By D

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We made it! We’re here! We spent yesterday exploring Bangkok, but we will get more into that later. It is currently 3:30am, and we are wide awake due to jetlag. Perfect time to get a little bit of blogging done, right?

Before we left on the trip, we received many questions of what we were going to bring. Then, after many of you saw our packs, you couldn’t believe that was all we were bringing. My dad likes to explain the trip to his friends by saying I’m “going to Asia for six months with only five pairs of underwear”.

But honestly, there is quite a bit in that little pack. Sure, Sam is carrying more than his share of the weight, but he weighs more than me, so I call that fair. The rule of thumb we heard is you don’t want your packs to be more than a quarter of your body weight. I would guess that our bags weigh even less than that.. but we are going to carrying these things around a lot, so we were willing to give up some of the “nice-to-haves” in order to have smaller packs.

So, what did we bring?

Danielle’s Pack

Clothes (Danielle)

– 4 tee shirts (2 dry fit)
– 1 tank top (dry fit) :: I’m hoping to buy one more tank top from a street market.

– 1 swimsuit
– 3 sports bras
– 3 pairs of socks
– 5 pairs of underwear
– 2 Buffs (1 long and 1 short) :: These are like multipurpose headbands.

– 1 black maxi skirt
– 1 pair of trekking pants
– 1 pair of long shorts
– 1 pair of short shorts
– 1 pair of running shorts :: Also to be used for sleeping in dorms.
:: I’m hoping to buy a pair of elephant pants to supplement this too.

– 2 packing cubes :: These are amazing for organization. All of the above clothes fit into them, so when you are looking for something, you just get out the cube instead of EVERYTHING IN YOUR BAG.

– 1 cardigan
– 1 black scarf:: I’m hoping to buy a sarong to be used as a blanket, beach cover up, skirt, etc.

– 1 pair of running/trekking tennis shoes
– 1 pair of heavy duty sandal (Tevas) :: I’m guessing this will be my daily go to shoe.
– 1 pair of flip flops :: Good for showers, walking around hostels, beach walking, etc.

Toiletries :: Some of this is in Sam’s bag.

– Toothbrushes, tooth paste, and floss
– Shampoo and conditioner :: This has already been confiscated thanks to the Tokyo-Narita airport security staff. Turns out, they are a bit more strict than the US when it comes to the 3 oz rule (I had a 4 ounce container instead of 3 ounces).
– Soap :: The kind we have can actually be used for hair, so I’m giving that shot for now.
– Bug spray and sunscreen
– Shaving cream and razor
– Chapstick
– Earplugs
– Nail clippers and tweezers
– Imodium, Ibuprofen, and Neosporin
– Deodorant
– Hand sanitizer
– DivaCup :: Feminine hygiene product – click at your own risk.
– Birth control :: Because having a baby would really mess up our travel plans.
– Bobby pins and hair ties

Electronics

Most of this is in Sam’s bag, I only have my watch and my phone.

Also, I left my wedding ring at home. I’ll only be wearing this gold band for the trip.

Miscellaneous

– Baseball hat :: Gotta represent, yo!
– Sunglasses
– Playing cards
– Notebook and pen
– Snacks
– Face wipes
– Ear phones
– Mace spray :: Japanese airport said this was okay, but NO SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER FOR YOU.
– Passports, extra passport photos, cash, and credit cards

 

Sam’s Pack

Sam’s pack includes:

– Clothes and shoes (similar to mine, except for fewer things.. overachiever)
– Additional technology including: Camera, Computer, Kindles, External Battery Pack (which can charge two things via USB), and a GoPro (GoPro was an “impulse” purchase the day before we left. Impulse is in quotes because I had no idea he was thinking about getting one, but apparently he’s been considering it for awhile).
– Power cords, extra memory cards, GoPro accessories, adapter, etc.
– First aid kit
– 2 locks and keys
– Headlamp
– 2 quick dry towels
– Daily journal

Overall, I really can’t think of much more we could have brought. More clothes maybe, but laundry is cheap here ($1-$2 to have someone do it for you), so that isn’t much of a problem. Clothes are also cheap here, so if we get sick of what we have, we can ship it home and buy new things. For our trip to Nepal, we’re planning on buying or renting other clothes/supplies.

Welp, I think that covers it. Do you think we missed something? What would you have brought that we did not?