Ari's Travels
My travels, or whatever I get around to writing about. Currently embarked on a round-the-world trip. I've written up some notes about my preparations: itinerary, equipment list and selection, medical preparations. My trip started with an abbreviated tour of the US to see family and friends. So far, I have been to Japan, Mongolia, China, Nepal, India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. See my photographs, which I upload as computing facilities, talent, luck, and time permit. Sometimes I also write, with varying and limited success, about my experiences.
People ask me how long I will spend at this. I am not really sure. At first it was going to be 3 months, then I said what the heck, make it a year and go around the world. When I tallied up all the countries and weeks it ended up being 14 months. I do not want to rush and there are many things to see. Maybe I will spend a few extra months in India exploring Ladakh next summer or learning Yoga at the source, or stay for a few months in Israel, or take longer in some countries. I've already blown most of the setup cash on my gear and getting out here, so now it's just basic living expenses. In developing countries I can live pretty well at $10/day for a room, another $10/day for food, and add $10 for general expenses, it comes to around $1000/month. This is not a budget, but it seems like what I've been spending since Mongolia, give or take. Sometimes I spend less (cheaper rooms, cheaper food), sometimes more (shipping to/from the US, gifts, flights). I have not been watching every penny, just going with the flow.
My favorite travel book, one of my favorite books, is Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. Some excerpts are here. Read of Zobeide and of Ersilia. Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces is my other favorite other travel book, though it technically is about mythology and the sections on psychoanalysis are dated. When I travel, I will not see what I observe. Perhaps I will stumble across some forlorn city, longing for its people, the earth calling back its children.
Country notes
Things to do by country.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British government has a handy "don't go there" list of countries. The FCO even has a handy set of links to other government's sites.
The US Department of State has similar listings, though not nearly as obvious.
< a href="http://www.safewateronline.com/">Safe Water for International Travelers provides a simple rating of countries' water quality, so you can know if it's safe to drink the tap water or if you need to treat the water or buy bottled water to avoid diseases.
Australia
wetsuit temp ratings http://wetsuitgear.com/temp_chart.html
Travel medicine alliance of australia http://www.travelmedicine.com.au
travel clinics australia http://www.travelclinic.com.au/find-a-clinic.asp
Noxious Weeds of Australia By W. T. Parsons, E. G. Cuthbertson
http://books.google.com/books?id=sRCrNAQQrpwC&pg=PA409&lpg=PA409&dq=padd...
Cucumis myriocarpus (Paddy Melon),
http://www.lonelyplanetimages.com/photos/3715-24.htm
Hikes in the NT http://en.travelnt.com
Jatbula hike http://en.travelnt.com/experience/walking-trekking/jatbula-trail.aspx
http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/northern-territory-aus-nt...
Tourist Attractions in Northern Territory
Overview of transport options
http://www.worldsurface.com/browse/static.asp?staticpageid=3422
WEATHER
Lots of links for Tasmania. There's some very good climate information.
BANKING
http://www.bugaustralia.com/essentials/money.html
The four main banks:
ANZ www.anz.com
Commonwealth Bank www.commbank.com.au
National Australia Bank (NAB) website www.nab.com.au
Westpac website www.westpac.com.au
GST 10% refund: >= $300 per item purchased no more than 30 days before leaving AU brought as carry-on luggage with tax invoice.
http://www.australia-migration.com/page/Opening_a_Bank_Account_in_Austra...
Gives the 100-point system for identification: passport 70, credit card 25 (each), so a passport and two credit cards. Or open the account with 6 weeks (up to 3 months for some banks) and you only need a passport. A lot simpler than the US. In Japan I asked and you have to have proof of residency permit (or something like that), a tourist visa is insufficient.
Overland track info
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/tracknotes/overland.html
Accommodation at the start and end of the track
Cradle Mountain
Cabin accommodation is available at Waldheim inside the national park. These rustic bush huts are very popular and advance bookings are advised. Bookings can be made at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre (03) 6492 1110.
Due to the delicate nature of the environment and the large number of visitors to Cradle Mountain, camping is not permitted inside the day visitor area. Overland Track walkers cannot camp until they reach either Waterfall Valley Hut or the Scott-Kilvert Hut.
A serviced camping area has been established three kilometres outside the park boundary. This site is operated by a private leaseholder and camping, bunkhouse and cabin accommodation are available. Phone (03) 6492 1395.
Hotel and additional cabin accommodation are also available outside the national park boundary. Contact the Tasmanian Travel Centre for further details or use the Tourism Tasmania web site.
Lake St Clair
Cabin, backpacker, powered site and camping accommodation with shower and toilet facilities are operated by a private leaseholder. For bookings and enquiries contact Lakeside St Clair (03) 6289 1137.
Hotel, backpacker and cabin accommodation is also available at Derwent Bridge at the entrance to the national park.
Getting started
From Cradle Valley:
Public buses will drop you off at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, or at the accomodation nearby if you request.
During the peak walking season (1 November - 30 April), you must check in at the Visitor Centre to collect your Overland Track Pass.
A frequent free shuttle bus service goes from the Information Centre and the Visitor Centre 7 days a week, to the start of the walking track at Ronny Creek, 5kms into the Park.
Allow at least 3-5 hours to reach Waterfall Valley. You should start on the track by 2.00pm in the summer months with good weather conditions. However, earlier starting times are advised in times of poor weather and in the months April to November. In winter, daylight hours are reduced to between 7.30am and 4.45pm and snow can make the track impassable.
Walkers leaving from Cradle have three options for starting the track. The views differ and all involve an uphill climb.
• From Ronny Creek via Crater Falls and Crater Lake to Marions Lookout - a moderate grade climb to Marions Lookout, with spectacular views from the lookout.
• From Dove Lake via Lake Lilla and Wombat Pool to Marions Lookout - includes the uphill section to Marions Lookout.
• From Ronny Creek via Horse Track to Crater Peak - this is a more gentle uphill climb, but is very exposed.
Other tracks in the area are rough, muddy and steep and are not recommended for accessing the Overland Track.
Side tracks on the way
A variety of opportunities are created by the side tracks that branch off the Overland Track. Some of these tracks have become very worn and walkers can expect to wade through wet and muddy sections. The tracks described below have mostly had track improvement works undertaken which has made walking more pleasant and repaired environmental degradation.
1. Cradle Valley
Three days could be spent here exploring a variety of environs that include the summit peak, glacial lakes, historic buildings and lichen-clad forests. Take some time to view the interpretive displays in the Visitor Centre.
2. Cradle Mountain summit
A sign posted track leaves from the main track just south of Kitchen Hut. Walkers should allow two hours from this point including the return. Warm clothing and your raincoat should always be taken with you when leaving your pack behind. Regardless of how fine the weather might seem, conditions can change dramatically in the time that you are away from your pack.
3. Lake Will
The track is boardwalked to the shore of the alpine lake - one hour return from the main track. The lake is fringed with Pencil Pines and in calm weather may provide a mirror image of Barn Bluff.
4. Mt Ossa
At 1617 metres this is Tasmania's highest mountain. About three-and-half hours is a good time to allow for the return trip from Pelion Gap to the summit. This includes time to take photographs and soak in the inspiring views from the top. In hot conditions walkers are advised to carry water. This should be collected before reaching Pelion Gap.
5. Hartnett Falls
These are the highest of several falls on the Mersey River. An easy 20 minute walk reaches the falls from the Overland Track. Unlike views from the peaks, even solid rain cannot spoil the view of a waterfall.
6. Mt Rufus
A day walk can be made to this peak from Cynthia Bay. Mt Rufus can be climbed as part of a circuit track that includes Shadow Lake. The view from the summit gives views into the upper Franklin River.
7. Lake St Clair
Save some time to view the interpretive displays at the visitor centre. These include presentations about the ice ages, the Tasmanian tiger and early bushwalking days.
HUTS
Waterfall Valley
Windermere
Pelion
Kia Ora
Windy Ridge
Narcissus
Kitchen Hut, Ranger Hut, Old Pelion Hut and Du Cane Hut are strictly emergency shelters only and overnight stays are only permitted in the case of a genuine emergency.
Pine Valley
This very popular area is suffering from the wear and tear of too many pairs of human feet. Think about selecting another destination to help ease the pressure. If you have an extra day, consider walking the Lakeside Track or Mt Rufus as alternatives to Pine Valley.
Tasmania weather info (Fagus color ~25/4).
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/planning/was.html
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/tracknotes/index.html
Things to do in Australia.
http://tourtasmania.com/
Port Arthur, Hobart
http://bushwalk-tasmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=538&p=3468#p3468
forum reply overland track in may
by slick41st on Wed 19 Mar, 2008 6:34 pm
If you are worried about the $150 then do a trip through the Walls, then to L.Meston, then Junction Lake, then through the never never, then back through Lees paddocks. I reckon that is just as spectacular a walk (if not more speccy) and wont cost you an arm and a leg. There are some terrific side tracks to do too like Cathedral.
Melbourne
http://www.melbourneaustralia.org/attractions.html
Don't miss "the first structure to break the 132 foot building height limit in Melbourne". Ooh!
See Nature Parks: VICTORIAS OPEN RANGE ZOO, HEALSVILLE SANCTUARY, etc.
Banking and Great Hikes Notes
BANKING
http://www.bugaustralia.com/essentials/money.html
The four main banks:
ANZ www.anz.com
Commonwealth Bank www.commbank.com.au
National Australia Bank (NAB) website www.nab.com.au
Westpac website www.westpac.com.au
GST 10% refund: >= $300 per item purchased no more than 30 days before leaving AU brought as carry-on luggage with tax invoice.
http://www.australia-migration.com/page/Opening_a_Bank_Account_in_Austra...
Gives the 100-point system for identification: passport 70, credit card 25 (each), so a passport and two credit cards. Or open the account with 6 weeks (up to 3 months for some banks) and you only need a passport. A lot simpler than the US. In Japan I asked and you have to have proof of residency permit (or something like that), a tourist visa is insufficient.
OT INFO:
Accommodation at the start and end of the track
Cradle Mountain
Cabin accommodation is available at Waldheim inside the national park. These rustic bush huts are very popular and advance bookings are advised. Bookings can be made at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre (03) 6492 1110.
Due to the delicate nature of the environment and the large number of visitors to Cradle Mountain, camping is not permitted inside the day visitor area. Overland Track walkers cannot camp until they reach either Waterfall Valley Hut or the Scott-Kilvert Hut.
A serviced camping area has been established three kilometres outside the park boundary. This site is operated by a private leaseholder and camping, bunkhouse and cabin accommodation are available. Phone (03) 6492 1395.
Hotel and additional cabin accommodation are also available outside the national park boundary. Contact the Tasmanian Travel Centre for further details or use the Tourism Tasmania web site.
Lake St Clair
Cabin, backpacker, powered site and camping accommodation with shower and toilet facilities are operated by a private leaseholder. For bookings and enquiries contact Lakeside St Clair (03) 6289 1137.
Hotel, backpacker and cabin accommodation is also available at Derwent Bridge at the entrance to the national park.
Getting started
From Cradle Valley:
Public buses will drop you off at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, or at the accomodation nearby if you request.
During the peak walking season (1 November - 30 April), you must check in at the Visitor Centre to collect your Overland Track Pass.
A frequent free shuttle bus service goes from the Information Centre and the Visitor Centre 7 days a week, to the start of the walking track at Ronny Creek, 5kms into the Park.
Allow at least 3-5 hours to reach Waterfall Valley. You should start on the track by 2.00pm in the summer months with good weather conditions. However, earlier starting times are advised in times of poor weather and in the months April to November. In winter, daylight hours are reduced to between 7.30am and 4.45pm and snow can make the track impassable.
Walkers leaving from Cradle have three options for starting the track. The views differ and all involve an uphill climb.
• From Ronny Creek via Crater Falls and Crater Lake to Marions Lookout - a moderate grade climb to Marions Lookout, with spectacular views from the lookout.
• From Dove Lake via Lake Lilla and Wombat Pool to Marions Lookout - includes the uphill section to Marions Lookout.
• From Ronny Creek via Horse Track to Crater Peak - this is a more gentle uphill climb, but is very exposed.
Other tracks in the area are rough, muddy and steep and are not recommended for accessing the Overland Track.
Side tracks on the way
A variety of opportunities are created by the side tracks that branch off the Overland Track. Some of these tracks have become very worn and walkers can expect to wade through wet and muddy sections. The tracks described below have mostly had track improvement works undertaken which has made walking more pleasant and repaired environmental degradation.
1. Cradle Valley
Three days could be spent here exploring a variety of environs that include the summit peak, glacial lakes, historic buildings and lichen-clad forests. Take some time to view the interpretive displays in the Visitor Centre.
2. Cradle Mountain summit
A sign posted track leaves from the main track just south of Kitchen Hut. Walkers should allow two hours from this point including the return. Warm clothing and your raincoat should always be taken with you when leaving your pack behind. Regardless of how fine the weather might seem, conditions can change dramatically in the time that you are away from your pack.
3. Lake Will
The track is boardwalked to the shore of the alpine lake - one hour return from the main track. The lake is fringed with Pencil Pines and in calm weather may provide a mirror image of Barn Bluff.
4. Mt Ossa
At 1617 metres this is Tasmania's highest mountain. About three-and-half hours is a good time to allow for the return trip from Pelion Gap to the summit. This includes time to take photographs and soak in the inspiring views from the top. In hot conditions walkers are advised to carry water. This should be collected before reaching Pelion Gap.
5. Hartnett Falls
These are the highest of several falls on the Mersey River. An easy 20 minute walk reaches the falls from the Overland Track. Unlike views from the peaks, even solid rain cannot spoil the view of a waterfall.
6. Mt Rufus
A day walk can be made to this peak from Cynthia Bay. Mt Rufus can be climbed as part of a circuit track that includes Shadow Lake. The view from the summit gives views into the upper Franklin River.
