Two days to go and I am all packed and ready, well as best as can
be without packing things I still need to use before I depart.
So, what do I
actually need for my trip? Well, essential things like clothes and shoes for
formal and casual purposes. Which seems rather simple, but add in the heat and
cultural expectations of how you should dress and suddenly it because far more
difficult to find clothes you already own that are suitable. With it being mid-winter
here, it is even harder to shop for new things to fit the criteria. This
results in a lot of clothes that potentially do not match up as
outfits and extra things like pashmina wraps and leggings being added last
minute to act as cover ups.
(I really do hope
that we aren't judged on our ability to pack well and make outfits out of our
packing which do not make us look like we got dressed in the
dark each day, I like to be 'trendy' but on this occasion I am opting
for practical and light weight!)
Then of course you
have toiletries to add to the mix, not just your basic
shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste but any potential extras you made need and cannot
get hold of out there. I have half a suitcase which resembles a good portion of
a Boots Pharmacy, basically anything that has the word ‘relief’ in its name has
made it into the case; pain relief, diarrhoea relief, constipation relief, bite
relief…you get the picture. Plus antimalarial pills, sun cream, after sun cream, bug repellent et cetera, none of which come in a ‘light weight’ option.
An experience like this would not be the same if you could not
capture it to share upon your return, hence I will be taking my Nikon DSLR, a
camcorder and my laptop. These then also require leads, plugs and whatnot. To
make sure the odd electrical surges experienced in Ethiopia do not zapp any of
my gizmos I have purchased a fused converter plug just to be on the safe side.
I was brought up to know it is polite to offer gifts when you are
a house guest and therefore have packed a few trinkets (notebooks and pens) and
delicacies (crème eggs, Scottish shortbread and sweeties) to take to my host
family, after all they are giving me a home and feeding me for twelve weeks!
Can you tell how heavy my rucksack is going to be yet? On top of
all the above, plus some things which are too obvious to note and random extras
like a pen knife (courtesy of my Papa Bill), a spork (courtesy of my sister),
torch, needle & thread, a litre size water bottle, travel pillow and a
sleeping bag sheet, I am weighing in at around 28kg. I have expanded from a 65L
hiking rucksack to also have a mini wheeled suitcase as check in luggage and
also a rucksack for hand luggage.
A special thanks goes to my friend Sophie who helped me to pick a
rucksack and various other things I had no clue about, having never been
camping or been backpack style travelling before!
No traveller would be fully equipped without a Saint Christopher to ensure safe journey, a pendant which my mum gave me today and shall remain around my neck until I return!
Kx
P.s I defy anyone not to read the title of this post in a Scottish accent as per John Anderson on Gladiators!
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