PING PACKS

            Now that Ping has the much needed paperwork he’s ready to take flight – in a plane that is! The weather in Shenzhen is “Sub-tropical” and it seems as if shorts and t-shirts are in order. Oh, but just what to pack and how many suitcases to bring. A bit of research shows that the suitcases must weigh 50 pounds or less and: only the first suitcase is free; the second is $70 and the third; $200!!!! Ping will pack two – one for his school clothes and the other for play clothes. A backpack and rolliecase will work for carry-on. We mention all of this because it is a great dilemma for a frugal and pack-ratty bird like Ping to decide what to pack and what can be purchased overseas!!!

PING DIVES INTO PACKING!

EDDY DIVES IN TO SAVE PING

            So, all of Ping’s potential wardrobe had to audition for the role of packing worthiness. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to preen his feathers and several contenders were plucked right away and set aside as Purple Heart donations as they had some wear and/or tear on them. Lots of dress shirts and ill-fitting pants went into nine boxes for the good cause. Ping’s pals were happy to act as “America’s Got Style” judges and deciding which contestants would be making it to China and which would not. Then the only thing left to do was separate the piles into categories and make the final decisions on what to cull.

BEHIND BARS BEATS PACKING...

             Finally, everything that was packed was written down for those panicked moments of memory loss. (Did I pack two belts?) Next, the weigh-in. Doug helped as the heavy bags were put on the scale, or he stood on the scale, then Ping read the results… Bummer! They were both too heavy. So, some items were released back to the wild and the weigh-in continued. Ouch! One more time… So Close! One suitcase weighed 40 pounds and the one borrowed from Ping’s mother weighed 60! Shuffle, shuffle, and toss 5 pair of work-pants and Voila! They made it to the airport scale weighing 49 and 50 pounds! We’re off!

Posted by EddyTour-In-Chief: Doug