How Much Is Three Ounces?

Five 3-ounce bottles fit comfortably inside a 1-quart bag
with room for your travel toothpaste

Okay, let's assume I'm not asking the obvious. Three ounces is 90 mL, the amount of any one liquid or gel you can take in a carry-on bag (all liquids together to fit inside a 1-quart plastic bag). Anyone who's traveled in the past nine years is familiar with TSA's rules.

What I'm really asking is how far will three ounces get you? Will three ounces of shampoo be enough for a two-week trip? A two-month trip? Will three ounces of face wash last as long as three ounces of shampoo? I don't know the answers to these questions - but I wish I did. Knowing exactly how much lotion and body wash I need would really help me pack light. So I'm going to answer my own question: I'm going to put three ounces of essential bath products to the test and see how long they last.

Before I can conduct my experiment, I have to locate 3-ounce bottles. There are a wide variety of products on the market, including a set of four bottles by Eagle Creek ($15) and another set of four by Bed, Bath, & Beyond ($5). In the end, I've decided to order my bottles individually (and much more cheaply) at PlasticTravelBottles.com ($0.98 a bottle and a flat shipping rate of $1.99, but be warned: they only accept PayPal and they ship from Singapore, so order well in advance).

All bottles full on Monday morning, November 29, 2010

Here they are, all set to go: shampoo, body wash, face wash, toner, and lotion. As of today, I will use only these 3-ounce bottles until their contents are gone - and I'll let you know, one by one, as the contenders drop. To provide you with some context for comparing my results with what you're likely to experience: I use shampoo and body wash once a day, face wash and toner twice a day, and lotion all over once a day. I'm 5'6" and have short hair.

Just to underscore the importance of packing the correct amount of liquids - my five 3-ounce bottles actually weigh 19 ounces when they're full, rather than the 15 you would expect. Liquids are heavy, so it's definitely best not to overpack.

All right, I think we're set to go. We'll see just how much three ounces really is!

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

More from the Department of Unfortunate Names

I bet all the guys shop there.

Groningen, the Netherlands

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

Pozzuoli: A Day Trip from Naples with Lots to Offer

Underneath the Roman amphitheater in Pozzuoli

If your travels through Italy take you to Naples, you should consider taking a day trip to Pozzuoli. Pozzuoli is practically a suburb of Naples and you can get there in half an hour by taking a metro train from Garibaldi Station. Not only is it easy and cheap to get to Pozzuoli, this gritty but charming harbor town has something for everyone.

One of my favorite attractions is the Roman amphitheater. You can wander around the entire structure, including the underground chambers where the beasts and gladiators were kept. Numerous signs provide detailed explanations of how the amphitheater worked and you won't have to fight crowds, stand in lines, or pay the hefty entrance fee that you will to see the Colosseum (there is an entrance fee at Pozzuoli, but it's reasonable). If you go in the summer, the underground chambers make a refreshing break from the South Italian sun and the grounds surrounding the amphitheater are littered with sculptures and architectural carvings - just don't go looking for the museum that the signs mention: they never built it.

The ancient Roman marketplace when the water table is low

Another great Pozzuoli ruin is the ancient Roman marketplace, also called the Serapeum, located near the harbor. This was once the heart of the Roman city of Puteoli, an important commercial center, and today it gives an interesting insight into the volcanic geology of Campania, the region of Italy around Naples. The marketplace is seriously affected by bradyseism, the rise and fall of the earth due to volcanic activity. Sometimes the bottom of the market is dry and visible, as in the photo above. At other times, as on my last visit, the entire market floor is covered with several feet of water, complete with pond weeds and hopping frogs.

A sulfurous steam vent at Solfatara

If ancient ruins don't interest you, try hiking up the road for more volcanic activity. The crater of the dormant Solfatara volcano provides a strange lunar landscape complete with pits of boiling mud, vents of steam, yellow and orange sulfur crystals growing on the rocks, and a constant smell of fireworks. At one end of the vast crater is a seriously toasty medieval sauna, not for the faint of heart. The ground is also quite hot, so be careful if you're wearing sandals or flip-flops.

Of course, no day trip would be complete without great food. Try stopping at 'A Scarpetta, a traditional Napolitano restaurant located at Via S. Paolo 15 (you'll find it if you face the main harbor, then follow the waterside road to your left). 'A Scarpetta makes fabulous seafood dishes. For a genuine culinary delight, order the antipasti di mare. Just be warned - you might not have room for dinner afterward!


Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

A Great Bar In Florence: Plaz

Enjoying the warm March weather at Platz

Plaz is a bizarrely German-sounding name for an Italian bar, but it was where my Florentine friends wanted to go after an evening of pizza, so why not check it out?

I was not disappointed. Despite the name, Plaz is pure Florence: the decor is a modernized version of Renaissance luxury, they have live music at night, and they even offer a cocktail list - and if you've ever tried to order something more complicated than a gin-and-tonic in a European bar, you know what a triumph a cocktail list is. Following my tendency to order anything I've never had before, I tried my first Rossini that night, a bubbly concoction perfect for celebrating an evening out with good friends.

I've been back to Plaz many times since that first night in March. They offer a wide selection of wine, beer, cocktails, and simple eats. They also have an excellent aperitivo - the Italian version of happy hour, where buying a drink grants you access to a table full of tasty appetizers. During the summer, you can sit across the street under one of Florence's many public porticoes and enjoy some good people-watching with your glass of chianti.

Plaz is located at Via Pietrapiana 36r, across from the Piazza dei Ciompi.

Food: Good basics and a tasty aperitivo spread
Atmosphere: Modern Renaissance with a hint of goth
Price: Reasonable (8-10 euros for a glass of wine, but that's pretty normal for Florence)

Bottom Line: A nice stop for an afternoon drink, and live music makes it great for a night out


Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

Sardinia's "Cheese with Worms" Makes the Media

Casu marzu or formaggio con vermi: Sardinia's cheese with worms

Obviously, you'll find a mention of casu marzu, Sardinia's maggot-riddled cheese, in every "Guide to Sardinia" on the market. How could you not? Who could resist writing about a traditional delicacy that is not only infested with fly larvae, but is also more or less illegal? (It may have gotten around the illegality recently by being declared a "traditional food," but you still can't buy it in Sardinian grocery stores.)

Trying casu marzu was an explicit goal of mine last time I visited Sardinia, and one I was lucky enough to accomplish. I was thrilled to finally take part in this weird, wonderful, and slightly freaky cultural experience. For the curious: the cheese is sharp and strong and you don't notice the worms if you close your eyes.

What I never anticipated was seeing a reference to casu marzu in American popular culture. Immagine my surprise when an infestation of maggots on the most recent episode of Bones was caused, not by a human corpse, but instead - you guessed it! - by an illegal Sardinian delicacy called casu marzu. I practically fell out of my chair. I guess the show must have someone researching all the harmless things that can possibly be mistaken for murder evidence, but still - with a little luck, maybe some national exposure like this will get people to realize what an interesting place Sardinia is.

Photo of casu marzu by Shardan, accessed through the Wikimedia Commons
Text Copyright 2010 Sara Harding