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Published: October 13th 2009
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At last my modest journey is under way. Currently taking up too much room at the food court of Houston International while passing this 5-hour layover. By around 8 pm local time I’ll be landing in Mexico City. That is as far as my superior planning skills have taken me, a one-way ticket to an insane 20-million-person metropolis. Furthermore, foresight has driven me to reserve a hostel for the next two nights. After that, all is fair game.
I spent the last 3 days in San Diego: eating well, reading, cultivating a tan, and taking long walks with my girlfriend overlooking the downtown San Diego vista. Prior to that we spent another 3 days in Santa Monica with my brother and his wife. Catching up with my nephew, meeting my 6-month niece for the first time, hazily debating my brother into the wee hours of the night about subjects way beyond the limits of propriety. All of these served well to remind me why I’m undertaking this trip in the first place.
The last couple of days in Minneapolis were predictably hectic. I managed to work way past my original quitting date. Which allowed me to gloat over, perhaps delusional overestimation,
Venice Beach
Strolling on Venice Beach of how much they depend on and need me. I’m still hopeful that they’ll throw some projects my way, preferably at a time when I’m strapped for cash in some remote Amazonian village. I also, managed to move out of my apartment without having to graze the carpet with a razor blade to remove hookah coal burns. That thought alone makes me feel productive. Beyond that, my last days in Minnesota were filled with a healthy dose of fine red wine, intentionally miss-titled with a jocular—Broke Ass.
I’ll take this moment to preemptively address the inevitable questions about the content of my luggage. After all it takes a man of supreme thrift and cunning to be able to pack for one year of travel. Wonder no longer, dear reader, here it is:
THE CONTENT OF SABIR’S LUGGAGE
1. The Bag: Eagle Creek Thrive 65L travel pack with attachable day pack (Exhibit I)
2. Two pair of pants: blue jeans and reversible pants (black/gray)
3. 4 pair of boxers, 1 pair of briefs (why?)
4. One pull-over fleece (black; courtesy of Tania A. and PeopleNet)
5. One ultra-light wind-breaker type jacket (brown-ish)
6. 5 t-shirts (green, blue, purple, black, white), one
Dancing
Sunset dance-avaganza long sleeve shirt (black), one wife-beater (for those times when I need to appear vicious; black)
7. 3 pair of low-cut socks, one pair of white long socks
8. 3 dress shirts (black, white, pimp color)
9. One silk sleep liner (to prevent my immaculate skin from contacting dirty hostel sheets)
10. One ultra-absorbent travel towel (promises to cause hilarity as it is barely larger than a hand towel)
11. One sewing kit
12. One lighter (green)
13. 3 books: Barzun’s House of Intellect, Hemingway’s True At First Light, Hamsun’s Hunger
14. One cotton travel wallet (essential for safekeeping of important docs in crowded areas)
15. One small half-eaten bag of Fritos, one small bag of sun-flower seeds (less than 10% remaining), small Perrier bottle containing left-over tequila
16. One pair of free sunglasses
17. Personal hygiene bag: one toothbrush, one tube of toothpaste (confiscated at San Diego International Airport), floss, nail clippers, one small flacon of Burberry Touch cologne (so happy the word flacon exists in English), soap/shampoo/conditioner (swiped from the hotel), one hair-sculpting pomade
18. One notebook
19. One silver Apple MacBook computer
20. 4G flash drive
21. One 1st generation iPhone
22. One Canon Powershot SD1200IS camera
Ship
Cruise ship outside the window (with 4G memory card)
23. One medicine kit (band-aids, antacid, pain-killers, condoms, etc.)
24. One U.S. Passport, One copy of Uzbek Passport
25. One money-clip type wallet: one debit card, 5 credit cards, one Minnesota Driver’s License, approximately $400 cash
26. 5 $50 AmEx Traveler’s Cheques
27. Immunization Record
28. One pair of flip-flops (brown)
29. One pair of walking shoes (black)
30. One pair of swimming trunks/shorts (brown)
All together I’m carrying approximately 30 pounds of gear (plus or minus 10 pounds). Besides a minor deficiency in the socks category I think I have the essentials covered. If you feel otherwise you are welcome to ship any missing items directly to my next destination. Speaking of which. In the duration of this layover I made some progress developing my post-arrival project plan. I’m going to look into spending a couple of weeks traipsing Cuba. So there you go, you were just a witness to my superior planning genius.
Looking forward to Mexico City metro…
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