The packing list.

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acking for this trip will be relatively easy - not much climate change and no real cultural restrictions like must keep shoulders covered, no shorts, etc. Even so, I'm going for six weeks and the last 2+ weeks in Mongolia will require me to be prepared for travel to some really remote locations though no sleeping bag or trekking gear will be required. Lei tells me that Shanghai will be sweltering hot while it looks like nights in the Gobi will be cool so I have to bring along a mix of clothing that I can layer on. Most importantly, I will be bringing along a good medical kit - I don't see quick easy access to medical facilities in the Mongolian countryside.

As usual, everything will need to fit in my trusty backpack and daypack :-)

Here's the list so far.

• Passport, airline tickets and travel documents (all with photocopies)
• $US in cash and Chinese Yuan (CNY) Mongolian currency is nonconvertible meaning you can't buy it outside the country so I will have to convert either USD or CNY.
• Credit and debit cards
• Windbreaker, Fleece jacket, cotton (light) sweater
• 2 short sleeve tee shirts, 2 sleeveless shirts, 2 tank stops, 2 long sleeve shirts,
• 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair hiking pants, 1 pair of lightweight cotton pants, 2 pairs of capris, 1 pair of shorts.
• Underwear
• 3 pairs of short socks
• Sunhat & sunglasses
• 1 pair walking shoes, 1 pair sports sandals, 1 pair rubber slippers
• Towel
• Toiletries
• First aid kit including Cipro, Zithromax, Advair, Immodium AD, Tums, flu & cold medicine, Tylenol, band aids, Neosporin, lip balm, sunblock, insect repellent, anti sting/itch salve, Potable Aqua tablets, syringes
• Toilet paper, Purell and feminine napkins/tampons
• Binoculars, flashlight, and pocket knife
• Nikon SLR + my Canon SureShot digital cameras, spare batteries, chargers and outlet adapters, SD card, USB SD reader
• MP3 player
• Travel alarm clock
• Sleep sheet
• Snacks and soup mix (for those days when meals are far and/or few between)
• Packs of Crystal Lite To Go and Zippfizz
• Drain plug, laundry detergent, and plastic hangers for drying clothes
• 1 collapsible tote

....and for the kids - pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, paper and rolls of Smarties. I'm putting together sets in Ziploc sandwich bags to make them easy to hand out.
....and last but not least.....for the first time ever, a netbook so I can stay connected with friends and family and record the events of each day on this blog.
As usual, a long list but somehow it all fits inside my packs!