Starting to feel more real again to leave the Caribbean?! Still a while. Planning the remainder of the Dutch Caribbean...

Maybe in the future they'll genetically modify (or "bioengineer") rice so big that you just eat one huge grain of it at a meal. :)

Society nowadays (some societies anyways) likes to celebrate women who work, women who start businesses, women who perform sports or music, etc. Society should be fair then and also celebrate men who cross-dress, men who stay home, etc. :)

In modern society there are tons of methods to "make it". So I wouldn't worry excessively over any particular one, you can adapt later if you fail. There are some challenges in modern society but there are challenges anyways. Again I wouldn't worry excessively, just handle things as well as you can!

We humans have evolved from a long line of chimp and fish and other ancestors a tendency to be jerks. While I think there's still a place for occasionally being a jerk, I also think it often makes sense to override that instinct and share some love instead! :)

What's the best you can extract from the food you put in you?

Coffee is for overclocking the body.

Seems like the anti-drug states have supported a bunch of fascism in South America and maybe kind of deserve to have lost some of those large countries to the drug dealers!

Also seems like Colombia is maybe on track to become moderate wastrels rather than completely sunk...

Say what you will about the communist revolution in Venezuela, at least it's serving the structural-functionalist purpose of becoming the world's main drug distribution hub! :)

COVID minus a thousand years: "During these times, it was widely believed that Jews caused epidemics like the Black Death by poisoning wells. Jews were also accused of ritually consuming the blood of Christians." Humans were and are irrational, basically modified chimps.

Idea: chevre (goat cheese) ice cream. Probably already exists, but I don't think I've seen it. Bet it would taste delicious. Looked online, and yep of course it already exists. With some interesting ingredient ideas like fennel, lemon, honey, sea salt, cherry!

"Wait, did you say you loved your soulmate or your cellmate?" :)

Someone should make a funny propaganda image of "COVID pandemic" morphing into "COVID panic".

In comparison to previous generations of humans, apes, and other ancestors, we have tons of resources and freedoms. So let's enjoy! :)

A good phrase for many occasions or contexts -- e.g. band name, song title, memoir, excuse for not turning in your homework, title for your homework: psychotic breakdown.

All statements are generalizations. :)

To specify that statement somewhat, I think that language approximately represents our perceptions. Thus I think that even the most precise statements that people make involve some degree of generalization. You have to omit some of the detail of what's there (of what exists), even more than you have to omit some of the detail of what you perceive. Words are incomplete representations of what they represent. So whatever you say (or write or think) seems like a generalization that will leave out some information.

As the internet continues to expand, and people continue to take it more for granted, how will that affect politics and society? Will people become even more cosmopolitan and global, to the extent that 2022 will soon look extremely provincial?

WTF? Global average internet speeds of 110 Mbps? I'm now in an expensive country and I'm seeing like one percent of that!

Recipe

CHEESE SOUP

Ingredients:

Cheese, preferably a good, soft French cheese

Directions:

1. Melt cheese in microwave, around 30 seconds to a minute on high.

Enjoy! :)

BTW probably goes well with ketchup! :)

I like ackee. It's a Jamaican breakfast fruit. Seems quite fatty. Texture like scrambled eggs. Somewhat expensive, though, so I guess more of a delicacy than a regular item.

Blue Curacao makes for a nice little breakfast drink! :)

Feels amazing to have freedom after some of the worse excesses of COVID fascism are lifted. Still too much COVID fascism for my taste, but it feels like we're just picking off stragglers, like it's after the Nazis have fallen and the destruction of COVID fascism is in sight.

Politics made simple. Liberty produces success. Countries with high economic and social freedoms, like the Netherlands, have satisfied and wealthy populations. Countries with high social freedoms but low economic freedoms, like Brazil, have poverty but happiness. Countries with high economic freedoms but low social freedoms, like Singapore, have wealth but not happiness. Countries with low economic and social freedoms, like North Korea, have poverty and unhappiness.

This is what 21st century fascism looks like:

    It is forbidden to ignore or fail to abide by pandemic prevention work requirements as implemented by higher-ups or school administrators; to ignore orders or breach quarantine; to respond to pandemic prevention measures in a perfunctory, deceptive, or disobedient manner; or to treat pandemic prevention measures as a mere formality.

 

    It is forbidden to conceal, lie, delay, omit, fabricate, or falsify information when reporting your or your co-residents’ travel history, recent contacts, health status, or other pandemic control-related information. It is forbidden to refuse pandemic-related measures including contact tracing, monitoring, quarantine, or observation.

    In the absence of prior authorization, it is forbidden to post, republish, or share nonpublic pandemic control information on Wechat (WeChat groups or WeChat moments), Weibo, QQ, Douyin, Kuaishou, BiliBili, or on other websites, social media platforms, or social media groups. It is likewise forbidden to fabricate, propagate, or disseminate, in any form, false or unconfirmed pandemic-related information, or to engage in inappropriate speech that distorts or negates government pandemic control policy.

    It is forbidden to violate pandemic prevention requirements by organizing or attending group dinners, parties, or similar gatherings. It is forbidden to organize or attend unauthorized large-scale gatherings. Minimize the use of public transportation and participation in off-campus activities. Do not enter bars, internet cafés, karaoke parlors, “scripted murder” gaming rooms, card rooms, public swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms, hot springs, or other crowded places.

    It is forbidden to leave at-home isolation or quarantine without prior permission or before the period of observation or quarantine has elapsed.

    It is forbidden to leave or enter the school campus, leave or return to Beijing, leave the country, or cross border zones (this includes provincial, city, county, town, and village borders) without prior authorization. Travel to medium- or high-risk areas is forbidden.

    It is forbidden to borrow or appropriate other people’s student IDs, health codes, or travel itineraries, or to refuse to submit to inspections of this documentation.

    It is forbidden to buy overseas goods. Continue to avoid purchasing items from overseas or receiving international packages, and minimize the use of any delivery services.

