Subscribe now

I’m back in the New Orleans (for the fourth time!!!) to hang out with my dad. He’s here for work again. This time my friend D from NYC is also in town for work, so it should be fun. Shoutout to D for reaching out after my last post and confirming we’d both be in NOLA the same weekend!

I parked my van in a gated lot near LAX and Ubered to the terminal. I used to park at the official LAX lot, around $13 a day, open lot, no height restriction, security, shuttle to terminal. This time I tried something cheaper through SpotHero. Had to Uber, but the lot is gated, has 24/7 security, and no height restriction. It was $6 a day so it just made more sense.

I left LA around midnight and got to New Orleans at 5 in the morning. I was kind of worried about TSA lines at LAX because of the federal funding stuff, but it didn’t affect me at all. I guess it really depends on the airport and the time of the day.

I forgot my water bottle in the van, so I had to buy overpriced tea at the airport. I also got food there. A regular rice ball was $5 and the strawberry sando was $15. Flaggerbusted.

As soon as I landed in New Orleans, I got hit with sun, humidity, and better traffic. Since it was Friday, I worked from my usual coffee shop, Fourth Wall. For some reason it is always freezing inside this coffee ship, but I like the latte and the vibes there.

After work I checked into the hotel before my dad got there. The hotel was literally across the street from where I stayed last November. Funny.

That night, my dad, his colleagues, and I went to Brennans. It’s one of my favorite spots here. The vibes are great, service is great, food is solid. Last time I had duck confit and loved it, but they didn’t have it this time. I got rabbit instead. It was okay. The burrata salad we ordered last minute was actually really good. We got bananas foster at the end of course.

The next morning I rotted in bed, then went to Cafe du Monde for a small lunch. I’ve had beignets a bunch of times before, but it was actually my first time sitting there. It tastes like every other beignet you can get in town. I guess the experience is the main thing there. The line looks long but moves fast, so it’s not that bad.

After that we walked by the Mississippi River and Jackson Square. My dad always says that the river reminds him of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a book he read when he was a kid. And every time I tell him that he says that every single time we come here. We listened to some jazz around the area and just walked around.

After that I went back to the hotel and continued rotting on bed. For dinner we got tacos since one of his colleagues is really into tacos. I invited my friend D to join. I don’t think I’ve really introduced any of my friends in the US to my family before. It felt really new. Glad we had good time!

The next day we grabbed coffee again at Fourth Wall. I got a matcha latte, he got a cortado. He had per diem from work and covered some food. I appreciated that. I went back to the hotel after and took a long nap.

After that, my dad and I went to a popular New Orleans brunch spot, The Court of Two Sisters. It’s known for its brunch buffet. The food wasn’t bad, some dishes were a bit too salty for me. I did enjoy the live music though.

Later I went for a run and fell and scraped my knees. I got distracted by construction along the waterfront. I bought bandages from a drugstore and cleaned it up back at the hotel. I used hydrocolloid bandages. If you’ve talked to me in the past few days, you know I haven’t shut up about them. I’m fascinated. They keep the wound moist and help it heal faster with less scarring. The wound has not fully healed yet but I am excited to see how it heals.

Showered, took another long nap, then went to get Thai food with my dad to end the day.

The next morning my dad left early for his flight. I grabbed coffee from a nearby shop and worked from the hotel. It started raining pretty hard, so I just stayed in. It felt kind of cozy. For lunch I got banh mi from a Vietnamese spot nearby, surprisingly good. I only recently learned there is a pretty big Vietnamese community in New Orleans. I yapped with my friend D and watched him take his weekly Hungarian class, then said goodbye to him.

After that I Ubered to the airport. TSA line was basically nonexistent. The flight was smooth. Got back to LAX around midnight.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

I am in the middle of a quarter life crisis.

I have had this feeling of being stuck in life since 2022, about two years after I graduated from college. The excitement and newness of adult life wore off, and the reality started to sink in, along with the possibility of living the same exact lifestyle for the next few decades. I picked up new hobbies, enjoyed some, did not like others. I traveled to many places. I switched companies a few times. Quarter life crisis is supposed to last for only a year. Is it really though?

I want to believe, or maybe blame, that part of this feeling is tied to not having stable residency status here. It limits a lot of my life experience. I cannot work outside of my main job. I cannot travel internationally as freely as I want. I cannot lose my job. I cannot move easily. It feels so restrictive, like freedom limited by an arbitrary border called a country. I benefit from it. I also lose because of it. I wonder if people in similar situations feel the same way.

Hopefully this will change in a few years. I will stop feeling so restricted then. There are so many things I cannot control in life. This is one of them. It is definitely frustrating. I figured I would rant a bit. I am really grateful for everything I have built so far though. I do not take it for granted. There is food on the table, family and friends are one call away, and it is just raindrops and a bit of PM2.5 falling from the sky.

Loneliness

A lot of people ask me if I feel lonely on the road. The answer has usually been “not really” because when I am actively traveling, I stay busy exploring. But now that I am in LA for a while, the feeling of loneliness has caught up to me.

I think part of it is that I do not really have a place to just chill in the van. Spending time solo is more fun and relaxing when you have a legit place to chill. In theory, I have a small couch, but the cell data in the San Fernando Valley lowkey sucks, so streaming anything is hard. The van also gets a bit chilly at night during the winter without an electric blanket, so I end up staying in bed… and then I just go to sleep.

So yeah, living in a van makes me spend less time indoors, which is great in spring, summer, and fall. But winter is a different story. I have heard van lifers say winter is tough, and now I get why. There are fewer places to go, maybe Southern California or Florida, the days are shorter, and the overall vibe feels a bit sad.

I think things would feel very different if I were living in an apartment. I would probably have a projector to watch shows, or a comfortable couch to sit, read, and drink matcha. The more time I spend stationary in the van, the more I see its shortcomings, and the more I appreciate conventional housing. Honestly I think this realization is a good thing. It helps me understand how I want to design my life going forward.

Lately I have been listening to sad songs like Yellow by Coldplay and About You by The 1975. It makes me a little sad but it is not the worst feeling in the world.

Making friends as an adult

It is so damn difficult, especially when you do not go into an office at all. There is no natural environment where friendships just happen unless you actively put yourself out there.

I have been trying a few things. I have had some success with Bumble BFF. I have not tried 222 because I keep refusing to pay for it. I have also met some cool people in other ways. I am excited to keep expanding my circle in Southern California.

A note on texting and wanting to talk to someone

I have noticed that I tend to want to talk to someone more than some other people do on weekdays. I do not think I am especially extroverted or introverted, but I think this comes from working fully remote. It is completely normal for me to go a full day speaking to almost no one, except for a 15 minute morning standup.

Because of that I think I look for connection a bit more.

Plan for spring 2026

I have a lot of travel planned for spring. I am really excited. Happy to share the itinerary with people I know personally, just hit me up.

I will be visiting New Orleans, Brussels, Luxembourg City, Paris, Istanbul, Tokyo, Osaka, and potentially Seoul, with a brief stop in New York City in between.

