Clothes, hat, hiking boots, binoculars, sleep sack, etc.

In addition to part 1, here’s some more equipment and items that I brought along with me. And yes, that’s nail polish in my pile. A woman’s got to have good looking toenails while on the beach!

Of the items listed below, the most loved were the earbuds/headphones. Ever try to sleep in a dorm with 5 or more people? More than likely someone snores. So, listening to some music before bed helped me fall asleep.

During the trip I lost the pack towel – most places rented towels anyway, or in a pinch, the sarong worked as one. The sleepsack came in handy on colder nights.

The combo lock was too big to fit most of the lockers, so if you bring one, get one with a thin gauge.

The Wen shampoo was something I thought would work out and did. One bottle instead of two bottles saved space, and it doesn’t strip your hair, important if you are washing your hair every day after rough sun and surf.

Clothes I Packed

Clothing wise, I’d say the most important and helpful items were the long sleeves for keeping the mosquitoes at bay in the Amazon Basin (picked them up at my local Goodwill).

Rebecca and I in our Melanzana hoodies.

When we got to the cold of Peru (and also in the mountains of Costa Rica), the Melanzana microgrid hoodie did its job as an awesome, lightweight layer that helps keep you warm.

I also ended up losing my good knife along the way, lost both my writing pens and was forced to buy the only kind available in the Peru airport – it glowed every time I’d write. Drove Rebecca nuts at night so I ditched that one at Machu Picchu Pueblo to a waiter who loved it.

I threw away my hiking boots (after hiking in mud up to my knees in Panama.  We were never in a place long enough for them to dry and they soon started to stink!), got rid of my old swimsuit in favor of a new one, and bought a couple of new t-shirts to fill in my wardrobe.

And one more thing, if you bring your phone but aren’t going to use it as a phone (we didn’t because it would have cost too much), make sure to turn off all phone capabilities. While traveling we used them where we could connect to the internet, took photos when my camera wasn’t available, listened to music, and I did have to make a call via skype once.

I’m Sonja Dewing. I’m an award winning creative writer, a published author of Toy of the Gods, an adventure in the Amazon. If you’d like a free copy of the prequel, Ire of the Gods, sign up for my email list and you’ll get it right away.