The Sh*t You Should Bring to South America as I Am Living it Right Now, list.

This is my Travelling South America Right Now list and this is the sh*t I wish I had as I’ve been living. Firstly, it’s more testing on the body and mind than say, Europe, as you will definitely get some stomach issues at some point, the smog was new to me, and the intense humidity in some cities was something I don’t experience. 

So I am travelling in Uruguay right now and have been travelling for a month and will be travelling for many months to come.

I’ve felt compelled to compile a list of the sh*t a guy should bring to this part of the world. Some of this stuff I have. Some I don’t. And some I have too much of. This is what I think is ideal for smooth sailing! Or in this case, backpacking! 

For what it’s worth I’m 25 and travelling mostly hostel style. This is my 3rd adventure travelling this way. 

Download a lot of travel apps; apps that are for your countrymen in every country, apps that tell you what to do in a given city, and apps that tell you how to get around.

A 55-75 litre backpack with some bells and whistles, hiding spots, maybe an attachable bag, and/or other sh*t. 

1 daypack

1 reusable grocery bag

I also brought about 4 little cloth bags (Crown Royal Whisky) - helps to organize charging wires, gifts and all other kinds of sh*t. 

Practical sh*t 

1 large sunscreen

1 aloe or sunburn cream. 

1 soft and compressible water bottle. 

1 light water filtration pump

1 spfork. 

1 small cub/bowl

1 adapter 

1 portable charger

5 dice,

2 decks of cards 

1 first aid kit bag with bandages, bandaids, disinfectant, afterbite, blister sh*t, and more bandage/bandaid sh*t

1 mini lock (combo style, 3 letter/number style, or key) however I think losing the kill is too much of a risk. 

1 bugspray - I use Muskol. 

1/2 sunglasses

1/2 pair of earplugs

1/2 rags - for your face, balls, hands, and f*cking whatever. 

1 washing bag for t-shirts and undergarments - one that you just add water and soap and roll it around for a minute or so before washing it out under the tap. And f*cking bam! Cleanliness! 

1 waterproof compression sack! - they help smash down your clothes in the pack or can be taken with your valuables down a river!

4 plastic bags for sh*t - sometimes for dirty clothes, sometimes to separate clothes, and can be thrown into the compression sack. 

Or you could invest in pack dividers and other organizing systems. I was too lazy. 

2 pairs of earbuds/headphones 

2 or more lighters. - Even if you don’t smoke, PEOPLE need lighters! You’ll be the man if you keep it with you. 

1 lighter should be a clipper - with their tricks and functions its good to have around 

Bottle opener/pocket knife - risky if you on purpose or by mistake take a knife with you for carry-on in a flight and getting it snagged. 

1 bandana - helps with nippy winds or the beating sun

1 toque/beanie/touque/headcap (or buy an alpaca one in Peru if you go there early in your trip)

1 baseball cap

1 sunhat - safari, cowboy, or whatever. 

1 travel towel that won’t smell. That microfibre sh*t!

PeptoBismal has a got a little bit of everything for your wild stomach and sinus needs!

1 pack of instant Diarrhea Relief! Both from the travel doctor and some simple 

Loperamide Hydrochloride tablets that you can buy at the pharmacy and will save your ass (literally) in the pinch of a 24-hour bus ride!

1 bottle of Advil (aches and pains)

1 bottle of Aleve  (headaches, hangovers) 

Some vitamins. 

1 pack of allergy relieve - it surprised me

1 pack of light sleeping pills for those times you just can’t sleep because of that f*cking guy snoring in your room. - or sleeping vitamins. 

1 face lotion/sunscreen (I use Jack Black - not the f*cking actor). 

2 colons/bodyspray

2 toothbrushes - keep in different places and you never know when you might need one. 

Some f*cking condoms boyzz! Hope for the best. Get the rubber ;) 

Ladies love when you speak English. 

1 All-In-One quality body, face and hair soap. 

1 travel shampoo for that quality wash

1 brush/comb

1 hair oil/gel (Jack Black) 

Optional

1 compressible sleeping bag for 5 Celsius. Came in handy in Patagonia. 

1 small pillow or pillowcase 

Clothes

5-7 underwear - mix of boxers and boxer briefs, for that cool air breeze. Also brought some sports underwear to cup my balls (saxx, 2under, sauce) 

5 pairs of socks - mostly short, a pair of longer. 