Messages made my day <3

I really enjoyed the comments I received from friends on the last few posts. Thank you so much to everyone who shared them.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Still in Los Angeles. California is going through a heat wave right now

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-18/temperature-records-shattered-as-socal-heat-wave-sizzles-on

It’s definitely hot, but honestly pretty tolerable. Dry heat makes a big difference. It feels way more manageable than the humid summers I’ve dealt with on the East Coast and in Asia. I’ll take this over cold, rainy NYC any day.

Lately I’ve been thinking about anxiety, specifically health anxiety. Is this something people deal with often? And if so, do you handle it differently from other kinds of anxiety?

I’ve had eye issues for as long as I can remember. Near sighted since I was a kid, eye allergies too. I also have an extra blind spot in my left eye that showed up a few years ago. Technically everyone has a blind spot in each eye from birth, you just never notice it. Mine is a bit more obvious because I had inflammation in my left retina that left a small scar. It’s outside my central vision, so day to day life is fine. My brain mostly just filters it out now.

Last December, when I was in Japan, I started noticing flashes on the edge of my right eye. I went to a general eye doctor there, who thought it might be inflammation again affecting the retina.

When I got back to the US, I saw a retina specialist in LA. Turns out it’s not inflammation but a small benign tumor. Rare, but not dangerous at this point. The recommendation was to just monitor it every three months. There are treatment options like laser or freezing it, but at this size they could actually cause more harm than good. The rest of my retina looks healthy, no tears or detachment, which was a huge relief.

This whole experience made me realize how much health anxiety I probably have.

When the flashes first started, there were days I couldn’t focus on work at all. I kept thinking about worst case scenarios like retinal tears or detachment, which can lead to blindness if untreated. I spiraled a bit, cried a few times, and of course made things worse by googling symptoms.

At one point I even moved my appointment earlier because I couldn’t sit with the uncertainty.

And then the second I got a diagnosis, the anxiety just disappeared.

Which makes me wonder if that level of anxiety is normal. It doesn’t feel great in hindsight.

I also notice this tends to happen more when I’m in Japan, or just generally when life is slower. When I’m not busy with travels and have more time to sit with my thoughts, everything feels louder.

Curious if others feel the same way or deal with it differently.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

I’ve been spending a lot of time around the valley lately, so I figured I’d start keeping a little list of spots I like. Nothing fancy here. Just places I find myself returning to.

Also I’m sharing a bunch of songs I’ve been listening to lately at the end. lmk if you enjoy them also!

coffee shops

kaleido coffee
This place only has outdoor seating and sits next to a cute furniture store that is also worth wandering into. My favorite drink here is the hojicha latte. The pastries are tasty but sometimes a bit dry since they sit in the sun for a while.

lumen coffee
Good espresso and a very cute storefront. Also only outdoor seating.

donut hut
Iconic building on Magnolia Avenue. A simple 2.50 regular donut hits the spot.

three sisters coffee and tea
The drinks are pretty mid but the vibes are good so I still go here sometimes. There is also a book vending machine which I think is fun.

republik coffee
Overpriced but cute and the coffee is decent. It is one of the few chic coffee shops in the downtown area. My favorite drink here is the black vanilla latte, which is a vanilla latte with charcoal in it. You can actually feel the charcoal’s grittiness and it is kind of fun while drinking it.

jam jam tea lab
Bubble tea shop in downtown Burbank. I sometimes get a caffeinated bubble tea with boba here as lunch.

black elephant coffee
Decent matcha and plenty of outdoor seating.

bars

idle hour
Dog friendly with decent food. I like the fish and chips here.

guildhall
Lots of board games and the food is decent. Great place to hang out with friends and play games.

tony’s darts away
Good vibes. Food and drinks are okay but they have darts and some board games. I have played reversi here before.

barney’s beanery
A classic LA sports bar. I like the booth seating and the stadium style seating is fun too. They also have s’mores on the menu where you roast marshmallows yourself.

barcade
A bar and arcade in Highland Park. Great vibes and super fun.

restaurants

osteria la buca
Probably my favorite Italian spot in the LA area right now. It is in Sherman Oaks.

granville
Typical brunch spot. The cortado here is surprisingly good and I also like the steak.

bb.q chicken
The honey garlic chicken here is really good.

music

^^ listening to this literally every day

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!

Subscribe now

Okay, I’m actually so busy with work this week! I literally worked 12 hours yesterday. It’s so uncommon for me to be this busy that it’s almost refreshing, and I’m enjoying the ride. That said, this post will be short. I have notes scattered here and there but haven’t had time to re-read and put them together for Substack.

Things I’ve noticed so far about LA/Southern California:

• People are friendly but a bit superficial.

• The weather is ELITE. I repeat, weather is ELITE. This alone is making me want to stay longer and longer. You don’t realize how much weather affects your mood until you’re in a place where it’s almost always sunny. That said, we had some cold and rainy days a few weeks ago, and it was not fun. Especially living in a van without a heating system. Those nights were a bit chilly. Spring is coming, though, so those days should be behind us soon.

• You cannot do anything without a car. There are exceptions, but most neighborhoods aren’t walkable. Even if you find one, you’ll quickly run out of things to do if you want to explore new spots. Walking infrastructure is basically non-existent, and if paths exist, they’re often ugly.

• Food is decent. Not bad, not amazing. It is just average American city food. People keep saying Mexican food in California is great, but I’m not a huge fan, so I haven’t tried it much. If you have recommendations, send them my way.

• There are very few actually “nice” neighborhoods. When you think of a “nice” suburb, you imagine clean, calm, organized streets. LA County doesn’t really match that image. Sure, there are patches of nice areas, but overall it feels messier and dirtier than many other “nice” American suburbs I’ve seen. Maybe it’s the size of the city or the culture.

• LA isn’t a “real” city. It’s a collection of giant suburbs, and that’s okay.

• There are a lot of creatives here, which I’m enjoying. I’ve met people working in entertainment, TV, and commercials. That’s a unique scene for sure.

• There’s also a surprisingly big presence of the aerospace industry. SpaceX and other aerospace companies have offices here, which I didn’t expect.

• Same goes for the military. Bases and contractors are everywhere. Didn’t know that either.

• People rarely walk, and it’s easy to slip into an unhealthy lifestyle if you’re not intentional. This was the opposite of what I imagined LA living would be. I thought everyone would be running outside and eating super healthy. In reality, I think people in NYC live a healthier lifestyle just by walking everywhere.

• It’s not as expensive as I thought. Coming from NYC and knowing SF prices, LA feels more affordable. But it’s still a city, so definitely pricier than 99 percent of the country.

• Did I mention the weather is elite?

Photos

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Japan feels like a place of cleanness and abundance. The food is consistently good. It is genuinely hard to find something that tastes bad or even average. There is so much good food. So many well made products. So many things. Everything feels polished and taken care of.

Sometimes it almost makes me uncomfortable. There is an excess of quality. An excess of stuff. And because everything is well made and clean, it is hard to throw anything away. It all feels worth keeping.

