Two days ago I saw the sun setting into the Tyrrhenian Sea off the ancient Etruscan port of Pyrgi. While walking on the sand at dusk I decided I will go traveling and end up living by a beach somewhere early next year. I started the following list to help me get organized:
Pair of very good quality shoes suitable for all terrain and weather. Rugged, durable, dark brown or black. Comfortable to wear all day. Also wearable to social events when clean. Looks like something from Paraboots would do: Sebastião Salgado in an interview by Marcelle Katz in the Sunday Times, 1995:
“Almost more important than my cameras, are my boots. I’m on my feet maybe 14 hours a day and I walk a lot. When I travel, I take only one pair of black boots which I wear day and night. I’ve had the same pair for 13 years and they are practically glued to my feet. They are called paraboots—an old French brand, which were originally made for the workers in the markets of Les Halles. They’re not beautiful but they are capital!”
Pair of flip-flops
4 linen shirts, 1 dark brown, 1 light brown, 2 white (only one with short sleeves)
4 artificial fiber undervests
5 pairs of cotton socks
4 pairs of briefs
2 pairs of dark linen trousers
2 linen jackets, 1 of slightly heavier & warmer material than the other
Dark brown belt
Black tie
Pair of linen shorts
Pair of swimming trunks, quick-drying
Small towel, quick-drying material
Hat (straw?) with neck string
Long cotton scarf, also suitable for wrapping around head as a turban
Metal or leather water bottle
Eye glasses & case
Contact lenses, case, saline water bottle
Toothbrush & small toothpaste tube
Shaving kit
Pocket knife (Swiss army)
5-10 meter piece of string
Cotton cleaning cloth
Small first aid kit
Bar of soap (usable for washing of body & clothes)
Bottle of shampoo (small)
Wallet & coin pouch (small)
Notebook in leather sheaf (small)
Silly passports
Pen & pencil
2 small digital cameras with 3 spare batteries & 3 spare SD cards each
Small laptop computer with built-in wireless networking, as light as possible
Portable backup hard disk drive, as small as possible, with one cable (powered by the computer), potentially with capability to connect directly to camera
Mobile phone with wifi capability?
Lightweight small ‘daypack’ backpack, which can also be checked-in with ‘potentially explosive liquids’ and pocket knife
Good hand/backpack with space for all of the above, yet small enough to be taken with me in a commercial aeroplane’s cabin. Made to last. Maybe something from Saddleback Leather Company
Later in the evening, at Tre Casette, located between Sasso and the coast, I observed the moon rising above the dusty Roman horizon while listening to a surprisingly faithful Pink Floyd cover band consisting of a man and woman playing guitar and organ. They had sound mixers, lasers, lights and a smoke machine.
The breeze was gentle, the night balmy.
I didn’t have a camera.