Douglas Adams had it right.
A towel is the most massively useful item you can have. Our quick drying REI MultiTowels are lightweight and effective but not very satisfying. Our room in Izmir came with two fluffy, white towels, and I remembered how nice a real towel can feel.
While drying off after a hot shower this evening, I slipped and hit my head on the edge of the sink. When I came to, I had a revelation, a vision. I sat down and wrote this Shakespearean sonnet:
Ode to a Towel
One towel have I to journey round the world.
With microfiber weave and hue of green,
it dries me adequately when unfurled.
Soon after use no moisture can be seen.
Alas! Luxurious this towel is not.
It’s thin and cold and sticks upon my skin.
To use it I can only dab and blot.
No satisfaction do I receive therein.
At each new place I hope that I will find,
some soft, plush cotton folded here or there.
If one is seen then, oh, my state of mind!
My shower is the happiest affair.
True joy is found in these the smallest things.
It’s for a cotton towel that my heart sings.
Posted from: İzmir Province/Izmir, Turkey
Kim & Clark Kays quit their jobs for an uncertain trip around the world. Originally from St. Louis, they relocated to Chicago after getting married in 2005. After working for five years in middle school and the Fortune 500, they realized there was more to life than the 9-to-5, so made the crazy decision to exchange money for time rather than the other way around.
Their hobbies include fighting over writing styles and searching for gelato. They think food, beer, architecture, and photography are some of the best things about travel—especially when combined. Their travel blog, To Uncertainty and Beyond, includes long-term travel tips as well as humorous anecdotes from their journey through Europe and Asia. They invite you to experience their journey and learn from their adventures and mistakes.