    It is forbidden to give personal interviews (including phone interviews) to domestic or foreign news outlets without prior authorization. It is forbidden to privately share information or tips with the media, or to submit manuscripts, give interviews, or spread irresponsible remarks to the media.

    It is forbidden to obstruct local cadres, medical workers, volunteers, or other pandemic-prevention personnel from carrying out their duties. Any other behavior that impedes pandemic-prevention work or violates pandemic-prevention regulations is forbidden.

Fuck off COVID fascists, we're defeating you!

Male circumcision should be considered male genital mutilation. It's the same type of problem as female genital mutilation or intersex genital mutilation. The intersex approach does more harm than the female approach which does more harm than the male approach. But all deserve social protection for the victims.

If you went up to an adult son and performed a circumcision you would be charged with a serious assault. A child needs even more protection.

One of the more common reasons given for male genital mutilation is to deny the male victim sexual pleasure. If you cut off part of a man's penis to deny him sexual pleasure you would be charged with a serious violent sex crime. Again, children need even more protection.

Religious laws are the psychological equivalent of genital mutilation. Depriving the victim of part of the use of the brain instead of part of the use of the genitals. Often for equivalent purposes such as denying pleasure.

Let's respect people's bodies and minds, ESPECIALLY children!

We should support each other's freedoms. Let people choose what they do with their own body, sex, gender, etc.!

How about a peer pressure talk, a sex talk, etc., for parents?

"Listen, just because your friends are cutting off their boys' foreskins doesn't mean you have to, also. If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?"

"The sex organs are another organ system like the digestive system, respiratory system, or endocrine system. They all evolved to serve vital functions aiding in survival and reproduction. Don't interfere with people's sex organs or sexual function. It's like interfering with someone's ability to eat or breathe."

"The nervous system is another organ system evolved for survival and reproduction. Let people make their own decisions and feel their own emotions and have their own lives."

Mental mutilation: religious indoctrination that deprives people of their ability to think, feel, and behave as the individual wants.

People are taught and in many cases forcefully a number of bronze age myths to control them. We have science now, let's use it!

Instead of genital mutilation and mental mutilation to deprive people of sexual pleasure, let's teach people to enjoy sexual pleasure!

Appreciate the clitoris, penis, mind, and other valuable aspects of humanity.

Make love, not war on the body and mind.

Relegalize sex of the types that've been criminalized! If anything should be illegal it's anti-sexual mutilation.

Doctors in different places and times have done all sorts of medically unnecessary and in some cases extremely risky or harmful procedures on people, often without their consent. In addition to genital mutilations there's also removal of wisdom teeth, frontal lobotomies and other brain mutilation, COVID injections, and more.

It's in corrupt doctors' interest to create more work for themselves, and it's easy to brainwash average idiots with supposed medical expertise/authority. Ask the castrated victims of intersex surgeries how they feel about medical "authority".

Humans, a cruel and stupid species, have done many things in efforts to stop people from having or enjoying sex, e.g. chastity belts, female genital mutilation, male genital mutilation, crazy laws against professional sex and young sex and many other sexual activities. And yet people still have sex and enjoy it! The war on sex is losing!

Circumcision is somewhat like those crazy tribal rituals where they cut open the penis or insert weird jewelry.

The amygdala explains much of religion and politics.

In the US (and many other countries) it's legal to cut off part of your kid's penis, but not to have consensual paid sex. What a messed up society!

In addition to productivity hacks we should work on positivity hacks! :)

Posting up my notes from Sint Maarten in several blog posts...

Act quick! :)

Travel anyways, even with the annoyances! :)

Humorous ideas...

A picture of a white person with a black beard next to a black person with a white beard.

A black nerd hanging out with a white jock.

So far Sint Maarten seems like a winning choice! Tons of interesting beautiful things to do and see! Glad to have gone! Keep on going!!!!! :)

In life as usual, and I think more often while traveling, things often go wrong. It's hard not to complain, blame, or anything. Still, I think it's important to remind oneself to be thankful and generous.

Huh, hasn't even been two full weeks that I've been in Saint Martin / Sint Maarten! Already feels like I've settled down! Small island, I guess! :)

Too many cruddy restrictions in life. Laws against sex and drugs and anything fun or valuable. Dogs barking. Idiotic COVID fascism. Forget it! Live free! :)

Google uses around a billion dollars of electricity each year.

Ignore the crazies! Long live reason! Forget COVID fascism! :)

Gratification deferred is gratification denied.

Many people live in a world disconnected from reality, through the abstraction layer of society. e.g. COVID ignorance. They can survive anyways w/ ignorance since the tolls are absorbed by society.

In Saint Martin in the French Caribbean, you can even buy fancy French cheeses in the gas station! :)

Tons of advances in technology and culture and such build up over time. Each new word or idea takes a bit of getting used to. It can also give you some advantages. Over the years though it becomes tough to keep up with all the new notions. I guess just keep up as much as you can, enjoy the ride, and let go when you're done...

Of the French cheeses, I tend to like the soft ones like Camembert, especially those made of goat's milk or with strong flavors. I seem to like the round, low, wide cheese. Also some of the log-shaped ones.

What's better, French food or Latina sex? :)

Females have a few hundred sex cells for an entire life. Males make hundreds of millions of sex cells each day. That explains a lot. If you only had a few hundred dollars, you wouldn't go spending a lot on just anything, only what you want. On the other hand if you had hundreds of millions of dollars then you'd spend whenever you want.

Reality often seems like not 100% of what a human would idealize but good enough! :)

Flying to Sint Maarten!

Whew! Made it to the airport on time!

Tons of last-minute adjustments, that's part of the deal. Not even sure about this plan. Ditching my ticket for Saint Lucia, which I officially had to buy to get into Dominica. From what I've seen and heard, Saint Lucia is basically the same as Dominica but more expensive. Doesn't sound that interesting. So instead I'm going to Sint Maarten in the Dutch Antilles!

