Pictures, food, and a few more stories

Well, as you can clearly see, I've decided to go with "the tropical vegan". Not very interesting, I know, but it's hard to be creative sometimes. The url won't be changing, however, so it might get a little confusing, but whatev.

The news of the week: Andy and I moved into a house! It's a big 5-bedroom house that was completely empty when we looked at it. Massive common area (although the kitchen is a little snug), huge patio, nice yard. It's in a good location, a 15 minute walk to the Uni computer lab, 20 minute drive to the beach and the city. We moved in on Monday; the next person won't be moving in for more than a week (so we get it to ourselves for 2 weeks). The owner has all of the rooms promised to people, so there will be six of us living there, which could be verrrry interesting. Dealing with Andy's reaction to my veganism was harder than I thought it would be, and he's known about it for over a year. Putting up with 4 strangers who will very likely not be vegan is going to suck ass. I'm not looking forward to it. I know I shouldn't get defensive about it before they move in; they might be completely cool about it. But I don't feel like dealing with drama right now, and I'm worried that is what it will become.

But then again, the food that Andy and I cook is pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. I took thisastroporn shot a week or so ago, when we made stuffed red capsicum (bell pepper) at the old house. Inside is couscous with mushrooms, baby bok choy, tomatoes, and cilantro. Then we topped the whole thing with sweet chili sauce, which caramelized when we baked it. SO GOOD!

It's not just this, though. We've been trying heaps of new things. Last night we made pasta sauce with egg plant and zucchini, and had that over some fettucini. The night before we made a really yummy stir-fry type dish. It was supposed to be Caribbean Chicken, but obviously we did it without the chicken--just pineapple, capsicum, carrot, and sugar snap peas. And we improvised. He loves using those seasoning packets, but I think they're boring, so we added some fresh ginger and fresh lime juice, and a bit of veggie stock. Then we mixed in fresh cilantro, which was delish. I took a picture, because it was really pretty and colorful and yummy, but then I accidentally deleted it. Woops. But anyways, our food is amazing, so hopefully people don't give me crap about being vegan. If they do, I'll have to break some skulls.

But anyways, the new house is amazing, at least until people move in. I took heaps of pictures, partially to show my parents and friends, and partially to document everything in case the real estate agent tries to fuck us when we move out. The pictures are online here. There are also some pictures of Andy, and of a little baby avo we got for free from the farmer's market, and of this little green tree frog.

When we lived in Hermit Park for a few weeks before this new house, there was a frog that lived in the mailbox. I accidentally brought him in to the house when I was taking the mail in. I didn't realize it until I picked up one of the flyers and he hopped off onto my leg. After my initial freak-out from not knowing what it was, I tried to catch him so I could put him back outside. Well, frogs hop. And they hop far. So it was this ridiculous little drama where I was chasing him all around the house and he just kept hopping away. I was worried I would scare him to death, so I stopped and let him chill in the bathroom for a little while, then I got him under a cup and put him back outside. I was really worried, but then a few days later he was back in the letterbox, so it all worked out.

So yeah, that's my life right now. I'm in a good place, but we'll see if that changes when other people start moving into our palace.

Updates and changes... a very long post

Um, woops. I've been in Australia for more than three weeks now, and I haven't posted shit. I do have a bit of an excuse--I have no internet in the house I'm currently living in, so I have to catch a bus to the Uni library (30 minutes and $2 each way) to take advantage of free internet when I can. So needless to say, it's a hassle that I try to avoid whenever possible. Which means coming to use the internet when Andy has a day off and can drive, which also means not dilly-dallying on blogger when he's waiting for me. But anyways...

Let's see, updates. Senior week was a huge amount of fun, even though my body hated me. The vegan options at the scheduled events were usually raw veggie sticks and pretzels. There were a few days when I got veggie wraps and fruit, but I was mostly eating raw carrots and zucchini. And beer, lots and lots of beer. It was a total shit show, but fun, and ended with a 2 hour long graduation featuring Viggo Mortenson and a few other boring speakers. It was nice to say good bye to all my friends and profs though, so I'm really glad I went.

