November 4, 2005

Life is good. Today we have officially been away from South Pole for one week. Somehow we have managed to stay on our meager budget which is a big accomplishment when compared with the last time. As a good friend once told me deprivation leads to binging and last time we traveled we traveled as if we were to super models in a Krispy Kreme (without the purging of course).
Our friend Steve has "jacked" us up with some fine accommodations in Sumner. The beach is a block away, a mountain bike track starts in front and the people are very friendly. I spend the days riding my bike and getting my bike ready for our long travels through Southeast Asia. We don't have much space in our panniers so I keeping pairing the pile that is going to the bare minimum. I still haven't reached the point where I have started adding things back in so I suspect I have more pairing down to do.
Another great thing I have discovered is cooking. Down the street is a market and we usually make one to two trips there to buy some fresh foods and bring them home to cook. All the foods I missed at Pole I no longer have to go without. Everyday so far I have had an avocado, fresh eggs, fresh fruit and really nice dinners. One night I made spaghetti with venison and it tasted so good and because of the difference in altitude the noodles came out perfect. It is so nice having choices again.