August 27, 2005
Electric Toys
The entire packing process has forced me to rethink some things. The Marantz professional grade digital audio recorder is out. The Phillips electric razor stays home, as does the Iomega external CD burner. It is amazing that one would even consider bringing such a thing! My beloved Braun Oral-B Sonic Complete electric tooth brush’s fate is uncertain. There have been mixed thoughts from my fellow LP Thorn Tree posters. The digital cornucopia will include my Sony T1 digitcam, with upgraded memory (512MB) and underwater casing, a Belkin camera-to-iPod transfer thingamajig, and my Sony R505 laptop.
The laptop has been on and off the packing invoice for two weeks now. After reading some more TT posts, I decided to bring it, but ‘uglyfy’ it. It has survived for three and a half years now, so etching my name, email address and web site address on the casing is not a big deal. Neither would losing it to theft, stupidity or any other conceivable backpacker-lifestyle related death. Would you steal this laptop???
Posted by stu at 02:00 PM | Comments (2)
August 21, 2005
Let the packing begin!
OK, I've started packing three weeks ahead of time. Much thought and research has gone into this, but I'm sure to have left out something critical. The most exciting purchase has been the Grundig Yatch Boy 80 Shortwave Radio.
This leather clad toy will allow me to feed my news addiction even in the remotest of locations. Both the BBC and NPR have regular broadcasts over shortwave. I’ve got these romantic notions of what it will be like from watching old WWII movies as a child. The long wire running from the radio up to the roof of my hut on the beach, the high pitched squelch as I concentrate on tuning in, the hourly ‘beep, beep, beep, beep, beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep’ of BBC’s time signal.
Other exciting purchases include my trusty 40L+10L backpack, some of those nifty trousers that turn into shorts, and several hundred Swiss Francs worth of immunization shots. After reading much advice on Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree message boards, I am also getting a Leatherman combo knife, water proof pouches, a quick drying towel, and an over-the-shoulder hidden wallet/pouch.
Posted by stu at 04:49 PM | Comments (2)