A bit messier than usual. |
When you walk into a hostel, you can tell a lot about a person by how their things are arranged or what their bag situation is. This might seem silly and a bit judgmental but I don't mean it to be at all, it's just an observation that I have developed over time. Or for example, if you have never traveled with a friend before and you show up to the hotel and simultaneously open your bags, you can tell a lot about their brain. If your brain works one way, you pack one way. With all this said initial packing can be taught and you can make an effort at it to make your life easier on the road, but as with a lot of things it just comes naturally to some people, especially if you are good at puzzles. Packing is basically a puzzle that you have to figure out and be able to take apart and put back together several times. I like that it is a puzzle. Type A alert!
So how do I pack? I'm pretty organized but I tend to procrastinate packing, with that said I am pretty methodical about it once I do start. I like to lay everything out on a sheet so I can see it in a contained space. I tend to start with the toiletries, making a big pile of everything I think I might need. Then I head over to the electronics, stacking all of my power cords, memory cards and cameras together. Clothes and shoes are usually the toughest part for me because even if the temperature is stable I tend to get cold very easily, especially if I am sitting for a long time. My body just thinks I am going into meditation mode and my blood pressure drops and my circulation slows and I get cold. I lay out my clothes in piles according to what it is, t-shirts, pants, socks etc. After most items are out in front of me, I look at them for a while and then start to cull. I do a once over and make a maybe pile. I ask myself questions about each "maybe" item, will I really wear or use it? Is it culturally appropriate? Will it travel well? Will it dry fast as necessary? Once I cull the maybe pile, I go over the whole pile again and then start to put things in my pack. While putting things in my pack I usually cull a few more items. The act of putting items in your bag or pack makes you really wonder if you will use it especially when you see what kind of space it monopolizes. The thing about clothes is that we all have clothes that we prefer to wear because we feel comfortable in them but then there are also those outfits that you have that you want to wear but never do. Often times people think vacation or travel is great time to try those out, and depending on where and what you are doing you might be right. For me, I know that if I don't wear it at home I most likely won't wear it abroad. I also keep in mind that if there is something I really need I'd rather buy it local and help myself blend in.
Shoes can be another tricky one.They depend on what type of trip you are taking. As with the clothes, be really honest with yourself about what you will actually wear. For any trip though, you should have at least a pair of flip flops/sandals and a pair of closed toe shoes comfortable for walking. I try to plan for the possibility of my shoes getting wet by packing an easily folding type of shoe just in case.
Finally, the roll or fold debate. Some people are ardent supporters of one method, I however, am not. I tend to do a little bit of both depending on what bag I am carrying. My last domestic trip I rolled everything because I was taking a small bag and it seemed to work out. I think it's really a preference thing, I've never seen that it saves that much space. With a backpack it will most likely end up unrolled anyways. I have also heard of people putting items in bags in their pack so they can "grab and go." Each mesh or nylon bag is a different color to signal what is in it for easy access. I've never tried this but I assume it works for a lot of people. When it comes to packing there are only a few "wrong" ways to do it, bringing too much stuff you won't use, packing for the wrong weather, bringing a bag you can't manage and bringing things you can't keep track of. The rest is preference, personality and experience.
Last weekend I started freaking out about Nepal. I usually don't get nervous before travel but this trip is so different than every one before it. For starters I've never been on a five day trek. Normally I wouldn't be that nervous about it because it is something you can physically and mentally prepare for. Something I was doing at a pretty good clip before my rib injury. Now there are thoughts of, will my rib hold out, is it really healed, and if something happens to it during the hike will I be able to continue? This variable is not something I have experienced before, I've never left for a trip thinking my health and fitness might not be 100%. It will be a learning experience no doubt, but for now I am calming my nerves by pre-packing. Pre-packing is recommended by just about every traveler I know, including myself, but in practice it is something I rarely do. Occasionally I will lay a few things out to see if I really want to bring them (staring at them for a week can usually sway me one way or another), but a full pre-pack almost never happens. This is for one very specific reason, I procrastinate packing. It is not totally out of the norm to see me packing for a trip to say New Zealand the night before.
Even if I have been reading, researching and doing all manner of preparation for a trip, it never feels real until I am about to leave or actually on the plane. I think this adds to my procrastination of packing. It is also entirely possible that it is a family trait. I am a very organized person so this specific procrastination point is of particular amusement to my friends and family. At this point, with the amount of day, overnight, week long, multi week, and multi month trips I have done, packing is slightly more unconscious than it should be. It just gets done and I am usually happy with the result. However, this trip is different for a whole host of reasons. One, so much hiking gear, two, more meds than I usually bring, more survival items, a sleeping bag (something I have never traveled with before), well I guess those aren't reasons, they are just different things I have to bring that I never usually do. Basically the gear is very different from my "normal" backpacking type trip.In classic traveler form, my to-do list keeps expanding every time I look at it. With my trip a mere week and a half away, I need to get to it and get it all done so I can enjoy.
