Packing Our Backpacks

     The first stop of our six-week journey will be Panama City, Panama where we will stay for 6 days.
On one of those days, we will take a 12- hour excursion through the canal.  Panama has two seasons, and we will be there during the very rainy season, but our faithful Marmots will cover that!   The high temps will average 93 muggy degrees along  with ☔.   Umbrellas are heavy weight for a backpack, so they will clearly be an initial purchase.  Panama City is about 100 feet above sea level.

Three airport connections later, we touch down in the Andes Mountains in the city of  Cuenca, about 8500 feet above sea level. The center of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its Spanish colonial architecture.  We will probably get 10 rainy days while there, but with highs of 68 and lows of 48 during August;  the climate can be bone-chilling.

We packed our backpacks several days ago, but each time we looked at the elevation, temperature, and rainfall differences, we removed and exchanged clothing items multiple times. We are at a standstill now.  Here is our final decision:  if we don't have it and need it, we will buy it and leave it; if we have been wise enough to pack it and don't need it, shame on us - we have overpacked!
We have done this since 1992, but have never had the climate differences as we will on this trip.

Accessory pack:  these are small zippered cases that organize chargers, external batteries, adapters, ear buds, etc.  Everything is just a zipper away.

Jansport Day pack :  We always travel on American Airlines and will travel on two domestic airlines through Colombia into Quito, Ecuador on our way to Cuenca.  Backpack sizes become an issue on all airlines, so we did our research and we meet specifications for AA, but who knows how welcome our backpacks will be on smaller domestic, in-country flights.  These day packs will always stay with us and carry our Kindles, my journal, and yes, the extra pair of underwear!                                     

Osprey backpacks:   We chose slate grey color to cover travel mistreatment, and Jim's backpack is several liters larger than mine. Backpacks are always the recipients of abuse!  They are insulted, kicked around, and trashed.  They end up on their backs, sides, and fronts on trains, busses, hostels, hotels, and pensions.  They are exposed to heat, rain, sweat, dirt, and food stains. But they knew this when they were born into this partnership.  Our backpacks include hiking pants, long/short sleeved shirts, sweaters, jackets, sleepwear, 2 pair of shoes/socks, 1 set of church clothes, and hats.  And Hydro-flasks dangle from their sides.                                         

Toiletries:  TSA's 3-1-1 rule, that is 1 quart zip-lock, 3-oz containers of liquids, per 1 person, actually helps us to downsize even more.   However, this one takes some careful consideration and some negotiation so our two zip-locks will perform as intended. Many items can now be bought in travel sizes and once into our countries of destination, we can replenish.

We are cinched up and ready.  Ready to really stop, rest, read,
be present, study the book of Acts, and welcome the friendships that stumble our way.

We invite you follow our travel blog, pray for us along the way, and allow the travel bug to support your bucket list.


Til next blog, Keep Looking Up,
J:m and L:nda

What's Your Passion?

Panama connects to So America

 A friend recently asked us, "What's your passion?"   We exchanged glances and answered, "Can we only have one?"

Later, Jim and I discussed if we could have only one passion, and we consentaneously agreed that we do have several passions.  Passions, to us, are equal to motivations.  So, we could change the question to ask, "What motivates you?"   Here is what we are inclined to love:
church, family, relationships, and travel.  We really don't collect anything, unless passport stamps count.  Travel is definably a passion of ours.

For several years, via this blog, you have journeyed with us through many countries.  In fact, since 2012, you have vicariously visited Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Estonia, Finland, Island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific and Australia.  Are you tired?

Once again, we invite you to pull out your virtual passport, pack your virtual backpacks and preserve a little more energy to travel with us this summer into Panama, a touch-down in Colombia, and return into Ecuador.  We are backpacking again, which means for 6 weeks everything we wear and use will be in our Fairview 40 liter and Porter 46 Liter Osprey backpacks.

We have backpacked overseas multiple times since 1992 and still feel like we have a lot to learn.  The relationships we have encountered along the way have always given us new insights into perfecting this particular standard of travel, which is not for everyone.
Backpacking allows us flexibility and mobility.  We have learned that we don't need everything in our house to satisfy that travel bug that repeatedly climbs into our backpacks.  We feel we experience the culture, language, food and certainly the peoples of the countries we visit simply because we are not bothered with the luxuries that surround us in our America.
What would be the one thing that you could not live without for 6 weeks?

In our next blog, we will begin to highlight how we will pack to meet the differences between the hot, humid climate of Panama and the chilly 9,000 feet elevation of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador where we will live for 30 of those days.

Until we all begin to pack, Keep Looking Up,

J:m and L:nda