knock knock, khop khun ka
happy holidays from my literal (and emotional) baggage 🎄😎🎄
Merry, merry, whatevah & welcome back to a very special holiday travel edition of these scone archives. Hellooo, winter hiatus.
Let me kick things off and sum things up as we adjust to our likely time difference with the first new-to phrase I learned upon this unexpected return to Thailand. Nahk. Which, to clarify from the lead-in, is NOT a knock-knock joke in progress.
Its “NAHK”, translating to “heavy”, and pronounced with a long “ahhh” in the middle. Thai language is all about tones, and to put it simply, not an easy language to work into my existing repertoire of English, somewhat-increasingly decent Spanish and little bits of Italian. Not to mention that Thai is perhaps far too complex for the Duolingo app. Gasp. Nevertheless, a good friend pointed out that my Portland library card gets me access to Mango Languages, I’m here for a spell, and it’s absolutely time to try. Grazie / Gracias / Khop Khun Ka !
This “nahk” very much refers to my suitcase, which I’ll consider black comedy at this point.
Make that: NAHK MAK MAK. หนัก aka “very heavy”. The hotel shuttle driver that first picked me up from BKK/Suvarnabhumi taught me that second one, which is added for emphasis on countless phrases (and if you speak Thai, please don’t mind me here/feel free to jump in). The humor of this checked bag life ensues.
Confessions of an over-packer.
As long as I can remember - and try as I might to occasionally go minimalist – shudder, perhaps it’s the child of divorce-turned-professional event planner thing – I’ve been prone to overpacking. Then I spent five winters in Alaska and an even longer one in Wyoming. In other words, I lived by list-making.
These hearty “winter years” taught me how to be resourceful and conveniently creative with what I had. How to utterly and seriously prepare for what could be months without replenishing. ‘Twas list life.
So, did I over pack for this sudden adventure? Kinda. Perhaps by nature, with some practicality meets panic thrown in there.
I would say….I packed with intent. I packed with pizazz. And I packed in a must-be-checked suitcase for an unidentified amount of time. What can I say, I like to be prepared and to have a costume change. Or three.
I wrote a list. And another. Crossed ‘em off.
Packed. Unpacked. Sat on said suitcase to close it.
Unpacked some more. And a little more.
Zipped the big matte green case shut.
Wished it luck until we met again at the baggage carousel.
Curious about what I packed?
I knooooow, it could be a reel or TikTok. I’m far too exhausted for that. Let me use my words. Come on.
5 ridiculous special things I indulgently yet fuctionally packed in my suitcase ->
1: Japanese coffee pour over
This is my second Zero Japan pour over. Yes, it’s precarious being ceramic, hence being my second. Yet, it’s precious and purposeful, hence it’s bubble-wrapped presence in my travel bag.
I’m a coffee person, I savor my morning routine, and everywhere I stay has a kettle or other means of hot filtered water. Mind you, I do own a travel aeropress and took it to Mexico. I was simply out of filters for it, did not want to mail order anything besides the suitcase en route, and really, wanted to go all in and help my budget.
2: Bern bike helmet
Hello, this is basically the opposite of indulgence! True story, I’ve taken this helmet on many trips where I plan to bike, and this is its furthest journey yet. I originally bought whatever model it is on REI Overstock and it’s held up. For the curious, it fits in either my suitcase or nestled in my travel bag.
3: Homemade muesli
You know I’m not kidding. I had made a batch with with toasted coconut, shredded coconut, dried fruit, seeds and cinnamon a few days before my departure and figured, what the hey. I took a few days’ worth in a ziplock and it goes so perfectly in a bowl of unsweetened coconut yogurt with fresh fruit. No regrets, baby.
4: 3 pairs of Crocs: 2 types of flats + 1 pair of sandals
Practical and practically vintage at this point. Cue mildly maniacal laugh.
Okay, okay, I plan on retiring a least one set after my volunteer stint in Western Thailand. FYI, it’s my second pair of ‘Literide’ sandals because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Crocs as I get older besides the importance of such comfort, it’s that just like lipstick, your favorite line will be discontinued/changed at some point. It’s a lesson I bear with my former devotion to a certain Crocs strapped sandal that came before the ‘Literide’ line, which already seems to have vanished from the official store and I swear was called “Stridelite” when I got my first pair, anyway.
One more lesson: just don’t leave them out in the sun, only wash with cold water, and never, ever let one slip from a load of cold wash into the hot dryer. RIP yellow boat loafers of 2014?
5: Maldon flake salt
Fancy, fulfilling, an upgrade to the basic.
And really, I was out of simpler kosher salt and as someone who likes to cook, I try to be prepared.
I’ll dive into what I like to use for cooking in vacation rentals in the next episode. : )
Some not-so-surprising stuff I packed →
Foldable Costco sunhat, vaguely dressy (ahem, thrifted) European leather sandals, canvas tote bag that zippers closed, Winco off-brand ‘ziplocks’ as DIY compression cubes for packing clothing + keeping toiletries sealed shut (aka work with what you have on hand!), crosswords and pencil, travel journal and pen, cat-scratched lightweight yoga mat, and a pair of cute-yet-resilient Knockaround shades.
Well, I’ll admit 2 quick regrets:
Packing an actual bra. I wear one so rarely I spent days thinking it was broken. What a sign! Pass. I stick to a Calvin Klein wirefree bra on cooler evenings, if I so choose. Also from Costco, ‘cause, that’s another thing Alaska had me embrace.
Uh, the winter hat I was wearing on my head when I left the snow-covered park and embarked on 24 hours of travel! D’oh. If it wasn’t one I was so fond of, I would have tossed it already. Time shall tell…
What are *your* must-packs?
When the scone returns, I’ll dive into the juicier, spicy stuff - what I’m eating, how + what I’m cooking, and well, how I’m coping. ‘Cause, that’s the mantra for this winter hiatus: eat, read, cope.
Aha, and for concurrent examples of all three, I’m communicating with daily-ish “stories” over on my insta @scone.archives. It’s an ongoing series of curries, coffee, coconuts, and delicious things that do not start with ‘c’.
References + Relevant Links:
Hi, do you “Duo”? My Duolingo link
Easy Muesli, Eating Bird Food the basis for what became my travel muesli
“Useful Chiang Mai vocabs and phrases like a local”, I LOVED this AirBnB experience I took with Santiha on my first full day in the city !!!
ZERO JAPAN coffee dripper
Enjoy all the vegan goodness in Thailand - I just went back to visit my parents and already missing the food (and them, I guess haha)
excited to watch this story unfold, or watch you unpack it, as the suitcase metaphor goes. i will be close (but also still very far) in a few weeks when i go to Bali! am aiming for a carryon for a three week trip myself. we'll see how that goes