I'd wanted to go to the Dutch Antilles for a while now. I even passed through the Sint Maarten airport briefly on the way to Dominica! I'd thought of omitting that then going to Aruba/Curacao later. Now glad/grateful to go to Sint Maarten! Maybe a positive side effect of the COVID fascism?

A hilarious irony of the COVID fascism is that this supposed "respiratory" illness has probably had far more breathing problems caused by the regulations. People wearing their idiotic slave masks for hours on end, constricting billions of people's breathing. The virus itself is basically trivial and may even have long-term benefits! :)

Had some spare change left over on the way out of Dominica. Not many other places use this currency (East Caribbean dollar). Bought a bit of "bois bande" rum in the airport, and some peanuts and raisins.

Woke up at like 1 or 2 am. I suck at waking up early, and I don't like it when flights or even jobs depend on it. I'd rather stay up through much of the night instead of accidentally oversleeping and missing a flight.

A bunch of coffee should fix that! :)

Jajaj, my blog has to listen to me even if I'm talking nonsense! :)

Feeling super stoked to go!!!!! :)

As I write this in the airport, remembering times in various Caribbean countries' police stations, detention centers, etc. :)

You can't pick your nose with a COVIDiot mask on! Now THERE'S an ad against! :)

It feels amazing to breathe free again! Humans, tear off your fuckin' idiotic slave masks! You have nothing to lose but your fascist governments! You have your freedom and the world to gain!!!!! :)

Nose power!!!! :)

I think that people with huge noses or ugly faces are the big winners of the COVID hoax. We should blame them! :)

Let's have an ugly person witch hunt! :)

Never mind the Bermuda triangle, all of the Caribbean seems to have engulfed me! I've spent years here, far longer than I'd expected or planned. That's life I guess! :)

Do black women kick out chocolate milk?

Do Latinas produce Caramilk?

Are you supposed to cover your mouth while you yawn or sneeze if you're wearing a COVIDiot mask? Whatever! :)

Rock & Roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Posting up my older notes from prepping to leave Dominica...

Booked a ticket to go to Sint Maarten! It's in the Dutch Caribbean.

Different plan than I'd expected. Now not planning Saint Lucia.

Quiet times in Kalinago Territory. Seems like basically the same each day? A few local events. Not that busy, though. Only one restaurant in this town. Doubles as a store with a few basic items.

Scenic place, but I'm becoming somewhat accustomed to the scenery. Nice hills, river.

Jejej, Caribbean Indians (natives) making curry. :)

Over millions of years, human brains evolved to trust and obey authority figures. It worked well enough as a biosocial hack for survival. More recently we've seen over and over again through exhaustive evidence that "authority" figures are often wrong, and often through malicious deception rather than just ignorance. People still have their biological brains, though, and often don't bother to question things. Hence we see people even now getting crushed by authoritarianism and other political problems. COVID's a decent example. Medicine and politics in general are decent examples.

Raining like crazy here in Kalinago territory. I'm guessing the mountains trap the water from the ocean, resulting in frequent rain. Plus I think we're just starting the official rainy season.

Wormfood: A Biography :)

Life has some weird twists and turns! Adapt!!!!! :)

Writer sim. Play a real live writer. Struggle to meet deadlines, scrape by on not much money, and deal with mental insanity. :)

I think that phrases may be among the hardest parts of learning a language (or dialect). Even if you already know the words and can even speak with a decent accent, people use certain phrases and phrase structures automatically that are hard to learn and use. I think this also applies to the difficulties that AI has in learning human language.

Rock & Roll!!! :)

Full map!

Posting up some blog notes that have accumulated over the last several weeks while busy traveling!

There's tons of it, it's ok if you don't read it all! :)

April Fool's Day was delayed by a month. :)

Trying to reserve a boat ticket, after finally deciding where and when to go. What a series of frustrations! Weak wifi at a couple of places (went out altogether at one). Multiple levels of obnoxious bank card verifications. Finally had to call the ferry company and talk with the rude service lady. Anyways, going to Martinique!!!!! :)

Took like an hour and three attempts for what should've taken five minutes and one attempt.

 

Whew! Made it into Martinique! Already dislike it! ;)

Not sure whether it was a reasonable or desirable decision to go, but anyways it seemed like my best choice at the time. No return boat available for the Desirade gambit within Guadeloupe, and I didn't want to spend two weeks there. Plus it's way overpriced, small, and stuff I've basically seen. Slight quarantine risk for Dominica, plus some other inconveniences like having to buy an onward ticket.

Decided to risk Martinique. Wasn't sure if my visa overstay would be an issue. After a long (four-hour) ferry ride, went through the police checkpoint. They looked at my passport and COVID fascism papers, then stamped my passport. Now I have a fresh new visa! :)

Not sure how long I'm supposed to be able to stay, I think 90 days? Don't think I'd want to stay that long anyways. Martinique seems to me like basically the same as Guadeloupe. I'm not that interested in seeing more. Maybe tour the island for a month or two then go to Dominica?

Somehow after an arduous travel adventure that you think may wind up with detention or deportation, doing some writing doesn't seem so hard! :)

You know you're a crazy writer when... You travel to another country in a long risky journey starting early in the morning, only to start your "real" job at 5 PM! :)

 

Tons of tough yet lucky days! Feels like I'm just making things work! Keep on at it! :)

 

It's tough to travel while working more regularly and staying indoors. While I carried the tent and worked on a flex schedule, I could just decide when and where to camp, more or less. Now it takes some more planning.

I think I'm going to want to tour the island (btw the north seems largely closed by the volcano). Not sure yet whether I should rent for a month in F-de-F before touring? Or just tour?

Maybe aim for e.g. 1-2 weeks in F-de-F, then tour? There are a bunch of rentals available around the island, maybe just as easy and affordable to go among those each week or few days, instead of hang out extensively in the capital which I think I've already mainly seen.

