Thursday, December 20, 2007

A working vacation in the old days

When I was still working in a now defunct government agency, we used to soften the hardships of being assigned to remote places by considering field works as a vacation, a respite from the bundy clock controlled, boring routine of a desk assignment. We were poorly equiped in the field and made do with what we had and what we could improvised.

However, I had more fun traveling then than I do now despite all the modern conveniences and facilities available or within easy reach these days.

We had to cook our meals in an improvised "kalan" - three stones to support a "kaldero" and dry twigs to fuel a fire and a designated cook and his assistants who had no clue of what they were doing. To this day, I still think those meals were more satisfying than the fancy meals served on cruise ships and star-studded restaurants on shore.

Only our legs to propel us from place to place, not the air-conditioned, toilet-equiped and comfort-laden touring coaches...

and crude lean-tos to protect us from the elements at night, not a fancy suite with a minibar, high definition tv, wifi and a gold-plated bathroom.

Ah, those were the days worth reliving!


3 comments:

dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

Hi, BertN!
I think this entry is my favorite in this site. Not that I like those black and white photos, but it is because I can relate with how you feel about then and now. Not that I'm experienced enough, but I'd been to a lot of adventures in the past wherein we only thrive through the very basic. Unlike at the present time where I travel that there's the comfort of watching videos while traveling - before, there was no such thing...
I agree with you. Those are the days worth reliving...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for taking the time to check out my website. My most memorable travel moments were the times in 'Pinas when I was still working there and seeing new places for the first time. I hope to be able to revisit these places before I join my ancestors in the Great Beyond LOL.

Jovial Wanderer said...

I really enjoy reading about your adventures! :) This one indeed is worth relieving.