Overplanning the Overplanned September 13, 2007
It’s not long before we leave for the Caribbean! It does always seem, however, that the days get longer and become uncountably many as vacations approach. I’ve found that I’m spending of my more mundane moments at work daydreaming about not only how pretty the beaches are and what it will be like to just lay on them mindlessly, but also of what the inside of my suitcase is going to look like, packed. Since we bought the flipper/snorkel sets, I have dedicated what might amount to hours figuring out how they will fit into my suitcase or if they should become carry-ons. Questions like this one plague me endlessly even though I know that once I actually start packing they will resolve themselves within minutes.
When I’m not dedicated to my packing list or dreaming of how I will reposition myself for ultimate sun exposure I’m obsessing over where and what we’re going to eat. I’ve said before that after a few days I get sick of dining out, so I’m trying to come to a reasonable conclusion about all the facets of what I can only think of as island food. I’m very excited to be having conch fritters at some point. But how many times will I eat conch fritters? And where on the island is the best place for conch fritters? Certainly I don’t want my first conch-experience to be mediocre! Should I also have a conch salad or conch sandwich? Is it too much conch for one week? What are my other options? I’ve turned to the Fodor’s Caribbean website to help me answer these questions.
When we went to Rome I used the Fodor’s Europe website to answer many of my Roman-related questions. Since my questions aren’t exactly novel, I don’t post, I just snoop off of what other people have asked and answered. For our trip to Rome we made a short list of must-eat restaurants based on recommendations, and I don’t think we actually ate at a single one of them. So do I bother making a similar list for St Thomas and St John? There are far fewer restaurants to choose from on the islands, and part of me imagines that the bad ones would go out of business eventually, leaving behind only the yummier digs. Plus, something we learned in Rome, people are exceptionally willing to send you to their favorite restaurant once you actually arrive at your destination, so maybe there is no need for preplanning. Or overplanning.
Finally, our timeshare/hotel has a kitchenette, so part of the plan is to drop by the Kmart on the island in our Jeep to pick up cereal and other basics for the week. I’m quite excited about seeing an Island Kmart, mostly because they purportedly sell liquor. Rum is only $4 per bottle. I’ve never thought of Kmart as a purveyor of anything but cheap toys and housewares, and certainly they have never in my mind sold liquor! It will be a photo for the scrapbooks.
It’s fun to think about travel, almost as much as it is to actually travel, and I know when we return I’ll start (over)planning our next vacation. Until then, I’ll be daydreaming more and more of my days away and overplanning this upcoming, but still too far-off, vacation. Which law of physics is it that makes vacations seem farthest away when they’re so close!
