From England to Ecuador and beyond

From England to Ecuador and beyond

Friday 25 April 2014

Withdrawal symptoms central - what I've missed while travelling

Travelling is awesome, without the shadow of a doubt. However, living out of a backpack in strange countries does mean giving up some beloved home comforts. After being away for almost a month, here's what I've missed the most on the road so far:

-Tea. Normal black teabags are few and far between in this part of the world, where they seem to prefer herbal teas instead - yeuch! It's bad but my mood noticeably improves when I have a mug of tea to hand - even if I've spent the day soaking up epic landscapes and wildlife. Was in heaven when I found a place in La Paz that served PG Tips!


-Bedsocks. I don't care how granny it makes me sound, I miss having something soft and fluffy to wiggle my toes inside at night!

-Proper toilets. I know roughing it is all part of the experience, but when walking into a cubicle physically makes you gag...it's not the one. Narrow pipes means that loo paper goes in the bin rather than being flushed down the toilet, so it can get funky pretty quickly in public baƱos. I can also confirm that relieving oneself behind a rock in a windy desert is as tricky as it sounds!

-My shower gel. Left my lovely Imperial Leather body wash that smells like holidays at home and got practical with an all in one hair/body/laundry/washing up concoction from Millets instead :(

-Alone time. Don't get me wrong, travelling in a group is great; I've met some cool new people from all over the world (really lucked out with my roomies), you've got people to fall back on if something goes wrong and you don't have to endure sympathetic or weird looks when dining solo in the evenings. But...sometimes I miss having my own space.

-Fruit. I surprise myself - and others no doubt (Claire!) - with this one, but I miss being able to tuck into a plate of fruit or salad without fretting it'll give me the squits or an attack of the voms. With so many long car/bus/train journeys, it's just not worth the risk. Haven't been ill in that way yet (touch wood) but feeling quite unhealthy and REALLY miss cherry tomatoes!

-Oh yeah, and family & friends! Just a smidge...