Here are some thoughts I jotted down on September 1st. Odd that I should be posting on Sept.11 of all days...perhaps the cause of the many restrictions we now face when readying ourselves for air travel.
As I was packing for the NYC trip (squish one pair heels, 2 x sundresses, jeans, shawl for cool evening) into one small carry-on bag. Ensure all fluids do not exceed 100mL - pack in clear plastic bag that's easily accessible for all the security gates, easy to slip-on/slip-off shoes. Dump out purse to double check that nothing sharp (like nail clippers) got stuck into a compartment, or that I do not have a tube of hand lotion that may be a little too large- all I could think was: rules rules rules.
I began to miss traveling in Southern Africa. I miss how packing didn't have to involve minimizing. Giant purses, big ol' suitcase, minimum one plastic carrier bag full of food and drinks. Any bus or train would have at least one chicken, if not- there would be a goat. The worst though, would be the giant feed bags shoved under seats- but stacked so deep your feet end up on them as footrests; naturally your knees would come up to your ears while digging into the vinyl seat in front of you (think sweat).
And of course the bus/train schedules are merely suggestions- when the bus is full it starts rolling. The train will break down at some point, so even if it did leave on time chances are it would not reach it's destination on time.
But, the clothes are rolled tight. Snacks on hand. Mini soaps packaged in clear plastic. A long sweaty dusty ride to an exotic-sounding African town isn't in the cards right now (Harare, Maputo, Dar es Salaam). A stuffy red-eye to an iconic city is exhilarating in a different way. NYC here we come!
