Rode!

Rough start. Felt out of shape. First long ride in a while. Some digestive troubles.

Didn't make it as far as I thought I would, but had a terrific ride!

Camped in a beautiful spot.

Next day, rode on.

Gorgeous scenery. I wouldn't have thought that the area leading up to the Haitian/Dominican border would be so scenic.

Tons of people out on the streets. Pleasant atmosphere, for the most part.

Getting nearer Dajabon, decided to walk the last part. It was such a gorgeous day, and I felt somewhat tired.

Walked into town. Somewhat different feel than I expected. Numerous Haitians on this side of the border.

After refreshing, walked down to the border. There's a market there, where Haitians sell their wares.

At the border, I walked onto the bridge. Overlooking a river, where Haitians washed their clothes in tubs.

Walked back to a quieter spot. Quite quiet.

After watching part of the sunset, decided to set up camp. I had made a reservation on Airbnb for my few days in Dajabon. However, the host had to cancel. I thought I'd camp outside the town, but since I was already there, and tired, I decided to camp by the border, despite my better judgment.

As I had finished setting up, some Dominican military came by. They asked for my ID, and searched my belongings.

They asked me numerous questions about my travels.

After a while, they said I'd have to go to the immigration office, explain myself.

They said that there were numerous Haitians at the immigration office.

After a while of talking with them as I put away my stuff, trying to find a way to avoid the immigration office, I figured out that they were after a bribe!

One of them half-jokingly asked for my bicycle. "I need it to travel," I said.

I gave them a thousand pesos (twenty US dollars), and asked how that was. They wanted another thousand (twenty).

My first bribe!

I walked away, rented a hotel room. Happily!

Once upon a time, there was a giant. The giant sat down in a bed of grass. Tired, he lay down.

A leaf of grass sprung up beside the giant. The giant said to the leaf of grass, "I could crush you easily."

The leaf of grass scoffed. "You could crush me easily," said the leaf of grass. "But I am connected to other leaves of grass."

"I could crush those leaves of grass easily, too," said the giant.

"You could crush as many leaves of grass as you want," admitted the leaf. "However, we are connected to many more than you can possibly crush. And they will keep on growing, long after you have ceased to live."

"So?" said the giant, somewhat trembling.

"So," said the leaf of grass. "Go ahead and crush me if you will. I will hardly even feel it. We will keep on growing anyways. And we can crush you easily."

Looks like I'll probably be stocking up in Dajabon.

Things often turn out different than expected. Adapt!

Wherever we go, there are noises. So deal!

Last day in Monte Cristi, Republica Dominicana!

I was thinking of having a going away party! :)

So exciting to go!

I got a different bike.

Still no phone. Maybe in Dajabon.

Cleaned up a bunch of stuff over the weekend.

Feeling much lighter and tighter than before, but still want more!

Funny to feel unsure of which country one will be heading to that week!

As of now, I plan to go to Haiti!

Seems like fun. :)

It's funny to have too much stuff. After a while of struggling to acquire, replace, or repair things, I've wound up with redundant things. For a while I've been walking around with two bikes (one broken), three laptops (two and a half broken), two pairs of shoes (one and a half broken), etc.

There's a balance!

Big week!

Tons of preparation, has me nervous.

Feel solid finally to get going!

RD has been quite a country!

Now I feel satisfied. Ready for a new adventure!

Let's go!

Work a while, set up a place, then ride for the first time in a while!

Thursday storms.

Through the weekend.

Looks like the ride isn't too technical. 35 km, only a few dozen meters of elevation.

By the way, just about any sentence sounds funny if it has the word "Haiti" in it. "I'm going to Haiti!" :)

Hotels seem way more expensive than Airbnbs on the Dominican side of the border, too.

Not much available tonight, but I made reservations for the upcoming few days. Maybe I'll find a place when I arrive, or maybe I'll camp.

(Reservation unavailable, no place to stay.)

Looks like farmland around the town.

Doing my last work here, then take another look at places for tonight, then ride!

Going off to another province without a place. Aventura!

Went back to the phone shop, again. No phones, again.

Thinking of maybe replacing my front wheel with a wrong size one from the bike shop.

Tons of preparations.

Looks like Ayiti has two peninsulas.

I'm planning to do the northern, main one first. Then, if I like it, continue to the smaller second one. Otherwise, return to RD.

The center of RD looks mountainous and unpopulated. As such, I'd probably just see the southern coast.

