Gearin' Up cont...

So, the below pictures are essentials of this upcoming trip and are thus worthy of having their own spaces on the blog.  First, the backpack.  This is a fairly new addition to my travel collection, having only traveled to Prague on two occasions.  It made it both times, on-time, and I feel like it has good energy.  This bag replaces the behemoth of a backpack that had from my Junior year at Chico, all the way up to Medellin.  I remember when I first bought it, my friend Diana and I stuffed all of my mom's couch cushions into it (which was A LOT)...I think it was like 6,500 cu.  This one is I think around 4-5,000, and I'm going to try to put pretty much everything I take into it.  My valuables and travel essentials will stay with me on the airplane in a regular, school backpack.  Yes, I will look like a typical idiot American backpacker getting off the plane in Munich, but this look will only have to last until I get to the house...

The next item you see is my new windbreaker/raincoat from REI.  I shopped around for all of about 15 minutes on the internet before finding it right around the corner.  As I will be in CR during the "rainy season," this is a MUST.  I will likely be wearing it pretty much every day, but it's so light that it doesn't really matter.  You can see that one of its biggest selling points is the fact that it fits into a really small bag that comes with it.  Nice.

The last pic is of my new river sandals.  I went to Sports Authority yesterday and almost bought some North Face sandals that had velcro, but I told myself that since I had already blown about $150 at REI, I should hold off.  When I went back today, I found another pair of Alpine sandals that are super comfortable and made of tons of "green" material.  I'm proud of myself for being such an environmentalist...which I always knew at-heart I was.  Was it obvious to all of you all along?...

Anyway, these are just some of the highlights.  Of course, I have some more items, but none of them seem blog-worthy at this point.  The next big item is a pair of waterproof hiking boots that I'm waiting to get on sale in a couple of weeks.  In the meantime, advice or suggestions will be definitely considered and appreciated!