Hitchhiking Vietnam
Karin's Story
My travel list:
I was twenty-nine when I left for Vietnam. The entire trip, including airfare and visas but excluding camera and backpacking equipment, cost about five thousand dollars. The following is a list of what I brought with me:

Camera(s) and accessories:

  • One-chip Hi8 Camera
  • Nikon 8008s with 35-135 zoom lens.
  • SB25 flash
  • Five filters for the Nikon, three for the Hi8 camera (polarizor, UV, red/yellow enhancer, tobacco)
  • An amazingly heavy Bogen tripod with a fluid head
  • 60 hours of Hi8 tape
  • 27 pounds of customized batteries that didn't work
  • Hi8 camera battery recharger
  • 130 rolls of slide film (I used 123 rolls)
  • 50 AA batteries (every piece of equipment operated on AAs, including the flashlight)
  • Microcassette and 42 two-hour tapes
  • Lens cleaning solution
  • 70 ziplock bags (That was 25 too many)
  • Pelican case (which I hardly ever used, it was so big and bulky)

Other:

  • Three pairs of socks and underwear
  • Polartec light jacket and three shirts
  • Two pairs of pants
  • 1 pair of shorts
  • Reebok shoes and sandals
  • A large assortment of medication, both prescription and non-prescription
  • Shampoo/toothbrush/soap(detergent)/toothpaste/hair-ties/deodorant
  • Sunglasses
  • Hat
  • Not enough tampax
  • Flashlight
  • Compass
  • Pocketknife
  • Basic motorcycle repair tools
  • Duct tape
  • Sewing kit
  • Toilet paper
  • Pens and paper and notebooks
  • Water bottle
  • Iodine tablets
  • Vitamins (eventually)
  • Too many books
  • Origami
  • Juggling balls (fillable)
  • Life magazine (for locals)
  • Laminated photos from home
  • Dictionary and grammar book
  • Passport/visa/photocopies

Things I wish I had brought:

  • More tampax
  • Mom
  • Frisbee
  • Vitamin C
  • Sunscreen
  • A real cameraperson
  • My SB25 user's manual

Background   

The Trip   

Making a Film   

Writing a Book   

MOM   

KARIN'S STORY || LIFE IN VIETNAM || DESTINATIONS || TRAVEL VIETNAM
THE ANIMAL MARKET || PHOTO JOURNAL
TAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS || PRESS REACTIONS || HOME