NGS asked: How did you plan all this? Fiscally? The route? I have a post here about the route planning. As far as fiscally, if someone wants me to write a long post about this, I can, but the TLDR is that I have been saving and investing for years in order to be able to be financially independent. I have a monthly budget and this year is a bit of a test to see how much I will actually spend (you can see posts here about how much I have spent so far).
What is your goal with this trip? What do you want to learn about yourself? Or see? Or do? Like most travel, my goal is to see and learn about any and all new things. For the biking specifically, aside from seeing new places, I did want to challenge myself physically and mentally to see if I could do it. I thought that I could, but it is always interesting to see what hidden strengths you have.
Give me all the bike specs. What bike? What wheels/tires? My bike is a Marin Bobcat Trail 3 (hence the name Bob) aluminum hardtail mountain bike and I am riding with 29" 2.4" wide tires.
What sort of emergency repair kit do you have with you? How are you packing it? What are your supplies? I covered this here.
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| Bob goes to Niagara Falls |
Nicole asked: How old are you? Have you always been a swinging single girl? I answered that here.
Do you have a favourite European spot? How about Asian? I hate this question, but only because it's like picking a favorite kid. Each place I go has something that I like and some things that I don't. I love France, Greece and Italy for the food, Austria and Switzerland (and Italy and France) for the mountains, and Albania for the hidden gem aspect (beaches, mountains, food, people!). However, I think if you are looking for an all-in-one, Slovenia is a great place to go. As for Asia, I have a soft spot for Thailand, as it was my first foray into that part of the world and the food, beaches, culture and people are lovely! But seriously, I can find something I love about every place I have been to (even India, which had a few struggles for sure).
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| Venice |
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| Hong Kong |
Stephany asked: Do you know what your enneagram number is? I think it is one, but I have only ever taken one free test and they wanted me to pay for more info, and I didn't want to. However, I do think one describes me pretty well. The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic. Um, yup. If you know me and you read this, you will be nodding your head a lot!
If you were to describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be? I think that the enneagram one described me pretty well. But seriously I would say I am adventurous, organized and impatient. :)
What's one of your unpopular opinions? I like to type words out in texts and don't really love it when people type "c u" for "see you" or "l8" for "late" or don't capitalize or use punctuation. I also don't use acronyms or emojis very much. I like words, whole words, spelled properly. I won't hate you if you do it, but personally, I just don't do it very much. (As a side note, I was told by a millenial once that if you put a period at the end of your sentence in a text, it is seen as aggressive. Ha! I guess I am really aggressive then!)
I also don't like being expected to respond right away. I had a boss who would call me two minutes after an email came through asking me to opine, and it would be something that would require thought or complex calcuations and/or a thoughtful answer! He also would text or send a chat to me in the evening (after work hours) and expect an instant response. I actually started purposefully waiting until the next day, or a few hours later to answer (PS I am not totally passive aggressive; I had already talked to him several times about managing his expectations).
Do you have any fears about your trip? Even though it is now nearly over, I would say that I did not have any fears going in. I was a bit wary of having to figure out routes all the time, but was not afraid that I would not be able to do it. I know that I can do anything I put my mind to, even if it may not be fun sometimes.
I think that is enough for now! Stay tuned for the next one!
Your turn! What is your enneagram number and do you think it describes you well? What is your favorite European/Asian destination and why? What is is one of your unpopular opinions?
If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my next ask me anything post!!
This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here.
I’m an enneagram 1 and Phil is a 5 according to my diagnosis. Ha. The best way to find out your enneagram is to read descriptions of types and see what sounds most like you. I would have guessed you were a 1 as well! I do feel like the enneagram describes me so so well. My favorite European destination is Paris but I have been to far fewer places than you! I have not been to Asian. And an unpopular opinion… I don’t like when people say ‘I need to pee.’ I find it very crass. But I let it go for people I love, like you. Ha. I also don’t like abbreviations in text. I write things out and use periods. My mentor Paul often signs his texts which I find so funny. He mostly does it in group texts.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Lisa - saying "I need to pee" is TMI. I mean, it's fine and we all have bigger problems to worry about, but still....
DeleteDo I say, "I need to pee" a lot? If I do, I don't realize it. I know when I am hiking, we often will say that we are going to go and "water a bush" or "look at the scenery" or my brother likes to "do trail maintenance." If I was at work, I would say, "I am going to run to the restroom." But I fully recognize that I probably do say that I am "going to pee before we leave" or something like that!
DeleteI love that Paul signs his texts; that is a little bit old school and maybe due to using texts for work at first, more than for personal use? I set up signatures on some platforms and so my name just goes at the end no matter what. I actually also don't like it when people don't sign off on their emails at work; I forgot about that.
I think we have talked about how you will use that phrase at times but I can’t recall if you’ve done it in front of me. I never say anything when someone uses that phase. I just internally kind of quiver. Ha.
