Things I Miss
This list should not be construed in any way, shape, or form to indicate that I am tired of traveling - quite the contrary. However, it's only natural to miss the comforts of home during an extended trip - and they don't get much more extended than this one.
I think it was in the sixth week, I asked Kumiko if she missed home - to which she answered, "No." And I hadn't even thought about home, much less missed anything. Probably not having a home to miss is a large part of it, at least for me. Naturally, I miss family and friends, and have from the start, but on April 17 2001, I started to miss foods, personal effects, etc. And I don't think it's just a coincidence that it happened during our visit to India - it's a difficult country for travelers.
At any rate, in addition to unnamed family and friends, I offer the following list of things I miss. Oh, by the way, the above photo was taken in Siracusa, Sicily. The couple, who hail from my hometown of Austin, was on a four-year tour of the world by sailboat.
- My cozy, cushy king-size (i.e. long-enough-for-me) bed with the latex mattress.
- Texas beer - Shiner Bock. [Actually, since I quit drinking at the end of 2000, I pretty much miss ALL beer.]
- Knowing my way around the city (not needing a map).
- The sinfully-good and oh-so-rich ancho chilly fudge pie from Z-Tejas in Austin, Texas.
- Knowing where I'm going to sleep each night without having to search for it.
- Bluebell homemade vanilla ice-cream - from Texas, of course.
- Driving - except for two hours on a motorbike in Chaing Mai, Thailand, I haven't driven since I left the U.S.
[Update: Okay, so after driving a VW camper around Europe for four months, I don't miss driving so much.]
[2nd Update: After driving a piece-of-crap Fiat (that broke down at least once a week) around Vientiane, Laos for a year, I really don't miss driving that one.] - The wonderfully fresh guacamole and the dangerously strong Cadillac margaritas from Lula's in Santa Monica, California.
- My washing machine and dryer (I'm tired of washing my clothes in sinks).
- Hotdogs from Texas Chili Parlor in Austin, Texas.
- Jeans - something other than khaki!
- Upper Crust Bakery in Austin, Texas.
- My music!! [Update: thanks to my sister and Kumiko's parents, I got my Sony MD player and all my music back again - at least for as long as we had the camper.]
[2nd Update; Ok, so now I have an iPhone4, which has ALL my favorite tunes on it.] - Great (Tex-Mex) Mexican food.
- Dr. Pepper!!! [Update: So far, I have found Dr. Pepper in Japan, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Australia, the Philippines, and Dubai, U.A.E.]
- Eggs, fixed the way I like them! When we got to Malta, we rented an apartment on the small island of Gozo and got to cook our own meals.
[Update: With the camper, I could cook eggs (and my yummy French toast) anytime I wanted to.]
[2nd Update: Other places I've been able to cook... Busan, South Korea (teaching English); Melbourne, Australia; Vientiane, Laos; and, of course, many hostels throughout Eastern and Western Europe.] - My motorcycle.
