Nomadic-ERE Year 5 - Wanderlust Prevails

[2Birds1Stone]

Thanks, @thef0x the situation there has deteriorated even more since my last post......Poland has voiced plans to build up military to 500k and make military service for all able bodied males below a certain age mandatory, what that will look like is TBD.

We're going to play things by ear most likely, as I don't think things will escalate that much in the next 4-5 months, but you never know. I guess despite all of its current problems, the USA is looking much better for the time being.

@Zbigi, good listen and a reality to check for the dreamers for sure.......and even more so for my people in south eastern Poland.

@Stasher, thank you for the kind words. Maybe things will improve and you can make it down to Moab for the MMM thing

As far as visiting an Island in the PNW, that sounds amazing....and we do love dogs. I got to hang with Vik a bit at Moab last year and he also said that DW and I should visit. It looks like an amazing place to hike/ride/run......would be a bucket list experience for sure. I'll keep you abreast of our plans to head out west......maybe the stars do align. I also want to see WRC and his DW along the way.

@Chenda, we'll be there for 5 weeks from end of April till end of May, right in the middle of the Algarve.

@WRC......you're right. We will look for opportunities to make the most of this year......ain't no global political/economic meltdown ruining our lack of plans

[2Birds1Stone]

Do I have any ERE friends in south central Colorado?

[2Birds1Stone]

Well, the SE Asian chapter of our adventure is coming to an end. We have our final few days left in Vietnam and it's bittersweet.....

This trip to SE Asia was much less about moving around and exploring and much more time in each place. It allowed us to experience life here in a relaxed and mindful way. It also reaffirmed the notion that if we *had* to spend extended time outside of the USA it would easily fit into our WOG and general lifestyle. It's not all roses, as there's still a feeling of isolation when you're only in a place for a few months. But in the future, that can change if enough people choose the same place to build a community.

It's been amazing spending a month with Mr. and Mrs. Ego, seeing C40 again and linking up with another ERE forumite tomorrow.

Looking ahead, we're about to get a whirlwind experience in Japan for three weeks, followed by a long house/pet sit in Portugal which I'm very much looking forward to.

For Japan, we're flying into Osaka, spending 3 full days days there and then heading to Kyoto for 3 full days, followed by almost a week in Kanazawa and then our final 5 days will be in Tokyo. This is just a taste of Japan, a country that I hope we will be able to return to for a much longer adventure in the next couple of years......it's top of our list after hearing WRC and theFox's recent experiences, not to mention all of the good things Seppia has shared offline.

We're also formulating our plans for the rest of year, and still quite hopeful that Poland is a good option for us after we finish our house sit and do a little exploring in Western Europe in June. I would love to stay in the EU until mid August, fly back to the USA, buy a car and spend Sept-November in the western USA. We're looking into doing some housesitting during those months, in addition to visiting friends and family, with some camping and short term rentals thrown into the mix. I'm going to be in the midst of a very competitive athletic endeavor, so access to good gyms, good sleep and good food is paramount.

We would like to spend some time with ERE friends at 'fest, but depending on how late in the summer we return to the USA it may or may not be feasible....

Looking past this year, DW and I have had some long conversations about what we want to do in 2026, and we're in agreement that it will be a good year to take a pause on international travel (unless serendipity dictates otherwise) and focus on exploring our backyard (the USA/BC)......so that's what we're going to be teeing up for until then.

Be well friends.

[thef0x]

Enjoy the garden in Kanazawa! It's undeniably world class and worthy of multiple slow visits (with books/eReader and a snack). I also relished the train ride from Kyoto to Kanazawa; forests that almost look manicured, they're so vibrant and pristine.

Looking forward to hopefully connecting in 2026, maybe for some outdoor fun in your backyard!

[Stasher]

Well with all the beautiful photos and trip details WRC shared of Japan, you are set to have an awesome trip 2B1S, jealously excited for you. I watched an amazing bikepacking video of a couple guys touring the islands and it looks amazing from that vantage point. As mentioned, we would be more than happy to be a basecamp launch point if you decide to visit this part of BC.

