Feeling ready to leave Marie-Galante, however multiple complications have popped up. Now leaning towards going to Iles Saintes next, maybe for a month or so. That allow a chance for some of the mental decision-making and COVID restrictions to clear up a bit. Also an opportunity to see new places!

The COVID scam makes a certain sense. Most people are understandably ignorant of science and statistics. It's quite remote from their everyday concerns. It's also extremely thick and difficult to learn. As such most people reasonably enough don't have enough knowledge to defend against these pseudo-scientific hoaxes.

COVID evolved as a meme to exploit people's ignorance. It's scary enough and vaguely plausible enough to push millions of people to obey their cruel governments. You can trick people into wearing slave masks, getting weird RNA injections, and giving up their other liberties by lying with terms that sound factual like "virus" and "pandemic".

Go out on the street and look at normal people, and it would seem strange for them to suspect the government of fraud. Look at the stats and science however and you'd be crazy not to be annoyed at the least by the obvious political scam. COVID carriers live longer, healthier lives. Getting COVID is like eating yogurt.

I don't really care about lies except when they become laws (that cost lives).

Democracy: the cruddier members of society get to decide how to run things. :)

Post COVID fascism stress disorder (PCFSD). I shouldn't even joke about it, soon they'll make it a real diagnosis! :)

As the lefty media continue to peddle false fear, let's crush this political pandemic for good! :) After COVID fascism I'm changing my opinions and behaviors. I've seen the crappy lies filling the mainly left-wing media. I'm gonna ignore their fake pleas and distortions. Just live free and happy and share! :)

 

Looks like there are a number of apartments near the main town on Martinique that are around as affordable as this. So I may go there in March or April if Dominica isn't open yet! :)

Reading a new announcement of the same recent Dominican policy change, it looks like there may (not sure yet) be some way to get the testing done beforehand, so that you can potentially avoid quarantine? Investigating...

I'm now thinking that doing Martinique next may make more sense anyways! I'd still be in the French West Indies (FWI) with the same phone functional, same language, etc. Seems much easier to go to overall (it's nearer and there are fewer restrictions). You can things find out by looking! :)

I feel like I have a plan coming together! I'm excited just thinking about it! Planning it! Doing it!!!!! :)

Do what you can when you can!!!!! :)

I'm now aiming to go to Iles Saintes then Martinique starting March 23, when my rent at this hotel is up. I feel done with Marie-Galante. No more serious places to see on this island, restaurants to eat at, etc. Ready for adventure!!!!! :)

Figure the rest out when we get there! :)

I think I'm in a somewhat parallel situation to when I was readying to leave Capesterre Belle-Eau. More incentive to go than to stay. I'd probably just wind up doing more planning if I stayed anyways, may as well do the going instead of the planning! :)

Feels like gradually working out through the COVID fascism mess, but we'll have to see how things go...

BTW just watched a video on the cruddy Dominica entry requirements, and apparently they pronounce it differently than I had. More French-ish. Do-mi-NEEK-ah? I can't remember exactly.

Each round of travel or relationships or work or whatever with its failures and successes gives you practice for the next! :)

Feels much better to plan around a place that I'm confident I can go to w/o any crazy COVIDiotic quarantines! :)

A lot of key activities seem to start under the influence of caffeine and alcohol. Maybe that's why these drugs are legal? I think a lot of developments in society have also started under other influences! :)

 

War puts things in perspectives. Noisy apartment where you want to write? Can't travel where you want due to COVID? At least you don't have Russian or Ukrainian soldiers shooting at you! "Give me your job and I'll buy your noisy neighbor a coffee!" :)

I guess you're generally supposed to be not fully ready for what life throws at you.

Life (n.): troubles.

Manage! :)

 

Is it even a sandwich without tomato?! :)

Bitches 'n' cream! (like peaches 'n' cream)

COVID: The detritus of the stupider generation. :)

 

While walking home from the beach after watching the sunset, a couple of black criminals jumped me and tried to rob me. One on bike, one on foot, wearing a mask. I fought back and got out, stopped a car and we called the cops. At least made it out without loss. Tons of times attacked in the Caribbean. Thankfully each time without loss, in some cases even taking the robbers' stuff. So far the deceitful criminals have done more damage than have the in-your-face criminals.

Now planning to leave Marie-Galante in March. Seems lame to stay in a location where you've already been attacked by criminals. I've read that Martinique has better beaches than Guadeloupe. There's also tons of new ground to cover. Places to ride, restaurants to eat at! :)

 

Looks like my plan's taking shape! I'm now thinking of going to Iles Saintes on March 23 when my hotel reservation in Marie-Galante is done. Then a week there, mainly because that's how long until the next ferry from Iles Saintes to Fort-de-France, Martinique.

Martinique makes more sense to me now than Dominica. Martinique doesn't have the same crappy COVID restrictions. Also that way I can wrap up my French West Indies, with my French phone and so forth, before going on.

Gotivation! Go + motivation!

I'm feeling quite ready to leave MG!!!!! :)

Looking forward to Trinidad and Tobago eventually!

I guess I'm considering Marie-Galante like Haiti or some of the other shoddy places I've been, taking extra precautions against the criminals. In just a few years of traveling in the Caribbean I've been attacked at least nine or ten times by black criminals committing attempted robbery and related offenses. It's enough to make me want to avoid traveling in these areas.

A French woman I recently met described how in Islamic countries they spat in her face so she doesn't want to travel there. Same basic idea. These rough undeveloped places put off people who would spend money and time there.

In other more considerate countries it's the opposite. I often feel like people in e.g. Latin countries protect me against crime while traveling.

When traveling, have numerous tripwires, backups, and other security measures in place. Especially if traveling to the Caribbean or other risky areas. I guess the African crime is predictable if you look at the stats.

 

It's such an annoyance to have to plan travels around ferries, COVID restrictions, and overpriced places! Looking forward to later, with different issues! :)

Is goat cheese (chevre) humorous? It's smooth and creamy like Camembert (some of the chevres, anyways), but tastes like goat. Are goats intrinsically funny? Just kidding around?

Feels great and free to travel again soon! I'm ready to leave this place, just looking to make arrangements for the upcoming island, probably Iles Saintes. Also looks massively overpriced, but at least somewhat nicer than Marie-Galante.

 

A wrench in the works. Not sure how immigration would work in Martinique. I think there's likely to be customs there after the ferry, which goes through Dominica. With COVID blocking off travel I've technically overstayed my visa in France. Wouldn't want to face immigration problems in Martinique. Now reconsidering Dominica.

Super frustrating to travel among islands. You can't just go this way then that, or that way then this. You have to carefully plan out and overpay for travel. Even more so with COVID restrictions.

It's somewhat traumatic, complicated, risky, and expensive to return to travel after/during COVID. This mess is leaving scars on the planet. I'm trying not to let the frustration/annoyance turn into anger or complaints. These things happen. And as noted above, the Ukraine-Russia situation at least serves as a reminder of how trivial these travel annoyances are in the scheme of things.

 

"What language am I gonna get?" With various laptop and phone apps configured for different languages, plus traveling where I hear numerous languages (French, Kreyol, German, Spanish, English), and learning other languages for travel preps or other reasons (Portuguese, Russian), when I pull out a piece of paper my mind starts reading in one language then my eyes see another language! :)

Jejej... So far I haven't heard back at all from the government e-mail addresses for COVID info, and I've received rapid but somewhat superficial info from the private tourism e-mail addresses for COVID info. Par for the course!

Now quite a bit of uncertainty over travel plans. Each new piece of information reveals more confusion. :) I think I'm going to Iles Saintes next. Not sure how long I'll stay. Then maybe Desirade, another Guadeloupe island, but not sure if I'm that interested considering the difficulty in getting there and the smallness of the place. Then probably either Martinique or Dominica, but there are complications in each of those involving visas, COVID restrictions, and ferries.

While I still have a ton of uncertainty, I'm now feeling somewhat more optimistic than before that I can at least make something work out, fairly soon.

The Iles Saintes part I can probably do regardless of COVID restrictions and visa issues, since it's part of Guadeloupe. Maye I'll spend a month or more there while things sort out.

Feels like I'm back in Capesterre Belle-Eau again overplanning due to COVID annoyances!

And again, these are trivially small worries in comparison to e.g. the Ukraine-Russia situation.

We'll figure things out!!!!!

Finally seeing the light of day! Many global developments occurring nowadays that promise a return to hearty, healthy liberty. After a political winter we're starting to see the return of flowers, shoots, liberty! We're regaining our freedoms, returning to some degree of rationality, and defeating the evil COVID corruption!

