Topic: "Around the World for Free!"

[georgiapeach]

Alex Boylan (winner of TAR 2 with Chris)  has a new venture!

He will be doing an Internet show launching tomorrow morning between 8 and 9 AM on TES!

The premise? He is going to go around the world again (buddy Chris will be the cameraman) with no $$ at all. He will be relying totally on "the kindness of strangers" and tips from us, the Internet viewers.

See the Intro video, and read MORE HERE.

From Alex:

CBS Early Show on CBS next Tuesday, September 18th (THIS WILL BE THE LIVE LAUNCH so make sure you tune in and tell all your friends!)
We will be leaving the Early Show in NYC and heading south along the East Coast towards Florida and then hopefully onwards to the Caribbean! So here's your first chance to input on the show - - If you know anyone who wants to be part of this leg of the journey and has a ride, place to crash, a boat, or valuable connection, please log on to http://www.aroundtheworldforfree.com and send me (Alex) a message (use the button on the top grey menu bar).

Well, that's it guys... next time I talk to you it will be from the road. I hope you enjoy the show and some of the videos we have uploaded to date!! Lots more on the way soon!

Cheers and never stop traveling!!

Alex Boylan

Anybody want to watch with me??  Sounds like fun!





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[apskip]

Peach, I know that several sources have erroneously reportedly that AR2 teammate Chris Luca will be accompanying Alex as his cameraman. If you look on the AroundtheWorldforFree website, you will find that Zsolt Luka (last name very close, accounting for the confusion) is the actual cameraman. Chris is not going on ATWFF.

[georgiapeach]

Darn! I did kind of wonder about that! 

Here is the real cameraman: http://www.aroundtheworldforfree.com/html/about.html

Thanks for the fix! 

[georgiapeach]

TES video: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3271586n

More info: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/13/earlyshow/main3258197.shtml

As you track Alex's progress on the "Around the World" website and watch his weekly reports for The Early Show, you'll find out where he's hoping to head to next. And as he heads there, he'll be looking for advice, a friendly local face, maybe even a place to stay for the night. Have you been to a small town along the way and know some interesting information, pass it on.

If you live near where Alex is headed, or know someone who is nearby, you can let Alex know on his site and help him on that leg of his trip. Have a friend there who needs to hire some help? Alex is looking for work. Have a cousin with a restaurant who might want to give Alex a meal? Alex would definitely like a free lunch. If he's in their neck of the woods, he'll likely stop by.

[georgiapeach]

Update: http://www.aroundtheworldforfree.com/

They were nervous about getting out of Manhatten but got a promise of a ride to Jersey from a construction worker.

But meanwhile, a woman named Debbie in Florence, SC sent them 2 train tickets--so they jumped on that-- and put them up in her house last night. They are going to visit some Florence hot-spots (is that an oxymoron?  ) today and then hope to continue the journey onwards--still trying to hook up with a way to get to the Caribbean! (me too! )


Hmmm...SC and Georgia aren't that far apart!

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[georgiapeach]

Looks like they had a great time in SC and were spoiled rotten!  Lots of good press as well...

Now looking for the next step--and apparently the offers are pouring in!

Have to say I am impressed with the site/technology as well--clean videos,nice music, good sound--nice job guys!




http://www.aroundtheworldforfree.com/

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[georgiapeach]

So...somehow or the other he has made it down to Ponte Vedra Beach (Jacksonville) Florida--we don't know all the details yet---

or we might have, but I forgot to watch TES!

Looks like he is doing pretty well for himself--right on the Intercostal!

[attachment deleted by admin]

[georgiapeach]

The Early Show Video:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3288184n

[georgiapeach]

Brief catch up:

Penn Station to Florence SC  (see story above)--driven to Mt Pleasant SC--had Chinese dinner with Becky--picked up there by old friend Dov--taken to Jacksonville, Fl to work on the 1st live clip for TES (see story above).

Currently, Alex is still in JAX considering his options..

I was fortunate enough to catch up with him for a second to "chat" today.

Here is a brief excerpt:



Tomorrow he plans to chat again and let us help decide on some of his options for the next place to go!

Here are Becky and Dov....


Is anybody watching this but me? I'm loving the serendipity of it all!  Any questions for Alex??



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Slowhatch]

Well, the days of free courier flights (story here) and working your passage on a freighter are long gone. I'm not a frequent flier, but maybe someone can transfer their fly miles to him (he'd still have to pay various fees and taxes, though).

[georgiapeach]

The first book I ever bought when I started travelling extensively, was How to Be a Courier! Heee.....

So they are off!

Buddy Chris from TAR drove them from Jax to Sanford--near Orlando--a viewer put them up, fed them at a Steakhouse--and just bought them First class tickets to Puerto Rico!  (or maybe they were FF mile tickets, Slowhatch?)

I am a little disappointed that so far this has been more of a donate to Alex venture so far than a "let's use our ingenuity" for travelling for free--but I have hopes for things to change once they get to areas where they are less well known.

But the online community support is awesome.

http://www.aroundtheworldforfree.com/

[attachment deleted by admin]

[georgiapeach]

Well--they made it to Puerto Rico!

Day 9 (9/26/07)
Hello Puerto Rico
After a great flight from Orlando to San Juan Puerto Rico..Zsolt and I arrived  to find Dwolf and Karlita waiting for us at the airport. We are in their town of Caguas which is smack in the middle of the country. They are taking us to a friends house for dinner where we will meet their family and friends. This is truly unreal!!
Get ready to see Puerto Rico with the locals...true ATWFF style!!

[marigold]

Quoted from MNSBC: The Amazing Race

To refresh the series, there will be a few changes, the race will feature younger contestants and it will drop the non-elimination legs. That means that unless there is an extended supersized leg of the race someone will go home every week.

[georgiapeach]

I actually followed this pretty closely--it will be interesting to see if they can transition it to TV. Zsolt had some amazing visuals...

