Wed 1657 Feeling a bit shitty/nervous. I think in part it's the looming online check in pain; this isn't the return flight where I'm still skirmishing about being allowed to choose a seat, on this outbound flight in theory it's fine, but I'm still a bit edgy because I can imagine problems like the online check in simply not working or deciding I'm not eligible and have to check in at the airport or no decent seats being left etc. It isn't the end of the world if I can't get an aisle seat but it will suck. I suspect I'll feel a lot happier once I've checked in and everything's OK.
Not packed yet. Been really lax about various bits of preparation, snoozing on the bloody reminders on my phone, and have forced myself to grind though some today. Not exactly happy right now though.
Among other failures on the preparation side, I had told myself I'd do some intensive Spanish study in this time after Christmas and of course I haven't. I've been mildly distracted by trying to learn a bit of Portuguese on Duolingo (which also feels a bit inadequate), but that hasn't taken up that much time. It's not the end of the world, obviously I will be practicing my Spanish while I'm away and I can study grammar or vocabulary in my spare time while I'm abroad too, I can't be out and about all the time, but still, another of those "not done as well as I'd have hoped" things.
1829 OK, I've managed to check in online with no hassles and am printing my boarding passes now. It's a good job I tried early because it actually says you can't check in until 23 hours before the flight, but I actually managed to check in a bit over 24 hours before. I doubt I'd have failed to get an aisle seat given the number of free seats but you never know. Do feel quite a bit better for this, if still a bit edgy about the trip and leaving the comforts of home etc.
Thu 0046 Packing. Being ridiculously thorough about it but WTH. I managed to buy two long-sleeved synthetic T-shirts in the Mountain Warehouse sale on IIRC Mon; one is identical to the one long-sleeved one I already had (though I noticed while packing that original one is getting tatty round at the back near the waist for some unknown reason). Since I only want to take five tops, I need to discard two of the (existing ones+two new ones). I have three long-sleeved ones, two of which are identical, but since I do think wearing long-sleeved clothing is good even in the heat (as per onebag.com, and noting that it is thin and also saves having to (re)apply sunscreen to my arms) I am inclined to take all three of the long-sleeved ones. I kind of want to take the collared short-sleeved shirt just in case it ever turns out to be important to be have a collared shirt; it's hardly super formal but it may just make the difference. That only leaves one slot free and I've got three perfectly decent short-sleeved T-shirts to pick from. I'm going to resist the temptation to take an extra one because that's a slippery slope. It is damn annoying that two of the long-sleeved tops are identical but can't be helped. The two identical long sleeved ones are dark blue, the short-sleeved collared shirt is blue-and-white check and the other long sleeved one is bi-coloured light and dark blue (ish; I wouldn't swear one of them isn't verging on green but whatever). The three short-sleeved T-shirts are grey, red and blue. I guess I'll rule out the (lightish) blue since everything else is heavily blue-oriented. So red or grey? Red is probably a bit more vibrant, so I guess I'll go with that. It is super tempting to take an extra one but I already have some extra weight in the form of clothes for Brazil in case I need them and I really have to be strong. Yeah, it'll be OK. I just hope the slightly worn long-sleeved dark blue top doesn't disintegrate during this trip, but I'll have to take the chance. I could of course just go for two long-sleeved tops (say the two new ones, and leave the worn one behind), that would still be one more than last time, but long-sleeved really is a lot more convenient and probably comfortable too. (Would be better if they weren't such a dark colour but at least it won't show sweat.) WTH, no point sweating this too much, red it is. The others can be put away for a future trip or whatever, it's not like they should wear out sitting in the drawer/cupboard.
0109 OK, I think I'm done. Luggage scale reports either 7.95kg or 8.05kg for the bag; this excludes a half-full litre bottle of water (which I will drink before security and hope to top up at a fountain afterwards, though this isn't super helpful as I suspect I'll have to empty it again at security in Frankfurt with no fountain available, but whatever) but is otherwise everything except what I'm wearing. I have really very little in my fleece pockets (but I will be wearing it, of course) so could move some stuff in there in the unlikely event anyone complains about weight. I believe (but haven't checked) the hand baggage allowance is 8kg; I've never actually been weighed anyway.