It makes me wonder if life is really about subtraction.

Maybe we all start with a limited number of points. Some people spend them quickly and burn out young. Others spend them slowly and live longer. Either way, we are all consumed by something. School consumes you. Work consumes you. Family consumes you. Friends consume you. Consumerism consumes you. Outdoor hobbies consume you. Beer consumes you. Fear consumes you.

If I am going to be consumed by something no matter what, I want to choose what that is. I want to be consumed by nature. By the change of seasons. By matcha. By people I love.

I did a lot during these two and a half weeks in Japan. Christmas and New Year made everything feel especially packed. It was busy in a good way, but busy nonetheless. I hope I can visit Japan again during a quieter season.

Over the last decade, I have watched Japan change from afar. There was a time when people thought only niche travelers went to Japan. Now it is almost a dream destination for twenty somethings in the middle of a quarter life crisis. I remember when you would get stared at on the train if you did not look East Asian. Now it is rare to spend a day without seeing non East Asian passengers.

I have spent the past ten years outside Japan. The country has changed. There are more elderly people. More tourists. More English signs. The same level of cleanness. The same manners.

Someone once told me you are considered a New Yorker if you have lived there for ten years. Is there a number of years after which you are no longer considered Japanese?

Japan does not really emphasize nationalism in school, at least not when I was growing up. Some people believe that extreme nationalism led the country into devastating wars in the past, and the lesson stuck. I actually feel more Japanese when I am outside the country. It is rare to run into another Japanese person abroad. I meet many people from other East Asian countries. Many Japanese restaurants outside Japan are not owned by Japanese people.

Without strong nationalism ingrained in you, it becomes easy to feel only loosely attached to where you come from. And yet, distance makes that identity sharper.

Japan does developed country life extremely well. It is one of the cleanest and safest places in the world. Honestly, it is one of the best places to live. I feel lucky to have been born there.

It is also very comfortable. Maybe too comfortable. When I was in high school, I felt like I was bathing in lukewarm water. Safe. Stable. Predictable. So I left. And the rest is history.

When I am in Japan, I go to hospitals more often.

I notice that my health anxiety grows here. I have too much mental space. In the United States, I am busy living day to day. I do not have the same time or space to spiral about my health. In Japan, I do. The upside is that medical care is cheaper and more accessible, so I just go and get checked.

On my last day in Japan, I felt stressed about returning to the United States. I knew roughly why.

First, I had grown comfortable at my parents’ house. Safety, good food, and cleanness were guaranteed. That is not always the case in the US.

Second, I had grown comfortable living in a house. As much as I identify with van life, I enjoy the stability of a home that does not have wheels. Every time I spend an extended period in a stationary place, whether it is my apartment in New York, a friend’s place, or my parents’ home, I feel a bit hesitant about going back to the van.

That is probably why I know I cannot do van life forever. Most people do not. Many do not last more than six months full time. It is a lot of work. It can strain your mental health.

There is also the simple dread of returning to work after a holiday break. That part is universal.

What is interesting is that the anxiety about leaving a stationary home usually fades once I am actually back in the van. It has happened multiple times, so I trust the pattern. The idea of going back, after enjoying easy access to water, electricity, and space, feels intimidating. The reality is never as bad as the fear.

I will be fine. I always am.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!

Share

Subscribe now

This post is Part 2 of last week’s post!

December 26, 2025

Colonoscopy day, lol. I spent most of the day at the clinic drinking salty water and waiting. They did not find anything concerning, which was a relief. I am still glad I did it, especially since I have heard colon cancer rates are increasing among younger people, possibly due to microplastics. Now I also know how the whole process works.

People in Japan do not really do Christmas the same way people in the US do, so it did not feel like a big deal not celebrating it this year.

December 27, 2025

Went to Osaka and hung out with a friend from high school. I actually met up with her in New York last year, so it was nice to see her again. She is a designer at a shoe brand, and I learned a bit about shoe design from her.

The cafe we went to was really cute. I got to choose the mug for my matcha. The matcha was great, and they also had a solid food selection.

December 28, 2025

Took the 2 hour Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Said hi to family members who live there and visited the Atomic Bomb Dome. Ate a lot of good food with family. It was a good time. Spent the night in Hiroshima city.

December 29, 2025

Woke up and enjoyed the view from the hotel. Then we took a train and ferry to Miyajima. It was really crowded. I have been there over a dozen times, but it keeps getting more popular every year. It is famous for wild deer and for the shrine that appears to float on the ocean. Had some great food.

After getting back to Hiroshima, we went to a fresh seafood place, then took the Shinkansen back to Osaka.

December 30, 2025

Went to another shrine because why not, haha. Then we took a train to Nara. We did not plan to go, but there was a direct train sitting there, so we just went for it. Nara is also famous for wild deer and for the giant Buddha statue at a temple in Nara Park. I saw so many deer.

December 31, 2025

Hung out with extended family to celebrate the end of the year. We went out to eat, caught up on life, then came back home. My dad showed me his beetle collection again. I made matcha for everyone and we enjoyed traditional Japanese snacks we picked up earlier.

We watched Kohaku Uta Gassen, the TV show that basically every family in Japan watches on New Year’s Eve, did the countdown, and we went to bed.

January 1, 2026

New Year’s Day. I went to a shrine with my family to celebrate the new year. I drew an omikuji fortune and got the best one. A great start to the year. Then I had sushi for dinner.

January 2, 2026

I went to another shrine to say hi to God and did the usual New Year things. Later, I went to an indie cinema in the suburbs with my dad and sister. We watched a documentary about a family where one member has schizophrenia and the parents kept her locked at home. The brother is the director and questions what could have been done differently. I actually liked it.

My dad once said he would have wanted to become a psychiatrist if he had not succeeded in his current career, so that felt interesting in context. I had ramen before the movie.

January 3, 2026

My mom, sister, brother, and I went to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts. They were showing statues and letters that had been displayed in the Italian exhibit at Expo 2025 Osaka/Kansai, which I did not attend but heard was very popular.

It was an okay experience. I understand the historical significance of the pieces, but there were only three of them, and it felt like they made a bigger deal out of it than necessary. After that, we grabbed food at a nearby restaurant. The food was good, but it was a cold day.

I also saw Abeno Harukas, one of the tallest buildings in Osaka. The surrounding area is like a park and would be really pleasant to hang out in on a sunny day.

After that, I said goodbye to my family and went to Nakazakicho, an area near Osaka Station with lots of old buildings, coffee shops, and vintage clothing stores. It reminds me of Williamsburg in New York. I went to a coffee shop called neel Nakazakicho, which was recommended by Beli, and I really liked it. The vibe was vibing. It was cozy. The coffee was great. It was a cold day, and the cafe felt like a warm shelter from the city air.

January 4, 2026

Visited another temple with my family. Then I went to the Umeda area and did some souvenir shopping. That was pretty much it.

