Paul's Oriental Travelogue

Snuggable

It was so much easier in Asia. Laundry was like $2 per kilo and they washed it by hand. For me. While I was ... doing anything but laundry. They did it on rocks in streams for all I know, and things came back cleaner than when I bought them.

Now it's all do-it-yourself, and do you have enough change? I find I'm usually carrying upwards of $10 (australian) in change but mostly in stupid 5, 10, and 20 cent pieces. The laundries accept only $1 or $2 coins but I spend those in stores to save the cashiers and prevent long lines as I examine the minute differences in circumfrence betweeen the many smaller coins (which are actually bigger).

So I just took a shower and put on some fresh clothes and I smell of, among other things: smoke, salt, and mildew. These are only the most drastically predominent sensations. There is a rich mélange beyond the obvious that a true connosuieur might discover.

I have a nice new RipCurl shirt I bought yesterday but an Interesting Girl saw me in it last night and though I wore it for only four hours, the excuse that "all the rest of my clothes are shockingly filthy" is a bit ... not so good. She smokes so I think I'm fine if she turns up tonight. Smokers can't smell things, right?

I still don't smoke but everyone else does in bars, except -- by law -- not at the bar counter (ingenious!).

Salt? Well I love salt. Or I only have a couple long-sleeved shirts with me, and it's been cold out on the sea until today.

The mildew I blame on The Man. What kind of dryer runs for 20 minutes on low for a dollar coin? I had no more dollar coins. Mmmmmm bounty fresh.

Stamped June 8, 2004 07:58 PM in Australia