I rushed as quickly as a fat man with a 20kg pack on his back can to the Mongolian embassy, and after the cab driver got lost (why does no-one know where this place is?) I made it there at about 2:40pm. The embassy official handed mine over immediately but when I asked him for Adam's one, he showed me the passport and application and asked “What the hell is this?” I said “An application and passport.” He said something indecipherable and then he complained that Adam never answered his phone. If your battery has no charge for 3 days and you had misplaced your adapter, your phone wouldn't work either, but the official was having none of that. I asked him if he could make the visa now, and he said that he could, and he went on to do so.

I then proceeded to head down to Osaka on the shinkansen and made it there by about 6:30, checked into the hotel (Hotel Shinosaka), got a call from Mum and Dad who are a week away from their own trip and then went out to get some food. Fell asleep at about 11. Never have I slept so solidly.

written by  Big_T on August 20, 2008 from Tokyo, Japan
from the travel blog: Big_T's Travel Blog
tagged BackPack, Shinkansen, Mongolia and Sleep
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My upcoming trip is a first for a lot of reasons: I’ve never traveled alone, limited my luggage to just one backpack, stayed at a hostel, nor visited the West coast. This is also the first of many trips I’ll be doing for the next 12 months. A lot of due diligence is required and there are many learning opportunities coming up.

The departing flight is scheduled to leave Charlotte around 6am, stop in Ohio for an hour, and arrive in San Francisco around 11am PST. I’ll be staying in a 4-bed female dorm ensuite for about $31/night in a hostel near the heart of the city. More details during/after the trip. With the big ticket expenses taken care of, it’s time to focus on what I’m taking with me. The weather should be mostly sunny, ranging from 61 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a little chilly for my warm-natured self.

Perusing dozens of travel websites and blogs helped me prioritize what items to pack. For now the list reads as follows:

-Large off-brand backpack to fit all items and can be left at the hostel during the day.
-Small and lightweight Under Armour backpack designed for hiking and large enough to accommodate my netbook, camelback-style hydration pack, camera, scarf, and small items I might purchase along the way.
-Toothbrush and travel-sized toothpaste
-Deodorant (will buy shampoo and soap in SF)
-Chapstick
-Fast-drying hand towel
-Fleece sheet with pillow
-Extra pillowcase
-4 tshirts, 2 jackets, and 1 hoodie
-2 jeans and 1 pj pant
-4 socks, 5 panties, 3 bras
-Closed sandals and versatile semi-flats
-Dell netbook and charger
-Camera, extra SD card, usb cord/charger
-iPhone and usb cord/charger
-$40 cash for emergencies
-Printout of flight schedule and reservations
-Ziploc bags and waterproof bags to fit clothes in case it rains while walking to/from the hostel

So far that’s all I’m packing, really hoping it will suffice for my short 4 day trip.

written by  Miss-Nani on October 19, 2009 from Charlotte, United States
from the travel blog: One Weekend, Every Month
tagged Packing, BackPack and List
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