On packing

I packed for my trip to Prague & Budapest last night. I will be gone for 10 days and then back home for a couple of days and then I'm off on another family trip to Nanguneri. That one is going to be one for the records. More about that after it happens. I don't have all the details yet. But I do know that about 30 -35 members of the extended family are going to Nanguneri to visit the temple there. I tried to get out of it. But no can do. Something big is happening apparently. Not entirely sure what.

So, back to packing. I am a terrible packer. I always pack more than I need and don't always take everything I need. Like raincoats and spare specs. So this time, I made a list a week ago. Now I can't find that list. So I started making another list - it became less of a list of things to take and more of a list of things to get/do before I left. It sort of goes like this:

Clothes for 10 days
Raincoat
Cap
Medicines - listed
Plane tickets
Hotel confirmation
Train to Budapest - tell the damn agent to BOOK!
Airport pick up!
Tour vouchers - printout - Tell tour operators to pick us up at hotel
Vegetarian restaurants!!
Ready to eat food - check with the aunts
Cash
Spare specs
Shoe
Socks
Phone - intl roaming? Do or do not?
Guide books
Laptop - to take or not?
Chargers - phone, ipod, camera
toothbrush, shampoo et all

I know I am going to end up with a suitcase that weighs as much as me and still find that I didn't take some very basic stuff. Happens every damn time. Joy. What's the worst that could happen? The airline could end up loosing my baggage. Or my bottle of Betadiene could break and spill and make everything smell like medicine. Or, like in my visit to London last month, my trousers could tear (on the side of the leg, not the crotch, thank you god) in a public place and embarrass the hell out of me. I'll let you know.