Current equipment list

I think this is what I am generally lugging around at the moment. Due to the extreme weather I have had to carry a lot more than in Central America. Add in some food and water this lot weighs a ton!

I kept this list in case any of it got stolen, but I am hoping to send most of it home after I leave Patagonia. With great relief!

Luggage
rucksack - Berghaus Voyager 55 litres
Daysack - drawstring gym bag (this works so well)
Guitar, tuner and case (currently in BA, god knows why I bought this)

Bicycle cable lock (to lock rucksack to immovable objects)
Small padlock (for lockers)

Apparel
Reef sandals (repaired twice, lasted 5 months)
Montrail Goretex walking shoes, (highly rec. lasted 10 months,) replaced with Merrells, which lasted 2 months, rubbish.
Pair of wellington boots!


Berghaus Paclite Goretex waterproof coat (expensive, but effective)
Columbia waterproof overpants (but they are not)
Body belt
Wide brimmed hat (avoids red ears)
Long sleeve shirt
3 Dryflo T shirts
2 Swimming shorts, (handy for sleeping in as well)
Windstopper fleece, plus one normal fleece
3 trousers (no zip off legs, they look naff standing in a club)
3 pr walking socks (designed for Goretex shoes)
4 pr Dryflo underpants (so they dry over night)
Thermal longjohns and top
Thinsulate hat and gloves
Down jacket for the real cold

Misc
Rough Guide to South America (awfull not rec.)
Spanish & Portuguese phrase book (Lonely Planet rec.) and dictionary
Silk sleeping sheet (keeps bed bugs out and sleeping bag clean)
Sleeping bag
Mosquito net (not used)
2 litre Platypus collapsible water bottle (now leaks)
0.5 litre Platypus water bottle (currently contains rum)
Konica Minolta Dimage x31 digital camera, plus USB cable, (very basic, small enough to look like a pack of fags)
Battery recharger, 4 batts
Mindisk player (gift, thanks Em)
Duck tape
Rayban´s
Pegless washing line (not used)
Swiss Army knife (stolen, replaced)
Dive computer (for Galapagos, too expensive to send home!)
Night sky chart (so as to learn southern constellations, ha, I wish)
Ear plugs (vital)
Compass (very useful)
whistle (never hope to use)
Petzl head torch (best thing)
Moleskine journal
permanent marker, pens, notebook
Paperback books (too many)
Catapult (big kid)
Paperwork: Passport, drivers license (for photo id), 2 credit cards, insurance, cash in $, TC in $. All held in a zip lock waterproof bag.
Got my passport scanned, reduced and laminated to fit in wallet, works everywhere.
Lots of little mesh bags to hold all the odds and sods together


Health
Basic first aid kit
Disposable contact lenses
Vitamins (bit pointless really), 100% DEET, F15, 30 & 55 sunscreen,
Toiletries: lip balm, tooth brush & paste, razors & shaving oil, shower gel
Travel towel
Toilet roll
Wet wipes (so usefull)

I really wish I brought:
Aquasure/Aquaseal. This acts as a glue and repair sealant, very strong, flexible, waterproof, fixes everything permanently.
MP3 player

Lima and the coast

Spent a few days in Lima to see if it was as bad as the guide books make out, but it was fine. A little crazy, but I like that. Reminded me of Mexico City, fancy architecture, random shops. Found a street market that specialized in dental equipment. There were chairs, spittoons, drills, clamps, the lot. I was so tempted, but common sense prevailed (remarkably). I kept a flyer, well you never know.

I took a cramped mini bus journey across Lima to see an old fort, oddly it was still staffed by the army, whose mandatory guide was as dull as ditch water. The only pleasure was watching the sergeant trying to control a party of over excited twelve year olds as they disappeared down endless passageways.

Unfortunately at this time of year the Lima sky is always blanketed with grey clouds, so I left and traveled down the desert coast to Nazca.
Not your classic sand dunes, but flat, dusty, gritty dirt, but even then, after travelling for many bleak hours we would come across a tiny brick built house. No electricity, water, crops, animals, no anything in fact and it really stretches the imagination to understand why anyone would live here.

Nazca was fun, going up in a tiny plane, banking so the wing tip pointed to the ground. It was not until I saw a bus near one of the animal patterns that I realised how huge they were.

In town they also process gold, which looked well dodgy. The locally mined rubble is mixed with water and mercury. Its pulzerized by standing atop a giant bolder and rocking to and fro. The mercury laden water splashes everywhere, no gloves, no concern for health. At the end of a long day they produce a match head sized piece of gold worth $10.