May seem like a lot but I don’t regret it. 

1 pair of cargo shorts

and/or

1 pair khakis 

1 pair drawstring pants - for that call ass breeze. 

1 pair jeans if you wish - I didn’t. 

2 pairs of versatile shorts like cargo

1 pair of gym shorts

1 swimsuit

1 wind and rain proof/resistant jacket

1 light hoody and/or warm pullover

1 breathable short or long sleeved dressy/polo shirt for going out

1/2 sleeveless shirt 

5 normal shirts. (Mixed short and long sleeve) 

Shoes take up a lot of space...

1 pair of runners/sneakers

1 pair of athletic sandals

And/or

1 pair of flip flops if you want 

1 pair of skateboard shoes/chill shoes if you want

If you are going to the Patagonia or cold parts of Peru and others- it’s gonna be windy or chilly and you are gonna be cold! 

Also, GO TO PATAGONIA!

1 thermal layer shirt

1 touque

1 longjohns/long underwear/thermal underwear. 

1 light pair of gloves. 

1 pair of Waterproof boots

1 pair of thick f*cking wool socks! Or another warm type if you don’t own them, but you should.  

P.S. GO TO THE PATAGONIA! 

See Perito Moreno glacier. It grows. It falls apart. It’s amazing. It’s f*cking amazing. Stay for an hour or more and your life will be forever touched by the magnitude and awe-inspiring uniqueness of the worlds only growing glacier. 

The Truth About My Golf Swing, and an introduction to me

Golf is a bewildering game. It fills you with feelings of tribulation, jubilation, consternation, and everything in between. For when you are on the course and hit that one great shot, that one shot which gets you hooked forever, you'll never quit the game (though that doesn't mean that the game won't quit you from time to time).

I remember the shot that made me hooked on the drug of golf. I was 10 years old, A young little chap who didn't know the first damned thing about Tiger Woods, the Masters, or why people yelled "fore" all the time. I was with a group of children who were my age and older, and we were in a golf program for juniors. This wasn't a big time junior camp nor was it something that lasted for very long. It was simply a short term program that one man felt would be a good way to start kids on golf. One time, we had just finished an afternoons work on how to swing the golf club, and were getting ready to leave. Curt (the course instructor) suggested that we have a pitching contest. A stick was placed 50-70 yards down a fairway and the 10 of us took our turns hitting one ball each at this stick. I remember that I was last to hit, I walked up to the ball and took a practice swing or two, smacked the ball and it carried straight at the stick, landed a few feet short and rolled out even closer. I had won. I beat all these other kids (some of whom were close to being 18 years old). That was all it took. I felt like I had just won the biggest candy bar ever made. I'm not sure why I felt so good or why it meant so much to me. Maybe it was the idea of beating the big boys of the group who I undoubtably looked up to. All I know is that right then, at that moment, I became hooked on golf. 8 years later I'm still smacking the golf ball around and loving every second of it, which brings me to my main idea. The whole reason as to why I'm writing this blog. It's about a golf lesson I received during that short golf program. I was told that swinging the club easy was the one thing you had to concentrate the hardest on, and that if I did that, golf would be easier. That is what I did, swung the club easy.

Throughout my years of golf I may have changed clubs, bags, and swings, but I've always kept the same mindset of "swing easy". During that time I always wondered why everyone hit the ball so much farther than I. Not just adults, but everyone my age too. I wondered, but never gave it much thought. One thing I always have done is tamper with the swing. Everyone does it, and everyone has good results for awhile, but eventually it wares of and your game goes back to its old ways. A few weeks ago, after playing some of the worst golf I've played in years, I decided that I was going to stop "swinging easy" and actually hit the ball as hard as I could. The results were surprising. I didn't only hit the ball straighter, I hit it farther, much farther. I also hit it more consistently. I continued doing this over the next few rounds and was soon coming in with some of my best rounds ever, and I'm still improving. This leads me to my point. Begin with fundamentals and then learn how to perform it slowly in the mirror, and then slowly in a practice swing, and then apply it to your swing. Gradually swing harder until you are at full speed! Golf is a game which is different for everyone, and you should always be trying new things, because you never know what the key to your golf game is, but one thing I can be almost certain of is that once you truly start to believe in a swing, and really start to embrace it, it will cease to work. For in golf, as in life, nothing is forever, and you just need to keep working on it and hope for the best.