Here's a little list of all the things I am nervous about for this trip.(I must be feeling pretty open and honest right now.)
-Snakes (ongoing phobia)
-Altitude
-Rib Injury
-Fitness
-Enough Gear
-My first night hotel. I took a trip advisor shot in the dark.
-The water. I got sick in both Egypt and Bolivia even though I was super careful. Being sick in the middle of a trek in the Himalayas is not something I want to experience.
-Sleeping bag rating. Is it really as warm as they say? I'm going to test it out before I leave.
-That everything will be ok with the group I am meeting. Groups are always an unknown.
Now that I've written them out, only a few are really serious. Nerves are interesting because they don't always equal fear. Nerves to me are more like a very heightened awareness of interest in something that could grow into a fear if I don't examine the nitty gritty of why it is showing up. Is there a real original source? Am I being unreasonable? Is it really something that I want to focus on and spend energy on to work through or will it dissipate as time goes on and I educate myself?
Off to pack some more.
Sofreh e Haft-Sin (pronounced seen) |
So what is Persian New Year? It is the beginning of the Iranian calendar and it always starts on the vernal equinox, the first day of spring, at the exact moment of the equinox. It symbolizes the end and rebirth. It is celebrated in Iran and in pockets around the former Persian empire territories and of course by Iranians worldwide. According to custom it has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years and involves many different traditions, usually carried out over the course of three weeks or so. Norooz is said to have its roots in the Zorastrian religion but is today mostly celebrated as secular event.
On the last Wednesday of the year called Chahar Shanbeh Suri, bonfires are lit in public places and people ritually jump over them. I have never witnessed nor partaken in this tradition but I intend to at some point in my life. The fires are suppose to light the very dark and "unlucky" night. As you jump over the fire, you are said to be cleansed and bring in wishes of happiness in the new year.
Sofreh-e-Haft-sin, is the table you see in the picture above. It is a ceremonial table with seven items that start with the Persian letter S or Sinn (again there are several spellings). Each item represents something positive for the new year. Some of the traditional items are live goldfish, apples, sweets, some sort of greens, vinegar, coins, nuts, an egg, and garlic. Each family does it a little bit differently depending on where they are from, but these are some of the most common items. Each item symbolizes something you want to bring into the new year with you. The haft-seen is set up after a deep cleaning and reorganization of the household, generally a few weeks or so before the new year. The table is not dismantled until the 13th day after the new year. The 13th day is called Seezdah Bedar during which the families go outside and relax at large picnics. Children play games and all enjoy a merry relaxing time on the last day of Norooz.
Growing up I always looked forward to Norooz. The day was filled with a large family gathering, wonderful food, new money and gifts. A note on the new money, during the celebration of Norooz children often receive Aid or Eid. It can come in a few different forms, usually gifts or money or if you are really lucky both. The tradition is that you give aid to those who are younger than you. In the case of money they must be fresh, crisp, new bills. When we were little and it was good year we would receive one dollar for each year of our life. Our uncles would sign one of the bills and if we brought it back next year it was said to garner extra bills (although I don't know if this ever worked). I would say the last time I received any of this type of aid was in college, when I have to admit it was especially welcome. Each Norooz also brought a new outfit to ring in the new year, new clothes were tradition, clean and new. It was a day of rebirth and renewal even though I didn't fully comprehend that part until I was in my teens. I always related to it in a way that can't be described, it felt like it was a part of me. It was also something that set me apart from my peers, we had a special day. Since I didn't know any other Persians growing up who weren't family, it seemed like this secret wonderful day that we celebrated all on our own. I mean, I knew they celebrated it in Iran but that was so far away and removed from my childhood existence in the States.
So today, take a few minutes today to see if there is anything you can shed, renew or start. Sometimes I like to think of it as New Year part two, a chance to re-evaluate and begin again, just like nature does each spring.
A Norooz meal from several years ago. Yum! |
Here's one from this year. Yum! |
There is an article making its way around the internet from The Atlantic. Amos Chappele a travel photographer shares his pictures of Iran. You can see them and the article here.
I enjoyed these pictures and they reminded me of my own trip to Iran in 2005 - 2006. The photo essay inspired me to share some of my own pictures from Iran. So, a post from the archives of my photo library, enjoy. ( My camera at the time left a lot to be desired. I'm glad I shot so much film as well. I'll have to scan it.) If you would like to see more please visit me on flickr here.
I enjoyed these pictures and they reminded me of my own trip to Iran in 2005 - 2006. The photo essay inspired me to share some of my own pictures from Iran. So, a post from the archives of my photo library, enjoy. ( My camera at the time left a lot to be desired. I'm glad I shot so much film as well. I'll have to scan it.) If you would like to see more please visit me on flickr here.
Tehran |
Tehran |
About Me
Sawrah
I travel for the love of it. The beauty, the smell, the food, the people, the sunsets. I blog when I can and like to offer detailed information that I wished I had had at the time. I teach yoga and enjoy photography, reading and exploring.