Thursday, August 21, 2014

Ease on down, ease on down the road...


"When did you fall in love with Hip Hop?"  That was the tag line over a decade ago from the movie, Brown Sugar.  A couple years before that movie came out, I fell in love, but it wasn't with Hip Hop.  It was like a blind date.  A few people told me we would be good together, but I was skeptical.  Then, I saw some pictures, and I was hooked.  It all began in "the year 2000", back when people said "the year 2000" in common conversation because we were astonished by the futuristic sounding 2000s.  I was a college student who was excited about the new semester and the many amazing things to come.  I remember sitting with my eyes glued to the TV one night watching the opening ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad, or the Summer Olympic Games.  That was the night I fell in love... with Sydney.  I knew from that moment that one day we would be together.  Fourteen years later, we will finally meet in person.

I am off to the land of Oz better known as Australia.  I'm so excited about finally realizing my dream.  While I'm in Australia, I will visit Cairns and Uluru (Ayers Rock), in addition to Sydney.  I packed my luggage (no checked bags), and I'm ready to go.  How did I fit 10 days worth of clothing and toiletries into a carry-on bag?  I used a packing list and tips that I found at  http://herpackinglist.com/ to customize my list of necessities for the trip.  I rolled my clothes into a compression bag, and I am also taking an extra bag that I can fill with my travel finds.  The biggest challenge for me so far has been packing for different areas of the country with a variety of climates.  This is the end of winter for the southern hemisphere, so the temperatures are chilly compared to the 90 degrees plus that I'm accustomed to this Houston summer.  I am preparing for temperatures ranging from 50 degrees to the mid 80s, so I have long-sleeved shirts, tank tops, shorts and pants that I can layer depending on the climate.  See my packing list below.

My trip will include stops at the Great Barrier Reef and Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, as well as a tour of the Sydney Harbor, and a view of the sunrise and sunset at Uluru.  I plan to take lots of pictures without losing my camera this time around.  I can't wait to experience the land down under and share my perspective with my friends and family.

Packing List
o   3 Basic Tank Tops
o   3 Basic T-Shirts
o   2 Nice Shirts/blouses
o   3 Dresses - 1 black
o   2 Pairs of jeans
o   1 Shorts
o   1 water proof jacket/poncho
o   1 Medium/lightweight jacket/cardi – autumn, spring & summer
o   2 Sweaters/jumpers – winter, autumn & spring
o   5 Socks – for winter, autumn & spring
o   10 Pairs of underwear
o   2 Yoga/sweat pants – sleeping & sports
o   2 Swimsuits -summer, spring, autumn
o   1 Scarf
o   1 Sarong
o   1 Flip flops
o   1 Walking shoes/sneakers
o   1 Nice/going out sandals/heels/flats
o   Sunglasses
o   sunscreen
o   Sun protection hat
o   Mosquito repellent
o   toothpaste
o   peppermint soap
o   body oil
o   Smooth Move
o   First Aid kit
o   back cream
o   camera & flash drive
o   travel pillow
o   power adaptor
o   body wipes
o   cleaning wipes
o   snacks
o   collapsible water bottle
o   reusable bags
o   toiletry bag
o   phone charger
o   rolling duffel bag
o   watch

o   goggles



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