- A torch
- extra pencil batteries
- five sets of extra clothes in case it rains
- a collapsibile umbrella for me
- a raincoat for my son
- five books to read (three for the train and two just in case); this is in addition to the 40 copies of my book that I unashamedly packed because I knew none of my friends would turn up for the reading - and barring only a few, I was right - but would still want to get a copy, but would not, ever, bother to do the hike to Dadar and look for the Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya there.
- a hair dryer (you heard me)
- several zip pouches containing rings, toe rings, payals, necklaces, earrings, bracelets.
- soap, shampoo, conditioner, washing soap, nailcutter, floss, etc. etc.etc. Amazing how much space such tiny things can occupy.
- two extra pairs of footwear
- more toiletries than you could imagine
- a small pharmacy
- my camera (and no photos to show for it, since it stayed packed through the trip. Bah.)
- My spare specs
What I regretfully had to leave behind because, you know, the suitcase just wouldn't close, and my son's suitcase had no place, and besides none of my stuff in it would be accessible to me once we were in Bombay.
- the umbrella
- the hairdryer
- the sari (did I forget to mention this in the list above?)
- the second - packed - pair of chappals
- the batteries (but I replaced them with my phone charger, ha!)
- one set of clothes. I think. Unless I left it behind in Bombay. Oh my god! Which packing marathon am I writing about now?
Of course, I replaced all the books I got rid of, with others that I picked up. So net-net my suitcase actually weighed more when I returned. And needed someone to sit on it while I huffed and I puffed and I pulled the zip shut.
And of course, I didn't once need to use the torch. Neither did I cut my nails, or condition my hair (or blow dry it, if it comes to that), or use any other footwear except the sandals I was wearing.
And this was for a week's trip. I'm wondering what I'll do on my three day trip to Delhi. Pack two suitcases, I suppose: one containing all the things I can't carry in my hand luggage, which I will check in, and the other bag containing all the things I'm likely to need on the flight.
Like the blow dryer. Or some such.
UPDATE: I love Hannelore. It always helps to find someone who's got it worse than you.
4 comments:
five sets??!
that difficult to keep out of the rain, huh?
??!: impossible. see, it always starts to rain on the days that i'm either carrying no umbrella, or wearing my flimsiest pair of chappals, or when shelter is at least five minutes away.
but this time i lucked out. kind of. at least, i don't remember getting soaked in this particular way.
The only thing I find strange about all this is that you left the umbrella behind. What were you thinking?
falstaff: it was either the umbrella or the box containing my toe rings, bracelets, pharmacy. i chose the box. and good thing too, because i'd forgotten it also had my owl chain, which i finally wore at my reading (i need hardly add that one part of it, at least, was pink.)
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