[2Birds1Stone]

@thef0x, thanks for the tips! Kanazawa is our "stop and breathe" area after the hustle and bustle of Osaka and Kyoto and before Tokyo......so looking forward to the gardens and just people watching and enjoying being in a less crowded area.

@Stasher, I have to check that bikepacking video out. We've been here less than 24 hours and I can already tell that DW and I will want to come back for a much longer stay.

And thank you again for the offer on the launch pad, we would most definitely take you up on it when we come up your way.....plus it would be great to finally meet you in person and see some of these beautiful places you've documented/shared over the years both here and on the MMM boards.

Q1 Musings

Everyone seems to be doing financial updates this month, but I don't think I want to dive deeply into our numbers......suffice to say that the markets have been shit and we've lost a lot of money since December 1st......but on the bright side, our TTM spending is the lowest it's been in ~4 years.....and that's not even accounting for inflation. We're still cruising at a <2% WR but projections show it crossing 3% and possibly even 4% if we purchase a vehicle upon our return to the USA in second half of summer. That's the thing about low expenses.....one large purchase and poof the numbers blow up a bit.

Japan is really fucking expensive. Today I spent $34 on a 3-day gym pass.....and it was one of the cheapest options around.

The tax man is going to take ~$1,500 out of my bank account on April 15th, which will probably be our second largest expense this year after a vehicle.

Still, things could be worse.......I own 100% of my time and have the freedom to do just about anything I want, live anywhere in the world at any given time (within reason). What a time to be alive.

I see people OMYing it over some hope of a false sense of security that will never materialize and feel very blessed to have had the balls to walk away from the hands that fed me.

Goals for this quarter are to stay away from the news as much as possible and avoid looking at my investments.

Onwards and upwards!

[Stasher]

With all that is going on in news, no matter where you are in the world right now, a low information diet might be a good direction to go for the next short while. Once in a while I catch myself thinking how nice a new rugged AWD suv would be, or a house with a big garage or even just making the career working man money I did at one point in my life....but like you I reflect on the freedom our efforts have provided us with how we live our lives.

You've mentioned the perspective and unique outlook from your travels you have gained on the quality of life, privilege and wealth we have in North America that we don't realize because we are trapped in the bubble. We have no real frame of reference compared to the places you have traveled, I think this arms you mentally to know that even on the worts market day, you are amongst the most fortunate in the world.....heck we all are here in this forum for the most part.

Absolutely no problem being a launching pad if you visit the northern PNW, just the caveat of must like dogs lol.

[jacob]

With all that is going on in news, no matter where you are in the world right now, a low information diet might be a good direction to go for the next short while.

That only applies to those who live in protected bubbles. Someone who travels---I presume that means crossing borders---would currently be better served by paying attention to the risks they're taking. I understand that [paying too much attention] and worrying about things that are unlikely to affect them can result in amplified anxiety, but the opposite is [paying too little attention] and not being aware of things that could possibly and even plausibly affect them and proceed to get caught with their pants down can be worse.

[Stasher]

Great point Jacob, I would assume checking in on travel websites, government portals and trusted newspapers etc would be the norm. I guess where my comment was really directed is a "social media low information diet" which often leads to bad outcomes like eating crappy food can.

[C40]

I forgot to warn you about gyms in Japan. I had been looking forward to doing a powerman squatting routine in Japan, lifting about as much as possible since I wouldn't be riding there.

But it seemed reeeaaallly difficult to find gyms. I think Japanese people don't have a srength training culture much at all and it seems that the ones that do lift, they use personal trainers a lot. So, the format of gyms is very different with many of them being small gyms perhaps run by one personal trainer and they must have only one or a few people in there at a time by appointment. And at big gyms, memberships are set up administratively for full time residents, not for one-time or short term customers.

We finally did go to one (an Anytime fitness I think). Cost like $12 or $14 per person per day. So, when hotels did have decent gyms it was a big deal. I messed up by bringing only my really heavy workboots and my knees hurt from walking around so much in them without being use to it. My friend who is a pretty big and fat guy had some super comfortable lightweight trailrunning type shoes and his feet/legs felt perfect the entire trip. I was so envious

[2Birds1Stone]

Well hello there.....

