beginnings of reflection
Wow, the last day on MEEWT. I'll head out soon to explore Bangkok, but confirming my last flights has me contemplative.
Airlines flown: Delta, KLM Dutch airlines, Emirates, Royal Jordanian, Indian Airlines, United.
The best? Emirates, hands down. Friendly flight attendants, and best of all personalized TVs with actual good movies. (Saw Crash - very good.)
Waters touched : Yikes, I need a world map for this. Atlantic, at Cape Coast (and Kokrobite) where enslaved Africans were shipped to the Americas. The Dead Sea. The Nile. The Jordan River. The Bay of Bengal. And I know there are more ...
What I've learned:
1. It's more fun to visit places where I have friends, though it doesn't suck other places either.
2. Hotels in city centers and/or populated areas are always better for me.
3. I am unforgiving. Not vengeful, but will promptly excise from my life any who cross me.
4. I can get around anywhere, especially if I'm cool with whatever happens and am patient.
5. There is no place exotic. Every place in the world is populated by people doing activities - and both the people and the activities have more in common with people and activities I know and love than they don't have in common. Orientalism is crushed in me (a long-standing argument Sabine and I have, thanks to Edward Said).
6. I love West Africa and want to return there for long-term.
7. India and Thailand are fascinating and I want to visit again.
8. Tourist culture makes me sick.
9. Hotmail is really, really slow in most countries and yahoo is a better choice.
10. I can do laundry by hand in a bucket or hotel sink really well now.
The best things I brought:
1. A sink stopper and laundry line.
2. A sleep sack (though next time, sheets may be better).
3. Flip-flops.
4. Ben Harper and Fiona Apple on my MP3 player.
5. Suitcases with wheels and carry-on backpack with all essentials (when KLM diverts my luggage elsewhere for a week, it's helpful).
6. Guide books. Even though they were really, really heavy.
7. ATM card. I used it almost exclusively, though changing cash was good especially in Africa. Traveler's cheques - rarely a good thing nowadays.
8. A smile.
9. Digital camera, though I pretty much stopped taking pictures a week or so ago.
10. A lappa (technically I didn't bring it, but bought it at Buduburam when my luggage was diverted).
But mostly what I learned about stuff is it's all replaceable and it's not a tragedy to have forgotten something. I spent too much time and energy and money preparing for this trip, and now I know I can find acceptable toothpaste in a city everywhere, which is at worst an inconvenience and small expense away from wherever I am.
Airlines flown: Delta, KLM Dutch airlines, Emirates, Royal Jordanian, Indian Airlines, United.
The best? Emirates, hands down. Friendly flight attendants, and best of all personalized TVs with actual good movies. (Saw Crash - very good.)
Waters touched : Yikes, I need a world map for this. Atlantic, at Cape Coast (and Kokrobite) where enslaved Africans were shipped to the Americas. The Dead Sea. The Nile. The Jordan River. The Bay of Bengal. And I know there are more ...
What I've learned:
1. It's more fun to visit places where I have friends, though it doesn't suck other places either.
2. Hotels in city centers and/or populated areas are always better for me.
3. I am unforgiving. Not vengeful, but will promptly excise from my life any who cross me.
4. I can get around anywhere, especially if I'm cool with whatever happens and am patient.
5. There is no place exotic. Every place in the world is populated by people doing activities - and both the people and the activities have more in common with people and activities I know and love than they don't have in common. Orientalism is crushed in me (a long-standing argument Sabine and I have, thanks to Edward Said).
6. I love West Africa and want to return there for long-term.
7. India and Thailand are fascinating and I want to visit again.
8. Tourist culture makes me sick.
9. Hotmail is really, really slow in most countries and yahoo is a better choice.
10. I can do laundry by hand in a bucket or hotel sink really well now.
The best things I brought:
1. A sink stopper and laundry line.
2. A sleep sack (though next time, sheets may be better).
3. Flip-flops.
4. Ben Harper and Fiona Apple on my MP3 player.
5. Suitcases with wheels and carry-on backpack with all essentials (when KLM diverts my luggage elsewhere for a week, it's helpful).
6. Guide books. Even though they were really, really heavy.
7. ATM card. I used it almost exclusively, though changing cash was good especially in Africa. Traveler's cheques - rarely a good thing nowadays.
8. A smile.
9. Digital camera, though I pretty much stopped taking pictures a week or so ago.
10. A lappa (technically I didn't bring it, but bought it at Buduburam when my luggage was diverted).
But mostly what I learned about stuff is it's all replaceable and it's not a tragedy to have forgotten something. I spent too much time and energy and money preparing for this trip, and now I know I can find acceptable toothpaste in a city everywhere, which is at worst an inconvenience and small expense away from wherever I am.
posted by NOLA at 9:17 PM
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