Western Red Cedar's Journal

[Ego]

Just like a bad back or a minor addiction, big dreams are great at distracting productive people from the emptiness of productive life. The more complex and unreasonable the better.

A few will even rise to the occasion and do it because they said they would.

This phenomenon may be the best advertisement for semi-ERE, where one has freedom enough to gradually, organically evolve into a life rather than the sharp delineation, before/after, that comes with the more trad retirement.

[NewBlood]

Dreaming about starting a homestead? Take a couple months to volunteer on a couple farms and/or homesteads to see how you like it. Thinking about hiking the PCT? Try to go out for a couple weeks and see what you think. Bikepacking to Patagonia? Maybe ride across your state first. Want to write a novel? Try a few short stories first and submit them to some writing groups.

I think it is easy to romanticize certain lifestyles, goals or activities; but experimentation is a good way to rule out what isn't a good fit before investing too much cognitive energy or financial resources.

Thanks for your travel updates and reflexions WRC! This was the extra nudge I needed to look into WOOFing in home country. In my mind WOOFing was for younguns looking for cheap travel abroad, but it looks like there are cool-looking places close to where I'd like to settle offering potentially very good learning experiences and that most people leaving reviews are not international 20 somethings but locals of all ages.

[Western Red Cedar]

Thanks for your journal update! After some searching I found ebook versions of Loney Planet and Rough Guide books. That should solve the weight problem!

Thank you. My digital library (libby app) actually has the lonely planet guides on hand as well. I checked one out before I left, but forgot about it until recently.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with digital books while on the road. I love having access to so much content (and it is free), but I already spend a lot of time on my iPad, so it is painful sometimes to spend so much time on a screen. I'd be ashamed to post my weekly screen times since I started this trip.

@theanimal - thanks for the recommendation on the Footprint Handbook. I'll probably dig more deeply into some of the digital guidebooks available through Libby in the future. I think I'm still adjusting to modern slow-travel in the digital age. There is so much more content, some of which is quite valuable, online now versus 10-15 years ago. The experience of travel is also quite different, as Smartphones, apps, and cheap data make communication and booking rooms, busses, trains or flights much easier. I used to navigate each location with a physical map and would find my room on foot while DW sat in a cafe with our bags. This is all to say, I'm officially old now

@AH and @mf - good points on prototyping and design consideration. The tricky thing with design is that as a noob, it can be hard to know where to start.

While I think small experiments are probably best for many people, I suspect some people respond well to audacious goals as well. Earlier on the trip I read To Shake the Sleeping Self, which was a book about a bikepacking trip from Oregon to Patagonia. The author was quite ill-prepared for the trip and initially couldn't even ride with the weight on his bike (took an hour in the parking lot to figure things out). He ultimately made it though. Part of his drive to do so was the big dream.

I still think most people would probably do well with some form of experimentation, but maybe taking the big leap is necessary in certain circumstances?

@Newblood - I'm glad the post served as inspiration. You can check out @axelheysts journal or blog for some more detailed experiences with workaday. Not exactly WWOOFing, but a similar setup. A few of the Back to the Land/Permaculture YouTubers I've watched strongly recommended taking some extended time with this approach to learn from others and test out the lifestyle.

I would be curious if any other observations like this pop up over your travel. Please share!

Definitely a lot of thoughts and observations. Unfortunately I have less time these days to journal online, but I'll add to the list at some point. I should have more downtime on the next two legs of the trip.

A few will even rise to the occasion and do it because they said they would.

I've actually used public announcements to motivate myself to do uncomfortable things throughout my life. I'm not sure if this is a great method, but I realized it was a personal life hack early on. It was one of the main reasons I ended up moving to Asia in my early twenties.

This phenomenon may be the best advertisement for semi-ERE, where one has freedom enough to gradually, organically evolve into a life rather than the sharp delineation, before/after, that comes with the more trad retirement.

Well said.

[AxelHeyst]

I still think most people would probably do well with some form of experimentation, but maybe taking the big leap is necessary in certain circumstances?