7. Lake St Clair
Save some time to view the interpretive displays at the visitor centre. These include presentations about the ice ages, the Tasmanian tiger and early bushwalking days.
Huts
Waterfall Valley
Windermere
Pelion
Kia Ora
Windy Ridge
Narcissus
Kitchen Hut, Ranger Hut, Old Pelion Hut and Du Cane Hut are strictly emergency shelters only and overnight stays are only permitted in the case of a genuine emergency.
Pine Valley
This very popular area is suffering from the wear and tear of too many pairs of human feet. Think about selecting another destination to help ease the pressure. If you have an extra day, consider walking the Lakeside Track or Mt Rufus as alternatives to Pine Valley.
COSTAL TRAIL
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/tracknotes/tasman.html
Access to the start of the track
Most people start the walk on the northern section of the Tasman Coastal Trail at Waterfall Bay. The northern end of the park can be accessed via the Blowhole Road (C338) turn-off just after Eaglehawk Neck. This will take you to Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen. Along the C338, a sign-posted gravel road to the right leads to Waterfall Bay.
You can also cut your trip short by starting and completing your walk at Fortescue Bay taking in Cape Hauy and Cape Pillar.
Accommodation near the start of the track
Tasman Peninsula
Hotel, motel, backpacker and cabin accommodation is available. Contact the Tasmanian Travel Centre on (03) 6230 8233 for further details.
Camping sites are also situated at Lime Bay. There are basic campsites and pit toilets. No water is provided. Fuel stoves are recommended here. Caravan access is available.
Fortescue Bay
The Fortescue Bay Campground is located off the Arthur Highway. Bookings are necessary. Water, toilet, cold shower and fireplaces are provided, and wood is available for sale. There is a gas bbq in the day use area. Caravan access is available.
Phytophthora Root Rot precautions
FREYCINET PENINSULA Circuit
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/tracknotes/freycinet.html
undertaken in an anti-clockwise direction
Access to the start of the track
Freycinet National Park is reached from the Tasman Highway. The Peninsula Circuit walk starts from the walking tracks car park about 4 kilometres further into the park from the Visitor Information Centre, which is near Coles Bay.
Public transport will take walkers to Coles Bay and a morning service continues to the walking tracks car park. Bookings are essential on all services and private charters can be arranged. See our Access to Tasmania's National Parks, Reserves and Walking Tracks page for your best options.
Accommodation near the start of the track
Coles Bay
Hotel, motel, backpacker and cabin accommodation is available. See the Tourism Tasmania web site for further details.
Freycinet Peninsula
The National Park offers a variety of basic powered and unpowered campsites. Booking, payment and other details are found within the National Park, or by calling the Freycinet Visitor Centre (03) 6256 7000. Please note that there are no laundry or shower facilities.
Phytophthora Root Rot
Walkers are advised to walk the trip in an anti-clockwise direction.
All items used in the bush need to be scrupulously cleaned. Items that require a scrub include boots and gaiters (the most risky items), tent floors, groundsheets, tent poles and pegs, trowels, packs, waterproof coats, trousers, and legs.
SOUTH COAST and Port Davey Tracks
Because plane flights are weather dependent, most people walk west to east (Melaleuca to Cockle Creek). Plane companies operate flights to Melaleuca by light plane, to/from Cambridge Airport near Hobart Airport. There are 2 companies:
* Par Avion, www.paravion.com.au, ph 026248 5390
* TasAir, www.tasair.com.au, ph 1800 062 900
Private vehicles may be left at Scotts Peak or at Cockle Creek. Walkers are warned, however, that some vehicles parked in remote locations have been robbed or vandalised.
From Hobart, buses occassionally travel to and from Cockle Creek. Visitors wishing to use public transport or tours to access the walking track should visit our web page on Access to Tasmania's National Parks, Reserves and Walking Tracks.
At Scotts Peak the Port Davey Track starts adjacent to the Huon Campground and at Melaleuca it starts from the northern end of the airst
BOOKING
If you don't have access to the internet, you may make a booking by telephone (03 6233 6047) or in-person at one the following Tasmanian National Park Visitor Centres: Cradle, Lake St Clair, Freycinet or Mt Field.
Passes can be bought at all Parks and Wildlife Service offices per person 8 weeks $28.00
SUMMARY of great hikes
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/tracknotes/index.html
*OT: $150 65km 6 days
*Coastal trail: 3-5 days not too hard, milder temps
xFrenchmans Cap Track: steep, difficult 3-5 days
*Freycinet Peninsula Circuit: 30 km
xSouth Coast and Port Davey Tracks: south coast 6-8 days, Port Davey 4-5 days; challenging walks
Park fee: $30
Transport: ?
TRANSPORT
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/transport/index.html
There are a number of companies which run transport services throughout the State, others which operate only in certain regions. Their services allow walkers to reach the start of many of our popular walking tracks. Some operators offer regular services, while others offer charters. Contact the operator for details of the services they provide:
* Tassie Link http://www.tigerline.com.au/ (Ph. 1300 300 520)
* McDermotts Coaches http://www.mcdermotts.com.au/ (Ph. (03) 6394 3535) (tours/charters)
* Maxwell's Coaches (Ph. (03) 6492 1431)
* Tasmanian Tour Company http://www.mcdermotts.com.au/ (Ph. (03) 6423 4509 or 0409 208 134) (charter)
* Tiger Wilderness Tours Tasmania (Ph. (03) 6394 3212) (launceston based)
* Tasmanian Wilderness Experiences http://www.tigerwilderness.com.au/bush (Ph (03) 6231 4971)
* Outdoor Recreational Transport http://www.outdoortasmania.com.au/ (Ph. (03) 6391 8249) (launceston based charter)
* Evans Coaches http://www.evanscoaches.com/ (Cockle Creek area) (Ph. (03) 62971335) (limited charters)
Tassie Link
Until 15/04/07?
Hobart - Cradle Mountain/Lake St. Clair - Hobart $119.00
Hobart - Scotts Peak / Cockle Creek - Hobart $123.00
Hobart - Cockle Creek / Scotts Peak - Hobart $123.00
Ask us about our luggage storage in Hobart & Launceston.
Adult: 10 Day Pass $225.00 valid for travel in 15 days
A complimentary Freycinet National Park Excursion with every pass purchased. (EXC.1 conditions apply)
Hobart bus terminal, 64 Brisbane St. 1-300-300-520
Tasmanian Wilderness Experiences
PRICES FOR INDEPENDENT BUSHWALKERS ARE:
One way fares (including GST) per bushwalker (which do not include Airport parking fees payableby our clients) based on travel to or from Hobart CBD or Hobart Airport are:
Waiting $25/hr
Freycinet Circuit 3:00hrs $125
Overland Track (Cynthia Bay) 2:00hrs $80
Overland Track (Cradle Valley Park HQ) 4:45hrs $135
South Coast Track (Cockle Creek) 3:00hrs $90
South West Cape (Scotts Peak) 3:00hrs $90
Outdoor Recreational Transport http://www.outdoortasmania.com.au/ (Ph. (03) 6391 8249) (launceston based charter)
# Two Persons - 76 cents per km. each
# Three Persons - 54 cents per km. each
# Four Persons - 44 cents per km. each
# Five & over - 40 cents per km. each
THERE ARE ONLY TWO OF US, WE WANT TO GO TO CRADLE MOUNTAIN, BUT THIS IS GOING TO COST US $129 EACH, CAN YOU DO IT CHEAPER ?
Yes we probably can, firstly enquire about our 'special rates for cash customers' secondly check our 'Message Board' to see if we are already going to your destination on the day you want to travel or close to your date. OR book anyway with a good chance of others booking on the same journey through our 'Message Board' service. Thirdly you can utilise our "Client Travel Plan Matching Scheme"
Tasmania hostels
*** Hobart
Adelphi Court 17 Stoke Street New Town TAS 7000 Phone: (03) 6228 4829 Reception Hours: 7.30am to 10.30am and 4pm to 9pm (16 December - 15 March) 8am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm (16 March - 15 December)
Montgomery's Private Hotel and YHA Backpackers 9 Argyle Street, Hobart 7000 Reception Hours: 7 am to 10 p Phone: (03) 6231 2660 Email Address: montys@yhatas.org.au
Central City Backpackers 138 Collins Street Hobart TAS 7000 reception is open from 8am till 10pm during summer, and 8 am till 9pm during winter. Phone 1800 811 507
Transit Centre Backpackers 199 Collins Street Hobart TAS 7000 Phone (03) 62312400
New Sydney Hostel 87 Bathurst Street Hobart TAS 7000 Phone (03) 62344516
Ocean Child Hotel Cnr Argyle & Melville Streets Hobart TAS 7000 Phone (03) 62346730
Geeveston Forest House is located in Geeveston near the Hartz Mountains National Park and less than 100km from Hobart. Out of town is the Tahune Forest with many lookouts in the area as well as the Huon River. Work can be found for backpackers during the apple season from this hostel.
Hobart Town Guesthouse 1 Stowell Ave Hobart TAS 7000 Phone (03) 62248331
Roseview YHA Champ Street, Port Arthur 7182 Reception Hours: 8.30 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 8 pm Phone: (03) 6250 2311 Fax: (03) 6250 2311 Email Address: yhatas@yhatas.org.au
Narrara Backpackers 88 Goulburn Street TAS 7000 Phone (03) 62313191
*** Port Arthur
Port Arthur Caravan & Cabin Park Safety Cove Road Port Arthur TAS 7182 (03) 6250 2340
Seaview Lodge Host Farm 732 Nubeena Back Road Port Arthur TAS 7182 Phone (03) 62502766
Eaglehawk Neck Backpackers 94 Old Jetty Road Port Arthur TAS 7182 Phone (03) 62503248
Port Arthur Youth Hostel Safety Cove Road Port Arthur TAS 7182 Phone (03) 62502311
Anderton Accommodation 20 Safety Cove Rd Port Arthur TAS 7182 Phone (03) 62502378
Seaview Lodge Host Farm 732 Nubeena Back Road Port Arthur TAS 7182 Phone (03) 62502766
Eaglehawk Neck Backpackers 94 Old Jetty Road Port Arthur TAS 7182 Phone (03) 62503248
*** Launceston
Backpackers Metro Morris Street , Prospect, Tasmania, Email: metrolaunceston@bigpond.com.
Launceston Backpackers 103 Canning Street, Launceston, TAS 7250 Email: wivells@bigpond.com Phone (03) 63342327
Launceston City Backpackers is now closed.
No.1 Tamar Street Backpackers Hostel 1 Tamar Street Launceston TAS 7250 Phone 03 63 349 288
Irish Murphy's 211 Brisbane Street Launceston TAS 7250 Phone (03) 63314440
Launceston City Youth Hostel 36 Thistle Street Launceston TAS 7250 Phone (03) 63449779
*** Devonport
Tasman House Backpackers 169 Steele Street Devonport TAS 7310 Phone (03) 64232335
YHA MacWright House 115 Middle Road Devonport TAS 7310 Phone Reception Hours: 7 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 10 pm Phone: (03) 6424 5696 Fax: (03) 6424 9952 Email Address: yhatas@yhatas.org.au
Alexander Hotel 78 Formby Road Devonport TAS 7310 Phone (03) 64242252
Formby Hotel 82 Formby Road Devonport TAS 7310 Phone (03) 64241601
Molly Malones Irish Pub 34 Best Street Devonport TAS 7310 Phone (03) 64241898
*** North East Tasmania
Bridport Seaside Lodge Backpackers YHA 47 Main Street, Bridport 7262 Reception Hours: 8am - 10pm Phone: (03) 6356 1585 Fax: (03) 6356 1585 Email Address: seasidelodge@bigpond.com.au
Coles Bay YHA Freycinet National Park, Coles Bay 7215 At all times, advance bookings are essential. Phone YHA State Office for details Phone: (03) 6234 9617
Iluka Backpackers YHA Esplanade, Coles Bay 7215 Reception Hours: 8 am to 6 pm Phone: (03) 6257 0115
Pelican Sands Backpackers 157 Scamander Avenue, Scamander, TAS 7215 Email: info@pelicansandsscamander.com.au
*** North West Tasmania
Cradle Mountain Backpackers YHA Cradle Mountain Rd, Cradle Mountain 7306 Reception Hours: 8 am to 6 pm, May to November 8 am to 8 pm, December to April Phone: (03) 6492 1395
Highview Lodge YHA 8 Blake Street, Deloraine 7304 Reception Hours: 8 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 10 pm Phone: (03) 6362 2996 Email Address: bodach@microtech.com.au
Tasman House Backpackers 114 Tasman Street Devonport, TAS 7310 Email: tasmanhouse@vision.net.au
*** South Tasmania
Nomads Huon Valley Backpackers 4 Sandhill Road, Cradoc, TAS. Telephone:+61 3 6295 1551
Western Australia
cape to cape Transport from Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River and Augusta. The north end is closest to Dunsborough, the south end is closest to Augusta. Transwa goes to Busselton, Margaret River, Augusta, but Greyhound only goes to Augusta. Leaves
Perth Sun-Thu 1230 arrives Busselton 1628, Margaret River 1745, Augusta 1815. Sun to Fri there's a bus also at 0830. Return, there are buses leaving 0830 and 1505 from Augusta.
Transport
transwa routes map. A 10% discount for backpackers VIP/YHA cardholders only by phone 1300 66 22 05.
greyhound routes
easyrider seems like the best option.
Backpacker sites
http://www.backpackerboard.com/
On my list
Nilgaloo reef diving (whale sharks, etc.)
Kakadu NP (NT)
Jatbula (NT)
Pinnacles
Maybes
Windjana Gorge
Kimberley
Sand place from Ken's photo
Everything below...
Transport
http://www.shareyourride.net/travelguide.php?topic=backpacker_cars_in_au...
Tips for car buying
Climate
From
http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Provinces/Western+Australia/Climate
http://www.westernaustralia.com/au/About_Western_Australia/Weather_and_C...