From the Futon Critic:
AROUND THE WORLD FOR FREE TO AIR ON WGN AMERICA BEGINNING APRIL 16

 45,000 miles, 159 days, 16 countries, 4 continents and ZERO dollars

NEW YORK, March 24, 2009

45,000 miles, 159 days, 16 countries, 4 continents and ZERO dollars. Beginning Thursday, April 16, WGN America, Tribune Broadcasting's nationally distributed cable, satellite and telco network will exclusively debut Around the World For Free. No script! No security! No problem! Around The World For Free pushes the envelope of reality entertainment with the journey of one man as he tries to circumnavigate the globe without a penny in his pocket, the ultimate trip in humanity.

In Around the World For Free Alex Boylan, winner of The Amazing Race 2, attempts the impossible: he strips himself of all monetary funds, and with only a backpack and the help of the online community, sets off on a mission to circumnavigate the globe. Beginning on April 16th WGN America will air Alex's entire voyage (available in HD) in 60-minute installments on Thursdays at 9 pm ET (6pm PT) with an additional airing at 12 midnight ET (9 pm PT). Filmed in 16 countries over 159 days, Around the World For Free follows Alex's trek from New York City to the untouched lands of Dominica, from a deportation in India right into a war zone in Kenya, and to the destitute poverty of Cambodia. Alex's journey puts the passion back into adventure and the real back into reality.

Around The World For Free is unlike any reality show out there.

Unparalleled access - with the lightest production "footprint" imaginable - only two people - host Alex and cameraman Zsolt not only reach corners of the world rarely if ever shown - they are able to weave in gripping stories from the slums of Caracas to the garbage dumps of Cambodia with an authenticity and ease that is simply unrivaled.

Unheard-of audience immersion - light-years beyond text voting and blogging, Around The World For Free's audience become true participants and shape the direction of the program on a daily basis. Random strangers step up to become online guides, local helpers, production assistants, hosts, stars, generous benefactors and most importantly, genuine friends of the crew every step of the way.

Unmatched rawness - no pre-determined travel path, no security, no "go-to" ground support - combined with a "no re-shoot" run-and-gun filming approach, creates a tangible honesty that transports viewers directly into the program.

Unbeatable music the program features some of the freshest original music on prime-time television, not only from North American bands, but even local musicians that the crew meets in countries such as Dominica and Tanzania, along the way.

"Around the World For Free was truly about discovering the beating heart of humanity in this world of misconceptions. The interactive format allowed the world to not only be a part of the experience, but to see itself in the purest and most immersive way possible," said Creator/Executive Producer/Host Alex Boylan.

The show highlights breathtaking scenery, exotic cultures and gripping human drama as Alex traverses countries like Trinidad, Venezuela, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam. Over the course of 159 days, Alex's global journey takes him by plane, train, bus and automobile, plus he manages to travel by hitchhiking, walking, jet skiing, paragliding and even trekking through a safari! However, traveling without funds requires Alex to come up with creative ways to earn money. From washing hair at a hairdressing school in Puerto Rico to harvesting bananas in rural South Africa, from clearing brush in the Kenyan Mara to working on a diving boat in Nha Trang, Vietnam, at each juncture Alex meets with the kindness and generosity of strangers in all corners of the globe.

Accompanying Alex on the road and documenting the entire voyage is sole crew member Zsolt Luka who produces, directs, films and edits Around the World For Free, using a groundbreaking approach that distills traditional broadcast techniques to their bare essence to allow for the quick turnarounds that the constantly moving production requires.

"With no one to get our backs, we survived by squeezing a truckload of high technology into our two humble backpacks, allowing us to pass undetected under the radar in lands wilder than you can imagine." said Creator/Director Luka.

In addition to the TV show, Around the World For Free will feature bonus online content at www.aroundtheworldforfree.com. Viewers will be able to watch unseen footage from the journey, participate in live chats with Alex and even help deserving charities that the crew visited on the journey.

"For the first season of Around the World For Free, we created one of the most advanced multi-platform shows to date. People all around the world joined together to become a single community in their quest to help Alex on his journey. WGN America's understanding of this vision makes them the ideal partner for the TV distribution," said Creator/Executive Producer Burton Roberts.

"Around the World For Free is a unique, original program which creates a multi-platform media experience for our viewers. As someone who finds it difficult to get across town, I was repeatedly impressed with Alex's ingenuity in traveling the globe," said Sean Compton, Senior Vice President of Programming and Development, WGN America.

ABOUT WGN AMERICA :

WGN America is a broad entertainment network and destination for audiences across America. Part of Tribune Broadcasting Company, WGN America (also available in HD) is nationally distributed via cable, satellite and telco with entertainment programming consisting of cable exclusives, first-run programs, blockbuster movies and live sports. For program schedules or additional information please visit www.wgnamerica.com

ABOUT AROUND THE WORLD PRODUCTIONS:

Founded in 2006 by Alex Boylan, Burton Roberts and Zsolt Luka, Around The World Productions (www.aroundtheworldproductions.com) is reinventing the multi-platform landscape, having taken community-directed online reality entertainment to the next level with Around The World For Free, and following it up with the wildly popular Rachael Ray webisode series Rach to the Rescue. Distilling traditional broadcast techniques into agile online productions with maximum authenticity, impact and soul, the Around The World Productions team specializes in handcrafted, unforgettable projects that touch audiences across the global spectrum.
 
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090324wgn01

[TARAsia Fan]

Alex has always been wanting to expand on his travels and I look forward to watching this.

[apskip]

Tonight is the night for the premiere of Around the World for Free! It will be on at 9pm and repeat at 12am on WGN America superstation channel. Here is tha latest promotional material from the WGN website:

Around the World For Free sees Alex Boylan, winner of The Amazing Race 2, as he attempts the impossible: stripping himself of all monetary funds and, with only a backpack and the help of an online community, sets off on a mission to circumnavigate the globe, the ultimate trip in humanity.