For sure, I agree. Also, a lot of people are in a situation where they don't have adequate room for decent experiments due to FTE - their options are a small handful of three-day weekends a year, which can be almost worthless, or save up to quit and Do the Big Thing like Jedediah Jenkins. (I *really* liked To Shake the Sleeping Self and often think about/draw parallels to parts of his journey.)

This varies by personality, but I also wish our culture was better at celebrating big failures that aren't ruinous. I'm thinking of e.g. people who dream about, plan, and save up to do the PCT for years, and then they get halfway through the Sierras and realize "I am not a hiker." What an epic fail! How wonderful! (I'm thinking of a story I heard of a woman who had a scary night in the High Sierra where she made a couple small mistakes, got wet and cold in a storm, and triggered her SPOT, and they basically said "well we can't get to you tonight, you're gonna have to make it to morning". And she did. I also have a number of medium-sized failures that I'm really proud of.)

[Western Red Cedar]

I was reading this from Atomic Habits this morning and it seemed germane to the discussion on experimentation, prototypes, goals, and failures.

"Achieving a goal only changes your life for the moment. That's the counterintuitive thing about improvement. We think we need to change our results, but the results are not the problem. What we really need to change are the systems that cause those results. When you solve problems at the results level, you only solve them temporarily. In order to improve for good, you need to solve problems at the systems level. Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves.

The implicit assumption behind any goal is this: 'Once I reach my goal, then I'll be happy.' The problem with a goal-first mentality is that you're continually putting happiness off until the next milestone....Furthermore, goals create an 'either-or' conflict: either you achieve your goal and are successful or you fail and you are a disappointment. You mentally box yourself into a narrow version of happiness. This is misguided. It is unlikely that your actual path through life will match the exact journey you had in mind when you set out. It makes no sense to restrict your satisfaction to one scenario when there are many paths to success.

A systems-first mentality provides the antidote. When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don't have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running. And a system can be successful in many different forms, not just the one you first envision.

The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It's not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement....You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

-James Clear

[suomalainen]

That is lovely. Thanks for sharing.

[Ego]

Great quote WRC.

Similar to the challenges of living in a house while renovating it or rewriting code while the program is running, I find it difficult to see all of the options and make big changes while the system is running. I need to look at it from outside to see all of the options available.

[AxelHeyst]

Excellent quote, thanks wrc. I think it also pairs nicely with Cal Newport's latest episode "Don't Set Big Goals". One of his points in that episode is that it is unlikely that you can imagine a goal/future scenario for yourself that is better/more interesting/etc than what a nicely constructed life-system that exposes you to serendipity etc will emergently produce for you. In other words, the world is a more complex and interesting place that we can imagine, literally, and so you'll have better results dropping the notion of consciously thinking up specific big goals.

[7Wannabe5]

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

Not as uplifting if I consider the implications for the disadvantaged children I tutor.

[Western Red Cedar]

June Update:

I spent the month of May in Bali, Indonesia. Having never traveled to Indonesia, it immediately sparked a feeling of novelty and discovery that I haven't experienced in a long time. It felt like a beautiful amalgamation of India and SE Asia. Highlights included extremely friendly locals, observing their dedication to daily spiritual and religious practices, the beaches, the jungle, the natural environment, the food, the coffee, the art, and random conversations with locals and other travelers. A couple weeks after arriving, I started getting up before sunrise so I could hike through the rice paddies, along ridges, or down the beach before the heat became too cumbersome. I selected a homestay in Ubud specifically with good access to a few different trails, and that turned out to be a wise decision. DW and I would often venture out near sunset as well, trying to find a restaurant that overlooked the fields, jungle, or ocean.

The experience also provided the most visible example of the negative impacts of tourism on the social and environmental foundation of the community thus far on my trip. Like other tourist hotspots (Tulum, Venice, Lisbon, etc.), it is being loved to death. Residential development has been moving at a torrid pace over the last few decades, to the extent that what were once identifiable villages and subareas have sprawled into something else. The transportation infrastructure hasn't kept pace, so popular areas experience constant gridlock. The federal government has developed policies to promote and increase more tourism as an economic development strategy, but the huge demand creates long-term problems for water availability, electricity, and food staples grown on the island. Every time I traveled in a car (three times in a month), I thought I never wanted to come back. Then I would settle into an apartment or homestay, and had great experiences on foot.

