Five a day

Saw a very interesting talk tonight by Leon Logothetis. Leon is the -- I'm tempted to say victim -- of a television show called The Amazing Adventures of a Nobody (see also here). He's done three of these series, and in each, the premise is simple: Travel from A to B on five units of local currency a day (pounds / dollars / euros).

He was at UTPA because UTPA faculty and students helped him out, giving him a place to sleep overnight and then buying a train ticket. Although the television series makes a great point of the number of times people said "No" to him, he emphasizes the great generosity he received. Interestingly, while traveling Europe on season three, he said the most consistent aid he received was from American tourists, flying in the face of the cliched American traveler. He said it became a joke with the film crew. He'd get up in the morning and say, "Time to go find some Americans." When the crew protested that he was supposed to be interacting with Europeans, he replied, "But they're not helping me."