Raw. Riveting. Addictive. Covering 159 days, 16 countries, 4 continents, and 45,000 miles, Around the World For Free follows Alex’s trek from New York City to the untouched lands of Dominica. From a deportation in India right into a war zone in Kenya. And from the scorching deserts of Chile to the destitute poverty of Cambodia and beyond. Alex’s journey puts the passion back into adventure and the real back into reality.

Unhampered by a big crew, Alex and sole cameraman Zsolt reach corners of the world rarely if ever shown and meet with generosity far beyond their expectations. Random strangers become online guides, local helpers, generous benefactors and most importantly, genuine friends of the crew every step of the way. The Around the World For Free web community also shapes the direction of Alex’s journey on a daily basis.

Around the World For Free highlights breathtaking scenery, exotic cultures and gripping human drama as Alex traverses countries like Venezuela, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam. Over the course of nearly six months, Alex’s global journey takes him by plane, train, bus and automobile, plus he manages to travel by hitchhiking, walking, jet skiing, paragliding and even trekking through a safari! However, traveling without funds requires him to come up with creative ways to earn money. From washing hair at a hairdressing school in Puerto Rico to harvesting bananas in rural South Africa, from clearing brush in the Kenyan Mara to working on a diving boat in Nha Trang, Vietnam, at each juncture Alex meets with the kindness and generosity of strangers in all corners of the globe.

No script, no itinerary, no security – but jaw-dropping locations, unforgettable characters and amazing music make Around the World For Free unlike any reality show to date. Catch this trip of a lifetime with truly no rules, no limits - - and no money!

[apskip]

"Around the World for Free" is charming. In the first program on WGN, this is what happened:

1. Harry Smith of the Early Show was the main celebrity at the start line in New York City.
2. They got a ride to what looked like the entrance to the Holland tunnel with the expectation of going to a New Jersey truck stop.
3. A woman from Florence SC offered prepaid tickets on AMTRAK to Florence SC and then put them up at ther home. While waiting for her at the Florence train station, a person who had seen them on the news gave them $15 and Chris turned down a second offer of $5.
4. Debby and her husband Roy took them to Mt. Pleasant SC to another person's home.
5. They stayed overnight at the home of Alex Luka (his Amaing Race 1 teammate) and then were picked up by a friend who took the to Jacksonville.
6. From Jacksonville another friend drove them to Sanford FL, home of an additional good friend who bought them plane tickets to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
7. They stay with their benefactors in Caguas Puerto Rico. They travel all over the island, including to San Juan, to a suburb, and to Ponce on the south shore. There are numerous parties. Chris is given a "beer money job" the the hair of beauty school trainees and a $30 gig as a bartender making mostly mojitos. The families that house him buy him a ticket (thankfully this would be a less expensive one based on what I know about plane fares) to Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas. A woman on St. John, 3 miels from St. Thomas by boat has offered her house.

The charming aspect is the continous stream of positive interactions with a wide variety of interesting people, who are housing, feeding and transporting them. Saying goodbye to these people is difficult because of the emotional attachments.

As you can see, Chris announced his intention to occasionally work in day labor to earn needed money.

I think Chris' biggest challenge is to keep up with the global network of contacts to his website, some of whom can help him and most of whom cannot. this had to take an enormous amount of his and Zsolt's time.

This epsiode took 13 days so there probably are another 13 episodes to go. That is 3 months at one per week. I am looking forward to the rest of this voyage of discovery.

[georgiapeach]

I think y'all will enjoy this. This was all shown previously on the daily video blogs that followed Alex  on his journey. The filming that Zsolt did is amazing, and the way they got that out on the fly is wonderful. Lots of fun, wait till y'all see Dominica! 

[Pedaler]

Coming out of lurkdom to give GeorgiaPeach a super big thank you for making me aware of this program.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes as well as all of the extras on the WGN web site. 

It kind of reminds me of Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days and Pole to Pole.

Thanks again 

[georgiapeach]

I love watching it on the site day by day when they did it at first, they did a great job!!

My pleasure, always nice to see you here!!

[georgiapeach]

INVITE:

Around The World For Free
Episode 3 "South American Reality Check"
Host: Alex Boylan, ATWFF
Type: Party - Movie/TV Night
Network: Global
Date: Thursday, April 30, 2009
Time: 9:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: YOUR COUCH

DescriptionHey everyone it’s Alex & Zsolt from Around The World For Free again!
Just wanted to remind everyone to please watch our series tomorrow night, Thursday April 30th, on WGN America at 9 PM EST (6PM PST) with an encore episode at 12PM EST (9PM PST).
This week we will be making landfall into South America and things get wild. From the slums of Caracas, Venezuela to a grueling six day bus trek…it is an episode you don’t want to miss. AND please get all your friends to tune in as well.
ALSO…Zsolt and Alex will be Twittering live during the show @atwff, @alexboylan, and @zsoltluka.

Around The World For Free was the first user-generated series of its kind, and now more than ever we need your help. We want as many eyeballs watching this show as possible. So PLEASE post on Facebook, message on Myspace and Twitter the heck out of this show telling your friends to tune in!
Once again… Thursday April 16th at 9PM EST/ 6PM PST on WGN America! Check http://www.wgnamerica.com/pages/channelfinder for the latest schedule.
Thanks a lot everyone and we look forward to hearing from you all soon.
And remember to never stop traveling.
The Around The World For Free Production Team
Alex Boylan, Zsolt Luka and Burton Roberts
http://www.aroundtheworldforfree.com

[apskip]

Episode 3 Trinidad to Lima, Peru

Alex and Zsolt start in Trinidad (note- I somehow missed last week's episode from British Virgin Islands to Trinidad) this episode. I have an important observation to make about Alex's use of the term "for free". It isn't that at all. He has just managed to find a way to shift all of the cost of his trip to others. For example, people paid for his and Zsolt's plane fares from Orlando to San Juan, from San Juan to St. Thomas and Trinidad to Caracas, Venezuela to start this episode. None of it was free, so I think his fundamental premise for this trip is a bit bogus.

