It's all in the bag

A couple of years before Dora the Explorer came onto the scene, I had already fallen in love with the idea of wearing a mochila and seeing the world.

In 1998, we traveled to Bolivia with the racquetball team from Guam. It was my first taste of South American markets, and I was hooked.

My favorite purchase was a leather backpack with woven alpaca wool accents. It was perfect for holding the necessities like cameras, passports, maps, water.

link Sandy Fields

Well, I became totally attached to the thing. There was no taking it off once the vacation was over. The relationship was just too good. Hands free, with everything I could possibly need right there within reach.

How can men go about their days without some kind of satchel to hold everything? I cannot live without my backpack.

Sunglasses, reading glasses, chewing gum, pens, keys, money, credit cards, calendar, lip balm, tissues, cell phone, mini-atlas… yes, I find it necessary to have maps of the U.S. and the world with me at all times in paper form.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to return to South America to purchase new mochilas from time to time. I wonder how long my current one will last.

Sandy keeps an online journal at her website http://www.field-days.com. E-mail her at [email protected]