January 5, 2026

Last day in Japan. I went to Hoshino Coffee one last time and had tea, food, a pancake, and pudding. Then I had one final dinner made by my mom.

January 6, 2026

Took the Shinkansen in the morning to Tokyo, where I would fly back to LA. I enjoyed the scenery of the countryside. I even saw Mount Fuji from the train.

I arrived at Tokyo Station, then took a bus to Narita Airport. From the bus, I saw Tokyo Skytree, the tallest structure in Japan and a broadcasting and observation tower with panoramic views of the city.

I had one last meal at the airport, packed more snacks, and left Japan.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!

Share

Subscribe now

December 19, 2025

Landed in Narita. I used to fly into Osaka regularly since my family lives there, but lately I have been flying into Tokyo instead because it is more fun and shorter. I grabbed dinner with a friend from my New York climbing gym days. My first meal in Japan in a long time was amazing. I was reminded how good all the food in Japan is. I walked around Tokyo Station for a bit, then took the Shinkansen to Osaka and got to my family’s house.

December 20, 2025

I woke up and was greeted by my dad’s collection of baby beetles. Then I took a train to the busy part of Osaka. While walking through a crosswalk, I randomly ran into a friend from high school whom I had not seen in 10 years(!). We got sushi for dinner later that day at Sushi Kin. It was really good.

This was also when I was reminded how intense population density is in Japanese cities. If you want to dine out at almost any restaurant, it is better to make reservations in advance. Most places get lines around dinner time and people are very used to waiting.

On the same day, I went to a local clinic to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. They gave me instructions on what I could and could not eat the day before.

December 21, 2025

Went to watch the movie Kokuho with my mom. It’s a movie about this kabuki actor’s life born in yakuza family. I had heard multiple people recommend it. The plot was somewhat expected, but the production quality was amazing. After that, we grabbed food and stopped by a nearby temple, Mondo Yakujin. I had never been there before.

Later, I went to my favorite coffee shop chain in the area, Hoshino Coffee. The vibe is calm and quiet, and both the coffee and food are great. Highly recommend.

I slept for 11 hours that day. Jet lag really does something.

December 22, 2025

Started the day with climbing in Osaka. There is a gym on the top floor of a high rise commercial building Gravity Research Osaka. The gym is small, but the location is convenient so I usually go there when I am in Osaka.

After that, I met up with another friend from high school. We went to a nice restaurant and caught up on life. There are always new buildings around Osaka Station every time I come back, and I keep getting lost. My mental map of the station needs to be overwritten every single visit.

December 23, 2025

I went to the south side of Osaka, also known as Minami. The city feels very different depending on whether you are in the north, Kita, or the south, Minami. I usually spend more time in Kita since it is closer to my parents’ place, but I always enjoy being in Minami too.

I walked around Nipponbashi in Minami, a commercial arcade area, and grabbed some food and coffee. The vibe is great, but it is definitely touristy and a bit overpriced in my opinion. Still fun though. I also checked out the famous Dotonbori.

Later, I went to a hair salon to get my hair done. I like getting my hair done in Japan because the quality is higher and the price is cheaper.

December 24, 2025

Woke up really late because of the jet lag. Went to Umeda and visited a cafe that is famous on the internet. The vibe was good, but I do not think it was worth waiting in line for thirty minutes.

After that, I went to Osaka Castle and ran around the grounds. I recommend the route if you are in the area. It is very touristy, but fun to look at. It is literally in the middle of the city. In spring, you can enjoy plum and cherry blossoms, but I did not really see them since it was winter. I cooked dinner for my family that night.

December 25, 2025

Went to Kyoto to hang out with my cousin who lives there. We went tufting at her request. Tufting is a craft where you use a tufting gun to punch yarn through fabric to create a rug or textile design. My design had a lot of curves, which made it pretty difficult, but I managed. It was a fun experience.

After that, we went to a restaurant that was really good.

Then we went to Shimogamo Shrine, which is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Kyoto and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is located near a forested area where two rivers meet. We drew omikuji and I got the best one. One of the nationally historic buildings was under renovation, so I donated some money toward their roofing.

Later, we took a bus to a matcha spot. We enjoyed authentic matcha and I bought a few bags to take home.

I have more to share but this post is getting too long already, so I stop here. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!!

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Hi all, thank you for being here. This week, I want to share a bit more about what I did in California before leaving for Japan.

I have a lot to write about my time in Japan, but I have not quite brought myself to draft it yet. My mood has been pretty low and my energy has been off, so it has been hard to sit down with my laptop and write for any extended period. I’ll say this in advance, thank you for being patient with me. I really appreciate you all reading these weekly bits of my writing and sharing your thoughts and opinions.

Even while I am feeling low, I am trying to keep my routine going, so here’s this week’s post.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week!!

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• City of Angels

• Van Parking

• Photo Journal

City of Angels

After spending time in remote locations in Southern California, I landed in Los Angeles.

I have car camped in the LA area before, but most of those experiences were not positive, from getting a knock at Planet Fitness to a neighbor calling the police on me in Huntington Beach.

This time, I decided to stay in the San Fernando Valley, locally known as the Valley. The main reason was that I had a friend in the area, but it also helped that it felt very suburban and more relaxed than some of the more popular spots in LA County. My Substack already has plenty of former LA residents, so I will keep the explanation of the area to a minimum to avoid embarrassing myself with my lack of LA geography. The vibes felt more chill, casual, and not pretentious.

Van parking

If you have ever tried to car camp in the LA area, you know that Southern California cities have pretty strict rules about parking oversized vehicles overnight.

While doing that, I parked my van on a residential street in Burbank. Burbank has a strict city ordinance regarding RV parking. If your vehicle is over 8 feet tall or 22 feet long and not used commercially, you need to pay a fee, can only park for three consecutive days, and then cannot park in the city at all for the next two days. I was stressed about it for a brief moment.

While I was setting up the van for the night on a random residential street, I noticed the resident of the house my van was parked in front of looking at me through the fence. I said hi, he said hi back, and I asked if he wanted me to move my van. He told me he was going to ask me to move it about six feet forward so he could park his Jeep in a spot covered by the security camera attached to his house. He also told me he was watching TV right now and that I did not need to move the van immediately. He asked if I could move it in two hours once he finished his show.

I was cool with that, so I agreed. He also told me he understood the struggle because he used to have a big RV. I told him I was surprised that Burbank has such a strict law around van lifer parking. We chatted for a bit, and he recommended a few places where I could park and no one would care. He also said my van looks stealth enough and seems to fit within the city’s size restrictions, so I could probably get a pass. That was honestly a relief to hear.

Photo Journal

Sunset Walk in Santa Monica

Vegan shop and encounter to Porkchop Ebara

Griffith Observatory + Van Tour + Hike

Other things I did not pictured include hot yoga, catching up with local friends, and running.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week. Also, please let me know how you are doing. I would love to know.

