Leaving Capesterre
I think it's valuable to have activities that apply some pressure/stress. Gives you motivation, excitement, rewards.
I admit I've gotten comfortable in Capesterre. After some of my rougher adventures recently, I appreciate the comfort. Nonetheless, I'm feeling ready to leave my comfort zone as they say, to go out there and explore new places!
I'm aiming to do remaining Lesser Antilles as fast as possible. not much of interest.
Yahoo! Now I feel like I'm only in Capesterre for a short visit! Not to stay!
Still annoyed about the international borders and other COVID crud, but whatevs, at least it's a start!!!!! :)
I just wanna get out there and ride!
There's a bunch of intellectual aspects to planning bike touring, as well as a large emotional component. Then there's the physiological action when you're out there!
I think it combines several positive addictions: travel, exercise, novelty/new experiences, etc.! :)
There's some nice enough stuff in Capesterre, and it's been an extremely valuable place to stay throughout the last while. Still, I'm ready to rock & roll!!!!! :)
Just wrapping up like a burrito and going!!!!!
Leaving in a week and a day?!
I don't need this any more! No more practical or psychological reasons to stay! Time to go!!!!! :)
Still feels surreal! Going! :)
No longer want to, feel like, or think that I should stay! Time to go!!!!! :)
I think I can even see Marie-Galante from my balcony, but I suck at geography and I'm not sure if that's what it is. :)
I'd rather be bike touring! See new places, do new things, instead of just sitting around here cooking or whatever.
Goodbye, cockroach-infested apartment! :)
I think I've done the main preps, and could go tomorrow (if in a slightly messy way). Weekend to party, say bye to friends. Next week to book ferry and apartment, finalize packing and preps. Then ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
I've seen the same things already! I'm ready for something new!!!!!
Just announced to the person I pay rent! I feel like the process is underway!!!!!
I already feel like I'm on the road again! It feels great!!!!!!!!! :)
Now that I'm "on the road", it feels normal instead of intimidating to go! The main remaining issue is the COVID for Dominica+, but we'll deal with that later...
Ready for a new and different set of problems! :)
Already knocking off some items from my action list! I can feel the headway!
I could technically buy an e-bike in Guadeloupe, but I don't think I will. I'd have to give it up before going to South America anyways. Doesn't seem worth the bother for now. Maybe if I come across a deal.
Looking at the map, I think that is Marie Galante that I can see from my balcony.
Looking at the classifieds, I see a few decent e-bikes for sale, and I also know that there are some decent new ones nearby, but I think they're a bit pricey for such a short ride, and buying them would interfere with my ride plans. I think I'm likely to hold off until South America.
I'm looking forward to going soon!
Now transitioning from days down to hours!!!!!
7 x 24 = 168 hours until the eve of my planned departure!
I think I've observed this before in other places I've left: even the annoyances start to seem like quaint things that I'll miss, e.g. recurring noises from the neighbors.
The countdown is on!
Under 200 hours. Its like taking an intensive course in readying to bike tour, in one week! :)
Woah, crazy. If that's indeed Marie Galante, which I think it is but I'm not entirely sure, then I can probably practically see Dominica (my next country)! It's not that much farther than MG.
I haven't done a long-distance ride for a while. I think I'll be fine. During my local workouts, I've felt satisfied after only half an hour or so, but that involves running -- harder on my knees than is riding.
Try to see the problems as opportunities of a different sort!
I've felt consistently over the last few days (as you could probably tell from reading) that leaving Capesterre feels like the "right" (desirable) decision. That's a huge relief, because before that I'd been telling myself that I should leave soon, but with mixed feelings as to whether it actually felt "right".
The pleasures of the road -- too many to count! The annoyances too, but you can forget many of those and they often apply if you don't travel too. As far as pleasures... the new sights, smells, experiences... The discoveries, the satisfaction of covering distances, the fresh air...
I think I've noted this before, or at least something along the same lines: I think what I'll miss most about the French Caribbean is the French cheese.
I think what I'll miss the least is the annoying aspects of the Caribbean like the sometimes oppressive weather, and the sometimes annoying music.
Super pleased to be going! Ready to bust out! Anything to travel!
If you were a food, what would you be? I think I'd be a giant burrito, overloaded with sauce, vegetables, proteins, rice and/or potatoes, and other fillings! :)
Woke up feeling super excited to go! Even if it rained last night, I'm a little under the weather, etc. Whatever, I just wanna travel!
Skies are clearing up! Body's clearing up! Mind's clearing up!
Feeling the excitement of starting another huge adventure! Or at least a small one, we'll have to see how the border situation goes. :)
A little enthusiasm goes a long way! In travels as in life!
I feel like I'm getting my life back!
It's a relief to see my ever-shrinking stockpiles, e.g. onions and garlic.
Go light & tight! :)
Not only with "things", but also with computer applications, psychology, etc., it's often better to have small efficient designs.
