Packing Light For Costa Rica

The kid gave me a luggage scale for Christmas, so I can say with some certainty that I’m heading to Costa Rica with 28 pounds of luggage — a carry-on weighing 12 pounds and a small bag weighing 16 pounds.

That total includes my new Acer Aspire One netbook (2.8 pounds), three paperback books and a hardcover. If I weren’t such a geek, I could definitely bring the whole thing in under 25 pounds.

Nineteen days with less than 25 pounds worth of clothes and personal hygiene items. Well, better to feel good than to look good, darling.

(Of course, I’m not bragging about the last trip, which included a cruise, formalwear, snorkel gear and about 60 pounds of luggage.)

The Low-Tech Coffee Solution

I’m a technophile, all about the iPod, the digital camera and the associated gadgetry. But when it comes to making coffee on the road – a very serious matter in my tribe – my solution is about as low-tech as you can get. It’s a chorreador de cafe.

Read the rest of this entry »