Sunday, May 27, 2012

Heading to Texas

I'm all packed and ready to go to India but I'm going to make one more stop. I'm headed to Texas to visit my sister in law and her family. Suzanne lives just outside Georgetown with her husband Brian and four kids Mason, Carson, Tucker and Emma. Suzanne's parents live only a few miles away. I'm leaving tomorrow and will be in Georgetown for two weeks, then I'll take a train up to Dallas and see some other friends for a weekend and then off to India!

Last November when I went to India I wasn't sure what I would need and in the end I had packed a lot of stuff that I didn't need or could have found in India. This packing job reflects what I learned on last trip. No need to pack lots of clothes, they are easy to find anywhere and can be had for less money than if I were to buy them here. I packed just basic toiletries as name brand replacements again can be found anywhere in India. What I did take more of this trip is outlet converters, six actually. That way if I accidentally leave one behind I'll have another. Spare screen and blade set for my electric razor, and close to a dozen quilts that my mom made as gifts for some relatives. I also packed enough prescription meds to get me by though I know if I run out they're cheap enough to buy in India.

One thing that I have never done before in all my years of traveling is to purchase trip insurance, or medical insurance. After my unexpected medical emergency last November that landed me in a hospital for five days in New Delhi I decided that maybe I should have some insurance for this trip. My mother had purchased a plan when she came out to India to travel with me and it covered me as well, and it paid for my hospital stay without any hesitation. So I'm using the same company for this trip. It's not cheap but I figured anything can happen in six months, and I better be prepared.

I have my laptop computer and my android tablet, my new camera and of course my unlocked cell phone. The cell phone is great because it allows me to stay in contact inexpensively, and with it's onboard GPS and maps I'll know where I am and how to get to where I want to go. It's also great to watch when I'm taking a taxi in an unfamiliar city,  I can easily see if I'm being take for a 'ride' or not.

I have lots of little luggage locks too all set to the same combination, this way when I'm staying in hotels I can lock up every little compartment on my duffel bag and backpack. Combo locks work better for me, Loosing little keys would have been inevitable, and how would I survive without my tablet.

I'm basically taking my backpack and two large rolling duffel bags. My new duffel bag has my clothes, toiletries and a couple of quilts. The second bag is full of quilts and as it's an old bag on it's last leg I'll leave it behind in India, returning with only one bag.

So now I'm all packed and ready to go. My brother will take me to the airport early in the morning on his way to work, so early in fact that I'll have to sit around and wait for six hours for my flight. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get on an earlier fight, we'll see.

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