DeleteHere's the thing about texting - it made sense to use shortcuts like "cu" and l8" back in the stone ages. But "nowadays" which I define as since 2011 when I got my first smartphone, I've used the Swiftkey app, which is predictive. I type the first few letters and it pretty much figures out the rest of the word, and uncannily it can often work out the rest of what I want to say with very little input from me. It would be more work for me to type the shortcuts. So I am with you in your unpopular opinion.
ReplyDeleteI took a squizz at our texts to confirm that you end every sentence with a period, so I wanted to let the world know that you walk your talk. As you noticed, I will die on the hill of putting two spaces after every period, but it seems like I'm perfectly happy not to leave a period at the end of the final sentence when texting. I guess it's more accurate to say that Swiftkey is happy to skip the period.
A squizz! G-money would be proud! Well, luckily the swiftkey knows that when you double space, you are starting a new sentence, so probably only the last sentence will not have a period! I think you are right; once T9 went out, the phone pretty much started doing the work for you. I think even if you dictate while driving it knows when to put a period at the end and capitalize. In fact, maybe dictating would be better grammar than not in many cases. Maybe the swiftkey gets to know the person using the shortcuts and it does it that way to personalize it?
DeleteI'm an enneagram 2--all about unconditional love and kindness. I used to be a big old 1, but after I retired and became a mother-in-law and grandmother, I guess things changed.
ReplyDeleteI have so, so many Unpopular Opinions. If I listed them, I'd sound like a Crabby Old Lady. One, however, is that pajamas of any kind belong at home, period, not out in public, and I don't care what your reason/excuse is.
(Agree totally with your text particulars. Punctuation at ALL TIMES. We're trying to have a society here.)
I think one of the reasons I like you is that you have some opinions which I agree with! We can be crabby together! I have to admit that aside from counting audiobooks as books I've read, I am currently living in yoga pants due to my cycling status. I am either on the bike in lycra, or off the bike in basically comfortable lycra. I am not going to buy new stuff because (a) I will have to carry it and (b) I have perfectly good jeans and things at home waiting for me. So... they aren't pajamas per se, but they are definitely put the leisure in ath-leisure. In my defense, they are black! I don't know if that redeems me at all though.
DeleteOh, Kyria. I live in black leggings for three seasons a year. They are my uniform. I make sure I wear lovely companion tops with them that are discreet and tasteful. And my footwear is also carefully selected. I only wear athletic shoes when I'm on my daily walks or working at the lake.
DeleteAnd I don't buy leggings unless they have a side pocket on the leg.
Here's another Unpopular Opinion for you: I detest wind chimes. I find them annoying and intrusive. I cannot tell you how many times I've gone out on my patio or front porch for some relaxing time, and someone's wind chimes are clanging or plink-plonking. I find them incredibly rude.
PS--I'm also a Taurus!
DeleteLove it! So glad I don't have to change my whole wardrobe! :) I do think those fuzzy plaid pants out in public are a bit much. Also leg pants (the ones that are the same color as your legs) are weird to me, like don't you realize that at a distance you look naked?
DeleteWhoops sorry for sending in a hated question! But thank you for answering it! I agree, most places have something to love and something to not love.
ReplyDeleteAlso - thanks for answering Engie's question about fiscally planning for it - I was wondering that myself but for some reason forgot to ask.
I think it was because of Stephany I looked up my enneagram number and the same thing happened - it got to a point where I had to pay and I was like, forget it. I'm a Taurus and that says everything, I will die on the zodiac hill. Also I think maybe I was a one as well like you - are all Tauruses ones? I know you're one as well. The other thing I never remember is the Myers Briggs. I don't remember what any of the letters mean and although I took a test once or twice I don't remember what my letters were. I have a mental block about it.
My unpopular opinion is when people describe something as "hilariously funny" I almost never think that it is, and also if people self-describe (without being prompted) as being a funny person, I think they are not. I also think that most parenting problems can be solved if we think about what we would want in a situation and apply it to the child.
Haha! No worries about the question; it is one I get a lot and I can never really answer in just one word/place. I have the same issue with music; I actually like a lot of different kinds of music, and people used to say that was a cop out, but hello, I cannot pick just ONE song! I have so many favorites, or at least ones that I like, and each one reminds me of a different person or place or time. Neither of those are categories I can whittle down to one.
DeleteI think we have talked about Meyers Briggs; I am an INTJ https://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality and I pretty much fit the bill. My favorite line is that we are not seen as warm an fuzzy. Amen. I think you are warmer and fuzzier than I am though, so you may be INTS, which is (S)ensing rather than (J)udging. I am also a Taurus through and through. I guess Taurus and enneagram one are both kind of hard headed!
I love, and agree with, your unpopular opinion. Usually movies or books that people rave about for being hillarious are not funny to me. My Mom and brother have the same sense of humor, but often when they recommend a movie, I find it only so-so.