Share

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• National Park Pass

• High Desert

• Pioneering

• Hollywood’s Desert Playground

National Park Pass

After driving for a bit passing by Salton Sea, I got to Joshua Tree National Park. I have visited the park for the first time earlier in 2025. I camped on the south side of Joshua Tree National Park, a spot I have stayed at previously and still highly recommend. It is close to the park, and if you drive far enough in, the road noise fades away. It feels like being far removed from civilization.

One thing I did while visiting the park was to get a national park pass. National Park Pass allows me to get into national parks for unlimited time for a year. I heard a news that the price will increase and the design of the pass will change significantly1. To avoid the increase in the price, I decided to buy it on the first day of December so I could use it through the end of 2026. I had originally planned to wait until January when my current pass expired, but it felt reasonable to just get it over with.

High Desert

The next day, I drove to the north side of the park and parked overnight at the California Welcome Center parking lot. I had stayed there earlier this year in my car, so I knew it was a safe option. The sunset from the lot was surprisingly beautiful. There was a group of van lifers, more like school bus riders, who wanted to hang out. I tried to get to where they were camped on an old lake bed, but I took the wrong route. The roads got sketchier the farther I drove, and I eventually gave up. There are a couple of events next year geared toward van lifers, so maybe I will run into them again then. Another thing I was not aware of was how big the temperature difference would be between the south and the north of the park. The south side sits at a lower elevation, with daytime highs around 25 degrees Celsius and lows around 10. The north side sits much higher, with daytime highs around 13 degrees Celsius and lows closer to 4 degrees Celsius. Totally unexpected.

The next day, I worked during the day and spent some time in the park. I did a short hike to Skull Rock which is a rock that looks like a skull from certain angles. I stopped at a few viewpoints and took slow walks through wide open fields filled with Joshua trees. Mountains sat quietly in the background with no one around. It was freeing.

Pioneering

Before I drove back to the south side of the park then to Palm Springs, I checked out a town recommended by the staffs at California Welcome Center.

Pioneer Town is a town developed by people to film western movies and it’s still actively used to this day. There are some people who live there full time. The town’s main business is obviously tourism. There are cool buildings, restaurants, and buildings with western flair. It’s a short drive from Joshua Tree. I recommend checking it out if you have time in the area.

Hollywood’s Desert Playgound

I worked from a coffee shop in Palm Springs. About 99 percent of the people there appeared older white gay men with very strong golfer dad energy. The weather was incredible. Around the time I started working, the temperature hit about 18 degrees Celsius.

After work one day, I went out to Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument for what I intended to be a trail run. It quickly turned into a hike because the trail was much steeper than expected. The scenery was beautiful, and there were barely any people around. (link to the trail map)

Palm Springs has an interesting vibe. The population seems to be mostly retirees and the people who cater to them. It felt like there was very little in between, almost no upper middle class presence.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week. Also, please let me know how you are doing! I would love to know.

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• Algodones Dunes

• The Last Free Place in America

• God is Love

• Middle of nowhere beyond the edge of services

• Abandoned beach in the middle of the dessert

Algodones Dunes

I entered California after spending time in Quartzsite, Arizona. The first thing that I passed by was Algodones Dunes Wilderness Area. There were a lot of people on ATVs.

The Last Free Place in America

The second stop was Slab City. Slab City is a community of people and their belongings, living outside of what most would consider a conventional lifestyle. There’s no water or electricity line, and there’s minimal municipal governance (no tax!). I kept hearing that it has turned into a place where addicts and thieves gather, and that it is not a safe place to camp, so I only visited during the day. This article captures the vibes of the town.

Two major things I checked out in Slab City were Salvation Mountain and East Jesus.

God is Love

Salvation Mountain is a small hill in the middle of the desert, painted in bright colors and covered with Bible verses. It was created by one man over the span of about twenty years. He has since passed away, but an organization continues to maintain his work. While I was there, I saw a woman actively repainting part of the hill as part of the preservation effort. Seeing it in person was impressive and very Instagrammable. I was also struck by the creator’s dedication, spending two decades of his life on art he deeply believed in. It was popular with tourists and felt safe during the daytime.

Middle of nowhere beyond the edge of services

East Jesus is a short drive from Salvation Mountain. “The name East Jesus is a colloquialism for the middle of nowhere beyond the edge of services; there is no religious connotation”. It is an area filled with art installations. It felt like the final destination for things that could no longer serve their original purpose, only to be reborn as art. Old campers, cars, trailers, and makeshift shacks were scattered everywhere, stitched together into something unexpectedly creative. There was a guy sitting near the entrance who welcomed visitors. He was friendly and told us we could touch everything, and if any art broke, that was on the artist. I later learned that Kesha filmed a music video there.

Abandoned beach in the middle of the dessert

I drove toward Palm Springs afterward and passed by Salton Sea. I looked up how it was formed because it looks pretty big and prominent on Google map but I have never heard of it before. It is a lake formed by accident, with no water outflow, and the water is highly saline. It used to be a popular beach destination, but rising salinity, fish die offs, and years of environmental neglect changed that.

I passed old signs pointing to beach resorts, some of them looking abandoned. The whole area felt left behind. I only drove through and did not take any photos, but the sadness of the place lingered. This is a good article I found online of what I saw on the road.

I experienced a wide range of emotions, from passionate artwork to an abandoned beach town. One place craving attention, the other no longer asking for it at all. This part of California is incredibly interesting, and not something you would normally see in a tour guide.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week. Also, please let me know how you are doing! I would love to know.

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Reflecting on 2025

As the year comes to a close, I took some time to review my goals for 2025. Here’s the breakdown. You can see the last year’s here.

Continue drinking less alcohol

✅ Alcohol is not my first choice of substance now.

Hit the gym regularly

✅ I went to the gym at least once a week. That might not sound like a lot, but it feels like the minimum needed to keep my body in shape, and I am happy with that consistency.

Climb consistently (Kilterboard, Moonboard, and outdoors)

✅ I climbed at least once a week. I do not have an active climbing gym membership anymore, so it takes more effort to make it happen. Still, I want to keep this weekly climbing habit going.

Run consistently

First half of the year, 🫤. Second half of the year, ✅. I now run at least 5 km a week.

Focus on eating more whole foods

✅ I started cooking more, which naturally led to eating more whole foods.

Wear sunscreen every day

✅ I wore sunscreen every day, as far as I can remember.

Meet new people and communities

🫤 I did make new friends, and I am really happy about that. That said, I have not been very successful at making friends while on the road. I want to put more effort into building connections in different cities.

Spend more time in nature

✅ I definitely did this.

Visit places I’ve never been

✅ I definitely did this.

Dive deeper into outdoor climbing trips

🫤 I did not really do this one this year.

Listen to audiobooks during long drives

✅ I definitely did this.

Hike more trails and explore the great outdoors

✅ I definitely did this. I want to do more longer hikes, though. While living on the road, I tended to choose easier hikes since day to day life already felt busy.

Cut back on red meat and cheese

🫤 I did okay on this. I do not eat much meat in general while living in a van since it takes more effort to cook. I still eat some cheese, and I am not fully sure it makes sense to cut back on it right now.

