January 22, 2024
Day Phnom 2: The Load Begins to Lighten
That was one of the best sleeps I had in months, it was pure bliss. Waking up to beautiful sunshine and 30 degree temperatures, I went exploring around the neighborhood and then updated my budget by the poolside.
It had been months since a proper budget review and things were starting to go sideways again. It was becoming more and more of a headache trying to account for this thing and that thing since August. With all these multiple accounts it was getting too complex, so I made the executive decision to reset the budget. By that I don't mean deleting all past transactions, but rejigging how to do this going forward.
One thing I grasped better is that the purpose of a sinking fund is to save for future expenses, and not just mirror bank accounts. For example I might have a sinking fund for the upcoming Canada and US trip which could be drawn from one than one funding source.
Next was a thorough unpacking and sorting of all my pannier bags. Tremendous progress was made on that and I started attacking the first stage of clutter removal: one yearbook digitized and thrown into the trash. All it takes is one to get the momentum going.
By then it was time for an online meeting with my life coach back in Shanghai, in fact the last of the session. He did a marvelous job consolidating all my three major goals into a sequence of milestones starting now and working forwards for the next 18 months. Just seeing that roadmap in front of me made me realize these were not impossible dreams, they were actionable steps. In other words, I have what it takes to make these goals happen.
Not wanting to stop this momentum, I got out the awkward folding bike bag and cycled to the post office. The plan was to mail this ahead of me to the Sananwan guesthouse in Bangkok. The staff were very friendly and professional and got it all sorted for $40 in about a week delivery. Once that load was lightened I felt even freer: this decluttering was happening one step at a time! Just a few days ago I was saddled by all that in a Hong Kong shoebox, now I was riding free and light.
In many ways, you can think of this entire cycle tour as one large decluttering operation. The Montague is in fact staying behind in Thailand when this trip is all done, and the load in Shanghai will get lighter and lighter as the year goes on. Everything is going according to plan. As an added bonus, I might also be able to sell the condo in Pattaya.
But as for the immediate next thing to do, I located a print shop to sign and scan contracts for the upcoming 2024-25 school year. While there, someone had used the public computer earlier and from his email, he called himself a "brilliant educator". Sorry to break it to you pal, but brilliant educators remember to sign out of their email on public computers.
Then I stumbled upon a delicious food stall serving some local spicy noodle variety. The people running it were super friendly. One of the women tapped me on the shoulder when finished and pointed at my pants pocket, making it obvious that I was an idiot for having the money visible. Someone could easily nick it while I was distracted with navigation. I appreciated this kind reminder to be more careful, and nothing was lost.
That was a reminder that my street skills were pretty rusty. The fact of the matter is that in China, nobody uses cash and all transactions are done with a phone. This makes people real sloppy and careless when abroad.
It made me realize that the longer you live in China, the dumber you get. Besides the cashless society which creates more problems than conveniences, there are CCTV cameras everywhere which people rely on for a false sense of security. Petty crime is virtually nonexistent in China after Xi took over, but the tradeoff is a sheep population who are overly cautious and afraid to take risks. It's a vicious cycle: Chinese tourists are targeted abroad, they tell others not to travel as it's dangerous, more stay in their domestic safety bubble, and those that do go abroad are targeted because they're not used to foreign travel.
One of my best friends put it like this: "People need friction in life. No friction, no risks, no progress." He is completely right. Just like you need actual friction to walk along the ground, you need mental and psychological friction to handle challenges, take risks, and overcome obstacles for success. The fear is mainly in your mind. Don't get me wrong, danger is real, but for every social media horror story there is also a story you don't hear about such as a kind local helping you out.
All these tasks done very successfully, I headed back to my hotel and just happened to bump into the driver of a beer bus outside my hotel. He said there was 2 hours of free flow every night for $30 which is a pretty good deal. I would join tomororw. But tonight, to celebrate all my successes, it was to be gambling at the casino.
Today's ride: 11 km (7 miles)
Total: 23 km (14 miles)
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