The day after graduation I hopped on a plane (well, 5 planes) and came to Australia. It was long and miserable, but it could have been much worse. I didn't get to eat for the first 8 hours, because the meal they served on the way to LAX was some cheese and spinach thing. Luckily I packed some soy jerky, and that tided me over. From LAX to Auckland, a 14-hour flight, I was the only person sitting in my row of 4 seats. I could lay flat and nap, so I ended up getting about 4 hours of very interrupted sleep. And I watched a heap of movies, and read, and did some crossword puzzles, and sat and stared at the flight path... I had ordered a raw meal on that flight, and got a bunch of fresh veggies, so I didn't really go hungry. It could have been better, but I guess I can't complain. Actually, the 4 hour flight from Cleveland to LA seemed longer than the 14 hour flight to Auckland. After a few more layovers and a trip through customs, I hopped on the final 90 minute plane ride up to Townsville. I flew with Virgin Blue, and I gotta say--I don't recommend it. The tickets were so much cheaper than QANTAS, but for good reason. They charge for everything. Headsets, food, drinks, even water. And, the seats were leather (ack!). I was wearing a skirt, so my legs kept sticking, and it was totally gross. But, I eventually made it to the Townsville Airport, and saw Andy for the first time in a year and a half, and was happy happy happy.

Since then, I haven't been doing a whole lot. I had a meeting with the head of the Anthro/Soc department about doing a PhD. She wanted me to start in August, but the way scholarships and things work, I won't be starting till February at the earliest. But, the point is, she likes my ideas and wants me to research them at JCU, so I have high hopes. I'm going to try for a few other schools too, just to keep my options open in case I don't get a scholarship here, but north Queensland has my heart right now. Andy and I have been doing all that Townsville has to offer--a few beaches, a few mountains (hills, really), a few museums... Sunday mornings we go down to the market, which offers heaps of fresh, local produce, as well as cutesy arts and crafts for sale by old ladies. Between that and "tight-ass Saturday sales" we are pretty well stocked in fruit and vege. (On Saturday afternoons the supermarkets mark down the prices of all the fresh food, so we go on a rampage and clear out everything that is about to go off. Strawberries, herbs, beets, tomatoes... Andy gave it that name because it's all a bunch of tight-asses looking to save a few bucks, and I like the name, so I'm adopting it.) I have eaten so many delicious avocados since I've been here, and I've tried heaps of new fruits and things.

Even though Andy isn't vegan, we cook together every night. He claims I've opened his mind to different kinds of food that he never would have considered--bean dishes, stuffed capsicums (red bell peppers), sweet potato bakes... We flip through my Vegan Planet every few days and see what looks good, and then we try a few new things out. He's slowly seeing the virtues of the vegan diet, and although he hasn't given anything up officially, he's getting close, I think. I don't want to push him into veganism, because it wouldn't last and he'd hate me for making him give up meat and dairy, but I really, really want him to get there on his own. We shall see, I suppose.

Aside from that, we do a lot of nothing. We were consumed with finding a new place to live for a while, but that has pretty much died down. For the past few months, Andy has been living with a friend/acquaintance of his, a PhD student who owns a house. The rent isn't great, but it was convenient, and Piers said we could stay there as long as we needed while we were looking for something more permanent. Then he announced that a plumber was coming to install an outdoor shower, since the inside one will soon be ripped apart to fix a leak. Welp, that definitely sped up the search for a new place. We found an absolute gem--a 5 bedroom house, about 5 minutes (walking, not driving) from the Uni. Right now no one is living in it, although the landlord is hoping to rent out all the rooms (I'm excited that we're moving in first though, because it gives us the air of seniority, and our pick of the bedrooms). It has a HUGE common space, all the rooms are air-conditioned and have ceiling fans, and there is a massive patio and lawn. It's in a nice neighborhood, and there are security screens and a lock-up garage, and it's set back from the road a bit. The landlord is putting in a refrigerator, a washing machine, a couch and tv, a kitchen/dining room table, and he's thinking about giving us broadband internet. He wants to pay Andy to mow the lawn, and he's getting someone to clean the common areas once a week. And this is all for $100 a week. It's amazing. Right now we're just waiting on the real estate agency that he's going through to finish the paperwork so we can sign our lease. I'm so excited, I just want to move in right away. We've been looking at things like pots and pans, cutlery, and all that stuff, since Andy doesn't have much. We got 4 sweet-ass plates and 2 coffee mugs from Salvo's for $5, and we've been keeping our eyes peeled for sales and things like that. I'm basically super-pumped.