Le COVID c'est une fraude, tu peux enlever ta masque! :)

I now see those who wear COVID slave masks as a lower level of species.

We're winning against COVID fascism!!!!! :)

Take the freedom challenge! Walk into the next ten shops or restaurants or other locations you go to WITHOUT A SLAVE MASK! Will the people ask you to put on one? Will you comply?

It's easy to get people to take off their slave masks at least for a while, by telling them you can't hear them (or you don't listen to people wearing masks). Works even better in a land where they speak a foreign language! :)

I'm now seriously considering flying to a free country like the Netherlands or Portugal if the situation in the Caribbean remains crappy. I've heard there are reasonably priced tickets, given that I'm technically in France now. It's summer so I wouldn't have to worry about winter. Those countries are quite appealing to visit anyways! :)

Heheh, there's an idea floating around that COVID may have started in a Chinese lab. Doesn't really affect the fascism that followed, but a somewhat interesting side story.

I think I made this joke already a while ago, and probably tons of other people have already too, but an iPhone should be called a "Gynoid" phone! :) (Like Android but for women.)

There's a dangerous glitch in human psychology. People tend to rally around a central political power in times of trouble, but that usually results in worse oppression and problems than the initial source of fear.

People who stand to gain from the COVID fraud: doctors, epidemiologists, media, politicians.

People who stand up for the COVID fraud: doctors, epidemiologists, media, politicians.

Follow the money. It's the standard political scam with their media ruffians, plus this time using medical and epidemiological fraud.

Hehehe... science fascism! :)

I had another funny experience at my second COVIDiot shot. The nurse asked me if I'd noticed anything after the previous shot. I said not much. She asked me if I'd had COVID. I laughed. Can you even get COVID?!? :)

Here's hoping Dominica follows the more advanced nations soon enough in abolishing COVID fascism! I wanna travel by ferry again! :)

COVID: Now you know what fascism feels like! :)

Hm, 770 Euros to fly to the Netherlands. Seems a bit pricey. I think I'll wait for the COVID fascism to subside more.

Around 500 Euros to Guiane Francaise? Not likely.

Jejej, Venezuela building ties with Russia while weakened US and EU stand by. Venezuela situation is going predictably. Socialist government is arresting opposition, allying with Russia, China, and Iran.

Huh, China has taken over as the number one trading partner for South America from the US. The US is imploding, in meltdown mode.

Well, looks like Venezuela's hooped. Not democratic, not safe. Not visiting.

Jejej, Madura in COVID slave mask. :)

Jajaj, crypto is preventing hyperinflation in Venezuela! :)

Weird! You can use free market crypto in the socialist airport? And at the main TV business? They have a legal body for crypto? :)

Jejej, you can now do a Master's degree on blockchain in Venezuelan school! :)

Maybe Venezuela will come out of this revolution even better? :)

After COVID fascism there isn't a clear dividing line between free and unfree countries.

Jejej, even socialist dictators are promoting crypto now!

And there are now "traditional cryptocurrencies" :)

COVID is for stupid people. :)

The people promoting the COVID scam are politicians in disguise as scientists.

It's exhilarating to crush this idiotic COVID fraud! :)

The globe is rallying together for freedom! People versus the politicians and the people are winning! :)

It seems like COVID is a low-quality left-wing hoax. Not to defend the right wing but from what I'm seeing the left is pushing this one. Maybe the center is more skeptical?

Sheeple do what they're told. It's funny to tell them that COVID's over and to take their masks off. :)

Without the creamy French goat cheese I would've gone mad during the COVID fascism! :)

Nice call exploiting COVID. Not only trigger people's medical fears (and xenophobia!) but also make it seem impolite to question the "medical" advice.

Before COVID I considered humans a kind of animal that had somewhat transcended its limitations. Now I think of humans as mostly animals.

Idiotic fascism can last a few years as in Nazi Germany or COVID, but eventually it falls to freedom.

It's not a public health crisis, it's a public fascism crisis.

The traditional media were complicit in the COVID scam, don't expect them to apologize.

Seems like the US is falling and losing influence relative to other nations. In a lot of ways that's a good thing, the US has forced some bad laws on people like extreme anti-sex and anti-drug laws. Not that the other countries taking command are totally ideal (or that any country can be), but at least there's some development.

Media businesses make money by selling fear. Horrific shark attack, military invasion, fake pandemic. Those make headlines. "Another uneventful while" isn't a story that sells.

You look like an idiot with that mask on! :)

After two years some people still haven't caught on to the scam! :)

Maybe I'll tell locals that COVID is over in the UK, isn't France part of the United Kingdom? :)

Shit, they'd probably believe it! :)

COVID is a failed takeover attempt in global politics like Nazism, which both failed due to the efforts of reasonable people like the English. :)

Disrupt COVID pseudoscience! :)

Most of what you learn about science is false. The scientists themselves often get it wrong, for a mix of reasons including ignorance and guilt. The same goes for the various levels of scientific and general media that report on this. Then there's often a fair amount of word-of-mouth that's about as accurate as a stone age story.

"Excuse me, are you a surgeon? Then why are you wearing that mask? Oh, are you special?" :)

COVID is a pseudoscientific fraud. The mass media made tons of sales through the hysteria that exploited people's fears. Profits from that drove the fraud. Politicians, epidemiologists, and journalists were among the main perpetrators of the fraud. They all had private incentives to go along with it (power, influence, and money).

Stupid human tricks.

Freedom feels like a fresh breeze. I can't wait for it to hit the shores near me! :)

Incentives and emotions can drive memes and behaviors. How unreasonable would it be for an editor or a politician to slam the COVID scam right while they're exploiting it?!

Let's work to eliminate poor quality politicians! :)

Abolish COVIDiocy! Put corrupt politicians in the slammer! :)

 

Now considering going to Martinique around March 23 (after Iles Saintes and maybe Desirade), if they don't free up Dominica. I don't think there's any quarantine risk in Martinique. It would add some distance, annoyance, and maybe expense to my travel plans, but at least it would be somewhat different. I'm starting to feel annoyed at being stuck in MG! :)

Crush COVID fascism! :)

Freeeeeeeeeeedom! :)

 

Why do steroids smell nice and flowery? :)

Which sells more newspapers: "another mild cough" or "CRAZY PANDEMIC TAKES OVER THE WORLD!!!!!"? That explains the last two years.

Don't be naive. It looks about as ridiculous as wearing a surgical mask when you're not a surgeon. :)

Freedom Day:COVID::D-Day:WWII

COVID is like those homeless guy scams but run by politicians. Homeless guy: "I just need five bucks to buy a bus ticket then things will be fine." Politicians: "We just need emergency powers then things will be fine."

Fuck off! :)

Give homeless people food, and fire corrupt politicians, then things will be fine! :)

Throw the COVID politicians in the slammer! :)

Men and women are like different species! :)

Sex is like fucking an alien! :)

(There's more genetic difference between the sexes than among other groups of people.)

The massive financial incentive to hype the COVID fraud lined up the media and politicians like a magnet.

I can see the editors and politicians when the scam started spreading. "Shit, they're falling for it. No one interfere with this while we milk it for all it's worth!"

These crazes come and go. Before COVID there were tons of others, and after COVID we can expect more. I guess it makes sense to manage the crazes. Avoid getting smothered by them, and as practical do what you can to deflate them.

As annoying as COVID fascism has been for me, stuck in a small island where I don't want to be, it must suck even harder for millions or billions of people who have missed out on key milestones like teen parties or graduation travels, lost their businesses and loved ones, and suffered other tragedies. COVID politics is evil.

BTW people dying at an older average age with COVID than the median age of death? COVID is part of your positive microbiome and extends your life! :)

After reading through a bunch of news on COVID and Freedom Day, I've learned that the COVID hoax is indeed a left wing problem, as I'd suspected. The left-wing tabloids are complaining about Freedom Day and arguing for more restrictions. The right-wing tabloids are more skeptical. Makes sense I guess. Media, health care, big government. Fairly typical left-wing issues.

Millions of people are becoming free from the hospital curtain! :) (Like the iron curtain but for the COVID hoax.)

We're breaking the back of COVID fascism! :)

The more advanced nations like the UK, Denmark, etc., have already had their Freedom Day. Now it's only the backwaters countries that remain under COVID fascism! :)

The same pattern of literates exploiting illiterates now involves scientific literacy instead of just regular reading. Scientifically illiterate "peasants" are pulled around by the yoke of their ignorance, through pseudoscience like COVID. Only the scientifically literate can easily see through these lies! :)

The need for freedom! :)

COVID turned out to be just another crappy left-wing fake threat. At least this time it didn't wipe out as many millions of people as in the USSR, China, and other countries that suffered from left wing attacks in the twentieth century.

