So with this trip getting closer, and me being a girl, my thoughts have naturally drifted to what I will be able to buy. Souvenirs are a must have for me when I travel… when I get home, they are the permanent reminders of the wonders I’ve seen and something as little as a shell can transport me back to an amazing day on the beach on Moorea or the Balinese painting on the wall beside me as I type this plonks me straight back in a humid and ‘aromatic’ alley choosing from a huge pile of original art that I rolled up and carried home on a plane many years ago.
And by all accounts, the offerings just waiting for my greenbacks to arrive are many and varied.
The things so far that have made it onto a makeshift ‘if I see it’ list, are carved jade;
soap with glacial silt cleverly ‘cooked’ into the bar so that I come out of the bathroom glowing;
babushka dolls – now I have always wanted one of these – I love dolls, but vowed not to buy any until I was actually on Russian soil but considering the heritage of the area, it just about qualifies under the proviso that it looks ‘Alaskan’. No flower covered, rosy cheeked, overly decorated stereotypical version for me. No thanks…. I’m hoping to find some that have moose’s ( what’s the plural of moose? ) meese? :) And wolves and whales and eagles and bears… that kind of thing. One can dream I guess. preconceived ideas probably only lead to disappointment but hopefully someone over there decided to make a set with something intrinsically Alaskan. Oh ... I know…. Eskimo dolls? Now that I could handle.
Ok.. what else….
Oh yeah…. A drum. More specifically, a ceremonial drum … like a shaman might have. It appeals to my spiritual side and I know that there are local artisans who make them so, providing I can fit it in my luggage, I will be on the lookout for one of these.
I’ve also come across a knife ( that at this point, I’m not sure I could get back into
I’m sure there will be heaps and heaps of things that will tempt me, but I have it in my head that I won’t buy any ‘made in China’ stuff, rather I’ll look for a sticker/label that signifies its Alaskan authenticity.
Ok… now here is where I head off into the Alaskan wilderness in terms of out there gifts.
Today I stumbled across a wondrous item ( and I used the term loosely) known as an Oosik. Believed to promote strength and make men more virile… or something…. I didn’t have a clue what on earth this might be and curiosity got the better of me.
So I googled it of course.
Well… let me tell you… I was shocked. And then rapidly amused.
Never in my life would I have thought that I’d even be tempted to purchase the penis bone of a walrus…. Seriously. But the more I read about this, the more I can’t pass up the opportunity to have such a conversation starter in my possession. It amuses me no end.
Now girls, if you ever wished you had one… for whatever reason…. This is your opportunity.
Just think about it….
Finally you’d be able to compare the length of your oosik…
And the other bastion of manhood…. The naming rights…
How about wonka ( as in Willy)
Or … tugar ( which apparently means something like walrus tusk or ivory in the local lingo) – can hardly imagine a more appropriate name.
Or perhaps … Richard.
The possibilities are endless.
I really want one just so I can name it. :)
And of course, to round off this wildly erratic list of must haves, I must have a few fridge magnets.
My kitsch item of choice. Can’t seem to resist them.
And it came to my attention that my little iPod shuffle is just not going to be up to the task of getting me halfway across the world with a sum total of 125 songs onboard. Not nearly enough music for an addict like myself. So the hunt has begun to find a reasonably priced iPod nanno to tuck into my carryon and alleviate the boredom at about hour number 6 on that plane trip. And the first choice of course is coloured or silver. And anyone that knows me would not hesitate with a resounding ‘coloured’ in answer to that. But I’m not so sure. I still have to be a little careful with the money that I’ll have available and $60 spent on having my music pink other than chrome is perhaps not such a good use of resources that might be better spent on something that screams ‘Mickey Mouse’.
And if I’m going to do it, I better do it soon because I can see it coming that there is not going to be enough time to do all the things on my list in the last couple of days. It’ll take a while to organize my music just the way I like it – considering I have barely begun to put my most important stress busters onto my laptop. Very little has made the leap from PC to laptop.
Now the revelation of the day is I’ve decided not to travel alone.
What’s this you say?
A travel companion?
Yep… a friends odd travel must-have ( a buzzard FGS J) has prompted me to sift through my fluffy friends and elevate one of them to travel sidekick.
Now I have seen these friends buzzard travel around the world with them and really, I just about roll on the floor every time I see a photo of this misshapen globe trotting fluffy in a new and exotic locale.
Actually I have several friends that do this.
And I think its inspired.
Its quirky and I’m all about quirky.
So tomorrow being a public holiday and I am blissfully being paid for the day off, I think that day will be the one when the fluffies get lined up and someone is voted onto ‘Team Valentine’.
Stay tuned for the big reveal…
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