I'm aiming for the latter. I don't want to commit to a month in F-de-F to maybe save a few bucks, or maybe not even. Tough to find a decent place here, but maybe just push through for another couple of weeks then ride around the island?

I think maybe the monthly idea became my default expectation after my COVID delays, but that now it no longer makes sense to do so?

I think that makes sense, if I aim to spend a week or two in F-de-F instead of committing to a whole month, then tour the rest of the island! :)

For now focusing on tonight and this week. Too complicated to plan out the full month!

After a couple of days in Fort-de-France, Martinique, it seems bigger than I'd expected, but other than that quite similar to Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. There seems to be a sizable Asian community in F-de-F. I've seen tons of Chinese restaurants and shops, and a few other restaurants like Vietnamese.

I think an e-bike would make good sense for touring. There are usually towns within 30 km of each other, a decent ride on a regular bike. If things come up though it could become tough to do that distance in a reasonable amount of time. An e-bike would I think make it more achievable. With its own downsides, of course.

I think I'm gonna aim to stay like two weeks in F-de-F, instead of five-ish. Then tour more of Martinique!

 

Tons more Asian places that I noticed today. Seems like half the town's East Asian. Even the main library has a huge Asian facade or architectural style. Also the supermarkets, restaurants, and many shops are Asian.

Fixed up a flat tire today, from yesterday's ride. I've been stuck due to COVID fascism for so long that I've pratically forgotten my bike maintenance skills that were already kind of sketchy! :)

I did manage to patch the tube effectively. However I accidentally made it more difficult than it should've been by doing things in somewhat the wrong sequence. Anyways, it works now! :)

Staying at least another week in F-de-F. Then maybe another week after that? Then maybe ride around Martinique?

Already starting to feel like I've seen about as much as I want of the main areas of town. Still a few more areas to explore, and maybe a few more times through the main areas. Not that appealing to me as I wrote before, since it reminds me of Point-a-Pitre. Still, a bunch of pleasant views, restaurants, etc.

Successful-ish days often have a ton of mishaps along the way. Keep at it! :)

 

Maybe some e-bikes for sale in F-de-F? Not sure that I'd buy one here. Would be somewhat useful for hills but I'm only covering short distances.

Not sure if I'm gonna stay more than another week in town.

Ooh, they have up to 120 km range e-bikes now?

F-de-F has numerous rivers and hills, which makes it scenic but somewhat difficult to get around.

Seems like no better apartment rentals available for the coming days/weeks than what I've found. I'd considered going to another in a farther part of town. Whatever, I guess just stay in this place a week or two then bust out to tour Martinique! :)

Went for a walk/ride around town. Turned into like a six-hour event. Ate some more Chinese food. Scenic city, but I often feel like people are looking to commit crimes! Anyways I think I've seen practically all of the main areas of town. Now aiming to leave town and tour the rest of Martinique Friday! :)

Tons of scary things while traveling, but I guess you just deal with them as you can. Sort of goes for life, too!

I've had tons of mediocre beer in the French West Indies. Not that appealing rum, too. Maybe I'm just not that into booze?

A lot of the beers have cheap and gross additives like glucose syrup. Some have high alcohol content, maybe to cover a mediocre brew?

The French wines are great, though! :)

I'm seeing many of these Caribbean islands as sort of theme parks. They're small enough and touristy enough that it's like a big open-air theme park. You walk around with your map and your camera out, snapping pictures. It's not totally accurate, there are regular people who live and work in these islands, too, more so than in a theme park (where to some extent that happens too).

There seem to be tons of military bases in Martinique, for some reason. I guess it's one of the more populous places in the French Caribbean.

I have my approximate route around Martinique mapped out. Fairly small island, basically one circuit around the perimeter nearly. There's a volcano in the north so the northern part of the ride dekes below that.

I've been in French and Spanish speaking place such a long time that now English looks strange to me! :)

Dominica has removed more of their travel restrictions!!!!! I'm now planning to go there after my quick-ish tour of Martinique! :)

Went to a delicious Vietnamese restaurant! Just down the street from me. They had signs up saying no dine-in, only take-out (along with a sign saying no this, no that, for a bunch of ingredients). I ordered a Saigon-style soup. The chef, an old Vietnamese-I-think man, took me through the kitchen and into a back seating area. Not only did he let me eat the delicious soup there, he also brought me some bananas he had grown himself right next to the restaurant, and some coffee and water. The ambiance was great, with tons of large paintings and photos of Vietnam on the walls, as well as plants including bonsai trees.

Now that more COVID fascism restrictions are gone in Dominica, I'm thinking of Martinique as a place to tour as fast as I can. I read up a bit last night and there doesn't seem to be much of interest for me on the island other than a bit of sightseeing and eating. So I'm planning to ride around the island doing a day or so per town. Extensions for work or if I come across anything surprisingly interesting.

 

Human. It's a fuckin' machine for delivering experiences. Work to make them desirable experiences! :)

Outright? Ourtight.

"Oh, I have this great spreadsheet..."! :)

I'm so used to staying in places where the electricity or water or whatever's busted that these amenities seem like insane luxuries! :)

And potable tap water? A man can dream...

I guess growing up in North America sets certain expectations...

 

There's an electric range at the place where I'm staying. When I put my hand near it, not even in contact, I get an electric shock. Hurts a bit. Don't think I'm gonna do much cooking here. :)

Booked my next Airbnb! Going for a place slightly farther than I'd planned before. Around 35 km away. Slight rain predicted. Some hills. I think it'll be a somewhat tough ride, but should be feasible. And if I wuss out, there's a boat that goes directly from here to there. :)

Maybe stay for a day, or through the weekend. Then keep on touring around Martinique!!!!! :)

 

Writer: "What are letters?" :)

Ow, just got an electric shock while unplugging my phone from my laptop, which was connected to an outlet here. I think they may have the wiring in the building messed up? Without proper grounding?

