What Did I buy in SE Asia?

In 2013 I carried two empty suitcases to Pakistan and left with them full of clothing and accessories. At their airport, they were overweight.

In the two years that have passed since then, I’ve become a lot less materialistic. I have also grown to hate buying things I don’t need, and to despise – even more – the art of haggling for a price. This contributed to my not buying much in Asia.  Besides, I had almost no room to add anything to my backpack, and I didn’t want to carry anything around for months, nor did I want to pay to ship it home. However, I did not walk away empty handed. Here is a list of the things I bought, what I paid for them, and how I managed them. I sent one big box home halfway through the trip, then carried the rest with me.

-       2 pairs of Thai fisherman pants, Thailand,  $4 each, shipped home

-       Northface Jacket, Vietnam, $40, stuffed in my backpack for 2 months

-       2 Longyis, Myanmar, $4 each, shipped home

-       Elephant charm, Thailand, $2, shipped home

-       Lao Bear charm, Laos, $3, stuffed in my backpack for 3 months

-       Sunglasses, Thailand, $5, stuffed in my backpack for 2 weeks

-       Bamboo Fan, Mynamar, $0.20, shipped home

- Book marks, Vietnam, $1, kept in backpack for 2 months

-       Magazines, Malaysia and Thailand, stuffed in my backpack for 4 months