00:00When you mention your plans to travel to Tristan de Cunha, the chances are your friends won't even know where this remote island is located.
00:08No wonder. Tristan de Cunha is considered the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, with the nearest populated land, St. Helena, around 1,500 miles away.
00:20There are only 229 people living on Tristan de Cunha now.
00:25In such a close-knit community, everyone is someone's cousin, uncle, or maybe just a friend, but everyone knows each other for sure.
00:33There are as few as 10 last names on the island, representing just 10 families.
00:39Getting there is quite an adventure. There are no airports on the island, which means your journey will be primarily by sea.
00:47Typically, it requires a days-long voyage from South Africa. Only three ships regularly service the island, with fewer than a dozen trips each year.
00:56Some cruise lines may include it in their itineraries, but travel arrangements must be made well in advance, due to limited berths available on the ship from Cape Town.
01:06And you'll also need landing permission.
01:10While Tristan doesn't have traditional hotels, there are several guest houses, and you might also have the chance to stay with a local family.
01:19They will provide you with a place to sleep, three meals a day, and laundry services.
01:2488% of what you pay goes directly to the island family, and only 12% is tax.
01:30By the way, the accommodation is surprisingly affordable. It was around £65 for a full board in 2024.
01:38Yep, they do use sterling, being a part of overseas British territory.
01:43But there's also this local currency called St Helena Pound, used at parity with sterlings.
01:50By the way, it's only been around 80 years since the island started using actual money.
01:55In 1942, the naval station began paying cash wages, and it helped Tristan Islanders to move from a barter economy to a cash-based system,
02:04and allowed them the novelty of making their first cash purchases.
02:09Just a heads up, pack everything you might need before you go, as you definitely won't come across Walmart there.
02:16I mean, don't get me wrong, there's a supermarket and all.
02:19But it's just not the way you're used to, with endless shelves displaying endless oversized mayo jars.
02:25Tristan's Island Store, often referred to as The Supermarket, lacks plate glass windows and flashy advertisements.
02:32And let's be honest, it looks like an abandoned barn from the outside.
02:36Still, it plays a crucial role in providing essential goods to complement locally produced foods and woolens.
02:43If a resident wants to buy something, they must place orders months in advance for items that arrive with incoming ships.
02:50The store operates Monday through Friday.
02:55Today, the islanders continue to cultivate their own crops and raise livestock.
03:00The supermarket has become a vital source for other essentials like flour, sugar,
03:05and a variety of groceries including frozen bread and products typical of the UK or South African supermarkets.
03:12And even though the island's economy relies heavily on fishing, especially rock lobsters, islanders are largely self-sufficient.
03:21Let's move to another destination that's super hard to reach, but this time, it's a level up in difficulty.
03:28I'm talking about the notorious Hypoxia City, the place with the smallest amount of oxygen on the planet.
03:36Sure thing, it's a nickname. The real name is La Riconada.
03:40This place is located in Peru. Getting there means climbing over 16,000 feet up into the mountains.
03:46And what did you expect from the highest city on Earth?
03:50Despite its hard to reach location, it houses way more people than Tristan de Cunha, between 30,000 and 50,000.
03:57And while the island in the middle of nowhere looks idyllic, the Peruvian city of La Riconada has very different looks.
04:05The urban layout features predominantly low-rise residences where essential services are limited.
04:11La Riconada is without a reliable supply of running water and lacks a sewage system.
04:17The community does not have a waste collection service which forces residents to either burn or bury their garbage.
04:24Moreover, up until the early 2000s, La Riconada did not have access to electricity.
04:30Most things, including the most essential foods, must be brought here from outside.
04:35Despite originally being a minor city, right now, it has a wider range of activities to make your living.
04:42Some people are busy with trading, food, clothes, you name it.
04:46Others provide services, and some people even open public restrooms.
04:52Architectural-wise, La Riconada has very, very little to offer.
04:57The pattern is quite predictable, huts made from corrugated metal that are unstable and rusting.
05:03The choice of materials is dictated by practicality.
05:06These metal sheets are the lightest and easiest for miners to transport to the glacier.
05:11Unfortunately, the homes lack proper insulation, leaving residents shivering in the cold even though they have access to wool from local sheep, which is an excellent insulator.
05:21Sturdier rock homes exist but are rare, typically inhabited by wealthier miners.
05:28While the architecture might not be particularly captivating, the vistas certainly are.
05:34In nearly every spot in La Riconada, a glance upward reveals La Bella Dormiente, or Sleeping Beauty, a massive glacier towering over the town.
05:45Getting to La Riconada is very hard.
05:48First, you'll need to fly into Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco, Peru.
05:55Once you're in Cusco, you can catch a train or a bus to Puno, which is right by Lake Titicaca.
06:01Here's where it gets a bit tricky.
06:04The only way to really get up to La Riconada is by hitchhiking or finding a ride into the mountains.
06:10There might be some buses, but they don't run on a set schedule.
06:14If you're up for it, you can rent a car, but be warned, the roads can be pretty rough and tricky to navigate.
06:20So a little extra caution goes a long way on this adventure.
06:25Unlike Tristan de Cunha, where they adopted cashback in the 1940s, La Riconada doesn't rely much on it.
06:33The economy of this place is based mainly on gold mines.
06:37The mines are unguarded, unregulated, and often dangerous.
06:42Miners work for 30 days under a cachorreo system, where, on the 31st day,
06:47they're allowed to take as much ore from the mine as they can carry as a form of payment.
06:52La Riconada has no bank, but it has many storefront fund transfer agencies, which miners use to wire money to their families.
07:01Still, they never know how much they're going to send.
07:04Our next destination is Svalbard, a place that might seem unwelcoming due to its climate.
07:10But locals embrace everyone with open arms.
07:13No visa is required if you want to visit or even work there.
07:17Located near the top of the world, Svalbard offers a unique and remote charm.
07:23The capital, Longyearbyen, is home to a fascinatingly diverse community,
07:28with over 50 nationalities represented among its 2,400 residents.
07:33You might even spot a polar bear wandering into town on occasion.
07:37The living space is compact.
07:39There's just one grocery store, and the streets are numbered instead of named, adding to the town's distinctive feel.
07:46Longyearbyen also boasts a university center with around 300 students.
07:51Interestingly, every student must learn to use firearms for safety in the surrounding wilderness.
07:57Originally, it was founded as a mining town, just like La Riconada, but the focus has shifted mainly to tourism.
08:04However, a quirky tradition remains from its mining days.
08:08Visitors and residents alike take off their shoes when entering hotels and restaurants,
08:13a practice born out of the need to keep coal dust at bay.
08:17The last destination for today is Palmerston Island, a remote coral atoll in the Cook Islands,
08:23located about 290 miles northwest of Rarotonga.
08:29Famous traveler James Cook visited it on June 16, 1774,
08:34and the place was uninhabited at the time, despite ancient graves found there.
08:39Today, the island supports a small population of just 25 residents,
08:43primarily descendants of 19th-century English sailor William Marsters.
08:48Marsters arrived in 1863 with two Polynesian wives and later added a third.
08:54He fathered 23 children.
08:56Fishing is the mainstay of the local economy, resembling subsistence living due to the island's isolation.
09:02Modern amenities and communication services are available.
09:05Although there is no airport, cargo ships visit periodically.
09:09That's it for today!
09:10So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
09:15Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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