Back to Civilization
Oh, the wonders of civilization. If you’ve never missed them, you don’t even know what they’re worth. But, let me assure you, they’re worth a lot:
- Warm showers — you don’t know what you’re talking about unless you’ve ever showered in freezing cold mountain water pumped directly to your shower from above 4,000m (~13,000 ft) without any heating because the gas bottle is empty again.
- Potable tap water — it may not sound like much but have you ever had to use bottled water for brushing your teeth?
- Hygienic food — I am going to spare you the details. Use your imagination.
- Heating and insulation — ever spent a night at 4,500m (~15,000 ft) in a ramshackle hut without any heating?
- Toilets that don’t clog — do you put your used toilet paper into the bin? You think that’s gross? You do know that’s what half the world does?
- Fast, reliable transportation — bliss is a night in a museum-piece Bolivian bus as it rattles over unpaved roads for endless hours. What’s an easy three-hour train ride for us would be an arduous twenty-hour bus ride for most of the world.
- Fast Internet — now this may not be as important to most people as it is to me but my new high-speed DSL connection surely does save my day.
We complain and complain (and that includes me) about everything. In fact, we have a pretty darn good life.
PS: I’m back in Germany and just moved to Hamburg. If you’re around, come visit me!