200 km from Cap Haitien to Port-au-Prince.

I'm ready to leave!

Not sure how people stay in small towns.

I like them for a while. Then I want something different!

Looks like Monday offers best bet!

Then, probably stay a few days in Dajabon, preparing.

Then, Ayiti!

Not sure whenwhere to get Haitian Gourdes.

Maybe carry around $100 of Gourdes over the border? Or better to buy after getting into the country?

Seems like I often get local currency once inside a country.

So, maybe take some Dominican pesos over the border? Seems reasonable.

I've appreciated having a chance to stay in one place for a while, a few weeks.

It's given me the chance to take care of important tasks, such as work and preparing for Haiti.

I feel much better about carrying on now!

Republica Dominicana is a large and beautiful country. Delicious food.

My big recommendation is to trade in the loud, smelly, polluting gas motorcycles for electric cycles.

RD packs quite a variety of ecology into an island.

I like the areas outside of the cities much better than the cities.

Remaining: fix bike!

My plan: weekend here, fixing up, then Monday to Dajabon, a few days there, then Friday to Haiti!

Weekend in Ouanaminthe.

Then to Cap Haitien!

Certain weather, when it's cloudy, humid, etc., makes me feel congested. Sinuses, nose, head, joints, body. I feel slow. Sad. Down. Pain. Confusion.

I guess I slog through such days.

The goggles seem fine intuitively.

I'm not sure how precise they have to be to fit.

I think they're ready to print.

What else?

I aim to wear a pair in the upcoming couple of months or so!

My model looks funky. Maybe get pro insights later.

I'm happy to have made this design.

Maybe it's more comfortable!

So many ways to do things. Confusing!

I guess we have to go by a mix of gut instinct, thought, action, etc.

Things seem to be coming together in a mad way.

I think I'm on basically the track I want to be on with these goggles. Not sure how they'll turn out, but I'm printing them!

Here's to Eagle Eyes Adventure Goggles version 1.0!!!!!

I'm feeling stresses.

Unsure how things are going, but somehow!

I'm sitting here, in Monte Cristi, Republica Dominicana.

Soon back riding!

I guess that I often have a serious desire to get way from town.

See different things.

Rock & Roll!

Went back to the phone shop this morning. "Dimelo," ("What's up?") asked the vendor. "Is that phone in?" Nope. Going to the city soon, to pick it up.

Haiti seems to have busy cities.

The coast looks somewhat like other coastal areas.

Cap-Haitien seems somewhat touristy.

There's zip-lining, cruise ships, and at least one McLaren in Haiti, looking at Google Maps.

The people and streets looks somewhat comparable to the Haitian areas of Republica Dominicana. I thought they'd maybe be more different.

They even have the same red Daihatsu Deltas that I see all over RD!

They seem to have numerous vehicles, wide streets, etc.

Looks like Republica Dominicana but with more black people.

And international military personnel.

So far, Port-au-Prince (the capital) looks most interesting. Stacks of colorful houses.

People out on the streets. Seems peaceful enough.

There's a tent city on the map in Haiti!

Haiti seems like a small country. It's considerably smaller in area, and even more so in population and economy, compared to Republica Dominicana.

I'm figuring on around a month or two.

35 km from here to Dajabon, the Dominican border town.

66 km from there to Cap Haitien, a more sizable city.

That's probably two days' ride from the border, after a day's ride from here to the border.

Hm, not sure where to pause on the way to Cap Haitien. Doesn't look like much on the way. Maybe do a long ride?

Camp?

Haiti is much drier than Republica Dominicana. Even looking at the satellite photography map, the Haitian side of the border is a different shade.

Mountainous central country.

Looks like Terrier-Rouge is around halfway from Dajabon/border to Cap Haitien/city.

Looking up hotels in the border town. First result: "Free Wi-Fi"! Hotel name: "Hotel Masacre".

Oh, it's on the Dominican side.

Hm, Chylton? Is that like a chill version of the Hilton?

Website in English, probably touristy. Which English-speaking tourists (other than me) are going to Haitian border towns?!?

Ah, wrong website.

Didn't think I'd be looking up Airbnb's in Haiti!

Looks like there aren't any in the Haitian border town.

There are a bunch in Cap Haitien.

Expensive.

Affordable, but more expensive than in RD. How do locals stay in Haiti?

