We’re home! And I am heady with a sense of recklessness each time I throw toilet paper directly into the toilet.
Yup. Call me a rebel. Or a hooligan angel.
Or whatever you like.
Your call…
After five weeks of Peruvian, Argentinian and Chilean signs constantly reminding me to always throw the paper into the garbage container next to the toilet, I was well and truly trained. But since we’ve been home I have become absolutely devil-may-care in my reckless flushing of t.p.
Not to mention that I daringly brush my teeth with tap water and pour glassfuls of water directly from the tap into my gut.
Crazy!
Seriously. The world is such a big place and I feel so honoured to be able to get out and experience the things that we have done. Every place we visited was amazing. There are many moments and memories in Peru, Argentina and Chile, that no photos will ever do justice. I feel like I could feast on all of it for the rest of my days.
But after thirteen flights in five weeks, after one bag of sad carry-on clothes that were looking a little grey after their shampoo-laundry-in-the-sink experiences and a crazy lung-infection cold that left me wheezing and shuddering, I just want to say that I am truly grateful, oh-so-truly grateful to be home where the sidewalks are even, the t.p. goes in the toilet and I can shower without worrying if the water gets in my mouth.
Last night I threw on my softest sweat pants, big old shirt and my sheepy slippers. I tucked a blanket up to my chin and we did nothing culturally different or interesting beyond the next movie on Netflix.
Bring it on.
Now, the suitcases are unpacked and stowed, the clothes look a little brighter after a proper washing and I’m thrilled to pull out different shirts and scarves and something besides the same tired shoes. I’ve finished one assignment and am working on the next one. I will get out to my art studio in the next few days and will soon be in my usual little Sechelt-groove.
And then you know what will happen?
We’ll book our February flights to Mexico.
Glad to have you back home! Even if it is just for a few months.
My earlier times in Mexico left me grateful to be home where there was a seat on the toilet, in addition to the various other ways in which we and they are different (water safety, disposal pipe integrity, etc).
A friend who has traveled extensively by biking through many European countries tells about washing her day’s clothes in the shower, stamping them with her feet to get them washed out. My oh my…
Hope you have a happy holiday season, wherever you’ll be celebrating.
Thanks Joan. Yes, we are very blessed with our first-world amenities eh? Like your friend, I have stomped a few of my clothes in various showers, a little extra squirt of shampoo and off we go. It works quite well.
I do the old roll-the-clothing in the towel trick to really get it dry and then hang them up. Not quite perfect but pretty good.
We are home this Christmas and I’m quite excited to be hanging out in our own little part of the planet.
Wishing you all the best of the season too 🙂