Jiimmy's Journal

[Jiimmy]

To Mexico and beyond, beginning in a few days. Unsure how long the trip will be. May return early, after a few months, to hike another long trail in the US.

Updated figures for the end of year:

[Jiimmy]

I’m enjoying Mexico. My Spanish is not too bad! It feels good to understand and be understood most of the time.

I’m traveling a bit more quickly than I imagined. Typically three to seven nights in one place, then on a bus further south.

Sundays in Guadalajara are nice. They close many city streets to traffic from 8am to 2pm. Thousands come out to walk, run, skate, and bike.

[Frita]

Lots of great food in Guadalajara: posole, tortas ahogadas, charoles, tequila, Dulces Montes. If you like that stuff, enjoy for me!

[Humanofearth]

Great journal, I loved reading about your through hikes.

In Mexico, I found the Oaxacan coast to be my favorite area. The food, culture, and environment were very nice. Chiapas is the tropical south I hear good things about but haven’t yet visited. Enjoy your trip and travels.

One thing that may help is a Schwab or Fidelity debit card if you don’t have them already for the atm fee reimbursals.

[Jiimmy]

@Frita
I’ve tried the torta ahogada, yum! I see posole everywhere but have yet to try it, hopefully soon. What is a charole? I don’t think I’ve come across that one, and google didn’t seem to help either.

@HoE
Thanks for the tips! That gives me something to consider. I’m unsure what the path will be after Mexico City.

Maybe Oaxaca—Chiapas—Guatemala, or Veracruz—Yucatan—Belize—Guatemala. Though perhaps a loop, or some zigzagging coast to coast. Mexico is enormous.

[Frita]

@Frita
I’ve tried the torta ahogada, yum! I see posole everywhere but have yet to try it, hopefully soon. What is a charole? I don’t think I’ve come across that one, and google didn’t seem to help either.

Sorry about that, my proofreading and using my phone are less than skillful. Charales are little fish that are fried and served with lime and chile. https://www.vamonostomexico.com/mexican ... toma-fish/

Following along to check out your tour path…Guatemala has fabulous food too.

[Jiimmy]

Thanks! I’ll keep an eye out for them.

[Jiimmy]

Jan spending:

548 Lodging
337 Food, Drink, Museums, etc
153 Transit
163 Charity
37 Phone

1238 Total

Meh. Not bad, not good.

Obvious optimizations will occur if I transition from traveling-through to staying-put. I’m not sure when, or if, that will happen, but if it does:

Lodging could be cut in half. Several Airbnb properties I’ve stayed at are in the 250-350/mo range, furnished and with a full kitchen setup. The strategy might be to book a week first, to make sure it’s what I want, and to get a feel for the owner, then possibly we’ll cut out the middle man and work directly with each other.

Another option, to cut lodging entirely (and possibly some food costs), would be a work exchange. There are lots of interesting opportunities on workaway. The more I think about this route the more appealing it seems. Hostel volunteer will never happen, that seems torturous, but maybe helping on a farm, or building something. This would also scratch the insidious productivity itch.

[Western Red Cedar]

Lodging could be cut in half. Several Airbnb properties I’ve stayed at are in the 250-350/mo range, furnished and with a full kitchen setup. The strategy might be to book a week first, to make sure it’s what I want, and to get a feel for the owner, then possibly we’ll cut out the middle man and work directly with each other.

Another option, to cut lodging entirely (and possibly some food costs), would be a work exchange. There are lots of interesting opportunities on workaway. The more I think about this route the more appealing it seems. Hostel volunteer will never happen, that seems torturous, but maybe helping on a farm, or building something. This would also scratch the insidious productivity itch.

Keep us posted if the Airbnb strategy works out. I've been trying to figure out a strategy for booking monthly accommodations in advance, and getting the associated price cut, without actually seeing the apartment and getting a feel for the place first. In the past I used to show up at a bus/train station, let DW sit at a cafe with our backpacks, while I scouted out potential accommodations and haggled on the price. It is always nice to see a place and get a feel for the neighborhood.

Lately we've mostly used Airbnb's, though they are for shorter stays, but I'm not sure it is actually the best option.

Here is a thread on housesitting that might be of interest as an alternative to paid accommodations:

viewtopic.php?p=195910#p195910

Hope you are enjoying Mexico! I'd love to hear more details on the travel itinerary and your favorite spots if you are comfortable sharing that info.

[unemployable]

Hostel volunteer will never happen, that seems torturous

Hostels are like public transportation in that the worst thing about it is the other people.

Here is a thread on housesitting that might be of interest as an alternative to paid accommodations:

viewtopic.php?p=195910#p195910

What a genius idea to start that thread! I have been housesitting since October and discuss my experiences in my journal, starting with this post:

viewtopic.php?p=264229#p264229

[Jiimmy]

Hope you are enjoying Mexico! I'd love to hear more details on the travel itinerary and your favorite spots if you are comfortable sharing that info.

Of course! This is where I’ve been. I’ll notate the highlights.

Puerto Peñasco

Caborca
Notable in that I found a really good breakfast diner that opens at 5am. Restaurante Dueñas. Since my PCT hike I’ve been an early riser. An early breakfast is unique from what I’ve seen elsewhere. Generally I’m lucky to find one open before 9.

Hermosillo

Guaymas
The plazas were eerily empty. Later I made a friend on a bus who showed me news articles, day after day, about murders there.