Aiming for around one day per town, around 30 km per day, around Martinique. No serious desire to stay long.

Learned another word/phrase in Kreyol: "ti tak"... sort of like "ti kras", a smidge. Not sure if that's a Martinique difference?

The human brain is kind of fucked in the head. :)

Alumini (n.): People who've graduated from a metal band. :)

A quick evolution of machines from blind to seeing!

 

Now that I'm on the road again, bike touring internationally, the feelings are coming back to me. The time pressures, the rewarding experiences nearly anywhere, the frustrations, the triumphs.

BTW French people seem to smoke a lot, at least French people on vacation.

Tons of beaches in this area of Martinique. I'm guessing the beaches peter out farther from Fort-de-France?

Delicious foods, including fresh local mangoes (not as tasty to me as on other Caribbean islands), colombos (curries), etc.

Trying to keep pace with the biking, Airbnbs and camping, contract work, and of course beach time! :)

The geography of Martinique is incredible! Tons of attractive beaches. Mountains that are nice to look at, but tough to ride. Hills that are gorgeous and fun to ride!

I'm increasingly feeling like buying an e-bike, which I've already wanted and even tried to do. Seems like it won't be practical until I'm back on the mainland.

Too many things to do, not enough time! Focus on the critical!

Previously I'd mainly camped while bike touring. Now I'm mixing up camping and Airbnbs and hotels. Staying indoors after a couple of days of camping feels great! Aiming to rent throughout most or all of the remainder of Martinique.

I think there's a natural tendency to think of things going smoothly, whereas things often instead go in spurts. I guess just adjust attitudes!

During the COVID craziness while staying put for a while, I worried somewhat that it would then become difficult to combine my work and bike touring again. So far now that I'm back to touring, it's seeming relatively feasible (if difficult!) to manage.

Heheh, getting Airbnb instructions with reference to confusing place names, and with GPS coordinates to convert through three different coordinate systems. Kind of fun to figure out! :)

I'm aiming to SCUBA dive while in Martinique! I happened on a SCUBA shop recently and found out that you don't need to do tons of classes beforehand, as I'd thought you did. Instead if I understood right you can go on a group training outing. It seems like it's not that huge of a time commitment or expense. Not entirely sure yet that I'll go, but considering it.

Heheh, I'm in a weirdly built Airbnb. When I lifted a large bottle of water to drink the last part of it, the bottle bumped into the ceiling. I had to duck to drink the water.

Tons of slip-ups along the way. Often enough they seem to turn out to one's benefit. Also there's a fair bit of leeway. I think it often makes sense to do things right when you can, even if it entails some mistakes. Nonetheless to do things as well as you can!

Rode to a new place! Gorgeous ride again through hills. Flat tire; pumped it with air that lasted just long enough to get to the Airbnb. Out in the countryside!

Ate a delicious shish taouk pita along the way. In the French West Indies (and also France?) they make it somewhat different than I knew. Fries go inside, and the available sauces are somewhat different.

Go for a ride. That's my answer to everything. :)

Lovism. That's my new philosophy name.

Often seems like the best decisions come down to simply going ahead!

 

Just a small island. Done the busy areas I think. Now a bunch of farmland, a volcano, some wide open spaces? Looks like not many Airbnbs, maybe camp out a bunch.

Internal combustion engines make terrible sounds and pollution. It's understandable for a few applications where necessary, which are dwindling with electric vehicles now available. Most uses are just annoying.

Coffee tastes delicious enough to drink even if it kills you! :)

 

 

Finally made it to Dominica!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAY later than I'd expected. And after Martinique, when I'd expected to go to Dominica before.

BTW a new unit of measure for distance: the bottle of sunblock. e.g. Martinique is a one bottle of sunblock island. :)

Slept out in the rain last night to make it to the ferry on time. Did make it on time. Did make it through immigration and customs. Had to throw out my rotting mangoes, guava, and breadfruit, though! :)

Also seasick on the ferry ride. Can't wait to hit the continent again!

So far I'm quite liking Roseau, Dominique. More than Martinique maybe? Hard to say. And hard to top the French goat cheese. More positive in Dominica? It's my first day so I still have that new country high. Also limited impressions, and the huge relief of having made it.

Ran into a girl I met on Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe! Funny to see people from other countries while traveling!

There's some culture in common, they use some Kreyol here and I've heard some of the same music here. Dominica seems to cost noticeably less, but maybe not by as much as I'd expected beforehand. Dominica seems more laid back than Martinique?

It's an English-speaking country, Dominica, but they have a strong accent. Also my mind's still in French mode, I default to talking to people in French. I'm having trouble understanding the local English, but I'm sure it'll come with time. :)

A bunch of English influences remain. People drive on the left side of the street. I've met a bunch of English tourists already, starting from disembarking the ferry.

Found a dope Airbnb. Overlooking the ocean from quite a height, stunning surround views. Not sure if I'll be able to stay here long, though. I only booked one day beforehand in case of any issues with getting into Dominica. We'll see if my request to extend goes through...

Delicious Caribbean food in Roseau. Somewhat comparable to other Caribbean islands but with its own touches.

The island looks like quite difficult to get around. Mountainous and sparse. I'm trying to find an e-bike but haven't seen one yet. Even considering a gas-burning monstrosity, which I generally think should be illegal! :)

 

I had an idea for a funny segment in a "dude comedy". One guy is explaining to his buddy why he's gonna have problems with the girl he's interested, whose house he was looking after. The friend says, like, "C'mon, it can't be that bad. What happened?" The guy answers: "The dog's tongue fell out!"

I'm now planning just a quickish tour of Dominica, mainly by bus. See the the Karaib indians (after whom the Caribbean is named). See a few natural attractions, like hot springs. Then carry on!