Shop for second-hand goods instead of buying new

🫤 I did decently okay here. It was more like I stopped buying new clothes altogether, which feels better than buying things just for the sake of it.

Strava Stats

Goodreads Stats

On exploring

What a year, honestly. I kept traveling. Getting a drivers license near the end of 2024 and subsequently buying a car changed the way I travel in the States. It opened up places I never would have considered before.

Visiting a town that I have never heard of. Learning their history. Thinking about the people who lived there before me, and the people still there now. Wondering what it means to be part of a community, to be human, to exist as a small but living piece of this planet for a very brief moment in time.

The whole experience felt like a large thought experiment.

I started life on the road to see the beauty of the earth. What I did not expect was how much space it would give me to think. Long drives and quiet nights brought clarity about what I want from my life, what actually makes me happy, and what matters when everything unnecessary falls away.

Travel gave me scenery, but it also gave me perspective.

Goals for 2026

After reflecting on 2025, I have clarified what I want to focus on next year. The list is intentionally short. I want these goals to sit on top of habits that already feel steady, like not drinking alcohol, going to the gym, running regularly, visiting new places, and spending a lot of time outdoors.

Rather than adding more structure, I want to add more depth.

• Build communities in different cities

• Chase adrenaline through physical challenges

Fewer goals, more intention, and more lived experience.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week. Also, please text me know how you are doing! I would love to know.

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• Long-awaited destination

• Quartzsite, Arizona

• First impression

• Camping

• Downtown

• Places to see

• Finding community as a nomad

Long-awaited destination

After spending time in some of the more well known parts of Arizona, I took a shower at Planet Fitness in Phoenix and drove to a place I had been wanting to visit ever since I started van life, Quartzsite. I had passed through the town before on my way from Phoenix to Los Angeles, but I never fully stopped. I first learned about Quartzsite from the movie Nomadland (great movie btw, showcasing a side of van life that is not about fancy builds or influencers).

Quartzsite, Arizona

Quartzsite is known for two main things. A large nomad community that gathers here during the winter for the warmer weather, and rocks. Lots of them. The town is surrounded by massive BLM land where people can camp for free for up to two weeks, or longer if you pay a relatively cheap fee. It makes Quartzsite an ideal winter destination for people living in RVs, camper vans, and other mobile setups.

First impression

As soon as I exited Interstate 10 and entered town, I noticed that about half of the vehicles on the road were some form of mobile home. RVs, vans, truck campers, and school buses. The further I drove, the more obvious it became. There are conventional houses and buildings, but there is also a dense concentration of mobile homes spread throughout the area. The overall feeling was nomadic, relaxed, and friendly. People waved as they passed my van. It felt calming to be surrounded by like-minded people living the same way, without the constant worry of getting a knock on the door and being told to move along. I also noticed the population skewed older. Many seemed retired, working seasonal jobs, or simply living day by day.

If you have been to Moab, Utah, you would find the vibe to be similar. Both places have strong van life communities and are surrounded by impressive nature. That said, Quartzsite feels larger in terms of its nomad population. Moab has red soil, while Quartzsite is all desert. While I was there, daytime temperatures hovered around seventy degrees. It was comfortable without needing AC or heating.

Camping

I camped on BLM land along with many other van lifers. Scattered fire rings give you a sense of where people usually park and hang out across the wide open desert. It feels informal but oddly organized in its own way.

Downtown

Downtown Quartzsite is small, but it has almost everything you need to survive while living in a vehicle. There are grocery stores, fast food spots, laundromats, and churches. The only noticeable thing missing is an affordable shower option. You can shower at the Love’s truck stop in town, but it costs 18 dollars. I skipped it.

Places to see

There is not much in the way of traditional tourist attractions, but that is kind of the point. People come here to slow down, spend time outside, and let the days move at their own pace. Still, I checked out a few spots around town.

Hi Jolly Cemetery

This is probably the most visited site in Quartzsite.

Rock shops

Since the town is known for rocks, there are plenty of rock shops. The selection is impressive and the prices are reasonable. I picked up a piece of amethyst for myself.

Quartzsite Museum

The museum covers the local history of the town and the people who settled here. It is donation based, informative, and run by a very friendly guy (He lives in a van pictured in the last photo of this post).

Local markets

There are flea markets/swap meets that seem to pop up regularly. They make for some great people watching.

Finding community as a nomad

One moment kept sticking with me after leaving Quartzsite. Near Hi Jolly Cemetery, I saw a group of people sitting in camping chairs arranged in a circle next to their motorhomes. They were older than me, clearly. I wondered if they could live somewhere else. They probably could. But they choose Quartzsite because this is where they have found their people.

Making friends while living on the road is a lot harder than most people expect. A lot of folks assume van life makes it easy to meet others. In reality, it is similar to making friends while traveling anywhere. It is possible, but it takes effort and repeated chances. On top of that, van lifers are always moving. Even when you do connect, there is always the unspoken understanding that one of you will eventually drive off in a different direction. That nomad community, fleeting as it may be, is what makes a place like Quartzsite feel special.

That’s it for this week. It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week. Also, please text me know how you are doing! I would love to know.

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• Chiricahua

• Semi-ghost

• Do you know what Saguaro is?

• Phoenix

• Are van lifers rich?

• Papago

• Scottsdale

Chiricahua

I left Las Cruses, New Mexico and entered Arizona. The first place I wanted to visit in Arizona was Chiricahua National Monument. It is on the route from El Paso to Tucson, so it made sense as an early stop. I crossed the New Mexico and Arizona border on I 10 and spent Friday night parked at a Love’s in Lordsburg, Arizona.

Chiricahua National Monument was amazing. Imo it is better than some national parks I have visited. I can def see it becoming a national park in the future. I hiked the Echo Canyon Trail, which took me through the mountains and down into the valley. I saw a lot of unique rock formations along the way. The trail felt varied the entire time.

Semi ghost

After that, I stopped by Willcox, Arizona for gas and walked around what looked like the downtown area. Most of the stores were closed and I did not see many people. I only noticed cars passing by occasionally. It reminded me of the semi ghost towns I have seen in Texas and other parts of the Southwest.

Do you know what Saguaro is?

I then made my way to Tucson. I explored Saguaro National Park. It was my second time visiting. It is such a unique park filled with saguaro cacti. A saguaro is the tall cactus that grows only in the Sonoran Desert. They grow very slowly, can live for over a hundred years, and often develop arms as they age. It had been raining heavily since the night before and continued on and off the next day. I got rained on for a bit, but the sun came out about ten minutes later. I ended up seeing a beautiful rainbow over a forest of saguaros, which made the weather super worth it.

I spent some time working from a coffee shop in the northern part of Tucson. I noticed there were a lot of retirement homes in the area. While sitting there, I overheard gossip and social conversations between grandmas and grandpas. Super entertaining.

Phoenix

From Tucson, I drove to Phoenix to finally get the outlets in my van checked. It turned out I did not realize there were breakers for the outlets, and they had been shut off. The mechanics also told me there was no grounding wire connected and suggested a few solutions. I appreciated how helpful they were. Highly recommend them for any of your camper van needs.

