A digression

So...I'm a pretty good traveller. I always let go of expectation that things should be any particular way, or how they compare to home. Mostly. I think this is necessary in order to really see what's in front of you in a new place.

So, this means that I can read a book while travelling sans seatbelt in a taxi driving 60mph and passing others on blind curves on cliff side roads, wait in lines where the man behind me is standing so close he should be wearing a condom, eat fish served with the head still on, drink tea out of a glass that's been used by the last 60 travellers, use toilets that you have to wade to get to...

BUT. There is one thing that I just can't let go of. Something that just always CREEPS ME OUT.

Scented laundry detergent.

Yeah.

At home I always use the hippie fragrance-free, dye-free stuff. But on the road, it's impossible to come by. So, I get my laundry done and it comes back smelling like grandma's perfume. And it's overwhelming. Maybe foreign washers don't have a rinse cycle. Anyway, I can tolerate it on the trousers. But on the shirts it makes me queasy. And [TMI Alert], on underwear, it's just nasty. I can't do it. I can't be having all of that chemical all up in my business. So, I am now in the process of hand rinsing all my stuff. I do a little at a time based on the limited hanging-up options. In a couple of days I'll be done (insh'Allah).