We kick off our time in Hong Kong by squeezing ourselves into the tiniest box room in Chungking Mansions, where the walls are thin, the smell of curry is permanent, and somehow… we kind of loved it. That is, until we found ourselves caught up in one of the deadliest fires in Hong Kong’s recent history, unfolding right outside our building and leaving the entire city questioning how something so preventable went so catastrophically wrong. In “Scott’s WTF of the Week” we talk about a discovery so massive and creepy it belongs in its own horror film, while “Shelby’s Good Vibes Only” shares a CRISPR Gene Therapy breakthrough that could genuinely change lives with a single treatment. And in “First Impressions” we unpack what Hong Kong hit us with on day one, the smells, the sights, the culture shock, and a few surprises we definitely weren’t ready for.
Chapters
(02:22) – Stuck in a Box Room Stinking of Curry
(08:53) – Scott & Shelby vs The Annoying Hotel Guests
(12:00) – The Deadliest Fire in Hong Kong History
(18:29) – Scott’s WTF of the Week: World’s Biggest Spiderweb Found in ‘Sulfur Cave’
(26:06) – Shelby’s Good Vibes Only: CRISPR Gene Therapy Slashes Cholesterol in First Human Trial
(35:15) – First Impressions/new name: Hong Kong
Scott's WTF of the Week
🕷️ World’s Biggest Spiderweb Found in ‘Sulfur Cave’
📅 Wednesday 5th November
Shelby’s Good Vibes Only
🧬 CRISPR Gene Therapy Slashes Cholesterol in First Human Trial
📅 Friday 8th November 2025
Additional References
🛎️ Our accommodation in Hong Kong >> https://tinyurl.com/2v2vp6ty
Recommended Episodes
Check out these other episodes, they dive into similar stories and topics.
🎧 The One Thing We Wish We Knew Before Visiting China
---------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe
If you have ever enjoyed any of these episodes, could we ask you to please consider any or all of these: Subscribe, Follow, Like, Share and leave a short Review? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests.
- "Yalla Habibi - Let’s go, my friend!"
Watch Our Shorts
TikTok
---------------------------------------------------------------
Transcript Keyword Summary
Hong Kong Travel Tips, Vegan Food Hong Kong, Unusual Travel Experiences, Backpacking Asia, Budget Travel Asia, Hong Kong Street Food, Asian City Adventures, Jet Lag Remedies, Travel Safety Tips, Airbnb Hong Kong Review, Emergency Services Stories, CRISPR Gene Therapy, Cholesterol Reduction Breakthroughs, Exotic Spider Species, Cave Exploration Stories, Vegan Nutrition Tips, Yalla Habibi, Yalla Habibi Podcast, Couples Podcast, Relationship Podcast
Transcript Quotes
- “We were in an absolute box room. We were the entire room, including the, sort of mini kitchenette, which was a suspended fridge that was above the bed.”
- “It burned for 43 hours… there’s over 159 currently confirmed dead, which includes both elderly and infants.”
- “Researchers have identified what may be the largest spider web ever recorded 1,140 square feet, housing over 111,000 spiders inside a sulfur cave on the Greece Albania border.”
- “CRISPR gene therapy has slashed cholesterol in the first human trial, by nearly 50% and triglycerides by about 55% after a single infusion.”
- “As a vegan, there is no cholesterol in a vegan diet, no plant foods contain cholesterol.”
- “I got there and within five minutes I sai
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.