Trip to Korea -- preparation days

Gardening in my Roots will be on hold for two weeks while the rain falls, the weeds proliferate, and the gardener travels halfway around the world. She will be staying in an apartment in Pyeongtaek-si, a densely populated little city south of Seoul and not far from the ocean. There may be a few parks nearby, but no gardens. That she is sure of.

So don't read on unless you're prepared for absolute boredom. There are woods and walks, strange birds unsighted, mountains and memorials...and I won't be describing a single one of them. This is a family visit, and the family prefers to sit indoors and stare at screens.  Life goes on--

But not here.

Getting ready should be a no-brainer. I've traveled enough by airplane--although not internationally--that I know how to pack a suitcase, stand in lines at the airport, and use the scary little closet potty with the ear-splitting flush. My son will pick us up when we arrive. In a pinch I could rent a taxi and show the driver our address, but I'm told it's over $100 for the one-hour trip through horrible traffic. We'll take him up on his offer.

But...what to pack? I won't need snorkeling gear, bathing suits or sunscreen. Shorts, sport sandals and backpack with bird book? No. Not on the agenda, although I'm sneaking my binoculars in just in case. So all the sporting gear I need is a (hopeful) pair of running shoes. But I do need a few changes of city clothes.

I don't shop for clothes a lot and it shows. Not just in my appearance but in my ignorance. I set out this Saturday (and last Saturday and Wednesday), in search of a few key items that I desperately wanted to have--shorts suitable for jogging that cover my butt cheeks, leggings in case of cold weather, a loose-fitting nylon jogging shirt, cargo pants, high-topped black sneakers.  And maybe a tee-shirt or two.

I'd forgotten--women's clothes don't work that way. You can't shop for anything specific and in season. You shop for a category, say, "sneakers", and if you're lucky enough to find some you like, you go back and buy ten pair to save for when the first one goes out of style.

The result of all my efforts were one cheap tee-shirt, a pair of gray knit pants, and jogging shorts. Leggings abounded all over the place--it appears they're stylish right now--but there were too many and I couldn't make up my mind. There were a few nylon jogging shirts at the sporting goods store but the colors were hideous. Cargo pants--nope. The men's section had a whole rack of them, but men's clothes transcend style and season.  High-topped sneakers--nope. It appears they're no longer in style...but I still see them on people's feet. Did those people all buy ten pair back in the summer?

The other issue I faced was that I'd recently read The Carry-On Traveler, which describes a pair of nomads who've been living on the road for over two years with nothing that wouldn't fit in the packs on their backs. I was inspired!  I had to take the big suitcase on account of baby gifts and stuff, but I also wanted to have a backpack for my laptop. What if I were to get one of those new laptop backpacks like all the guys at work have?  I could probably store my entire 14-day supplies in one bag!

A lady at work told me her backpack cost $50 at Target (she later said she was mistaken, it was $60) so off we went. I'm switching from "I" to "we" because I dragged my husband along for "moral support." Or should I say, "immoral support"? He will never to say "no" to a potential purchase--best shopping companion ever.  We found Target and we found the backpacks...but they weren't cheap. I fell in love with a Swiss Gear pack with oodles of compartments and features and an RFID-proof pocket for my passport and credit cards. Of course, it was the most expensive one there.  My husband bought a smaller, cheaper one, but it was too late for me--I was already in love.

A week later I started checking airline regulations and realized the carry-on limit was 22"x14"x9", including handles. Frantic with worry, I measured my new treasure--26"x16"x7", unpacked.  The tags were already off so I hated to take it back, and I loved it. How could I reject someone I loved?

More research; more worry. I looked carefully at the pictures of the Carry-On Traveler people--their backpacks look just as large if not larger.  Measuring again, I realized if you just included the bag part, seam to seam, mine was 22"x14". So I went in search of the tag and it said, right there, "22-inch backpack."

So maybe I'll put the tag in my pocket just in case an airline attendant wants to dither.  Or maybe I'll just calm down and quit being a worrywart.

Next I attempted to stuff a travel pillow into a ziplock. Almost made it before the zipper exploded.