter WarGames at IMDB   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086567/ Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy   Professor Falken explain how the world works to David and Jennifer https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104940/ (Not a Nomad, not as frightening a person at 53 as Verna was at 63 - a quite believable member of the Silent generation.)   Statler and Waldorf This isn't about Statler and Waldorf, but it is about the Muppet Christmas Carol, which is close enough here in December.  https://www.gq.com/story/michael-caine-muppet-christmas-carol-interview A random thought on Colonel Dawson - well, two. The first one is that he was named after Cecil Rhodes, which says something about who his parents thought were the good guys in colonial Africa in the late 19th Century. But also that I overheard him saying one time "I thought he was as good a general as he was a President" with an emphatic thumbs-down.  I spent about five minutes searching Twitter for the flame war I mentioned and, I'll be honest, I can't even deal with looking at Musk's timeline for another moment. And the central tweet from him is offensive enough. So, if you want to find it, he posted it on December 27, 2024, at 11:22PM. (Although it's not a bad example of my thesis, that everyone in a Nomad generation has trouble with their world after midlife.)

Meet Michael & Remington, two inspiring real estate entrepreneurs and family-focused nomads, in this game-changing episode of Nomad University

https://escapethetechnocracy.com/product/south-dakota-residency-definitive-guide/

“The most difficult part about traveling the world isn't actually the logistics of a trip—it's finding the courage to go in the first place.” —Matt Kepnes In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Matt talk about how his travel style has changed over the years, and how fears affect people’s travels (1:00); strategies for saving money on the road (10:30); and strategies for finding activities on the road, and where to start a long-term journey (19:30). Matt Kepnes (@nomadicmatt), commonly known as “Nomadic Matt,” is a travel blogger and the New York Times bestselling author of Travel the World on $75 a Day and Ten Years a Nomad. Notable Links: The Vagabond's Way, by Rolf Potts (book) Levison Wood (explorer) Van Life before #VanLife (Deviate episode) Home exchange (lodging service) Trusted Housesitters (lodging service) Travel Ladies (lodging app) EatWith,com (hospitality service) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel's 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don't host a “comments” section, but we're happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

What happens when the idealised image of motherhood meets the lived reality? In this episode, we sit down with Director of Theos, Chine McDonald to explore the complexities of motherhood and faith. Chine shares her personal journey, from growing up in evangelical churches with rigid gender roles to navigating the expectations and challenges of motherhood. We delve into the ways theology has often sidelined maternal experiences, how cultural depictions of Mary have shaped ideas of motherhood, and how embracing imperfection might be a form of grace. Following the interview Joy Brooks and Tim Nash ponder their own experiences of parenthood and its intersection with their evolving faith.  Interview starts at 13m 13s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad's thoughtful, wonderfully ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful, wonderful listeners. Supporting us gives access to Nomad's online communities through the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge and Nomad Book Club - as well as bonus content like Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections and Nomad Revisited. If you'd like to join our lovely supporters head to our Patreon Page to donate and you may even be rewarded with a pen or Beloved Listener mug! If you're hoping to connect with others who are more local, you can also take a look at our Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook page. Additionally, we share listener's stories on our blog, all with the hope of facilitating understanding, connection and supportive relationships.

Send us a textRide along as the Get Out N Drive Podcast Team talk with Riley from Riley's Rebuilds from the MCACN show floor. Riley Schlick has operated her Florida-based business, Riley's Rebuilds, since 2019 and has quickly become the go-to rebuilder for carburetors. Finds out more about Riley's business and even more about the history and restoration of her family's 1957 Chevy Nomad dubbed the "Showmad".  The Get Out N Drive Podcast is Fuel By AMD ~ AMD: More Than MetalVisit the ‪AMD‬​ Garage ~ Your one stop source for high quality body panelsSpeed over to our friends at ‪Racing_Junk‬​For all things Get Out N Drive, cruise on over to the Get Out N Drive website.Be sure to follow GOND on social media!GOND WebsiteIGXFBYouTubeRecording Engineer, Paul MeyerSubscribe to the ‪Str8sixfan‬​ YouTube Channel#classiccars​ #automotive​ #amd #autometaldirect #c10 #restoration #autorestoration #autoparts #restorationparts #truckrestoration #Jasonchandler #podcast #sheetmetal #rileysrebuilds #armo #sema #carburetorrebuild #queenofcarbs #mcacn #1957chevynomad #chevy #nomad#tradeschool​#carengines​#WhatDrivesYOUth​#GetOutNDriveFAST​Join our fb group to share pics of how you Get Out N DriveFollow Jason on IGIGFollow Jason on fbSubscribe To the OldeCarrGuy YouTube ChannelFollow John on IGRecording Engineer, Paul MeyerSign Up and Learn more about National Get Out N Drive Day.Music Credit:Licensor's Author Username:LoopsLabLicensee:Get Out N Drive PodcastItem Title:The RockabillyItem URL:https://audiojungle.ne...​Item ID:25802696Purchase Date:2022-09-07 22:37:20​ UTCSupport the show

Whether or not you identify as spiritual or some kind of Christian, I'm pretty sure most of us are quite familiar with the tendency--if not the temptation--to live as if the grass is always greener on the other side of the septic tank. Armed with this mindset, many of us move on, move away, or just keep on moving rather than stay put in hopes of finding what we're looking for where we are. As you'll soon learn, Rev. Lydia Sohn was preprogrammed by her Korean American immigrant parents to be a nomad. That was her first and most basic instinct. But at some point she was made to consider the potentially greater value of staying, which has long been a spiritual practice of Benedictine monks. Energized by what a difference this made in her life and her work, Sohn eventually wrote Here: A Spirituality of Staying In a Culture of Leaving. I have no doubt that much of what she shares in our conversation and in her new book will be life-giving, if not life-saving. You can learn more about her at www.revlydia.com.    

Sonic Channel's new official Sonic Team timeline is the topic, and we're joined by our friends Smoovies and Barry the Nomad to answer the question — how well does Sonic's timeline align with David's? Send us Mailbag Questions! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SonicWeeklyPodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠For more Barry: SEGABits!For more Smoovies: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FTCR!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠For more David: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sonic Retro!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠For more Bo: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rings of Saturn!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠For more Grant:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠For more Sonic Weekly: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Special thanks to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JACK OF OLD GAMES⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the video capture and to Smoovies for the edit!EXTRA Special Thanks to our Executive Producers Sonikku, Kal Belgarion, PigDan, Pabsy , SavingThrows, and AltSynth!If you enjoy the show, consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DONATING TO OUR KOFI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to become an EP!

Trina is a GenX adventurer, solo traveling across Africa.Currently, she is traveling overland from Ghana to Namibia, exploring each country as she goes, then around South Africa, then up the east coast towards Turkey.  In 2017, Trina and her husband sold everything and set off to travel the world. He was losing his vision and she wanted him to see as much as possible before it went completely. They traveled mostly in Southeast Asia and Africa, but then she lost him to health issues in 2022. They were in Ghana at the time and Trina paused there for a couple of years of healing and re-organizing.Back on the road she is now for more adventure.What a fantastic story this is. Enjoy it.http://www.malcolmteasdale.com

