Girl. I see you. I get you. I AM you.
You’re prepping for the Race, fundraising, planning, dreaming, making oh-so-many trips to REI to try to decide which sleeping pad option is the best (why, oh why, are there so many options??)…
With all of these things running through your head, I know there is that little question in the back of your mind- it was small and quiet at first, but has increased over the weeks and is now insistent and panicky, growing louder and louder as Launch approaches:
“Will there be coffee???”
Yes, dear one, there will be coffee.
But, it’s a little complicated so I am here to help ease the process.
A tip, right off the bat: If you are a Starbucks girl, go get you some of those Via packets. And then some more. Ask for them for Christmas and your birthday. Hoard those little suckers. I had access to hot water all of my Race- one of my bigger regrets is not bringing any instant coffee that I really enjoyed.
Now, you may be thinking- “Instant coffee?? I want the REAL thing!” I know, friend, I do too.
However, I can almost guarantee instant coffee will become the norm, I know it was on my Race. All throughout Asia and Africa when I asked for coffee they would bring me 3-in-1 (aka instant coffee packets with milk and sugar already in it).
Another tip. This one breaks my heart a little bit… REI (and I’m sure other places) have FRENCH PRESS MUGS. I know. What a time to be alive.
If you haven’t used a french press, it’s rather simple. You place your coffee grounds in, fill it with hot water, put the lid on (making sure the filter stays at the top), let it steep for a few agonizing minutes, push the plunger down (which pushes all the grounds to the bottom), and enjoy!
The REI one even has a container in the base of the mug to store more grounds for later. The handle is sturdy and able to be clipped to your pack if you use a carabiner.
I never really looked for grounds until I got to Africa, but I’m sure you could find them most months, if not all.
This is heartbreaking because I bought one of these bad boys for the Race but, during a last minute packing panic, I left it at home.
*Moment of silence for all of the real coffee I could have had on the Race*
So sad.
All right, let’s get down to business.
Month 1: Cambodia. I was in a village and our host cooked for us. No coffee. All month. Late in the month, I realized I could have been heating water over the little fire pit thing, but I didn’t have instant coffee on me. I actually had a small bag of chocolate covered espresso beans I had brought with me as a snack… Made that tiny bag last the whole. dang. month.
This photo was from a weekend we had in Phnom Penh. It was my first flat white and I think it was at Costa Coffee… or maybe The Blue Pumpkin, it’s hard to tell.
Month 2: In Thailand, we worked with a coffee shop (Zion) in Chiang Mai and I was constantly buying coffee from them.
Thailand was my best month coffee-wise, I also started making the transition from lattes/flat whites to black coffee with a little sugar.
This was from a little shop around the corner, Cafe de Siam. Best cinnamon rolls ever… and the coffee was pretty dang good too!
There was a Starbucks around the corner from us as well. It was November and I saw they had the red cups… so I treated myself once or twice over the month. #peppemintmocha (Tip: Many of the Starbucks I’ve encountered do not have soy milk or white mocha, and if you can find a Chai latte it won’t taste the same as in the States, much less sugar.)
Month 3 & 4: Malaysia and the Philippines were instant coffee months, for the most part. If you do order “coffee” it will almost always be an Americano, not a “drip” coffee (which, I have found, is pretty much the standard all over the world).
Month 5: Welcome to Africa!! In Zimbabwe we lived half the month in the city of Bulawayo, the other half was in the bush in Binga- both places, we had instant coffee. I would say this is when I officially switched from black with a little sugar to straight black coffee.
Month 6: Zambia! Zambia- Land of the free coffee! At least for my team… The hostel we ended up staying at for the month in Victoria Falls (Fawlty Towers) had free instant coffee from 7 am to 5 pm (and free “pancakes” aka crepes every day at 3 pm). It was pretty much perfect.
There was a coffee shop across the street from Fawlty Towers that I went to, like, twice. Zambia, in general, was rather pricey so I stuck with the free stuff.
Month 7: Malawi. We lived at a hostel on Lake Malawi. Beautiful. But definitely “tourist” prices. We ate at our hostel a lot… I ordered a french press of coffee almost every morning… My determination to stick to the food budget had pretty much dissipated by this point.
Month 8: Ukraine. Rivne, Ukraine had a bunch of coffee/cafe places but I actually chose the instant coffee over going out to get coffee most of the time. I had gotten used to it and preferred it over spending more money on a coffee shop.
They did have coffee trucks EVERYWHERE which was cool. A teammate and I would go for a run some mornings and finish in time to grab an Americano for the walk back.
Side note- this was my morning routine, got up early every day and spent some time with Jesus at the kitchen table with my instant coffee. Such a lovely, simple way to start the day.
Month 9: Romania. I. Have. A. Coffee. Maker. Like, a real one. It’s been a joy to be able to make/drink a pot of coffee whenever I want.
This photo was actually from a lovely afternoon we spent at our host’s home. The coffee was a Keurig type thing. So yummy!
So, I have a confession. I have always been a coffee girl… but my month in Ukraine opened my eyes to tea. I will never switch over completely, but it’s nice to have other options! (This is a cup of green chai in my mug I bought in the bush in Africa. Good times!)
That’s where I’m at now. I head into month 10 (Albania) in a couple days… I hear a rumor that I’m actually living over a coffee shop… and if that doesn’t make me Monica from Friends I don’t know what will.
XOXO