You can fool people for a while, but after their jobs disappear and their countries are in debt they'll eventually catch on to the hoax. Eventually even the lefties will catch on! :)

 

The US elected lame politicians. Like having a eunuch in office. Russia smells blood and is taking over Ukraine, Venezuela, etc.

Locking up humanity over a fake pandemic is one of the crappier things you can do. Instead let's have freedom and love! :)

Science should be boring for regular people. :) If scientists find a new type of rock, a subatomic particle, or a weird little secret about animal mating habits, that's fascinating to curious minds and plausibly true. If it's a massive pandemic, global warming, free energy, or anything that would make headlines and ordinary people would get excited about, it's probably false. :) Doubly false if national or international political organizations are behind it, e.g. global warming or COVID scams. (And no, two falses don't make a true.)

Some new developments in Dominica's entry situation...

I don't yet see the differences. Did they remove the vaccine requirement? The tests still seem there. Most importantly, did they remove the quarantines? I think the vaccination requirement is still there. They've removed restrictions on the ferries, so more people will be going.

People with COVID live longer than those without. It's a mild beneficial thing like eating yogurt. You don't quarantine people for eating yogurt.

I've tried tons of fruit wines and they often taste about the same to me, somewhat light and generically fruity. Just tried some maracudja (passionfruit) sparkling wine that tastes noticeably better, I think because that fruit has a bolder flavor.

Jejej, Guadeloupe is a shit deal. For example bike repairs you pay around 10x any other country for a not-that-functional part. Same for food, hospitality, etc.

Turns out the media are a bunch of left-wing idiots. I guess we already knew that. But with COVID reporting they're desperately huddling 'round their base as the false pandemic fails.

OK! Looks like I can go to Martinique any time. Maybe I'll do that if the lefty fascist COVID goes on in Dominica. It was somewhat unclear before with the (deliberate) fog of war but it's become clear: COVID is a lefty hoax. Destroy it now. Slice it up! :)

You can go to the world socialist website and see their desperate pleas for more COVID fascism. Or you can go to a normal site and see that the fraud is over! :)

The lefties elected a few politicians in countries like the US so the Russians are taking over whatever they want, e.g. Ukraine, Venezuela. I don't think the wiley cats like Putin care about left/right, they'll take advantage of anything weak e.g. U.S. leftists.

The scam is up! The fraud is over! We're abolishing COVID BS! :)

After the COVID scandal I've lost basically any remaining respect for the left.

Lefties: stupid and evil. :)

I'm now aiming to leave MG by March 23. I don't see much reason to stay.

Looks overpriced in Martinique as in Guadeloupe, as I expected. Not that bad that it'd put me off, though. At least it would be slightly different. Ain't nothin' left to see in MG. A bunch of hamlets that I haven't hit up and don't care if I do.

How the fuck do people live on these small islands?!? Boring after a few days/weeks.

Looks like Martinique has a bit more elevation than MG. Maybe 500 meters? Not too high!

Then by the time I'm done Martinique it'd be more likely that other countries lift their COVIDiot restrictions. A month in Martinique? Seems reasonable.

Interesting to make some travel choices again! Desirade? Or skip it? Doesn't look like much there, I'm tempted to skip it. A small dry island. Apparently where they put the lepers.

No water service on the island?! Looks kind of bland anyways, I think I'll probably skip it. It'd be a couple of extra ferry rides for like one day of riding. I think the ferries become too complex or unavailable to go to Desirade.

Kind of pricey to see Iles Saintes. 30 Euros to go from MG to Iles Saintes. Then... Oh wait, I may then be able to go directly from Iles Saintes to Martinique?

Looks like the schedule may not be ideal though. Only Wednesdays, and I'd be leaving MG Wednesday so at least a week on Iles Saintes?

Alternatively could maybe go to P-a-P if they have more frequent ferries from there to Martinique, but I think I'd rather spend a week on Iles Saintes?

Iles Saintes at least looks/sounds kind of nice. At least I think this makes for a reasonable and appealing alternative plan if Dominica remains closed! :)

I think I'll go to Iles Saintes on my way out of MG whenever that is, e.g. March 23 or maybe April 23 (but aiming for March). Seems like an attractive enough place for a day or a few days.

Iles Saintes may be somewhat nicer? Wouldn't plan to stay there long anyways, small islands. Looks like an extremely small place, not sure that there's more than one or two days' worth of stuff to do on Iles Saintes. Don't have my plans lined up yet, but at least looks like I have a decent out (Martinique) if Dominica's still closed and I want to leave MG on March 23! :)

Jejej, a thousand people in a fishing village. I think it's an on-the-way sort of place! :)

 

You thought it was tough growing up human? Try being a goat! You have to go from goat's milk to grass! Just don't tell the goats about goat's milk cheese (chevre), it's too tasty! :)

Mmmmm, crepes de poisson a la bechamel sounds good.

Fwisu: sang de cabrit.

Must be fun being a goat. Practically anywhere you look there's grass or leaves that you can eat! :)

Anyways. Fuck COVID fascism! We're winning our freedom! Onward! :)

Hi!

How's your Wuhan/Coronavirus/COVID/Delta Wave/insert-scam-name gone?

Mine's kept me stuck in Guadeloupe another year, instead of traveling free. This is my annual report but without as much as usual. I did some writing, had an iguana stay, got my DNA sampled, tried tons of new local foods, and made some local friends.

I did restart bike touring within this country! Going to another island called Marie-Galante in the same French Caribbean archipelago. A small, quiet place, but at least some travel! You can see my travel map:

Without the freedom to travel, I at least added some material to the bicycle wiki that I started, BikeWOW. Feel free to use it or contribute!

I've also had a full year of wearing the 3D print goggles I made, Eagle Eyes. So far so good!

This upcoming year I'm again aiming to leave Guadeloupe and hit more countries. We're finally winning in the battle to restore freedom and abolish COVID! Many countries on the different continents are annihilating their insane COVID restrictions. I'm considering flying to a free country if the Caribbean remains cruddy with quarantines. At any rate looking forward to more adventures!

You can see more details of my travels at my blog, Worlds O Wisdom!

Love!

Eagle

eagle@eaglegamma.com

COVID is falling! Liberty is rising!

Tons of countries are abolishing and demolishing the idiotic anti-freedom restrictions that were based on false "scientific" frauds. We're starting to win our freedom again!!!!!

I would give the COVID meme around a 9 out of 10 for ability to exploit people's fears, and around a 1 out of 20 for scientiic akkurasy. :)

Lucky for the COVID meme, its ability to survive depends on sowing fear rather than spreading knowledge.

The COVID meme is more powerful than COVID! :)

It's probably far too much to ask for, but wouldn't it be great if COVIDiocy spurred a greater general resistance to bureaucratic politics?

 

As you go along you can achieve goals, enjoy the ride, and find better methods for next time! :)

Live your life!!!!! :)

 

COVID is the ruthless exploitation of people's naivete by politicians.

Heheh, one of the local soft drink companies, Royal Soda, posted an ad making fun of the COVID fascism on Instagram. The soda company has more intelligent commentary than the news media or politicians. Not that surprising! :)

Prison for the COVID politicians! :)

Let's have some public inquiries into the COVID scandal. Who knew about the statistical cover-up? Who was just an ignorant victim?

This COVID scam has cost humanity more than practically any issue for years or decades. Society has a right to know who the guilty parties are. Some politicians should go to prison over this, at the least.

Many media companies were complicit, but they don't have the same obligations to the public as the corrupt governments that enforced COVID oppression.

The media companies are like the dogs that bark at sheep for the shepherds. The shepherds are like politicians who steer sheeple.

Abolish COVID restrictions! Let's have public inquiries into the corruption, and de-COVIDization of society. No public posts for politicians involved in COVID fascism.

COVID politicians have deprived billions of people of freedom and crushed the economy, over a cough. Those guilty politicians deserve to be deprived of freedom and wealth.

cattle:ranching::humans:politics :)

 

There's a lot of stupid rules, in grammar in different languages, in laws, etc. I guess we can see language use as energy and matter, grammar rules as space and time? Modifications of either affect the other? I think that's a bit of a stretch as a metaphor! :)

 

Mmmm, the freedom beer's delicious! :)

I think Faxe may be one of their discount brands? It includes glucose syrup in the ingredients. I think Tuborg and Carlsberg are their more standard brands?