The intrepid team of 2 does arrive in Caracas Venezuela, where they will spend 8+ days, and is picked up by a driver. The driver is associated with Ivo, a cousin of a woman in Lima, Peru who is friends with a woman in Los Angeles who wants to help Alex and Zsolt. Ivo gets bedding for them from Zsolt and lets them use an apartment he is selling in days. He is leaving Venezuela as he is disgusted by its politics, paricularly those of its leader Hugo Chavez. Most of the individuals in his circle of friends appear to be anti-Chavez. They say that the lower cost of oil has helped car owners but hurt everyone else in Venezuela. From the original driver, Alex got an earful about not going into a barrio because "people get robbed or killed." He discounts such advice and when a doctor invites him to visit a clinic he goes. That doctor is doing exemplary pro bono work of reconstructive surgery, particularly useful when bullet wounds are involved. He also went to the soup kitchen run in her home by a poor woman who gets twice a week deliveries of ingredients from the government and turns that into healthy meals. There are no adults willing to appear on camera (the kitchen owner says it's because only the children can read and write, but I believe other more sinister reasons are responsible). When the fun of the urban jungles run out, it's time for Alex and Zsolt to head south. Their host Ivo and a friend of his buy them the tickets for a 4.5 day bus ride to Lima Peru.

So off they go on a real adventure. The bus looks reasonably comfortable. There is a mix of singles and families travelling, pretty much all relatively young. I don't think older people would be able to take this long a ride. They are stopped at borders and in other areas just for the fun of it. One family that was refused entry from Colombia to Peru is hidden in the bathroom to get them across the border without the knowledge of the guards, but with the complicity of all of the other bus riders. At one stop Alex pays "all the quarter in a bag" to get a huge meal of chicken and vegetables plus the beans offered him by another diner. The bus breaks down in southwestern Colombia and a replacement bus takes them to Quito Ecuador. That might seem to be a problem, but now they get a really nice bus for the remainder of the journey. Instead of 4.5 days, this trip takes them 6 days.

On arrival at the Lima bus station they are met by the woman Ivana who is the cousin of Ivo. She gives them decent accommodations, feeds them and gives them beer and later Inca Kola. I have been to Peru and fondly remember Inca Kola as one of the great beverages of the world. It's a lot like Mountain Dew but a lot cheaper. Ivana takes them with friends to the beach at Puerto Viejo 45 miles away and on the way back they stop for lunch at a renowned restaurant. It specializes in seafood (no surprise since they are on the coast) and eat mussels, ceviche (based on crawfish), jalea (seafood platter of shrimp, catfish and yucca a local vegetable) and corvina whitefish. They have a feast.

Presumably more adventures in Lima and probably Cuzco will follow. Alex was reading a travel brochure on Macchu Picchu on the bus, so he clearly wants to go there. What kind of route will he take further in South America and how we he get to Africa? I don't know so stay tuned each week.

[Pedaler]

GeorgiaPeach:  I'm just curious, but what kind of player was one of the executive producers, Burton Roberts, on Survivor?

[Pedaler]

Does anyone have an idea what's going on regarding the schedule of this program?  I was channel surfing and just saw the end of one of the programs.  Alex went to Macchu Picchu.

Alex ended up stuck in Chile and now they're now showing one of the episodes when he was in the islands.  Very strange sequencing.

[georgiapeach]

Does the website help??

http://www.wgnamerica.com/pages/atwff_fm/

GeorgiaPeach:  I'm just curious, but what kind of player was one of the executive producers, Burton Roberts, on Survivor?

I'm the worst one to ask, I forget them all by the next season!

Anyone??

[Pedaler]

Thanks, GeorgiaPeach.  The listings at the WGN Website didn't list the partial episode that I saw.  However, I did find out that next week's episode will not air on Thursday.

  All Upcoming Episodes  New Episodes
Peruvian Sunshine  Thu 5/7 9:00-10:00pm 307 WGNAMER
Fri 5/8 12:00-1:00am 307 WGNAMER
 
A Turn For the Worse  Mon 5/11 9:00-10:00pm 307 WGNAMER
Tue 5/12 12:00-1:00am 307 WGNAMER
Sun 5/17 11:00-12:00pm 307 WGNAMER
 
   

[apskip]

Does anyone have an idea what's going on regarding the schedule of this program?  I was channel surfing and just saw the end of one of the programs.  Alex went to Macchu Picchu.

Alex ended up stuck in Chile and now they're now showing one of the episodes when he was in the islands.  Very strange sequencing.

I can tell you that the prior episode ended in Lima, which caused me to predict that the next one (for this week) will go to Macchu Picchu and then elsewhere. Chile certainly fits. The interesting way to get there from Cuzco is over the Andes by bus but Alex and Zsolt may had had more bus rides than they want to from last week's episode (Venezuela to Peru in 6 days on the bus).

Thanks for the tip on next week's schedule.

[Pedaler]

Now I understand about the change in scheduling.

Around The World For Free is not doing that well in the ratings. WGN America will move it to Mondays starting this Monday, but this Monday they will repeat the first two episodes from 8-10pm ET. Then the following will happen:

Mondays, Effective Monday, May 11 through Monday, June 22, 2009
9:00PM Around The World For Free (replaces AFV)
12:00AM Around The World For Free encore (replaces Bob and Tom Show)
4:00AM The Bob and Tom Show (replaces Corner Gas 2x)
(Corner Gas will remain at 5am ET)

Tuesday Nights, Effective Tuesday, May 12 through Tuesday, June 23, 2009
4:00AM-5:30AM Corner Gas (replaces Moesha)

Wednesday Nights, Effective Wednesday, May 13 through Wednesday, June 24, 2009
4:00AM-5:30AM Moesha (replaces Sister, Sister)

Thursdays, Effective Thursday, May 14 through Thursday, June 25, 2009
9:00PM Various Specials (replaces Around the World for Free)
12:00-1:00AM Scrubs 2x (replaces Around the World for Free encore)
1:00AM Star Trek: The Next Generation (replaces Scrubs 2x)

A few Sundays (May 17, 21 and June 14) will have Around the World for Free encores at 11am ET. A Memorial Day marathon of the show will have the first 6 episodes from 2pm-8pm ET.