Not sure if I said before or in the Guatemala notes but in case I didn't: just as with the Guatemala trip, I am taking five tops, two pairs of trousers, five pairs of underwear and five pairs of socks; that includes the ones I'm wearing at any time. *If* I do find myself using airbnb more often this trip it may be that I'll be able to use washing machines in peoples houses; I think the place I've booked a room at BA does allow this. But of course I can always use the sink or a laundrette, though as waffled before I don't like the latter for socks due to risk of loss.
I am taking the waterproof overtrousers and wind/waterproof shell jacket (which "goes with" the fleece, in that they zip together - if It's not knackered when I get back, I should stop wearing the fleece and save it for travel/hiking use given it pairs with this shell jacket) with me. I honestly don't know if I'll need them or not, given the trip has no really definitive itinerary, but they don't weigh that much and I think there's at least a chance of them coming in useful.
Let's go have a bath, it's a bit late but I want to cut my nails tonight and I should try to enjoy the luxury of a bath as it's something I probably won't have much of during the trip, though you never know. I hope to be up relatively early tomorrow but if I'm a bit short on sleep it's not too bad, it should help me sleep on the flight. Not worked it out properly yet but given flight is 1830, gut feeling is I "need" to be at the airport by 1530 so I need to be leaving home about 1400 or maybe 1430. If I can be up at 1000 (ideally a bit earlier) that will give me time for last minute dithering and something to eat.
I should say that 8kg includes a 500g bag of mixed nuts/fruit to snack on during the flights. And (as probably usual) I should also observe the bag itself weighs 1.59kg according to one web page (I haven't weighed it empty myself); if I could find a less sturdy but hopefully still confidence-inspiring bag and was willing to give up the suspension system, I could make a big weight saving (for increased comfort/manoeuvrability when toting the bag round). Being super naive, onebag.com lists an ultra-light 20 litre daypack weighing 68g which will handle a 4.5kg load. Two of those (or, in practice, a single bag twice the size - I'm just using that daypack as a way to estimate) would pretty much fit all my stuff (my current bag has a capacity of about 40-45 litres) and would handle the 8kg total weight (never mind the contents are even less than 8kg) and would weigh 136g. So - being ridiculously precise and wasting time when I should be going in the bath - I could save 1.59kg in return for gaining 0.136kg, which would take my bag weight down to 6.6kg, a 17.5% saving and (perhaps more to the point) it's possible that a bag that light would "feel" almost negligible, in a way that my current 8kg bag doesn't quite. (Maybe I just need to hit the gym, though. :-) ) This isn't to say that I don't like my current bag, I do, it feels pretty solid etc, but I can't help thinking about the weight of it.
Just for the record, in case I'm ever browsing amazon idly or whatever, what this means I'd sort of be interested in would be a decent quality but lightweight bag (ideally it would be strong enough to check in, but I guess I could pack a duffel or something if I really wanted the option to check in a bag, and it wouldn't absolutely have to be strong enough to check in given how small and light it would be) with a 40-45 litre capacity. Bigger wouldn't hurt, as long as it was still small enough to meet hand baggage limits and the extra size wasn't increasing the weight.
0255 OK, I had forgotten to put a load of carrier bags and freezer bags in, but those haven't added that much weight (though I did go a bit nuts to start with and the bag of plastic bags actually started to feel like it weighed something noticeable). I have also added some coins; IIRC a few Peruvian and Bolivian coins and a pretty heavy assortment of Chilean coins (I already put the tiny handful of Argentinian coins I have in my trouser pocket in case I need them to pay for the bus) which I had overlooked before. It's a bit annoying to have to take these, especially when I may not visit the countries, but I almost certainly will visit Chile so I should be able to unload these coins there; if I don't do this, they're essentially just junk which is going to clutter up my flat for the rest of my life. I had so many I sorted them out and am leaving all the really tiny <100 peso coins behind to keep the weight down. And the non-Chilean coins are a pretty small collection so they're adding very little weight even if I never visit the relevant countries.
I'm also taking (and had already packed) a moderate assortment of Argentinian, Brazilian, Peruvian, Chilean and Paraguayan notes; I may well never use them, but they're doing me no good stuck in a drawer in London and although I'll be pissed off if I lose them/have them stolen, it's not like they weigh much or take up much space. I don't think most of them are worth that much, but I have IIRC about fifty quid's worth of Peruvian notes.
I cut my nails, I really need to go to bed.
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