Are van lifers rich?

While waiting at the shop, I met another customer who was also working remotely from the office. His motorhome was getting a new AC because the current one was too loud. He had driven down from Henderson near Las Vegas and was heading to the Rose Parade in Pasadena with that vehicle. I am starting to notice that many customers at camper van build and repair shops seem relatively well off financially. I bought my van from a couple in Denver who worked in finance and medicine, and I assume they paid a lot for the custom interior. The guy I met at the shop worked full time remotely like I do and owned a very nice 29 foot motorhome. It seems like many people around these businesses can afford to have someone else fix their vehicles rather than doing the work themselves.

Papago

I stealth camped in different parts of Phoenix for a few nights. The weather was great, with lows in the 50s and highs around 75. I went trail running at Papago Park. It is an urban park in the middle of the city but surprisingly quiet. The trails were well maintained, and I would highly recommend it if you are in Phoenix.

Scottsdale

I also walked around Scottsdale. It felt like an upper middle class suburb of Phoenix. The buildings were nice and the roads were clean, but the area made me feel like I was in a very well maintained retirement community. I could also see why a family would want to raise kids there. I wanted to hike Camelback Mountain but ended up not doing it because of parking. One of the trails was closed, and it was the day after Thanksgiving. I arrived around ten in the morning, and roadside parking stretched for miles. The neighborhood around the trailhead (super boujee) also restricts street parking from sunrise to sunset, which is highly dumb. I gave up and moved on. It was not a hike I was especially excited about, just the most convenient option at the time, and the effort did not feel worth it.

That’s it for this week! It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week. Also, pls text me know how you are doing! I would love to know.

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• UFO Capital

• White Sands

• The Crossroads

• Sun City

UFO Capital

After spending some time in Oklahoma and Texas, I crossed the Texas to New Mexico border and entered the mountain time zone. I did not really have a plan besides exploring the area.

The first place I checked out was the town of Roswell, New Mexico which is known for its UFO conspiracy theory culture. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incident) The museum was more interesting than I expected and I ended up staying longer than planned. It originally started with just two newspaper articles and now the museum brings 60 millions USD to the town. I enjoyed the mini lecture by a guy who has been doing his own UFO research for years. The library in the museum claims to be the second largest UFO library in the world.

White Sands

Then I stopped by White Sands National Park. I visited this national park for the first time in February. This time I came during sunset hours and it was beautiful. The park sits right next to a missile range. There are signs to not go beyond the park border. The test field is also the largest employer in city of Las Cruces, New Mexico which was my next destination.

The Crossroads

I stayed in the Las Cruces Cracker Barrel parking lot on my first night. The last time I passed through the region I did not stop, so I figured I would actually explore it this time. Las Cruces is the second largest city in New Mexico and the Organ Mountains sit right behind it which makes the scenery really nice. The largest city in New Mexico is Albuquerque but I have never been. I almost visited Albuquerque this time but the temperature was dropping below thirty there so I decided not to go.

For the rest of my stay I camped on BLM land by the Organ Mountains. It was quiet and completely dark at night. Really good sunsets out there.

I did two hikes there. The first hike was the Pine Tree Trail.

The second hike was Dripping Springs Trail. There are ruins from the early 1900s along the trail. They are considered historic and there are do not enter signs everywhere. It made me think that if those ruins were anywhere else that was not backed by this mountain backdrop, people probably would not treat them the same. Location really shapes how people see things. The trail has springs in the name but it is the dry season so there was no water. That was fine. I was there close to sunset and the sun made the grass glow in gold. Really pretty.

Sun City

I drove to El Paso, Texas for my weekly climbing session. I did not know El Paso and Las Cruces are only an hour apart. They count as the same metro area which makes sense since they are so close. El Paso felt much bigger. Turns out it is about eight times larger in population.

I usually work from my van using my company phone hotspot but I watched too much YouTube and got throttled for the first time. I did not even know that was possible until it happened. So I needed a coffee shop. I went to Wake and Bake in El Paso. Loved it. Lots of plants. Good vibe. The matcha was sweeter than I preferred but still good. I stayed there for a long work block.

Then I went to Sessions Climbing and Fitness which is the only real climbing gym in the area. The gym was big and the day pass was 23 dollars. Not cheap but not New York level expensive so it was fine.

Whenever I go to a city and catch myself thinking this city is actually nice, it is usually because I only visited the nice part of the city. That is exactly how El Paso felt. Both the coffee shop and the climbing gym are in Mesa Hills. The area feels new, young, and upper middle class. I also went to the Planet Fitness there and it was full of young people. I did not hate the vibe of the neighborhood.

That’s it for this week! It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week. Also, pls text me know how you are doing! I would love to know.

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• Oklahoma Smokeshow

• Buffalo is real

• Left behind

• West Texas

Oklahoma Smokeshow

After a quiet day in Arkansas, I headed west for about seven hours and crossed Arkansas-Oklahoma border.

I have a recommended song for this post. It’s not quite relevant besides the song title, but this post is short and can use some country flavors.

The shift in scenery was fun to observe. The eastern side of Oklahoma has soft hills and plenty of green trees. As I drive further west, the surroundings slowly opens up and the colors fade, while the sky gets wider and wider.

Buffalo is real

The main reason I drove to Oklahoma was to visit Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Wichita Mountain sits about twenty minutes outside the city of Lawton where I parked overnight at the Walmart. Lawton is shaped by the presence of the nearby army base. I saw a bunch of military peeps.

The Wildlife Refuge was AMAZING. I saw BUFFALO, TEXAS LONGHORN, PRAIRIE DOGS, and handful of birds I could not name. I saw buffalo for the first time in my life. Powerful experience. They are huge but gentle looking.

I also checked out Mount Scott. Great view.

Left behind

The drive from Oklahoma into Texas was pretty boring and it could make you sleepy. I stayed on state roads (small roads) instead of the interstate (big roads). I avoid local roads when I am on the Northeast because they have strict height restrictions, but that’s not usually a concern when I am on west side of the United States. State roads slow the ride but give me a closer view of the towns along the way.

Many of the small towns I have passed by seemed quiet. The buildings stand with faded signs. Towns left behind. Not quite abandoned (yet). Half ghost town. I could sense that the life used to be busier there. The buildings made me think about what these places looked like years ago when there were more people around.

Cotton fields appeared often during the drive. They are easy to spot because the plants looked like scatted white and dark dots across the soil.

West Texas

After a few hours of driving, I reached Lubbock, Texas. I went straight to a climbing gym that has just opened for a weekly climbing session and for a daily shower. The space was clean and fresh. Though I stayed in the town for a short time, the city felt like a big suburb, slightly smaller version of El Paso. Wide roads and broad clusters of buildings felt like I was in Sim City.

That’s it for this week! It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week. Also, pls text me know how you are doing! I would love to know.