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4187395&postcount=52

I hope the show makes it through it's entire run.  I really enjoy the program and believe that the Travel Channel is a more appropriate outlet.  But I would think that Alex and his partners did pitch the program to them.  ATWFF is as good as anything on the Travel Channel.

[apskip]

Pedaler,

I find TravelChannel programs quite good, but the endless repetition of them is a serious problem.

[TARAsia Fan]

I'll break anyone's arm if they rag on Samantha Brown's travels. I want to travel with that woman.

[apskip]

And how would her husband Kevin back in Brooklyn feel about that, TARAsia Fan?

[alexboylan]

What's up everyone.  It's Alex Boylan here...just stopping in to say hi.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.
Hope all is well...chat soon
Cheers
Alex

[puddin]

What's up everyone.  It's Alex Boylan here...just stopping in to say hi.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.
Hope all is well...chat soon
Cheers
Alex

Welcome aboard Alex! 

[apskip]

Alex,
I find your "Around the World for Free" more interesting from a travel perspective and culture perspective than even Amazing Race 2, which I rate as one of the 2 best ever.

[Pedaler]

Another great episode tonight.  The show was mostly in Peru (Lima and Cusco).  In some of the scenes, I had flashbacks to episode 1 of the greatest Amazing Race season ever.  It was oh, that's where a cluebox was, or there's a bus like the racers had to take, or that's where the mat was. 
     
The good news here was, unlike Season 7, Alex went to Machu Picchu.  What a magnificent place and great photography by the guys.

And then to watch Alex going from pure exhiliration in Machu Picchu to extreme despair walking the streets by himself in Chile at 3 in the morning was travel adventure television at its best.

Job well done Alex.

[alexboylan]

Really excited everyone is seeing the true colors of Around The World For Free.  We were sick of Travel shows not showing the REAL cultures and people.  And from that simple idea we created this series to force cultural interaction never before seen on TV.
Cheers
Alex

[tarflyonthewall]

OMG, it's Alex! I totally used to have a man crush on you back when you were on TAR. Which is a really confusing thing when you're twelve years old, but that's another story...

We were sick of Travel shows not showing the REAL cultures and people.

Quick, somebody show this to the TAR producers, before we have to endure more underpants marathons and panto cows!

GeorgiaPeach:  I'm just curious, but what kind of player was one of the executive producers, Burton Roberts, on Survivor?

My recollection was that he was one of the most annoying people in that season. Which is no mean feat, with Rupert, Fairplay, and Lill.

[TARAsia Fan]

Really excited everyone is seeing the true colors of Around The World For Free.  We were sick of Travel shows not showing the REAL cultures and people.  And from that simple idea we created this series to force cultural interaction never before seen on TV.
Cheers
Alex

Hey Alex,

Glad you're aboard here.

[TARAsia Fan]

And how would her husband Kevin back in Brooklyn feel about that, TARAsia Fan?

I'm sure he'd feel honored that someone is defending his wife when he can't. I'd defend her from you as well.

[apskip]

The 4th episode of ATWFF did start in Lima. Alex and Zsolt toured around Lima with their hostess Ivana and she introduced them to her friends, who came to party every night. Alex went on a double paraglide ride in harness with a professional. The views from that indicated a coastline beneath. When I was in Peru (30 years ago), there was no significant bodies of water in the city. You have to go west to someplace like Callao to find the Pacific Ocean. I suspect that they went to Callao but did not put it in the captions. Alex ate a local burger which appeared to be tasty.

One of the tours went to Huaca Cucllama, an ancient Inca ceremonial center. Alex was taken to the Inka Market and bought an  Alpaca earflap caps typical of those worn in the Cuzco area(I remember bringing one home).  Next they visited the REMAR orphanage where 31 children are being cared for after abandonment or abuse.

His hostess decides to have a ceviche party, so Alex and her mother go to the local  mercado to buy onions, peppers, limes (limon in Spanish, who knows why), garlic, corn, sweet potatoes and fresh fish. With fish that fresh I expect that it was was tasty. It was accompanied by Pisco sour drinks. Everybody looked like they were having a good time. Saying goodbye to this group was difficult.

Tickets are purchased for Alex and Zsolt to take the 24 hour bus of Cruz del Sol from Lima to Cuzco. Much of the scenic part of the trip was at night, so all we see around 6am is the downslope of the Andes.  Their Lima hostess had arranged for a host that she knows in Cuzco. He picks them up and drives them to his house. Alex and Zsolt have a room but they are on their own during the day to explore Cuzco. Their host Lucho does take them to a Shamanic village in the area where they witness a shaman at work. They also go to the village of Tipon known for its cui or guinea pig. Alex is revolted by the sight of the cook twisting the head of a guinea pig to kill it, but he manages to eat the meat, corn and potatoes anyway.

Alex's host somehow makes arrangements for them to get free rail trip, bus trip up to the sacred site and entry fees to one of the 7 Wonders of the modern World. They go and are awed by it. Macchu Picchu was built around 1460 and rediscovered in 1911. They meet the mayor of Cuzco, who is the mother of their host. Now Zsolt has to maintain network contacts back in Lima for a few days.   He will rejoin Alex in Santiago Chile after returning by plane (how paid fo this?) to Lima. The interesting thing is that the camera is manned throughout his absence. How did they manage to do that?