A Note from JayHey all,So I now have four episode's worth of full show notes to create and add to the website. It's a good thing that I have a bot which detects all of the games mentioned, huh?This is the second in a four -part discussion on Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. In order to tackle this game, Squidge drafted both Alyxa the Kitsune and Nomad. By the way, the original recordings for this four-part series have a combined runtime of over six hours.Just like most recent episodes, let us know if you're reading this show notes: send out a messenger pigeon, lean out the window and yell, or (better yet) join the Discord and let us know.I'll be dipping out to Seattle for a super-secret project throughout March, so Im hoping that my internet connection will be sorted out by the time I get back.— JaySquidge, Alyxa, and Nomad (of the amazing Retro Wildlands) got together to discuss Metal Gear Solid 3. In this episode they talk about the dangers of holding up people for informat, the Metal Gear universe version of the movie Grease, and the tactical hooting.Content WarningThis episode contains references to spoilers, swearing, eating things to survive, and torture. But it also contains some seriously bonkers tangents and silliness. You have been politely informed. There are also topics which might not be suitable for the ears of the innocent. But nothing in this episode, or this podcast as a whole, is to be taken seriously.Please listen responsibly.Show NotesSee aboveLinks of InterestJoin our Discord server and be part of future episodesOur Facebook pageUs on TwitterSupport us on Ko-FiAlyxa on the web:Alyxa on TwitchAlyxa on TwitterAlyxa's VoDs on YouTubeLuso DubsRetro Wildlands podcastNomad's episode of The Retro Wildlands on MGS3Alyxa's Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater VOD playlistMusic Used In The EpisodeLinks to the music used in the podcast can be found below. Definitely check them out, because they're amazing tracks by awesome musicians.Intro music is Massive Scratch - Eight Bit/ChiptuneSpoiler Break music is Spectrum (Subdiffusion Mix) by Foniqz (BandCamp)Pallet Cleanser music is Breath Deep Breath Clear (Wu Chi) by Siobhan DakayMetal Gear Solid Chaff Grenade SoundMGS 3 Parrot codecNever Gonna Give You Up (8 Bit Remix Cover Version)Snake eater theme no lyricsTux CodecMetal Gear Solid Alert - Sound Effect (HD)Metal Gear Solid - Snake's Codec RevengeanceOutro Music is Massive Scratch - Eight Bit/ChiptuneSigning Off... For NowAnd have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at https://ko-fi.com/jayandjaymedia ★ Support this podcast ★

Janis from Bitcoin Nomad family joins us to discuss escaping Switzerland for nomadic life. Janis is also the host of the NoMadPodcast. Bold and provocative. Free and independent. You're not talking about money? We do! 

Darth Chris makes an appearance, Niléane has an exclusive first look at…checks notes… the iPhone 16 Pro, Matt insists on talking about MacWhisper even more, and the crew actually all followed the rules in this week's challenge (a miracle!). Weekly Topics iPhone 16 Pro MacWhisper Other Things Discussed Niléane's Nomad case Doppler music app Stephen Hackett's macOS wallpaper collection Keyboard Maestro Chris's automated wallpaper Calendar and Reminder Wallpaper shortcut GeekTool Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky

It's time for a seance! ou know how it goes. You buy an only pre-Revolutionary War home, renovate it to it's former glory, move in, and then be forced to build an additional home on your estate because the ghosts won't leave you alone. No? Well, that's what happens in our story today!Episode References: Hans Holzer EpisodesEpisode 10: "The House of DeathEpisode 25: "The Morris-Jumel Mansion"Episode 32: "Green Ghosts & Seances in NoMad"Episode 51: "The Amityville Horror"Episode 64: "The Ghost of Hungry Lucy"Episode 76: "The Haunting of 12 Gay Street"Episode 97: "The Haunting of St. Mark's Church in the Bowery"Episode 121: "A Ghost Lives in Brooklyn - Henny from the Block"Episode 136: "The Poltergeists of Barberry Lane"Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible!Have a strange and/or paranormal story?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Share it here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show by becoming a sponsor on our Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.Patreon.com/NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NYMM Merch! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://nymysterymachine.myspreadshop.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't forget to follow us on all the socials:Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky:⁠@nymysterymachine.bsky.social⁠ | X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@NYMysteries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:AUDIBLE: Get a FREE 30 Day Trial by heading to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.AudibleTrial.com/NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HUNT A KILLER: Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.HuntAKiller.com with the code NYMYSTERYMACHINE at checkout!RIVERSIDE.FM: Looking to record podcast, but need software? Head to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://riverside.fm/?via=nymysterymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Are Homes Overrated? Life as a Full-Time Nomad Ever wondered what it's like to live without a permanent home? In this episode, we dive into the world of full-time nomadic living with real estate investor and entrepreneur Sarah Weaver. After spending six years as a full-time nomad, she just moved into a home again—but was it worth it? Sarah shares her journey of working remotely, investing in real estate from anywhere in the world, and the challenges and rewards of constant travel. From securing remote income to maintaining health on the road, we cover everything you need to know about the nomadic lifestyle.

Special guest Dr. Annie Krakewski delves into her journey as a traveling psychologist and digital nomad and shares her experience of running a US-based therapy practice while living abroad - offering practical advice for those considering international living. This episode is also available to stream on our YouTube channel!   Attention Abundance Community members: Annie is our Abundance Community trainer for March 2025. For details on the live training via Zoom, email the HelpDesk or check out the event listing in our private Abundance Community Facebook group.   Sponsored by TherapyNotes®: Use promo code Abundant for 2 months free Sponsored by Paubox: Use code ABUNDANT to get $250 off your first year Learn more about today's guest here: https://www.abundancepracticebuilding.com/blog.   To check out our free resources, including weekly worksheets & our Tasky Checklist, visit https://www.abundancepracticebuilding.com/links. Learn how to fill your practice with the Abundance Party! Join today & get 75% off your first month with promo code PODCAST: https://www.abundancepracticebuilding.com/abundanceparty 

We cover Cap #177 panel by panel - Nomad Part 2. With Steve Rogers done as Captain America, Sam Wilson battles alone against... Lucifer! Plus... Rick shares the "Hoo Hoo" rule, Bob explains the difference between a sleeping and smoking jacket, and they both miss the Hostess ads! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7qNOzVD_ja0Love the show? Help support with a one-time donation or become a member and get cool perks! https://buymeacoffee.com/capcomicfansConnect with Rick & Bob and fellow Cap fans at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/captainamericacomicbookfans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please subscribe, rate and review! Our home page is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://captainamericacomicbookfans.com⁠

Imagine living anywhere in the world while still practicing medicine. That's exactly what Dr. Kristine Goins, also known as The Nomad MD, has done—and she's here to show you how. Dr. Kristine shares her journey from physician burnout to financial and lifestyle freedom and reveals how she turned a five-year plan into a five-month escape.We explore the biggest fears that hold doctors back from pursuing a nomadic lifestyle and how to overcome them. And if you're not ready to go fully nomadic but want more flexibility and control over your time, Dr. Kristine offers practical advice on structuring your career to work less, earn more, and travel more often. Don't let fear or limiting beliefs hold you back from the life you truly want. Connect with Dr. Kristine in her upcoming masterclass, Why You Don't Need a Million to Break Free, on March 25th at 7 p.m. EST. Your dream life isn't a distant goal—it's a decision away! “I think being able to take advantage of the now, which is the only time we really have, is the most important thing.” ~ Dr. Kristine Goins In This Episode:- Overcoming common obstacles to becoming a nomadic MD- Strategies for nomadic procedural doctors- Living the dream: favorite places and lifestyle- Top strategies for aspiring nomadic doctors- Kristine's advice for achieving more travel and flexibility- Future plans and impact: upcoming masterclass - How to connect with Dr. Kristine GoinsJoin Dr. Kristine's masterclass, Why You Don't Need A Million To Break Free: https://mailchi.mp/a71839dce43f/wrc6hevcycConnect with Dr. Kristine Goins:Website: https://thenomadmd.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenomadmds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenomadmds Resources: ➡️ Free community of high-performing physicians: the Physician Wealth Accelerator - https://limitless-md.mn.co/ ➡️ Check out my programs - https://vikramraya.com/coaching-tab-revamp/ ➡️ Apply to become a Limitless MD - www.I8mastermind.comConnect with Vikram:Website: https://vikramraya.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vikramraya/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VikramrayamdLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikramraya/YouTube:

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Helen Bond, Professor of Christian Origins and New Testament, as we explore the complex relationship between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith. Helen unpacks the challenges of reconstructing Jesus' life from the Gospels, revealing how early Christian communities shaped his story. We discuss the historical context of Jesus' teachings, the differing portrayals across the Gospels, and what scholars can confidently say about his life and mission. Finally, we ask: is it possible to build a meaningful spirituality around the historical Jesus, separate from traditional Christian doctrine? Following the interview Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Anna Robinson ponder what all this means for the evolution of their faith and role the historical Jesus might play in it.  Interview starts at 11m 36s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad's thoughtful, wonderfully ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful, wonderful listeners. Supporting us gives access to Nomad's online communities through the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge and Nomad Book Club - as well as bonus content like Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections and Nomad Revisited. If you'd like to join our lovely supporters head to our Patreon Page to donate and you may even be rewarded with a pen or Beloved Listener mug! If you're hoping to connect with others who are more local, you can also take a look at our Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook page. Additionally, we share listener's stories on our blog, all with the hope of facilitating understanding, connection and supportive relationships.

