My World in a Bag

One year, more or less. Eight countries, give or take. I've set off with no reservations, guides or packaged tours. Not even a traveling companion. Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Burma is the plan, but plans change. Especially mine. Maybe I'll get tired of living out of a bag all the time, get malaria or fall for a Turkish carpet salesman. You never know! There are a million horrible things that could happen to me to cut my trip short, but more than likely I will run out of money before I get kidnapped by terrorists (fingers crossed.)

Months of planning, and I still don't have a plan. It took ages just select an itinerary, do my research, and keep abreast with current political conditions, terrorist plots and just plain war (had to strike Lebanon from the list.)
Then there were vaccinations, visas, finance, insurance and air tickets to take care of. All this while sadly saying goodbye to my life in Tokyo (4 amazing years!) and returning to the States for a month for my little sister's wedding.

But by far the most challenging part was, and still is the packing. I needed to outfit myself from the modest mosques, to bare-all beaches. I had to prepare for the heat of the desert, the damp of the jungle and the chill of the Himalayas. To top it all off, I had to be able to pack it all on my back and carry it around without worsening my back and neck, still sensitive after I was hit by a car over a year ago (That's another story altogether.)

I can hardly decide what to wear in the morning, let alone what to pack for any and every possibillity I might encounter on this trip. Creature comforts gave way to the practical. Only items that could compress, absorb, wick, shield, support, secure, stow, clean, prevent or protect made the cut. High-tech and Lo- weight was the rule of thumb. Of course, any Alaskan knows the virtues of a good ol' roll of duct tape! It's already come in handy a number of times.

The last 48 hours before the flight was a flurry of mad packing. I was so absorbed with getting it all together that I didn't have time to worry, or admit to myself how nervous and scared I was. The gravity of this challenge that I had taken on for myself didn't quite hit me until I first glimpsed the parade of graceful domes and towering minaretes that characterize the skyline of Istanbul...