Ugh! Packing completely SUCKS!!! Especially for a self-proclaimed hoarder like me. We have lived in our Downtown Los Angeles loft for 16.5 years, and it is insane how much stuff you actually accumulate in that length of time. Trying to project what you will actually need living abroad is really hard… What to store, what to sell and what to donate. Vietnam is hot and humid year round, so my winter gear is definitely getting packed away for storage, and as I spent two weeks there last November, I quickly learned that they do not have many things that we take for granted here in the USA. IE: Advil, Amazon, my fuchsia colored hair die … And, as I am limited to a certain number of suitcases on the plane, unless I pay exorbitant extra baggage charges, how on earth am I going to be able to bring what I deem “my essentials” ??
I had to order a folding ladder for my 15 year old dog to be able to get onto my bed, as I could not find anything of its kind on Vietnamese websites. I bought three bottles of Skin So Soft insect repellent lotion with SPF 30, as the mosquitoes are brutal and I got eaten alive the first few days I was last there. Several bottles of Ibuprofen and the medicines I might need, like Z-Packs… Not to mention my beauty products. Granted, I have friends who can ship to me, but I have quickly learned how crazy expensive it is to ship to Vietnam from the US. Early last December, I put a box together of Christmas gifts for my family, consisting of a beaded clutch purse for my sister, three snorkel masks for Gregg, Wolf and Gus, and a 1000 count bottle of Ibuprofen. The cost to ship those 5 items to Ho Chi Minh City was $74. Therefore, I am trying to project anything and everything I might possibly need, and it is really HARD… Anyway, back to it!
More to come…
WELCOME TO MY WANDERLUSTINGS... 