frugal female photographer traveling light

I'm travelling frugally light into the back country of Rajasthan, India for 4 weeks in January when the temperature goes from 0 degrees Fahrenheit at night to about 25 degrees in the afternoon.  I will be in primitive areas with no access to amenities or shopping.

This is a spiritual and photographic adventure visiting small isolated villages and ashrams, meditating and doing asanas in the heat and the cold.  Shooting in fog at dawn, the stars at night and interesting faces during the day.  I need light coloured insulated clothing covering me from my neck to my toes and from my shoulders to below the elbow.  I also need my camera equipment.

I'm taking a 13x18x8.5 Travel Pro Rolling Tote and a Sport Sling 100 Lowpro camera bag. The camera bag sits on top of the Tote in order for the straps to wrap and connect around the handle making it secure.  I keep the reversed rain cover over the Lowpro as camouflage. The Lowpro is small, light and fits my frame (5'4" 115 lbs).  It also has a secure sling and is easy to slide around in order for me to retrieve my camera as well as tuck and securely zip it away.

List of camera equipment for the Lowpro bag

• Nikon D600
• 70-200mm N (strapped and clipped in its carrying case to the bottom of the bag) 
• Giottoi VGRN 8255 carbon tripod (folds to 16" and converts to a monopod)  strapped on the side and held at the top with an elastic toggle.  
• 24 x 85mm ED
• Lensbaby Optic Pro
• Speedlight 910
• Polarizing Filter
• Variable Neutral Density Filter
• Filter Adaptor
• Memory Cards
• 12' tethering cable
• additional battery and charger
• additional batteries for the flash
• remote cord
• grey card

The Travel Pro Rolling Tote is small and tough with wheels that run over cobblestones and on gravel.  In the loose sand, I can carry it like a small suitcase. The size designates it as carry-on for even the strictest of domestic airlines.  

I'm taking merino top layers, under layers and underwear.  It's not cheap but it is frugal.  It dries overnight, does not feel cold after a workout, is an insulator in the heat and the cold, does not hold body, smoke or other odours and can be worn for weeks before it needs washing.  One set of merino saves taking 4 or more synthetic sets of the same when in this type of terrain with desert water limitations.      

Personal Packing List

Electronics

• Mac Book Pro 15" 
• Pocket Drive, 
• mouse 
• adapter for computer
• AC adapter
• iPhone connector (charges to the computer)
• iPhone buds for white noise and listening to music
• iPhone
• Waterproof watch with second hand and alarm 

Clothes

• 1 Indian cotton kurta (long blouse with pockets) with matching pants (I will get 2 more sets made when I am there) worn as an outer shell when doing asanas and at ashrams. 
• 2 merino shirts (also to be used as nightwear)
• 2 pr merino base layer pants  (and as nightwear) 
• 2 merino tanks 
• 2 sets of merino panties (much better than cotton after using a squat and water instead of tissue) 
• 2 merino bras
• 1 merino tube hat/scarf 
• 2 pair heavy socks, (it is necessary to remove shoes when entering a temple and the floors are usually marble and very cold) 
• one merino hoodie with zipper pockets 
• one above the knee wind and rain jacket
• two pair soft shell travel pants with a hip zipper pocket for passport, 
• pair fleece lined crocs (warm little boots when it's muddy and wet and airport friendly)
• one pair Okabashi cross strap sliders, can be worn with socks unlike flip flops
• sarong sized scarf (can be used for a large tote, wrap, sleeveless bathing dress, sheet, tablecloth, and privacy screen)
• smaller scarf that can be used as a head dressing or held over the nose (to ward off odours) 
• 2 pr light wool gloves (with and without fingers).   

