The Bare Necessities

Traveling in a Third World country, like living off the grid, throws using less in relief. There are a minimum of necessities, and everything else is extraneous. When I talked to the various Westerners I met on a trek in Nepal, I asked them what they missed the most about their own country. No matter whether they had been gone two weeks, two months, or a full year, the number one answer was always the same: flush toilets. Old habits die hard. Squatting may work perfectly well, but if you have been trained to sit and are used to the hygienic aspects of flushing, that’s what you crave. It’s a comfortable, familiar feeling.

Also high on people’s lists were hot and cold running tap water. This was both for taking a steaming hot shower and for having potable water at your fingertips to drink, brush teeth, wash hands, and the myriad other things for which we thoughtlessly use water in industrialized nations.

One person mentioned a warm bedroom. Getting undressed at night in Nepal was chilly and unpleasant at best. At worst I didn’t even bother, but crawled into my sleeping bag fully clothed in my sweaty long underwear, cuddling a bottle of boiled water next to me.

Fresh fruit made some people’s lists, including mine. I also craved cold milk. The Swiss trekkers brought their own supply of chocolate as protection against inferior varieties, and the English folks mentioned roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. As for me, I had dreams about creamy macaroni and cheese. The other American I met longed for orange juice. Personal preference reigned, but everyone had a food item they craved and simply couldn’t get in Nepal.

The curious thing was that absolutely nobody mentioned electricity, television, radio, stereos and CDs (this was pre-MP3 technology), telephones, PDAs, video games, movies, twenty-four-hour news programs, or anything relating to information or nonparticipatory entertainment. One man remarked that he hadn’t seen a newspaper in a while, but he didn’t say he missed it. With the exception of amenities relating to staying warm and clean, no one mentioned material possessions either. No one missed cars, gadgets, cushy furniture, wall-to-wall carpeting, toys, knickknacks, or any of the plastic junk that fills most of our houses. Eliminating all but the necessities was painless. It freed us up to enjoy the great outdoors and each other’s company, two pleasures that cost nothing.