North: Tropical, sunny dry season (April-September) 24C night 34C day, coastal steady temperatures, interior 0C night 40C day. Wet season (October-March) mid to high 30s, humid, heavy rain, thunderstorms.
Central: semi-arid, mostly of deserts.
South: Temperate, Mediterranean climate with warm dry summers average maximum 32C, mild wet winters average maximum 14C. "Perth lies within this zone and the hot summer days are cooled by the strong afternoon sea breeze. Perth has a very low rate of humidity. Winters (June to August) are mild, with the wettest month being July."
Activities
Diving
Ningaloo Reef, Turquoise Bay
Rottnest Island near Perth
Rowley Shoals near Brooome
Windsurfing
Lancelin (1.25 hr north of Perth)
Geraldton (4.5 hr north of Perth)
Margaret River (3 hr south of Perth)
Ningaloo Reef
Dolphins
Bunbury, Rockingham
Ningaloo Reef, swim alongside ancient turtles, graceful mantra rays and docile dugongs, whale shark
Rottnest Island
Sea life
Shoalwater Island Marine Park is a stunning series of limestone islands home to rare seabirds, little penguins and a colony of Australian sea lions
Whales
in September, take a cruise in Dunsborough to see rare blue whales and calves taking refuge in the calm waters of Geographe Bay.
Or head to Albany in October, where whales are usually spotted frolicking and playing in King George Sound
Outback Stations need to check costs
Aboriginal
Dampier Peninsular north of Broome visiting Bardi/Jawi people of Mudnunn Aboriginal Corporation.
Bradshaw paintings up to 60,000 years old in the Kimberley.
Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Committee
Outback
From July to September the rugged goldfields puts on an unrivalled display of wildflowers
Wildlife
Red kangaroos prefer a more arid climate, so visit the State's desert outback regions for a guaranteed sighting
Wildflowers!!!
Parks
Nambung National Park is home of the mystical Pinnacles Desert, where thousands of limestone pillars rise up to three and a half metres tall from the shifting yellow sands.
etc.
Porongurup National Park: wildflowers spring/early summer, granite domes
Aborigines
To learn more about this captivating culture, visit Indigenous interpretive centres in Kings Park, Karijini National Park, Yallingup and Kojonup.
Andrews Recs
Rottnest Island.
Walking part of the Bibbulman.
Maybe the Caper to Cape walk.
Esperance is truly wonderful, but maybe too far away.
Kalgoorlie and then mining towns a bit north are a real eye opener.
Augusta, Pemberton, Walpole, Albany are all nice.
Once here, the obvious is to travel the southwest
(its very nice at this time of year, and is a bit like Galapagos) and then
follow the coast to the north. The Pilbara and Kimberly are quite amazing -
some of the oldest dirt on this planet.
A trip out to Kalgoorlie will give you an indication of what the inland is
like, and that could be a side trip. From Kal, there is a "junction line"
that goes north to Menzies and the Leonora
http://www.capetocapetrack.com.au/pages.asp?code=10
http://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/
Borneo
http://wikitravel.org/en/Mount_Kinabalu cost MYR 465 ~= USD 140 18/08/08
http://www.sabahtravelguide.com/features/default.asp?page=immigration
orangutan help http://www.orangutans.com.au/Orangutan-News/Volunteer-Help-for-BOS-Proje...
USD 40/night * 2 week = USD 1120
kalimantan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimantan
visa multiple USD 155, single 60 day USD 70, arrival 30 day USD 25
http://www.indonesianembassy.org.nz/consular/consular.php
7 week volunteer projects http://www.orangutantrop.com/volunteer/volunteer.html
We run three expeditions of seven weeks between mid-June and mid-November. This is
the dry season and the best time for carrying out research.
GBP 1300 + ~ GBP 5/day * 49 ~= GBP 1550 ~= USD 2896 ~= USD 59 / day 18/08/08
Cambodia
http://www.vannnath.com/media-coverage/
http://fcccambodia.com/newsletter/0707/vann-nath.php
http://www.providence.edu/art/cambodian/v-nhat.html
http://www.btinternet.com/~andy.brouwer/vannnath.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding
China
Things to see if I go back
Yunnan province
Don Ka Lau singing, Gaozeng Dong Village, 9km from Congjiang, in area of Liping/Congjiang/Rongjiang in Guizhou province and Sanjing in Guangxi province
Trains
Kunming http://www.cnvol.com/station-5/en-1257.htm
Pollution
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid...
Less pollution in Yunnan.
China Post http://www.chinapost.com.cn/English/index.htm
Rates for packages http://www.chinapost.cn/yyzn/zifei/guoji/gjkybgzf.htm
EMS (tracking, etc.) http://www.ems.com.cn/english-main.jsp
Universal Postal Union http://www.upu.int/
UPU Customer Guide http://www.upu.int/customs/en/customer_guide.shtml
FRANK'S COMPULSIVE GUIDE TO POSTAL ADDRESSES
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/postal.html#china
Post and phone codes http://www.asia-planet.net/china/travel-tips.htm
Address, Chengdu:
Ari Isaac Halberstadt
Poste Restante
Main International Post Office
Chengdu, Sichuan 610000
CHINA
NYT pollution map
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/08/26/world/asia/choking_on_grow...
Train schedules
http://www.chinaknowledge.com/train/default.aspx
Wikitravel
http://wikitravel.org/en/China
Massage, karst formations, bargaining, among other good info
Karst: Stone Forest (?? shi lin) near Kunming in Yunnan, Guilin
Nikon gear
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CQgj
Places to stay
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/china/beijing/s...
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguide/beijing/fastfacts.htm
Keep turning the pages on the site--has lists of post offices, banks,
telephone info, emergency phone numbers, hospitals, pharmacies, airlines,
etc., etc., including info for tourists. Looks useful.
Wulingyuan -- karst formations
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/travel/15wuling.html
Useful China maps, including what to wear by province
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/map/china_map.htm
Provinces and main cities
http://www.mapsofworld.com/china/china-political-map.html
Provinces to visit
Beijing, Hebei, Nei Mongol, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan
China: Tibet
Xining train schedule
http://cnvol.com/station-9/en-2571.htm
Xining agent recommended on LPTT forums
http://tibetanconnections.com/
Let's just hope signs in China are more readable than this web site: http://zt.tibet.cn/tibetzt/faq/1/2.htm
Tibet train schedule and information
http://www.seat61.com/China.htm
Government website with train schedule
http://www.gov.cn/english/special/2006-06/29/content_322568.htm
India
Visa
Getting a visa in SEA. India does not issue visas to non-residents in Singapore or Vietnam, but does issue them in Bangkok (~5 days) and Malaysia (one week or longer). There's a visa office in Johor Bahru (tel 07- 2223 325), just over the border from Singapore. I called their office and they said it would take 5 days to receive clearance and 4 days to get the visa after that. During the 5 days I could keep my passport with me, but then I have to leave it with them for the 4 days (which means staying in Malaysia during that time). But then, this verbal information differs from that on the FAQ: "On day 1 submit application forms with 2 colored photo, necessary documents and verification fee of RM40/-. (To show the original passport at the counter). On day 5 submit the passport and requisite fee in between 9.30 AM - 12.00 PM and collect the visa in between 4.30 PM and 5.30 PM on the same day." The office is across the causeway from Singapore. Inn Crowd hostel info on getting to Malaysia, which is a simple bus ride away. Malaysia issues 3-month visas on arrival. The application form shows fees of MYR$152, a processing fee of MYR$40, and a service fee of MYR$8, or MYR$200 total, which at today's exchange rate (20081210) is USD$55, which is about half the price of getting the visa in the US.
Visa link in AU: http://www.hcindia-au.org/consular_main.html visas handled by http://www.vfs-in-au.net . The fees table shows $75 for a 6 month tourist visa. Just because the world loves America so much they add a $40 surcharge for us lucky citizens. There's another $18 service charge that gets tacked on for everyone. The total is $75+$40+$18=$133, which at today's (22/9/08) conversion rate is USD$111. In person you can pay in cash or Visa/MC issued in Australia, which means I get to pay in cash. The hours are 0830-1500 Sydney time M-F. There's an office in Perth, so that's probably where I'll get the visa.
Health
Get a damned rabies vaccine so your trip isn't ruined if a crazy monkey or dog gets too friendly. I was not specifically urged to get the preexposure vaccine and really regret it. Damn. Kills about 30,000 Indians a year!
Avoid visceral leishmaniasis. Wow, this disease is nasty. Kills 60,000 Indians a year, second only to Malaria, and has half of the world's annual cases of which the state of Bihar has 90%. You may end up needing daily injections and a month's stay in a hospital, and that's if you're lucky. The disease is resistant to many of the drugs formerly used to treat it. This article switches to the problems caused by lack of a good public health infrastructure and treatments for the poor, who are most affected and least able to afford treatment. The WHO has further information.
General health info
http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/asia/india.html
Yoga
Places to learn yoga in India
https://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=458782
http://kym.org/
http://www.yogamovement.com/forum5/read.php?1,2939
For centres in India :
http://www.srcm.org/srcminfo/servlet/CenterTree?ShowChildren=1&NodeId=9
Getting there from Nepal
Fly Kathmandu->Delhi 1hr (http://www.southwest.com.au/~lockley/Nepal_india.htm)
Overland (Indian-Nepali) (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/nepal/transport)
Sunauli-Bhairawa (Varanasi or Delhi)
Birganj-Raxaul Bazaar (Kolkata)
Kakarbhitta-Panitanki (Darjeeling or Sikkim)
Mahendrenagar-Banbass (Delhi, hills of Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh)
Places to see
From a friend:
Ajanta caves
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves
You will be amazed by these caves....& their paintings. They are well
maintained due to funding from Japan (go figure..)
Dwarka, Gujarat - hindu pilgramage destination in Western tip of India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarka
This is REMOTE and untouched by development, tourists etc. I loved
this place. The temple in Dwarka is right by the water and beautiful.
Alternatively or in addition to Dwarka, I would suggest Jagarnathpuri
in Eastern Tip of India:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagannath_Temple_%28Puri%29
It is also has a pretty Hindu temple that is a pilgramage for Hindus.
The British Raj was not allowed in b/c he was non-hindu and erected a
wall to be able to look over the temple.
Jasilmere, Rajastan OR Ranakpur, Rajastan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaisalmer
Rajastan is the most beautiful state in India and richest in culture.
all its cities are great especially udaipur. But Jaislmere and
Ranakpur have beautiful Jain temples - which are very different from
Hindu temples and they are well kept.
Delhi, India - ok this is my hometown. I love this place...I can give
many more suggestions than this....but here's where I'd suggest first
B'Hai Lotus temple:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1'%C3%AD_House_of_Worship
Lodhi Gardens: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodhi_Gardens
Chandni Chowk MUST eat at "paranthe Wali Gali" - any rickshas driver
can take you there...they feed you fresh indian paranthe in this
little alleyway: Chandni Chowk is where all of my uncles work in the
Sari business and the center of business in Delhi. You can get there
by the METRO and the MAIN STATION is here - it is supposed to be
beautiful
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandni_Chowk
India gate - beautiful area in Delhi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Gate
Lal Kila (Red Fort): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fort
Good south indian food in north india: ;) Sagar Restaurant (Defence
Colony Market)
Good north indian that is in intimate setting : Kasbah (GK part 1, N block)
Want to see modern Indian youth?: Go to Mocha in Greater Kailash
market (which is down the street from my house) and walk around the
market too!.....I grew up in this market pre-western invasion
Indonesia
Ecotourism: can it save the orangutans
http://insideindonesia.org/content/view/862/29/
Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan
Canadian anthropologist Dr Birute Galdikas oversees the non-government Tanjung Puting tours
Andrew recommended: Jog Jakarta; Barabadur
Jurassic Park
by Dennis Walton
Have you ever seen a landscape that made you expect to see a donosaur wandering past? The Bromo Tengger National Park in Java, Indonesia is just such a place.
http://www.earthshots.org/2007/06/jurassic-park-by-dennis-walton/
Japan
Getting around
Car rental http://www2.tocoo.jp/
Japan rail pass
http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en003.html
14-day green 61,200 YEN $504 regular 45,100 YEN $372
A JAPAN RAIL PASS cannot be purchased inside Japan. Purchase an Exchange Order from an authorized sales office or agent before you come to Japan, eg U.S.A. ANA San Francisco 1350 Old Bayshore Highway , Suite 650, Burlingame TEL 1-800-235-9262 (http://www.japanrailpass.net/05/en05_2.html).
Outward Flight
Japanes airports. I need to fly to Beijing (PEK) or Mongolia (ULN). Which airport should I fly out of? Probably not Tokyo (NRT), to which I am flying to from the US. I'm leaning toward a southern tour for two weeks, but haven't fully decided. Once I book the outward flight my route will be set. Need to look through that guidebook some more.
Laos
News
US Embassy in Laos
US State Department
Maps
Trekking, Mountain Biking, Boating in Luang Namtha
http://www.theboatlanding.com/trekking.html
Warnings
FCO Warnings
"In February 2007, there were reports of armed clashes between Lao government forces and unidentified groups north of Vang Vien. You should be particularly vigilant when travelling by road on Route 13 from Vang Vien north through Phou Khoun, to south of Luang Prabang, on Route 7 from Phou Khoun to Phonsavan and on Route 6.
...
You should be aware of the dangers of unexploded ordnance, particularly in Xieng Khouang Province (Plain of Jars), increasingly in Luang Prabang Province (as a result of scrap metal collection) and areas of the Lao-Vietnamese border, which were formerly traversed by the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Mined areas are frequently unmarked. You should therefore not stray off main routes in rural areas.
...
Prospective air travellers should be aware of doubts about the maintenance procedures of internal flights. Travel by Lao Airlines is strongly discouraged except on the ATR 72 aircraft and the Airbus 320. Yuen-7 and Yuen-12 aircraft should be avoided whenever possible. Since 2000, there have been several deaths as a result of domestic air accidents on Yuen-12 aircraft in Laos.