I'm really looking forward to going to Dominica+, but Marie Galante serves as a practically necessary way station for that, plus some interest of its own.
Now leaving Capesterre feels not only like something I'm vaguely planning or something I'm thinking about, but something that's rapidly approaching in practice!!!!!
Now Kreyol feels more like a language that I know poorly, instead of a language that I don't know! :) I can look up words and phrases in the dictionary, I can assemble words and phrases, and I can somewhat make out what people are saying. I still struggle in conversations, but I feel like I'm mediocre rather than just starting out. :)
For a range of common topics, I can now produce and comprehend approximately correct sentences in Kreyol by writing. I think that spoken Kreyol is a bit fast and full of new phrases/slang for me to converse fluently. I can usually at least make out broadly what people are talking about, and some specific details, as well as say at least some basic comments on the topic.
If you're learning a language, I think it makes much more sense to use it in person and through media rather than attempt to learn in school. I think you can pick up in a few weeks or months of use more than you'd learn in years of school. Not that I'm against learning languages in school. It can give you a basis in the grammar, plus some of the culture, and at least some practice. Just that I don't think it's as effective as learning through direct practice within the culture.
Also, I think it's much easier to learn a language when you're interested in the culture, the people. Maybe somewhat obvious, but I think that having that motivation can make a huge difference.
I guess just aim to be happy with whoever you are, whatever your age! :)
Oops, I think I've been mispronouncing another word, and thus I think misunderstanding its etymology. ("gen", to have)
Going through the Dominica COVID BS for the nth time, I think I know it practically verbatim. :)
They have quarantines without fixed constraints, at traveler's expense. Costs a ton plus fascism, who wants that? Maybe I'll stay in Marie Galante until the fascism clears up.
Nearly through my huge thing of coffee! I think I'm even going to finish it before going, which I didn't expect.
COVID is one of the numerous viruses present in our bodies anyways, generally without any effect. If you look at people and test whether they have this specific virus, you can find some percentage of sick people who have it. Correlation doesn't equal causation, doesn't indicate that the virus itself actually does anything. People with COVID present generally don't have symptoms, i.e. it's just part of the usual ecosystem of viruses, bacteria, and the like present within the body.
Fache contre le fascisme COVID! :)
Jejeje, I like this automatic translation of the above blog post:
Kite Capesterre
=
Mwen panse ke li enpòtan pou gen aktivite ki aplike kèk presyon / estrès. Ba ou motivasyon, eksitasyon, rekonpans.
Mwen admèt mwen te vinn alèz nan Capesterre. Apre kèk nan avantur ki pi graj mwen yo dènyèman, mwen apresye konfò a. Sepandan, mwen santi mwen pare pou m kite zòn konfò mwen an jan yo di, pou m ale deyò epi eksplore nouvo kote!
Mwen vize pou m rete ti Zantiy yo pi vit ke posib. pa gen anpil enterè.
Yahoo! Kounye a mwen santi mwen sèlman nan Capesterre pou yon ti vizit! Pa rete!
Toujou énervé sou fwontyè entènasyonal yo ak lòt COVID crud, men tou sa, omwen se yon kòmansman!!!!! :)
Mwen jis vle soti la epi monte!
Genyen yon pakèt aspè entelektyèl nan planifikasyon vwayaj bisiklèt, osi byen ke yon gwo eleman emosyonèl. Lè sa a, gen nan aksyon an fizyolojik lè w ap deyò!
Mwen panse ke li konbine plizyè adiksyon pozitif: vwayaj, fè egzèsis, kado/nouvo eksperyans, elatriye! :)
Gen kèk bèl bagay ase nan Capesterre, epi li te yon kote ki gen anpil valè pou rete pandan tout tan ki sot pase a. Toujou, mwen pare pou rock & roll!!!!! :)
Jis vlope tankou yon tòtiya epi ale!!!!!
Kite nan yon semèn ak yon jou?!
Mwen pa bezwen sa ankò! Pa gen plis rezon pratik oswa sikolojik pou rete! Tan pou ale!!!!! :)
Toujou santi sureèl! Pral! :)
Pa vle, santi tankou, oswa panse ke mwen ta dwe rete! Tan pou ale!!!!! :)
Mwen panse mwen ka menm wè Marie-Galante nan balkon mwen an, men mwen souse nan jewografi e mwen pa sèten si se sa li ye. :)
Mwen ta pito fè vwayaj bisiklèt! Gade nouvo kote, fè nouvo bagay, olye pou yo jis chita isit la pou kwit manje oswa kèlkeswa sa.
Orevwa, apatman ki gen ravèt! :)
Mwen panse mwen te fè preparasyon prensipal yo, epi mwen ka ale demen (si nan yon fason yon ti kras sal). Nan wikenn nan fèt, di orevwa ak zanmi yo. Semèn pwochèn nan liv Ferry ak apatman, finalize anbalaj ak preparasyon. Lè sa a, monte!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Mwen wè menm bagay yo deja! Mwen pare pou yon bagay nouvo!!!!!