Toiletries

• 2 oz bottle of lavender oil
• Cipro tablets 
• Advil 
• Imodium 
• antihistamine tablets
• container of home made bio degradable toothpaste, 
• 3 old fashioned cotton hankies (no tissue or toilet paper allowed) 
• micro fibre towel a little larger than a dish towel, 
• electric toothbrush (charges every few weeks to the computer)
• small facecloth, 
• old-fashioned bar of sunlight soap (for laundry, hair, shower),
• dental floss
• nail clippers 
• large and small safety pins  
• needle that dental floss can thread through for mending 

Bedding and others

• strong blow up neck pillow that can be carried in a pocket and used as yoga cushion, 
• fleece sleeping bag liner, 
• silk sheet, 
• pocket sized emergency blanket 
• pocket sized plastic poncho (can be used as groundsheet) 
• lab sized notebook 
• pocket sized notebook 
• pen 
• pilot pencil with extra led 
• personal set of bamboo cutlery including knife, fork, spoon and chopsticks 
• small non breakable rice bowel
• small lighter
• money belt
• tiny headlamp (flashlights are cumbersome, need a hand to hold them and get lost when the power goes out) 
• 2 hard copy books
• camera manual
• 2 copies of bank and visa cards
• 2 copies of passport page
• steel insulated water bottle
• day pack that folds into it's pocket

As I will not be staying in once place for more than a few days, everything needs to fit in the Tote when I'm traveling in the heat of the day.

Wearing to and from the airport

waist money belt, bra and panties, tank top, leggings and shirt, kurta, small scarf, socks, crocs, hoodie, rain jacket. tickets, passport, entry visa, health card, iPhone, blow up neck pillow, iPhone buds, pen, pocket sized notebook, small change purse with visa, bank card, Canadian cash, apartment key and fob, Canada Line tickets to and from YVR.

In the money belt:  rupees, euros, copy of passport, copy of bank and visa cards.

Packed in the Tote

• Mac Book Pro 15" 
• Pocket Drive, 
• mouse 
• adapter for computer
• AC adapter
• iPhone connector

Clothes

• 1 merino shirt 
• 1 pr merino base layer pants 
• 1 merino tank 
• 1 set of merino panties 
• 1 merino bra
• 1 merino tube hat/scarf 
• 1 pair heavy socks
• 1 pair soft shell travel pants 
• 1 pair Okabashi cross strap sliders
• sarong sized scarf 
• 2 pr light wool gloves
• bottoms from kurta

Toiletries

• 2 oz bottle of lavender oil 
• Cipro tablets 
• Advil 
• Imodium 
• antihistamine tablets
• container of home made bio degradable toothpaste, 
• 3 old fashioned cotton hankies 
• micro fibre towel
• electric toothbrush and charger
• small facecloth
• soap 
• dental floss
• nail clippers 
• large and small safety pins  
• needle that dental floss can thread through 

Bedding and others

• fleece sleeping bag liner
• silk sheet
• pocket sized emergency blanket 
• plastic poncho
• lab sized notebook
• pilot pencil with extra led 
• personal set of bamboo cutlery including knife, fork, spoon and chopsticks, 
• small non breakable rice bowel 
• small lighter 
• money belt
• tiny headlamp 
• 2 hard copy books
• copy of bank and visa card
• copy of passport
• day pack

feta cheese

I love feta cheese!  But….

Eating any form of "industrialized" dairy gets in the way of my belief system that we protect and care for animals and the planet causing no harm.

So…. I've found an alternative.  Just as good, frugal and even more nutritious.  The ingredients are probably already on hand.

Hard tofu
Lemon
Salt


Method:  Get as much water out of the tofu as possible.  You can do this by cutting it into slices, salting it heavily and leaving it for 10 to 30 minutes on a dry towel to bead or by squeezing it.  I use the dry towel method and pat off the water beads and salt.
Break the tofu up just like you do the feta and put it in a small bowl.
Squeeze lemon juice  and sprinkle salt over the tofu and mix.  Clean fingers add love.
Leave sit for another 5 minutes and mix again.  Voila!

Great for Greek Salad and I add it with green onions to my refried black bean tacos.  

eco shampoo and rinse

Today I read an article on how to make a simple, eco friendly, fugal shampoo.  

This frugal shampoo hints back to the early 1800's or my grandmother's time consisting of baking soda and vinegar.   

Method:  Take a tablespoon or two of baking soda and make it into a pudding like paste with a bit of water.  Next, put about a couple of tablespoons of vinegar in a small container.  Place both of these away from the spray and within easy access when you are in the shower.  

When ready to "shampoo", thoroughly rub the baking soda paste into your hair, rinse well, then add the vinegar and rub it into the hair and rinse very thoroughly.  

Shampoo and rinse:
baking soda 
vinegar

Thank you to Flipboard for including this article in today's pics and the writer.