Mongolia
sim coverage
http://travelsimshop.com/roaming_free_cost_sim.php#CoverageMap
weather
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=mongolia
ger to ger http://www.gertoger.org
currency conversion http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/asia/mongolia/currency.htm
How to get there? Coming from Japan, flights in September are >$1000 to go 3000 km! A flight from Japan to Beijing is ~$500-$600, and from Beijing to Ulaan Bator (UB) is another $500, so no help. Other countries are similar (Hong Kong, S. Korea). But, a train, e.g., the trans-siberian, from Beijing to UB is $130 for a 1st class berth, $108 for 2nd (http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm) and takes about 32 hours (http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian-timetable.htm). Information on booking is available, needs to be done weeks in advance to ensure a seat (http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm#specialist%20western%20agency). So, a flight of $500 minus $130 train minus $20 overnight in Beijing between flight and train (if needed) minus 2 days food ($20?) is savings of $330, divided by 32 hours comes to about $10/hr, which is about what I got (officially) paid as a grad student. Could also spend an extra day or two in Beijing if I wanted, besides need time to get ticket and find station. Need a multiple entry visa for China, though, which costs an extra $75 or so. Good thing I looked into this before getting the visa. Another option is go Beijing -> border town Erlianhot, cross by foot, then Mongolian train to UB, see http://users.utu.fi/jpkesk/BJUB.html, but no prices. More options are listed at http://www.scaruffi.com/travel/mongolia.html, including direct, indirect, etc. and prices. For the Beijing->Hohhot->Erlianhot->border->UB route it comes to $61(!) and 32 hr travel time, exclusive of waiting for trains/taxis/buses. So then we have $61 + $75 mutiple entry visa, plus say $30 in misc so total $166, or $500 - $166 = $334 net saving. Not too shabby. So I would need to allow say 4 days total, from when I land from Japan, spend a day in Beijing being confused, 2 days on road, some hours recovering from sitting in planes/trains/busses/taxis, overall should be quite a schlep! Maybe I just want to fly... or maybe I'm a spoiled American???
I also started a thread on this at http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid...
Nepal
Malaria info from CIWEC clinic. Basically, risk is low for most people in Nepal.
CIA World Factbook: Nepal
US Consular travel warning for Nepal
US Embassy in Nepal
Nepal books
Trailblazer Guides
Trekking in the Annapurna Region
Bryn Thomas
ISBN 978-1-873756-68-3
4th edition
Nepal Travel Guide
ISBN: 1740596994
US $24.99
7th Edition / September 2006
Stan Armington et al
Nepali Phrasebook
US $7.99
4th Edition / December 2002
ISBN: 1740591925
Mary-Jo O'Rourke
Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya Guide
US $19.99
8th Edition / October 2001
ISBN: 1864502312
Stan Armington
http://www.yetizone.com/
YetiZone is your independent guidebook to Himalayan trekking in Nepal.
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid...
You MUST take the high trail from Pisang to Ghyaru and Ngawal, NOT the valley floor trail 90% of trekkers use. Best views, best original Bhotia villages, advanced acclimatization (already higher than Manang).
The Trailblazer Guide (sorry LP) and a map purchased at any bookstore in Thamel, Kathmandu are all you need.
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid...
bookstores in thamel.
There's a very good bookstore called Pilgrim's in Thamel. I saw another one the same street as Helena's , but can't remember its name. There are 2 bookshops that I can remember on the main lakeside street in Pokhara.
New Zealand
tongariro links
http://www.i-needtoknow.com/tongariro/links/index.html
bus services
http://www.nzs.com/travel/transportation/bus-services/
volunteer stuff
http://www.volunteer.org.nz/newzealand/ (pay to volunteer? good grief)
http://www.conservationvolunteers.org.nz/
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/oceania/solutions_country/n...
Visa extension
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/visit/
http://www.immigration.govt.nz
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/pointsindicator/
Can you emmigrate to NZ? There's a point system. If you have 140+ points and meet other criteria (good character, knowledge of English, etc.) you are accepted automatically. You get points, among other things, for having experience or degrees in fields in which NZ needs employees, e.g., medical professions and computers, for having an advanced degree or qualification, etc. There are other ways too, like sponsorship, family ties, etc.
Maybe a useful backpacker site
http://backpackerboard.co.nz/
Dental care and typical costs in NZ http://www.emigratenz.org/Dentist.html
Overall 4-6 week itinerary (LP) http://adventures.worldnomads.com/destination/153/itinerary/28.aspx
Costs http://www.backpack-newzealand.com/costs.html
Food $10 self, $15 out
Car $19/day (ace rentals)
Gas $500 bottom to top, more like $750 with side trips (or more)
Sleep $20 bed, $14 tent, $0 camp
Transport $1890
Car $19/day * 60 days = $1140
Gas $750
Sleep $680
30% bed * 60 days = 20 days * $20/day = $400
30% tent * 60 days = 20 days * $14/day = $280
30% camp = $0
Food $750
50% self * 60 days = 30 days * $10 = $300
50% prepared * 60 days = 30 days * $15 = $450
Total $1890 + $680 + $750 = $3320 = $2606 USD
About $1700/month = $1334 USD
Per year $1334 * 12 = 16000
Convert to USD x 0.785
Glow worms!
http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx
It looks like I need an onward ticket to enter NZ. This really sucks since I like flexibility with cities and dates. Bah.
http://www.backpackerboard.co.nz
If I show up to late, http://www.extremebackpackers.co.nz/tongariro_crossing.html can help.
http://www.volunteerabroad.com/NewZealand.cfm
Christchurch climate
http://www.airfaresflights.com.au/Weather/Christchurch
nice graphic min/max/rain
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/longterm/historical/data/ch...
more info, including wind, etc.
http://www.christchurchnz.com/canterbury/Climate/
this one has sunshine!
http://www.rssweather.com/climate/Massachusetts/Boston/
boston climate, my hometown (sort of), for comparison
boston in nov, christchurch in may (more or less the same season)
(from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/longterm/historical/data/ch...
and http://www.rssweather.com/climate/Massachusetts/Boston/)
| City | avg min | avg max | rain |
| Boston | 37.9°F | 51.8°F | 3.98" |
| Christchurch | 41°F | 56°F | 2.6" |
So Christchurch is kind of like Boston, only a little warmer and drier. Other parts of NZ? Well, pick your weather.
NZ climate
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/about-nz/nature/nature-climate-and-weat...
http://www.wildwalks.co.nz/nz_weather.htm
Tramping in winter...without dying.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1567836&tstar...
Summary: A few suggestionsm, asking about June.
Yellow fever vaccine in New Zealand
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1574792&tstart=0
Summary: a couple of clinics listed
Entry in NZ
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1566440&tstar...
Summary: get an onward ticket or airline may not board. (What about AU?)
Winter tramping in New Zealand
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1563076&tstar...
Queen Charlotte Track
Airport
http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/
http://www.azworldairports.com/airports/a2180akl.cfm
(out of date)
Airlines Serving Airport: Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, Air Pacific, Air Tahiti, Air Vanuatu, Airwork, American Airlines Cargo, Ansett Australia, Asian Express Airlines, Atlas Air, i, Z Link, National, tional, iti Nui, ight NZ, Britannia Cargo, British Airways, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, ian Av, DHL Air, Emery Worldwide, EVA Air, Evergreen Int´l, Fedex, Freedom, Garuda Indonesia, er Airlines, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, LAN Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Mandarin, Mexicana, Mountain Air Cargo, fic Airways, Polar Air Cargo, Polynesian, Qantas, as NZ, Royal Tongan, SIA Cargo, Thai Airways, United Airlines
Cheap Flights to New Zealand
http://airfare.bootsnall.com/cheap-flights-to-new-zealand.html
Getting around NZ
Update: I went with a campervan from wicked for $20/day which has worked out great. It's a 1996 Toyota but its odometer only reads 68000+ km, so maybe it rolled over. It is in fine condition, runs great, gets an average of around 8 km/L. Gas here is up to $2.08/L as of 25/05/08, ouch. The only problem is the front cabin light doesn't work and the buzzer (if there ever was one) for the headlights doesn't buzz when you take the key out. This thing is way better for sleeping in than a tent.
My experience on Tasmania: renting a car is the only way to really see the place. This concurs with my experience on the island of Shikoku in Japan. I didn't rent a car either time and missed out on seeing a lot of good things, though I still got to see spectacular places. I plan to do better in NZ.
A discussion of Car Hire in New Zealand. Rental places mentioned include:
The usual car rental companies (Hertz, Avis, etc.)
Ace http://www.acerentalcars.co.nz $19/day for a little car
ARF http://www.hirecar.co.nz/
http://www.backpackercampervans.com
https://http//www.auto-europe.co.uk/contact.cfm
Omega offers YHA vouchers, saving accommodation costs.
Autoeurope (see above) is said to beat ARF and Omega.
There can be a cost associated with drop off different from pick up, but going from the south island to the north (as I plan) and renting for a minimum period, or picking up a different car on the second island, can mitigate this cost.
A reply in another thread, renting or buying a camper van in New Zealand? recommends renting a car instead of a camper van, "NZ is all up and down and around. The vans are underpowered and stick shift. You go nuts with all that shifting and chugging up the hills. The car was FUN to drive in that terrain. It was also a lot cheaper on gas." A car rental is cheaper and there are plenty of accommodation options. The OP ended up getting a campervan from Juicy Lucy because it was cold in a tent in April. I will be there in May/June--even colder. Hmm. I hope my sleeping bag holds up. I may need to get a (cheap) warmer tent.
If I rent from Ace for 52 days, about 7 weeks, this comes to $19 * 52 = $988, plus gas. My credit card should provide insurance for the rental. By camping most days I can avoid the cost of a hostel, which runs about $25. This is in NZD, exchange rate (28/4) is 0.78 to USD, so this is about USD$780, not bad for 7 weeks. Not sure if this tiny car will be enough if the weather turns wintry, or whether I would rather have a camper van. I guess I can always return the car and swap for something beefier if my needs change. The cost would be half this if I can find someone to travel around with, even if only for part of the time. Starting to look like a bargain.
There are clearly many options and it's something I will have to investigate in the first few days in Christchurch. Whatever I choose, I can swap in the middle if things don't work out quite right (too cold, too snowy, etc.)
Singapore
How to travel by train in Singapore & Malaysia
http://www.seat61.com/Malaysia.htm
Camping stores in Singapore
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1703918&tstart=0
South East Asia
Good Causes and Volunteer Opportunities in South-East Asia http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=496031
Thailand
Eco-Tourism & The Community
http://www.ecoventurethailand.com/
Running around the treetops for ~2000 B http://treetopasia.com/
Stuff to see from http://en.allexperts.com/q/Thailand-208/Adventure-photography-travel.htm
5) I find Thailand treks just ok, unless you do your own. There are gorgeous places in Tak province to wander. Outside of Mae Hong Song (ask at Jimmy's Place) there is stunning verdant mountainous terrain. The southern islands are also some of the most beautiful I've seen. I'd highly recommend kayaking from island to island in pretty pristine Ao Nang Marine Reserve off Koh Samui. There are some wild land formations outside of the town of Phrae. And even though it's quite touristed, Koh Phi Phi is beautiful. For less touristed spots go further south, off the west coast near Trang.
Bangkok Internet cafes
http://www.world66.com/asia/southeastasia/thailand/bangkok/cybercafes
Thailand visa
http://www.mfa.go.th/web/12.php
Visa on arrival? Check the list. But nationals from 40 countries are exempt from visa requirement and can just show up, including US, Israel, UK, AU, etc.
Poste Restante in Bangkok
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/message.jspa?messageID=13522784
Mr. Joseph DOAKES
c/o Poste Restante
General Post Office
1156 Charoen Krung Rd. (New Road)
Bangkok 10500 THAILAND
Make sure they underline the family name
Mossie nets in Bangkok
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/message.jspa?messageID=13590527
A Photographer's Guide to Bangkok
http://photo.net/thailand/bangkok
Bangkok prices and shops for digital cameras
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007oot
Fotofile in MBK. www.fotofile.net
Equipment reviews
Thought I'd write up a few opinions about some of my equipment. This will be an ongoing endeavor, there is so much stuff it would take some time.
Clothing
Hat: Tilley Endurables Airflow LTM-6. This is a great hat. I was looking for something that would: protect from sun, keep mild rain off, dry fast, have some ventilation, fit and stay on, be durable, and not be ugly. This meant a wide-brimmed hat made out of a synthetic material with ventilation holes in the top. Amazingly, the only hat I could find that fit this was the Tilley. The hat has a darker underside on the brim to reduce glare. It does everything it promises and I needed and is definitely worth $70. It is very durable and retains its shape. Tilley uses durable nylon and sailmaking techniques to make their hats. The only mistake I made was getting a hat one size too small. The hat shrinks in dry air and expands a bit in humid air. North Carolina, where I sized the hat, is somewhat humid, but Mongolia and high mountains are dry. I end up hauling on the hat to try and stretch it out. People think it looks cool. It sure makes me stand out like a sore thumb. In Mongolia I got the nickname Indiana (as in Indiana Jones). In China I get complements--they think I'm rich. They think that of all Americans. In Thamel (Nepal), they compliment my hat and ask me in for some gem scams. I finally got to hand out one of their "brag tags" to a fellow traveler.
REI Sahara Pants: Great nylon pants. I have two pairs. Worn everyday now, not a sign of wear or holes, quite tuff. Zippers (e.g., on pockets) mostly holding up thought after 6 months of daily use the fly zipper on one pair gave up holding things together and for about a dollar I had a local tailor in Chiang Mai in Thailand sew a new zipper on--she did a really nice job with her Singer sewing machine. The pants dry fast, though the cotton lining of the pockets takes a little longer. They shed stains and dirt when washed and don't hold odor. Look like real flat-front slacks, so you don't look ugly wearing them.