Alex is left with $12 US cash equivalent, so he takes a $3 collectivo car ride to the Peru/chile border. There is confusion at the border with the car and driver getting through, but it gets sorted out and is on his way again to Arica, the northernmost city of consequence in Chile. On the way there is a sign that says Arica 22 km and Santiago 2091 km. The caption said 200 km = 1250 miles. I calculate 2091 km to be 1293 miles, a very long way. Alex scours the port area for any ships heading for Santiago (or actually Valparaiso), but although Arica is the second largest port in Chile there were none that day and even if there were it is not likely that they would have hired him. Much of the port activity in Arica would be out and back fishing.  So Alex is on his own without contacts and without the money to get accommodations. He walks the streets of Arica for about 10 miles and he is trying to stay awake and not get mugged at 3am as this episode closes.

Will Alex make it to Santiago? Of course he will. How does he do it? Watch next week(now on Mondays at 9pm and midnight) and find out just the way I do.

 

[Pedaler]

Alex, I'm not asking for details, but just a one word answer to a very important question regarding your trip from New York down to the Chilean border:

Did you get any?   

[apskip]

Alex starts this episode at 3am on a dark night in Arica, Chile. He is thirsty, hungry (not having eaten in 36 hours), and afraid. I think I have figured out how he is getting video without Zsolt filming. The show Africa Trek is done entirely without the benefit of any cameraman. There is a camera harness which must go around the waist so turning your waist make the direction of the camera change.

Alex has a pretty rough time at the start. He walks to the south end of Arica (population 192,000) on railroad tracks, then hitchhikes south to start the 1200 mile journey to Santiago. He gets a bus ride for free to a remote truck stop in the Atacama Desert. Then he has a car stop, not be able to take him in the correct direction, but give him 20,000 pesos ($40U.S.) to help him survive. He gets another ride although he mistakes his interim destination Iquique for Arequipa Peru back to the north. Fortunately the people in that car speak good English and correct him. Part of the money buys him the bus ticket 5 hours to Iquique. There he finally makes contact with Zsolt back in Lima, who has been trying for days to contact him. Robert Hutchings back in Orlando, who bankrolled their first flight Orlando to San Juan, has bought them both a plane ticket from Santiago to CapeTown. Zsolt will meet Alex in Santiago.

Ivana back in Lima, who Zsolt has been staying with, has made arrangements for Alex to sleep at the house of a friend in Iquique. Alex arrives at 6am and takes a taxi rather than trying to get there on foot. It costs a few precious pesos, but navigation across Iquique (population 216,000) could have been very difficult. Alex stays with Cecilia long enough to sleep and then he returns to the bus station and gets the bus through Antofagasta to Santiago, almost 1000 miles. That takes a full 24 hours.

A network member picks him up in Santiago and introduces him to his family and later to his friends. Alex has one day to see Santiago. He is told that Santiago has mountains to the east, desert to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and "the most beautiful land ever" to the south. There is a cookout in Alex's honor involving the local equivalent of paella except that the rice is cooked separately and is put on the bottom of the plates. The disco fish is a dyed form of the Indian glassfish, Parambassis (formerly Chanda) ranga. These fish have been injected with coloured dye at multiple sites using a hypodermic needle. They are not illegal but in advanced countries they are unethical to catch and eat. Disco fish is sauteed in a huge pan that is not as flat as a paella pan with beef, chicken, sausage, onions, and Chilean white wine. Everyone eating this dish loves it.

The flight goes to Rio de Janeiro, then Sao Paulo and then across the Atlantic Ocean to CapeTown, South Africa. Network member Tom picks them up and takes them to the suburb of Muizenberg on False Bay. Alex asks about sharks and Tom tells him they only lose about 5 or 6 humans to the sharks each year. I don't think he was kidding because some of the worst shark concentrations are near the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean off CapeTown. There is a party and Alex runs up a drink bill at the Drunken Skirt band plays. He asks the bartender how he can work it off. He is sent to the Stellenbosch wine region where he clips the tops of growing vines and puts clips on them. The average worker is a female teenager who puts in 8 hours a day of this. Alex doesn't last that long.

[georgiapeach]

Thanks for coming Alex!! We are so glad to see you here!

[apskip]

Here are the episode times for the May 25 Memorial Day Around the World for Free marathon, all on WGN Superstation:
 
An All-American Launch  Mon 5/25 2:00-3:00pm 307 WGNAMER
 
Caribbean: Bliss & Extreme  Mon 5/25 3:00-4:00pm 307 WGNAMER
 
South American Reality Check  Mon 5/25 4:00-5:00pm 307 WGNAMER
 
Peruvian Sunshine  Mon 5/25 5:00-6:00pm 307 WGNAMER
 
A Turn For the Worse  Mon 5/25 6:00-7:00pm 307 WGNAMER
 
South African Kaleidoscope  Mon 5/25 7:00-8:00pm 307 WGNAMER
 
In to the Safari Spirit  Tue 5/26 12:00-1:00am 307 WGNAMER
Thu 5/28 9:00-10:00pm 307 WGNAMER
Sun 5/31 11:00-12:00pm 307 WGNAMER
 
Also note the the episode after the next one (South Africa) will be at the unusual time of midnight between Monday and Tuesday with replays  on Thursday night and Sunday morning.

That also clarifies that the Sunday morning episodes are repeats of the shows premiering ususally on Monday nights.

[apskip]

SOUTH AFRICA

In this episode Alex starts and finishes in South Africa, admittedly a large country. He is staying with Tom, a member of his network in a CapeTown suburb and goes to visit Boulders Beach, which is known for its penguins visiting seasonally and finds them in breeding season. Next he goes to the Great White Shark capital of Gansbaai. He and others are in a shark cage, but it is the off-season and there are no sharks to hassle them. He does see some Southern Right whales. His hosts serve him a braai, or South African barbecue. To me it appears to me the same type fixings you get in the U.S.

Next a network member, Simon, in the The Crags, near the city of George, indicates they can be their next host. Friends of Simon are returning from CapeTown to The Crags so they volunteer to drive Alex and Zsolt. This proves to be problematical when they have 2 fan belt breaks. The tow truck operator offers them a place to stay and a meal, so there is a silver lining on this cloud. 

