Pea Does America - The Oldest City

Pea drives to Saint Augustine, Florida — the oldest city in the United States — and spends five hours exploring its Spanish colonial architecture, pirate history, 17th-century fortress, and local shops. Along the way she marvels at American highways, chats up a pirate shop employee, and starts a running weight-tracking experiment after viewers bet she'd gain weight eating American food.

Pea's first time driving on an American highway ​

• Thrilled by the road conditions: wide lanes, no cows, no vendors, no obstacles
• Discovers cruise control for the first time — doesn't exist on Philippine cars she's driven
• Speed limit is 70 mph and she's doing 69 — following the rules precisely
• The contrast with Philippine roads is stark: in the Philippines, obstacles are constant and dangerous

Saint Augustine's history and first impressions ​

• Founded by Spanish conquistadors in 1565, more than two centuries before the US was born
• Population of only 14,000 people
• Known for beautiful beaches, Spanish colonial architecture, and laid-back attitudes
• Also the most haunted city in the country — Pea jokes she hopes the Spanish ghosts "don't skip the ads because being dead is no excuse"
• The Spanish architecture immediately reminds her of Vigan in the Philippines (a UNESCO World Heritage colonial town)
• Quaint feel with carriage rides, narrow cobblestone streets, and summer heat that "nothing a Filipina can't easily handle"

Walking through town ​

• Small shops everywhere with local artisans making handmade jewelry and blown glass
• Multiple tours, exhibits, historical museums, and pirate-related monuments
• Many sites connected to Caribbean pirates who harassed Spanish ships bound for Saint Augustine
• Pea realizes one day isn't nearly enough to see everything

Shopping detour with humor ​

• Finds a "60-second eye lift" product and jokes it reminds her of "someone — maybe a vlogger or a troll or maybe both"
• Visits a Zoltar fortune-telling machine and asks to be made "big" — gestures to her chest; Zoltar tells her to be happy with what she has

Extended conversation with Sparky at Captain Pea's Locker (pirate shop) ​

• Sparky is a real parrot (the store employee, not an actual bird — though Pea plays up the name)
• The store's main customer base isn't tourists but local pirate crews — organized groups who dress up as pirates
• Pea is surprised to learn there are actual pirate crews in the area
• Sparky clarifies they don't do "genuine pirate stuff because that's illegal" — it's mostly "hanging around and drinking"
• The crews also do charity events
• Pea says she does cosplay and has a pirate outfit, offers to join as additional crew
• Sparky says Pea's interview is "probably the most screen time I've gotten"
• Pea reflects on how easy it is to talk to Americans compared to the Philippines: "Here in America they are so eager to help, very accommodating — I'm loving it here"
• Jokes about Zoltar being Sparky's "plastic surgeon" and asks for a family discount

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine ​

• Oldest parish in the United States, founded the same year as the city (1565)
• Pea points out a statue of Saint Monica, the patron saint of difficult marriages
• Quips: "If you have a bumpy ride at home, all you have to do is pray to her — but if it doesn't work out, there's always the Philippines"

Castillo de San Marcos — the fortress ​

• Built in 1672 after the city was attacked by pirates; oldest masonry fort in the US
• Built to guard the entrance to Saint Augustine and the Atlantic trade route
• Despite being attacked multiple times by the British and other powers and even besieged, the fort was never conquered
• Ultimately handed over peacefully to the Americans in 1821
• Armed with various sizes of bronze cannons defending against sea attacks
• Pea sees the furnace where cannonballs were forged — cast iron balls were often loaded while still red-hot to set attacking wooden ships on fire
• The moat: 40 feet wide, originally kept dry to store livestock (chickens and goats); when filled with water, the castle's foundation started crumbling, so they quickly drained it
• The walls are the real secret weapon: constructed from Coquina, a limestone made of crushed shells
• Coquina walls were virtually impervious to cannon fire — cannonballs would literally bounce off
• Pea wishes she had more time to explore the fort

Political observation ​

• Notes that Saint Augustine "tends to lean heavily Republican" and many residents are vocal about their politics
• Comments: "It's great to live in a country where you can speak your mind — for now at least"

Wrapping up after five hours of walking ​

• Feet are "hurting and throbbing"
• Stops at a restaurant for dinner at 6:30 PM — notes the sun is still up, whereas in the Philippines it would be "pitch black" by now
• Acknowledges she couldn't see everything: missed the ghost tours, trolleys, and trains
• Hopes to come back someday

BONUS SEGMENT: Weight-tracking experiment ​

• Viewers are betting she'll gain weight from all the American food
• Specific suggestions from commenters: Arby's roast beef and cheddar, Outback's blooming onion, IHOP, Popeyes, Chick-fil-A
• Plans to offset the eating with walking and hiking (plenty of good hiking spots)
• Weighs herself live on camera: 112 pounds — her regular weight
• Notes the scale is almost too small for her feet
• Will track weight throughout the trip and do a final weigh-in at the end
• "If I end up looking like a land whale, it is your fault for tempting me"

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