REI Sahara Short-sleeve Shirt: Great nylon shirt. I especially like the zippered+velcro front chest security pocket. Some pilling from rubbing against backpack straps. Dry super fast, fastest of anything I own. My friend said they're ugly. Oh well.
Columbia Titanium short-sleeve shirt: This actually looks nice due to the weave, pattern, and fabric. A nylon blend with something else. Columbia makes great clothing. This was a good price at $40 compared to $65 for other brands at REI. I wear this when I want to look a bit more presentable. Dries fast.
Columbia Titanium shorts: Also great shorts. Nylon. Lots of pockets. Lightweight. Surprisingly hard to find good shorts like these, picked them up in California. Look decent, too.
Smartwool socks: These are the best socks. I had two pair of the short lightweight ones and one crew-height. They are durable, fit the foot great (no stretching out of shape), don't hold odors, dry faster than all-synthetic coolmax socks. I had three more pairs of varying weights and a liner sent to me from the US for my Nepal trek. I actually preferred these in hot weather to the supposedly better coolmax running socks. Smartwool rocks.
Ex-officio underwear: Eighteen dollars for a pair of briefs??? Well, I have 5 of these and they are very comfortable. Worth it. Try to get on sale. Better than the REI knock-offs which were $12.
Western Mountaineering flight series down jacket: Only 10oz, puffy, warm. Not the most durable, but they warn about that on their website. So far holding up.
North Face Diad jacket: About the lightest weight wind/rain jacket I could find. Seems to work good but I don't use it often. Can fit over fleece plus down jacket.
Vasque Breeze GTX boots, 1160g: Nice boots that hurt my feet. Sending home. Lacing system uses nylon web which is lame, but otherwise they look durable enough. Good Vibram soles.
The North Face Jasper Canyon boots, 1370g: I got these the last day I was in the US and left them behind with my cousin. Lo and behold, I needed them after the Vasque started hurting my toes. Have more volume, better ankle support, better lacing system, lighter weight sole than Vasque. These are the most comfortable boots I've owned. I love these things. Unfortunately, just 6 months after I started using them, much of that time spent in a backpack, they started leaking. There I was, standing in some damp grass in Fiordland in NZ wondering why my feet were getting wet. I've sent them in to the local TNF representative, though the boots are discontinued so replacing them could be a problem. My Solomon $6 remainder GTX shoes are still waterproof, but this experience with the TNF has convinced me of the stupidity of using GoreTex and fabric in a boot; the traditional all-leather smooth grain boot is superior. I cannot find a boot that fits me, though, and most of the places in NZ stock too many GoreTex and fabric flimsy things or nubuck leather which makes no sense on a boot.
Backpack gear
Osprey Aether 70 L: This is a great backpack. Best I've owned. Really good hip-belt, which I had molded to my hip bones at REI. Holds everything, carries the weight. Suspension not nearly as good as old Arcflex Terraplane, but made up for by better hip-belt. Has sleeping bag compartment, water pouch, top lid (detachable, not that I do that). Replaced top draw cord with plastic-coated steel cable that I cinch tight and lock for security. The sternum-strap is about 3-5 cm too short so I had a tailor attach an additional longer strap. Osprey made the sleeping-pad straps detachable in the 2008 model, which may or may not be a good thing (they are now something that can be easily lost from the pack).
Western mountaineering sleeping bag: I have two bags by them, a 10+ year old lightweight 2 season down bag (maybe the summerlite?) and a new Apache SMF 15F/-10C bag. The lightweight one wasn't warm enough for Mongolia in September or Wutai Shan in October, and certainly not for Nepal in November, so I had the puffy Apache sent over. The Apache is great. I wasn't cold once in Annapurna, it is just a wonderfully warm puffy sleeping bag. Did I say I love this thing? Knowing you'd never be cold when going to sleep is wonderful. I usually used it with a thin silk sleeping liner, if nothing else to keep it clean, and when it was cold wore thermals so I wouldn't freeze when waking up to pee. I used it until the end in India, when I sent it home in anticipation of warm weather in SEA.
Misc Camping Gear
MSR Pocket Rocket stove: A tiny little canister fuel stove. Took about 5-6 minutes to boil 1/2 L of cold water (~5C?) burning an isoproprane/butane/propane mix. Main advantage is it is only about 100 g. Curt Peterson ran detailed tests of the burn time and fuel consumption and found it could raise 480 ml (2 cups) of water from 15.6 C (60 F) to 98.9 C (210 F) in 1.5 to 5.5 minutes, depending on fuel remaining in cartridge, with fuel at least initially at room temperature. How much energy is the stove transferring to the water? Wikipedia Calorie, "The small calorie, gram calorie, or calorie (symbol: cal) is the amount of heat (energy) required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1 °C", and one calorie is equal to 4.184 J. In Peterson's tests, the temperature of 480 mL of water was raised by 98.9 C - 15.6 C = 83.3 C, or 480 mL * 83.3 C * 4.184 = 167 kJ. In my estimate, I raised the temperature of 500 mL H20 by 95 C, or 198 kJ. Peterson found the stove used about 0.24 oz per test, or 7.1 g of fuel.
Gerber Tempo LED flashlight: Picked this up on a whim at REI. Love this baby. Runs on one AAA battery, plenty bright for usual things. I always have this in my pocket. I was using it all the time in Mogolia, lending it to the driver, tour assistant, fellow travelers. Always on me, so when night fell it was right there. I added a clip salvaged from another cheapo LED light, it clips onto my belt loop which is great for calls of nature (so you don't a: step in poo or b: pee on your shoes).
Princeton Tec H20 headlamp: I got this a few years ago. It has a 1W white LED with three brightness settings: blinding, bright, and useful, as well as a blink setting. It is water resistant to (I think) 3 meters. Runs on 3xAAA batteries. It is really good. I use it at the low setting, which they rate at 60 hours on a set of alkaline batteries, and it certainly does last a long time. I only use the bright setting when I'm trying to find something in the dark, like the toilet.
MSR MIOX: Electronic water purifier. Small. No more iodine taste, no more thyroid issues from iodine, and it kills cryptosporidium. Take that, iodine. Take that, bulky filters. I carry extra batteries and plenty of salt. I also carry a sealed bottle of Potable Aqua iodine tablets as a backup. I used the MIOX in Nepal. It got lot of curious interest, I demonstrated its use often. I hope it worked. Sometimes the batteries didn't make good contact and I had to pop it open, so that's something MIOX could improve. It usually needed more than the specified treatment (1.5 to 2x times), but that depends on what else is in the water being treated. I wish it had 1.5 L and 3 L settings in addition to the 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 L.
Medical gear
REI Trail 1st aid kit: I can't remember what came in this kit. It had gloves and scissors. Most importantly, it came with the AMK 1st aid manual. This little book is very good (to my untrained eye). I followed what it said to the letter for a bout of travelers diarrhea and did well; the advice is more sound than some other sources (like LP guide books, Internet, fellow travelers). The case for the kit, a nice nylon bag, is also very useful and I have stuffed it full of other 1st aid goodies.
Costco: I had to fill 1 year's worth of prescriptions. Cosco has some of the lowest drug prices (just Google the topic, it's amazing what a rip-off most pharmacies are). You don't need to be a member to use the pharmacy. I got mine filled in the San Francisco Cosco. They were helpful and filled the Rx correctly, but there was a delay due to the switchover from my BCBS plan to Cobra benefits which meant I had to go back several times before discovering that I had to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed later (not Cosco's fault, just the usual insurance hastle).
Project Rudy Horus sunglasses: Very good sunglasses, good coverage, comfortable, reasonably fashionable (depending on model). Excellent adjustable nosepiece. I searched high and low for wrap-around glasses that could take my relatively high prescription coupled with astigmatism. I went to several shops and even though they carried Project Rudy glasses they didn't offer to order the lenses from the factory. This meant that they wanted to put an ugly insert that would bash into my eyelashes. Fortunately, my last stop was at Newton Wellesley optical shop, where they had the Rydon and Horus models. The Rydon is cooler looking, but I was concerned that the thick lenses I needed would come into contact with my lashes, so I ordered the Horus. It took 3 weeks to get them from the factory, by which time I was in Japan, so they mailed them to my mom who mailed them to me in Japan. I picked up a string to hold them onto my face. I guard these: too much trouble to replace and essential for Annapurna trekking.
Barry Bent, orthotic specialist, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston: This guy is a genius when it comes to foot orthotics. He made me a pair years ago, probably saving me from needing surgery to excise my broken sesamoid bones. Not only that, but wearing these things my feet don't hurt like they once did. I had him make me a new pair, in preparation for this trip, when my old ones wore out. They're thicker than regular insoles so I need roomy shoes, but otherwise they're wonderful and very durable. I'm totally paranoid whenever I take off my shoes at temples, etc.: I can replace shoes, but I'd have to go back to Boston to replace these orthotics. I have a spare pair that were made in North Carolina, also pretty good, but not nearly as good as Barry's. Maybe I'll make him a nice print from my trip as a thank you when I get back, he certainly deserves it!
Camera gear
Nikon D200: Good camera. Biggest drawbacks: heavy, can only shoot 350-550 pictures per charge, viewfinder not 100%, some problems with getting correct white-balance, sensor 1.5x factor. Turn off image review to extend battery life. Use white or grey card for white balance. A photojournalist I met pointed out that Nikon adds noise to their shutter release! What a bonheaded thing! In comparison, the new Canon D400 is so quiet. I wish I could turn off the extra noise, how stupid.
Nikon 18-200VR lens: Good lens. Bad lens. Convenient. No lens changing. Heavy. Shoot at f8 for max sharpness. Slow, but VR is good. No wide-aperture for soft backgrounds. Did I mention it was heavy? It also up and died on me, first AF and next VR. The interior is coated with dust and dirt. I sent it back to Nikon in the US to be fixed after having two new lenses shipped to me (see below).
Nikon 18-55 and 55-200 VR lenses: These are the cheap consumer lenses for the DX format. They're light and together cost about US$440. These replace my broken 18-200 VR lens. I bought them from B+H and had them shipped from the US to NZ since buying in NZ would have cost much more than the cost of shipping. They have a plastic mount. The focus ring on the 55-200 is tiny and way up front. The 18-55 is not internal focusing. They take a small 52mm screw-on filter, so at least that is good. To use in MF need to flip a switch. There is no "active" VR mode as on the 18-200, and I don't know if these lenses use the improved VR II. There's no macro capability. The 18-55 did not include a lens hood. Haven't had a chance to use them much yet.
Nikon VR/ISO: Nikon should have a tripod-mount detect switch that disables VR. Should have auto-VR that enables VR if shutter speed too slow. Should have auto-ISO based on shutter speed. Shutter speed settable as function of focal length. Not hard to program.
Nikon 35mm f2: Ok lens. Should also have 50mm f1.8, which I left at home due to weight but which I later had shipped to me.
Nikon 50mm f1.8: Ok for portraits. Small and light.
Nikon SB800 flash: Nikon makes a nice flash system. You can even have it controlled off-camera. Really a nice gizmo. But even with lithium batteries it is heavy and I hardly ever use it. Even when using it I prefer available light. I shipped it home from Thailand to save weight and have one less expensive thing to worry about.
Canon 800 IS: A small P+S digital. I got this to supplement my Nikon. Best high-ISO noise performance of all the P+S cameras I checked at B+H. I almost never use it except sometimes (rarely) to make videos. There's an underwater housing available for $170, maybe I could do some underwater photography? I shipped it home for my mom to use, haven't missed it.
Slik 604cf: Light carbon fiber tripod ~750g without center column. Great thing. Sturdy and stiff for its weight. Feisol makes one that weighs the same but claims can handle twice the load. After a year of occasional use and exposure to wet conditions the nylon parts that lock the legs are not as effective. Every once in a while I take it apart to clean out the insides.
Adorama Flashpoint F-1 ballhead: Yes, this is the best compact lightweight ballhead out there. Comes with a mounting clamp. Has panning head, friction control in main knob. The clamp leaves something to be desired, but the mounting screw was non-standard so could not attach my better Kirk plate (which also had a bubble level built in). Panning a bit rough but ok. Replaced my not-as-good and more expensive Benbo head. The spring-loaded safety pin is annoying. The specs give its weight as 11.6 oz, about 330 g, but this includes a QR plate and clamp, which if bought separately would weigh about 150 g (estimated) so the ballhead alone weighs about 180 g which is reasonably competitive with other offerings. Here's the review I put on Adorama's web site: "I got this head for a world trip. I wanted a light and compact ballhead with a panning base that could hold my D200 + 18-200 lens, about 1.5 kg. I searched the Internet and visited BH Photo Video and Adorama. There are many small tripod ballheads, but none met my criteria. Some are heavy and/or expensive or overkill. Others are flimsy or lack the features I wanted. I even ordered another ballhead, but it used grease and plastic in its mechanism. On my last visit, I quite stumbled upon this little wonder of a ballhead at the Adorama store. It even includes a QR plate, something that could have saved me the money I spent on a separate Kirk plate. It locks down well, uses no grease, and is sturdy enough. The panning base is not the smoothest and the ballhead is not as silky as some others, but these are minor drawbacks given my use for it. The biggest problem is the QR clamp. You have to be careful to fit the QR plate properly (I use a Kirk plate), otherwise it won't lock securely, and the safety pin is a bit annoying. I tried swapping the QR clamp for my Kirk clamp, which is much better, but the ballhead uses a different kind of mounting screw and the two were not compatible. Overall, I have been pleased with this little ballhead: the price is right, it's sturdy enough to hold my camera, and its weight and size are just what I was looking for."
Kirk mount plate for D200: Works good. Usually attached to the camera.
RRS MPR CL nodal slide: Good for panoramas, weighs ~100g. I sent this home from Thailand since I hardly ever was using it.
Novoflex panning base: Good for panoramas, weighs ~150g, which was the lightest panning base I could find. Main reason I have this is to use the bubble level to level the tripod, otherwise I could save 150g if they built a bubble level into the tripod. I lost the lock screw but emailed Novoflex and they'll send me a replacement for free (very nice of them!) I sent this home from Thailand since I hardly ever was using it.
