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NOTES ON BAD HOTELS AND BAD BUSSES WHEN YOU'RE TRAVELING LIGHT.
There is a term I use 'elongated time' (not sure if I read it somewhere) to describe that sort of experience you may have when you go back to sleep in the mornings and dream HOURS in just a few minutes - You wake up thinking "OH NO, I'm late!" and you've only dropped off for five minutes and dreamt DAYS! That's how this (latest) trip has been - 9 weeks seemed like 9 months because every day was so different from the previous. It could also be due to the fact that travelling light can be so hard though all the more enjoyable for it's tendency to sidetrack you into unexpected and unplanned adventures.
The secret to comfortable, and independent travel is that your gear has gotta be light. If you can't carry your pack on one shoulder all day and even run for a bus then it's TOO HEAVY! I see young girls bent double with the load, taking their dirty laundry on a tour of exotic parts of the world in their 'skyscraper backpacks'. and their 'day packs', usually full as well and hanging to the front, are often bigger than my backpack - killing themselves!
If your gear is too heavy it will really hinder you and restrict your freedom unless you're travelling completely on tours where someone will be there to help you with it. Don't fret, in most countries you can buy almost anything you need along the way.
Less STUFF will allow you to carry your pack on your shoulder at all times and you never have to put it down on the gobs of SPIT that are all over ferry and bus depots. You can sit with it on your lap in a tiny bus and it will go as carry-on luggage on aircraft.
Here's a list you might find helpful:
* Only 1 extra shirt and pants that can double as swimmers. Only I pair of extra socks and you can wear them on your hands while sleeping if there are mosquitoes about - extra clothes means you are only carrying LAUNDRY.
* A wine cask bladder as a pillow--good if it's wrapped in a shirt and much softer than most backpacker hotel pillows.
* Snorkel mask and fins in the tropics, otherwise substitute with a sleeping bag for cooler climes.
* Frisbee to make friends with the kids and keep you fit.
* Notebook and pen to write new words as you hear them, a good way to learn the lingo.
* Guide book - better to download the chapter(s) than carry a heavy book then photocopy others if necessary--if you can find a traveller to lend it, (thats illegal).
* 'Escape' book - tear off the pages as you read to save on weight! (serious).
* Common soap to wash body & clothes.
* Measure out your shampoo if you have to carry it, count your disposable razors or grow a beard - if you're female make up your own mind on this one!
* Small flashlight for reading etc., LED is best, candles are dangerous in bamboo huts, or carry an 80w bulb - but that may cut the generator or burn down the hut!
* EAR PLUGS and roll-on insect repellent.
* A chamois or micro-fibre towel instead of a big bath/beach towel.
* Plastic clogs or flipflops.
* A few safety pins and some string to hang up your gear and keep it off the floor and insect-free.
* A USB memory stick can go with your passport/cards in your money-belt inside your pants.
* You can put your money-belt in a plastic bag and bury it all in the ground if you're going to be in a remote area for a few days, swimming etc..
*Small items to give as gifts - cheap eyeglasses are appreciated by older people in remote places. pencils and little items for kids, guitar strings, etc etc..
I also carry harmonicas and guitar picks.
THE HOTELS - just a few examples:
Manado North East Sulawesi - I arrived back on the mainland after exploring the marine park and already dying corals of Bunaken Island sand passing the CELEBES HOTEL I thought it looked a little too flash for my budget but what the hell; I've got an early start next morning. It was cheaper than it looked, the lobby tiled in burgundy and the staff and receptionist in neat uniforms - apologies for broken aircon and apologies too for loud TV in foyer "volume control broken" (Oh yea!). I went out to eat at a 'wahrung' or street stall - often better food than the restaurants and at least as hygienic, if you didn't mind the rats that you don't usually see indoors, watching your ever loving mouthful. I returned about 8pm to get an early night and as I reached the third floor corridor, the biggest, sleekest, fattest, shiniest rat came galloping towards me and went skittering between my legs and down the stairs. I followed after it and when I told the manager he hardly even raised an eyebrow, didn't even offer a 'Manuel/Faulty Towers' "He no rat. His name Basil - he a filigree hamster!"
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