vacation ritual

It usually starts in March. You see them when you're on the road during the short holidays in The Netherlands. Cars pulling caravans. You curse because they usually slow the traffic down and if you're Terry, you'd curse them for carrying their own supply of potatoes and cheese even when they are on holiday in France.
We're not the caravan holidaymaker types. Terry is still traumatised of caravan holiday in Spain when he was a child and me? I just like to sleep in a proper bed, have the shower and toilet facilities in my own (hotel/holiday rentals) room and not do any housework when I am on holiday. I have done the backpacking-sleeping under the stars vacations when I was a teenager and I think that is quite enough. When it comes to eating during the holidays though, we're quite adventurous. We will try everything and usually try to make advance reservations for certain restaurants and even sometimes work our vacations around the cuisines or restaurants we want to eat in. This should be the way non? Why would you want to eat McDonald's if you're in Bebek Betutu in Bali for instance?
There are however a few things that I noticed about myself when I am about to go on holiday and when I think about this, I have always done it especially when in my previous life, when my job used to involve a lot of travelling.
First of all, the house has to be spotless. I hate returning to a dirty house. After a holiday or a work trip, the last thing you want to do when you come home is vacuum the floor and empty the dishwasher. So the day before I leave I would usually spend cleaning even after the cleaning lady has left - I usually arrange for her to come the day before I leave to do the major work. The second thing which is probably more important than the first since the first one can be delegated - I have to eat a Malaysian meal complete with sambal. The meal has to be eaten by hand. I usually have a jar of sambal in the fridge and will make sure I have some left for when I return from holidays. If I am leaving for a long trip i.e longer than 2 weeks then I would freeze some.
I have seen some people actually carry their own chilies or sambal and will even take them out to sprinkle on their food even when they are dining out on 3 star restos. I never do this because I think it is insulting to the chef and the experience you could have. I don't really miss chilies when I am away. And it's not like I have to eat them everyday when I am home.

Today, as I put away the dishes after I ate my rice with sambal, I realise something and it made me a little sad. Last autumn when we went back to Malaysia for a long holiday, I actually ate my rice with sambal - despite the fact that we were actually going back to eat more Malaysian dishes - and had a bottle of sambal ready for me when I get home.

It dawned to me then going to Malaysia these days is no longer *going home* but actually going somewhere for a vacation.