My travel resolutions

Dear Future Leighana: these are your rules.


1. Just try it. I'm not the most adventurous person, culinarily speaking. I'm feeling a bit trepidatious about our first leg of the trip in Japan. (That's already two words my spell check rejects!) We're going to stay in traditional ryokans for the first week, and meals are included. Mark's looking forward to fish for breakfast, and I'm ok with that, in filet-format. I'm more troubled by things with eyes. And gelatinous parts. But I'm going to try it! Whatever is on my plate will get a taste. I think not being able to recognise the characters I would use to look something up in my dictionary may actually be a blessing in disguise.:)

2. You're dressed for it. I tend to be intimidated by fancy-looking places. Especially when I've been travelling for several days, or, say, sleeping in a tent. Many times, something like this has happened:

Mark: That looks like a really cool (bar, winery, gallery, restaurant, party, etc). We should go check it out!

Leighana: We can't go in there - just look at me! I'm wearing sneakers and I smell like a campfire!

Mark: Sigh.

I'm going in, until they ask me to leave. Which is pretty much how Mark rolls anyway.

3. Don't freak out when you get lost. I hope you've noticed the when - there's no if here. I will get lost. I know this because I am always the navigator and I always get us lost. And yet, someone continues to give me the role of navigator. As if he *wants* to be lost in an unfamiliar place. To do some exploring. Hmm. I can't believe I'm just now figuring this out.