Tamrac zoom bag: This is ancient. I got it used 10 years ago in Santa Fe. It looks like crap. It's starting to rip. People look at it and go "oh, why do you have such an ugly old bag?" Because it's light, fits my camera, and is cheap (I already own it). I like the Tamrac Velocity series, but left mine (#7) at home since it weighed 560 g. I'd like a bag with a quick on/off system for a backpack hipbelt with shoulder strap and that fits my lens and minimal accessories, but I haven't found one yet. Maybe one of the Lowepro bags. I tossed it in the trash at a hostel in Melbourne, RIP.
Lowepro Nova Mini AW: Found this in a camera shop in Melbourne. It had the best fit for my D200, 18-200 and 50 1.8 lenses along with a few accessories. Also has a rain cover which is handy. I don't like the shape, which juts out too much, compared to my old Tamrac. With the tripod plate attached the D200 barely fits in the case. It can hold my D200 with the new 55-200 VR lens with the 18-55 VR lens in the bag and the 50 1.8 lens in the front pocket, but it is a tight squeeze and it doesn't work if the 18-55 is attached to the camera.
Electronics
USB card reader: Picked this up in Japan for about $10. Very useful, really necessary to read my CF and SD cards. Faster than the readers they have in India.
Plextor 608CU portable DVD burner: This was good when a: I could get it to work with a random computer; b: it was working. A lot of computers couldn't figure out this drive, either their USB sucked or whatnot. Then it stopped working with a "Cypress AT2LP RC58", which is the USB controller for the drive. Plextor said they'd replace it under warranty, so it's going back to the US for service. It burns at 8x, which is a bit tedious (25 minutes for a DVD). True to their word, Plextor replaced it with a new burner, but it's sitting at home with my mom as plenty of Internet shops have DVD burners.
Multi-charger: I hacked the 5V 1A adapter that came with the Plextor, soldered on a common plug and made small plugs for my cell phone (mini-USB), Plextor drive, and Hyperdrive portable disk drive. Works great and I only have to carry one adapter. I also managed to burn my fingers with the soldering iron, but they're feeling much better now. The home-made plug broke, though, and anyway I only needed a mini-USB plug, so I twisted that on and wrapped it in cellophane in a hotel room in India.
Sanho Hyperdrive SPACE disk drive with Seagate 120GB disk: Copies directly from CF cards and runs on rechargeable battery. Has a basic LCD display that can show status and list files but not display images. Works so-so. The copy function works well and it can browse the disk and a card. Files can be deleted from the disk but not from a card, but can be copied in reverse from the disk to a card. The device is too flimsy for its intended portability. The disk worked loose several times. The disk should be attached with screws, but it is just plugged in to the min-IDE plug. After the second time the drive worked loose I cut a foam earplug in half and shoved it between the battery and the disk. It still managed to work loose again, though less often than without the modification. The screws for the case are too small and cannot be securely tightened. They attach to little bolts. The bolts are not well attached and I lost one along with its tiny screw, so the case is held together now with just 3 screws. I put tape over the screws to help keep them from working loose. There are 5 membrane switches on the front. The one in the lower-right (with a square symbol) malfunctions now about 75% of the time, operating as if the button above it (with a triangle symbol) were pressed. I am very under-impressed by the durability of the case given that it was obvious from its design that this device was going to be used in the field. Finally, when attached to a PC in USB mode it will start up fine and the computer will usually recognize it. However, if a series of intensive write access is done, the disk will usually stop responding to the computer with a small "w" icon appearing in the upper right of the disk's LCD display. Sometimes a computer will not recognize the disk, in which case plugging it into one of the rear USB jacks usually resolves the problem, though the loss of connectivity on write failure remains. I find having a portable disk that can copy CF cards directly a reassuring method to keep backups of files. The Sanho HyperDrive, while working well at copying the files, is not well constructed and has some problems.
Software
Drupal and Gallery2: Just great website software. I use them for my site. It's a bit slow because of the webhost, not the software, which is really easy to manage and does just about everything I want. Has a lively community.
Portableapps: these are total winners. Firefox, Gimp, 7-zip, Clamwin, Notepad, Sumatra, Command Prompt, Putty, WinSCP, etc. Put on flash drive and I can have my environment anywhere. The only program that gives me problems is Toucan, for which I found an alternative.
Skype: Ditto. Installs to a folder and goes. Talk on Skypeout for a bit more than $US0.02 per minute.
DeepBurner: Burn DVDs. Free, portable, very nice. Unnecessary most places since if they have a DVD burner they have some kind of software, usually Nero, which though it has a terrible user interface at least gets the job done.
Allway Sync 'n Go: Free, portable file synchronization software. Window's copy (drag-and-drop in Explorer) just doesn't work for large folders, especially where some files may have a problem. You need something that will recover from errors and keep on going until all the files are copied. This is a simple program and it gets the job done.
FastImageResizer: Simple image resizing for web.
SetNameToTime Finally, a program that reads EXIF data and lets me rename my files to the date and time. Nice and fast. Can even add a time offset, in case I wanted to adjust to local time. I only wish a counter would be automatically appended if there is already a file with the same name in the folder, otherwise it looks like the program might trash an existing file. I append the last four digits of the original file name, which will eliminate any conflicts and lets me find the original file if necessary.
JAlbum: Most internet cafes don't have Java installed so this is useless. Bloated and overkill for my needs.
Gimp: If I could get it to open NEF raw files it would be a bit more useful (UFRaw not working for me).
Peazip: Good alternative to 7-zip.
coLinux: I wonder if there's a portable version?
Financial
Thai Bhat rates at Bangok Bank, approximately standard conversion rates (give or take).Some convenient financial information.
Preparation
The section describes the planning process for my trip (what I am doing at the moment).
When going on a complex trip, you need to:
decide when and where you're going
decide on the types of activities you are likely to engage in
understand the climate
understand any medical risks
Then, you need to take the following actions:
arrange finances (have enough saved up or work as you go)
select and acquire suitable equipment (depends on activities, climate, etc.)
prepare for medical risks (vaccinations, medications)
prepare for financial risks (medical, property insurance)
prepare legal, property, and financial matters (car, home, will, taxes, pets, bill payment, etc.)
get travel documents (passport, visas, driving permit, etc.)
arrange transport (at least to get you started)
That seems like most of what goes into this sort of thing. I'm sure I left something out.
Itinerary
To plan my itinerary, I sort of decided on regions of the world and countries that would be interesting to visit. Then, I planned the route both geographically and based on the climate, with the intent of minimizing weather extremes (cold, heat, humidity, rain), minimizing flights, and maximizing interesting places. Geography is ascertained with a map. Climate took more work.
Guidebooks provide some climate information, but I wanted a more automatic and general solution. The food and agriculture organization of the United Nations provides the Local Monthly Climate Estimator (LocClim) service. This service takes the coordinates of a location (latitude, longitude, altitude) and computes approximate climate (temperature, rainfall, vapor pressure) by interpolating from neighboring weather stations. I used the locations of capital cities, since these were easy to find online. Regional cities could also be used where significant variation is expected (e.g., India, China).
The comfort of a climate can be succinctly described with a heat index (HI), which describes the apparent temperature, taking into consideration the relative humidity. The heat index is proportional to humidity and can be computed from the relative humidity and temperature. The LocClim service provides temperature and vapor pressure data, so the first task is converting vapor pressure to relative humidity, which is just the vapor pressure divided by the saturation vapor pressure at a given temperature. There are various equations for computing the saturation vapor pressure, I used one of the simplest six order polynomial (Flatau et. al.,1992). The heat index uses an equation from Steadman, R.G., 1979. Next, I arbitrarily defined cutoff points for comfortable weather at a given heat index. I considered a HI of <5C or >=31C to be uncomfortable.
I used a spreadsheet where I could enter different country names with a trip start date and duration for each country. The year was divided into weeks with a visual indication of whether I would be in the country, using color to indicate the best times to visit (based on climate), and whether I was in each country during these times. This made it easy to play around with the order of visitation and length of stay in each country.
This approach provided the general outline for my trip. All the dates are flexible. I will only be booking the first three flight segments (NY->SF->Tokyo->Ulaanbattaar). I can skip countries, stay longer in others (subject to visa requirements), etc. I am not wedded to this itinerary, rather, it serves as a general guide. I am currently researching more specific interests and sites within each country, using the usual sources: guidebooks, other books, the Internet. I would like to provide a nice Google Earth route, but Google Earth's route tracing tools are not very convenient to use.
Countries
Detailed country list.
| country | weeks | days | enter | leave | day | world region | internal region |
| japan | 2 | 14 | 08/15/07 | 08/29/07 | 14 | far east | |
| mongolia | 3 | 21 | 08/29/07 | 09/19/07 | 35 | far east | |
| china | 3 | 21 | 09/19/07 | 10/10/07 | 56 | far east | |
| china | 2 | 14 | 10/10/07 | 10/24/07 | 70 | far east | tibet |
| nepal | 4 | 28 | 10/24/07 | 11/21/07 | 98 | himalaya | |
| india | 6 | 42 | 11/21/07 | 01/02/08 | 140 | india | |
| taiwan | 0 | 0 | 01/02/08 | 01/02/08 | 140 | far east | |
| cambodia | 2 | 14 | 01/02/08 | 01/16/08 | 154 | sea | |
| vietnam | 2 | 14 | 01/16/08 | 01/30/08 | 168 | sea | |
| philippines | 2 | 14 | 02/13/08 | 02/27/08 | 196 | sea | |
| indonesia | 3 | 21 | 02/27/08 | 03/19/08 | 217 | sea | |
| australia | 2 | 14 | 03/19/08 | 04/02/08 | 231 | australasia | |
| new zealand | 3 | 21 | 04/02/08 | 04/23/08 | 252 | australasia | |
| australia | 1 | 7 | 04/23/08 | 04/30/08 | 259 | australasia | |
| turkey | 2 | 14 | 04/30/08 | 05/14/08 | 273 | mideast | |
| israel | 1 | 7 | 05/14/08 | 05/21/08 | 280 | mideast | |
| egypt | 2 | 14 | 05/21/08 | 06/04/08 | 294 | mideast | |
| morrocco | 2 | 14 | 06/04/08 | 06/18/08 | 308 | north africa | |
| senegal | 2 | 14 | 06/18/08 | 07/02/08 | 322 | africa | |
| tanzania | 3 | 21 | 07/02/08 | 07/23/08 | 343 | africa | |
| south africa | 2 | 14 | 07/23/08 | 08/06/08 | 357 | africa | |
| argentina | 2 | 14 | 08/06/08 | 08/20/08 | 371 | south america | |
| peru | 3 | 21 | 08/20/08 | 09/10/08 | 392 | south america | |
| ecuador | 2 | 14 | 09/10/08 | 09/24/08 | 406 | south america |
Equipment
This is my list of equipment for my round the world trip. There's a detailed item list, including weights for each item, and a summary of each of the main categories (e.g., camera, clothing, etc.). I am still adjusting the list prior to my departure. The main items list contains all of the items I think I will need for any segment of the trip. From this, sublists can be compiled, such as for colder climates (Mongolia, Nepal), trekking (Nepal), and camping (AU/NZ). For the summary list, I distinguish between gear carried on my back, which weighs about 17 kg (37 lbs) for the cooler climates, and the gear that is worn (boots, 1 pair pants, etc.). The trekking list saves about 10 lbs by leaving some of the equipment behind, such as camera gear that I won't need on the trail. My choice of backpack was restricted given that I need to carry about 20 kg (40+ lbs). The ultralight backpacks, weighing about 2 pounds, do not have sufficient suspension or good enough hip belts. The best backpack I could find was the Osprey Aether 60L. There is also a women's model and a 70L version that weighs almost an extra pound.
My backpack weight would not be so bad if it weren't for the camera equipment, which comes to 5.3 kg (12 lbs). This is a pretty minimal configuration with one SLR (Nikon D200), two lenses (18-200VR and 50mm f1.4), data storage, tripod, and point-and-shoot backup camera. The biggest contributor to weight after the camera and lenses is the tripod at ~1.3 kg, and this is about the lightest carbon fiber tripod and ballhead I could find and still get a reasonably stiff tripod with a panning ballhead.
Some equipment I will have mailed to me and will mail home when it is no longer needed. For instance, my prescription diving goggles will only be useful when I get to countries where I will be diving (e.g., Thailand, AU). The cold weather clothing can be mailed home once I leave northern India. The camping gear (tent, stove) will be used in AU/NZ, and some of the cooler weather clothing as well in NZ. The United States Postal Service will mail packages for about $30. At least, this is the plan to help reduce the weight I have to carry.
I will be carrying at least 42 GB of CompactFlash memory for my camera. This will allow me to travel lighter and to be less dependent on Internet cafés for backing up my images. Each image takes about 10MB (compressed RAW), and I estimate an average of 150 images per day, so 42 GB gives me a month of shooting before I have to clear out space. I will have a portable 120 GB hard drive in a HyperDrive SPACE to backup my memory cards; this can copy up to 100GB on a single charge. I will use a portable DVD burner at Internet cafés to burn DVDs of my images and mail them home. Once the DVD is burned, I can clear out the CF card, and still have a backup on the disk drive. When the DVD is received at home and backed up, then the disk space can be reclaimed if necessary. I may increase the number and carrying to 64 GB. CompactFlash memory is running about $10/GB with rebates from Kensington, so 64 GB will cost about $US640. Originally, I was going to carry two disk drive units for redundancy, but each one weighs 250g, so I will make do with only one.
