Planning and packing for Malaysia

A Lonely Planet author I once read suggested laying out everything you think you need to pack on your bed. Then take away everything optional. Then reduce the pile by half. In general, I think this was excellent advice.

I do my best to ensure that I don't carry more than a book bag, and I try to leave room to carry souvenirs on the way back. This strategy provides me with plenty of pleasurable planning on how to minimize size and weight. Here are some of my strategies for what to bring on my Malaysia trip:

• Silk clothing: silk weighs nothing, is cool in the heat, washes easily, and dries in no time.
• Books on my iPhone to read with the Kindle app. The iPhone can also serve as alarm clock, calculator, and so on.
• 2-oz of concentrated liquid laundry detergent, a string, and a few clothes pins. You can wash clothes in the sink at night and hang them to dry, so you don't need more than two shirts, trousers, etc.
• Wash cloth, but no towel. No one needs a towel in the tropics.
• Ear plugs! Those cheap backpacker dives can be noisy.
• Sink hole cover so you can wash yourself and your clothes in a cheap sink (popular in backpacker dives).

I usually bring a cotton sarong, which can serve as blanket, bathrobe, beach towel, you name it... But Malaysia is famous for beautiful batik, so I think I'll have to buy one there.

Because Malaysia is relatively developed, I'm going to bring my netbook so I can update this blog with photos and descriptions of my travels. Stay tuned! Regular updates will come when I get to Kuala Lumpur on February 11.