Things We've Bought

Perú, which is only weeks away! Cue: panic.

Anyway, we've made a few purchases lately and we thought we'd share them with you.






First is this Eyewitness guide book to Perú. We've been thumbing through it
and marking all the places we're visiting for information. We will see how
good it is! I had an Eyewitness guide book for Denmark when I was there three
years ago and it was very handy, indeed. I just wish they weighed a bit less.

Universal World Wide Travel Charger Adapter Plug, White

In my travels in the past I have always borrowed a the adapters/chargers of

other people. I figured it was time to buy one and this one should do the

trick. I won't know how well it works until we're actually there [nervous],

but I think it should be fine. We should only need it for our battery charger

which accepts voltage between 100-240v. We just need the adapter because an

American plug cannot be shoved in a Peruvian plug. Or at least not without

causing serious damage.

Finally, we bought water purification tablets. We generally plan to avoid water
while we're there. I think it's a good idea to drink as much mate de coca as
possible. Should be safe and it will help us acclimate to the insane differences
in altitude that we'll be encountering. Anyway, we have to brush our teeth with
something. And I have read in medical journals that Perú has
unusually high amounts of Helicobacter pylori in the water supply.
So, apart from the normal worries of water in a developing country there is an
increased chance of getting H. pylori! No thanks. So, we're staying safe rather
than sorry. I read up and people said these are pretty handy (and they don't
expire!) so I bought some.




Well, that's all for now. I really need to get on the ball about suitcases, which I hope to soon.
Take it easy!

All Quiet on the Louisville Front

I don't have much to report in our preparations for Perú. We need to get on the ball about getting
luggage that is the right size for airline carry on. No taller than 21 inches and the carry on I planned to
use is 24! C'est la vie. I think I am going to twist Joe's arm a little to take my backpack in addition to
his carry on. His backpack is small and the zipper tends to break. Mine is light purple and is likely to
make him a bit ill at the thought of carrying it. But he doesn't actually have to carry it, just for the
purposes of checking in and getting on the plane. I'll have my shoulder bag then in addition to my
carry on.

Usually when I go on a trip I just take the usual shampoo, etc, that I use at home. And if traveling by
air, I figure I'll use whatever I find at my destination. But since every ounce and inch is of the essence
when going to South America for 11 days, we went out and bought little travel sized toiletries for the
trip. Not a very exciting development, but I must say it broke my thrifty heart to buy them. They are
completely uneconomical!

Also, I have an additional SD card for our camera. So, we now have a 1GB and a 4GB. That's about 1700
photos we can take. Hopefully we won't need more than that. I bought a travel photo album that holds
200 photos (with space beside each one for a description). We do need to get new rechargeable
batteries. The ones we're using now are losing their strength. This will be our third purchase of
rechargeable batteries. I really think they're worth it. We still need to purchase an electric adapter.
My birthday is in a couple of weeks and I am promised one of those by a family member. They're pretty
cheap, so I hope that comes through!

It had kind of distressed me some that we planned to take this trip when we did. But we could not
predict certain things that have now developed. So, I am trying to make the best of it. At the very least,
I know I will be fulfilling a lifelong dream of going to Perú!