Travels in a Tin Can

van would not be big enough we quickly realised how advantageous it was to
have chosen the smallest model. It was easier to drive into towns than a
bigger rig would have been, in fact we could park it (sort of) in normal car park
spaces.
In terms of facilities "Harvey the RV", as the van quickly became
known, was well equipped. We had a microwave, two propane hobs (which
we never used), a refrigerator, heater, air conditioner, chemical toilet and
outside shower. Pretty much all the comforts of a regular home, although
these last two pieces of kit probably need, and deserve, more of an
explanation. First, the outside shower. We knew that this was included in our
van when we chose it over the Internet, but we did not know quite how it
would look in reality. Zak ended the suspense when he opened a small flap
on the side of the van.... And revealed two ordinary taps and a shower head
on a hose. We were going to be travelling across America during the winter
and therefore had a strong suspicion that we would not be using the shower.
However, when we reached the end of the trip we were in the Florida Keys
and it was both sunny and hot, perfect conditions for a fresh air shower. So
did we use the shower? Well, maybe we would have done if it had come with
a shower curtain. Fortunately it did not!
The chemical toilet on the other hand proved extremely useful, and
entertaining. The utility is, I hope, obvious. The entertainment came from the
fact that the toilet - a small plastic affair like a glorified potty - was stored in a
wardrobe-sized cupboard. Mercifully, this cupboard was not required to store
anything else so we had room - barely - to sit in the cupboard on the toilet.
The first time we had a dry run to see if we could fit we laughed until we cried,