It’s no secret that I love being on the road. I enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and freedom that a plane ticket and the lack of a laptop and cell phone brings.
But I also enjoy being home.
Another thing to enjoy, sunset near my home in West Seattle.
And there’s nothing like a large dose of India to remind me of how good I (and by I, I also mean you) have it. I admit that I got a bit of reverse culture shock upon returning home but here’s what I thoroughly enjoyed after arriving back in Seattle.
1. Not feeling like I have a toothpick stuck in my throat every time I swallow. After getting a sinus infection/bronchitis/funky throat problem in Darjeeling, it took me weeks to shake it. Now I’m enjoying swallowing and not having any pain!
2. Fast internet service and a keyboard that works like a charm. Throughout my internet cafe experiences in India, the power went out countless times. I saved frequently so I didn’t lose a lot of information, but it was annoying. The keyboards, because they were used by the general public, were mucked up and clunky. I HEART my laptop!
3. Fresh air. Despite the cries of air pollution in our U.S. cities, I can pretty much be assured that I won’t develop bronchitis or a sinus infection from the air in Seattle, New Jersey or even LA. I’m happy to be breathing easy.
4. Clean hair. Yes, hair. After washing my mane, it would inevitably feel dirty and weighed down within hours as it collected every dust molecule that was floating around.
5. Salad. Oh how I missed my fresh veggies! Since returning, I’ve been enjoying salads of all varieties; Caesar, Mediterranean, mixed greens… the list goes on.
6. Being able to cook. I’m always eager to experiment in the kitchen when I return from a trip. I made two coffee cakes within days of my return, had friends over for a big brunch and have made pressure-cookers full of rice with side dishes (Indian, of course).
7. Not being stared at. Oh, to not be the center of attention. I feel so invisible in my West Seattle neighborhood and couldn’t be more pleased.
8. Brushing my teeth with tap water. It’s so nice not to have to worry about ingesting a drop of tap water in the shower and being able to brush and spit with plenty of water!
Of course, having said all this, I’m weeks away from my next trip (I’m headed to NYC to speak at the NY Times Travel Show on March 1st) and am then off to Bhutan in April. So, all that frustration, dirt, pollution and lack of greens couldn’t have been all that bad!
Travel Well!
You can also read about my India travels on my blog at the Seattle Post Intelligencer.
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