...to 2001 before my gap-year started. Where do you start? Well sorting the actual travel arrangements were, for me, fairly straight forward. Having worked in the travel industry since 1979, I had a pretty good idea of how to go about this bit.
No, it was what to take with me for a year that was my biggest concern at this stage. Unlike my previous two-week holidays, where I would pack enough clothes for a month, I would need to be very careful about what I packed and indeed, what I packed it into. Whilst I wasn't going on a hiking holiday, there would be times when I was planning to hike, such as The Inca Trail in Peru. A backpack therefore seemed like the most practical form of luggage. needless to say there are numerous types of backpack on the market so off I trotted to an outdoor equipment specialist to seek their advice.
Now this opened up a whole new world of bewildering equipment and from what I was seeing a lot of potential expenditure. The assistant immediately told me to remember that whatever you put in your backpack you must be able to carry comfortably. He suggested to take a change of underwear for each day of the week, plus one extra day on the basis that hopefully you will be able to do your laundry at least once weekly!
I started to look at sleeping bags next. As I was not intending to do much camping and I was given to understand that hostels provided bed linen, it was only going to need some form of bedding occasionally. Being a stout fellow,well ok,overweight,I was going to need a large sleeping bag. Many of the bags appeared to taper in towards the foot of the bag so it was determined that I should try out a bag to find the perfect fit. The assistant found me the largest bag they stocked,which he assured me would fold into a relatively neat rolled package for carrying.
Unzipped,I slid into the bag and then started to draw the zips up. It was certainly cosy and as I reached the shoulder area came the critical moment. My sister tugged the zips up and past my shoulders and there I was,a rather large catapillar totally unable to move. I couldn't move my arms or turn in the bag and I couldn't reach the zips either. The assistant was with another customer and my sister had wandered off elsewhere in the shop. A surprised lady nearly fell over me and then smiled at the,by now,very red chubby face staring up at her. Not wishing to disturb me she stepped carefully over me and continued her browsing.
The temperature inside the bag was approaching critical level and a mild panic began to envelop me as I started wriggling helplessly in my cocoon. Fortunately, the assistant returned and released me, and suggested an alternative. A thermal fleece blanket,lighter and more compact and that zipped up like a sleeping bag.
'Ching,ching',a sale and before I had left I had also purchased a medical kit,complete with sterile needles;a folding knife,fork and spoon set;a water bottle;a huge waterproof poncho to cover the backpack;a micro towel(like a flannel),and a universal door lock. This small piece of metal fits into the frame of the door and then ratchets shut to create a secure lock for any door. Ideal for public toilets perhaps. I must remember to try this out when next at a motorway service station!
No comments:
Post a Comment