So, now that I'm up to date, changes. I've realized that if my plans go off as they are intended (grad school and all that), I'll only be traveling sporadically. I really want to do a lot of that, but I'm not backpacking across Asia anytime soon. So I'm thinking about changing from the traveling vegan to... something else. Less advice-y travel log, and more day-to-day chronicles of my vegan life. If it gets too boring I'll just throw the whole thing out, but for now, my life is a bit boring :) So what to call the thing? I'll mull it over and try to come up with a few ideas, but if any readers (do I have any?) have suggestions, leave a comment!

So there you go, a very long post. Cheers!

Excitement, anxiety, and everything in between

I haven't posted in a few days for two reasons. 1) I don't have much to say. I'm not traveling yet, so I'm boring. 2) I'm getting ready to go. I have less than 3 days before I go up to school for Senior Week and graduation, and the day after graduation I leave for Oz, so I don't have a whole lot of time left.

I've started to have some more concrete anxieties, mostly about packing. I will be fine, size-wise; the luggage my parents bought me is well under the size limits by all the airlines, yet big enough for everything I want to bring. Weight shouldn't be much of a problem, either. I'm allowed 50 pounds each, in two bags (this is the standard for American-based flights, but check with each airline to be sure). I have one bag basically packed, and it is something like 45 pounds or so. The other is currently at 20-ish, and all I have left to put in it is a week's worth of clothes, so I will be golden. The problem comes in on the last leg of my flight. I'm flying Virgin Blue, which is Australia's "budget" air option (at least, one of them). As far as I can tell, I'm only allowed one checked bag, weighing no more than 50 pounds total. Eek. I'm hoping I can pull a fast one on them by checking my bag from Albany straight through to Townsville. Even though I have to get it to go through customs in Brisbane, maybe it will work? At this point, there isn't much I can do about it. I'll hope for leniency since I'll be coming off an international flight, and pay if need be. Blah.

My other main anxiety is financial, and I've had it for a while. Paying back student loans while trying to start living on my own won't exactly be fun. My mom is implying that she will periodically visit my bank account, which is very cool, but at the same time.... I kind of want to be able to make it on my own. But usually the realistic (and selfish) part of me takes over and says "There is no way you will last!!", so I just won't argue. Maybe I won't need her money, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Other than that, I've been trying to basically move myself out of my house. Although I've been at school for the past 4 years, I've always had a room here and this is my home base. But, for the next few years, I won't be anywhere near here. My room is becoming the guest room, and I'm 100% okay with that, but it's a little weird to be moving out of it. I've already freecycled a bunch of my stuff, and thrown out/recycled the junk, but there are some things that I can't bring myself to part with, at least not yet. So I'm claiming the closet, and one of the dresser drawers, and filling them up with those things. It won't inconvenience my parents any, it's essentially the same as putting my stuff in the basement, minus the dampness and the spiders. And, that way if I need anything, I know where it is and can have my parents ship it over to me.

Well, I probably won't be posting a lot for the next few weeks, although I might get a few in during Senior Week. I don't even know if I'll have the internet at the house in Townsville, but I'll certainly keep everyone updated on my whereabouts and such.

Getting antsy....

packing, round 1

I started packing today. Just the preliminaries; I obviously can't pack anything that I'll be using in the next 2 and a half weeks. So it's clothes I don't plan on wearing (don't ask me why I'm even bringing them), new shampoo and crap like that, books... you get the idea. And, being a total nerd, I took pictures. So, enjoy.

This one is my carry-on. The smaller blue pouch has face soap, makeup, and that stuff. The four little white boxes are my contacts... I don't want to risk losing them in my luggage, because they are expensive! That shirt is Andy's birthday present :), there are some snacks, and some contact solution. The front pouches have my jewelry, and I'm going to pack a change of clothes, my camera, more food(!) and my CDs (if they fit). Electronics and valuables should always go in your carry-on!


My big, main suitcase currently has a few books (I wish I could fit more!), underneath most of that stuff. Shampoo, soap, sun block, etc. are in giant freezer bags, and I stuffed the extra space with bathing suits and socks, just to take up less room. If anything explodes or breaks open, I can just throw the socks and bathing suits in the wash, rather than every single thing in the suitcase. Alse here is my snorkel and mask, my photo album, and a few miscellaneous things, like the hat and belt. I don't know what else will go in here, more clothes, I guess.