Thanks for answering my questions! I don't know anyone who use shortcuts like "c u l8er" in texts anymore but when authors do it in their books, IT DRIVES ME CRAZY. Nobody texts like that anymore!!! We have full keyboards and predictive text!! Gah. I also almost always proofread my texts before sending them, lol.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I actually read a book without punctuation; I think it was Girl, Woman, Other (?) and I DNFed that thing so fast. I just could not get over it. I usually proofread my texts, but sometimes my finger is faster than my brain and I hit send before I have checked it!
DeleteI enjoyed these questions and answers! I'm an Enneagram 9. "The peacemaker: Accepting, trusting, creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace." Do I have unpopular opinions? Of course not! 🤣 I love emojis and I always use periods, and two spaces after them. I guess my unpopular opinion is why does food in restaurants need to be so spicy or have so much onion or garlic added? I like things that are bland! That's why I don't eat out very often.
ReplyDeleteThat is funny. "I like things that are bland!" My brother lived on white rice for years when he was a kid, and then he went to culinary school and learned how to make good things and now he is a much better eater. I don't mind things being spicy, but garlic and onions have started to bug me a bit more. I did a low fodmap diet and I really could not eat out at all because of ALL the hidden things in restaurant meals.
DeleteI have no idea what my enneagram number is or why that would be useful information to have. But thinking about it reminded me of the early days of blogging, when there were all of those silly quizzes. "What kind of tree are you?" "What flavor of ice cream are you?" that kind of thing. I wonder what enneagram number that makes me? I'm a Capricorn, but some of my favorite people are Tauruses (my mother, and my husband, and my Great Aunt). My daughter sometimes gets into astrology, and looked up my moon and rising signs, and I think maybe I'm Capricorn/Capricorn/Capricorn. That may explain a few things about me (but probably not. One of the Trump idiots shares my birthday, so I choose to believe it's all BS.)
ReplyDeleteHaha! A Capricorn/Capricon. That is very intense! I think I am a Taurus with Scorpio rising or something like that. I think we can often relate to more than one sign, but I find it fun to delve into, but don't really know much about rising or moon signs! Also I feel like many of us could relate or fit into more than one. I have a lot of Gemini friends, even though they are crazy and can't sit still and that is very opposite of me. Somehow it seems to fit.
DeleteI love reading this. It annoys me people calling/texting me after emailing me as if It's urgent (which they should have called in the first place). You are so brave not to be afraid going to a solo trip.
ReplyDeleteI don't my engram either, do you think it's worth taking the test? favorite European city to date: Paris (can you blame me?), Asia: El Nido and/or Raja Amat.
I did enjoy El Nido also, but have not been to Raja Amat yet! It's on the list, even though it is a bit hard to get to, which is why I did not go there the last time I was in the area! You are lucky to be based somewhere now where it is easier to get to some of those places, and I bet you are looking forward to being in South America, where you will be able to do shorter flights to some pretty cool new places.
DeleteI've never even heard of an enneagram number. I'm guessing it's one of those things that measures things and assesses you in order to help you choose a job you might be good at, etc.? I loved Munich when I was there in college. More recently I visited Budapest and really enjoyed it. It helped that Ed had been living there and could take us to the places that made high marks with him. One of my unpopular opinions? Hmm, Probably when I tell my kids to speak up. Stick up for themselves, etc. Don't text someone when upset, handle it in person. I have others but most of them revolve around parenting, like potty training (what are people waiting for, just tell them it's time to go on the potty), and parents shouldn't let little Johnny run the show. Why are toddlers ruling the roost?
ReplyDeleteOoooh yeah, that is a touchy subject! I agree with you re toddlers, but as a person with no kids, do not feel that it is right for me to opine on how people are raising their kids. However, it does seem like there is a lot of focus now on what the kiddo wants, where I feel like when I was a kid, we did what our parents told us and didn't really get a say in that.
DeleteA few other people I know really enjoyed Slovenia too. I am an Enneagram 5: The Investigator. Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated. Want to understand how the world works. Absolutely describes me. I'm with you on picking favourite countires—they're all good in their own way!
ReplyDeleteSlovenia reminds me a tad of New Zealand; they have wine, mountains, beaches, culture, and the people are nice. There are tons of active people, like so many bikes and hikers, and the scenery is stunning. I really enjoyed it. Ooh! Secretive and Isolated? You don't come across that way on paper!
DeleteOh proper spelling and punctuation is considered aggressive? Well, I'll be in the aggressive club with you then... I hate nothing more than chat or email messages that are in lower case without punctuation and/or properly paragraphed. It's common courtesy IMHO (<-- in my humble opinion). I will use acronyms from time to time :)
ReplyDeleteWho knows!? I guess each generation has their own thing that is considered normal, but I do feel like at the very least, in a work setting, you should still be professional.
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