Packing was interesting: I ended up with two bags of extra clothes I could't fit into my two backpacks. I spent several minutes relearning how to adjust straps to desired lengths. I found an esky that I had left in the top of my cupboard and completely forgotten about. I found out that a friend lived just opposite me from the main road and that he was willing to store my extra stuff (Thanks again!).
Walking around in the hot Canberra weather, I learned how to use my backpacks. It took me a while to realise that I could wear one on the bag and the other on the front; that you can use the straps to support the weight of the packs; that there are always two straps that can be strapped over the front of one's body. I will be able to bring 30 KG on Malaysia Airlines, so this is the first time that I have travelled overseas and not worried about the weight!
It will be freezing in Hénán, so I'm bringing the sleeping bag that I bought for participating in the ANU Mountaineering Club. And when I wrapped it up by rolling it out tightly as I sat on it, I was reminded of my one camping trip in the Snowy Mountains (in which I only brought one change of clothes for the whole weekend and had to borrow stuff from everyone. Let's hope I'm better prepared this time).
I am also bringing some cash, travel EFTPOS cards for HK, a MP3 player, a cellphone, an international student ID, travel itineraries, warm clothing, a seat pillow, a watch (that I can't figure out how to tune), running shoes, gloves (I hope they're still in there!), socks, underwear, passport/visa, earplugs, face masks for pollution (which I got in the mail on the day I moved out), a waterproof jacket, a padded jacket, a medical kit, medicine, extra bandaids, notebooks and stationary, travel insurance and accommodation details, and finally, a travel diary my mum gave me... which included a sense of adventure and a book in its "To bring" list. I should have thought the sense of adventure was automatically included! In any case, I should probably buy protein powder, creatine, icepacks and power transformers as well...
I was given a lot of advice about travelling in China: I should only speak Chinese, I should never drink tapwater, I should stay away from street food, I should plan the taxi to the hotel before I arrive, I should always look like I am going somewhere.
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| I am now a student backpacker. |
