Peace Corps: Boot Camp for Long Term Travel?

Now that I've entered my senior year of Peace Corps, I've begun to allow myself the escapist pleasure of daydreaming about an upcoming trip to South East Asia in early 2013.  Actually, let me be more specific-I've begun daydreaming about the ultralight backpacking I'll be doing around the region.

I'll admit it, I love packing.  I love thinking about what to take on a trip.  I love the idea of fitting your life into a limited amount of liters.  Even more so, I love the challenge of achieving a perfect balance of minimalism and utility.  10 months out and I've already written a potential ultralight packing list for this trip.  I've been reading posted packing list and blog posts on the philosophy of ultralight backpacking.  Its dorky, I get it. Shut up-its great!

For those of you who don't troll for blog posts on long term packing lists, you should know that they all begin with the exect same introduction: Its super difficult to do and you might think I'm crazy for suggesting to leave so much stuff behind, but trust me-its worth it! or some variation on the theme.

I agree with the fact that the lightness in load is totally worth the potential need to spend an extra couple bucks to pick up an unpacked item, but I can't help smugly smiling to myself muttering "Big deal, welcome to my life".  The difficulties listed aren't very difficult when you've already been living this way for a couple years.

Take the hassle of doing laundry every day, a principle of ultralight travel.  Because you take fewer clothes you must handwash what you're not wearing that day in the sink to dry overnight.  This would be a major adjustment coming from America, but traveling in the summer in Azerbaijan, this is a necessity.  But really, its not just summer, most of my life here is dominated by the exact same outfit for an entire week.

Or the weather.  Yes, South East Asia is very hot and very humid.  I get this.  (fyi: Khachmaz also gets pretty damn humid-though nothing equatorial about it).  But one huge advantage I'll have in this tropical region is the way in which I'm allowed to respond to the weather.  In the the height of summer here, in 100 degree weather, men will still be working in their orchards wearing suit jackets!  Its absurd, but thats the uniform.  This 'community ambassador' looks forward to wearing flip-flops, enjoying a cold beer outside, and wearing shorts.

Concerns over intermittent showering is also understandable.  It does take some time to get used to, the first couple weeks of not showering daily feels pretty gross.  But after a while you get used to it.  And, hostels on any backpackers' circuit can be relied upon to have showers.

So yeah, after 2 years of first-hand experience in resourcefulness and minimalism I think I'm ready for an ultralight jaunt in South East Asia for a few months.  Can't wait to post a list of my own!