My medical kit is quite heavy at ~800g, excluding malaria prevention and personal prescriptions. I've looked at the item list and cannot really figure out a way to make this a smaller kit. Part of the problem is carrying various liquids, creams, and pills (eye drops, benadryl, immodium, etc.), sterile needles and suture, etc. The quality of medications in many of the countries I will be traveling is not reliable, so I do need to provide my own supply. From personal experience, when one is injured or suffering from some kind of rash or infection, running out to a pharmacy is about the last thing one wants to do. In the US, though, it is a trivial matter. In a foreign country, it may be the middle of the night, I won't know where a pharmacy is, the nearest pharmacy could easily be quite a distance if I'm in a rural area or on a trek, and then I will have to figure out what to buy. At best, anyway, perhaps I could reduce the weight by 1/2, which would save 400g, (~ 1lb, ~2.5% of my carry weight). So, I guess I will just have to deal with it.
Item list
Comprehensive list of everything I plan on taking. Subject to revision up to departure (and beyond).
| category | subcategory | item | mfr | product | weight | have | need | everything | daily (cold) | daily (warm) | urban (warm) | camping | trek | minimal | summer backpack | cold only? | trek only? | sport only? |
| camera | accessory | eyepiece cover | Nikon | eyepiece cover | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | accessory | gray card | Generic | grey card | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camera | accessory | hot shoe level | Generic | 2 Axis Flash Hot Shoe Bubble Level | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camera | bag | camera case | optech | D-SLR Soft Pouch (7401094) | 136 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| camera | bag | dessicant | Generic | Dessicant | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| camera | body | point&shoot camera | ? | point&shoot (camera ~150g, charger ~100g, case ~50g?) | 300 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | body | SLR (Nikon D200) | Nikon | D200 | 830 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| camera | filter | 52 mm clear filter | Nikon | NC 58 mm filter | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camera | filter | 72 mm clear filter | Nikon | NC 72 mm filter | 70 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| camera | filter | polarizer | B+W | B+W 77mm kaesemann MRC SLIM Circular Polarizer | 84 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| camera | filter | step-up ring 58->77 | step-up ring 58->77 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| camera | filter | step-up ring 72->77 | step-up ring 72->77 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| camera | lens | 18-200mm zoom lens | Nikon | 18-200 3.5-5.6 Vr 72o | 560 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| camera | lens | 50mm lens | Nikon | 50mm f1.4 58o | 222 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camera | light | external flash | Nikon | SB800 | 350 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camera | light | flash diffuser | Nikon | flash diffuser, | 45 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | light | Nikon | tripod mount for flash | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| camera | maintenance | air bulb | Generic | air bulb | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| camera | maintenance | lens liquid | ROR | residual oil remover | 40 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| camera | maintenance | microfiber cloth | Pentax | microfiber cloth | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
| camera | maintenance | sensor cleaner | Copper Hill Images | sensor cleaning kit for nikon | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| camera | power | battery charger | Nikon | MH-18a Quick Charger | 75 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| camera | power | camera battery | Nikon | EN-El3e LiIon 7.4v/1500mah | 75 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| camera | power | lithium AA batteries | Energizer | AA Battery lithium L91 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| camera | power | usb cable for dvd drive | Plextor | USB-power cord for PX-608CU | 26 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | storage | card reader | card reader | 50 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| camera | storage | disk drive | Sanho | Hyperdrive SPACE (case only) | 150 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | storage | dvd drive | Plextor | PX-608CU | 239 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | storage | DVD software | SilentNight | Micro Burner | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | storage | hard disk | Seagate | Momentus 5400.3 ST9120822A 120GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" HD | 100 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | storage | memory card | various | CF card | 4 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | |||
| camera | storage | recovery software | PhotoRescue | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| camera | tripod | carbon fiber tripod | Silk | Slik Pro 614 CF Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs, 4-Section - Supports 6.6 lb (3 kg) | 790 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| camera | tripod | quick-release clamp | Kirk | QRC 2 QR clamp | 91 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camera | tripod | tabletop tripod | Bogen | 3007 tabletop tripod | 100 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camera | tripod | tripod head | Benbo | Benbo Compact Ball & Socket Tripod Head with Revolving Base | 227 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camera | tripod | tripod plate | Kirk | QR Plate for Nikon D200 without the MB-D200 | 90 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| camping | cooking | fuel canister | msr | 150 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| camping | cooking | matches | waterproof | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| camping | cooking | pot | msr | titan kettle (.85L) or cheaper equivalent | 118 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| camping | cooking | pot scrubber | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| camping | cooking | stove | msr | esbit? msr pocket rocket? superfly? | 142 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| camping | cooking | utensils | lexan utensils | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| camping | sleeping | sleeping pad | ridge rest | full length | 430 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| camping | sleeping | tent | tarptent | contrail | 695 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| camping | rope | generic | nylon cord | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| clothing | pants | pants | REI Adventures Pants DK GRAPHITE | 300 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| clothing | pants | zip leg pants | rei | sahara | 373 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| clothing | rain | rain jacket | tnf | diad jacket | 228 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| clothing | rain | short gaiters | 110 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| clothing | rain | umbrella | 215 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| clothing | shirt | longsleeve shirt | columbia | Silver Ridge Long-Sleeve Shirt | 278 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| clothing | shirt | short sleeve shirt | rei | sahara, tan | 231 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| clothing | shirt | t-shirts | quick drying but not smelly or plain coton | 200 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| clothing | socks | hiking socks | Thorlo CoolMax Light Hiker Socks | 103 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| clothing | socks | liner socks | Fox River X-Static Liner Socks | 29 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| clothing | socks | socks | 45 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
| clothing | sun | widebrimmed sun hat | tilley | ltm6 | 96 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| clothing | underwear | underwear | ex officio | briefs | 61 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |||
| clothing | warm | down vest or jacket | westernmountaineering | flight series vest | 156 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| clothing | warm | fleece jacket | rei | woodland fleece jacket | 350 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| clothing | warm | warm gloves | ? | windblock? | 50 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| clothing | warm | warm hat | rei | windblock | 54 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| clothing | warm | warm underpants | mec | warm long johns/pants | 200 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| clothing | warm | warm undershirt | warm undershirt (e.g., capilene) | 200 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| clothing | bandanna | Buff Wear | 36 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| documents | financial | ATM card | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| documents | financial | cash | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| documents | financial | credit cards | amex, visa, mc | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||
| documents | financial | insurance policies | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| documents | financial | insured items | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| documents | financial | traveler's checks | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| documents | identification | customs declaration | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| documents | identification | intl. driver's license | 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| documents | identification | passport | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| documents | identification | passport pictures | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| documents | identification | US driver's license | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| documents | medical | prescription | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| documents | medical | vaccination certificate | yellow fever vac. certificate | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| documents | personal | contacts list | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| documents | decoy wallet | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| electronics | phone | phone | motorola | v190 | 100 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| electronics | phone | sim card | telestial? | explorer | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| electronics | power | plug adapter | local plug adapter/splitter | 15 | 1 | -1 | ||||||||||||
| electronics | power | power adapter | Mobi Product | World USB Charger + Plug Adapter | 85 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| electronics | power | sanho | car usb power adapter | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| electronics | MP3 player/radio | sandisk sansa c250 + usb cable | 81 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| electronics | usb cable | plextor | usb cable for dvd burner, disk, camera, phone, etc. | 39 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| electronics | wristwatch | casio | SPORT WATCH # AQ160W-1BV | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| ers | repair | duct tape | 29 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| ers | repair | eyeglass repair kit | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| ers | repair | small screw drivers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| ers | survival | matches | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| ers | survival | survival kit | amk/self | thread, needle, string, wire, fishhooks, tinder, fire starter (all in film canister) | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| ers | water | iodine tablets | pharmacal | potable aqua tablets | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| ers | water | miox water purifier | miox | MSR MIOX Water Purifier | 100 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| ers | water | salt for miox | miox | MSR MIOX Water Purifier salt | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| ers | water | test strips for miox | miox | MSR MIOX Water Purifier test strips | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| ers | water | spare batteries for miox | batteries | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
| first aid | allergy eyedrops | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | anesthetic lozenges | pyclonine 3mg () | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |||||
| first aid | antacids | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | ||||||
| first aid | antibiotic cream | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | antibiotics | cipro | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | |||||
| first aid | anti-diarrheal | loperamide 5mg (imodium) | 0 | 24 | 0 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | |||||
| first aid | antifungal liquid | lamisil | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| first aid | anti-histamine | diphenhydramine 25mg (benadryl) | 0 | 24 | 0 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | |||||
| first aid | antihistamine cream | diphenhydramine 2% (benadryl) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| first aid | antiinflammatory cream | cortisone cream 1% | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| first aid | bandaids | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | ||||||
| first aid | steristrips | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | ||||||
| first aid | cleaning pads | iodine wipes | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |||||
| first aid | combine pad 5x9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | cpr barrier | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | decongestant | pseudoephedrine 30mg (sudafed) | 0 | 24 | 0 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | |||||
| first aid | digital thermometer | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | eye antibiotic | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| first aid | fabric roll 2" | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | gauze pad 2x3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| first aid | gauze pad 3x4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| first aid | gauze pad 4x4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | gauze roll 2" | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | elastic roll 3" | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | nitrile gloves | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| first aid | ibuprofen | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | ||||||
| first aid | molefoam 2x3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | oral rehydration salts | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | safety pins | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| first aid | second skin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | sterile cotton tipped applicator | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| first aid | steristrips | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||||||
| first aid | sting extractor | sawyer | extractor | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| first aid | syringe kit | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | tape | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid | tweezers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid kit | bandages | various | bandaids, bandages | 129 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| first aid kit | book | amk | weiss 'wilderness travel and medicine' | 137 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| first aid kit | medicines | various | misc meds (ibuprofen, eye, antacid) | 180 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.25 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | ||||
| first aid kit | meds, syringes | various | medicines, syringe kit | 153 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| first aid kit | misc | various | misc (thermometer, scissors, gloves, etc.) | 109 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| first aid kit | topical creams | various | topical creams (cortisone, etc.) | 86 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.25 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.25 | ||||
| footwear | boots | lightweight boots | 1000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.75 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| footwear | orthotics | custom made | 110 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| footwear | sandals or shoes | teva | karnali raptor | 680 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| hygeine | bathing | towel | rei | pack towel | 248 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | |||||
| hygeine | laundry | laundry line | rei | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| hygeine | laundry | sink stopper | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| light | headlamp | princetontec | h20 w/ 3 aaa lithium batteries | 65 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| light | keychain flashlight | riverrock led keychain light | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| light | lithium batteries aaa | energizer | aaa lithium (spare batteries) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| medicine | antimalarials | malarone? Doxy? Chloroquine? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| medicine | personal rx | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| medicine | vitamins | centrum a to zinc | 63 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| misc | bugs | bug repellent | Ben's | 30% DEET | 50 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| misc | bugs | mosquito bed net | insecticide treated bed net | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| misc | bugs | mosquito head net | head net | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| misc | tools | pocket knife | victorinox | swiss army knife | 70 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| misc | vision | glasses | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| misc | vision | spare glasses | spare pair + case | 60 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| misc | vision | sunglasses | good coverage for altitude + case | 60 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| misc | journal | 100 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| misc | marker | generic | permanent marker | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| misc | monocular | Alpen | 10x25 Monocular | 85 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| misc | pen | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| misc | trekking poles | rei/komperdel | rei cf compact (12oz) | 185 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| navigation | compass | suunto | M-3G Global Compass | 44 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| navigation | guidebook | lonely planet | 350 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | ||||||||
| navigation | map | world/country | 30 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| pack | backpack 60L | osprey | aether 60 or 70 | 1790 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.75 | 1 | 1 | 0.76 | 1 | |||||
| pack | daypack | osprey | daylite | 630 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| pack | dry bag | Sea To Summit | Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| pack | stuff sacks | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| security | belt w/ compartment | wrap-around | 52 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| security | luggage lock | master lock | truevalue 4-digit brass combo. Lock | 64 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| security | money waist belt | Eagle Creek All Terrain Money Belt | 91 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| security | padlock | master lock | master combo lock | 64 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| security | steel cable | generic | ~ 4 and 2 ft lengths | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| sleep | sleeping | sleeping bag | western mountaineering | down mummy bag, rated ~40F | 688 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| sleep | silk sleeping liner | Sea To Summit | Silk Travel Sleeping Bag Liner - Traveler | 168 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| sport | scuba | scuba mask | rx mask | 215 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| toiletries | comb | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| toiletries | dental floss | cvs | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| toiletries | dental mirror | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| toiletries | deodorant | 90 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| toiletries | disposable earplugs | 5 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 | |||||||||
| toiletries | flosser | cvs | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| toiletries | foot powder | zeosorb | 50 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| toiletries | hand moisturizer | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| toiletries | hand sanitizer | 33 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| toiletries | lip balm spf 30 | cvs | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| toiletries | mouthwash | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| toiletries | reuseable earplugs | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| camera | storage | disk drive | Sanho | Hyperdrive SPACE neoprene carry case | 39 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| toiletries | shaving kit | gilette | razor, blades, oil or foam | 75 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| toiletries | soap/shampoo | dr bonner | 60 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| toiletries | sunscreen spf 45 | noad | max spf 45 | 97 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| toiletries | toilet paper | 50 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| toiletries | toothbrush | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| toiletries | toothbrush cover | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| toiletries | toothpaste | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| water | collapsible water bottle | platypus | platypus 2L bag | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| water | platypus water bottle | platypus | 1.5L bag w/ drink tube | 102 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
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| KEY | fonts | need to get | ||||||||||||||||
| bold | not sure on item | |||||||||||||||||
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| item | type of item | |||||||||||||||||
| mfr | manufacturer | |||||||||||||||||
| product | specific product | |||||||||||||||||
| weight | weight in grams | |||||||||||||||||
| everything | # in total kit | |||||||||||||||||
| day to day (cold) | # used in cold climates | |||||||||||||||||
| day to day (warm) | # used in warm climates | |||||||||||||||||
| urban (warm) | # used in warm urban climates | |||||||||||||||||
| camping | # used for general camping | |||||||||||||||||
| trekking | # used for trekking (e.g., nepal) | |||||||||||||||||
| minimal | # used for a minimal kit in warm weather | |||||||||||||||||
| summer backpacking | # used for backpacking in summer | |||||||||||||||||
| cold only? | 1=used only in cold weather | |||||||||||||||||
| trekking only? | 1=used only when trekking | |||||||||||||||||
| sport only? | 1=used only for special sports (e.g., scuba) |
Items summary
Summary of weights and items by category. Shown are items for daily use in a cold climate.
