Packing and preparations !!! And, why do I need a walk-in closet anyway?

What an initial mess.... ;-) Way too much stuff, too many clothes.... but after downsizing it all to the minimum and by still having a good feeling about our travel gear .....

... we are finally fully packed up ! 'Still enough space in our backpacks for souvenirs and other Kjell treasures !!!

Now, I will only have to wash the clothes to get the back-at-home feeling when unpacking at the almost-other-side of the World and to update my first-aid-kit.
Oh, yes, and to get the final vaccination for HepA.... (Cheers to Kjell)

Yesterday, I -again- spent hours on travelfish, loneyplanet and tripadvisor to catch up on the latest topics, advice and for the first time got concerned about some perturbing news on terror warnings in Bangkok. But I will just dismiss this as normal fear of not wandering around on fussily organized and well-structured German grounds! ;-)

One thing, I really prepared is making sure that if I ever lost my innocent, wild but starry-eyed little boy in a 11-million-metropolis or somewhere on the wild countryside, I would have a slight chance to get him back immediately. First of all, I got a metal casing, really small, to wear as a necklace where mine and Jens' phone numbers are noted as well as the number of my friend in Germany for worst case (THANKS Dani !). Secondly, Kjell will always carry with him the current hostel card and I will note my phone number on his arm as well. As he does not speak any English yet, I hope, I made him clear enough that being shy in those moments won't help him much. I suppose, being prepared for the worst will avoid anything serious to happen.
Travel insurances have been taken out as well. Travel documents are copied and also stored as .pdf in my email accounts.
Strange, in former times while traveling as a backpacker, I never cared about such topics but becoming a Mom prompted me to see things differently....

So far, that is about it !
Besides, I am not leaving for the Jungle (not for the main part at least) and will be able to get whatever I need in common stores.

Aaaargh, and still 3 more weeks to go...

One more month to go.... Packing problems ??!!??

Well, here I am, having packed for the 3rd time now and still... I am not happy with the pack of clothes, stuff we will take with us for the first 3 weeks.... ;-(
Initially, Kjell was to carry a small 18 l Deuter Daypack and I got myself a new OCK 55 + 10 l backpack (and a small daypack). After the first packing check, mine was FULL with clothes lasting exactly for a week and Kjell's was half packed with games, tissues and other small things.
I was unsatisfied as the rule always is: NEVER EVER go on a trip with a full backpack.... Ok, what to do?
I got Kjell a new backpack with 30 l space, so now his backpack will be half - filled on departure and serve as "souvenir bag" until we meet Jens after three weeks and can split up our stuff anew. I feel better now. ;-) Relieved that he is already such a strong kid who won't have much trouble carrying a larger backpack for a short period of time. As we don't plan long trekking trips with the main backpacks, we will get along from Tuktuk to Hostel to Train to .... and besides, he will get a rough feeling for what it is like to be actually "backpacking" Asia and not having a Mommy mule around. ;-)

I still have not decided which medicine to take along. Vaccinations are done (normal checks and HepA will do). As we only travel the major cities in Laos, I don't worry much. In addition, I got some syringes, needles, plaster and aspirine (Kjell will pretty soon loose his front teeth and is really suffering tooth aches at the moment) as well as medicine against diarrhea and travel sickness. Anything else to add?

What else to pack besides clothes?
* Technical equipment: plugs for iPad, iPod, Camera and Mobile Phone
* Other helpfull stuff: Swiss Knife, pegs, clothline, plastic bags, tissues, disinfectant spray, ....
* Travel games to kill time
* a scratch pad for Kjell to illustrate his daily experiences
* light cotton sleeping bags
* suntan lotion and mosquito repellent
*.... I should say and so on so on but in fact: That really is about it !

I will continue to pack and repack and in 4 weeks's time, I will be sitting here with the final result !!! ;-)

A year ago, I decided to start off with planning this trip and I cannot believe that time flew by so fast... ;-)