All I want for Christmas...

I asked people to not to get me anything that is not travel related this Christmas, because in a few months I'll be giving up most of my wordly possessions anyway!

Here are some of the awesome things I recieved...

1. My Dad very kindy got me a new camera.

this one

Really excited to get using it!

Ive wanted a good camera for a while, and this is about as close as

you can get to a good camera before breaking the bank.

2. My lovely JW got me some travel goodies form MUJI (which I love) He got me a torch, a compass, and seperately got me a little book about Bangkok.

3. My sister got me a travel washbag and some travel size tolietrie goodies

4 And my mum has not yet got, but promises me a pair of binoculars. (I asked for these because when we were in SA I really wished Id had some to see the whale and other wildlife better)

5. Oh and my Dad bought JW this penknife!

I'm so stealing it!!

All I want for Christmas is...

My sister asked me what me and JW wanted for xmas yesterday,
I told her that I only want travel related things, which Im not sure went down all that well!

Anyway, Ive been kind of self gifting for the last few weeks getting some things for travel
so far Ive got...

Travel pillow
Its a blow up neck pillow for long bus/train journeys, the picture on ebay it looked like a fluffy soft thing, but when it turned up, it was actually a hard plasticy thing covered with a thin fleece cover.

Gifts for kids along the way
I bought a load of packs of little colouring pencils, looking forward to giving them out along the way, but my mum pointed out that it says age 3+ on the box, so have to be careful about that one!

Playing/picture cards
I found these randomly at a little stall while waiting for JW in the train station, they are normal playing cards, but have pictures that can be used to point at and communicate with people along the way.
No need for this anymore!

Travel washing line and universal sink plug
You never know if you might need these (although my Dad told me he always uses a sock to block the sink hole when travelling!)

Ballet pumps
I got these cos I thought that they would come in handy along the way, but when I got them home I realised they said 'made in china' on them, doh!

Jackets
I couldnt resist, I got this jacket in chocolate, and a grey men's one for JW.

brrrrrr update

Almost a year ago (how time flies)

I posted about Tibet and how its going to be really cold for part of our trip, well...

Im looking again at jackets at Uniqlo and this one... ...seems a lot more practical than the one I mentioned in that post,

It is made from special down material and stuff designed to keep you warm, and is also lightweight (250g apparently) and fits into a bag when not in use...

I likey!!!

Only £39.99 (eek!)

I want these...

How cool are these?
They are like flash cards that you can use when travelling, you just point at the pictures!

I love it... really want to get them

I do still want to try languages though, I think its always worth the effort of trying to communicate with people, even if it is as difficult as Chinese.

Train times...

Just found this guide to train times,
Its by Thomas Cook, and updated every 2 months...

Apparently it covers Asia (along with a lot of other areas like Africa) which is pretty amazing!

Ill have to get one before we go (I hope its not too heavy!)

Itchy feet

Just walked past Itchy Feet in Wardour St, and its covered in closing down sale signs...

Im really sad it's going, because it's cool to have a travel shop so close...

But also pretty excited about dipping in there and rumaging for some bargins

The last day is Friday the 31st...Payday!

So I'll just sneak a look in when I get paid before it closes...

Here are a few items I've got my eye on...

Brrrrrrrrrrr

So the recent weather got me thinking about warm and cold clothes to take with travelling.
(Also I watched the Michael Palin Himalaya when he does Everest base camp and felt inspired and itchy-footed as always!)
When we travel through Tibet, its going to vvvvvery cold, but the further South we go, the warmer we get and less clothes we'll wear... But eventually we will be heading south again through Japan, and could get to some pppretty cold places in the North.
Not sure what the best thing to do is, and I can imagine in a steamy Cambodia we might be quite pissed off that we have to carry the jackets etc in our luggage (on our backs ) the whole time.
Judging from forums, a lot of people just buy as they travel, or send stuff home- but both cost money which will be tight already so I'm not keen.
Not sure what the best thing to do is........?

Either way, I know its probably not great at keeping you warm... but i want this Jacket from Uniqlo..(only £19.99-whoo!)...

I know its a bit early...

But as I get rid of stuff in my flat (sold the dining table- yay!), I start to think about stuff that I need to buy for travelling.

Here a few things that I want to take with...

1. Swiss army knife- Reminds me so much of my Dad whist in some middle of nowhere, and Dad always had his swiss army knife to cut up an apple or tweezer out a splinter. I really want one, you never know when you'll need a corkscrew in the middle of the jungle right?

2. Cushtie- Every time I'm at a service station or airport, I mull over buying one of these, I figure now that I have a good excuse I can justify spending a tenner on a bag of beans (I secretly want the elephant one!)

3. Good boots (not too stylish, but useful)

4. A large sarong

5. Backpack not sure what size yet, depends how much junk (like the stuff listed here) I take!