Some Final Thoughts on Travel

In the world of hosteling, a hot shower can totally make your day.

Wearing the same pair of pants nearly every day for 2 weeks sounds far worse than it actually is.

Same goes for wearing the same outfit three days in a row.  It beats uprooting your entire backpack for the sake of a different t-shirt (just keep the clean underwear close to the top), and remember: the only person who knows what you were wearing yesterday, is you.

I am a freaking packing genius.  TIP: plastic bags and a roll of masking tape work wonders toward fitting more in your luggage than you ever thought possible.  Particularly if, um, you can´t stop purchasing alpaca sweaters, hats, socks, etc.

Just because I am alone does not mean I am in search of company.  Sometimes, sure, it's nice to have someone to talk to, but other times I am simply basking in my complete and utter anonymity.

Which, of course, doesn't stop me from being utterly convinced that a guy I knew in college is sitting at the computer next to me in a net cafe in Aguas Calientes... yet I say nothing, instead emailing another friend to say "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know if So-And-So is in Peru... would you?"

(For the record, I'm now fairly certain that it wasn't him--when he stood up he looked too short. However, if there were any person in the world that I could randomly run into in Peru, it would be him.)

There is never enough time to do and see all that you want.  However, the knowledge that you've done and seen more than you had when you started is an awfully sweet consolation prize.

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Heading back to the States tomorrow, and back online on Friday after the 'rents deliver my computer (which made it to their house from Ireland intact, hoorah!).  It's been a long and somewhat crazy ride, and it's going to take me some time to get my feet back on the ground... but my thoughts are already flying ahead of me, back to New York and all that awaits me there: the aftermath of CFL (did I mention that bitch somehow managed to TRIPLE my motherclucking electric bill??  At this point I'm almost prepared to just let karma have its way with her, because her come-uppance?  Is gonna be massive); my ginormous culminating project for grad school; the Spanish conversation group I signed up for after realizing how much I've forgotten; job auditions; prepping lesson plans for a job Í'm applying for in Japan; my 10 year HS reunion (which one of the cool kids has personally asked if I will be attending); a baby shower for Evil Ex Roommate... the list goes on.

Real life never waits... but every now and then we have to put her on hold for awhile and deal with the aftermath as it comes.

Happy Trails Friends!  See you State-side!