Packing Up

Forty-eight hours from now I will be at the airport waiting for my flight for the first leg of my journey to Mexico.  I started packing a couple of weeks ago, and now, except for a couple of last-minute items, that job is done.

On this trip I am taking my big, blue suitcase, the biggest suitcase I own.  When I first bought it, it was a bright, electric blue that stood out from the other pieces of luggage on the carrousel.  It only took one trip for it to begin to look dirty and dingy.  It is still fairly easy to spot, however, amid the black and gray suitcases coming out at the luggage claim.

That big suitcase is almost entirely filled with gifts for Alejandro and his family.  There are only a few personal items inside... a couple of books to read, and a good supply of facemasks to wear.  I rent an apartment in Mexico City, so I have plenty of clothes and toiletries already down there.  The last things that I put inside were some gifts which my friends Katie and Olivier gave me to take to Alejandro's nephew, and the final batch of fudge which I made during the holiday season.  The suitcase is FULL!  I fear that when I arrive in Mexico City, and pass it through the x-ray machine, the customs official will want to thoroughly inspect it... something that happened the last time I took the big suitcase full of gifts.

My carry-on item is a backpack.  It too is quite full.  It contains miscellaneous items such as my medicines and vitamins, my zip-lock bag of liquids (containing mostly travel-size bottles of hand sanitizer) and another book to read while waiting at the airport and on my flights.  The last thing to be packed will be my laptop which I use to write this blog.