Travel Tuesdays: Pack Your Sense of Humor

Most people put time and care into packing for a vacation. As you pack your clothes, camera, shoes and other items in your suitcase, take a moment to toss in your sense of humor. Because- let's face it- travel can be stressful, and humor can help get you through.

Take, for example, our trip to Morocco. The day before we left, I was stung by a bee-on my foot- which swelled up to an unbearable size. It was so fat, I couldn't fit it in a shoe. So what did I do? I did my best to laugh it off (maybe I should say limp it off?) and took a photo of it for all to see.

Later, all four of us came down with a bad case of what's known as Traveler's D. (Or perhaps you've heard it called Montezuma's revenge if you've traveled to Mexico).  I've had this particular ailment before. While my case wasn't as bad as the time I had to be hospitalized in the Philippines, it was a tough case, my friends. Now imagine four friends on a train from Fez to Marrakesh suffering from Traveler's D and the only facilities on board consist of a hole in the floor with a toilet on top. Yep... your business runs right out onto the tracks. Not fun. What did we do?

Back at our seats, we began singing our imagined soundtrack for our trip.  You guessed the first song, right? It's so obvious...Marrakesh Express. Later, as we rode our camels into an oasis we sang Midnight at the Oasis and laughed. I know it's corny, but when you're hot, tired, and dry... so very, very dry... it's hysterical. Trust me.

The comedy highlight had to be the day we began our camel trek, though. We rose early and started riding at about 7:30. We stopped for siesta at about 11:00am in a make-shift shelter with walls made of reeds. This siesta lasted until 5:00 pm because it was too hot to be out. A 6 hour siesta! We were still rough around the edges from our stomach ailment (we traded a hole in the train floor for a nice private spot behind a sand dune) and were, quite frankly, hot as blazes. We had our journals and books to read, but really what we did was lie around, too lethargic to move. The Sahara is seriously hot in July, let me tell you.

The only writing we did that day was to complete this brief journal entry in my friend Christina's journal (we all contributed):
 We wish for: (edited slightly for brevity and correctness- who can spell when her brain is melting?)

1. cold Sam Adams beer
2. watermelon
3. virgin strawberry daiquiri
4. lemonade
5. COLD water
6. bathtub full of crushed ice
7. swimming
8. rain
9. Cape Cod summer breezes
10. Frozen underwear

And you know what? Despite our overwhelming lethargy, we laughed like crazy while making it. Then we got back on those camels and rode off into a sandstorm... Riders on the Storm.

Related post: Travel Tuesdays: Morocco