From the "land time forgot" dept.

Hi Stranger!

I reckon it's time to do more than post pictures.  Here's an actual update:

I've been in Nova Scotia for about three months now and time has come to a standstill.

Don't get me wrong. The weather is nice (after a horrid spring) and I've had the chance to visit with lots of old friends.  But I'm kind of trapped.  I don't have a car and there is no transportation to/from my adopted village of 750.

Most days I just work on the computer or read.  I've read a lot.  It used to take me months to get through a book, now I finish one in a week.  There is a reason for that, too.  I don't want to take any books with me when I travel down south this fall.  I'm going to buy an e-book reader and leave all my tomes behind.

But back to the present.

Another reason life has been slow is due to a substantial drop in work.  I've got sweat-equity projects, but nothing that's bring in cold, hard cash.  My bank balance is dropping.  Thankfully my expenses are low.

There had been a television opportunity, but it suddenly blew up.  I won't get into it here, but suffice it to say that I'm not going to be doing any TV work this summer.

Another factor in my exile is the cost of rental cars.  Last month I could get a car for a week from the only rental agency in the area (about 50k from Pugwash) for $185/week all in.  That's pretty good.  And the last car I had, a Ford Fiesta, was really good on gas.  Just $40 a tank.  But even those numbers start to add up.  

Imagine my surprise when I looked at rental cars just a few days ago.  The price per week has effectively doubled.  And not just in this part of Nova Scotia -- everywhere across the province.  Damn!

But there is some good news.  

For the last few months I've been on what is basically a low carb/high protein diet.  The first month and a half the weight loss was slow.  But then I made some modifications -- meaning that I've actually started following the diet.  And what do you know?  It worked.  From June 1 to July 29, 2011 I've dropped 12.2 pounds with little exercise.  But after changing things up, I've dropped 5.4 pounds in the last 7 days.

How?

Well, I don't eat any sugar, carbs or anything white six days a week.  When I rise in the morning the first thing I do is slam a litre of ice water mixed with protein powder.  Not fun -- but it tricks the body into thinking it's cold, essentially stoking the furnace.  I use protein powder because the thought of eating eggs everyday turns me green.  The powder is chocolate flavoured, so it's not too vile.  And it's an easy way of ingesting 30-40g of protein.  Then I'm good to drink my coffee and eat later, when I actually feel like eating.

The rest of the day is full of veggies, hummus, chicken, pork, beef, etc.  I make a big pot of chilli once a week and nosh on that whenever I'm hungry.  Easy.  And I avoid alcohol.  Less easy.  

Here's the bonus, though:  Saturday is my day off.  Essentially it is a day to reset your body -- to keep it from adjusting to this new way of eating.  You can eat anything and as much of it as you want.  Last Saturday I had fish and chips, beer, cider, and 6 pieces of toast with Cheez Whiz.  It's good motivation to know that once a week you can eat/drink delicious carbs.  

What happened?  The weight spiked for a few days and then fell off.  As I mentioned earlier, I lost 5.4 pounds after my cheat day.

Tomorrow is cheat day again.  I'm planning on a couple of beer, pizza and bread.  And lots of it.  And we'll see if I have a similar result next week.

It's almost August 1 and I'm starting to look ahead to the fall.  I still planning to return to Guatemala unless there is a reason not to.  My hope is that the sweat equity projects begin producing some dividends.  Passive income has always been the dream, but still isn't the reality.  

More to come...

from the "house hunting" dept.

So...

I've been Guatemala for nearly six weeks.  If you've been following along, you'll know that this wasn't planned.

I've been living in a $6 a night hotel (2 beds, cable TV, hot shower, free pure water) that's reasonably quiet.  Although the cleaning staff start sweeping around 7am.  And the third floor is under construction.  But other than that, it's quiet.

I've been thinking about another place to live, as I'll likely be here for a while.  Cost really isn't a factor.  Noise is.  In the developing world, there is lots of noise.  One has to be careful in one's long term housing selection.

