last weekend, my mum and i made a trip into westboro, to hit up a traveller's paradise, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). it had been a while since i had last been, so there was a ton of stuff i needed to get. the main things on my list was to find a good daypack, but like what usually happens, i got pretty excited and ended up leaving with a lot more than that!
first of all, i did find an awesome daypack, the MEC brand high jinx daypack. at $24, this pack was a bargain. it is really light, can be folded down small when i'm not using it, and has a chest and waist strap which is great for support. the associate who helped me also mentioned that it will be good for se asia, where people may try to pull your bag off your back (of course, this little naive traveller didn't think of that at all!) it is a bit deeper blue than in the picture, matches my backpack pretty well, and can easily be worn "double turtle style" with my backpack as this lovely traveller demonstrates
another thing that i got was a first aid kit. i'm really hoping not to have to use it, but better to be safe than sorry. i got an adventure medical kit ultralight/watertight .7 kit for $22.50. this kit has enough supplies to last 1-2 people for 1-4 days. i really like the fact that it is waterproof. i had considered getting a drybag for my computer after reading another traveller's blog about her tour boat sinking on the way to an indonesian island, but i rethought that because if i got every little thing that i thought of (because all i do is research and overthink things) my bag would have no room for clothes and my bank account would be empty! haha
the next thing i got was a XL size personal PackTowel. this towel apparently absorbs 4x its weight in water, and it's super light and antimicrobial. it feels like a sham-wow. hopefully, it works better than a sham-wow lol! it was $25.75.
next is a pacsafe anti theft money belt. it's water resistant and has a slash-proof strap, which is a good thing. obviously, i didn't think strap slashing was a thing until i saw the slash-proof strap. southeast asia is going to have a field day with me. faaaaaack. at the price of $26, i hope that it lives up to its promise!
i also purchased a bungee cord to use as a clothesline/whatever i may need it for on the road. it was $2 and is rasta colours, so that makes me happy :)
this lock that i bought is a pretty cool idea, i've never actually seen one like this before. it is a retractable cable lock ($10.50). the cable comes out 24' and is for locking bags together, or to a stationary object. i think this will be really handy for train rides and stuff so i'll be able to catch a little shut eye, while knowing my bags are safe! still probably going to buy a combination lock for lockers in hostels.
then we went across the street to the expedition shoppe. i was looking for some sandals i could wear for walking etc. when i didn't want to wear my vibrams (which is never, let's be honest i could live in those shoes!) i had it pretty engrained into my head that i wanted birkenstocks due to my hippie soul, but listening to my wise mama, i looked at all the options. not gonna lie, a lot of them were kind of geeky looking, and for those of you who know how weird/crazy i dress, for me to say something looks geeky, it must have been bad haha. i ended up with my birkenstocks! i got a pair of brown arizona classic hippie/jesus birks (no leather for me!) they fit like a cloud. i've been wearing them every day since and i'm just so happy with them! i got a small blister on the bottom of my foot the first time after wearing them for a lot of walking but it went away within hours. i definitely recommend them to everyone! they were about $100 including tax. my feet are a size 7 and i fit perfectly into a size 36.
the next day, i stopped into LUSH in the market and picked up a solid shampoo (vegan, packaging free, lasts up to 80 shampoos), a carrying tin, and a pack of 40 toothy tabs, which are solid, vegan toothpaste tabs. they look sort of like a rocket candy. i bit one in half to try it out, and that is all you need. so i will get 80 uses out of that package! its packaged in a little box made of recycled cardboard, and the tabs taste sort of like lemon and rose :) so yummy! all of that was about $23
so that was last week... i was super excited to get all of these things! way more then i intended to get at one time, but i guess it is better to cross off as much from my list as i can so that i don't have to worry about it later! now pretty much all i need to get is a new wallet (mine still smells like chocolate vega from when i spilled it at the gym - oops!), my netbook computer which my mum is getting me for my bday, and an adapter for the plug for said computer! i've been looking into travel insurance, which is a must, but it is way more expensive than i had thought! i was budgeting about $500 for a year, but the most affordable one i've been quoted is almost $800! eek! so it looks like with that purchase, a few nights hostel stay once i get there and last minute toiletries etc, i am juuuuuust going to squeak by into Australia with my support funds and a few bucks to grab a sandwich at the airport. lovely. good thing i am cheap baaahahaha!
so, if anyone has any advice on travel insurance, or knows where to get it for supa cheap, hit me up in the comments section! you guys rock! thanks for reading, and can't wait to keep sharing my journey with you :) 64 days!!!
peace ☮ ☾ ♥
soph
everything i got, plus a trusty roll of duct tape!