Here's the duffel bag. Right now I have my flippers and a few skirts and pants, rolled up to take up minimal space. This bag will probably fill up with clothes, since I don't have to worry about them breaking or exploding like some other stuff.

And here they all are, stacked up ever so nicely. The duffel still fits into the big structured suitcase, and my comfy travel pillow is sitting on top :)

So, um.... there's 20 minutes of your life that you'll never get back!

A few travel recipes

Here's a recipe for some energy bars that seem like they'd be good for travel, since they've got some good nutrition and stuff. Plus, you can freeze them after you make them, and before you head out (whether in a car, on a plane, or on foot) you can throw it in your cooler or bag, and it will be ready for you when you get hungry.

Flaxen Cereal Bars
4 c. rice crispies (or whatever cereal, granola would work well too)
1 c. corn or rice syrup
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. ground flax seed
1 c. nut butter (try combining more than one type to get 1 cup)
1 c. dried fruit and/or nuts (chop it up if it's in big chunks)

In a small sauce pan, heat nut butter, syrup, and brown sugar. Don't let it boil, but warm it up so it's fairly runny. Stir in flax seed and vanilla. In a large bowl, combine cereal with fruit/nuts. Pour the nut butter mixture over the cereal and stir well, until it's all combined. Press the mixture into a well-oiled 9x13 inch pan. Refrigerate for a few hours, then cut into 24 squares or 12 rectangles. Wrap them in saran wrap or waxed paper, and keep in fridge or freezer.



These are the same idea as the other ones, but bite sized, with more ingredients. The original recipe called for apricots, which I absolutely hate, so I subbed them with more dried berries. It also called for honey, which is, like, so totally not vegan.

Granola Bites
2 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted
1 3/4 c. quick cooking rolled oats
1/3 c. unsweetened dried apples, finely chopped
2/3 c. unsweetened dried blueberries, cherries, and/or cranberries
2 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds (hulled, obvi)
2 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. nut butter
1/4 c. sticky sweetener, like maple syrup or corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place almonds and 1/4 c. of the rolled oats in a food processor, and process until they become fine crumbs, about 15 seconds. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine remaining oats, dried fruit, sunflower seets, coconut, and cinnamon. Add nut butter, sweetener, and vanilla. Sumbine well, until mixture begins to stick together. Form mix into 1 inch balls (heh heh, I said balls), coat lightly with the almond/oat crumb mixture from before, and place in an airtight container. Separate layers with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight. Makes 36.

Graduating

This isn't explicitly about travel, but whatever.

In, like, a week and a half, I'm going up to my uni for Senior Week. It's the week immediately following finals, culminating in the graduation ceremony on Sunday. It's a week of parties planned by some senior class committee, where you buy a $35 wrist band and you get free drinks (and snacks like crackers and stuff) at all of the events. And, since everyone is finally done with all of their work (or, they should be), there are a lot of non-organized parties as well. Food-wise, I'm not too worried. If I eat in the dining halls, they always have some vegan options (some times, lots of vegan options). More likely, I'll be cooking meals with people and living off the leftovers. It probably won't be my healthiest week, as most of my calories will be consumed in the liquid form, but I will be fine.

My family is coming up on the final Friday, 2 days before I graduate. My mum wants to have a graduation party for me on campus, since I'm leaving for Australia the day after I graduate. Okay, that's nice of her, and the party is more for my family than me, so I am not going to argue. A few weeks ago she asked me what kind of food I wanted. We tossed around a few ideas. There was the obvious--veggies, bread, a few types of salad. And I was trying to think of something vegan that would be easy to make in large quantities, and would please a lot of people. I suggested having a bunch of pasta with different kinds of sauces on the side, like pesto, marinara, puttanesca, and whatever else we could think of. My mom put hot dogs and hamburgers on the list, and I didn't say anything, wanting to keep the peace.

A few days later I realized that chili would be an easy crowd-pleaser. We settled on the Black Bean Chili with Cilantro Pesto from Vegan Planet, which I've made before for some school event, and everyone loved it. And, we could make it ahead of time and throw it in the freezer. Then, when Mum and Dad make the three-hour drive up to school, they can bring it up frozen. By the time they get to school, it might be starting to melt a little, but it will still be very cold, at the least. More likely, it will still be mostly frozen, and we can stick in a fridge on campus. (There we go, that's how it ties in to travel. Freeze things before car trips and they stay cold for a long time, especially if you pack them into a cooler.)