Looks like they do have wifi! I wasn't sure whether wifi is common in Haiti.

Gonaives has some places.

Looks like the capital, Port-au-Prince, has more affordable places.

Look nice inside.

I feel like I'm starting to get to know the place!

May be more difficult to stay on the Haitian side of the border towns.

Maybe only stay a day or so, then head towards Cap Haitien.

Hotels seem way pricer than Airbnbs.

Reading Haitian news in French, seems like they're adding more electricity, while still having outages.

Watching news in Creole, seems like at least the main political areas are more developed than one may think.

Reading news in English, United Nations peacekeepers kept the peace so well that they have hundreds of offspring!

I want to learn more Creole grammar!

Ap, like apres. I'm talking. Estoy hablando.

Ou fèk pale.
You had spoken.

Rock On!

Now trying to fix the text on the goggles!

Well, I have a workaround.

By shortening the text, I can resolve the issue.

Soon!

I think that after verifying that these will work as well as practical for a first run, they're ready to print!

Went back to the phone shop, where they said they'd have a phone. Nope. Maybe tomorrow.

Went back to the bike shop. Blew the morning finding out that the town doesn't have any parts for my bike. Maybe buy a different bike. The mechanic offered to get me laid. Bike shop/brothel?

Went for a ride on the mechanic's motorcycle, to look at a bike for sale. The bike seller wasn't there, but the motorcycle ride was fun!

Seems that spoken Creole is much harder than written Creole, as with other languages. I tried speaking with my Haitian avocado women. Somewhat understandable, but difficult.

I'm finding it informative to read about Creole in French. Also, my French remains rusty!

The verb conjugation, adjective matching, etc., seem way easier in Creole than in French. Instead of je parle, tu parles, ils parlent, etc., m pale, ou pale, li pale, etc.!

Now trying to get the goggles into their printable shape!

OK!

I now have a version that I think contains more or less the ready components!

Still more to fix!!!!!

Oreo-style cookies on bread:Nutella::Crunchy peanut butter:Smooth peanut butter.

Went to bike shop. "No parece" ("We don't carry those parts.") Walked to various other places, still no parts.

Went shopping. My avocado women asked about me, as I hadn't shown up over the weekend. I'd thought of them, too.

Went to the phone shop. No phone. Maybe tomorrow.

It's hard to go shopping in the Caribbean. Often there isn't anything.

Last full week before heading for the border! Here we go, Haiti!

The weather's so fine, I feel like doing nothing.

Warm air, cool breeze.

Doing stuff anyways!

Went back to the bike shop. They had a fixer-upper bike that they offered. "How much?" I asked. "I don't know," mumbled the person. I asked the other worker, a mechanic. "Ask the guy inside," he said. After the runaround, it turned out that the owner wasn't there. Go back tomorrow.

I'm reading up somewhat on Haitian. The language is fun to read. I can make out a solid chunk of it on the basis of my half-forgotten French!

I don't know exactly why Haitian Creole makes me laugh. It's like reading a funny way of writing French, but when you pronounce it you figure out the word, often with an African accent!

For example: "jiskaprezan". "Just ce qu'a present". "Up to now."

I'd say I can make out about 70-80% of text that I read.

Feels different in a different week, after rest!

Our brains get to know ourselves.

Just found a fix for a problem I was having with the goggles. Thanks to advice from other people, and continuing to work!

"I'm ready to wear a pair of these!"

My thoughts on seeing latest draft.

I think that the frame shape is almost but not quite there.

To a certain extent, I'm just adjusting by eye.

Also, measuring.

After making larger changes, fine-tuning.

One notices any slight discrepancies.

It feels wrong.

There's a palpable sense of relief when a problem is ironed out.

I feel Japanese or something, fine-tuning.

Such a different way of working for me.

I feel like I now have the rough shape. After all that refining!

We'll see. This fine-tuning isn't my fine point.

I feel like the shape is now more or less the same as the lens. Still unsure how precise it has to be. I guess it's time to get to the next step!

Here's version 0.9!

Conflicts seem parts of stuff, so instead of just getting stuck on wanting them gone, deal w/ it.

I often have a hard time with loud noises.

It's part of my sensitive nervous system.

Instead of getting upset, I'm aiming to incorporate the noises more into my routines, my ability to function.

For example, to ride sudden bursts of noise towards productive actions.

Or, to let disruptive noises through, then return to task.

What bothers you? How do you handle it?