Okay, so I packed for three weeks of Spanish immersion in Costa Rica in a carry-on roller bag plus tote. Yay! I did not have access to full length mirrors while I was there, so I have no outfit posts to speak of. I just wanted to share my thoughts on what worked and what didn't work.
What I brought:
1 denim jacket
1 cobalt jeans
1 denim bermudas
3 print dresses
1 black silk crinkle skirt
1 black pashmina
1 white tissue wool large square scarf
1 black nylon knit zip-up jacket
1 pair black Frye sandals
1 pair Feiyue lace-up shoes in black
1 pair royal blue Toms
1 pair Keens
black flip flops
tees in pink, purple, cobalt, b&w stripe, blk & multi stripe
tanks in black and magenta
1 bathing suit + skirt
Missoni for Target tote
apple green leather hobo bag
cobalt string bag
blue plaid pajama pants
The analysis:
First, for what I didn't need much: I only wore the denim jacket on the plane. I could have done with the black zip-up jacket, but not as stylishly. I did not wear the pashmina or the big white scarf--it was not as cool in the evenings as I thought it would be. (My black pashmina saved a cold fellow-passenger on the flight back.) I way overpacked on shoes because I couldn't make up my mind. Although I wore them all, I could have done without the Toms and either the Feiyue or the Keens (needed one or the other for the rain forest--actually really needed the Keens, footing was slippery, but they took up a lot of space for only being used once).
I wore the cobalt jeans on the plane and on trips to the rainforest and to the volcano. I wore the black zip-up jacket on the trips too.
I wore the dresses and skirt each once or twice a week all three weeks, and felt comfy and pulled together, even though nobody else was really wearing skirts or dresses. I wore the shorts for long hot bus trips and a couple of other times. I wore the tees and tanks whenever I wore the cobalt jeans, the shorts, or the skirt.
The Frye sandals were my workhorses. They worked for the walks to and from school and always looked pretty. They worked even when my feet swelled, which for some reason was often, with no chafing whatsoever. I was trying to avoid wearing gear type stuff unless it was necessary. Two fellow students (gear-clad at all times) dismissed these as not being okay for walking, but they were wrong.
I loved my apple green bag and loved how it went with all of my outfits, and it was just the right size, but I miscalculated. I thought it would be casual and tropical. But nobody else was wearing a bright purse and I felt uncomfortable with how it stuck out, especially in situations where I was supposed to be guarding against getting purse snatched. The Missoni tote was even more eye-catching so I never used it except on the plane. Also I forgot that I'd be walking to and from school with a notebook, index cards, and school books. I ended up using my string bag for these. Costa Ricans complimented me on this, which I had crocheted myself in memory of the bags I remembered from being a little girl in Colombia. Nobody seemed to use them anymore, just plastic shoppping bags.
After much thought, I packed a blow dryer, straightener, and full sized round brush, because I feel so much more comfortable in my normal bob. However they wouldn't plug in to the antiquated plugs I found, so I ended up doing the product-and-scrunch thing (and 4-year-old Jimena asked me after two weeks, "Don't you have a brush?")
The food my host mamas cooked me was like soul food. Just like the food I remembered in Colombia 45 years ago: fried plantains, empanadas, soup with yuca and yami floating in it. And all the mango, papaya, and pineapple I could eat along with some more exotic fruits.
I dreamed of this trip for years and it was everything I hoped.
Pics:
1. Clothes laid out on bed.
2. Frye sandals.
3. On the way to Volcan Irazú.
4. Little Jimena, brushed and ironed and ready for school.
5. A coati!
6. In the rain forest after ziplining.
7. Sopa.
8. El atardecer.
What I brought:
1 denim jacket
1 cobalt jeans
1 denim bermudas
3 print dresses
1 black silk crinkle skirt
1 black pashmina
1 white tissue wool large square scarf
1 black nylon knit zip-up jacket
1 pair black Frye sandals
1 pair Feiyue lace-up shoes in black
1 pair royal blue Toms
1 pair Keens
black flip flops
tees in pink, purple, cobalt, b&w stripe, blk & multi stripe
tanks in black and magenta
1 bathing suit + skirt
Missoni for Target tote
apple green leather hobo bag
cobalt string bag
blue plaid pajama pants
The analysis:
First, for what I didn't need much: I only wore the denim jacket on the plane. I could have done with the black zip-up jacket, but not as stylishly. I did not wear the pashmina or the big white scarf--it was not as cool in the evenings as I thought it would be. (My black pashmina saved a cold fellow-passenger on the flight back.) I way overpacked on shoes because I couldn't make up my mind. Although I wore them all, I could have done without the Toms and either the Feiyue or the Keens (needed one or the other for the rain forest--actually really needed the Keens, footing was slippery, but they took up a lot of space for only being used once).
I wore the cobalt jeans on the plane and on trips to the rainforest and to the volcano. I wore the black zip-up jacket on the trips too.
I wore the dresses and skirt each once or twice a week all three weeks, and felt comfy and pulled together, even though nobody else was really wearing skirts or dresses. I wore the shorts for long hot bus trips and a couple of other times. I wore the tees and tanks whenever I wore the cobalt jeans, the shorts, or the skirt.
The Frye sandals were my workhorses. They worked for the walks to and from school and always looked pretty. They worked even when my feet swelled, which for some reason was often, with no chafing whatsoever. I was trying to avoid wearing gear type stuff unless it was necessary. Two fellow students (gear-clad at all times) dismissed these as not being okay for walking, but they were wrong.
I loved my apple green bag and loved how it went with all of my outfits, and it was just the right size, but I miscalculated. I thought it would be casual and tropical. But nobody else was wearing a bright purse and I felt uncomfortable with how it stuck out, especially in situations where I was supposed to be guarding against getting purse snatched. The Missoni tote was even more eye-catching so I never used it except on the plane. Also I forgot that I'd be walking to and from school with a notebook, index cards, and school books. I ended up using my string bag for these. Costa Ricans complimented me on this, which I had crocheted myself in memory of the bags I remembered from being a little girl in Colombia. Nobody seemed to use them anymore, just plastic shoppping bags.
After much thought, I packed a blow dryer, straightener, and full sized round brush, because I feel so much more comfortable in my normal bob. However they wouldn't plug in to the antiquated plugs I found, so I ended up doing the product-and-scrunch thing (and 4-year-old Jimena asked me after two weeks, "Don't you have a brush?")
The food my host mamas cooked me was like soul food. Just like the food I remembered in Colombia 45 years ago: fried plantains, empanadas, soup with yuca and yami floating in it. And all the mango, papaya, and pineapple I could eat along with some more exotic fruits.
I dreamed of this trip for years and it was everything I hoped.
Pics:
1. Clothes laid out on bed.
2. Frye sandals.
3. On the way to Volcan Irazú.
4. Little Jimena, brushed and ironed and ready for school.
5. A coati!
6. In the rain forest after ziplining.
7. Sopa.
8. El atardecer.
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