Well. Mum mentioned that she was planning on making a "meat sauce" so people can murder-ize the vegan chili if they want, "or they can put it on their hotdogs or whatever if they want." Aside from the disgusting hot dog thing, I think having an optional meaty add-in is insulting. The chili is good! It doesn't need meat! It's perfectly healthy, and filling, and tasty. The night she mentioned that, I guess I was feeling a bit more fiesty, because I said "I don't understand why people can't go one meal without meat." Because hey, it's my graduation. And it's just one meal. My mum didn't say anything, and I don't really know what the plan is now. I just feel like a total shit the more I think about it. I should have said something the first time it came up, instead of waiting. Now, I'm tempted to concede on the hotdogs and hamburgers (ew, but the smell of them cooking is going to be so gross), but not the meat sauce. It completely undermines the vegan-ness (veganity?) of the chili, and I don't want it there. But, another part of me just wants to say no meat whatsoever. Because I'm the star of the show, at least for that one night.

This is a really weird situation, because I never, ever argue with my parents. I don't want to start something big, and the fact that my mum didn't even say anything in response to my little challenge makes me feel really bad. Bah! This is the first semi-negative experience I've had with my parents regarding my veganism, and I don't know what to do!

Veganism and traveling

I know, that's the point of the whole blog. But bear with me.

I do not claim to be an expert on veganism (or on travel, for that matter). I decided to go vegan last January, so, what, 15-ish months ago? I don't know the exact date of my decision, since it was a non-committal, "I'll try it out and see how it goes" sort of thing. But even in that short amount of time, it seems like a lot of people wonder/ask/tell me that veganism is too hard for them, especially with regards to traveling. Hell, I fell into that trap when I went to Ethiopia... everyone told me "veganism will be too hard, it's such a meat-loving country". That couldn't be farther from the truth! Veganism is so easy, especially when you've got that pesky little conscience ruining your animal-derived meals. Okay, sure, there are some things that get a little frustrating -- Why must they put casein in every goddamn thing, for example. But, with a little bit of forethought (not even planning, just consciousness), flexibility, and some self-confidence, every vegan can be perfectly happy, no matter where in the world they happen to be.

As Bob and Jenna say in their book, Vegan Freak, over and over again, "Meek vegans suffer" (I'm not even going to look for a page reference, because I remember seeing it so many times!). You just need to speak up and let the appropriate people know that you are vegan and what that means. Case in point: tomorrow I am getting inducted into this honorary that has a chapter at my school. The induction includes a dinner. Immediately after I rsvp-ed, I emailed the contact person to make sure they were planning on having a vegan option at dinner. After a few emails back and forth, where I offered suggestions and they gave me a tentative menu, I think I'm all set. Dining services is veganizing all of the side dishes, as well as adding a sauteed veggie dish for me, and making sure to have fresh fruit available for dessert (veganizing baked goods is a different battle for a different day). I wrote two emails, and I'm being accommodated. In the event that the food sucks, or there isn't much, I'm going to have some food in the car, or make my parents buy me some Rice Dream from the little shop on campus. And if it sucks, I'm not going to get all pissy and uptight about it. It is what it is, and sulking won't change it. Flexibility, see? And whether the food is good or not, I'm going to get drunk afterwards, but that is completely irrelevant.

It's the same idea for events that aren't planned like this one. Let's say you're going on a trip, but you're worried that there won't be much vegan food where you're going. Plan ahead a little. If you're flying, book a vegan meal with your ticket, and call to confirm the day before you fly. Bring snacks! Airplane food usually sucks, and you don't want to starve, so bring a few things. If it's a road trip, bring a cooler full of yummy sammiches and fruits and veggies and stuff. If you're going to a country where the language isn't your own, bring along the Vegan Passport, or at least learn a few key phrases in the local language--"I am vegan", "I do not eat meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey, etc". Check out the restaurant guides at Happy Cow and VegDining. Google "vegetarian restaurant [place name] and see if there is a local guide. If you're a stickler about vegan alcohol (I am, but not everyone is), look around to see if you can get a list of local vegan wines and beers. Colin pointed me to this list of mostly Australian alcohol.

