A6 notebook + mechanical pencil are an indispensable part of my travel kit. i always worry that i will lose my phone at some point so important addresses are written there.
pen and paper can be very useful in places with a different language/writing system. there was a time i looked for a specific product that i had a difficulty describing. fortunately, i met a local who can speak english and asked him to write down the local name of the said product. it can be done on the phone but i find that older people are more comfortable writing with a pen and paper.
for everyday, i use my phone s native notes app for quick jots but still carry with me a notebook and pencil.

went on a trip to Taipei. not one bag, brought multiple bags because I planned to buy a lot of food to bring back to family. Taipei in July is very hot and humid, had to change my shirt around mid afternoon. i havent tried the towel drying method yet, figured it was a great time to test it. hand washed the 2 shirts I used, then rolled them up one by one. by the time i hung them up, they were no longer dripping. after ~8 hrs, they were completely dry and wrinkle-free. steps I took:

1. skipped the stepping on the towel part. instead, i wrung the shirt to remove excess water.
2. rolled the shirt-towel into a burrito and made sure that the roll is very tight then wrung it again.
3. flipped the towel and also flipped the shirt. made sure that the opposite side of the shirt now makes contact with the fresh side of the towel.
4. repeat the rolling and wringing.
5. flicked each shirt with a strong wrist movement (snapped to reduce wrinkles).
6. hung them on the backs of plastic chairs.

these were ordinary cotton shirts (Hanes, to be specific), i did not use travel shirts with specialized blends.

i can almost hear Maria trilling in the background. that is the Earthsea collection, right? lovely volume. my favorite among them is ‘the tombs atuan’. thought i would not like it because of the single setting but the character development is superb.

i am constantly on the lookout but have not bought anything for years. serious travel bags are expensive and id hate to be disappointed. my current rotation of thrifted and gifted bags have plenty of room for improvement but they suffice for now.

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