Life with Mr. Manny

Big Daddy here (Johnny):

My first Man-Blog is about packing for the adoption trip.

First and foremost, don't let your woman pack. Inspect everything that she deems "necessary".

Remember that most airline will charge you an arm and a leg for any bag over 50 lbs. My first Man-Suggestion is to get everything in 3 bags if possible and either pack an empty 4th bag or purchase a duffel when in country. The extra bag is for bringing back goodies and such. Traveling out with six 50 pound bags may sound okay but traveling back home with seven 55 pound bags and a stroller and a baby is as much fun as passing a mammoth kidney stone.

In our case we travelled to Bogota Colombia, a city of about 8 million people. I am pretty sure we can find and buy anything that might be forgotten. Except in our case an LED alarm clock. It is true what they say about "Colombian time". No one here seems to have alarm clocks, we checked 6 different large department stores and the only alarm clock we found was at a store called Bed, Bath & Barrel. A blatant rip off of Bed, Bath & Beyond and Crate & Barrel. The only alarm clock they had was one that projected the time onto the ceiling and at 189,000 pesos (about $90 US) I will guess at what time it is in the middle of the night.

Baby clothes:

I know that the female persuasion love to dress up babies in the cutest outfits, but packing 25 -30 separate outfits should be a no no. The kid doesn't care what he/she looks like and the only thing Colombians seem to care about is if the baby is wearing shoes.  7 outfits that you can mix and match should be enough, and then some jammies. I like the little baby sack for sleeping in. Easy to insert Junior into and easy to get Junior out of for midnight diaper changing. Gets you back in bed quicker when you don't have to worry about getting all 18 snaps on Juniors Baby Gap matching  sleep wear!

His and Her clothes:

Find out what people wear in the country you will be traveling and what the temperature will be like. In Bogota it is between 50 - 70 everyday and the is a 100% chance of rain or drizzle. Bring clothes that you can wear in layers, we went for a walk to the market today and it started out cold (2 layers) got warmer (1 layer) started to rain (umbrella) then got colder and breezy.

Shorts:

Don't bother bringing them unless you go somewhere warm. I packed 3 pairs and have worn one pair for lounging around the hotel. People just don't wear them here so I wasted valuable luggage space.

Washers and Dryers:

Yep they have them here. We do laundry once or twice a week so try to only pack about 7 outfits  for yourselves. I have been known to wear a t-shirt more than one day and no one has complained about the smell so far. Another nice thing to pack is a small box of fabric softener sheets like Bounce.  Stevie Wonder has a better chance of finding Waldo than I did finding fabric softener in Bogota. If you don't mind clothes with 80 grit texture you're okay otherwise bring the Bounce. 

Lounge Wear:

This will be the most important part of your wardrobe. Your days will consist mostly of, having breakfast, playing with Junior, going for a walk, playing with junior, lunch, playing with Junior, dinner, playing with Junior, relaxing in your room, putting Junior to bed and repeat.

Formal clothes:

We brought one formal outfit that you will wear at the presentation and at our meeting at "The Defender Of The Minors. Any other meetings consists of "business casual wear".

Shoes:

Here is another prime example of women going completely mental about "having to have the right shoe for the right occasion". You must fight her on this, stand your ground. She will need lounge shoes, comfortable walking shoes and one pair of dress shoes. Stiletto heels don't work well in Bogota where the streets and sidewalks have potholes that could swallow a small SUV.

Guys, same situation, lounge shoes, walking shoes and dress shoes. 

Money:

Bring some local currency with you for taxi fare and for tipping. Keep some US dollars with you just in case and when you fly back to the US. Exchange money at a large local bank when in country and take out as much as possible. You will get a better exchange rate at a big bank rather than ATM's or airports.

Toilets & Toiletries:

Cipro. didn't think I needed it but am very glad my wife brought it. The first weekend I got a case of Montezuma's Revenge and spent some quality time on the biffy. Let me tell you, 11 dad-gum blowouts in 24 hours is no fun when you can't flush the toilet paper down the toilet. That's right, the Bogota sewer system is not designed for toilet paper. That is why the garbage can is located right next to the toilet. Actually you get used to it and it makes you plan your downloads. Here is something I am concerned about, if someone from Bogota visits me, what will they do with their toilet paper?

Salty Breakfast Meats:

If I would have known that a slice of bacon is around 15,000 pesos I would have smuggled in a few pounds of good bacon and sausage. What I wouldn't give for a B.L.T. with extra B.

That's it for my first Man-Blog, more to come. 

Chao!