What I Took: Costa Rica

The final, definitive list of what was in my backpack (and on my person, if we're being technical) when I boarded the plane to [Atlanta, GA, and then] Costa Rica.


Clothing

• Tennis shoes
• Kickass rain boots
• Flip-flops
• Water shoes
• 1 pair jeans
• 4 pairs of shorts (2 athletic, 2 other)
• 1 pair black yoga pants
• 1 pair black athletic leggings
• 2 black, long-sleeve shirts (for turtle work)
• 1 lonnnggggg black skirt
• 1 black dress  (hmmm, noticing a color pattern?)
• 4 tank tops
• 4 T-shirts
• 1 light, long-sleeve shirt
• 2 swimsuits (both a bikini and a one-piece)
• 1 pair work gloves
• Columbia rain jacket (new! and it's worth being small enough to fit a kid's size to save money- those things are expensive)
• 1 bandana
• 1 belt
• 4 bras (2 sports, 2 regular)
• 7 pairs underwear
• 5 pairs socks
• 1 pair of [nerd] glasses
• Sunglasses

Toiletries

• Bag to hold everything
• 2 3oz containers of shampoo/conditioner combo
• Mini bar soap
• Feminine products
• Contraceptives
• Travel toothbrush (which is super awesome, by the way- it folds into itself!)
• Toothpaste
• Retainers/case
• Mini brush
• Contact case and 4 extra pairs
• 2 4oz bottles of contact solution <-- can use the larger-than-3oz size since it's thankfully considered a "medical necessity"
• Razor
• Deodorant
• Bobby pins & hair binders
• Face wash
• Facial lotion
• 2 3oz bottles of sunscreen
• Sunscreen bar
• 2 bug spray sticks (? we'll see how well these work...) 
• Floss
• Chapstick (a couple of tubes)
• Makeup (waterproof mascara & eyeliner, signature sparkly eyeshadow, coverup)
• Eyelash curler
• Tweezers
• Travel mirror
• Sink plug
• Wet wipes
• Tissues

Medical/First Aid

• Cough drops
• Bandaids
• Antibiotic cream
• Hydrocortisone
• Stop the Sting! cream
• Tums
• Benadryl
• Ibuprofen
• Moleskin
• Needle/thread
• Peptobismal
• Diarrhea meds <-- apparently one of the most common afflictions while traveling... great

General Supplies

• Backpack (duh!)
• 1 super lightweight, water-compatible flashlight
• Headlamp with a red light <-- doesn't interfere with turtles' nesting habits
• Extra batteries for said headlamp
• Phone (with roaming and 3G turned off; I'm not trying to incur a ton of charges)
• Phone chargers (both normal and solar- ooohhhh)
• Money pouch
• $100 worth of Costa Rican colones (so, like $50,000 in their currency) and $300 (American) for first-leg transportation
• Debit and credit cards
• Passport and other important travel documents (vaccination records, insurance card, and my permit)
• Copies of the above documents 
• Camera/extra batteries/connector cord
• Waterproof cards
• Hackey sack
• Water bottle
• 4 paperbacks: The Stand by Stephen King [thanks Sam!], The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and Beloved by Toni Morrison
• Spanish phrasebook/dictionary
• Mosquito netting
• Silk sleeping sheet
• Travel towel
• Plastic bags/rubber bands/twist ties
• Duct tape 
• Journal/pens
• Mini notepad (for addresses, phone numbers, budget balancing, etc.)
• Sharpie
• Small trash bag for dirty clothes
• 1 [relatively waterproof] watch
• Headphones
• Headset (for Skype)
• Small, flexible lock
• Pillowcase (I'm going to stuff it instead of using an actual travel pillow, thus saving room)
• [Rape] whistle
• Small cloth bag (makeshift daypack)
• Gifts for the kids at the orphanage
• Gift for my host family: Minnesota wild rice
• Family picture (since I guess I'll miss them... TONS)

Thanks to the annoying TSA regulations, not all of my "lotions, gels, and aerosols" could fit into one quart-sized plastic bag.  So frustrating.  Meaning right when I land I need to buy some hand sanitizer, body lotion (preferably with aloe to sooth the inevitable sunburn), and zit cream, yaaayyyyyy.

I can't believe 1) all those things fit in my 55L backpack, and 2) I'm carrying it all on my back.  

Damn I hope I get stronger.  

xoxo, Cleome