With all this said, there are some glimmers of hope.. There seems to be a concerted effort to reduce single-use plastics. Everywhere we stayed had filtered water or options to refill a water bottle. The government also recently imposed a 10% tourist tax at most restaurants. Small, local Warungs are exempt, so the tax is primarily impacting tourists. The tax is supposed to be geared towards environmental projects and managing growth. This seems like a pretty good policy-solution, in my opinion, as it probably generates much more than a flat fee upon entry and doesn't directly impact the locals or their businesses. In addition, I saw a number of businesses, some extremely large, that were attempting to serve as examples for how to run an ecologically, net-positive operation. I talked to architects and observed designs focused on bamboo construction, to develop aesthetically pleasing, robust structures with quick-growing local materials.

The Island is also large and there are plenty of options to avoid the chaos. The country is much larger and there are even more options to avoid the crowds and have a completely different experience. We plan on returning to Indonesia, but to a different set of islands.

I also realized just how much I love photography while in Bali, and that simply traveling, staying present, and taking beautiful pictures is enough for me to feel fulfilled on many days. I took a lot of photographs in May. These aren't the best, but here are a few from my meanderings:

Sunset Walk with a Happy Dog:



Early Mornings among the rice fields:



Local Farmer w/ Scythe:



A Boy and Bird go Fishing at Sunrise:



I Want to Ride My Bicycle:




DW and I have spent the last few weeks in Kuala Lumpur. We got a larger, nicer condo for our stay so we could slow down, cook more, workout regularly and have a comfortable place to avoid the heat and thunderstorms. We've been watching some wild storms from 400+ feet up in the condo, and somehow landed across the street from the second largest building in the world - so the cityscapes are pretty epic. The rent averaged at $42 per night, which is the most we've paid on the trip, but we are still staying close to our $67 budget target per day as we are cooking more and have some cheap, local options nearby. We have an amazing Indian restaurant down the block, and can get a feast for $4-5. DW has finally found her beloved Ghee Dosas, at on .75 cents each rather than the $5-10 that we see elsewhere (if we can even find them). I can get a healthy serving of Tandoori chicken for $1.90, with a large plate of veggie fried rice for a dollar.

The city and experience feel quite different than other areas in Asia. It is one of the most multicultural cities I've ever seen. Perhaps somewhat similar to London or New York. One of my favorite experiences here was stumbling across a local community building. It had nine floors, and supported a wide array of businesses and artists at what I'm assuming were competitive lease rates. There were probably at least a hundred different small art studios and galleries, along with small museums, maker spaces, used book stores, reading nooks, clothing stores, small restaurants, cafes, co-working spaces, event spaces, and more. A few of the exhibits were extensive and filled entire floors of the building. We went back three times so we had the adequate energy to dedicate to all of the exhibits.

KL Cityscape:

[2Birds1Stone]

Really enjoyed your recap of Bali and Indo, and it appears you had a more balanced experience than we did just staying in Ubud almost the whole time.

The pictures are amazing, you have an incredible eye for artistic shots. Is there any way to monetize these? (not that that's a goal of yours, I'm just curious)

[delay]

Thanks for the journal update and the beautiful pictures. I thought the white buildings in Kuala Lumpur were an oversized church, but it looks like those are the Petronas Towers, the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004. Petronas is an oil and gas company, so it's kind of like a church to petroleum capitalism!

[sodatrain]

Wow, great stuff @WRC! Reading about your travels and seeing your beautiful photos reminds me of my short two weeks in Vietnam. I absolutely loved it, other than the heat! At the time, it was certainly the sweatiest I've ever been. But the people were so friendly, the food so delicious. I hope to slow travel the area for a few months down the road. Appreciating the thoughts and photos for sure! Keep em coming when you can. I'm drooling thinking about all the different varieties of spring rolls ....

