the logistics of travel

I got an email from my friend Graig (because he is wonderful and awesome and knows how much I love to get emails from my friends while I am away and feeling lonely) (hint), and I decided to answer him here rather than in an email. Mostly, it's because I forget, when I am writing, to include the minutiae of my life. And not only is it hard to paint a clear picture without it, but it's also the kinds of questions my mom asks me about, so I might as well tell everyone.

So first off, one of the most compelling things about my day to day life is that, when traveling, I become rather preoccupied with my day to day life while traveling. I think I may have mentioned, but the thing with travel stress is that it does come in big sizes - Oh, sure, your flight will leave Buenos Aires, but we have no idea when, or why it won't go now, but you can TRUST US that it will leave. Someday; Your bags will arrive in New Zealand at some point after you do, but we will find you when it happens...

But in general (I sincerely hope), those big stresses are kind of rare. The minor ones, though, are sort of constant. Living on the road, out of a pack, in hostels, is a constant world of negotiation. I am traveling with 8 shirts; those range from a tank top to a wool longsleeve, so I rarely have 8 shirts in actual circulation, depending on weather. I constantly have to consider when I will be able to wash out a shirt and allow it time to dry, if I wear this or that shirt, what that leaves me for tomorrow or the next day, etc. There is strategy and planning involved in when I eat, sleep, shower, and do any of those things I do at home without much thought to broad strokes plans. That's the single most draining thing about traveling, I think - is that I can't do much without thinking.

But anyway, Graig writes:
"i've been wondering: what sort of nightlife have you been encountering? what do you do with your evenings? and where do you eat (i'm obsessed with restaurants when traveling abroad)? how you seen any indigenous cinema? oh, and you seem to be shopping a lot: are you accumulating much as you go? and carrying it everywhere?"

I will start with the easiest one: I have seen movies in Argentina, New Zealand and Australia; there is not a lot in the way of indigenous cinema, though - all have been mainstream Hollywood movies. There were I believe two Argentine movies out in Buenos Aires, but I didn't see them because they were obviously not subtitled. There were no options here or in NZ for non-American fare. The movie experiences themselves were interesting, though - in BA, it was older men (maybe 60) and well dressed that acted as ushers and ticket takers. Also, I've decided I hate assigned seating. I like to sit close-ish and middle, but I keep going to movies with barely any other people, and I still get assigned to the back row or whatever. It's an unnecessary pain. And it also means that Aussies and Kiwis show up at movies about 2 minutes after it starts, en masse. No one is there when previews & ads start at the showtime, and by the movie start people have finally started filling in.

Ok, nightlife. This one varies wildly, depending on a lot of factors. In Latin America, dinner is so late that it was the evening activity. Brian and I tried (with only dubious success) to go to bars a few times,and I went out with some people at the hostel for a drink one night. There were also a lot of evenings spent with some wine at the hostel, enjoying the view/roofdeck/bar (depending on the hostel). In New Zealand, I was with my sister, and we had television. We also got up early, so that colored things. My evenings there were actually quite similar to my evenings at home.

Australia is more complicated. I am in the absolute heart of the traditional backpacker and round the world circuit right now. Essentially, it seems like ever Brit ever does a trip that is Southeast Asia/Australia/New Zealand/Fiji/States/home. So I am in the midst of that. But also bear in mind that I am a solid 6-10 years older than the rest of the hostel crowd here, in general (the travellers included many of a much older (read: my age) crowd in South America, so that was a difference as well). I am not big on the drinking games and picking up foreign boys (word choice deliberate) like many of my younger hostelgoers are, so that changes my plans a bit. I do go out with people I meet in the hostel, generally to backpacker bars (because that is what we know), and then I head home. I do also keep an earlier schedule - in every hostel, there tends to be some people (or the entire hostel, at one in Melbourne) who becomes completely nocturnal, drinking all night and sleeping/watching tv all day. I like to see where I am traveling, so I am an early bird at these places, usually bed by 12 or 1, up by 8.

Eating! I hate cooking in hostels. i Love to cook, but with sketchy, bare-bones kitchens, no supplementary ingredients or spices, crowds, and dubious cleanliness, I hate it. And I am on my own. So I basically never do it. I love street food, so where available, I go to town on that - I can't wait for Southeast Asia. In other places, I do my own version of it, like going to Breadtop in Melbourne, for instance, and eating BBQ pork buns for dinner. This kind of eating I supplement with fruit and veggies from the supermarket, and lots of water. Gotta stay hydrated! I do go out to eat, or get takeout, on my own, but not as much as with others. It's not as much fun. But I do try to get some "representative" cuisine - I really want some seafood in Cairns, for instance. Besides, here in Mission Beach, there are virtually no restaurants, and none that are affordable (average entree is $20. Youch.), so I have been eating sandwiches, fruit, and cereal for three days. I am going to DINE OUT tomorrow.

And shopping. I am actually not doing that much buying. I did buy a lot when my sister was here, and I sent it all home with her - she left with one more large, heavy bag than she came with, and a significant portion of that was mine. Since she's gone, I bought one more tank top, because I will be in warm weather for a while. Other than that, all of my purchases have been on transport, accommodation, internet, food, and things like postcards - nothing I carry with me. I don't buy anything of any substantial size without a consideration of how I am getting it home, and I avoid anything that I will have to carry for any length of time. If I decide to shop in Australia, I will probably mail some home before I leave. In Southeast Asia, I will either mail things home or wait until I meet my parents in Greece. But I don't buy when I shop, mostly, unless it's small, light and packable.

I think that's most of the logistics - there are many, I am not going to lie. The simple considerations at home can be a big deal here - I need a haircut, for instance. I am going to get it before I leave Sydney, to avoid language issues in Asia, but I am very worried about finding a place that won't muck up my very short hair, and also won't charge me $80 for the trim. But I am much more in the groove than I was before, so it makes it easier.

If there are logistic questions that I didn't answer, let me know. I love getting email...