There are so many sources of noise, especially early in the morning.  In no particular order, they are:

- Loud televisions
- Loud stereos
- Evangelical churches
- Chicken buses
- Delivery trucks
- Schools
- Dogs
- Roosters
- Cantinas
- Stone chippers
- Construction
- TukTuks

It is all but impossible to find a home without several of the above.  And that's where I find myself:  Looking for a quiet place conducive to working from home (writing, website stuff).  Do I tempt fate and trade the devil I know for the devil I don't?

On Tuesday I plan to look at a 2-bedroom bungalow with a kitchen.  It's cheap ($212/mo) and conveniently located.  I'd save a ton of cash because I'd be able to cook at home.  But, at the same time, I may lose what peace and quiet I have already. 

But I suppose I will roll the dice with caution.  Rent the bungalow for a week as a test.  And keep my hotel room as a back-up.

And you thought living in the tropics was easy!  Ha!

Cheers!

Goodbye Moo...

Moo: Good Dog

One of my former housemates from Vancouver has passed.  She took care of the burglars and the big mean kitties -- all in exchange for walkies, crunchies and love. 

Goodbye Misty Moo... 

.

from the "time machine" dept.

A book of dreams? Of history? Or just junk?

Despite my constant wanderings, I still keep a large storage unit just outside of Vancouver. It's big -- 7'x9'x7' -- and it's packed with the remainders (and reminders) of my material life.

There is some stuff in it that needs to go, like old furniture. There's some stuff that I want to keep, like travel souvenirs and books. And there's some stuff I have to keep, like 7 years of tax paperwork.

As much as I'd like to do away with it all, I can't. Due to the amount of stuff I have squirreled away and the logistics of paring it all down, the path of least resistance is to just keep it in storage for 100 bucks a month. For now, anyway.

Sadly, I totally fall into the storage company's business plan. Sucka!

Last weekend I went to visit my stuff at its home in a big warehouse in Delta, BC. I opened up my storage container and was nearly crushed by a cascade of cardboard boxes overflowing with reminders of my previous adventures, of which there have been a few. Paintings from Ghana. Sand from Malta. Beer cans from Portugal.

I wasn't visiting my stuff to risk life and limb or to take a stroll down a junky memory lane. No, I was looking for some specific stuff to take with me to Mexico at the end of the month: hiking shoes, rain gear and other assorted bits and pieces that I want to have down south.

In one big Rubbermaid tub, I spotted a thick black book. A Daytimer. The faux leather was cracked and pieces of paper stuck out from between its pages. Feeling like Indiana Jones, I blew off a layer of non-existent dust and threw it open.

Inside was a treasure trove of a past life. Specifically from the years 1996 and 1997, when, at a tender young age, I:

- Quit my job at CKY TV, Winnipeg
- Decided to travel to Bosnia to produce a documentary
- Went freelance and turned down an investment opportunity with Frantic Films (d'oh!)
- Moved to Vancouver to start a new television station (now CTV BC)

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Anyway... Inside the front cover, a clear pocket held a mix of memories. Vancouver Television business cards, notes from girlfriends (!) past, and a label from a long ago enjoyed Moosehead beer. But this was just the beginning. There were more old business cards, a yellowed Far Side cartoon and lists of phone numbers of current and not so current friends.

My favourite Far Side panel

Pages and pages of people, places and long forgotten important reminders including hockey games, Spanish lessons and fancy dinners in L.A.

Hangin' with Wolfie, no doubt.

I'd intended to toss the whole collection into the trash. But in my ongoing struggle to banish stuff my life, I find I win some battles and lose others. This one may be lost.

Can I really toss out a phone list from 1992? A stamp from the United Nations post office in New York? My Halifax and Dartmouth library cards?

Flotsam and Jetsam

A pragmatist would say yes. But I think I'll say no. Not because these bits and pieces in and of themselves mean much. But because taken together, they mark a major transition in my life when I quit a full-time job and travelled to distant lands before starting a fresh, new chapter.