Jis anonse moun mwen peye lwaye a! Mwen santi ke pwosesis la ap sou pye!!!!!
Mwen deja santi mwen sou wout la ankò! Li santi bon!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Kounye a ke mwen "sou wout la", li santi l nòmal olye pou yo entimidasyon ale! Pwoblèm prensipal ki rete a se COVID pou Dominik+, men nou pral fè fas ak sa pita...
Pare pou yon seri nouvo ak diferan nan pwoblèm! :)
Deja frape kèk atik nan lis aksyon mwen an! Mwen ka santi pwogrè a!
Teknikman mwen te kapab achte yon bisiklèt elektrik nan Gwadloup, men mwen pa panse mwen pral. Mwen ta dwe abandone li anvan ou ale nan Amerik di Sid de tout fason. Li pa sanble vo deranje pou kounye a. Petèt si mwen jwenn yon kontra.
Gade kat la, mwen panse ke se Marie Galante ke mwen ka wè nan balkon mwen an.
Gade nan anons yo, mwen wè kèk desan e-bisiklèt pou vann, epi mwen konnen tou ke gen kèk desan nouvo tou pre, men mwen panse ke yo se yon ti jan chè pou yon woulib kout konsa. Mwen panse ke mwen gen anpil chans kenbe la jouk Amerik di Sid.
Mwen anvi ale byento!
Koulye a, tranzisyon soti nan jou desann nan èdtan !!!!!
7 x 24 = 168 èdtan jiskaske lavèy depa mwen te planifye!
Mwen panse ke mwen te obsève sa a anvan nan lòt kote mwen te kite: menm anmèdman yo kòmanse parèt tankou bagay etranj ke mwen pral manke, pa egzanp. bri renouvlab soti nan vwazen yo.
Dekont la ap kòmanse!
Anba 200 èdtan. Se tankou pran yon kou entansif nan prepare toune bisiklèt, nan yon semèn! :)
Woah, fou. Si sa a se vre Marie Galante, ki mwen panse li ye men mwen pa totalman sèten, Lè sa a, mwen ka pratikman wè Dominik (pwochen peyi mwen an)! Li pa pi lwen pase MG.
Mwen pa fè yon woulib long distans pou yon ti tan. Mwen panse mwen pral byen. Pandan antrennman lokal mwen yo, mwen te santi mwen satisfè apre sèlman yon demi èdtan oswa konsa, men sa enplike nan kouri - pi rèd sou jenou mwen pase monte.
Eseye wè pwoblèm yo kòm opòtinite nan yon kalite diferan!
Mwen te santi toujou nan dènye jou yo (jan ou ta ka pwobableman di nan lekti) ke kite Capesterre santi tankou "bon" (dezirab) desizyon an. Sa se yon gwo soulajman, paske anvan sa mwen te di tèt mwen ke mwen ta dwe ale byento, men ak santiman melanje kòm si li aktyèlman te santi "dwa".
Plezi yo nan wout la - twòp pou konte! Anmèdman yo tou, men ou ka bliye anpil nan sa yo epi yo souvan aplike si ou pa vwayaje tou. Osi lwen ke plezi ... aklè yo nouvo, odè, eksperyans ... Dekouvèt yo, satisfaksyon nan kouvri distans, lè fre ...
Mwen panse ke mwen te remake sa a anvan, oswa omwen yon bagay sou menm liy lan: Mwen panse ke sa mwen pral manke plis nan Karayib la franse se fwomaj franse a.
Mwen panse ke sa mwen pral manke pi piti se aspè yo anmèdan nan Karayib la tankou move tan an pafwa opresif, ak mizik la pafwa anmèdan.
Super kontan yo prale! Pare pou kraze! Nenpòt bagay pou vwayaje!
Si ou te yon manje, kisa ou ta ye? Mwen panse mwen ta dwe yon tòtiya jeyan, twò chaje ak sòs, legim, pwoteyin, diri ak / oswa pòmdetè, ak lòt fouraj!
When I look out my window now, I want to go to Marie Galante, not hang out in Kapste!
I feel like I have to go!!!!!
Feels stupid to run in place when I could be seeing new things!!!!!
MG feels closer each time I look!
I'd had a fair bit of uncertainty regarding how my Capesterre departure would go. So far I'd say it's going roughly average within the range of my expectations.
Aside from the COVID fascism, I'm actually liking this life stage (starting 40s) much more than I would've thought!
Freedom, health, balance! :)
Super good-looking! :)
I'm on the longest workout I've done in a while, and I feel like I can go on as long as I want!
This is gonna be a different style of touring for me, and I'm looking forward to it!
I could go on and on.... I'm going to post this, then start a new blog entry. I'm readying to book a place in MG!!!!! :)