Anyways, refreshing! For the thirst for water and the thirst for freedom! Faxe! :)

I like their marketing, too. A viking!

Viva la libertad! Viva la revolucion! Viva Denmark! :)

 

Fuck COVID fascism! We're on the winning side, now and in the long term. Freeeeeeeedom!!!!! :)

Whew! Went out for a walk, found an agoulou place (Guadeloupe sandwich). Also a grocery store with a bunch of Danish beer and Royal Cola! A couple of sources of relatively pro-freedom ideas on COVID! :)

 

Food not advice from fat people! :)

 

Caption for a photo on seemingly any American website: smiling African woman. :)

 

There's supposed to be difficulties! :)

Whatever educational programs the COVID politicians did aren't working. :)

Jobs: you figure it out on the job.

There'll be other stupid things long after COVID is forgotten. The world isn't about to run out of stupid people. Still, at least we can have some fun abolishing and demolishing this idiocy! :)

Many people just go along with whatever seems popular. When COVIDiocy is official they'll wear their slave masks, when COVIDiocy is done they'll act like it's normal not to wear slave masks. Certain populations are more docile or weak-willed, and more likely to be the ones eagerly complying with slave mask rules.

Dissecting COVIDiocy for fun and profit! :)

Politicians have often had an informational advantage over the people, e.g. someone who could read controlling a bunch of illiterate peasants. At least nowadays there's information technology to even out the battlefield somewhat. Now maybe the people can disarm politicians' informational attacks such as COVID fascism.

Freedom beer tastes fuckin' great! :)

Demolish fascism! Abolish COVID BS! :)

Story idea: if hands instead of genitals had become taboo. People would generally wear gloves in public, or any time when they're not "shaking" (i.e. shaking someone's hands). You can't generally talk about hands or shaking, you'd risk offending people. There are strict laws on shaking, e.g. you have to be above a certain age to shake and some countries ban shaking for money. People like shaking however, so even in those countries there's a market for illegal shaking. It costs far more than it should and you risk disease transmission. Shaking-transmitted diseases are a hot topic in society. People giggle nervously when someone makes a hand joke or reveals a bit of hand. People obsess about hand size. Cultures develop bizarre traditions around hand-shaking rituals. Waving to people is also somewhat of a sensitive topic. It's all too believable.

Should we use those SARS masks (or COVID masks) as toilet paper? Or burn them?

Are there anti-fear medications? I guess there's anxiolytics, anti-anxiety medications. If people took anti-fear medications would they become impervious to the fear marketing of politicians, e.g. COVID?

COVID fascism has locked people up in countries, and forced people to wear slave masks and do other idiotic things. I think it's more important to liberate ourselves than to worry over a few details.

When I see people sheepishly wearing COVID slave masks, I think to myself "how the fuck did you survive to adulthood?!"

Not ideal, but not a big deal. :)

A lot of people are trapped in their culture's worldview (Weltanschauung). What their culture's officials say, goes. A good way to get out of this trap is to travel, when there isn't COVID fascist travel bans. :)

I'm now planning to stay another month in MG. Looks like the quarantines are still there in Dominica. There's a strange sentence. Probably rent this place another month, through much of March. During that time I want to see my fill of the island, I think I've already covered a good chunk of it. Also eat at as many restaurants as remain of interest. Plus work, relate, exercise, etc. Then maybe the quarantines will be gone?!?!

Went for the second COVIDiot shot today. So insane. Global fascism over a fuckin' cough? Fuck off! :) At least there's some touchy-feely stuff with the nurses! :)

 

Life: you run around for a while trying to eat and get laid, then you get cancer or hit by a car or whatever and die. :)

Now that we're seeing some countries like Denmark go free and other countries like Austria go more fascist on COVID, will we see COVID fascism refugees fleeing from Austria to Denmark? :)

I think the appropriate professional to see for COVID is a witch doctor. :)

Gearing up for a bike ride around part of the island! This'll be my first ride with a "home base" to return to in a while. Looking forward to trying out a lighter ride, without the need to pack all of my stuff. Also looking forward to getting around this place a bit faster than on foot!

Plus it feels somewhat like international bike touring! :)

 

Often problems seem to occur when I rush things emotionally, e.g. shutting a door in haste and breaking off the lock, or shifting bike gears in haste and breaking off the chain.

 

COVID is one of the greatest scientific frauds of all time.

Let's see if we can play the COVID "science" game. Most people who have had any COVID in them recover, gaining better health. Therefore COVID improves one's health. That's about the level of reasoning in the COVID scare tactics. Actually it's better reasoning than the scare tactics.

COVID politicians have caused far more harm to humanity than they can ever repair. We should have a de-COVIDification program modeled on the de-Nazification after WWII.

Politicians control people like sheep. You just send the dogs around barking scarily to steer people where you want. The dogs bark: "COVID! COVID!"

COVID: just another dumb political scam.

Most sheeple are scientifically and statistically illiterate, so it's easy to pull the wool over their eyes! :)

COVID: the emperor's new suit.

I think that a smart high school student or an average college student should be able to understand the COVID scam. Probably some children, too! :)

Let's increase scientific literacy, statistical literacy, and awareness of common political deception to prevent the next COVID scam. Also harsh prison terms for COVID politicians! :)

Seems like the creepy COVID coalition is crumbling! :)

Sort of like a cartel. I guess there's a powerful incentive to defect. Then you can pull in travel dollars and such while the other countries suffer.

Memes are cultural entities. They infect people's minds, like how viruses infect people's bodies. Memes thrive on fear, hope, and other emotions that compel people to latch on. For example, the COVID meme appeals to people's fears of contagious diseases and foreigners. Memes evolve like viruses do, through survival of the fittest. Thus we see variations on COVID (Coronavirus, delta wave, Omicron, etc.) that adapt to attack people's minds.

Resist harmful memes, like you'd resist harmful bacteria. Clean your mind with logic and evidence. Avoid risky people and places.

Pas de fascisme de toux! Pas de fascimse du tout!

No cough fascism! No fascism at all!

Science is about skepticism, not slavish devotion to some politicians. COVID is a scam.

 

Weird, effervescent aspirin doesn't dissolve in carrot juice. It does dissolve in water, carbonated water, soft drinks, coffee, rice milk, and other drinks. Not sure what's in the carrot juice that would prevent that. Some vitamin?!?

Things can happen in such strange ways! Don't always believe what you hear, even what you hear in your own head! :)

Just keep on updating adjusting adapting! :)

Do what you can when you can! You never know when an opportunity will pop up that you'll want to feel free for! :)

When I was younger I made numerous choices that resulted in interesting experiences rather than a bunch of money. Often they were difficult choices. In hindsight I'm generally glad to have done things like that. As was the basis for many of my decisions at the time, I now wouldn't find it that practical or feasible to do many of those unique experiences but I can do the same type of money-making work as I could've then. The comforts that you can buy with money are somewhat rewarding but also somewhat the same. The unique experiences when you're young are irreplaceable!

Humans lie, cats scratch, dogs bark, and other animals have their own instinctual defenses. :)

Digital tools and products are real, too! As material as the mechanical things we handle! :)

 

Jejej, anti-COVID activist! :)

The French equivalent of bean and cheese burritos: cassoulet with Camembert on baguette! :)

I think that the COVID hoax is becoming untenable. When the politicians first pulled their scam it was easy to convince fearful people of a "pandemic" disease. Now that we've had a while (years!) to see the BS, I think that only the most naive or incentivized people remain on the COVIDiot train. I think this thing's on the way out! :)

The "old normal": not having global fascism on the basis of scientific fraud. :)

We need politicians' blood! :)

Went to the supermarket without a slave mask and no one whined! :)

You can't smile with a COVID slave mask on! :)

I think that while illegitimate fascist COVID laws are in place based on fraudulent science, the laws do not apply.

I'm pro-health and pro-science. The COVID hoax has set back public health efforts by decades. It distracts people from genuine health-promoting behaviors while imposing health risks left, right, and center. The psychological toll alone of the COVID fascism has been immense.

Many people have poor information processing capacities. They take in their mass media sources, they take it literally, then they act like slaves or sheep or cattle. That basically explains COVID. Other hysteria and fascism too.

At least the COVID cartel is failing! :)

Social media sites have performed poorly during the fascism. Facebook, Instagram, Google, and others have needlessly and idiotically inserted their slave-ass links to scientific fraud.