Simon came to Swellendam to pick them up.  They went from Swellendam to the Karoo National Park region and its ostriches and went to the Cango Caves. They visit a cage of crocodiles and he has a close encounter with a large one. Alex gets to try the largest commercial bungy jump in the world at Blouwkrans Beach at 216 meters or 375 feet. When they finally get to George, Jan holds another braai in their honor. Then the plan is for Alex and Zsolt to hitchhike from the Port Elizabeth area to Joahnnesburg. Simon and his wife drive them to the area for long-distance truck travel and point out the license plates starting "GP" for Gauteng that are the ones they want (the NP for Natal being the ones they don't want). However, Simon has discovered that he can fly Alex to Johannesburg for 600 rand. At an average exhange rate of 10 rands per U.S. dollar) that's a reasonable $60. Nothing is said about Zsolt, which suggests in combination with Zsolt's separate transportation in Peru that Zsolt may have separate funding from Alex's claim of "no money". All four of them tour the Port Elizabeth area in Jan's car for 3 hours while waiting for this flight.

When they arrive at Johannesburg airport they are picked up by network member Caz, short for Carolyn, who takes them to her Praetoria home. There is another braai. Arrangments are made with a friend of Caz's husband for a visit to Soweto. Alex is told that there is a lot of crime all over South Africa and to be very careful, but of course nothing of that sort happens on his visit. Alex learns that the South African townships created by the defunct apartheid system have left a legacy of high density, poverty and crime. However the mood is hopeful that the future will be better. Next is a day trip to see hippopotami, black mamba snakes (fortunately there are none present), crocodiles and leopards. Then they transfer to the Pretoria home of Lo, who has a country home some distance north of Pretoria in Hazyview and they take their sons, Alex and Zsolt there. The boys and Alex ride 4 x 4 dune buggies. There is a beautiful Lundquist waterfall on the route.

This episode ends with Alex stating that they are close to Kruger National Park. Hazyview appears to be about 20 km (12 miles) from one of the many entrances to Kruger National Park. It appears that Kruger National Park is next on his trip. That is an expensive place to stay. Let's see how Alex finesses that in the next episode.
 

[georgiapeach]

Update from Alex!

Around the World For Free MARATHON on Memorial Day, May 25th!
 
Now is your chance to catch up on earlier episodes of Around the World For Free! 
Monday, May 25th, WGN-America will be rebroadcasting the first six episodes from
11a PT/ 2p ET to 4p PT/ 7p ET.  ** Episodes listed below
 
ALSO - The NEW episode "Into the Safari Spirit" will air at 9:00p PT/12:00a ET -
another wide-ranging trek deeper into Africa! Alex works as a lifeguard in
exchange for food and lodging, and then it is off on an incredible open-top
vehicle safari in the massive Kruger National Park. Keep an eye out for hippos,
rhinos, and lions, just to name a few! The journey continues through the richly
textured capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, and then across the unforgettable
savannahs! And finally, Alex visits an authentic Masai village before continuing
his African journey towards Kenya. (Encore broadcast of “Into the Safari Spirit”
on Thursday, 6p PT/ 9p ET)
 
Alex and Zsolt are halfway home, and each episode gets better and better.
 
Please spread the word, and tell your friends by any means necessary.  Anyway
you can post this info to your Facebook, Myspace, and or Twitter page will
really help virally spread the word to tune it.
 
Thank you for tuning in!
 
The Around The World For Free Production Team
Alex Boylan, Zsolt Luka and Burton Roberts
 
**11a PT/ 2p ET - An All-American Launch (Alex’s departure from New      York
and down to Puerto Rico)
12p PT/ 3p ET - Caribbean: Bliss & Extreme (from the USVI's down to Trinidad &
Tobago)
          1p PT/ 4p ET - South American Reality Check (Venezuela to Peru)
          2p PT/ 5p ET - Peruvian Sunshine (Peru and Chile)
          3p PT/ 6p ET -  Desert & Cape (Chile to South Africa)
          4p PT/ 7p ET - South African Kaleidoscope
*For any more information on the show, go to
http://www.aroundtheworldforfree.com

[apskip]

Peach,

Your information on the Marathon matches mine. However, I am going to disagree with your timing for the next episode. It is not on at 9pm Monday night because WGN America a rare Monday night telecast of the Cubs game on for Memorial Day. I just rechecked the WGN schedule. This is it:

In to the Safari Spirit  Tue 5/26 12:00-1:00am  WGNAMER
Thu 5/28 9:00-10:00pm  WGNAMER
Sun 5/31 11:00-12:00pm  WGNAMER
 
Note that the next episode will be at the unusual time of midnight Eastern time between Monday and Tuesday with replays on Thursday night and Sunday morning.

[georgiapeach]

The schedule said 9 PM PT, so perhaps that is the difference, 12 MN  our time...

[apskip]

Right you are, Peach. Alex is showing his West Coast bias. He is the only person I have seen in a nationwide publication that puts the West Coast time first.

[georgiapeach]

Update from Alex:

Around the World For Free -  For all those enjoying the marathon... one more episode to go, tell your friends... then at 9 PST  (12MN East Coast) the premiere of Ep 7 "Into the Safari Spirit!" - follow live creator commentary on the @atwff Twitter channel!

[apskip]

Well, Peach, it is now clear how important "Around the World for Free" is to WGN. It is so important that after a late baseball game finish they elected to show 30 minutes of Chicago area news and delayed the broadcast of AWTFF by those 30 minutes. My VCR cut off the last 30 minutes of the show, which I may have to wait for another marathon to watch if I can't see if I can't get it thursday night at 9pm EDT or Sunday morning at 11am EDT.

