#some of these keychains I'll need to replace the clips for

[leo-regulus]

Sure my degree came in the mail but so did a lot of merch and I only care about one of those things so how about instead of my university degree we all appreciate my Excess Keychains Because I Ran Out Of Room On My Bags.

[reblogthiscrapkay]

UPDATE AS MY TRIP IS ALMOST OVER:

An APOPO rat pin in Siem Reap. I may put it on my denim jacket. I want to support those good mine-sniffing bois. A Cafe Amazon glow-in-the-dark coffee cup keychain. I literally was given this for free at a Cafe Amazon at a Cambodian rest stop after I got a hot chocolate and some banana chips. It's a Thai brand but I think I'll put it in my shelf for Cambodia. A bracelet and ring I made in Chambok using weaving techniques. Shelf maybe? Again, I don't wear bracelets but I might wear the ring. A lantern I made in Hoi An. It's turquoise and is going in my guest room. A custom crescent moon necklace I had made in Hoi An. It's basically a high quality replacement for a necklace I had that got tarnished on this trip. A gay slug keychain (FOR MY FUTURE SCOOTER?!) A mini conical hat from Hanoi for my shelf for Vietnam. One of those overnight care kits that airlines give out sometimes (this one was from Hawaiian Airlines) A little tiki man for my shelf from Hawaii. Cuticle oils with flowers in them from Hawaii. They were pretty and I use a lot of cuticle oil anyway. A black and red flower hair clip from Hawaii that I've been wearing every day. And a purple and black one later. A Hawaii Volcanoes sticker with Pele on it. A manta ray art print. Probably going in my guest bedroom but I might need to rethink my art wall in general. A Kapuna ranger badge I got for free from Pu’uhonua O Honaunau for completing the workbook. Abalone shells from my lunch. An ABC Stores bag. It was like $0.25 and I needed it for my groceries. A bunch of National Park maps for my collection. (I also ended up with a lot of random foods from Hawaii like a pineapple I got at the end of tour and Li Hing powder for said pineapple but most of it is not coming home with me and obviously I bought a lot of food overall)

I think that's everything! I did restrain myself well, but I ended up really regretting not getting a custom dress in Hoi An. Thankfully, my friend who sews and is also out-of-work now said she'd be down to do a commission for me so problem solved!

A (hopefully) comprehensive list of everything I've acquired on this trip so far.

I'm 2.5 weeks into my 6 week trip and here's anything I have gotten so far:

Indian thread necklace from Abhi (my tour guide) on the first day

Elephant print I made in Jaipur for free and is going in my curio cabinet for India

A green scarf I got for free from the same textile place for winning trivia (unsure what I'll do with it because I don't really wear green and have a lot of scarves. I thought of giving it to my mom because green's her favorite color but I think she has too many scarves too so I don't know)

Taj Mahal magnet from Abhi

Henna from two sisters in Orchha (it is worn off now but I'm still counting it because it was beautiful and I loved it)

Recipes from Rajni's Cooking School in Orchha (to be copied and passed on to Adam)

Om bracelet from Varanasi tour guide (I don't wear bracelets and this one is brown too; I may just put it in the cabinet)

Earrings I bought at the homestay (definitely overpriced but I didn't care because the community needs it)

Mini prayer flags I bought for my curio cabinet in Pokhara

A book on Hindu and Buddhist symbols I bought in Pokhara

A new umbrella bought in Pokhara (my old one was already crappy, like I think evil ex gave it to me after he found it in his classroom, and it completely fell apart)

A cotton sleeping bag liner bought in Pokhara (per suggestion of Imogen after I mentioned I was going to have three more overnight train rides before my trip was over)

A charcoal grey cashmere sweater (I was on a shopping spree with Imo and couldn't resist because it was $22. I kind of wonder if I should have gotten more. The shopkeeper told us we were cute and we were like, dude, don't worry. We are absolutely buying your shit.)

A very heavy metal Shiva statue (This was a need, not a want)

A certificate for seeing Everest

A red thread bracelet from Abhi on the last day (I'll try to wear this one)

A red and gold shawl from Abhi on the last day (he was literally too good to us; I will miss him a lot, and I wonder if he would genuinely be cool with me one day staying at his empty house in Jodpur because I really want to see more Rajastan)

A Japanese cat pen that looks like Lucifer from a Thai 7-11 (impulse purchase with no regrets)

A little gold Buddha for my cabinet at the railway market (I was definitely overcharged but I wasn't going to argue about $2.50)

A limited edition Lip Monster Kate Lipstick from Eve & Boy (basically Thai Sephora as far as I could tell; Kate is a Japanese brand and the package was cute so that's my justification)

Dry shampoo from Eve & Boy (necessary; my hair is nasty)

At this point I will be leaving Thailand in two days. I will be getting curio items from Cambodia and Vietnam (and maybe Hawaii) but I hopefully won't acquire too much more. At least most of what I got I will definitely use.