In short, there are tons of online resources about traveling as a vegan. Google it. I dare you. I don't know everything there is to know, and I never will. But even with my little teeny slice of the knowledge pie (mmm, pie), I don't think being vegan is hard at all. Basically, if you aren't vegan because you think it will be too hard, well, suck it up and go for it. There are plenty of other reasons people have, but I don't want to talk about them right now. And, it's my damn blog, so I do what I want.

Cheers :-D

Prep... not the "style" kind, the getting ready kind

Although my trip is coming up really soon, it's been a long time coming. Being a bit uptight, I have over-planned this, to a certain extent. I already talked a bit about my grad school planning and stuff here.


Aside from being good for my ego, getting accepted into a program would take care of all my visa woes. For a country that really wants to increase its population size, Australia wants to keep out the riff-raff. I looked into nearly every type of visa you can get. Working Holiday visas allow you to stay for up to a year, and work for up to 3 months at any one place. Perfect! But wait.... US citizens aren't eligible. Skilled Worker visas let you into the country if you have certain qualifications, and then you find a job. But wait.... a sociology major doesn't have many of the qualifications they are looking for. There were a bunch more let-downs. So I finally decided to apply for a 6 month tourist visa. The way this one works, I'm allowed multiple entries for a period up to 6 months after each entry, until March 2007. So, hypothetically, I could stay for 6 months, go to New Zealand for a week, come back and stay another 6 months. This is all worst-case scenario, though, assuming I don't get into any sort of uni program.

Next, of course, there was the flight to think about. I should say flights... I'm flying on three different airlines, 5 separate flights, for a total time of 38-ish hours. Since I knew what I wanted to do, I booked my flight way in advance. Like, last September or October. Flights to Oz are normally ridiculously expensive. Over $1000 expensive. But since I booked so early, I got mine for less than $900. Sounds brutal, but I think I got a good deal. With so much flight time, of course there will be meals served. I think I have to fend for myself on the US leg of the trip, but the rest have something. When I was requesting special meals on the website, I saw "vegetarian", "dairy-free vegetarian", and a few other options. But I didn't see "vegan". I didn't want to get the dairy-free meal if it was just going to be full of eggs. So I ordered the raw food meal. I figured that's the safest bet, anyways, since airplane food can be a little bit sketchy. And the meals are usually so full of calories that one fills your entire daily needs. Raw food was definitely the way to go, in my opinion.

Other than that, it's just little things to get ready to go. Printing out lists of veg restaurants from Happy Cow and VegDining, ordering my Vegan Passport and travel guide book, and buying a few good snacks to sustain me if the airplane food sucks. And a birthday present for Andy, since he turns 23 on the day that I get there.

After a year and a half of getting ready, I think I'm all set to go soon!

New look

After a morning full of messing around and being unhappy with the colors, layout, etc, I have come to a realization. Originality is too much work, and it's overrated. I'm going with the stock layouts, and I'm perfectly happy with that. They're proven to work well, and someone else has done all the work. Sounds like a good deal to me! (Thanks anyways, Jessi, for your help and opinions!)

Packing...

I started thinking about packing last night. I didn't actually start packing; it's way too early for that. But I'm considering it, trying to figure out what I'm going to bring and where everything is going to go. I've gotten rid of so much stuff (mostly clothes) lately that I don't think I'm going to have a huge problem with space. The one thing that I wish I could bring more of is books. I have a ton, I love them all so much, but they are so heavy and take up too much of my luggage allowance. So most of them will sit here, on my bookshelves in my empty room. They will be lonely, but hopefully my family will visit them every now and then.

The thing that I am wondering about, though, is whether or not I should bring stuff like shampoo and all that. Obviously they have it in Australia, but I'm not sure about the availability of cruelty-free products in North Queensland. (Northern Australians are stereotypically rednecks, close-minded, and all that. Of course it's not true of everyone, but I did see a lot of racism and xenophobia when I was there before, from otherwise wonderful people. Who knows what they think of vegans?!) I just don't want to get stuck over there with nothing good to use. I'm definitely bringing stuff for my face, if for no other reason than I'll be needing it during the 38 hours I'll be in airplanes and airports. And I just bought some Clear Conscience contact solution to last me for a little while. But regular ol' body soap and shampoo? They are another item that is heavy and bulky, and sometimes they explode in suitcases.... But on the other hand, I don't want to be stuck in Townsville with no (or only super expensive) cruelty-free options on hand, and exorbitant shipping rates to order stuff to Oz.

What a dilemma........