2013-03-29 14:59:25-04
Wandering Earl 
I don’t buy much while traveling.
After all, I don’t have a house or an apartment to call my own and so, where would I put things if I bought them? I’m certainly not going to lug everything around with me everywhere I go and at the same time, I usually don’t see the point of buying something only to put it in storage. With that said, over the past 13 years, there have certainly been times when I simply couldn’t resist. I saw something and I wanted it and even though I knew that it was going to end up in that one box I have in a closet at my mom’s place in the US, there was no stopping me. And that, my friends, is how I ended up buying a zoo while in Oaxaca, Mexico just a few days ago. Yup. I bought a zoo, sort of. While wandering around the Mercado de Artesanias (Artisan’s Market) in the center of Oaxaca, I stumbled upon a small shop that sold some extremely colorful handmade crafts. And I’m a sucker for bright colors. So as soon as I stepped foot inside, I knew right away that I wasn’t leaving without a bag full of stuff. And that’s how I ended up with an… Octopus
Elephant
Cactus and Bird
Lizard
Porcupine
Basically, I bought a zoo’s worth of animals that day, and for a mere $50 USD too! Those were the only things I bought during the entire month I spent in Mexico, and even though these aren’t exactly traditional cultural items, I found them to be irresistible (just look at that octopus!) and had no choice but to buy them all. Of course, when I leave the US in a couple of weeks again, into the box they shall all go until the time comes for me to unpack them and place them on a shelf in a house or apartment that I can finally call my own. I’m sure it will happen one day! So, my question for you is… What do you buy while traveling? Do you think you would buy a lot or not much at all if you were traveling long-term?
Photo credit: Zoo entrance by Jim Moore | 