When the law becomes evil, it's our responsibility to fight the law. Even if it's costly. Standing on the sidelines isn't a choice.

What the fuck is a dancing ban? Fuck off COVID fascists. No more slave masks, no more weird RNA injections. Just fuckin' liberty! :)

Rock & Roll!!!!! :)

Marie-Galante developed from sugar estates; well, it still has some of these. This island has a funny mix of old and new. It has traditional sugar mills to see, quaint small houses, and that small island feel. It's also developing modern electrical infrastructure including renewables and vehicles.

Grand-Bourg is seen as the main town of the island. The other small towns seem around the same size.

Super delicious decision to go to Marie-Galante! Tons of new things to see and do!!!!! :)

A lot of people get in trouble for what they should be rewarded for, and rewarded for what they should get in trouble for. It can mess up people's psychology! :)

Shouldn't "having sex" be "doing sex"? Or "sexing"? I guess you can just say "doing" or "fucking".

Terrine tastes great and aftertastes great! :)

Fuck COVID fascism! :)

It's fun and beautiful and useful to learn how languages evolve! By learning a bit of some different languages, finding the similarities and differences... e.g. this language dropped this letter, the other language borrowed this word or phrase...

Product idea: an artificial breast to squeeze. Not as a surgical implant, but as something you could keep around the house. Could be made out of that stress ball material, or could be made out of silicone.

I could technically aim to leave Marie-Galante February 23, when my rent's up. Then go to Iles Saintes for a week, which is longer than I think I'd want there. Then go to Dominica March 1, when my vaccines would become accepted by their fascists, but I think they'll likely still have indefinite quarantines. Also I may want to be in Marie-Galante a day or two before going to Dominica, in case any COVIDiot tests are necessary then (which I think they will be). So the February 23 plan doesn't seem that likely. I'm more realistically aiming for March 23 if feasible, but again that quarantine situation may still be around then.

All the losses from COVID fascism -- the economic destruction, the wasted time, the counterproductive vaccines -- could have gone towards real issues like people who don't have enough food.

Jejej, Dominica seems to go in for the PR... I don't think their new logo looks that great. It looks like someone who can't draw straight or see colors normally made it. :)

I liked this line from the press release: "Adjectives used to describe Dominica include natural, dignified, lively, luxurious and serene."

At least it sounds like a nice enough place to visit! :)

We'll see how it can be both lively and serene. :)

At least they're making efforts to attract tourism:

In the coming weeks, new marketing materials will be rolled out including video, print and digital advertising, promotional items, trade show assets, and other collateral as needed.

Tourism is essential to Dominica's economy so the new brand will be leveraged to help increase interest in Dominica's unique natural, wellness, and adventure attributes, regionally and internationally."

Here's a tip: disable the threat of indefinite quarantines for all people entering the country!!!!!

I sent them an e-mail about the insane COVIDiocy restrictions.

Wow!!!!!

Denmark’s government has decided to lift all COVID-19 restrictions within the country, becoming the first European Union country to implement such changes to its rules.

I'm buying some Danish food!!!!! :)

Denmark: the smartest country in Europe!

Lol: "...authorities in Denmark no longer consider the virus a 'socially critical sickness'."

There's a classic phrase! Yes, this is a social sickness. :)

I'm pro-abolishment of COVIDiocy!

The abolishment of COVID-19 restrictions, which were imposed by the Danish authorities in order to maintain the Coronavirus situation under control, means that travellers are no longer obliged to wear face masks or use the Covid vaccination certificate in order to enter bars, restaurants, and other indoor venues, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Solid!!!!!

In addition, the mandatory quarantine requirement for persons who have tested positive for the virus has also been abolished.

“No one can know what will happen next December. But we promised the citizens of Denmark that we will only have restrictions if they are truly necessary, and we’ll lift them as soon as we can. That’s what’s happening right now,” the Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke pointed out in this regard as reported by CNN.

Turning the seasonal cough into a global social crisis! Way to go, jackass politicians! :) (Not this Magnus Heunicke, he seems like the only reasonable pol!)

Woah... I started looking up the situation to see if it's politically safe to travel again, expecting to see more of the same COVIDiocy. Turns out that countries are finally lifting restrictions!!!!!

Not sure yet about Dominica, I'm guessing still with quarantines, but we'll see...

Buy Danish products! They make good beer, cheese, jams, and other things!

I can hardly believe this is happening! The beginning of the end of COVIDiocy? Must be like a small version of watching the Berlin Wall fall or the end of other political extremism.

More countries taking down restrictions:

“With everything we know today, it is right to remove most infection control measures,” Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre pointed out in this regard, as reported by Forbes.

As part of the country’s efforts to ease the entry requirements amid the ongoing pandemic, authorities in Norway last month decided to put an end to the mandatory quarantine requirement, which was applied to unvaccinated travellers as well as persons who had close contacts with persons infected with the Coronavirus.

Stupidest political mess of recent years! :)

Crush COVID fascism! :)

Have confidence! Work! Enjoy! :)

Travel freely!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Abolish COVID! Abolish and demolish! :)

Apparently there's a strike in Guadeloupe and the stores are closing?

Abolish COVID slavery!

I guess when you expect the annoyances you can at least handle them better! :)

Not sure if it's a "real" drink, but I just found out that I like rum soda. Even if it has some leftover lentil in it. :)

I just learned the English word "socle", which is the same as in French. It's a base, like for a statue or wall.

There aren't many problems you can't solve with TOMATOES!!!!! :)

Hehe, the hotel woman bringing a bucket of water goes back from charming to annoying when she doesn't bring the jug! :)

What's the equivalent of war crimes trials for COVID politicians? Crimes against humanity? I think that's it. When you add up all the lives lost due to the destruction of opportunity and wealth, COVID politicians are probably guiltier than about anyone these days.

Trillions of dollars of lost wealth. You could've fed billions of starving people. Or prevented crimes or serious diseases. Instead we got a bunch of travel restrictions and social distancing.

Abolish COVID restrictions!

 

The COVIDiocy epidemic has substantially lowered my expectation of average people's ability to assess a situation, which wasn't that high to start.

Grateful to have decent health! Now and for years! :)

Grateful to have relative safety throughout the years! :)

 

Crazy statistical models have become a useful tools for politicians to exploit the masses. COVID, global warming, diets, economics. It's easy to produce fake stats that support any argument you want. Also most people can be convinced by authoritative-sounding stats, especially if they come from some official body like the World Health Organization. The stats themselves are generally NOT supportive of the arguments, if you look closer.

COVID is a hoax! :)

The threat is fascism, not the virus.

Become more resilient! To politics and other problems! :)

I feel somewhat more free! Like I could fly to Denmark tomorrow if I really wanted to! :) I don't really want to, I think it would be extremely inconvenient in terms of my larger travel plans. But I like the idea that I could. Also, I get the sense that more countries are following suit! The pressure is now on to loosen the fascist restrictions! I think the COVIDiotic political situation has destabilized! :)

From this hotel I can see Dominica! It's a nifty country Guadeloupe, an archipelago of islands that are within around an hour boat ride of each other. I think 50 km or so. Enough that you can see them from each other, as well as the nearby countries like Dominica. I can also see Iles Saintes from here in Grand-Bourg. Iles Saintes are other nearby islands in Guadeloupe that I want to go to before Dominica.

Traveling again feels excellent! The travel tree. An idea I had a while ago for a web service. Also a metaphor or description for how we travel. A main trunk, e.g. the spinal routes I've taken along the coasts. Also various branches, which can intertwine.

It's so exciting to think about upcoming countries again! After the COVID BS freeze. I'm thinking of COVID as one of those sporadic events that you have to deal with, like crime or accidents. Just route around it.

Working and appreciating each day! :)

I'm continuing to appreciate it out here in this countryside hotel. After a somewhat lengthy walk the other day I guess this hotel isn't that far into the countryside, just barely outside of town. There are some places considerably further out of town, including at least one B 'n' B (I think several) that I'd considered renting online before I found this hotel. The location in the countryside just outside of town is extremely convenient! Nice and quiet and spacious during the day, plus I can easily go on a pleasant short walk into town.

The Marie-Galante gambit is working out waaaay better than I'd expected or hoped! I guess if you prepare and take some shots, you can have some positive outcomes! :)

A recent theme of mine that I'm increasingly coming around to: whatever you do there'll be issues, so just tolerate the issues instead of getting upset about it or avoiding activities.

