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| Coffee in the morning(ish) sun in Mocambo Cafe, Buenos Aires |
A word of warning, what's essential for me may not be essential for you, and vice versa. I took
my purse (see the article in Thrifty Tanguera regarding "Frankenpurse" -
and a freebie backpack my husband got from a vendor. I checked no luggage so everything I brought needed
to be really useful to justify taking up room in my bag. Here's what
worked best for me.
Clothing and Accessories
Scottevest Women's Trenchcoat - This is part of why I didn't need
to check a bag. A couple of months before I left I needed to replace my old rain coat. I found this one online, read the reviews, then after getting a 20% deal, decided to get it. (In black of course.) I had to waterproof it before I left (thankfully I
realized it wasn't as water-resistant as advertized before I left for
Buenos Aires.) Other than that little hiccup, the thing was great. Warm, but
not too hot. It holds a lot and very comfortably. I didn't take anything
out of the pockets when I went through the airport, I just took it off
and threw it on the x-ray belt. Didn't have the slightest problem. It
also washes very well in the washing machine (on gentle cycle.)
Terramar Silk Pointelle Long Underwear - I got the top and bottom for $17.50 each at Sierratradingpost.com and
I'm glad I did. Mostly it was very temperate in Buenos Aires, but it got quite cold a couple of nights and having these to wear under my regular clothes kept me warm without adding any bulk to my outfit or weight to my backpack.
Sprigs Phone Banjee Wrist Wallet from REI (which I'm wearing
above) - this worked best when I had long sleeves on (and everything I
wore was basically black) because it blended in and also covered my
watch nicely. I had just taken my sweater off in that picture (since I
was sitting in the warm sun) and it's much more conspicuous. Out and
about, I would have stuck with either my SPIBelt
around the waist (under my skirt waist band), or the
silk undercover money belt from Eagle Creek . Both
are very comfortable and I switched them out depending on what I was
wearing. I had both of those accessories in black. The SPIBelt I've had
for several years for just running errands downtown or dancing in festivals when I
didn't want to leave money in my shoe bag. It's always done a great job of staying in place and not being too noticeable.
Firm Support Coolmax Over the Calf Support Socks
- My doctor recommended these and honestly, I was going to skip them.
My grandmother wears these and I didn't want to admit they would do me
some good. I'm so glad I rethought that (lack of) logic and got a couple
of pair. These kept my legs from
swelling up after the long flight (and some long nights dancing),
relieved pain in my calves and dried very quickly after washing. Plus
they're soft and comfortable.
The North Face Women's Crystal Wrap - -I wore this constantly! A black, wrap sweater that dries quickly but still keeps you warm. Perfect for packing - weighs almost nothing.
Capezio Free Form (Practice) Shoes - I loved
these for the trip. They fit in the pocket of my coat so I could slip
them on any time I didn't want to wear shoes but wanted something on
feet (on the airplane, in practice, in my room etc.). They were
fantastic! Plus I could just throw them in the wash when I got back.
Health
Medications in chewable/dissolvable (no water needed) form. My
motion sickness tabs, allergy tabs, Peptobismol - everything I could, I
got in chewable form. Ten hours on an airplane when the flight attendants
act like you're asking for 25 year old scotch every time you ask for
water - you'll thank me. Another note on medications - about two months
before I left, whenever I needed a medication refilled (that I knew I would need to take to Buenos Aires), I asked for it
in the smallest bottle they could possibly fill it in. Since you have to
carry the damned bottles with you, this helps save a little space.
Visine Multisymptom Eye-drops - I can't recommend these highly enough. I skipped bringing my contact lenses which turned out to be the right call. I would never have been able to wear them in BsAs - my eyes were just too irritated.
Emergen-C Immune +, Citrus -
I hit the ground in Buenos Aires already sick and dehydrated. I didn't
have time to try out the Katadyn Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tablets
I brought with me, I needed a lot of water and fast. I used the
Emergen-C packets to give myself a little energy, to flavor the water so
that I would actually drink more of it, and eventually, when I did
have the time and inclination to use the Katadyn tablets, cover the
taste of the "purified" water.
A note about the Katadyn Purification tablets: For
the record, 'chlorinated' would be a more accurate term than
'purified'. The part of their advertisement that reads "improves the
taste of water" is a gross exaggeration. It tastes like pool water. Not
awful, but not better. Also, I ended up having no problems at all with the
water in Buenos Aires. Eventually I gave up using the tablets because I
had to wait 4 hours for it to do its work and I'm just not that great at
remembering to fill the bottle. Frankly the water in Tennessee
gives me more problems and tastes worse.
Technology and Logistics
Skype - I can't say enough good things about Skype (and also Google Voice). There were times when Skype didn't work
because the wi-fi signal wasn't strong enough, but I could still get a
text message through on Google Voice. I did not take a cell
phone/service with me and I didn't buy or rent a phone while I was
there. If necessary I was ready to buy a calling card if I needed one,
but I never did. The wi-fi wasn't very reliable where I was staying, but
the ice cream shop down the block had great signal so when I needed to,
I would go there, get some food and catch up with everyone.
Streetwise Buenos Aires Map Thanks to my friend Pat and my aunt Melissa for the recommendations on this. Foldable and laminated - this was a great map, except that it didn't go quite as far out as I needed it to for some of the places we went. That's why I also loved the Offline Buenos Aires Maps for Android.
Samsung GAlaxy Tab 2 Tablet 7" - This thing was a gem. I turned
my old LG Ally Android phone into a PDA relying on wifi for everything.
The problem was that the antenna was so small, and battery so weak, unless the signal was
very strong, I couldn't rely on it for Skype video. The Samsung Tab on
the other hand, did a great job getting and staying connected to even
the weakest signal.
Copy of Passport in my wallet - I only needed it once, but I did need it. And I felt much more secure not carrying the original with me.
Makeup
Which brings me to Make-up Remover Pads - I was doing everything I could to avoid
carrying liquids, so I didn't want to take a bottle of makeup remover
(and I have to use makeup remover to get the waterproof makeup off at
night.) The Almay Moisturizing Makeup Remover Pads are the only things
that remove my makeup, but the canister they come in seemed too big for
just 9 days worth of pads. So I took 10 or so pads and stuffed them in a
little sample tub. By the way, these are also great for getting
oil-based stains out of clothes.
Services
Delta Sky Lounge Day Passes - When you have almost 5 hours to kill
at the Atlanta airport, it's worth the $50 bucks to check in to a Delta
Skylounge. There's snack food (Nutella, hummus, fresh vegetables, etc.)
plus free wine, beer and wifi. It sounds decadent, but being able to
charge your electronics, catch up on email/Skype etc., and have some
wine, olives and hummus made what would have been an unpleasant and long
chunk of time much nicer. We were also grateful that we had the
presence of mind to put a few packets of nutella and hummus in our
pockets (hey, don't judge) as there were some mornings we were living on
those.
There you have it. I'll probably think of more but for now, that's the list. Thank you to everyone who gave me recommendations before the trip and keep giving me great recommendations now. I look forward to more travels in the future, and I've learned so much from all of you!
1 comment:
Mari, you are beautiful, and you look so happy on this photo.
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