Obregón

Los Mochis
A lovely place. I ignored the state department’s “do not travel” recommendation for the state of Sinaloa. I’m glad I did. Not sure what makes this town stand out, I guess just a general friendly feeling. Everyone was smiling and welcoming. Perhaps it was just that I had finally made it far enough away from the border zone to find a normal town. They also have a wonderful botanical garden/park. It’s huge.

Mazatlán
Beach resort/tourist vibe. This was the first place I heard others speaking English. I probably saw 30 Americans over three days. Great seafood, and an exceptionally beautiful historical city center. Plus there are some nice hills to climb to get the muscles working.

Tepic
Fun hike to the north. Cerro de la Cruz. And once again found a good breakfast diner, Azulcafe. Almost enough food for the entire day, for 70 pesos.

Laguna de Santa María del Oro
Hitchhiked with a mariachi band, and was given rides several other times without putting my thumb out. Stayed for a week at a pretty incredible property, Rancho Querencia, and got to know the owner a bit.

Guadalajara
Ahhh, the city. Smog and noise, but also invigorating activity and beauty. Good for a short visit, but I prefer the smaller towns and the countryside.

Lagos de Moreno
Quite nice. Narrow streets and older architecture, at least older than we’re used to in the U.S.

[theanimal]

Wow! Sinaloa, very cool. Thanks for sharing the highlights. Tienes huevos más grande que yo. Vete con cuidado y disfrútalo.

[AxelHeyst]

Another option, to cut lodging entirely (and possibly some food costs), would be a work exchange. There are lots of interesting opportunities on workaway. The more I think about this route the more appealing it seems. Hostel volunteer will never happen, that seems torturous, but maybe helping on a farm, or building something. This would also scratch the insidious productivity itch.

If/when I travel again, the general strategy of mixing <$500 monthly rentals with workaway/volunteer gigs sounds like a winner. Plenty of solo living time, plenty of being super engaged with other people and able to go deep... and being exposed to circumstances well outside of your control (who else shows up, etc).

[Western Red Cedar]

Very cool. This was similar to the itinerary for my first trip into Mexico. I spent about a week in Hermosillo with my friends family which was a blast even though the city isn't particularly geared towards tourists. I went inland from Los Mochis and took the train over copper canyon to Creel for some hiking and mountain biking, then spent 4-5 days down in the Canyon in Unique. I ended the trip in Puerto Vallarta, with stops in Mazatlan and San Blas. Lots of good memories!

Looking forward to hear more as you move south.

[Jiimmy]

Cool! I nearly took the train as well. Looks like a scenic journey.

[sodatrain]

Awesome stuff! Just read your whole journal. I'm new and learning...and love a lot of your spreadsheets. I think I'll be building some very similar! Especially the Expense, Income etc trackers year over year.

Congrats on the PCT. My cousin just did that - something like that is on my todo list once I'm done working.

I'm in Guatemala a bunch of the time... holler if you have any questions and am game to cross paths somehow if we are here at the same time!

[Jiimmy]

Whoa! Cool!

Plans are fluid, but I’ll likely visit Guatemala during the second half of March, and probably into April a bit as well.

Will spend some time with old friends in the Santa Rosa dept.

If it works, it would be great to meet up.

[sodatrain]

I should be here! I'll DM you.

[Jiimmy]

I’ve reached Oaxaca, and it’s lovely, but I’ve also reached a turning point.

It took just a bit over seven weeks to realize that I no longer prefer this form of travel; that is, moving from place to place every three to seven nights. This was the way I traveled 10 years ago, and I loved it, but I’ve changed. Now it just feels like an exercise in endless logistics!

Two (very different) travel styles that I’m excited about:

1) Much slower travel, like one to three months in each place. I’ve yet to do this, so it will be an experiment when it does happen, but I feel it would allow room to return to the activities that I enjoyed the most as a moss-gatherer (relationships, cooking, workout routine), while still being immersed in another language and exploring a new place.

2) Muscle powered movement (hiking or bicycling), with my camping gear. This is surprisingly not at all heavy on the logistics. It’s a very simple existence. Transportation (your legs), lodging (your tent), and food (what you packed) require zero thought. Water, and the resupply every few days, is the only real planning required.

I slept outdoors for roughly 140 nights in 2022. If I had to choose a “favorite thing” about my through hikes, this would be it. It simply felt right to sleep directly on the ground, rise and fall with the sun, and be surrounded by the sights and sounds and smells of the outdoors.

That being said, the occasional accommodation (two or three nights a month) was special too. A chance to fully wash up and sleep in and catch up with family and friends (and the internet).

Speaking of the internet, the forced break, thanks to finite battery power, was incredible, and I want more of that. It’s a huge time sink for me, but tough to kick.

It reminds me of when I quit smoking in my early 20s. I was so convinced that I had truly kicked the habit that I bought a pack of cigarettes, opened it, and put it on the counter in plain sight. My plan was to let them sit there without being touched for a month, and then throw them away. I smoked them all in a few days. That was sad, and I felt weak. I learned that my willpower has limits, and it’s best to just not be around certain things (like cigarettes, or sugar), and likewise, with the internet, it’s best to be in a situation where I don’t always have a high speed connection and a power outlet.

[ertyu]

I think the "just one and then I'll stop again" is a trap almost every smoker falls into the first time. I did, when I was quitting. Took me two tries precisely because I kept downplaying the "just another one" trap. Also see "well it's just green tea" -- I was back to my multiple cups a day coffee habit within 2 months. With sugar, it's "well, it's just fruit, fruit is good for you." You're absolutely right.