Went for a nice ride today. Decided to try a different route into town, but it actually went out of town. I was already in the right general diretion and I felt like riding, so I went all the way to the end of the island. Scott's Head, an attractive volcanic outcropping. Also went to some sulphur springs. Ate at a restaurant. I'd thought I'd want to take a bus to that destination, but the bike ride worked out way better! Now I'm thinking of riding even more of the island.

At least one place, the Karib reserve, I think may be a bit tough to ride to? I found the bus stop for that in town today. Like a lot of other Caribbean islands, Dominica has gorgeous scenery. And of course delicious Caribbean food! It's more affordable here than in the French West Indies.

Just as I was getting ready to book an Airbnb in the next place, on the basis of a somewhat speculative plan, I decided on a whim to talk with the hostess at my present Airbnb. She told me the buses aren't running Sunday, which basically negates my plan! So instead I'm now planning to do a longer bike ride around the island! :)

Oppor2ni3s.

Goodbye.

The shortest story, with a happy ending! :)

 

Made it to the Kalinago/Karib territory! This is the last surviving population of Indians in the Caribbean. The Caribbean was named after them.

Hilly place, beautiful with tons of lush tropical vegetation. Raining practically non-stop. Made it into an Airbnb somewhat by chance, instead of sleeping outside. Huge relief!

Not long ago, this Kalinago territory didn't even have electricity or running water. Now there's fast mobile data! :)

Did you say "short circuits" or "short skirts"? :)

Kalinago territory is like an island within an island. Dominica is already a somewhat small, isolated place. The Kalinago territory is cordoned off by mountains and thus somewhat inaccessible.

The word "cannibal" derives from the Karib/Kalinago, but I don't think they ate many if any humans.

Seems from what I've heard so far that there isn't much Kalinago food. Some cassava/manioc, which I think they use as a flour. Available in the next town. Not that exciting to me, but I'll give it a shot.

If an American Indian eats a cheeseburger, are they appropriating my culture? :)

Apparently animals like coconuts, at least in the Caribbean. I've seen goats, chickens, and now a dog eating coconut.

There's a lot I like about Amerindian culture. The appreciation of nature especially. On the other hand I'm in a sense the opposite of them. I don't have strong connections to any land, whereas they're closely connected to their land.

 

Recently a friend called me at night while I'd been resting. She asked where I was. Half-asleep, I couldn't even think of which country I was in! I love travel! :)

 

Now thinking of doing something next like Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Duth Caribbean (Aruba, Curacao, Sint Euseubius). We'll see how things work out. Looks tricky to get flights among them.

Travel map!

It's nice seeing my creation, Eagle Eyes Adventure Goggles, out there in the world!

After tons more confusion and plans falling through, I think I now have a new travel plan. It mainly resembles one of my previous plans, to go to Martinique next. The only affordable long-term rental I found on Iles Saintes is unavailable. Found a short-term place instead. I looked up more details and found official EU info that seems to indicate that visa overstays due to COVID shouldn't be an issue. I think it now makes sense to take a shot at Martinique.

Tons of failures and confusion along the way. Keep at it! Adapt, try different things, find a route! :)

When I say "Iles Saintes" to myself in my head, it sounds like "Eel Saints". :)

(Looking back after making the decision, while editing this, I feel like it's much more desirable to go than to stay!)

Somewhat frustrating of a situation. I think that any of my three main options would work fine (stay longer, go to Martinique, go to Dominica), but each has somewhat sizable risks. Stay longer doesn't have a serious risk so much as a lack of interest (risk of wasting time), Martinique has visa issues, Dominica has quarantine risk.

Not that big of an issue, but somewhat annoying. Maybe stay and enjoy the beach? :)

Not sure that I'm excited enough by the alternatives (Martinique, Dominica) to take any serious risks.

I'd find it somewhat annoying and frustrating to stay in Marie-Galante another month, but not that big of a deal.

I think I could get into Dominica or Martinique without any problem, the risks seem quite unlikely, but I really don't want to deal with quarantine or visa issues.

Maybe wait?

Expected values...

Marie-Galante another month: some beach pleasures and some mild annoyances. Seems moderately positive.

Martinique: some annoyances, some mildly interesting new activities, slight risk of serious consequences. Seems maybe neutral due to divergence with high-probability low-reward and low-probability high-penalty.

Dominica: some annoyances, some mildly interesting new activities, slight risk of serious consequences. Seems maybe neutral due to divergence with high-probability low-reward and low-probability high-penalty.

That analysis would support staying another month. Not sure that they'd lift more quarantines in another month so I could face the same decision again in a month. With a bit more time to over-analyze. :)

Fuck COVID fascism!!!!! :)

Maybe deliberately stay for the beach rather than only to wait for the quarantines to lift. Not that great of a beach, but it has its charms.

By my understanding they're not enforcing the visa issues due to COVID:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/coronavirus-response/travel-during-coronavirus-pandemic_fr#dpassement-de-la-dure-de-sjour-d-aux-restrictions-de-dplacement

At least it feels like a gradual continuation of the shift from emergency to normal constraints in travel planning around COVID fascism.

Humans are simple-minded. Post an insightful piece of commentary and get one or two hits. Share a video of a baby goat and get thousands and thousands of hits. :)

Egad. When I'm feeling somewhat annoyed at having to decide which Caribbean island to travel to, Russians and Ukrainians are killing each other en masse in -13 degree weather! Another reminder not to complain!

 

I think I'm ready psychologically, and now somewhat officially, to go to Martinique? I felt like taking a bit of a pause, especially after the recent attempted robbery against me. Also to laze at the beach. :) Now I feel somewhat more ready for adventure. I called the border police to ask about the visa issue, and they said that it isn't a problem. Still not entirely sure that I'm doing the Martinique plan yet, I wanna confirm availability of rentals, ferries, etc. Also it's now raining, and I want to see if the rain holds off.

Feels much better to have some official confirmation that the plan should work. I also have seen unofficial agreement with this, and it agrees with commonsense. I'm not entirely sure that it wouldn't pose an issue but I think I'm confident enough to take a shot if I feel like going to Martinique.