Sort of like today.

from the "a (small) change in plans" dept.

Thursday, August 26, eh? Crazy.

One day of work left. Two sleeps in Edmonton left. Crazy.

It's been a busy week: Getting stuff ready, looking after a house, garden, two cats and a dog, plus training my replacement.

Now that I've cycled up the big hill, it's time to coast down the other side. Work should be easy on Friday with cleaning out my stuff and submitting forms. I believe all my work related communication tools will expire at 5. Whatever.

Because it's rainy season in Southern Mexico, I've decided to delay my departure from Canada by nearly four weeks. No sense rushing down there for the cold and wet when the best time of year (fall) is almost upon our great Dominion.

I'm still beating a hasty retreat from Edmonton on Saturday. I'll hang in Calgary/Cochrane for a few days. And then I'll rent a (cheap) car and drive to Vancouver for a bit of work, a bit of play and a whole lot of organizing. If the planets align, I hope to spend a night or two in the Tofino area getting spiritual and eating my face off at Sobo (you had me at deep fried polenta).

I wish I could fit in some Galiano time, but my cottage of choice is booked solid. Boo.

No matter. A bit of transition is in order and I'll be heading south on Sept 25. A little poorer, but a lot more relaxed and ready to work for me and my future.

I can't wait!

The End Justifies the Dreams

I've never been one to accept the status quo (at least for more than a year). Life is an adventure, and I intend to live it. And now that I have made my decision to leave Edmonton at the end of October, new opportunities are popping up like wild oats.

If you've been playing the home game, you know that there have been a lot of questions about my next steps. I've been asking those too.

The reason for the return to life unstructured is simple: Building passive income from internet based business. Wanderism.com is a start -- but there are many additional ideas to explore. It's too hard to be an entrepreneur while working full time. And now that I've devoured What Would Google Do by Jeff Jarvis, I'm inspired and focused and chomping at the bit.

And that leads us to the decision part: Where to next?

It is important to keep overhead low while I work on this internet stuff. There may be zero income for some time. A lot of sweat equity is required but the payoff will be huge: freedom.

After I leave Edmonton in the fall, I plan to go to Vancouver to get my ducks in a row. Address changes, storage sorting and meetings with business partners and internet gurus.

And then the options:

1. I'm waiting to hear if I'm the successful candidate for a gig authoring a guidebook about Belize. If I get it, I'll move to Belize for six months or so. Break out the One Barrel!

2. Return to San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala and/or Chiapas, Mexico. Both offer a great climate, interesting people and low overhead.

3. I've been asked to housesit in Australia (Brisbane). This is at the top of the list, but depends on what happens with the guidebook project.

4. Move back to West Africa to work on a roving news bureau. I see doing this in 2011, but it could be moved up.

5. Make Halifax my base of Canadian operations next spring.

So: Lots of options. Some compatible with each other. Some that require serious long term commitment.

Options are good. They make life interesting. And, once November rolls around, I'll be ready to start living life again -- this time with a wad of cash tucked in my jeans.

Remember: You have but one life to live. Follow your bliss -- it won't steer you wrong.

from the "I've heard this tune before" dept.

Old Man Winter Rides In Style

Well, it's time for another big change, even though these big changes no longer feel very big.

This is my last night in Vancouver for a while. And while my destination and new home for the next year isn't quite as distant as Guatemala or Ghana, Edmonton will surely be an adventure. Especially with old man winter set to pay a visit.

Also, it will be a medium-sized change going from the loosey-goosey world of tropical freelance writing to a structured job in a television newsroom.

But life is a series of adventures and a year in Edmonton is the next one.

It's funny that, after these past two weeks in Vancouver, I think that I will really miss this city. It's the first time I've ever felt that. But after 12 years here, I guess it does get into your blood.

And I'll be back for the Olympics. How could I miss that?

And with that, good night! The next post here will be from Edmonton. Please stay tuned!

Cheers!