If you wanna travel, and there's no COVID fascism, do it! :)

Humans are kinda stupid, and have a general fear of the unknown. We can see this in people's xenophobia, as well as in fear of chemistry and evolution and science more generally, fear of capitalism, and fear of practically anything else new and different. The xenophobia is part of the fear that politicians exploit for COVID fascism, along with people's medical fears.

The first sip of coffee makes you a genius. The second sip tastes great...

Systems keep evolving, keep evolving with them! :)

Seems like Dominica's decreasing their COVIDiot restrictions somewhat, but not as much as the more advanced nations of Northern Europe. Looking increasingly like I'll hold off at least until March 23 to leave Marie-Galante.

Idea for a sketch comedy video: have actors drive into a city and act exaggeratedly like small townsfolk, e.g. asking directions with reference to "the gas station" as if there's only one gas station in town.

 

On my long walk, went around halfway across the island in the afternoon! Just as I was feeling exhausted and hungry and started looking at alternative plans to look for a food vendor, I walked by a restaurant! What a lucky day! :)

Word to the wise: don't get bleach in your eyes! :)

Tried some saffron that I bought recently. Tastes somewhat like cayenne, but without the heat? I like the flavor, not sure that I'd cook with it often though. Seems like a potent experience for now and then rather than a go-to flavor.

Glad to try it! I'm attempting to force myself to try many new things. Occasionally I may dislike an experience but that's not a big deal. Often a new experience is just what I want.

You can make things happen! Even if there's COVID or other external constraints, even if you're nervous or have other internal constraints. Tons of possibilities, just go out there and make some magic! :)

I bought some freedom beer! Danish beer, in support of their liberation of the borders. Down with COVID fascism! Viva la revolucion!!!!! :)

I think nearly any sentence sounds funnier if you add "champ" at the end, champ! :)

I just learned how I can fill the water jug! :)

Anyways, tons unfolding! Looking forward to more adventures around Marie-Galante then around the rest of the planet!!!!! :)

If you can identify someone's key "flaw" that holds them back, you can potentially help them save thousands of hours of efforts and frustration. It's often easier to see other people's problems than your own. I suppose you could attempt to see and fix your own key problem, too. What's mine, self-indulgence? :)

The psychological problems of the COVID situation are more severe than the virus itself. Instead of having those stupid signs asking people to wear a mask and wash their hands, we should have signs telling people to spit at politicians or the like! :)

Breaking apart a large project into smaller chunks is like gearing down while riding a bike! :)

It's a fear pandemic, not a Coronavirus pandemic! :)

 

Are events the next horizon for extended reality (XR)? Seems like the sensory things — audio,video — are becoming increasingly realistic. Can we make generative stories that are convincing?

See it all as an adventure! :)

We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Amara

Ray Kurzweil and others argue that technology advances non-linearly, which would explain that. Slower growth at first than our naive linear expectations, much faster progress later.

Also interesting and amusing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gartner_hype_cycle

Tools or technologies give us additional capacities. It's like having magic powers. Hence the relationship of science fiction and fantasy. As with magic, technology can assist or harm people. Use with care!

 

If you fall for the COVID hype, you'll get swindled out of your savings!

A lot of the COVIDiocy is just about gaining compliance from weak-willed subjects. Let us stick swabs up your nose, needles in your arms, masks on your face, controls on your borders. Let's dismantle that crap!

Media businesses benefit from COVID hype so they defend the idiotic statements about social distancing. Same for politicians and epidemiologists.

Given the catastrophic failure of society in the face of COVID, we need to take a bold stand for liberty and progress against the political restrictions.

If society doesn't make sense, just remember that people are psychopaths! :)

 

Things seem to swivel from one extreme to another, rather than going on an even keel. Maybe it's more efficient this way, or maybe it's more practical. Seems frustrating. Anyways it's there, so I guess get used to it! :)

A calendar is like an obstacle course. You can plow through knocking down items! Sometimes they knock you down!

A humorous event: while getting my COVIDiot shot, I start asking the nurse if the third shot is important for going to other countries. She interrupts me before I get to the part about going to other countries, with her spiel about preventing the spread of COVIDiocy. I chuckle and interrupt her to ask about for going to other countries.

Stop COVIDiocy! :)

There's a ton of BS to deal with, whoever you are and whatever you do. As irrational as the BS is, I think it's irrational not to expect it after you've seen a few years' worth of data. So I guess just expect the lunacy, deal with it, take advantage of it as you can!

It can feel frustrating at times if you're somewhat rational to see the craziness around you. Whatever, it's just there, like getting upset over the craziness of chimps or bees. Just let it ride, deal with your own things! :)

And laugh along the way! :)

 

Live healthily: do exercises, eat right, socialize, fuck! :)

Use smart drugs! :)

Go outside! :)

Love! :)

 

There's a bonobo out there (Kanzi) who exhibits a lot more curiosity and intellect than most humans! :)

Bonobos in general exhibit a lot more sexual open-mindedness than do most humans! :)

There are a few humans out there who exhibit an admirable amount of sexual open-mindedness! :)

Appreciate what we've got! :)

 

Loading up a simple office suite (LibreOffice), there are over a hundred different features available from the default view. Plus probably thousands or tens of thousands of others buried within menus. And that's for a relatively basic word processor. It's organized well enough that we can deal with the complexity, though.

 

Even if not many people read my blog, I appreciate those who do! :) Also it's useful and interesting for me to look back on later, whether days, months, or years! :)

 

Hehe, drinking so much caffeine that the sleeping pills don't work! :)

 

Sometimes (like now) I find myself getting annoyed at the occasional delays or difficulties in using software while working. I guess I should find it insanely remarkable what software can do.

 

After giving away two functioning pairs of scissors so that I could travel light, I just broke my remaining pair of scissors. :)

I think I've found the right term for the now-prevalent misuse of surgical masks: slave masks.

Hehe, I went with the woman who works here to refill the bucket of water. It turns out it involves siphoning the water from a hose, sucking on the hose to get it started. Not sure where the water's coming from. Looks clean enough. :)

Things break, get lost, fail, etc., I guess just get used to it, fix and replace things, adapt! :)

COVIDiocy is basically psychological overreaction to medical fears and xenophobia. One of the "risk factors" is watching media about COVID. Does that sound even vaguely reasonable for a serious disease? No. Watching HIV media wouldn't increase your risk of catching AIDS.

Destroy COVID fascism! Vive la resistance! :)

From bra burning to mask burning? :)

 

Pussy is like French cheese. Sort of gross yet appealing.

Petit dejeuner des champions: terrine de cerf, camembert de lait cru, chevre, piment fort, baguette, tomate, pamplemousse, cafe petillante, rhum et boisson d'energie ! :)

Rock & Roll!!!!! :)

Looking at the map, I can see how the Lesser Antilles are in a comparable latitude to Africa and the more tropical parts of Latin America. That explains the different population in contrast to the Greater Antilles, which more resemble in latitude and population the somewhat moderate areas of the continents.

Can hardly believe that another travelversary (travel anniversary) is coming up! Not that much travel this year with COVID BS, but at least back on the road! AND maybe going internationally again in 2022?!

Make things for efficient! Enjoy the ride!

Work! Love!

Looking ahead to what I call year ten (the first decade of my adventure travels)... Hopefully can bust through this stupid COVID trash... See a few more Caribbean islands... Then make it back to the mainland!!!! C'mon, pretty please!!!!! :)

I wanna travel as much as I can! Fuck COVID fascism!

Woah, weird! Year ten details are coming into view, like which countries I'm aiming to go to! Of course, can't plan with that much certainty given the political situation.

I hope I'm in some exotic country like Brasil this year!!!!! :)

I think that the earliest I can feasibly go to Dominica is March 1, 2022, two weeks after my scheduled second COVIDiot shot. They may still have fascism then, e.g. quarantines, so I'm not sure yet that I'll go that soon. I'll probably wind up renting this hotel again for the February 23 - March 23 period, so I think that makes March 23 the earliest plausible go date, again contingent on the political situation. If not then, maybe April 23?

COVID basically reveals the stupidity of humanity. Carving up the economy over a cough. Society is the bull, COVID is the red flag, and politicians are the toreador.

Renting out in the countryside rocks! I wanna do this more often!!!!! :)

Looking at the map of Marie-Galante, I wanna walk/run/ride through a bunch of streets and trails. Seems like there's a fair bit of hiking.

I've already seen the few towns. Grand-Bourg (where I am) is around halfway between the other two towns, conveniently. In an arc around the coast, not in a straight line.