I'm now aiming to go March 23. I've seen as much of Marie-Galante as I want (or more). Basically if I stayed I'd mainly be in my hotel room or on the beach. Not bad as a backup plan, but I think I'd rather go to explore Martinique (and Iles Saintes). Plus they also have hotels and beaches.

Travel writer: someone who goes to beaches and hotels then writes about what it's like. :)

After spending days or weeks sorting through the complex ferry combinations, hotel rentals, visa and COVID restrictions, and other considerations, I don't really feel like going through that again next month for the same travel plans.

I'm basically planning to go to Martinique in March, unless some new difficulty emerges.

 

Tons of languages, e.g. French or Spanish, have tons of unnecessary rules. How ridiculous that there are two different words for "you" (e.g. "tu" and "usted"), or more in some languages! And each takes different verb conjugations for each of the different tenses, with the different word endings plus of course numerous exceptions. And that's just one super-basic example. There's also gender, cases, and other useless cruft. Why haven't these languages simplified yet?!?!

 

Seems like many of the biggest problems facing humanity involve governments. War, COVID fascism, regular fascism. Maybe we should dedicate ourselves more to paring down governments.

 

I now see myself as (slowly) on the way out of the Caribbean. It'll still take a while for the COVID restrictions and travel moves to play out. However, I at least feel like I can now probably make it in ongoing stages through the remaining countries I want to see.

 

It's super fuckin' obnoxious how many websites now cover the page with cookie notices and other crud. I generally close those sites like spam, unless I have some specific reason to look at the content like using it for work.

High-quality lightweight stuff goes up, e.g. cream, heated water, cool people. Low-quality waste goes down, e.g. waste water, waste. :)

 

Downside of an island: It's annoying to go anywhere else. Upside of an island: You're surrounded by coast! :)

 

Coffee, molasses, soy milk: happiness juice! :)

 

Weird, the jar of instant coffee that I bought has French and Ukrainian labeling. I think I bought it before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

 

After all that uncertainty over whether it seemed safe to go to the next island or where to go, then finally deciding that I'd be OK going to Martinique, I'm now considering not going this month. It's been raining consistently, and it looks like I may have a bunch of work next week around when I'd go. Also the affordable apartment rental that I found is unavailable and the others seem unreasonably priced. If I wait another month there may also be more ferries to Dominica and fewer restrictions. Haven't re-decided yet. :)

Don't think I'll make my final decision today. It's still raining and forecast to rain for a couple of days, and I don't want to ride in the rain.

I don't really object to staying. It's pleasant enough and quite convenient here. I'd rather go if practical, but the plan's looking somewhat shaky.

Planning to do a small shop today for food for the week that I'm staying regardless of whether I leave town in March. I've read that France recently lifted some of its COVID fascism, so I think this will be the first shop in a while when they don't ask or have signs to wear a slave mask! :)

I got rid of a bunch of stuff in Marie-Galante! I have a hard time packing light. I brought some extra things from Capesterre Belle-Eau to MG that were heavy, which I've gradually used up or given away while in MG. Hopefully makes a noticeable difference for my next long ride! :)

I’m now thinking of holding off on my decision until at least the weekend, then if I’m going book things Monday. It's a lot more last-minute than I'd want considering there's a ferry and a potentially difficult rental place booking. I think it would still be feasible, though, and I don't feel decided enough either way (stay or go) as of now.

 

Two-ply toilet paper seemed like an improvement over one-ply, then there was three-ply which seemed maybe excessive. Now I've found five-ply toilet paper! It's like the expansion of blades in razors. The five-ply is extremely thick and sturdy, like a fancy hand towel. It feels like a big responsibility just to use each sheet responsibly. :)

 

Looking through some more information, thinking through some more possibilities... I'm now thinking I may go to Iles Saintes then Martinique this March. I think some of my concerns are a bit exaggerated. Doesn't seem likely to be more than maybe a bit of heavy rain. I can fit my work schedule around a day of ferry travel here or there. There seem to be some affordable rentals. I think I'd probably be better off spending the month there rather than here.

Not that big of a decision, but treating it like one. :)

BTW I think that often emotions and behaviors stem from underlying sources rather than what seems consciously obvious. For example, laughing while thinking of some humorous situation, but this seems to occur often after an unrelated positive event, so the laughter probably derives from that underlying positive event rather than just from the humorous mental image. I think that after a positive event the brain kicks out some humorous mental imagery along with the laughter. Also the weather affects thinking.

 

Why not just take a shot?!

 

You could make a wave description of a decision. Your desire to e.g. go to Martinique goes up and down at interesting rates. I wonder what it would sound like as a sound wave?

You could make a wave description of anything! :)

After these months-long pauses I keep feeling like I'm out of touring mode. At least it's fun and easy to get back into touring mode! :)

Fuck COVID fascism!!! :)

 

Don't expect to solve all your problems as in some naive fantasy, instead focus on doing the desirable activities that you can. There'll be different "problems" (undesirables) and desirable activities available later.

 

Going's starting to sound considerably more appealing than staying.

I think there's a gradual process of moving towards a decision from your starting point. I can see it visually in my decision spreadsheet. :)

When I started thinking of going to Iles Saintes then Martinique, it seemed like a somewhat far-fetched idea. There were tons of potential hiccups. Now it seems like a reasonable plan, maybe even the MORE reasonable plan.

I think I'm in a decent situation to go. I think I'm gonna go.

Then maybe instead of blogging about travel decisions I can blog about travels. :)

A month's around a thousandth of a human lifespan. Make each month valuable!!!!!

Go now, recover later! :)

 

Putin must listen to the Beatles. "The Ukraine girls really knock me out, they leave the West behind. The Moscow girls make me sing and shout, that Georgia's on my mind." (Not sure if I mixed up the order of those.) Moscow, Ukraine, and Georgia have been involved in their recent conflicts. :)

 

A small opportunity's a big thing. You don't need much to make a lot of magic happen.

