Add new comment

Travel itself is fairly easy. You buy the ticket or hop on the bike, then go somewhere. It's the decisions, the emotions, the psychological stuff pertaining to travel, that's difficult.

It's sort of hypnotic, entrancing, to watch a small bird.

My "pets" keep coming by. I've been feeding them rice, each grain of which looks like a big snack compared to these small birds.

They move so fast, their bodies are on a much smaller scale. I guess there are also insects, bacteria, and the like "twitching" even faster. Also, elephants, planets, and the like going slower. Different rhythms. What we take for granted is just one rate.

Also, seeing things with depth (in 3D). Many animals don't.

The width of our vision, the color depth. The other senses, some of which aren't even the same basic senses in different animals. Just at the basic sensory/perceptual levels, we're so different than other animals, yet it's somewhat difficult to think or feel as another animal would. Even within the human species there are considerable differences in sight, sound, smell processing.

I'm not sure what birds' dietary needs are. Can they synthesize different amino acids than humans can? I'm guessing that birds can get by fine on cereal grains alone?

I think I like the look, taste, shade, feel, etc., of tropical plants more than dry hot climate plants. But the people more in dry hot climate places. Food in both.

I think there's some merit to the notion of you get what you give.

Go more freely! :)

You know you're in a small place when... Receiving a package, the delivery companies have never even heard of your country, then when it finally arrives in the country, the delivery drivers can't even find your place (which of course has no address written on it).

The rest of the body is way less interesting to me than the brainmind

I've made so many commitments, now I'm "committed"! :)

I moved to a different room in the same building (because someone else had already reserved the room I was in). This room has a functional air conditioner, which in the Caribbean climate makes a huge difference!

These Coronavirus days have been some of the more useful but less pleasurable for me. Also with some inutility (disutility?) plus pleasures. Taking care of tons of tasks from years ago. Also stuck without travel or other aspects of culture that I like. At least an appropriate occasion!

Normal people are high on drugs practically all the time. Some of the worst drugs, too. Alcohol, tobacco, caffeine (the latter's the most common but not so bad for harm).

I'm aiming to go on a night shift schedule for much of the rest of my stay here. I've occasionally woken up in the middle of the night, including last night and tonight. It's way better for working, with quiet (except for some dog barking). I can nap during the day.

We each have a neural net to control! That's like some of the most advanced technology that engineers are now working with, but ours are even more developed (for a while, anyways). What an incredible technology to have literally inside us!

I guess we crazy writers can now say that we're "self-isolating" for the Coronavirus! :)

Seems like some countries but not all are reopening after Coronavirus. There are genetic tests for the virus required to enter some countries, plus quarantines, self-isolation, and the like.

I think I'm going to wait until more countries are open, with fewer restrictions, so that I feel confident in being able to travel easily.

I'm also considering flying to some open country like Brazil, then staying there instead, but I think in practice that it would maybe not make sense. Or would it?

The US writes that people should leave Venezuela, not sure how that situation will turn out by the time I'm likely ready to go.

    On March 11, 2019, the Department of State announced the temporary suspension of operations of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and the withdrawal of diplomatic personnel.  All consular services, routine and emergency, are suspended.
    The Travel Advisory for Venezuela remains a Level 4: Do Not Travel, urging U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela due to crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, and arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens.

Dominica (my next planned Caribbean island) looks open, at least somewhat. Maybe go there in mid-January?! Or is Guadeloupe on their list of high-risk places?

They still have quarantines, tests, and such. Maybe I'll wait until it's more fully open. I very much don't want to become stuck in a quarantine for days.

People monitored where they stay? That sounds obnoxious.

Guadeloupe (where I am now) is open, but with requirements. Probably better to stay here until this thing clears up.

Looks impractical to go among countries now, even if some are technically open. Looks like more Guadeloupe!

So, Martinique, my planned destination after the upcoming island of Dominica, has quarantines. How about waiting for Coronavirus to leave.

Coronavirus hysteria!!!!!

So, seems like the international borders aren't open in a practical sense yet, nor with a specific date.

I'm still sort of vaguely hoping for January-February-March reopening, but realistically planning to hold out or make alternative plans even for months after that.

I would now expect a realistic likelihood of this Coronavirus going on well into 2021, maybe even further. Seems somewhat preposterous, but I can easily see it occurring.

I have enough things to do here that, while in some ways I'm extremely desirous to go on, it's also fine to have an extended stay.

Carry on or stay still or do whatever you can!!!!! :)

First drink in a while, feeling stressed. I like the bottle more than I like the drink inside. :)

A sweet Jamaican ginger wine. Basically sugary wine with strong ginger flavor. Acts on the GABA depressant neurotransmitters, like other alcobeverages.

I think that drinking serves a few purposes. Socializing. Stress relief/anxiolytic. But I think it's also an extremely dangerous drug. I'm ok with having a few drinks now and then, it may even be healthy. I think it probably is beneficial in small doses. I don't want to return to regular drinking, though.

I think booze makes me feel even more melodramatic than I already am.

Realistically, I think that alcohol is more nutritious and medicinal than many things that people regularly consume. So I wouldn't agree with the extreme anti-alcohol people. But I also think it's far more dangerous of a drug than most or all illegal drugs, so I also wouldn't agree with the extreme pro-alcohol people. I think that it's a substance with some uses as well as some dangers, both considerable. Therefore I would argue that it should be used only by those who have a reason for it, "in moderation", rather than as a ubiquitous beverage or not at all.

I don't really like how alcohol makes my head feel numb.

But I do like how it takes my mind off things.

It definitely seems to produce a loss of coordination, which I think I already had.

Weird how a simple molecule (ethanol) can produce such profound effects in society.

I think that booze doesn't help, in fact may hurt, the basic problems that people often use it for.

Next day. Do not drink alcohol regularly. Only up to a few times per year. :)

In sum, I wish I had acted more responsibly, (somewhat) less irresponsibly, when I was younger, so I will aim to act more responsibly from now on.

If you drink (semi-)regularly, it may feel normal to derive much pleasure from alcohol. Now that I'm largely off alcohol, I feel more pleasure sober than when drinking, with a few exceptions. There seems to be a better emotion profile with (semi-)regular sobriety.

I think that coffee removes the "drowsy" effect by blocking off adenosine neurotransmitters? Or am I misrecalling?

It's like you're in middle-of-the-day readiness mode even if you just woke up.

I nowadays often like sobriety, but I'm much more likely to use caffeine than alcohol. It's safer, it's more productive, it's more positive.

Getting to know one's nervous system.

Working with it!

Power just went out (then came back on). Water's still going off sporadically. Stove's out of fuel. Air conditioner blew out. Microwave blew out. Have to like that Caribbean! :)

Things have developed for me considerably over the last year, even though (or because!) I've been stuck in one small country. For the first time since I've started this whole travel lifestyle back in 2013, I have some financial stability. Also, my book that I've been working on since (before!) the start is now out. I'm wearing the goggles that I'd designed. Tons of other developments too!

Working is sort of like adventure travel. (I often get my metaphors [or similes] backwards). You gradually develop your methods, your tools, your knowledge. From starting off, you become more of an old hand.

As I work my way through some projects, others arise. I guess that's the way things go!

One of my big regrets is that I still struggle so much with regrets. :) When I actually do stuff, I realize again that it's ok to make mistakes, have failures, etc., but emotionally I still feel the inevitable imperfections.

Keep at it! :)