Around the World in 80 Dinners - Bill Jamison [8]
“While you’re doing that,” Cheryl interjects, “it would be useful to have another antibiotic in case of a tooth infection.”
Bill adds, “And two kinds of sleeping pills for flights of different lengths, one that leaves the body after a few hours and another that will keep us down longer.” By the end of the appointment our stack of prescriptions weighs as much as the Physicians’ Desk Reference.
Insurance covers none of the cost, of course, which adds up to hundreds of dollars. Blue Cross Blue Shield will pay tons more if we pass on the medicine and get malaria, typhoid fever, or polio, but won’t ante up even a dime for prevention. Sure makes us proud of our health-care system.
On to the luggage our demon says an airline will lose. It seems important to rely on carry-on bags as much as possible, but the restrictions on these are tighter in Asia, Africa, and South America than at home, often prohibiting any more than one suitcase weighing a maximum of seven kilograms, the equivalent of 15.4 pounds. Our existing regulation-size carry-on bags are so heavy by international standards that packing a single change of skivvies could put us over the allowed kilos.
Among the scores of suitcases on the American market labeled “lightweight,” a few actually are. Each of us gets a new Eagle Creek six-pound rolling bag plus a smaller, matching tote suitable for either carry-on or checking, depending on the flight. In addition, we take a sturdy cloth briefcase from our collection to check always with hefty, replaceable items such as books. Stashed away inside these five bags, we’ll carry a couple of extremely light, fold-up totes to haul absolutely irresistible purchases, mainly those things Cheryl makes a real stink about.
Obviously, the limited luggage restricts our wardrobes, and because of that, all the clothes need to be washable by hand when necessary. Fortunately, the weather should be consistently warm everywhere except France—a time for layering—since the other destinations lie south of the equator, where it will be spring.
Other than his blazer cum safe, Bill won’t bring much more than three wrinkle-resistant gray slacks with expandable waistbands and zippered pockets, a half dozen casual shirts with banded bottoms that hang loosely outside pants, two pair of shorts (one navy blue, the other charcoal), a swim suit, sandals, and a rain poncho. Care goes into the selection of walking shoes. They must be comfortable, of course, but also dressy enough for a fancy restaurant, easy to slip on and off at Asian homes and places of worship, and European in styling to reinforce our faux Canadian pedigree.
Cheryl takes much longer than Bill in selecting her clothes, which, naturally, cost a lot more than his, even though she gives little attention to trendy fashion statements. The priority is a flexible ensemble, equally suitable in myriad combinations for dining out in Sydney, bounding across a savannah on a South African safari, riding an elephant in Thailand, and strolling the seaside promenade in Nice. She needs to be as modestly dressed in India as the heat allows and as immodestly attired as she dares on the hot sands of Ipanema Beach.
The search begins in the late winter, when stores and mail-order catalogs start promoting warm-weather wear. She settles ultimately on six tops and four bottoms, all predominately black and made mostly of lightweight, crinkly fabrics. The tops, purchased in several cases at Chico’s, include a camisole that can be worn under anything, a patterned V-neck T-shirt, a tank, a long-sleeved knit, a hooded gauze tunic, and an old travel favorite, a sleeveless, loose-fitting cotton-rayon blouse with bright tropical accents set against a black background. The latter develops a small hole during the trip, which Cheryl patches with duct tape on the inside without detracting from its external appearance.
Her favorite Capri pants don’t fare as well, falling apart into shreds halfway through the journey. The misfortune leaves her with one other pair of Capris in a cotton-spandex blend, stretchy “travel-knit