I think that maybe to deal psychologically with the frustrations that occur in practically any endeavor, it can make sense to expect frustrations as normal then see them as just there, things that you're supposed to deal with, instead of as completely unpredictable surprises.

Having traveled from Capesterre Belle-Eau to Marie-Galante by bike and boat, I found that I could carry my way-too-much-stuff setup without as much trouble as I expected. Still want to get rid of tons more stuff. I've already reduced my cargo weight somewhat. Aiming to decrease it drastically while in Marie-Galante.

Now that I'm renting instead of camping, I'm not carrying a sleeping bag and tent. Those two items added a considerable amount of weight. Now I feel practically unloaded without those, other than my excess provisional weight while I work to use up food and stuff.

 

COVIDiocy is no excuse! Travel, work, love anyways! :)

Sleeping pills or allergy pills (the same thing, i.e. antihistamines) are psychedelic drugs. They make you sleep which increases dreaming, making them a mind-altering substance.

I've tried a bunch of rums in the Caribbean, another mind-altering sleep-inducing drug. I think I like the romance of rum more than the drink itself. The drink itself is fermented and distilled grass juice. I think the taste ranges from somewhat gross through innocuous to mildly pleasant, for the rum itself. Aged rum gives it a more pleasant barrel flavor, which makes it taste like other aged distilled drinks such as whiskey.

The nicer rums maybe have a mildly pleasant fruity flavor. Mixes well with fruit juices and other sweet flavors. I like mixed drinks with rum.

The less nice rums have an unpleasant flavor like some chemical, maybe a solvent for cleaning.

As with many things in business, politics, and other areas of life, much about rum is marketing.

People spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on booze that's basically the same as the five or ten dollar bottle.

The same applies to people. An empty woman with some makeup, or an empty man who looks half-decent, can con people out of a ton.

Made tons of sense to ship distilled rum around on ships back in the day. Then reconstitute it with juice or whatever.

A calendar can structure our time differently than would happen if one just acted automatically. My calendar now has green mornings for work and more colorful afternoons for travel and other fun activities! :)

Each hour, day, week, month, or year an opportunity to take on tasks and events, challenges that we've set for ourselves! :)

Or to get drnk! :)

Camembert et puree de piment fort... et voila! :)

Hehe, I think I was a lot more naive and idealistic when I started these travels! :)

Going back through my notes... Tons of hippie-ish stuff :)

I think my basic values have remained fairly consistent, however. Travel, education, relating.

The banks remain a pain years later.

Heheh, took me years to get Astrotripping out... It came out the way I wanted artistically! :) Not quite sales-wise! :)

My inner voice has evolved, but is still recognizable.

I feel like a dedicated traveler for life! :)

I think that having some balance in life can contribute to performance and appreciation. An appropriate amount of sleep, nutrients, exercise, work, socializing, adventure, and the other main needs that we have.

You can't hold onto unreasonable standards, e.g. perfectionism, and also achieve it in practice. Personally I think it makes sense to have a more realistic approach, at least in many areas of activity. Then you can have satisfaction in accomplishment instead of frustration at not hitting unreasonable goals.

Went for the first of my COVID vaccine shots. I don't see the problem with the vaccines themselves. Hang out with some beautiful ladies who put their tools in you. Even get invited on a second date! :)

My arm feels sore where I got the COVIDiot shot yesterday. Aside from the practical necessity of it for traveling I wouldn't get the shot. Seems like a stupid shot to get, worse than the virus itself. Also seems terrible to have laws in some fascist countries requiring it!

I can see how names may have started. E.g. one tribe encounters another, and people say e.g. "It's a hill person!" referring to the people of the hill. Then that name sticks, to refer to the tribe. Later, people want to isolate individuals from the tribe, so they add a "pre-name" (as in "prenom").

Politicians should have to become eunuchs! :)

This hotel is incredible! So quiet, I can even work in the daytime without earplugs!!!!! :)

Quipment (n.): The tools that you use for making jokes.

Sometimes you have a big task that seems unmanageable. You can break it down into smaller pieces, to make it more manageable. e.g. large work projects, large travels, etc.

An idea: go into each store where you shop without an idiot mask. At least make them ask you to wear it. Maybe send the message that the hype is over?

So far Marie-Galante seems more to my personal tastes than Guadeloupe. In part it's just the countryside location. It does seem to have a more subdued charm, MG. I miss my friends in Guadeloupe!

Cats: the evolution of dogs! :)

Now with self-maintenance, smaller size, cleaner smell, and more beauty! :)

Me (n.): The idiot who tries! :)

The French have a rustic touch in their cuisine and much of their culture, which I appreciate. Things like wild boar pate, pheasant pate, deer pate. The raw unpasteurized cheeses. The music.

Many other countries also have a country culture that I like. I grew up in a city, only appreciating country culture as an outsider. Traveling by bike I've had much more of an opportunity to spend time and emotion in the countryside itself. I love it! :)

Super grateful that I got stuck in Guadeloupe instead of Haiti, Anguilla, or the other places I could've easily been! I'm in a French-speaking, modern place! :)

Hehe, it's happened at least two times that while I'm walking around Guadeloupe, local Afro-Caribbeans see me and think I'm a "gendarme" (French military). I guess I look somewhat like a Frenchman in decent shape. :)

I now take more pleasure in socializing than I did before, due to traveling, I think.

Product idea: any product, e.g. a soft drink, with the product name in huge lettering: "Go fuck yourself". It would draw people's attention and make them laugh. Not sure if they'd buy it. :)

Time to go on a nap adventure! :)

After the fifteenth or so coffee of the day: "Let's aim to make this the last coffee of the day" (said for the fifteenth time...) :)

This is a warning I haven't seen before (it's on a container of wild boar pate): "Gibier sauvage pouvant contenir des projectiles de tirs." ("Wild game that may contain shot projectiles.")

I consistently prefer quality over quantity. For sleep, work, socializing, relaxing, products, etc. Often quantity is a decent route to quality, however.

While we humans may generally have some ideals and preferences, e.g. career plans, relationship desires, travel plans, moral ideals, etc., I think that it makes sense to see things as generally not ideal or totally according to preference, such that we should aim to do well enough rather than totally achieving those ideals. Basically a rephrasing of something I wrote above.

COVID seems like the biggest political fiasco in years, if not decades. Stop COVID fascism! :)

A bit at a time, you'll be fine! Hasn't even been a full week yet in MG! I'm still/already glad to have come. I like the hotel where I'm staying, I like the town, and I like the island. Looking forward to at least a few more weeks! :)

You often don't know exactly which opportunities are going to come along or when. Or which frustrations. So I think it often makes sense to do what you can when you can!

As annoying as it can be to have to wear glasses, it at least serves as a regular reminder of the miracle of sight! :)

Not sure yet how long I'll stay in Marie-Galante. I do like it here, and I have a convenient setup. Nonetheless, I also want to see more places soon. At the least I plan to stay through February 23, as I'm renting until then and will take at least that long to do the vaccines that are practically necessary for Dominica and other countries.

Beyond that, I'm guessing I'll stay at least another month. There's a two-week waiting period after the second vaccine shot before I could go to Dominica. Also, I'm speculating that Dominica will still have its insane quarantines.

People become accustomed to things, not just at a basic sensory level (stimuli like recurring sounds or images), but even at higher perceptual or cognitive levels. For example, in car-based cultures people take car-driving for granted, such that seeing a cyclist seems weird, especially one carrying groceries. Bikes are actually extremely efficient for cargo. The same getting-used-to-things phenomenon (habituation) also occurs for how people relate with each other, what work people do, and tons of other activities.

Coffee plus cola tastes great! :)

The hotel where I'm staying monthly doesn't have water running to the rooms. Instead, one of the women who works/lives here brings a large bucket to my room each day. At first I found it somewhat frustrating, but now I think it's one of the more charming aspects of the place. :)

You get used to things. I'm even figuring out how to keep the toilet relatively clean without running water.

Hehehe... instant coffee made w/ energy drink instead of water! :)

It actually tastes quite good! :)

Why is the room tilting? :)

Journeyman writer. :)

Jejej, I'm looking forward to my next COVID shot! :) I used to have some fear of needles, but I think if you don't focus on the needle or the fear, but instead on the hot nurse, it's not so bad. And I oppose the COVID BS but at least the shots make it more practical to travel to other countries.

I think that two of the most useful pieces of travel advice that I've learned are "go light" and "go now". Usually the less you pack or take with you, the better. And usually if you have an opportunity to go and you do so right away, it pays off.

