Overall this as been an amazing experience and something that I am very glad to have taken the time to do. Surprisingly I feel much safer in the world than I did before this trip. As all of us know, the media tends to focus on the many dangers that exist and I was a bit skeptical of how I would be received as an American in some of the countries to which we traveled. I do not remember a single incident over the last four months in which we encountered any hostility.
Items in my backpack (weight about 20kg) at the end of the trip:
> 9 pairs underwear (way too many)
> 3 polo shirts (quick dry)
> 2 quick dry T-shirts
> 2 cotton T-shirts (one for sleeping would suffice)
> 1 long underwear shirt (essential)
> 1 button down shirt
> 2 bathing suits
> 1 rash guard
> 2 pairs quick dry shorts
> 1 pair quick dry convertible pants
> 1 pair jeans
> 6 pairs socks (Too many, 3-4 would have worked)
> 1 lightweight rain jacket
> 1 sweatshirt
> sleepsack
> scuba mask and snorkel
> 2 paris flip flops (1 cheap pair for showering)
> 1 pair gortex sneakers/hiking shoes
> toiletry kit
> Woolite packets, tide stain stick, sunscreen, bugspray, band-aids, chap stick
> Medicine packet (antibiotics, antimalarial etc.)
> Laptop and cords, portable hard drive, camera
> Books (Lonely Planet and pleasure reading)
> Folder with important documents
aa.
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A few more weeks, a couple more countries, and likewise with the flights.
Our trip (not quite) around the World has given me memories of a lifetime. I'm not sure the word "travel" will ever have the same meaning. Surprisingly enough, I was thoroughly rejuvenated by the end of my travels and would have been more than happy to continue working my way around the World and ignoring"real life" just a bit longer. The best part of our adventure was, in the end, having something both Andy and I could share and look back on for the rest of lives.
Items in my backpack (weighing about 12kg) by the end of the trip:
- 1 pair of sneakers (bought in Singapore to replace a pair of flats that got ruined by the torrential rains in Tokyo)
- 1 pair of sandals
- 1 pair of flip flops
- 2 pairs of socks
- 4 dresses (plus 2 bought in Paris and minus 1 lost along the way)
- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 pair of shorts
- 1 sweater (but I began with 2)
- 2 jackets (1 lightweight rain jacket and 1 cotton blazer)
- 3 tank tops
- 1 set of sleepwear
- 6 pairs underwear
- toiletries (some of which I had to replenish along the way)
- 1 pack towel
- 1 travel pillow
- 1 sleepsack
- 2 books (okay, so I lied about only carrying 1)
- 1 laptop
- 1 camera
kl.
