What to pack?

I think it's safe to say I've got my bare necessities. Shades for blaring sunlight, my ipod's earbuds for that 18-hour bus ride I'm dreading to Iguazu Falls, and a lightweight TekTowel for the cascading water spray. I've got some spare cash, a notebook for my thoughts, and of course, some good reading.

I spent a couple hours this afternoon packing suitcases, just to unpack and repack, and over and again, until finally I settled on two half-empty suitcases. Now when I get back from South America, I'll have ample room for souvenirs (aka new clothes).

***I made the changes I wanted and replaced the original picture (still darker than I'd like...)***
The picture came out a tad dark, even with some editing (which I'm new to). I wanted to stack it on top of another picture that featured the same items, but in a different part of the room. That image would probably give a better idea of what packing is actually like: all over the place. Hopefully I'll figure it out soon and replace this one.


I wish I could say I'll hit the road running tomorrow, but more realistically, I'll be dragging myself out of bed at 4 am, sleepwalking to my gate, and sleeping all the way to LA.