Its a month out from my trip i've paid for my flights, quit my job, sorted my insurance and started doing my research. The one thing that was giving me more grief than anything...PACKING?! Now, I would say i'm pretty low maintenance for a female. I don't particularly love shopping, i'm not by any means high fashion and I tend to wear the same outfits (a few playsuits no doubt you'll get sick of me wearing in my blog posts). I am always ready within 30mins and forever waiting for girlfriends to apply their seemingly never-ending make up and change outfits a million times (love you guys).
So I have no idea why when it comes to packing I have so much grief. I don't seem to be alone on this though, there are actually thousands of you tube videos and never ending articles about what to pack, how to pack, video diaries, tips, tricks and believe me i've watched so many of them. As I started to pack up my room etc to prepare for someone to move in I found myself struggling to put things into the 'Give to good sammys', 'throw away', 'not taking', 'maybe taking', and 'definitely taking' piles...some weird attachment to all these items like a pair of denim shorts I hadn't worn in about 4 years and probably wouldn't even fit anymore... 6 months... this will be the longest i've ever travelled for how the hell does someone live with 15kg's (that is my packing goal!) for so long. Also, why do we get so attached to our possessions? Maybe this is something I can learn to change within myself. Now, to some this whole exercise of packing/ sorting doesn't seem like such a big deal but I swear I was mentally packing and unpacking, and agonising over what to bring with me for weeks...probably months actually. Literally, laying awake at night going through a mental catalogue of every item of clothing, toiletries, and imagining myself putting it all together rolling it up and taking it on my travels- what a weirdo!
Its kind of ridiculous, even what different packing cubes to buy, storage solutions, electronics etc... so many 'overwhelming' choices to make which seems crazy in hindsight. Like, what is the worse that will happen- i bought the wrong brand of packing cube haha certainly not the end of the world. However, the decision over which backpack was definitely the most difficult it took me weeks and kept me awake at night, reading blogs, constantly asking all of my well travelled friends- wheels...or no wheels. As though it was a matter of life or death. I went to kathmandu extremely hungover one day and just wondered around for about an hour scrutinising every bloody bag (meanwhile my inner dialogue screaming at me c'mon kristy just trust your gut, make a bloody decision and lets get out of this hell hole, i'm starving and possibly have a parking ticket by now HURRY UP). Alas, no decision was made that day and I left the store deflated, empty handed but without a parking ticket yay. it wasn't until a week or so later, FINALLY, after what felt like an eternity of indecisiveness I settled on the Osprey Wayfarer 70 combined backpack/daybag combo (will definitely give it a full report once i'm all packed and we have spent a bit of time on the road together).
The Ebay rookie: So a couple of days after I had finally selected my purchase & made payment relieved that the Osprey 70 would be mine in a couple of short weeks. I received an email from eBay reminding me to pay for my purchase (DOH) I had accidentally committed to buy a 85L version of the same bag half asleep at about 11pm one night...I bailed out at the 'confirm and pay' stage after doing an assessment of my actual height vs. the size of this mammoth bag which I could probably fit in. However, being a relatively inexperienced ebay user I didn't realise this was such a faux pas and now I was stuck into this binding contract with Mr Bag Seller Man. Damn it! I had clicked 'Commit to pay' SHIT! now i'm stuck with 2 bags- one of which was definitely too large for my 5"3' freme.
Was this a sign.. did I need to convince some tall thing to come on my travels? haha no I got in contact with the seller and hallelujah Paddy Palin (cheers buddy) was actually a really nice Mr Bag Salesman and was really good about it all. He cancelled the sale and saved me a few hundred dollars and the pressure of another unnecessary item to decide what to do with... Probably could have put it down at mum and dads along with all my other stuff gathering dust (next to the wedding dress i still haven't decided what to do with haha).
So here I am:
Flights Booked
Tour booked for Carnival in Rio de Janeiro I didn't want to do Carnival alone so for piece of mind i booked a tour with STA travel for 6 days (which cost me almost as much as my return flights with emirates.) I Booked the 5 night 'Rio Carnival Hostel Experience' so will give a full report on it -hopefully from some tropical relaxing beach location while I recover from a carnival hangover.
Bag Purchased.
Physical packing by no means done but all neatly rolled and packed into packing cubes in my crazy head.
General itinerary research well under way- I want to do all the main touristy attractions of course, all the adventure things too like the bolivia death road, some hiking and I have volunteering opportunities in mind as well but it all comes down to trusting that gut instinct and just going with the flow.
My parents are freaking out about me travelling alone to such a 'Dangerous Place' so every other day i'm waking to a message off my dad with a news report about people dying overseas, or the failing economy and unemployment...bless his cotton socks I know there'll be a few tears at the airport. Speaking with a lot of friends who have been to SA and apparently there is a general touristy route that people follow so it will be fine to trave alone and i have no doubt will meet so many friendly people along the way- hopefully once they can see how well i'm doing it will ease there mind :)
Now to finish this last few weeks of work...
I am so excited for the adventures, all the new friends I am going to make, but scared at the same time- generally i'm pretty confidant but its daunting being so vulnerable and alone in the big wide world. I usually always had a fall back- my gal pals, a partner or family member there with whenever travelling. I feel like that lost nervous little 11 year old kid again on my first day of high school in a too-large ugly green uniform, without a single friend, not knowing who i'll meet wondering what kind of friends i'll make, whether i'd fit in, if people would be nice or mean, where i'd sit in the social hierarchy, what my new friends would be like...just hoping that everything will be ok (and it was)... and so it will be (I hope).
Only time will tell...
Thats it for now Adios Mi Amigos :) xxx
P.s. Don't forget to follow me on Insta for updates pics & workouts
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