Day 29

It’s Day 29, and the craving spiral begins. They start naming all the food we miss like it’s roll call — Chipotle, Upbeet, Cookout trays, Cajun fries, and yes, even Moe’s gets a shoutout. Also we admit Ringo cookies are now part of the daily nutrition plan, because Oreos by any other name still taste like home.

We then pivot to a soulful declaration of podcasting purity: “If this podcast becomes a job, I quit.” A refusal to sell out. It’s art, it’s anarchy, it’s authentic chaos. 

Major decisions are made today: sugar is now for weekends only (unless it’s a birthday, or family’s in town, or a really emotionally complex Tuesday). 

(Insert a bunch of stuff, here)

Then the episode descends — beautifully — into what can only be described as Things We Notice. Turns out, there are no toilet seats in many of the women’s bathrooms, so it’s a daily decision between the hover-squat and the risk-it-all sit (Taylor is grossed out and Perri doesn't have the attention span to care). The men’s restrooms apparently involve some abstract approach to aim, with more “around the hole” than “into it.” The napkins in restaurants feel like waxy parchment. You have serious disadvantage in a nose-blowing contest. 

Cash is king here, as we’ve noticed the locals are still living in a cash-first society. Meanwhile, trash is sorted into five different bins — like a miniature recycling Olympics. Both things that are wonderful. 

The stairs? Yes, we beat our previous climb record by two minutes and filmed a time-lapse video to finally reveal the seven phase journey.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, a dramatic stair-session finale full of heavy breathing, wheezing, and maybe even a mountain-top revelation. But probably just more breathing. 

We also spend their workday people-watching at our favorite café, where we fully immersed themselves in the slow-burning drama of an Italian love story unfolding at the next table.