In this episode, hosts Dave and Nomad catch up with Alex Lane, UPS driver, musician and podcaster. The conversation highlights the importance of networking and the unique experiences of working in the delivery industry across different countries. The speakers discuss their experiences with various truck models, the challenges they face with new vehicles, and the quirks of delivery vehicles. They also delve into the impact of Amazon on the delivery industry and the future relationship between UPS and Amazon, highlighting the complexities and changes in the transportation sector. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the evolving landscape of delivery services, particularly focusing on Amazon's influence on UPS and other delivery companies. They explore the challenges and changes in the industry, including the impact on jobs and the dynamics of competition. The discussion then shifts to Alex's new podcast, where he interviews local musicians, highlighting the importance of community and creativity. Finally, they delve into the creative process of writing music and the inspiration behind it, emphasizing the need for openness and adaptability in artistic endeavors. In this engaging conversation, the hosts explore the nuances of preparing for interviews, the importance of self-reflection in podcasting, and the challenges of discussing sensitive topics in today's political climate. They share personal anecdotes and insights on the evolving landscape of American politics, emphasizing the global interest in these events. The discussion highlights the impact of the two-party system and the need for open dialogue, all while maintaining a light-hearted tone. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest 03:04 The Evolution of Podcasting and Networking 05:59 Reflections on COVID-19 and Its Impact 08:58 Vacation Plans and Time Off Policies 11:54 Cultural Differences in Delivery Services 14:54 UPS Experiences and Union Regulations 20:06 The Evolution of Trucking and Driving Experiences 24:23 Challenges with New Truck Models 26:28 The Quirks of Delivery Vehicles 30:58 The Impact of Amazon on Delivery Services 38:31 Future of UPS and Amazon Relations 39:12 Amazon's Impact on Delivery Services 50:00 Alex's Podcast Journey 01:00:04 Creative Processes and Inspirations 01:02:32 Preparing for Conversations 01:05:10 Self-Reflection and Improvement 01:10:18 Navigating Sensitivity in Discussions 01:12:42 The Political Landscape and Its Impact 01:20:30 The Global Perspective on American Politics 01:24:33 Personal Experiences and Anecdotes www.patreon.com/aitdpod THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED OR VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THIS PODCAST ARE THOSE OF THE HOSTS AND GUESTS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT ANY DELIVERY COMPANY  

This segment welcomes DC hip hop pioneer, and legend Priest Da Nomad. During the episode we discuss Priest's recently completed documentary about the art scene in DC, his musical journey, and what he feels his lasting legacy will be. Priest Da Nomad is one of the pioneers of independent DC Hip Hop and the re-emergence of the U street arts scene in the 1990s. He first started publicly performing and rocking college parties in 1992 in DC clubs such as the Ritz, Kilimanjaro, and the Mirage, when DJs recognizing his skills started putting him on the mic in DJ booths at the height of parties! Priest Da Nomad was one of the first indie artists from DC to press up and release his own 12inch vinyl singles and receive mainstream mix show radio air play, without being signed to a major record label at that time. Priest made a lot of noise as a solo artist and as a member of the Freestyle Union arts organization, dedicated to elevating the art of freestyle and improvisational rhyming up and down the east coast. He was also at the forefront of the hip hop theatre movement as a member of the hip hop theatre play “Rhyme Deferred” along with posthumous legendary actor Chadwick Boseman and Apollo Theatre Director Kamilah Forbes. Priest released a number of singles and projects throughout the span of 3 decades with numerous accolades in local press, hip hop magazines and blogs. He has been written up in publications such as The Source, Billboard magazine, Sister to Sister, Rap Pages, Blaze, Washington Post, Washington Times, and numerous Washington City Paper articles, including a cover story by now national best selling author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Priest was also the subject of a book “Hip Hop as Performance and Ritual” by ethnomusicologist Dr. William E. Smith, which dealt with jazz and hip hop improvisation links to Africa.

Send us a textIs there another way to live other than the rat race? Are you feeling stuck and complacent? Frustrated?Here's a fun episode on freedom and being on the road. A rolling stone gathers no moss.Ever want to travel and see the world? Yuri has lived in over 20 countries. It all started on something called the nomad cruise, where other people were doing something similar. People who owned their time and owned their calendar, and were not location dependent.Yuri works remotely and often lives a higher quality of life. She makes the same money she would make in the States where she might only be getting by. Yet in some places the cost is 10x less.By living this way, one has the choice to reduce their workload and enjoy more activity, which equals more joy and fun, less stress. Not just living for the hustle and bustle.There are so many ways to live. Ours is not the only way. Far from it.How about:Late afternoon siestas in Spain where everything closes.Honking mopeds in Viet Nam just to say hello.In Argentina, fourth meals at midnight.Two hour lunches in Italy. For Yuri,  joy is found in the celebration of dance and music, especially Bachatta dance with a partner, is everywhere in Argentina, in the streets, lessons in the park. People old and young. For her, dancing is getting into the body with movement and flow. It is an unspoken language. Just surviving and want to travel? Get away from burnout, worries, and have more bandwidth for the life you want to live on Freedom Road. Support the show

Welcome to Guilders-Ford Radio, a Necromunda podcast broadcasting from the East Gate Docks of Hive Primus (via Guildford Games Club, Surrey, UK).Episode 28 - Nomad on Nomad Action - sees Dixie, Gaz and Leigh share their thoughts following the finale of our Hive Secundus Underhells campaign at Guildford Games Club, which saw player's gangs devastated by Malstrain Genestealers, toxic ticks and big holes in the ground.Dixie has been pondering some rules modifications to entice in more Hangers-On and Outlaws to our part of the hive, and he's come up with some interesting approaches for arbitrators.Finally, along with the usual hobby round-up, Leigh has been watching far too many Ninjon YouTube painting videos this month and goes off on one about limited paint pallets.We'd once again like to give a shout-out a friend of the show, Steve Uden from Sump City Radio. Due to ongoing health issues, a GoFundMe has been setup on Steve's behalf by community hero Carl Johnston.  If you'd like to help out, please follow this link;https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-steve-uden-host-of-sump-city-radio-fight-his-cancerLinks to Ninjon Videos - John Blanche Paints & stress reduction while painting.We'd like to take the opportunity to thank all our listeners who have chosen to support us on Patreon & Buzzsprout.  Your contributions help us make a better show!  • Flow • Denny Wright • Stefan Sahlin  • Matt Miler  • Matti Puh  • Nick McVett  •Warhammer in the Dark  •From_Somewhere • Alfonso  • The Traitor • Johnny DeVille • Stephan B • Jeff Nelson • Lankydiceroller • Morskul • Beau  • Justin Clark • Dr.Toe • Mikael Livas • Josh Reynolds • StandStab • ChestDrain • Scott Spieker • Tucker Steel • Shaughn • Stewart Young • Goatincoat  • Jason • Joseph Serrani • Billy  • Phil • Stephen Griffiths  • Søren D • Spruewhisperer • Kevin Fowler • Scott Spieker • Andy Tabor  • TheMichaelNimmo • Tucker Steel  • Dave Shearman  • Shaughn  • Stewart Young •Damien Davis • Wayne Jeffrey   •  Frawgenstein • Matthey Mulcahy   • William Payne •Thomas Laycock • Stephen Livingston • Tyler Anderson • McGobbo • Jed Tearle • Gene Archibald • James Marsden • John Haynes • Ryan Taylor • Yuki van Elzelingen  • Dick Linehan • Rhinoxrifter • Shawn Hall  • Eric McKenzie  • Paul Shaw  • Jenifer • Drew Williams  • Greg Miller • Andy Farrell  • Nate Combrink •  Don Johnson • Michael Yule • Joe Roberts • TheRedWolf • Lukasz Jainski • Aaron Vissers • One Punch Orlock (Tom) • Matt Price • Shnubuts Support the showHelp us make better content, and download free community resources!www.patreon.com/guildersfordradioAny comments, questions or corrections? We'd love to hear from you! Join the Guilders-Ford Radio community over at;https://linktr.ee/guildersfordradiowww.instagram.com/guildersfordradiowww.facebook.com/guildersfordradioGuildersFordRadio@Gmail.com ** Musical Attribution - Socket Rocker by (Freesound - BaDoink) **