[Western Red Cedar]

@2B1S - You actually did me a favor by lowering my expectations for Bali. I wasn't expecting much after hearing about your experience, but found a lot of value and met both interesting locals and foreigners there. The quality of the food was really impressive, and I loved a lot of little details around every corner - prayer offerings in homemade banana leaf boxes, shrines, Hindu statutes adorned with flower necklaces, a variety of wildlife, dogs that wandered between bars and restaurants, etc...

I'm not really sure about monetizing photography, but fortunately I'm in a place where that isn't necessary. The art form has been devalued as a result of everyone having constant access to a high-quality camera in their pockets. I have listened to a few podcasts with different professionals to generate ideas. I've thought about setting up a website where I write and publish photographs, as a means to build on my hobbies and make new professional connections. I just want to make sure I'm committed to following through before setting it up.

@sodatrain - I've been a sweaty mess for the last five months . Where did you go in Vietnam?

@delay - My pleasure. I made a trip to the Petronas Towers, but couldn't justify the cost of going up for the view as I had a pretty stellar view from my AirBnB rooftop. DW and I stayed for what was one of the more underwhelming water and light shows in front of the towers.

[Western Red Cedar]

DW and I have been settling into Chiang Mai, Thailand. We were hoping to benefit from changes to the Thai visa policies that will allow a two-month entrance upon arrival, but the rollout has been a bit slower than anticipated so we only have a month in Thailand. Nonetheless, we are thoroughly enjoying our time here and thrilled to be back among the warm Thai culture and friendly locals. Our room for the month is $519, so this is the first month DW and I could get to $500 per person on the trip. We are happy slowing down lately, and I could see how it would be easy to spend $500-750 per month/per person in many parts of Asia for a rich and fulfilling life here without much sacrifice. We were moving quickly earlier in the trip, which adds a financial and cognitive cost.

I splurged on a $48 monthly gym membership which is probably the most I've spent, but the space is excellent. It is definitely money well spent. DW opted for a 10-day yoga pass for $45, and said it is really high-quality. The options for food here are endless, but I don't think we've spent more than $7-8 per person for a meal yet. So...we'll see where we are at in four weeks.

I am wiped out from a self-organized, mountain trek to two Buddhist temples that started at 6:30 am this morning. A couple thousand feet of elevation gain through the Thai jungle, with a symphony of cicadas and birdsong, and breaks at beautiful holy sites, stupas, caves, and sculptures made for a great day. I shared the trail with hundreds of students from Chiang Mai University who hold an initiation/celebration every year for their freshman class in which the incoming class hikes up the mountain while the upperclassmen cheer them on and pass them refreshments. It was really cool to share that experience with them, and another reminder that it pays to get out of bed and into the sunshine.

I hopped off the Monk's Trail to check out this river on the initial leg of the hike. It is hard to describe the explosion of sound from the natural environment. It is easy to see why the Monk's find such serenity while sitting peacefully for just a few minutes.



Monks at Wat Pha Lat:





This is one of the most lovely well-houses I've seen. Certainly nicer than what we have at the shire in the PNW:




Straight up the mountain with kids half my age. I had the brilliant idea to do a fasted hike. I was completely gassed shortly after starting the second leg, and feasted on boiled eggs w/ soy sauce and salmon onigiri from 7-11.




The second temple was a tourist destination, and I was completely drenched in sweat, sharing nods and glances of respect for those I saw on the trail that hiked from the bottom of the mountain. It is currently rainy season, so I was happy to make the most of an open weather window. I'll add some photos when later when I have a chance to upload them.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep:





Views of Chiang Mai from the top:



*ETA photos from the hike

[ertyu]

So far, where would you say had the best cost/benefit ratio in terms of niceness of city/environment vs cost

[OutOfTheBlue]

Enjoy your stay there!

I'll come back to Thailand in September.

There are some excellent "jay"(the local term for vegan/vegetarian) often "buffet style" restaurants in Chiang Mai. And in general the food is great for sure.

The city is quite walkable, but renting a (motor)bike offers several advantages, especially when it comes to exploring various places around without booking tours and the like. If you drive, I also highly recommend doing the Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon - Mae Chaem - Mae Sariang - Khun Yuam - Mae Hong Song - Pai - Chiang Mai loop at some point, taking it slow.

