On my flight from Australia to New Zealand, I finished reading the only book I brought with me: The wonderful And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer. I chose it because at 1,433 pages long, I knew it would last me for a while, and indeed it did -- nearly 2/3 of my trip. For the first few weeks, I had averaged reading only about 10 pages each day, and at such a slow pace I wouldn't have finished before I returned home. As the book is rather bulky, it is not something I wanted to carry with me the entire trip. Fortunately, I got into a reading groove and the story flew by.
I left it behind at my Christchurch bed and breakfast. It's quite likely no one will pick it up, as it's in terrible condition: stained, horribly creased binding, and both the front and back covers are attached to the book by packing tape. But hopefully an astute bookworm will recognize that it is a much-loved book, and will give it a shot.
Early in my trip, I grew to both love and hate my stuff. Maybe "love" is too strong a word... it's more like I'm dependent on my stuff and it's all I possess, so I value it more than I would otherwise. I lost a couple of small and replaceable things already, and each time I was much angrier at myself than I would have been if I were at home. But I sure am glad every time I use something up and can throw something away (empty pill bottles, old razors, paperwork) or mail unneeded stuff back home (an extra scarf, superfluous electronic equipment, etc.). I started out with about 11 kilograms of stuff and am down to about 9. BTW, I haven't adopted the metric system for my everyday use. But each time I check in for a flight, I weight all my stuff, so I know how much it weighs in kilograms but not pounds.
Eventually I will toss or donate several items of clothing, too, mostly the second-hand shirts I bought for the trip that now appear to be permanently stained. And if I use them right, I will finish up most of my toiletries as the trip ends, so I won't have to purchase more. I'm a little worried about the deoderant. Based on how quickly I used up my first mini-stick, my second one might come up a few days short, and I'll have to decide between being stinky and buying more stuff to carry.
And speaking of buying stuff to carry... I didn't set out on this trip with the goal of buying much. In part because I'm on a budget, but mostly because I didn't want to carry it or ship it all home. So the few things I've bought for myself have been small and light: a few paintings, which get rolled up; a bikini; a couple of CDs; a necklace. I saw many pretty things that were larger or bulkier (statutes, wood carvings), but I didn't want to deal with the chore of shipping things. It's OK, I'm in a phase of purging stuff, not collecting stuff.
A couple of stops ago, I picked up a new books. Well, new to me; someone else left it at a hostel. The Plains of Passage by Jane Auel. I've read it before, and the first book in the series, The Clan of the Cave Bear, is one of my favorite books of all time, and essential reading for anyone on a paleo-diet (hint, Rob). I had thought about Plains several times earlier in my trip because the two main characters journey across pre-historic Europe, and they constantly have to look at their stuff and re-evaluate when they can carry and what they have to leave behind. So when I saw the book on a hostel shelf, I knew I had to read it next.
I left it behind at my Christchurch bed and breakfast. It's quite likely no one will pick it up, as it's in terrible condition: stained, horribly creased binding, and both the front and back covers are attached to the book by packing tape. But hopefully an astute bookworm will recognize that it is a much-loved book, and will give it a shot.
Early in my trip, I grew to both love and hate my stuff. Maybe "love" is too strong a word... it's more like I'm dependent on my stuff and it's all I possess, so I value it more than I would otherwise. I lost a couple of small and replaceable things already, and each time I was much angrier at myself than I would have been if I were at home. But I sure am glad every time I use something up and can throw something away (empty pill bottles, old razors, paperwork) or mail unneeded stuff back home (an extra scarf, superfluous electronic equipment, etc.). I started out with about 11 kilograms of stuff and am down to about 9. BTW, I haven't adopted the metric system for my everyday use. But each time I check in for a flight, I weight all my stuff, so I know how much it weighs in kilograms but not pounds.
Eventually I will toss or donate several items of clothing, too, mostly the second-hand shirts I bought for the trip that now appear to be permanently stained. And if I use them right, I will finish up most of my toiletries as the trip ends, so I won't have to purchase more. I'm a little worried about the deoderant. Based on how quickly I used up my first mini-stick, my second one might come up a few days short, and I'll have to decide between being stinky and buying more stuff to carry.
And speaking of buying stuff to carry... I didn't set out on this trip with the goal of buying much. In part because I'm on a budget, but mostly because I didn't want to carry it or ship it all home. So the few things I've bought for myself have been small and light: a few paintings, which get rolled up; a bikini; a couple of CDs; a necklace. I saw many pretty things that were larger or bulkier (statutes, wood carvings), but I didn't want to deal with the chore of shipping things. It's OK, I'm in a phase of purging stuff, not collecting stuff.
A couple of stops ago, I picked up a new books. Well, new to me; someone else left it at a hostel. The Plains of Passage by Jane Auel. I've read it before, and the first book in the series, The Clan of the Cave Bear, is one of my favorite books of all time, and essential reading for anyone on a paleo-diet (hint, Rob). I had thought about Plains several times earlier in my trip because the two main characters journey across pre-historic Europe, and they constantly have to look at their stuff and re-evaluate when they can carry and what they have to leave behind. So when I saw the book on a hostel shelf, I knew I had to read it next.
I'll have to check it out. Although I'm about to start on a much, much nerdier book (The Forever War).
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of your fellow travelers (and Brian, who will likely be picking you up from the airport), please restock your deodorant supply when the time comes.
ReplyDelete