Youtube Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=846wvMB0kVw Find Me Here: https://linktr.ee/boldperceptionspodcast Travel / Lifestyle Consultation, DM Me On Instagram: bold_perceptions Nomad Maisha Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nomad.maisha/ Website: https://nomadmaisha.com/ Subscribe to win a free flight.... when I hit 5k subscribers I will buy a random person a one way flight to experience solo travel themselves. & I will help you plan the adventure. #travel #africa #kenya #dianibeach #travelblogger #digitalnomad #nomadlife #boldperceptions #podcast #podcasting #podcaster

This episode we continue to follow the monk Xuanzang on his path along the silk road.  From Gaochang, he traveled through the Tarim Basin, up over the Tianshan Mountains, to the heart of the Western Gokturk Qaghanate.  From there, he traveled south, through the region of Transoxania to Bactria and the land of Tukhara.  He pushed on into the Hindu Kush, witnessing the stone Buddha statues of Bamiyan, and eventually made his way to the land of Kapisa, near modern Kabul, Afghanistan.  From there he would prepare to enter the Indian subcontinent: the home of the historical Buddha. For more discussion and some photos of the areas along this journey, check out our podcast blog at https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-121   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 121: Journey to the West, Part 2   The cold winds blew through the travelers' doubled up clothing and thick furs.  Cold, wet ground meant that even two sets of boots were not necessarily enough after several days.  The frozen mist would often obscure everything except for the path immediately in front, hiding the peaks and making the sky a uniform white. In many places, the path would be blocked by rock, ice, or snow—the remnants of an avalanche, which could easily take an unsuspecting traveler.  And there was the elevation.  Hiking through the mountains, it was easy enough to reach heights of a mile or higher, and for those not accustomed to that elevation the thin air could take a surprising toll, especially if you were pushing yourself.  And the road was no less kind to the animals that would be hauling said travelers and their gear. And yet, this was the path that Xuanzang had agreed to.  He would continue to push through, despite the various deprivations that he would be subjected to.  No doubt he often wondered if it was worth it.  Then again, returning was just as dangerous a trip, so why not push on?   Last episode we introduced the monk Xuanzang, who traveled the Silk Road to India in the 7th century and returned to China.  He brought back numerous sutras to translate, and ended up founding a new school, known as the Faxian school—or the Hossou school in Japan.   As we mentioned last time, Xuanzang during his lifetime met with students from the archipelago when they visited the continent.  The records of his travels—including his biography and travelogue—are some of the best information we have on what life was like on the silk road around this time. In the last episode, we talked about Xuanzang: how he set out on his travels, his illegal departure from the Tang empire, and his perilous journey across the desert, ending up in Gaochang.  There, King Qu Wentai had tried to get him to stay, but he was determined to head out.  This episode we are going to cover his trip to Agni, Kucha, and Baluka—modern Aksu—and up to the Western Gokturk Qaghanate's capital of Suyab.  From there, we'll follow his footsteps through the Turkic controlled regions of Transoxania and into Tukhara, in modern Afghanistan.  Finally, we'll cover the last parts of his journey before he reached the start of his goal:  India. From Gaochang, Xuanzang continued on, through the towns he names as Wuban and Dujin, and into the country of Agni—known today as the area of Yanqi—which may also have been known as Wuqi.  The route was well-enough known, but it wasn't necessarily safe.  At one point, Xuanzang's caravan met with bandits, whom they were fortunately able to pay off.  The following night they encamped on a river bank with some merchants who also happened to be traveling the road.  The merchants, though, got up at midnight and headed out, hoping to get to the city early so that they could be the first ones to the market.  They only made it a few miles down the road, however, before they encountered more bandits, who slaughtered them and took their goods.  The following day, Xuanzang and his retinue came upon the merchants' remains lying in the road and saw the aftermath of the massacre. This was an unforgiving land, and the road was truly dangerous, even for those who traveled it regularly.  And yet Xuanzang was planning to travel its entire length until he reached India. So with little alternative, they carried on to the royal city of Agni. Agni, or Yanqi, sits on the southwestern edge of the basin, west of Bositeng lake, on the border between the Turfan basin and the larger Tarim Basin.  The name is thought to be a Tocharian—or Turfanian—name for the city, which is also known as Karashr. According to the biography by Huili, Xuanzang and his party didn't stay long in Agni.  Apparently Agni and Gaochang were not exactly on friendly terms, and even though the King of Agni and his ministers reportedly came out to greet Xuanzang and welcome him to their city, they refused to provide any horses.  They spent a single night and moved on. That said, Agni still made an impression on Xuanzang.  He noted how the capital was surrounded by hills on four sides, making it naturally defensible.  As for the people, he praises them as honest and straightforward.  They wore clothing of felt and hemp cloth, and cut their hair short, without hats or any kind of headwear.  Even the climate was pleasant, at least for the short time he was there.  He also notes that they used a script based on India—likely referring to the Brahmic script, which we find in the Tarim basin. However, as for the local lord, the King of Agni, he is a little less charitable.  Xuanzang claimed he was brave but “lacked resourcefulness” and he was a bit of a braggart.  Furthermore, the country had “no guiding principles or discipline and government orders are imperfect and not seriously implemented.”  He also mentioned the state of Buddhism in the country, noting that they were followers of Sarvastivada school, a Theravada sect popular along the Silk Road at the time.  Xuanzang was apparently not too pleased with the fact that they were not strict vegetarians, including the “three kinds of pure meat”.  From Agni, Xuanzang continued southwest, heading for the kingdom of Kucha.  He seems to have bypassed the nearby kingdom of Korla, south of Agni, and headed some 60 or 70 miles, climbing over a ridge and crossing two large rivers, and then proceeding another 200 miles or so to the land of Kucha. Kucha was a kingdom with over one hundred monasteries and five thousand monks following a form of Theravada Buddhism.  Here, Xuanzang was welcomed in by the king, Suvarnadeva, described as having red hair and blue eyes.  While Xuanzang was staying in Kucha, it is suspected that he probably visited the nearby Kizil grotto and the Buddhist caves, there, which include a painting of King Suvarnadeva's father, King Suvarnapuspa, and his three sons. You can still visit Kucha and the Kizil grottos today, although getting there is quite a trek, to be sure.  The ancient Kuchean capital is mostly ruins, but in the Kizil caves, protected from the outside elements, you can find vivid paintings ranging from roughly the 4th to the 8th century, when the site was abandoned.  Hundreds of caves were painted, and many still demonstrate vibrant colors.  The arid conditions protect them from mold and mildew, while the cave itself reduces the natural bleaching effect of sunlight.  The paintings are in numerous styles, and were commissioned by various individuals and groups over the years.  They also give us some inkling of how vibrant the city and similar structures must have been, back when the Kuchean kingdom was in its heyday. The people of Kucha are still something of a mystery.  We know that at least some of them spoke an Indo-European language, related to a language found in Agni, and both of these languages are often called Tocharian, which we discussed last episode.  Xuanzang himself noted that they used Indian writing, possibly referring to the Brahmi script, or perhaps the fact that they seem to have used Sanskrit for official purposes, such as the inscription on the cave painting at Kizil giving the name of King Suvarnapuspa.  The Kucheans also were clothed in ornamental garments of silk and embroidery.  They kept their hair cut, wearing a flowing covering over their heads—and we see some of that in the paintings. Xuanzang also notes that though we may think of this area as a desert, it was a place where rice and grains, as well as fruit like grapes, pomegranates, plums, pears, peaches, and almonds were grown.  Even today, modern Xinjiang grows some absolutely fantastic fruit, including grapes, which are often dried into raisins. Another point of interest for Xuanzang may have been that Kucha is known as the hometown of none other than Kumarajiva.  We first mentioned Kumarajiva back in episode 84.  Kumarajiva was one of the first people we know of who translated many of the sutras from India that were then more widely disseminated throughout the Yellow River and Yangzi river basins.  His father was from India and his mother was a Kuchean princess.  In the middle of the 4th century, when he was still quite young, he traveled to India and back with his mother on a Buddhist pilgrimage.  Later he would start a massive translation project in Chang'an.  His translations are credited with revolutionizing Chinese Buddhism. Xuanzang was initially welcomed by the king, his ministers, and the revered monk, Moksagupta.  They were accompanied by several thousand monks who set up tents outside the eastern gate, with portable Buddha images, which they worshipped, and then Xuanzang was taken to monastery after monastery until sunset.  At one of the monasteries, in the southeast of the city, there were several tens of monks who originally came from Gaochang, and since Xuanzang had come from there, they invited him to stay with them. The next day he met and feasted with the King, politely declining any meat, and then went to the monastery in the northwest to meet with the famous monk: Moksagupta.  Moksagupta himself had made the journey to India, and had spent 20 years there himself.  It seems like this would have been the perfect person for Xuanzang to talk to about his plans, but instead, the two butted heads.  Moksagupta seems to have seen Xuanzang's Mahayana faith as heretical.  He saw no reason for Xuanzang to travel all the way to India when he had all the sutras that anyone needed there in Kucha, along with Moksagupta himself.   Xuanzang's response seems to have been the Tang dynasty Buddhist version of “Okay, Boomer”, and then he went ahead and tore apart Moksagupta's understanding of his own sutras—or so Xuanzang relayed to his biographers.  We don't exactly have Moksagupta's side, and, let's face it, Xuanzang and his biographers are not necessarily reliable narrators.  