[apskip]

Due to missing it in its earlier showing, I had to wait until yewsterday's ATWFF marathon to see Episode 2:

Christie is hosting Alex and Zsolt on St. John. She takes them on a tour of the island, feeds them, and houses them. Her only request is that Alex gives a talk to her Methodist Church Sunday School class. Alex and Zsolt also appear to enthusiastically get into the swing of things with the high-energy, rhythmic church service. The St. John island tour includes a trip from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay on Centerline Road. Christie arranges for them to travel onward on the boat of a friend to take them to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The trip starts at Cool Bay and passes two uninhabited USVI bird sanctuaries.

Alex first goes to a hotel in Road Town, capital of Tortola. He is then picked up there and driven to meet professional motivational speaker DW, who is one of the most high-energy individuals ever to make it onto a television screen. I expect Alex himself to be very good as a motivational speaker.  DW wants Alex to give a series of motivational speeches for compensation. At the college where Alex gives the first one, he is introduced to his hostess, Debbie. She too has an agenda and it is for Alex to give additional motivational speeches at Cedar School and Alfreda Scotliff Primary School. Alex performs as requested. Alex and Zsolt go on a boat trip to Virgin Gorda, one of the other British Virgin Islands. They also visit the party place on Tortola, the Bomba Shack. They are find a network member in Dominica willing to help them. To get there they fly from Tortola to San Juan and then San Juan to Dominica. Zsolt, who has money, eats while Alex with none to spare does not.

This is not hardship duty for Alex. He finds Dominica to be lush with tropical rainforest as well as having have many other interesting features. On the way from the airport to their host’s home in his vehicle, it breaks so when this happens so Jay Gribner brings out a picnic basket so Alex will not starve in the interim. Jay takes them to a Carib Indian show. They go on an expedition with a company that Jay’s friend owns and rappel backwards down small waterfalls. They went to the Valley of Desolation with some boiling water (265 degrees) in the middle of a flowing cool river. If you venture into the boiling section you will get incredibly serious burns. They stop at a stand  where the proprietor is selling  an aphrodisiac made by combining tree bark with a combination of herbs, leaves, roots and spices into liquors and maybe adding fish, honey, wine and rum. They visit Serra’s Hot Wet Sulfur Spa.

Alex meets the Venezuelan ambassador, who encourages him to visit Venezuela and gives contact information for his nephew Eduardo there.

The Kairi FM radio station takes up the cause of Alex traveling south to ultimately reach South America. A travel agency hears that message and responds with a plane ticket to Trinidad, an island just north of Venezuela. They fly out at 345pm and after landing on Trinidad are unexpectedly met by another individual who were the Kairi FM message. He takes them to Richard’s bake and shark joint so they can eat the specialty of the house there. Later he takes them to his home in Maracas on the north coast of Trinidad.

[georgiapeach]

I loved the Dominica leg!!   Made me want to go.....

[apskip]

So, here is the first half of episode 7, the South Africa to Tanzania segment of ATWFF:

Alex finds it is time for some payback and he is the rescue guide on a rafting trip down a local river that was the highlight for an outing of a group of Lo's colleagues and their families. The river is swift and it flows the individual rafts into low-hanging tree limbs and to leaves. Two of the rafts with girls on them either overturn or lost their occupant, so Alex is busy in his assigned role. It turns out that these colleagues are from Vodocom, an international phone company. As a reward Alex is taken with Lo's family to Kruger National Park, using the Numbi Gate. They get a tour in an open truck safari vehicle with a guide. They see hippos (which are not supposed to be there but who is going to stop them?), a rhino, reed buck and several other of the park's 147 different mammals. Alex gets to work again on Lo's banana plantation. He carries 110 pound loads of bananas (the entire output of one tree) to the washing/classifying station. He also discovers that there are black mamba and blood spitting cobras on the plantation. This is another braai for Alex, with grilled liver and huge steaks on the menu. He learns that Zulu is the most widely spoken language in South Africa, with Afrikaans second. I believe Robert Hutchings would be proud of the safari and related activities Alex did for him in Hazyview.

Alex's next task is to find a way north. He learns that a friend of a friend, Freddy, lives in Arusha Tanzania so he targets DarEsSalaam as their next stop. Getting a donated plane ticket or ride north proves to be difficult. Lo finally gets his colleagues to buy Alex one. Plus Lo gives him $20 for taxi fare downtown, as he knows something that he does not share with Alex. Alex and Zsolt land at DarEsSalaam, capital of Tanzania and observe complete chaos and a complete lack of buses to get downtown cheaply. The chaos is due to the cancellation of a flight for the Moslem hajj, leaving hundreds of pilgrims stranded in DarEsSalaam airport. Alex tries for alternatives, but finally he gets a call from Lo that one of his colleagues will put them up for the night, but Alex must get to a specific unnamed downtwon hotel. This unnamed colleague picks them up there and takes them to his home, which is in a gated compound and has a huge swimming pool. Alex and Zsolt chat briefly with this man and his wife, but the guy decides to take Alex and Lo out to party. They talk to a local at a bar, then switch to a club where two bands are performing and Alex plays billiards with a local.

It was 1am at this point and my VCR cut the second half of this episode. I will fix that as soon as I can.

Here is a map of Kruger National Park. Hazyview is about due west of Numbi Gate in the southwest section of the park.

[georgiapeach]

In live time, seeing them cope with their live emails/phone calls/etc was one of the most intriguing things. The thought that you could actually "phone a friend" and send Alex some help, and then see it all play out was truly innovative. The technology here was (or seemed to me) groundbreaking and made the show really fun to watch.

[georgiapeach]

I think even if you are not a Facebook user, that you may be able to see this page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Around-the-World-For-Free-Official-Page/64314428405

A special note about MUSIC on ATWFF - find the list of featured tracks under "Discussions". We tip our hat to the gracious musicians who have provided their works to underscore this journey. Much more unforgettable music coming up in the Final Four episodes! There is no published music compilation as of yet, but support independent music by following these great artists - they're easy to find! - Zsolt

A dedicated viewer has been listing the music iin the discussion thread.