Do new things. Evolve, adapt, adjust, renew! :)

There's tons of apartments, towns, activities, and other things out there. There's a human tendency to think of what we already have as more desirable than average. To a certain extent there is some additional cost to doing different things, but it's often more than compensated for by the additional benefits.

Paraphrasing Yogi Berra, all of travel is half mental.

I’m feeling ready to ride. After such a long time in Guadeloupe, it feels somewhat surreal to plan leaving. I still remember when I got here, those years ago! A German woman I met around when I arrived was surprised at how long it would be when I told her I planned to stay a few weeks!

Fuck COVID fascism!!! :)

I'm somewhat confident about the boat, the place, and the visa. Sounds like it's time for adventure!!!!! :)

 

I think that the combination of being somewhat more risk-averse now that I'm middle-aged, and the higher risks from COVID, and the higher logistical costs from island-hopping have made it quite complicated to travel. Hopefully when I hit the continent again and COVID fascism subsides I can make much better headway.

There's a lot of uncertainty and risk in life, with extra if you travel. I think it makes sense to gauge those risks, make reasonable-ish evaluations, then take your shots when you can.

 

Super thankful that my job involves reading and writing instead of shooting and being shot at!

 

Russia: 30 million beautiful females? US: 1 million beautiful females?

Poor Ukraine. Tons of cruddy laws in the West. Russia and the West each have their problems. Ukraine seems like a mainly blameless victim.

I say ignore the war and go to sexy tropical places! :)

The Ukrainians deserve to live in relative peace but millions of people around the world are disgusted by what's happened to the Americans, and the Russians smell blood and are taking what they want, e.g. Ukraine, Venezuela. There are some decent things about the West but also some indecent things.

The US is like an ad for Russia, and Russia is like an ad for the rest of the West! :)

I've been attacked like ten or fifteen times by Afro-Caribbeans while traveling. Fortunately I've generally won.

Fuck COVID fascism!!! :)

Fuck, people are stupid!!! :)

Poor Ukraine but their buddies in the West are weak. Go Russia, go Ukraine, sort it out like men I guess. :)

Science: Russia is stuck in traditional mode, US and Germany and other buddies are stuck in postmodern mode. Poor Ukraine is a modernizing country trapped between the two fucked-up extremes.

At least the Ukrainians have a decent Jew at the head! :)

Fuck the ignorant assholes! :)

Russia and China versus US and EU. Russia and China have better sex laws. :)

Shit, the West's anti-sex laws alone justify a pro-Russian stance even if they're dictators. :) Poor Ukraine too, though. They shouldn't buddy up too much with the West but also with the East!

Destroy all the politicians!!! :)

Viva la libertad!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

 

Let's be serious for a sec. The West fails to understand basic facts like race and sex, and Russia fails to understand weird advanced notions like gender fluidity. Neither is fatal. We can sort things out but there'll be lots of body bags.

For those who want the dirty deets, the West has blinded itself with false notions like social constructionism, while Russia resides in a literal headspace. Neither is fatal on its own but they battle each other.

 

Weird. There's more Jews than Nazis and the Chinese and Indians win the popularity contest. ;)

 

Putin compared the West to Nazi Germany. Not a totally fair comparison, but both Nazi Germany and the modern West are propaganda/marketing-based technocratic societies.

Instagram and the other jackass companies are boycotting Russia. Boo-fucking-hoo. Great opportunity for Russian entrepreneurs. Chorosho! Meta, Google, and the other liberals have taken some loud political stances lately. Not to agree with the Russian statists, but shit at least they can rid themselves of some vile American propaganda. :)

Better to have two houses divided (Russia and US/EU) instead of global fascism!

Viva la libertad!!!!! :)

With the crappy COVID fascism that US/Canada/France/etc. have had at least it's nice to have Russia not on the same team. Sorry Ukraine!!!!!

Just say no to politics! :)

Peace for the victims of war in Ukraine!

 

US/EU: Overpriced as fuck!

 

"I am art." Do women often think this?

 

I'm going to Iles Saintes!!!!!!!!!!

Then Martinique!!!!!!!!!!

If the visa situation isn't a problem!

Finally decided just to take a shot at it. While it's somewhat comfortable in this place I'm hungry to get out of Marie-Galante. Ready to ride, explore, live!!!!! :)

 

Booked the boat. Booked a place, kinda sorta. The only place I'd found where I wanted to stay, I was too buy to book during the week and when I went back today it was unavailable. Page taken down on local classifieds and on Booking.com. I called a number I found on the internet though, and turns out they still have a place available for at least much of the time there.

The person on the phone seemed decent about it, even found an alternative place for some of the days when the place I'd looked for is unavailable. Makes me wanna stay there and support the person. Big difference versus the rude uncompromising people I'd talked to at another place I'd considered renting. Money goes to the more decent people!

Can hardly believe it! Going! Leaving Guadeloupe!!!!! :)

Fuck COVID fascism! :)

Next I have to make it there, with a way-too-early-in-the-morning ferry, plus the visa situation.

 

I'm feeling way done with Marie-Galante now. This seems like a 99-1 decision. I'm glad to take a shot, even if it becomes somewhat complicated. :) Seems like it often works out better to go than to stay! :)

So exciting to go! That's a huge advantage of long-term travel, the frequent experience of leaving the old for the new! :)

So many of the uncertainties during the planning become things that you just find a way to deal with while traveling!

Go now!!!!! :)

 

When to leave MG has been a somewhat confusing if not that big challenge. I've waffled around for much of the month. Anyways now feeling super stoked to go!!!!! :)

Dying to just go out there and travel again!!!!! :)

Use limited time to travel, live. More so while in the good weather season!

Life: Offer valid for a limited time only. :)

Rock & Roll!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)