Sometimes the smallest, most common things – those things we take for granted everyday – can be the most luxurious indulgences when we have to go without. They become special treats to be savored in the moment and cherished in memory.
Such was the case when we stayed in (gasp) a town during our caravan. The town, Arraikheer, might not have had paved roads and we might have still slept in a Ger, but there was electricity and, drumroll please….a shower!
Well, not A shower, but many showers. At a bath-house. That we had the privilege of paying to use. And the icing on that deliciously watery cake? There were hair dryers and flat irons, oh my (for a fee of course)!
I won’t even pretend that that wasn’t the best tögrög I spent in the Gobi. Not to belabor the point, but the shower was a heavenly experience – I felt like a real girl again!
The only downside was that after I was all sparkly and clean, I had to put on the clothes that I’d worn the day before. You win some, you lose some.
And then there was the electricity. In. Our. Ger! Well I never…
With six travelers (two of them serious photogs) all with cameras and iPods that were either dead or running on their last ounces of juice, being able to recharge was necessary and delightful. Sure we had to create a rotation to make sure that everyone got their fair share of low-voltage power, but what a treat.
Had we been a clever bunch (as electricity was not guaranteed) we would have split up the photo taking duties to ensure that at least one camera was functional the entire trip. However, we were all far too giddy to NOT take photos.
Another bonus of electricity? The single lightbulb in the Ger meant that we could actually see by something stronger than candlelight. Oh, to be able to see what you’re attempting to eat or read or write in your journal!
Had there been toilets with plumbing, I might have fainted. As there were not, I was conscious of every moment of the light-filled night.