I think that travel and exercise both build self-esteem. And bike travel combines both! :)

Jejej, escargot by the beach, with maracudja juice and fried bananas and other things! :)

Also (later) tagliatelle with seafood by the sea! :)

Jejej, French + Caribbean = recipe for beautiful but inefficient things! :)

BTW the fruit soda here often seem to contain some actual fruit juice, unlike in the U.S.

Traveling around Marie-Galante, a new-to-me place, I feel somewhat like in my earlier travels again! The freedom and newness. I love it! :)

Makes me want to keep on traveling as long as I can! :)

When you travel, "there" become "here". The foreign and exotic become part of you.

Tons of time, effort, risk, money, etc. can go into travel. Makes it more feasible to make it places.

Going through my Marie-Galante plans I've already checked off many of my items! I like it here, it's a nice enough place. Quite beautiful, with friendly people. Tons of new things for me to see and do. To a certain extent resembles the main island of Guadeloupe, but Marie-Galante is more beachy, touristy, relaxed.

My new plan, now that I'm here, is to see as much of the island as I can, work, finish the vaccines, then go to Dominica as soon as it seems safe in terms of COVID fascism.

Rock & Roll!!!!! :)

Made it to the new place!

You can see more map details at TravellersPoint.

Met the most interesting optician on the planet, the father of the young woman I met on the ferry. We drove around the island, it's a gorgeous place! Quite small, you could walk from one side to another in a few hours.

They also told me tons about the area. I'm now modifying my travel plans on the basis of that information. Now planning to go to Iles Saintes, another part of this island archipelago.

They took me to a hotel out in the countryside, where I'm now renting by the month.

I can hear the cattle from my room! :) I love it!

Such a quiet place. Beautiful. It feels free. Like a platform for experimentation and living.

Plus it costs much less than I was paying in Capesterre Belle-Eau.

This travel plan seems to have gone way better than expected! :)

Feels like just the right thing.

I confirmed that I can see Dominica from the coast!

Not everything went exactly according to plan, of course. There are always issues. But even the issues seem to be sorting themselves out.

I think that the obsessive planning helped. Also the years of experience. Plus having solid weather and other conditions.

After assembling tons of to-dos, with some frustration at not being able to do them until leaving, now that I've left I've knocked off tons of them. Feels great!

Looking back over my plans for leaving from the last year, tons of deferrals. Kept on wanting to go, not feeling like it would make sense to go. Now the stupid COVID situation at least maybe seems to be clearing up? (New term: COVIDiot!) Anyways I'm now quite fine with having gone to Marie-Galante!!!!!

Feeling more like myself. I think the travel, the countryside.

My life feels back on track!

I feel more fully alive!

Can hardly believe how well it's going! Things worked out far better than I had planned!!!!! :)

Really loving the travel, the countryside, meeting interesting friendly people!!!!! :)

Keep on traveling!!!!! :)

 

From now on I want to generally (with a few exceptions) spend more time touring, relating, relaxing, etc., in inexpensive places; less time working.

I'm looking forward to chewing up some more serious kilometers in South America!!!!! :)

Finally feel like I'm somewhat catching up on drinking water, sharing photos, recovering physiologically, etc. I'd somewhat forgotten that travel feeling of having tons of things to do! Forgotten the visceral feeling, not the fact that it happens.

What a difference travel makes! Instead of counting down the hours, I have too many things to fit into the hours! :)

 

I'm just some guy... remember to deliver value for other people! :)

 

I think that even after years and years, I still haven't figured out 100% of tu/vous or tu/usted. I'm now comfortable enough choosing which to use in many conversational situations, but remain uncertain often enough. I think there's a common "glide" from vous to tu as you get deeper into a conversation. Also it can go back in the other direction in some instances.

Heheh, in France you're in the European Union but it's also its own country, in Guadeloupe you're officially in France but it's also its own country, in Marie-Galante you're officially in Guadeloupe but the locals use "Guadeloupe" to refer to the main island only.

After that ride to Marie-Galante, I feel like I ate a rich multi-course meal, metaphorically. Many different elements to the ride, including the biking itself through different scenery, the ferry ride, the intellectual and emotional and physiological and social challenges, meeting fascinating people, etc.! :)

I really like it at this countryside hotel! It's sort of like a combination of camping and staying in a hotel. Not quite all of the best of both worlds, but many of their advantages. It's quiet enough to work, yet has electricity and shelter. Comfort, beauty, and convenience!

After a few days of attending to various catching-up chores, I feel like things are somewhat normalizing?!

I think health is a mindset. Positivity, yet also commitment or willingness to make serious efforts.

Got a call back from the vaccine center. Going today for the first shot, then in three weeks for the second. That means I could technically go to Dominica around five weeks from now (they also have two weeks of waiting after the vaccines). Not planning to go right then necessarily if the entry requirements remain overly rigid. I oppose the vaccine rules, but for practicality I want to be ready to travel to Dominica and other countries.

My hotel's just down the street from the hospital! :)

Grand Bourg is a very small town! I think I've seen practically all of it already! :)

Tons of things seem extremely complex at first. After you've done them for a while, you find efficiencies, become better. Then they seem easier. That includes travel, socializing, studying at school, working, and huge numbers of other activities.

Looking back over photos and blog notes to share them, it's like watching time go from the past to the present. At least gives you an opportunity to rethink the future.

Rock On!!!!!

Whew, made it!!!!!!!!!!

To Marie-Galante. To the hotel.

The hotel was closed when I got there. Another person was waiting outside, who also had a reservation. She had called the hotel, and apparently someone was on the way. A short while later, a woman came and opened the hotel.

Sort of a B hotel, but charming. Huge old projector on display:

The hotel also has a cinema and some other things. Including warm water! Something I haven't had in over a year! :) Also air-conditioning! And a toilet that has a seat and flushes properly! One of the lights doesn't work, so there's at least a taste of my last place. :)

Many amenities also don't seem to be here as promised. Minibar, breakfast, pools, etc. Ah well.

So far I like Marie-Galante. Seems to pretty much match up with what I expected. There's also the novelty of traveling again, which I appreciate!

Apparently the couvre-feu at 8 PM is enforced.

Beautiful ferry ride, aside from the "idiot masks" that were mandatory. There's a reason why COVID rhymes with stupid! :)

I'm quite exhausted. Long ride. I felt solid on the ride, even if my best riding days physiologically are behind me. :)

Extremely hot, also felt like a somewhat long ride. I'm more excited than ever to have an e-bike. I'd rather go somewhat faster, and have an assist on the uphills.

Feels pretty amazing to arrive!!!!! :)

Eating caviar while bike touring! :)

Also chocolate with instant coffee powder! :)

Using up a bunch of stuff while riding. Also readjusting to riding!

I love bike touring!!!!!

Excellent decision to go! :)

Keep going!!!!! :)

Woke up feeling great! Somewhat sore, of course, from the ride. Good spirits!

I feel like I just won ten lotteries!!!!! :)

We have all sorts of amazing opportunities out there! It's often hard to see them or take advantage. It's easier to see and feel our comforts. For that reason I think it often makes sense to push oneself out of one's comforts, to take a shot on adventure.

 

Tons of additional costs and annoyances while traveling. Nonetheless, it reminds you of the preciousness of time and life! :)

Went for a walk this morning. I think I covered a solid part of town, maybe 75%? Seems like an attractive enough town. Somewhat convenient, but not extremely so. I suspect I'll want to see something else in not long, maybe a few weeks. I plan to see as much of MG as I can.

Went to the location listed for another hotel that I'd considered renting. That hotel costs less but has terrible reviews. The hotel wasn't at the address listed. Guess I won't be going there.

Feeling surprisingly ready to walk, I thought my body would hurt more. I think different enough muscle groups than for riding. It actually felt like somewhat of a relief to walk.

Drank tons of water, some "petillante" (with bubbles). I dried out during the ride. Didn't have the room mass-wise to carry water. While I rode from Capesterre to the ferry station, I came across a young woman on an old motorbike. I'd seen her around town (Capesterre). We greeted each other. Turns out she sold locally made drinks. I bought a drink, the only one I had after leaving and before arriving.

Booked the same decent but overpriced hotel for another night. Not many choices locally. Maybe rent a weekly Airbnb soon, then aim to find a monthly rental.

Seems like a small place. Glad to have Marie-Galante to tour, but I think that as soon as Dominica becomes somewhat more reasonable to go to, I'll wanna go.

I think I can see Dominica from the coast! On my morning walk I looked out over the ocean, and there's a piece of land that I think is Dominica. If so, I can see the coast! :)