After all, they followed Mahayana teachings, which they considered the “Greater Vehicle”, and they referred to the Theravada teachings as the “Hinayana” or “Lesser Vehicle”.  Meanwhile, Theravada Buddhists likely saw many of the Mahayana texts as extraneous, even heretical, not believing them to actually be the teachings of the Buddha. It must have been winter time, as the passes through the mountains on the road ahead were still closed, and so Xuanzang stayed in Kucha, spending his time sightseeing and meeting with various people.  He even went back to see Moksagupta, but the older monk shunned him, and would get up and exit the room rather than engaging with him, so they had no more conversations. Eventually, Xuanzang continued on his way west, following along the northern rim of the Tarim basin.  Two days out from Kucha, disaster struck.  Some two thousand or so Turkish bandits suddenly appeared—I doubt Xuanzang was counting, so it may have been more or less.  I imagine that memories of what had happened to the merchants near Agni must have gone through Xuanzang's mind.   Fortunately, for him, they were fighting over loot that they had pillaged from various travelers, and since they couldn't share it equally, they fell to fighting each other and eventually dispersed. He travelled for almost 200 miles after that, stopping only for a night at the Kingdom of Baluka, aka Gumo—the modern city of Aksu.  This was another Theravada Buddhist kingdom.  Xuanzang noted tens of Buddhist temples, and over 1000 Buddhist monks.  The country was not large—about 200 miles east to west and 100 miles north to south.  For reference that means it was probably comparable in size with Kyushu, in terms of overall area, or maybe the size of Denmark—excluding Greenland—or maybe the US state of Maryland.  Xuanzang described the country as similar to Kucha in just about every way, including the written language and law, but the spoken language was different, though we don't get many more details. From Baluka, he crossed northward through the Tianshan mountains, which are classified as an extension of the Pamirs known as the Ice Mountains.  Had he continued southwest, he would have hit Kashgar and crossed over between the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges into the Ferghana valley, but instead he turned north. We don't know exactly why he took this perilous option, but the route that may have been popular at the time as it was one of the most direct routes to the seat of the Western Gokturk Empire, which he was currently traveling through. The Tian Shan mountains were a dangerous journey.  Avalanches could block the road—or worse.  Xuanzang describes the permanent ice fields—indeed, it is the ice fields and glaciers of the Tian Shan that melt in the summer and provide the oasis towns of the Tarim Basin with water, even to this day.  In Xuanzang's day, those glaciers were likely even more prevalent than today, especially as they have been recorded as rapidly disappearing since 1961.  And where you weren't on snow and ice, the ground was probably wet and damp from the melt.  To keep warm, you would wear shoes over your shoes, along with heavy fur coats, all designed to reduce exposure. Xuanzang claims that 3 or 4 of every 10 people didn't survive the crossing—and that horses and oxen fared even worse.  Even if these numbers are an exaggeration, the message is clear:  This was a dangerous journey. After about seven days, Xuanzang came out of the mountains to the “Great Pure Lake”, the “Da Qing Hai”, also known as the Hot Sea or the Salt Sea, which likely refers to Issyk Kul.  The salt content, along with the great volume of water it possesses, means that the lake rarely freezes over, which is likely why it is seen as “hot” since it doesn't freeze when the fresh water nearby does.  This lake is the second largest mountain lake in the world, and the second deepest saltwater lake.  Traveling past the lake, he continued to Suyab, near modern Tokmok, in Kyrgyzstan, just west of the modern capital of Bishkek.  This was an old Sogdian settlement, and had since become the capital of the Western Gokturks.  Sogdians—like Xuanzang's guide, Vandak—were integral to the Gokturk kingdom. Their language was the lingua franca of the Silk Road, and at the time of the Gokturk Khaganate, it was also the official court language, and so when Xuanzang appeared at the court of the Great Khagan of the Western Gokturks, it was likely the language of diplomacy. When we think of Turkic people, many in the English speaking world think of Turkiye, and perhaps of the mighty Ottoman empire.  Some may think of Turkmenistan, Kazhakstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Uzbekistan, among others.  And of course, there are the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.  All of these people claim roots in the ancestral Turkic homeland in the Altai mountains, which sit largely in western Mongolia, north of China's Xinjiang region.  Much like the Xiongnu and the Mongols, they were pastoral nomads, moving their herds across the steppes, often covering great distances.  They would regularly move through different regions, perhaps returning each season, though sometimes not returning for years at a time.  They were often seen as barbarians by settled people living in cities, and yet their goods and horses were highly prized. Nomad and sedentary lifestyles would often collide.  Farmers would turn pastureland into fields, and when the nomadic people returned on their circuits, they would find walls and fences where there was once open land, and the people there would claim to “own” the land, a concept often foreign to people who were always on the move.  Nomadic people, such as the Gokturks, were not necessarily keeping vast libraries of records about themselves and their histories, and so much of what we get comes from external sources, which do not always have incredibly reliable narrators.  To many of the settled agriculturalists, groups like the Turks were marauders who raided their villages and farms.  They were a great bogeyman of the steppes, which required the firm hand of strong defenses to keep out—or so their opponents would want people to think. While they were known for their warfare, which incorporated their mobility, but they were keenly interested in trade, as well.  They understood the value of the trade routes and the various cities and states that they included in their empire.  Thus, the Sogdians and the Gokturks seem a natural fit: the Sogdians were more settled, but not entirely so, as demonstrated by their vast trade networks.  And the Sogdians also were part of the greater central Eurasian steppe culture, so the two cultures understood each other, to a degree.  They are even depicted similarly in art, with slight differences, such as long hair that was often associated with Turks over the Sogdians.  In some areas of the Gokturk empire, Sogdians would run the cities, while the Gokturks provided military aid and protection. Xuanzang's description of the people of Suyab, or the “City of Suye River”, doesn't pick out anyone in particular, and he even says that it was a place where traders of the Hu, or foreign, tribes from different countries mingle their abodes.  He mentions the people here as being called Suli, which is also the name given to the language—this may refer to “Sogdian” in general.  They write with an alphabet that is written vertically rather than horizontally—this may refer to a few scripts that were written this way, possibly based off Syriac or Aramaic alphabets that were adapted to Sogdian and other Iranian languages, but it isn't clear. We are told that the people dressed in felt and hemp clothing, with fur and “cotton” garments.  Their clothes fit tightly, and they kept their hair cut short, exposing the top of their heads—though sometimes they shaved it completely, tying a colored silk band around the forehead. He goes on to describe these people as greedy liars, possibly a reference to the mercantile nature of many of the people at the time. Something to note: The Turks of this time had not yet encountered Islam, which was just now starting to rise up in the Middle East.  The Prophet Muhammad is said to have been born around the end of the 6th century CE and was preaching in the early 7th century, though his teachings would begin to spread outward soon enough.  But that means that the Gokturks were not an Islamic empire.  Rather, their own traditions seem to have focused on the worship of Tengri, an Altaic personification of the universe, often simplified as a “sky god”.  Tengrism can be found amongst the Xiongnu, Mongols, and others, and it was the national religion of the Gokturks themselves, but there were many who also adopted other religions that they encountered, including Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Manichaeism, and Buddhism.  In fact, Xuanzang notes that the Turks he met in Suyab would not sleep or sit on beds made of wood because wood was thought to contain the spirit of fire, which he says they worshipped.  That sounds similar to Zoroastrian beliefs, where fire is associated with Ahura Mazda, who is also worshipped as a sky god.  These may have been beliefs inherited from their Eastern Iranian Sogdian partners. In Xuanzang's biography, we are given more details about his visit to Suyab.  Apparently, as he was headed to the city, he met a hunting party, which we are told was the retinue of Yehu Khan.  Hunting was an important part of life on the steppes, and it continued to be a favorite sport of the Gokturk nobility. Yehu Khan—possibly Yagbhu Khan, though that is up for some debate—is described as being dressed in a green silk robe, with his hair exposed, and wearing  a turban of white silk about ten feet long that wrapped his forehead and hung behind his back.  His “hunting” expedition wasn't just a couple of the guys.  It included about 200 officials, all with plaited hair and dressed in brocade robes—they weren't exactly out there roughing it.  He also had his soldiers, dressed in furs, felt, or fine woolen clothes, and there were so many cavalry that they stretched out of sight.  The Khan seemed pleased to meet Xuanzang, but his hunt was expected to last another couple of days, at least, so he sent an attendant named Dharmaja to take Xuanzang back to wait for the Khan to return. Three days later, Xuanzang was given an audience.  The khan was seated in a large yurt.  Xuanzang noted the seeming incongruity between the khan, sitting there in the tent, decorated with golden flowers, with the officials dressed in magnificent brocade garments sitting in two long rows in front of him and the armed guards behind him, compared to the simple felt walls of the tent. A ”yurt” is a common feature of nomadic life on the steppes.  It wasn't exactly a single person operation to haul them around, but they can be taken down and put up with relative ease.  And while yurts could be relatively simple, there are examples of much more elaborate structures.  There is little reason they couldn't be made larger, perhaps with some extra support.  In later centuries, there are examples of giant yurts that seem like real construction projects.  