Prepping for a Trip

NOTE: I wrote this back in 12 March 2008 via Facebook's Slates.

Although the idea of going on a trip excites me, I kinda look at the prospect of packing with a wary eye.  I am not so bad with packing, I have to admit, but there is always the challenge of knowing what to bring, identifying the essentials, and accepting the fact that some things are unnecessary.  There is also the issue of load.  And as a girl, there's the issue of clothing.

At the moment I am prepping for a long trip that suddenly manifested out of nowhere.  Okay, so fine, I received a message from Les last week, asking me if I woud be interested to climb Mt. Pulag.  I asked our friend Chin to come.  At that time I was pretty sick, and Chin just arrived from Holland, and admitted she's anything from fit to climb the 2nd highest mountain in the country.  I conceded and thought it would be stupid of me to climb since that I'd been sick practically the entire month of February.  But then Chin changed her mind, I got better, I said yes, and now we're off. 

I am in charge buying the food groceries (and cooking, I suppose), and now I need to come up with a shopping list for 8 people for three full meals.  The challenge is that we leave Friday night, but we only get to eat the first meal Saturday night.  I am worried about spoiling the food, though I have an idea how to get around it.  I am worried about the sausage for Sunday afternoon.  I am worried about my bag which is not exactly the biggest one in the market.  I am worried that in addition to packing for Mt. Pulag, I am going to be off to Sagada and maybe Bontoc afterwards, for a week.  Alone.  Chin and I had planned to go, and Les could not join us because he had to teach his class Monday (which is, surprisingly, our group leader is his student in an Engineering Science class, and they have class this Monday.  Haha!).  Suddenly Chin couldn't go.  And I can't CAN'T go. 

I guess what I am partly afraid of is that it's been a while since I last travelled alone.  I think it was Singapore-Vietnam in April 2006.  Two years ago!  Two years ago I was crazy.  I am not sure if I am less crazy now due to age and time, or I am crazier because I seem to find myself doing a lot of crazy decisions in the past months.  And I have been crazy, in an age of supposed un-innocence. But what the hell.

I am going to do it!