I quite liked Chiang Mai, stayed two months there, but in the end it is a city, which can feel a bit limiting at times even if there is great nature not too far from there. In this regard, Pai (120 km from there) has my preference. it's quite popular, so I was afraid it would be too touristy (which is not my scene), but no, it's pretty laid back, has places to be with people and places to be quiet, many activities, and has a bit of everything for everyone (and almost everything for me, except, well the sea and a big super market for some ingredients, although you can always order online.

Looking forward to your photos, I too enjoy them!

[ffj]

Oh wow, nice photography! It was a pleasure to look at your adventures.

Side note: my wife and I splurge at a fancy Japanese restaurant each week and the majority of the staff are Indonesian. They have to be the nicest people I have ever met and the service is excellent. And I think their disposition is genuine, not because they want a larger tip. I don't know that I would enjoy the oppressive humid heat from their part of the world but the small sampling of their people I've encountered may make me visit anyway.

Happy travels!

[Western Red Cedar]

So far, where would you say had the best cost/benefit ratio in terms of niceness of city/environment vs cost

I'd say Da Nang or Nha Trang, Vietnam. Both are fairly large cities, but have very nice beaches and access to beautiful natural areas a short distance from the city. Air quality is pretty important to DW, and cities like this near the ocean tend to have better air quality, and also run a bit cooler than other places in the region. You could probably rent an apartment in either place for $200-300 per month. Each have outstanding food options from expat chefs, in addition to really good local restaurants. The coffee culture is also amazing there. Hoi An would be a good option for someone interested in a much smaller city, or possibly Ubud.

A lot of it really comes down to personal preferences and priorities though. DW and I enjoy cities, and gravitate towards walkable neighborhoods with a lot of restaurants and amenities. Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur were interesting and dynamic cities, but probably a bit too large and hot for a long-term stay for our preferences.

If I were comfortable driving a scooter or motorbike, my recommendation might be completely different, as it would open up areas outside of the city. Fortunately Grab is very affordable, so we can take trips a few times a week without worrying about the budget.

It is also probably worth noting that this analysis, and the trip, is coming from a WL5 optimization/geographical arbitrage perspective. If we were thinking about teaching English or volunteering somewhere, and thus cutting costs while building stronger local ties and meeting other goals, I'd probably have yet another answer.

Oaxaca, Mexico; Antigua, Guatemala; Lake Atitlan Guatemala; Darjeeling, India; and Pokhara, Nepal are a few other budget-friendly options from my earlier days. I'm sure they've all changed a lot though.

[Western Red Cedar]

@ffj - thanks for the kind words! One of the great things about traveling here is the exposure to cultures that are so different from my own. I had multiple people approach me on the beach in Indonesia, and I naturally had my guard up, wondering what they were trying to sell or their particular angle. They were just out for a stroll and wanted to make sure we were enjoying their Island. DW and I had some of our best photos as a couple at a beautiful sunset beach during one of these encounters. I was ashamed to think during the experience that this really friendly young guy might try running off with my phone, and it was a good opportunity for self-reflection.

@OOTB - thank you! Thailand holds a special place in my heart and I've enjoyed revisiting it 15+ years down the road. Unfortunately I don't drive a motorbike, which seems to open up a lot of options here.

It is funny you mentioned Pai, because I rally wanted to visit for a week or two. I've hit a point in the trip where I'm finally comfortable (and probably happier) just staying in the same spot for 3-4 weeks (or longer) and accepting I won't be able to see it all. We skipped the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, and will skip other spots in Northern Thailand, in exchange for a little more routine. One nice benefit is that it saves quite a bit of money and eliminates a little of the travel-related stress.

Vietnam was so affordable that we could stay in nice hotels and move around regularly within our budget. It was great visiting more places and cities, but it is also really nice to have a kitchen, establish some routines, workout in a nice gym everyday, and not worry about bus schedules or reviews for a particular hotel. Earlier this year we were in a mindset that prioritized novelty, and we are probably shifting towards one of balance.