Use of tents, even in a city, where they had permanent palace buildings, was likely a means of retaining the nomadic steppe traditions, even while enjoying the benefits of city life. Whom exactly Xuanzang met with is a matter of debate.  His records seem to indicate that it was Tong Yabghu Qaghan of the Western Gokturk Khaganate, but other sources say that Tong Yabghu Qaghan died in 628, and the earliest Xuanzang could have been meeting with him was 630, two years later, so if that is the case, he must have met with Tong Yabghu's son, Si Yabghu Qaghan.  It is likely that Xuanzang, who was dictating his accounts years after, mentioned the Qaghan and then, when they looked up who it was, they simply made a mistake.  Remember, Xuanzang would have had everything translated through one or two languages.  He did know what he saw, however, and he recounted what he remembered. Tong Yabghu Qaghan oversaw the height of the Gokturk Qaghanate, and appears to have favored the Buddhist religion, though there were many different religions active in their territories at the time.  They oversaw an extremely cosmopolitan empire covering huge swaths of central Eurasia, including the lucrative silk road.  Xuanzang notes that at the court there were individuals from Gaochang and even a messenger from the Han—which is to say the Tang Empire.  One wonders if Xuanzang—or anyone at that time—realized just how tenuous the Khan'sposition was.  After Tong Yabghu's death, the Qaghanate would decline, and less than a decade later it would fall to the Tang dynasty, who took Suyab and made it their western outpost.  In fact, Suyab is thought to have been the birthplace, over a century later, of a young boy who would find a love of poetry.  That boy's name was Li Bai, or Ri Haku, in Japanese. He would become one of the most famous poets in Chinese history, and his poems were even known and studied in Japan.  And it was largely through Japanese study of Li Bai's poems that his works came to the English speaking world: first through Ernest Fenollosa, who had studied in Japan, and then by the celebrated Ezra Pound, who had used Ernest's notes to help with his own translations of the poems. This was, though, as I said, over a century after Xuanzang's journey.  At the time of our story, the Qaghan was throwing a feast, including Xuanzang and all of the foreign envoys.  Xuanzang comments on the food and drink—his hosts provided grape juice in lieu of wine, and cooked a special vegetarian feast just for him, while the other guests ate a feast of meat, such as veal, lamb, fish, and the like.  There was also the music of various regions along the Silk Road, which Xuanzang found to be catchy, but of course not as refined as the music he was used to, of course.  After dinner Xuanzang was asked to expound upon the Darma, largely about the basic principle that you should be kind to one another—I doubt he was getting into the deep mysteries of Buddhist philosophy. Xuanzang stuck around the court for three more days, during which time the Qaghan tried to get him to stay, but Xuanzang insisted that he had to make it to India.  And so the Qaghan relented.  He found men in his army who could translate for Xuanzang along his journey, and had letters of introduction written to at least as far as the state of Kapisa, in modern Afghanistan. And so, armed with the Qaghan's blessing and a fresh translator, Xuanzang struck out again.  They headed westward for over one hundred miles, eventually reaching Bingyul, aka the Thousand Springs.  This is the area where the Qaghan and his court would spend his summers, and the deer in the area were protected under his orders, so that they were not afraid of humans—which sounds similar to the situation with the deer in Nara.  Continuing on another fifty miles or so—the distances are approximate as Xuanzang's primary duty was not exactly to map all of this out—Xuanzang arrived at the city of Taras, in modern Kazakhstan, another place where the cultures of the Silk Road mixed and mingled.  Xuanzang didn't have much to say about Taraz, apparently, though it is one of the oldest cities in Transoxania, founded near the beginning of the Common Era.  A few miles south of there, Xuanzang reportedly found a village of re-settled ethnic Han that had been captured by the Gokturks and settled here.  They had adopted the dress and customs of the Turkic people, but continued to speak a version of Chinese. Southwest of that he reached the City of White Water, likely referring to Aksukent.  This is the same “Aksu” as the city in Xinjiang, both of which mean “White Water” in Turkic, but this one is in the south of Kazakhstan.  Xuanzang found the climate and products an improvement over what he had experienced in Taras.  Beyond that, he next arrived at the city of Gongyu, and then south again to Nujkend, and then traveling westward to the country of Chach, aka Tashkent.  Both Nujkend and Chach were large cities in nations of smaller, mostly autonomous city-states, which made up a lot of the political geography of Transoxania. I would note that Xuanzang's notes here are much more sparse than previously.  This may be because these were outside of the Tarim basin and therefore of less interest to individuals in the Tang empire.  Or perhaps he was just making his way more quickly and not stopping at every kingdom along the way. From Tashkent, he continued southeast to the Ferghana valley—the country of Feihan.  Oddly, this country doesn't appear in Xuanzang's biography, even though the Ferghana Valley seems to have been fairly well known back in the Tang Empire—it was known as the home of some of the best horses, which were one of its first major exports.  In fact, the Han dynasty even mounted a military expedition to travel to Ferghana just to obtain horses.  Xuanzang is oddly silent on this; however, he does talk about the fertile nature of the land.  He mentions that their language here is different from the lands he had been traveling through up to this point, and also points out that the people of the Ferghana valley were also visibly different from others in the area. From the Ferghana valley, Xuanzang headed west for about 300 miles or more to the land of Sutrushana—perhaps referring to the area of Ushrusana, with its capital of Bunjikat.  This country was also largely Sogdian, and described as similar to Tashkent.  From there, he traveled west through a great desert, passing skeletons, which were the only marker of the trail other than a view of the far off mountains.  Finally, they reached Samarkand, known as the country of “Kang” in Chinese, which was also the term used to mark Sogdians who claimed descent from the people of Samarkand. Samarkand is another of the ancient cities of Central Asia, and even today is the third largest city in modern Uzbekistan.  Human activity in the region goes back to the paleolithic era, and the city was probably founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.  Samarkand was conquered by Alexander the Great, and during the Achaemenid Empire it was the capital of Sogdiana.  During Xuanzang's visit, Samarkand was described as an impenetrable fortress with a large population. For all of his travel, Samarkand was the first place Xuanzang notes as specifically not a Buddhist land.  In fact, there were two monasteries, suggesting that there had been Buddhists, but if any monks tried to stay there then the locals would chase them out with fire.  Instead, they worshipped fire—likely meaning Ahura Mazda and Zoroastrianism.  This leads to a story that I have to wonder about, given the reliability of our narrators. It is said that Xuanzang was met by the King with arrogance, but after staying the night Xuanzang was able to tell the King about Buddhism and its merits.  The king was intrigued, and asked to observe the Precepts, and treated Xuanzang with hospitality and respect.  So when two of Xuanzang's attendants went to the monasteries to worship, they were chased out with fire.  When the king heard about this, he had the people arrested and ordered their hands to be cut off.  Xuanzang could not bear to witness such suffering, however, and he intervened to have them spared.  So instead the king had them flogged and banished from the city.  Ever since then, all the people believed in Buddhism. Some parts of this strike true.  It was likely that the king would entertain this strange wanderer who had arrived with letters from the great Qaghan—that may have even explained why Xuanzang had been encouraged to make the dangerous journey to Suyab in the first place, so that he could obtain such permission.  And it would not be strange for the king to listen to his teachings.  If Xuanzang's attendants were attacked, that would have been a huge breach of hospitality, and however the King felt about it, he no doubt had to do something about it.  And so all of that sounds somewhat believable.  Does that mean everyone suddenly converted to Buddhism?  I don't know that I'm quite willing to go that far.  It is also likely that there were Buddhists there already, even if the majority religion was Zoroastrianism. From Samarkand, Xuanzang traveled farther southwest, to the country of Kasanna, which seems to have been the edge of what we might call Sogdiana.   According to his biographers, however, there was a little more to all of this.  Rather, he headed west to Kusanika.  Then he traveled to  Khargan, and further on to the country of Bukhara, and then to Vadi.  All of these were “An” in Chinese, which was the name element used for Sogdians from this region.  He then continued west to the country of Horismika, on the other side of the Amu Darya, aka the Oxus River of Transoxanian fame. From there he traveled further southwest, entering into the mountains.  The path here was often such that they had to travel single-file, and there was no food or water other than what you brought with you.  Eventually they came to a set of doors, known as the Iron Gate.  This was a Turkic fortress.  It was no doubt fortuitous that he had come from his meeting with the Qaghan, and likely had permission to pass through.  From there, they entered the country of Tukhara. As we noted in Episode 119, Tukhara was in the region of Bactria.  It was bordered by the Pamir range in the east, and the Persian empire in the west.  There were also the Great Snow Mountains in the south, likely referencing the Hindu Kush. Tukhara had been conquered by the Gokturks just within the past couple of decades, and Xuanzang notes that the country had been split into largely autonomous city-states as the local royalty had died without an heir many years before.  With the Gokturk conquest, it was now administered by Tardu Shad, the son of Tong Yabghu Qaghan.  “Shad” in this case was a local title. Here, Xuanzang's narrative gets a little dicey, especially between his biography and his records.  The records of the Western Regions denotes various countries in this area.  It is unclear if he traveled to all of them or is just recounting them from records he obtained.  He does give us at least an overview of the people and the region.  I would also note that this is one of the regions he visited, again, on his return trip, and so may have been more familiar with the region than those areas he had passed through from Suyab on down. For one thing, he notes that the language of the region was different from that of the “Suli”, which appears to refer to the Sogdians.  