When Holly, Amanda and I decided to take an entire year off from the ‘real world’ to globetrot together, we realized it was a huge commitment. We knew from experience that we were excellent travel buddies, but jetting off for a week’s vacation to escape our daily grind wasn’t exactly the same thing as spending 365 days in a row together with no jobs, boyfriends or apartments to come home to? What if we started getting on each other’s nerves after only a few months? What if we got into a huge fight? What if one person always felt left out of the three? While these were valid concerns to consider before taking off, we were too focused on the positives to worry about the potential pitfalls. After all, it’s not everyday that two of your girlfriends are willing to put their lives on hold to take a trip around the world. We knew how lucky we were to have found each other and were confident that the trip would not only change our lives forever, but also make us closer friends in the process. Little did we know just how close!
Traveling on a tight budget, through mainly third world countries, has made privacy a luxury we can rarely afford. During the first few months of the trip alone, we’ve crammed three into a two person tent on the Inca Trail, slept head to toe in twin beds for an entire month in Kenya, packed ourselves, our luggage and a local family into a tiny, roach infested train car in India and snuggled under countless mosquito nets the world over. Despite the occasional case of claustrophobia, we’ve learned to accept our too-close conditions as part of the ‘true’ travel experience and jokingly rationalize our lack of personal space as an essential element of Lost Girls’ bonding (I mean, spending 24-7 together just isn’t enough!). But it wasn’t until a strange twist of events in Diani Beach that we realized just how comfortable we’d gotten with one another.
During our three week visit to Kenya’s East Coast, we were lucky enough to be invited as guests for one night to the Shaanti Holistic Health Resort - a luxurious spa and yoga center nestled in a tranquil garden above the Indian Ocean. (Jen’s tip to readers: Befriend journalists; the perks are fabulous! :)). Having spent the past month in tiny huts with no showers or toilets, we were overjoyed to be in such swank surroundings; even if it was just for one day. So of course, when the owner encouraged us to try their signature ‘star baths’ – an indulgent dip in exotic, oil infused water – we jumped at the rare opportunity to be pampered. Donning our complimentary terry cloth robes and slippers, we happily skipped down the path towards the ocean, eager to experience Shaanti’s signature soak. We got even more excited when we saw the elegant sunken bathtubs, overflowing with bubbles and blanketed in rose petals, that had been set up for us. But wait a second. There were only two baths and three girls. Huh! How was this going to work? Now, boys! I know what you’re thinking. These numbers sound perfect to you. But Holly, Amanda and I kind of thought that this type of intimate situation would be more appropriate to experience with our boyfriends, not with two of our girlfriends who probably hadn’t shaved their legs in a few days (we’re in freakin’ Africa; give us a break).
Maybe it was the knowledge that in less than 12 hours we’d be back in a dumpy $6/night beach shack or the fact that none of us wanted to be left out of the fun, but without giving it a second thought, we all leaped into the tubs together like little kids. At this point in the trip, we’d shared practically everything with each other. Why not a bubble bath? (Again, you male readers can keep your comments to yourself!) Sure, we may have looked a bit funny to the Shaanti staff, but we didn’t care. We’d had enough crazy things happen to us so far on the road that practically nothing could faze us. Although that may have had more to do with the contraband rum we snuck into the alcohol-free resort and brought with us to enhance the star bath – but still! At this point in the trip, Amanda, Holly and I have resigned ourselves to the fact that we’re likely to have more honeymoon-worthy moments with each other during our year abroad than we will ever have with our future grooms. On the positive side, at least this trip will give us a firsthand knowledge of the world’s most romantic locales. Add star baths in Diani Beach to our list of places to re-visit with our husbands – or at the least, really hot guys! In the meantime, we’ll continue to share our beds, baths and beyond with each other!
---Jen
