Winners and losers

While I am waiting here in the bus station in Kaunas, I think I will share with you some reflections on my travel experiences.
I got a new backpack at target before I set out on this adventure and I have been very pleased with its performance. It is a "jar mouth" pack which boasted that it could hold seven textbooks. I hope that means it can stand up to the pressure of all my stuff!
Here you see some of the really important stuff I have in here!



Anyways, so far the pack is getting a thumbs up. Another winner is my new strategy of packing almost everything in plastic bags I collected from sheet sets, curtains, all kinds of stuff. I think some pillow shams came in this one. It holds all the random stuff more securely than just a ziplock bag and I can see what's in there. Oh now I see where my Spanish flash cards went!



The inside of my suitcase is like a rubic's cube of these bags, mostly larger sizes which are holding all my clothes which brings me to the losers.
So far I have only worn the same two pairs of jeans, alternating days. The other two pair are too lightweight. What was I thinking? I thought it would be warmer. I could have made it with half the clothes I brought but oh well, that always happens. Also, it was a waste of space to bring my sandals.

Another winner is my jacket with the zip out lining and tons of pockets. I got it online to replace the one that got lost in the mail from Thailand. The great thing is I can wear the liner by itself like a robe over my pjs. Not very stylish, but it's cozy!

Loser: Rick Steves brand silk moneybelt. My old moneybelt was beat up and held together with a safety pin so I sprung for a new one. Rick's belt has teeny tiny zipper pulls which are hard for me to grasp and tug while fumbling under my shirt. The idea is to not call attention to yourself and your $ ! I may return it even though another problem it has is that it makes you sweaty. Eww.

Rick does have a winner on my list, however, and that is his guidebook I bought on northern cruise ports. It was very comprehensive information on cruising , finding your way to and from ports and what to see, do, eat, hours and costs, walking tours, maps, etc. since the book was over 1000 pages, I took Rick's suggestion and ripped it into sections by city, leaving them behind as we go forward. The page with the language phrases was very helpful in Poland.



It may be too early to actually know, but I think T-Mobile and my smart phone may be a winner also. I find it hard to really believe it but they tell me this international plan I signed up for allows me to text anyone for free and make calls for just 20 cents a minute. I'm getting data too! And it seems to be working! I am overjoyed as I have never really had the luxury of a cell phone in my travels. I just hope I don't get a rude surprise when I get home.

Old faithfuls:
My trusty little suitcase, at 21 inches has been through many an airport, train station, hostel and cobblestone street with me. I hope it holds up. My baggalini purse still hanging in there, and of course my main travel tool, the good old ipad. Sadly, its memory is almost full up so I am going to have to do some serious housecleaning on it pretty soon.

Well, the bus is almost here so time for a visit to the bus station "facilities". And the last loser is... Squatty potties in the ladies room for which you had to pay! (Lucky you! I didn't have my camera!) Really Lithuania? You have the fastest upload speeds and best internet connections in all of Europe (major win!) and squatty potties too. You just never know. Onward to Riga, Latvia!