This was the old territory of the Kushan empire, and they largely spoke Bactrian.  Like Sogdian, it was another Eastern Iranian language, and they used an alphabet based largely on Greek, and written horizontally rather than vertically.  They also had their own coins. This region had plenty of Buddhist communities, and Xuanzang describes the cities and how many monasteries they had, though, again, it isn't clear if he actually visited all of them or not.  These are countries that Li Rongji translates as “Tirmidh”, “Sahaaniyan”, “Kharuun”, “Shuumaan”, etc. It does seem that Xuanzang made it to the capital city, the modern city Kunduz, Afghanistan. Xuanzang actually had something specific for the local Gokturk ruler, Tardu Shad.  Tardu Shad's wife was the younger sister of King Qu Wentai of Gaochang, whom we met last episode.  Qu Wentai had provided Xuanzang a letter for his younger sister and her husband.  Unfortunately, Xuanzang arrived to learn that the princess of Gaochang had passed away, and Tardu Shad's health was failing.  It does seem that Tardu Shad was aware of Xuanzang, however—a letter had already come from Qu Wentai to let them know that Xuanzang was on his way.  As I mentioned last episode, letters were an important part of how communities stayed tied together.  Of course, given the perils of the road, one assumes that multiple letters likely had to be sent just in case they didn't make it.  The US Postal Service this was not. Tardu Shad, though not feeling well, granted an interview with Xuanzang.  He suggested that Xuanzang should stick around.  Then, once the Shad had recovered from his illness, he would accompany Xuanzang personally on his trip to India.  Unfortunately, that was not to be.  While Xuanzang was staying there, he was witness to deadly drama.  Tardu Shad was recovering, which was attributed to the recitations by an Indian monk who was also there.  This outcome was not exactly what some in the court had wanted.  One of the Shad's own sons, known as the Tagin prince, plotted with the Shad's current wife, the young Khatun, and she poisoned her husband.  With the Shad dead, the throne might have gone to the son of the Gaochang princess, but he was still too young.  As such, the Tagin Prince was able to usurp the throne himself, and he married his stepmother, the young Khatun.  The funeral services for the late Tardu Shad meant that Xuanzang was obliged to stay at Ghor for over a month. During that time, Xuanzang had a seemingly pleasant interaction with an Indian monk.  And when he finally got ready to go, he asked the new Shad for a guide and horses.  He agreed, but also made the suggestion that Xuanzang should then head to Balkh.  This may have meant a bit of backtracking, but the Shad suggested that it would be worth it, as Balkh had a flourishing Buddhist community. Fortunately, there was a group of Buddhist monks from Balkh who happened to be in Kunduz to express their condolences at the passing of Tardu Shad, and they agreed to accompany Xuanzang back to their hometown, lest he end up getting lost and taking the long way there. The city of Balkh is also known as “Baktra”, as in “Bactria”, another name of this region.  A settlement has been there since at least 500 BCE , and it was already an important city when it was captured by Alexander the Great.  It sits at the confluence of several major trade routes, which no doubt were a big part of its success.  Xuanzang's biography notes that it was a massive city, though it was relatively sparsely populated—probably due to the relatively recent conquest by the Gokturks, which had occurred in the last couple of decades.  That said, there were still thousands of monks residing at a hundred monasteries in and around the city.  They are all characterized as monks of Theravada schools.  Southwest of the city was a monastery known as Navasamgharama, aka Nava Vihara, or “New Monastery”.  Despite its name, the monastery may have actually been much older, going back to the Kushan emperor Kaniska, in the 2nd century CE.  Ruins identified as this “New Monastery” are still visible south of Balkh, today. The monastery is described as being beautifully decorated, and it seems that it had a relic—one of the Buddha's teeth.  There are also various utensils that the Buddha is said to have used, as well.  The objects would be displayed on festival days.  North of the monastery there was a stupa more than 200 feet in height.  South of the monastery was a hermitage.  Each monk who studied there and passed away would have a stupa erected for them, as well.  Xuanzang notes that there were at around 700 memorial stupas, such that they had to be crammed together, base to base. It was here that Xuanzang met a young monk named Prajnaakara, who was already somewhat famous in India, and well-studied.  When questioned about certain aspects of Buddhism, Xuanzang was impressed by the monk's answers, and so stayed there a month studying with the young monk. Eventually, Xuanzang was ready to continue on his journey.  He departed Balkh towards the south, accompanying the teacher Prajnakara, and together they entered the Great Snow Mountains, aka the Hindu Kush.  This path was even more dangerous than the trip through the Tian Shan mountains to Suyab.   They eventually left the territory of Tukhara and arrived at Bamiyan.  Bamiyan was a kingdom in the Hindu Kush, themselves an extension of the Himalayan Mountain range.  It Is largely based around valley, home to the modern city of Bamyan, Afghanistan, which sits along the divide between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.  Today it is a major center for individuals of the Hazara ethnic group, one of the main ethnic groups in Afghanistan, which is a multi-ethnic state that includes, today, the Pashtun, Hazara, Tajik, and Uzbek people, along with a number of smaller ethnic groups.  Today they largely reside in the mountainous areas of the Hindu Kush. Bamiyan made an impact on our protagonist.   Their language was slightly different from that in Tukhara, but using the same—or similar enough—writing system.  Buddhism was thriving in the capital, and we are told of a rock statue of the standing Buddha, over a hundred feet in height, along with a copper statue of the standing Buddha nearby.    There was also another reclining Buddha a mile or two down the road.  There were multiple monasteries with thousands of monks, and the ruler of that kingdom received Xuanzang well. Xuanzang wasn't the first monk to travel to Bamiyan from the Middle Kingdom—in this he was, perhaps unwittingly, on the trail of the monk Faxian.  Faxian likely did not see these statues, though, as we believe they were built in the 6th and early 7th century—at least the stone Buddha statues.  They were a famous worship site until February 2001, when the Taliban gave an order to destroy all of the statues in Afghanistan.  Despite this, they were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Fortunately, we have images from before their destruction.  These statues were a blend of Greco-Buddhist and Gandharan art styles—appropriate as it stands between the Hellenistic area of Tukhara and the ancient region of Gandhara—including the modern city of Kandahar and into the Indus Valley region of Pakistan. Continuing east through the mountains, Xuanzang eventually came out at the kingdom of Kapisa.  This may have had its capital around modern-day Bagram, north of modern Kabul, but the country seems to have been quite large.  Kapisa over saw some tens of other countries, and it is thought that at one time its influence extended from Bamyan and Kandahar to the area of modern Jalalabad.  Their language was even more different than that of Tukhara, but they were still using the same writing system.  The king of Kapisa is said to have been of Suli ethnicity—which would seem to indicate that he was Sogdian, or at least descended from people of the Transoxanian region.    Xuanzang notes that the ruler, as rough and fiery as he is described—as a true warlord or similar—he nonetheless made a silver image of the Buddha, eighteen feet in height, every year.  He also gave charity to the poor and needy in an assembly that was called every five years.  There were over one hundred monasteries and some 6000 monks, per Xuanzang's recollection, and notably, they were largely following Mahayana teachings. For the most part the monks that Xuanzang had encountered on this journey were Theravada—Xuanzang refers to them as “Hinayana”, referring to the “Lesser Vehicle” in contrast to Xuanzang's own “Mahayana”, or “Greater Vehicle”.  “Theravada” refers to the “way of the elders” and while Mahayana Buddhism largely accepts the sutras of Theravada Buddhism, there are many Mahayana texts that Theravada Buddhists do not believe are canonical.  We discussed this back in Episode 84. There was apparently a story of another individual from the Yellow River being sent as a hostage to Kapisa when it was part of the Kushan Empire, under Kanishka or similar.  Xuanzang recounts various places that the hostage, described as a prince, lived or visited while in the region.  Xuanzang's arrival likely stirred the imagination of people who likely knew that the Tang were out there, but it was such a seemingly impossible distance for most people.  And yet here was someone who had traveled across all of that distance.  One of the monasteries that claimed to have been founded because of that ancient Han prince invited Xuanzang to stay with them.  Although it was a Theravada monastery, Xuanzang took them up on the offer, both because of the connection to someone who may have been his countryman, but also because of his traveling companion, Prajnakara, who was also a Theravada monk, and may not be comfortable staying at a Mahayana monastery. Xuanzang spends a good deal of ink on the stories of how various monasteries and other sites were founded in Kapisa and the surrounding areas.  He must have spent some time there to accumulate all of this information.  It is also one of the places where he seems to have hit at least twice—once on the way to India, and once during his return journey. The King of Kapisa is said to have been a devotee of Mahayana Buddhism.  He invited Xuanzang and Prajnakara to come to a Mahayana monastery to hold a Dharma gathering.  There they met with several leading figures in the monastery, and they discussed different theories.  This gathering lasted five days, and at the end, the king offered Xuanzang and the other monks five bolts of pure brocade and various other gifts.  Soon thereafter, the monk Prajnakara was invited back to Tukhara, and so he and Xuanzang parted ways. And it was about time for Xuanzang to continue onwards as well.  From Kapisa, he would travel across the “Black Range” and into Lampaka.  This may refer to the area of Laghman or Jalalabad.  Today, this is in modern Afghanistan, but for Xuanzang, this would have been the northwestern edge of India.  He was almost there. And so are we, but we'll save his trip into India for next episode. Until then thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

