Traveling at Home Sarah Bigham I am not, alas, the intrepid world traveler of my dreams.
often, into my open mouth. Having to keep my lips firmly sealed while bathing is a near impossibility for me. Standing in the shower in our enormous, beautifully appointed room in a brand new hotel in Beijing, fat tears joined the cascade of water as I clenched my jaw, teeth grinding as I labored to keep out the water that was unsafe to ingest, turning my morning ablutions into something I, ashamedly, could hardly bear. Until going to China and asking fellow travelers about how they dealt with “the shower problem,� and getting blank stares, I truly had no idea that other people did not swallow shower water on a regular basis. I
My wife, Susan, spent nearly four years in the Peace Corps living in a remote area of Kenya with no electricity or running water. Her travel style allows her to be thankful for the opportunity to shower at a selected accommodation. I selfishly want not only a shower, but a shower with water I can safely drink. For me, showering is an interactive experience. I happily flail about under the downpour, smiling and laughing, water rushing down my face and,
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