Mike and I head to the train station in Newark, NJ no later than 9:30am tomorrow morning and begin the arduous task of using public transportation to get from NJ to JFK. Our flight doesn't leave until 1:55pm. But I guess there's no better way to start a backpacking adventure than hoofing it all the way to the airport, full load on our backs.
After much procrastination and rationalization about doing just about anything besides packing and organizing, I have finally just about finished. I'm bringing so much less than I brought to South America for a couple of reasons. Primarily, I will not being working on farms or traveling from the top to the bottom of a huge continent with many different climates in between.
I decided to leave my Pentax SLR at home for this journey, still a little gun shy after the theft. The camera for this trip is a compact camera with a nice fast Leica lens and lots of manual control. It's much lighter in weight and smaller in size and won't be a burden to keep with me at all times. As I look at what I've actually packed it seems like an frighteningly small amount of stuff and although that was the plan I can't help but break into a little bit of a fervor over what I've likely forgotten. The good news is that anything I may need can most likely be found when I arrive and probably at a fraction of the cost.
So, here it is--my packing list for 3 months traveling through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos!
Paper:
- Journal
- Copies of passport, letter re: my medical syringes, injection instructions.
- Reading Material: BUST magazine
- Two decks of playing cards (double solitaire!!)
- Camera User's Manual
Electronics
- iPod
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5- Charging equipment for the above
- High Speed Memory Card Reader
- Travel Alarm Clock
- International Outlet Adapter
- Headlamp
- Steripen, for water purification and plastic bottle minimization.
Cloth
- 1 pair of hiking sandals
- 1 pair of all season, waterproof hiking shoes
- 1 pair convertible quick dry pants
- 2 sports bras
- 2 pairs quick dry underwear (wear one, wash the other)
- 1 bathing suit
- 5 pairs socks
- 1 t-shirt
- 5 tank tops
- 1 long sleeve, light weight shirt/hoody
- 1 skirt
- 1 pair of stretch pants for cool night pajamas in the mountains
- 3 pairs of shorts (one pajama-type, one regular, one hiking type)
- Waterproof/Windproof Jacket
- Pack Towel
- 2 Bandanas
- The Original Dreamie sleep sack, As Seen On TV
Misc
- Day bag with Camelbak hydration system
- 1 pair of sunglasses
- Enough First Aid supplies to stock a small hospital
- Lip Butter (Thanks Laura)
- Toiletries including all natural deodorant and Dr. Bronner's all purpose cleaner.
- Dry bag
- Compression stuff sack
- Waterproof camera housing
- The Skeeter Defeater mosquito net.
- Inflatable neck pillow for peaceful rests anywhere
$200 cash
Just for fun, Mike will try to put up his packing list soon. Compare our packing styles and marvel at the striking differences between them!
And with that, we're officially on our way. We'll see you in Thailand!!!
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