In this episode, we speak with Justin Lee about navigating difference and division in a polarised world. Justin shares his journey reconciling his identity as a gay man with his evangelical Christian upbringing, a path that led to his work fostering dialogue across divides. He explores the challenges of echo chambers, the instinct to fight or avoid disagreement, and the power of listening, storytelling, and empathy in building bridges. It's a conversation about the courage to hold space for complexity—and for hope. After the interview, Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on their own bumpy road of navigating difference. Interview starts at 14m 23s  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad's thoughtful, wonderfully ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful, wonderful listeners. Supporting us gives access to Nomad's online communities through the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge and Nomad Book Club - as well as bonus content like Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections and Nomad Revisited. If you'd like to join our lovely supporters head to our Patreon Page to donate and you may even be rewarded with a pen or Beloved Listener mug! If you're hoping to connect with others who are more local, you can also take a look at our Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook page. Additionally, we share listener's stories on our blog, all with the hope of facilitating understanding, connection and supportive relationships.

Arash the nomad is back on the show from his farm to fill us in on his latest adventures. You can listen to the first episode here.https://www.instagram.com/arashkhajehzadeh/-------------------------To learn more about psychedelic therapy go to my brother Mehran's page at: https://www.mindbodyintegration.ca/ or to https://www.legacyjourneys.ca/ for his next retreat.***Masty o Rasty is not responsible for, or condone, the views and opinions expressed by our guests ******مستی و راستی هیچگونه مسولیتی در برابر نظرها و عقاید مهمان‌های برنامه ندارد.***--------Support the showhttps://paypal.me/raamemamiVenmo + Revolut: @KingRaam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.