I feel like I've been neglecting this journal a bit lately......maybe something about AI bots scrapping the forums for data has me a bit put off from sharing too much personal shit here these days.

Anyway......Japan was pretty dope, though the local lifestyle was a bit depressing. There is a crazy amount of live to work culture and keeping up with the Joneses. It's a beautiful country, with a lot of attention given to aesthetics in almost every aspect of life....it's also really really quiet and orderly....and clean. These were the positives we enjoyed the most. After a few weeks of reflection, I prefer SE Asia for a place to repeatedly return to, though DW and I did talk about going back to Japan to see some more of the country, especially the more rural areas in the north and south.

Started preparing for a couple of competitions this fall. I'll be doing a mix of drug tested and un-tested ones. The later for an opportunity to compete with two of my closest friends, one of whom is an IFBB pro Classic Physique pro, so we're doing a pro/am show with our third friend. The three wives are also good friends so it will be nice to spend a few days to a week together.

My weight peaked at ~206-207 lbs at the end of March, with 5 weeks of proper diet and training behind me, I'm sitting a hair under 199 lbs, and plan to compete in the <80kg division (176.25 lb)......I haven't done this since 2014, so the nostalgia is real. The first 10 lbs are boring, the middle 10 are fun to see the changes, and the last 10 will be a grind. Right now I'm in Portugal enjoying sunshine and beautiful spring surroundings for a few more weeks.

We've arranged our travel to Poland for the end of the month....and then back to the USA for the end of July.

A few weeks from now I'll celebrate my two year anniversary since leaving the corporate world for good........time freakin flies. I still can't believe we did it......the honeymoon phase isn't supposed to last this long, is it?

Happy Mother's Day to all the baby momma's out there!

-2B1S

[Stasher]

I remember the contest prep phase, the reward at the end is worth it but the foggy brain and feeling flat is a grind during the process. Hang in there, you got this!

The idea that AI Bots are scrapping data is kinda frustrating and worrisome. I know this is a public forum but it always feels a lot safer and more intimate than social media so I tend to forget there is a big crazy world out there.

Happy almost two years woohoo

[Lemur]

@2B1S

You’re living the life

Good luck with the upcoming BB competition. I’d be much interested in details of the grind portion of the cut if you care to post those in the future.

[2Birds1Stone]

Thanks @Stasher & Lemur!

Has it already been a month since the last update? Wow, time flies.

We have been in Poland almost 2 weeks now, nice and settled in here. Got to see a ton of family and friends, joined our favorite gym, dusted off the bikes and have been enjoying the amazing food (cooking ourselves 97% of the time)...The weather has been much cooler than in Portugal (and SE Asia, obviously) which has been a nice change. I love brisk mornings that make for pleasant walking. We're right on the long park that goes up and down the river separating the city into two halves. It's very green and peaceful with a good amount of wild life.

Besides spending as much time with family and friends, hitting the orchard to harvest cherries and currant, we've been in the gym 6 days a week. Training is going really well. I used the change in gyms to do a deload for a few days and switch up my routine a bit to take advantage of some equipment that's unique to this particular location. It's going to be a fruitful 7 week mesocycle for sure.

I've been locked in on the nutrition front, and very pleased with the fat loss thus far. This mornings rolling 7-day average weight is 193.0, so I'm inching down week by week. The nutrition strategy is very simple, and pretty much guaranteed to do what it's intended to do (lose fat and preserve muscle and training performance) without too much effort on my part. I'm past the easy 10 lbs, and well into the "fun" 10 lbs of progress where visual changes are appearing almost daily. Using a combination of visual estimates and waist circumference/skin fold measurements I'm sitting right around 9% body fat.

There's already a whole thread on "what to eat for weight loss" so I'm not sure if anyone is interested in the deets on nutrition, but if so I'm happy to dive into it.

Anyway.......a lot of plans for the coming few weeks with some friends from the USA visiting for 10 days, my parents arriving in town tomorrow and with the Polish school year ending on June 26th, some short day trips planned with friends/cousins and their kiddos planned for July.

Be well friends.