Have Love Will Travel - Packing For India

My happy birthday to me dress hasn't featured on my blog before. I wear it loads but always have so much fun when I do that I never remember to take a photo so here she is in all her Afghan glory, off for Sunday brunch at Wetherspoons, a pre-India get together with friends. Linking to Patti & the gang for Visible Monday.

My trusty travel bag - bought in 1999.

Talking of India (and when don't I?) what a chore this year's travel packing has proved to be, I seem to have been at it for weeks. Starting in the north where it's still very much the depths of winter and finishing in the tropical paradise that is South Goa, I've not only had to pack with the weather in mind but I've had to consider cultural sensitivities for when we venture off the beaten track and also bear in mind the weight of my luggage - all internal flights within India have an allowance of just 15kg and I certainly don't want to be hauling a massive bag of stuff along with me on trains, tuk tuks and buses.

Clockwise from top left: Vintage Phool maxi; Chiffon kimono sleeve kaftan; Vintage Adini maxi; Crochet top; Custom-made block printed maxi; Vintage Third Eye wrap skirt; Embroidered off-the-shoulder top; Handmade (by me) gypsy top; Black cotton tiered maxi skirt; Phool quilted jacket; Zip-up bustier top

Anyway, it's finally done and Jon's padlocked the bags so there's no sneaking any extras in now.

For the first couple of weeks travelling around the north I'll be living in these three cotton maxi dresses topped with my vintage Phool quilted jacket. I'll fly in the red block-printed dress I had made at a tailor's shop in Goa last year - minus the belt which is packed away in my bag - what with my prosthetic hip and all my rings it's just another faff on the way through the X ray machine.

 Underneath I'll be wearing these crepe soled suede boots by Jones the Bootmaker which I found in a charity shop a couple of days after I bought the black Kurt Geiger boots I was originally intending to take. These are a lot lighter and I'm hoping that the crepe sole (along with my orthopaedic insoles) will be easier on my hip if it decides to have a moment.  Packed, but not photographed, is a pair of leggings, a jersey bodysuit, a woollen hat and some alpaca wrist warmers - just in case.

The spice coloured scarf at the bottom of the pile (the twin of the green Gujarati one Jon wears) and the vintage silk one in the centre will provide a bit of extra warmth if necessary. The huge fringed lurex scarf and the sarong won't see the light of day until we get to Goa.

I was going to take the leather bag I'd recently bought from a charity shop but decided to go with my tatty old sweat-stained Indian favourite instead. 

My 50p sunhat for Goa.

A couple of pairs of buffalo leather chappals which I bought in Mumbai last year. I don't expect them to be worn until I reach Goa.

Excuse the grumpy face. I bought this chiffon maxi from one of my favourite boutiques in Mumbai last year for a whopping £7. I'll wear this to the beach.

A couple of bikinis.

The bling!  Four pairs of earrings, my silver Afghan hoops, some Bollywood chandeliers, tasseled birthday beauties from Curtise and my tribal earrings from Rajasthan via Walthamstow (which I'll wear to travel in).

Necklaces - Sponge coral beads, Lamani coin neck piece, two "antique style" pendants and a Gujarati tribal necklace. I'll put the bangles on once I pass through departures, the armlets will stay in my bag until Goa. You've seen my rings already, I rarely take them off.

I'll spare you the list of toiletries as I pack the same every year. Other stuff we take includes our fully loaded E readers, a cotton sleeping bag, some vintage travel coat hangers, a torch, a penknife, the travel kettle, a large cotton throw for lying on the beach , the camera, sunglasses and reading glasses, a notebook and pen, an MP3 player & speakers and a guidebook. We've split our clothes and each bag weighs in at just under 13 kg.

So after last year's adventures in Gujarat, Goa and Mumbai where are we planning to visit next?

Who knows. We've got a bed booked for the first three nights and a flight to Goa a fortnight later and apart from that your guess is as good as ours. Let the adventures begin!

See you in February!