i carry your heart with me it's not about being impressed; it's about being captivated...

GLAD I BROUGHT: *blanket - this was just a small airline one (Northwest has the best blankets I've seen on a plane) and it was the single most useful and beneficial item I traveled with. headlamp - nice in the dorm room at the hostels, and good for wandering out to dark locations to look at stars. pants w/ lots of pockets & zipper closures - extremely useful in crowded and unsafe areas, hide the money etc in different spots! converter - this was actually a pain for people to find once we got down there, at least at a descent price. foreign currency - order some while still at home, it was much easier to get off the plane and be able to just go instead of waiting in lines for exchange or atm. layers - clothes that are work in layers are the best, especially for traveling in several different climates. various wallets & extra cards & copies of info - security and crisis mitigation. *journal - write it down, otherwise you'll forget it, and there is a lot you will experience and want to remember. quick-dry clothes & dark colors - work best for light travel and limited washing. alarm clock - don't depend on others to wake you up. nothing white - would just end up ruined anyway, or too much worry in trying to not ruin it, so don't bother. *shirt to trade - bring something from home to give and/or trade to the locals you will meet, great souvenirs for both. silverware - comes in handy, especially if traveling on a budget, but even if you don't leave home with it just save a plastic fork while you are out on travels. SHOULD NOT HAVE BROUGHT: door stop - I read about this on some website but found it completely useless because I was in hotels with a roommate, many of the doors it would not have worked with anyway, and in the hostels you can't really block people out of the dorm room. so don't bother with this little "safety tool." I didn't use my compas at all, but I would not suggest leaving this at home. It depends on adventure plans. Not as useful/necessary in the cities but good to have in the country/jungle. I was with locals and horses & dogs - so I always could have used their sense of direction. Plus, the stars are great in the country (though sometimes obscured view from vegitation and/or clouds). Ultimately, a little compas doesn't take up much room and is not a bad idea to include. SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT: extra razor - I only use it on underarms, so one was okay but an extra would have been nice, too. travel towel - carrying a fullsize towel takes up a lot of room, it takes a while to dry, and it starts to smell. however, I didn't even buy a towel until week 7. you can make it work. and it depends on lodging (obviously hotels provide towels, and I even had one hostel that did. plus, you can rent towels at the hostels - though it's essentially just at inexpensive to buy one.) travel scissors (or a knife) - this came in handy. was easy enough to buy out there, too. powdered detergent - a bar of soap cleans the clothes in the showed, but detergent would have been real good. tupperware or some hard case - to keep souvenirs from breaking, especially when traveling with a backpack as opposed to a suitcase. easy enough to buy at local "dollar" stores on the travel road. bug repellant - not essential, but I could have thrown a few dryer sheets in my bag for those two times it would have been useful. more shirts to trade / other gifts from home - I meet so many fantastic people, it would have been nice to have a piece of home to share with them. button-up, long-sleeve, quick-dry, dress-up-able shirt - like they sell at REI, what Patagonia makes, this would have been a useful item: dress it up, dress it down, keep away from the sunburns, stay a little warmer = just so many uses and it packs easy. this is one clothing item I am defintely adding to my arsenal. Overall, I did a very good job of packing. Start light, bring an extra bag for souvenirs, and repack occasionally to fit things better as you acquire more. Have fun!