Travel Bug Bites again!
I've been bitten again. This time it's not an Asian bug, nor a Middle Eastern virus. South America has already infected me, and left a hungry appetite for exploring Argentina and Chile the next time around. My most recent infection, spurred by the lure of a cheap plane ticket (don't they all start that way?), some National Geographic photos, an unsettling itch to summit another peak, and a very convenient vacation period in my job, is MT. KILIMANJARO.
So, another adventure abroad awaits in December. Except this one's a bit different. I'm not going solo, relying on rudimentary translations from a dictionary in an attempt to speak the local language, and I won't be sleeping in 12-bed dorm rooms at backpacker hostels with 11 other Israelis. For the first time abroad, I'm traveling with my twin sister and a troupe of university friends. I've gotten so used to traveling alone and making my own schedule, sleeping on rooftops and doing laundry in the hostel bathrooms, that I'm sure several adjustments are needed if I'm going to be tolerable to my travel buddies.
To start with, I'll pack more than my basic 2 outfits. To gain respect, I'll need to show that I have better hygiene than a day outfit rotated with a p.j. outfit.
I'll probably also have to cut down on my baby wipe showers and take regular water showers - for the sake of appearing not completely hobo-ish.
And I certainly can't couchsurf when I'm traveling with 11 other friends. I'll also have to give up my independence; it would be considered rude if I abandoned the day's plans because "I had a conversation with another backpacker and he recommended that we do this instead." I certainly can't change a whole group's plans based on my own whimsical fancies and gut instinct that spontaneity makes everything better.
Tanzania, I'm borrowing nearly all my year's vacation for you. Please reciprocate by blessing me with sunny and clear skies, jaw-dropping views, and an absence of any AMS symptoms among my friends and me at the summit of Mt. Kili!
So, another adventure abroad awaits in December. Except this one's a bit different. I'm not going solo, relying on rudimentary translations from a dictionary in an attempt to speak the local language, and I won't be sleeping in 12-bed dorm rooms at backpacker hostels with 11 other Israelis. For the first time abroad, I'm traveling with my twin sister and a troupe of university friends. I've gotten so used to traveling alone and making my own schedule, sleeping on rooftops and doing laundry in the hostel bathrooms, that I'm sure several adjustments are needed if I'm going to be tolerable to my travel buddies.
To start with, I'll pack more than my basic 2 outfits. To gain respect, I'll need to show that I have better hygiene than a day outfit rotated with a p.j. outfit.
I'll probably also have to cut down on my baby wipe showers and take regular water showers - for the sake of appearing not completely hobo-ish.
And I certainly can't couchsurf when I'm traveling with 11 other friends. I'll also have to give up my independence; it would be considered rude if I abandoned the day's plans because "I had a conversation with another backpacker and he recommended that we do this instead." I certainly can't change a whole group's plans based on my own whimsical fancies and gut instinct that spontaneity makes everything better.
Tanzania, I'm borrowing nearly all my year's vacation for you. Please reciprocate by blessing me with sunny and clear skies, jaw-dropping views, and an absence of any AMS symptoms among my friends and me at the summit of Mt. Kili!