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• Hot Springs

• Ouachita

• Downtown

• Bathhouse

• On Books

Hot Springs

After New Orleans, I headed north. I wanted to visit the only national park in Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park. I had never been to Arkansas and figured it was a good chance to cross that state off my list.

I drove for seven hours and spent the night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. I saw another camper van there with California plates. The town gets shabbier as you drive further from the downtown; I’d not recommend staying the outskirts unless necessary.

Ouachita

The next day, I started with a hike. I had read that the trails around the park are pretty nice. I picked one trail that was about 3 miles and went for it. I lucked out and caught the very end of the foliage season. A few trees were still changing colors. The trail sits within the Ouachita National Forest. It was not crowded during weekdays and the whole place felt calm and simple. Here, I saw the biggest swarm of ladybugs in my life (not pictured) however. Scary time.

Downtown

After the hike, I wandered around downtown Hot Springs. It is small. It’s basically this one street that has shops and restaurants catered toward tourists. The visitor center was closed because of the government shutdown, but I still learned a bit of the history by reading the signs in front of each building.

There are several public springs where you can fill up on water. Since the water comes straight from the hot springs, it comes out warm. It tasted great. Locals were filling containers too. The steam rising from the fountains added a nice touch.

Bathhouse

There are two active bathhouses, Quapaw and Buckstaff. From what I read, Quapaw feels more modern and Buckstaff sticks with a more traditional setup. Reviews said Quapaw’s thermal pool is the best deal, so I went there. It was 30 dollars. They have four pools at different temperatures and even a cafe with snacks. Since I know hot spring culture in Japan, it was not better than those experiences, but it was still relaxing after a long drive and a hike. There are benches around the pools, so I sat with my Kindle and read for a while. The crowd leaned older, with a few younger tourists mixed in.

One full day is enough to enjoy the area. It is a small town with interesting history and genuinely good water. I would stop by if you happen to be driving through. I would not plan an entire trip around this one national park though.

On Books

I recently finished On The Road by Jack Kerouac. I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped. It felt like a long stream of scattered journal entries written by someone who is too high and too broke. It could also be because I read it in a different language. Maybe the main character was simply too hippie for me. While I was thinking about all this, I ended up reading a subreddit thread about the book. It confirmed that I was definitely not the only one who struggled with it. I read the book for the plot, not for the words. If I had gone in with a different mindset, I might have liked it more.

I moved on to The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Indeed, I was reading it while sitting by the pool at the Quapaw Bathhouse. I am enjoying it a lot more so far. My taste in books changes a lot depending on where I am. When I am in New York, some may assume I would want to read books about travel or nature or long drives to feel nostalgic. It actually works the opposite way. Those kinds of stories feel distant and out of place when I am in the city, so I do not enjoy them as much.

That’s it for this week! It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week.

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

• Almost Getting Stuck

• ‘burbs

• French Quarter

• Swamp Time

• Coffee Shop Thoughts

Almost Getting Stuck

After spending some time along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I figured it was time to enter Louisiana.

I wanted to do a short walk in Jean Lafitte National Wildlife Refuge. The visitor center and the parking lot were closed because of the government shutdown. Everyone, including me, had to park cars on the roadside leading to the visitor center. If you have been to any busy national park, you know the kind of long roadside parking where the car leans at an awkward angle. While doing that, I almost got stuck in the mud. I managed to get the front wheel on a dry patch and avoided calling AAA, but it was a little scary.

Even though the visitor center was closed, people were still able to walk around the refuge. Part of the trail was closed because of a broken boardwalk and a fallen tree, but I still enjoyed the stroll. The place felt like a spot where Shrek could live (though Shrek is based off in Scotland) There was a sign warning about alligators, so I am sure they were around, but I did not notice any.

'burbs

I spent a few days in a suburb of New Orleans called Metairie. I looked up the pronunciation. It is pronounced meh tuh ree. It is close to Trader Joe’s and the neighborhood felt safe and peaceful. The weather was sunny and humid which feels normal for the deep South. I wonder what makes people buy homes here. Hurricanes seem like they would affect the area often. Summers are hot and humid and winters are mild. Is the suburb of New Orleans growing?

I spent one day in the Garden District. Houses in this area are pretty. There are many historic houses decorated nicely, especially during Halloween season. There are a lot of shades because big trees are planted on roadside, significantly more than the surrounding suburbs. I walked along what seemed like a main street and picked up some snacks from a bakery. There were not many people walking around even though it was Sunday. I am pretty sure it is a touristy area, but the crowds seemed to be inside restaurants instead of on the sidewalks. There were some random people yelling on the street occasionally. Despite the big houses, it was not the best vibe. The area, pretty. People, not quite.

Activities I did in the suburbs includes running and bouldering. There’s a big park called City Park in the area and it’s twice the size of Central Park. The vibe was peaceful. For bouldering, I went to New Orleans Boulder Lounge. I have been there before. The vibe remained cozy, athletic, and healthy kind.

French Quarter

The downtown of New Orleans. I have been to New Orleans twice before, so I did not plan to do too much. I spent the weekend with my dad who was in town for work. We stayed in a hotel in the downtown area and I enjoyed having unlimited showers and electricity. My dad never adjusts to time zones when traveling internationally, so he slept during the day while I worked. He worked at night while I slept. When we were both awake, we either walked around the city or grabbed food.

Swamp

We did a swamp boat tour. I had visited a few swamps already but had not been on a boat before, so this was new. We saw a large family of raccoons which was a little scary because there were so many. We also saw a pig, many alligators, and an osprey. The guide was knowledgeable and shared a few horror stories about the swamp.

Coffee Shop Thoughts

I spent Saturday afternoon reading at a coffee shop called Fourth Wall. I highly recommend it. The interior had a rustic style that felt intentional and comfortable. I started reading Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. I read A Gentleman in Moscow by the same author before. I am about 15 percent in and enjoying it. Back in the day you could buy many things with only 12 dollars.

The coffee shop was busy. I went because it was recommended on Beli and since I am in saving mode, I only want to spend money at a place that feels right if I am ordering matcha outside the van. The vibe was pleasant. There were many young people who looked like they were on group trips. I think New Orleans can be fun if you come from a quiet suburb and want something lively. The culture is unique and it is enjoyable to walk around, hear jazz in the street, and look at the historic buildings.

I would probably not return unless someone invited me. Inside the coffee shop a few people were working on laptops, and I wondered if they were local. I kept thinking about who lives in New Orleans. Possibly students from Tulane. The city does not feel like it has a large white collar workforce. Many of the tall buildings in the business district appear to be hotels. Tourism seems to be the main industry. When I checked, it turns out tourism and health care are the biggest sectors here, which matches what I was sensing.

New Orleans, and Louisiana overall, is losing population. That also fits what I have heard about the city sinking. I am glad I spent time in different areas and noticed the contrasts. Since the city will be underwater within my lifetime, I would not think about living here long term. Still, it is such a distinct place that people should see it at least once.

That’s it for this week! It really motivates me if you like this post. Thank you and see you next week.

Leave a comment