| category | everything | daily (cold) | daily (warm) | urban (warm) | camping | trek | minimal | summer backpack | cold only? | trek only? | sport only? | wear? | items | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| camera | 5277 | 5277 | 5277 | 5277 | 3349 | 3362 | 2250 | 3349 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | eyepiece cover, gray card, hot shoe level, camera case, dessicant, point&shoot camera, SLR (Nikon D200), 52 mm clear filter, 72 mm clear filter, polarizer, step-up ring 58->77, step-up ring 72->77, 18-200mm zoom lens, 50mm lens, external flash, flash diffuser, , air bulb, lens liquid, microfiber cloth (2), sensor cleaner, battery charger, camera battery (3), lithium AA batteries (8), usb cable for dvd drive, card reader, disk drive, dvd drive, DVD software, hard disk, memory card (42), recovery software, carbon fiber tripod, quick-release clamp, tabletop tripod, tripod head, tripod plate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| camping | 1570 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1570 | 0 | 0 | 1570 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | fuel canister, matches, pot, pot scrubber, stove, utensils, sleeping pad, tent, rope | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| clothing | 2976 | 2976 | 1846 | 1846 | 1742 | 1959 | 1785 | 1453 | 888 | 110 | 0 | 1050 | pants, zip leg pants, rain jacket, short gaiters, umbrella, longsleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, t-shirts (2), hiking socks (2), liner socks (2), socks (4), widebrimmed sun hat, underwear (5), down vest or jacket, fleece jacket, warm gloves, warm hat, warm underpants, warm undershirt, bandanna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| electronics | 325 | 325 | 325 | 325 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | phone, sim card, power adapter, , MP3 player/radio, usb cable, wristwatch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| first aid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | allergy eyedrops, anesthetic lozenges (12), antacids (12), antibiotic cream, antibiotics (21), anti-diarrheal (24), antifungal liquid, anti-histamine (24), antihistamine cream, antiinflammatory cream, bandaids (12), steristrips (20), cleaning pads (6), combine pad 5x9, cpr barrier, decongestant (24), digital thermometer, eye antibiotic, fabric roll 2", gauze pad 2x3 (6), gauze pad 3x4 (4), gauze pad 4x4, gauze roll 2", elastic roll 3", nitrile gloves (2), ibuprofen (50), molefoam 2x3, oral rehydration salts, safety pins (6), second skin, sterile cotton tipped applicator (2), steristrips (10), sting extractor, syringe kit, tape, tweezers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| first aid kit | 794 | 794 | 794 | 317 | 794 | 794 | 614 | 350 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | bandages, book, medicines, meds, syringes, misc, topical creams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| footwear | 790 | 790 | 790 | 540 | 680 | 110 | 790 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1110 | boots, orthotics (2), sandals or shoes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| hygeine | 306 | 306 | 306 | 182 | 0 | 182 | 182 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | towel, laundry line, sink stopper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| light | 113 | 113 | 113 | 113 | 113 | 113 | 113 | 113 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | headlamp, keychain flashlight, lithium batteries aaa (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| medicine | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | antimalarials, personal rx, vitamins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| misc | 844 | 474 | 474 | 367 | 695 | 814 | 359 | 597 | 0 | 455 | 0 | 18 | bug repellent, mosquito head net, pocket knife, glasses, spare glasses, sunglasses, journal, marker, monocular, pen, trekking poles (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| navigation | 804 | 804 | 804 | 804 | 30 | 175 | 380 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | compass, guidebook (2), map (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| pack | 2420 | 2420 | 2420 | 1343 | 2420 | 2420 | 1361 | 1790 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | backpack 60L, daypack, dry bag (2), stuff sacks (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| documents | 97 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 3 | 91 | 97 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ATM card, cash, credit cards (3), insurance policies, insured items, traveler's checks, customs declaration, intl. driver's license, passport, passport pictures, US driver's license, prescription, vaccination certificate, contacts list, decoy wallet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| security | 335 | 335 | 335 | 335 | 0 | 271 | 271 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | belt w/ compartment, luggage lock (2), money waist belt, padlock, steel cable (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| sleep | 856 | 856 | 168 | 0 | 688 | 856 | 0 | 688 | 688 | 0 | 0 | 0 | sleeping bag, silk sleeping liner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| sport | 215 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 0 | scuba mask | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ers | 281 | 281 | 261 | 111 | 241 | 91 | 60 | 257 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 | duct tape, eyeglass repair kit, small screw drivers, matches, survival kit, iodine tablets, miox water purifier, salt for miox, test strips for miox, spare batteries for miox (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| toiletries | 741 | 741 | 741 | 741 | 268 | 515 | 761 | 268 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | comb, dental floss, dental mirror, deodorant, disposable earplugs (6), flosser, foot powder, hand moisturizer, hand sanitizer, lip balm spf 30, mouthwash, nail clippers, reuseable earplugs (2), disk drive, shaving kit, soap/shampoo, sunscreen spf 45, toilet paper, toothbrush, toothbrush cover | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| water | 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 102 | 162 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | collapsible water bottle, platypus water bottle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| kg (incl camera) | 19.0 | 16.8 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 12.8 | 12.0 | 9.3 | 10.60 | 1.58 | 0.59 | 0.22 | 2.22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| lbs (incl camera) | 41.8 | 37.1 | 33.0 | 27.8 | 28.3 | 26.4 | 20.4 | 23.40 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| kg (no camera) | 13.7 | 11.5 | 9.7 | 7.3 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 7.0 | 7.30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| lbs (no camera) | 30.2 | 25.4 | 21.4 | 16.2 | 20.9 | 19.0 | 15.5 | 16.10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| include wear? | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| which list? | 0 | 0 | daily (cold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| key | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ers | emergency, repair, survival | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [] | number need to get | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| () | number to use if >1 |
Backpack
A good backpack is super-duper important for extended travel and backpacking. It will be on your back a lot. For a long trip you also need a smaller day-pack which can double as a pack you can use for short hiking trips. My main pack is the best backpack I've ever used, an Osprey Aether 70. Osprey has a slightly smaller and lighter pack, the Aether 60, but I exchanged mine at REI for the larger pack when everything wouldn't fit. REI's no hastle guarantee is great. Except for some truly minor quibbles, this is the most comfortable best backpack. It really is great, Annapurna Circuit, India, around town, you name it.
Finding a good daypack has proven another challenge. I had a good North Face daypack, but it was a bit heavy, so I tried ordering an Eagle Creek Boundary pack which was on sale at Sierra Trading Post. This was a nice well-made daypack, which even had a special documents pocket, but it was about 500 g heavier than advertised and had a metal frame that I did not want. I called Eagle Creek to tell them their published weight of 540 g was incorrect, but they still have not updated their web site. Then I thought I'd take the lightest daypack I could get. This turned out to be a free pack my mom got from the Sierra Club that I swapped with her for a North Face daypack I'd been using daily for the previous 6-7 years. The light free bag lasted about one week in Japan, so I went to a good outdoor shop in Tokyo where they had all sorts of excellent daypacks. I was still trying to save money and weight and I picked a well-made but inadequate daypack made by Jack Wolfskin which cost me the equivalent of $40 in Yen. This pack has lasted, but has a few drawbacks, the main one being that it hurt my back. The problem is that it doesn't have a good hipbelt and no frame, so all the weight sits on my shoulders. It is also a bit small. I tend to load it up with 5-7 kg of stuff, which is a bit much for a simple daypack. As a result, my shoulders hurt and I can't fit what I need when going on a short 1-2 day overnight trip. Thus, I learned that sometimes carrying something a bit more substantial is worth the tradeoff in extra weight.
Arriving in Thailand I was sick and tired of my aching back. I searched Bangkok, but got annoyed at the multitude of vendors selling cheap crap immitations for too much money around Khao San Road. My luck turned in Chang Mai. There is a good outdoor shop at the north end of the Night Baazar in Chang Mai. They carry genuine gear, including, surprisingly, a good lineup of Osprey and Deuter packs. Prices for the packs I was looking at were around 2500-5000 B ($80-$180). They were having a 20-50% sale on various backpacks, though I can never tell if that is a regular price or a real sale. At any rate, none of the packs really met my needs for a medium-sized day pack that could handle 5-10 g loads, have enough volume for a 2-3 day overnight trip, and still ride comfortably n front with my main backpack on my back. In the Night Bazaar area I found a shop selling a knock-off Lowe Alpine backpack with a plastic frame--better than the metal frames common in many of the immitations, and just about the perfect size, hip-belt, and feature set. The price started at 1100 B but I quickly got this down to 600 B, about $18. The only problem is that the item is not made as well as a genuine pack. This is most evident in the zippers, which sometimes pop open--I keep a watchful eye to make sure I don't loose any items, but I can never rest easy. If they really copied a Lowe Alpine model, then it looks closest to the 35 L Mira Air or perhaps even closer to the Tempest Air packs with an MSRP of $130. I'd rather have the real deal if I could find it.
Camera gear
This is a big topic, just some notes here.
My tripod is the Slik 613CF, a 4-section carbon fiber. With extension tube removed it comes in at 760g. Anything else comparable was way flimsier and shaky (steel, aluminum) or heavier, shorter, or more expensive (gitzo). Feisol also makes a nice looking unit, but not in retail in US.
Eyeglasses
Knives
Knives are useful. You can use them for everyday tasks like cutting tomatoes, for protection (if you don't mind getting into a knife fight), and in the wilderness for survival. I don't want to be in any knife fights, this would not be the reason I would carry a knife. Unfortunately, it seems that every jurisdiction has different rules as to what sort of knives can be carried, making it difficult to determine if a knife would be considered illegal and get me into trouble.
Informally, it seems a plain Swiss Army knife would be acceptable. Unfortunately, my Swiss Army knife has only a 2.5" nonlocking blade. This is a bit short for convenient use, and the lack of a locking blade makes it much less secure. After some research, I found what seems to be a good knife in my price range, the A. G. Russell FeatherLite One Hand Knife lockback; I'd get the general purpose blade with the harder ATS-34 steel option, at $50 with a 3" blade and 4.5" folded length, and very light weight at 43g (1.5 oz). In North Carolina (my home state), these appear to be legal dimensions based on case law. Another nice knife is the Doug Ritter's RSK Mk1™ Folding Knife by Benchmade™, the mini (with yellow handle) is 76g (2.68 oz) , 2.88" blade, but costs $110. I would actually prefer a two-handed opening knife, since some jurisdictions seem to ban one-handed opening knives; yet, professional knife designers and users seem to prefer one-handed opening. I'm a little concerned about the blade length, since 3" is on the edge of legality in some jurisdictions. Victorinox also makes a series of pocketknives with locking blades, like the Trekker, 125g (4.4 oz) with a 3" blade and the typical assortment of useful screwdrivers and accessories. These pocketknives, though, use a much less secure sliplock. I figure the combination of the AG Russell knife with a few general-purpose tools on a basic Swiss Army knife (can opener, screwdriver, etc.) or a mini-Leatherman would be the ideal combination.
In the US, the states regulate knife carry laws, and some municipalities have their own laws. Each state has its own rules as to what sort of knives are legal, etc. A few good references are listed below. Weapons law violations are serious--you can be convicted of a felony, messing up your record and be denied certain civil right (such as voting). Most (all?) make exceptions for carrying a knife to an approved use, such as a business, hunting, camping, or to/from a store. They make a distinction between different types of knives (e.g., folding, fixed), their size, and concealed versus not concealed. In some states it is illegal to have a concealed knife (open carry) and its presence must be indicated, e.g., with a clip visible on the outside of a pocket. In other states, open carry is illegal, and showing the clip can be grounds for being stopped and charged. Switchblades are banned in interstate commerce by the federal government and knives are limited to 2.5" in length on some federal property. To be conservative, length needs to be measured to the handle of the knife, not just to the end of the sharp area. In England, locking blades are prohibited, or at least could get you into trouble. Posts on various forums indicate that in Mexico the test seems to be whether the knife extends beyond the width of the palm of the policeman testing; the width of my palm is about 3", so that is probably what they are approximating, but that is not a definitive legal statement. Other countries have their own rules. A lot comes down to the manner in which the knife is carried and the intent with which, or in which actual events, it is used. One primary distinction seems to be whether the knife is carried on one's person or not, but I could not do find a precise definition, i.e., does carrying a knife in one's backpack while traveling mean it is not on one's person?
Bernard Levine's KNIFE LAWS of the 50 STATES is the most comprehensive online resource for the US on knife laws.
State Knife Carry and Blade Length Laws has a convenient listing of the state knife laws and blade lengths.
Wikipedia's Knife Legislation entry has some international information.
Knives are prohibited in the cabin on flights but can be in checked luggage. You can get into a lot of trouble trying to sneak a weapon onto a plane, whether or not it was intentional. Maybe the TSA will assume you're a terrorist if you happen to be a 57 year old school chapperone who forgot a butter knife in her bag, like Cecilia Beaman. Or they might just let you on with your scissors and crochet needles.
I think most knife carry laws are a great example of laws getting in the way of law-abiding citizens, while doing nothing to stop criminals. I just want to carry a useful practical tool, and look at the hassle. I will probably just end up with my basic nonlocking Swiss Army knife.
Phones
A calling card and a mobile phone are useful things to have when traveling. One can keep in touch with folks at home, contact fellow travelers and locals, make reservations, and use in an emergency. For world use, a tri- or quad-band GSM phone is best. This will work in pretty much all countries except Japan and Korea. I looked for phones that were unlocked, not too expensive, quadband GSM, and had good battery life. Using phonescoop.com (REF), I found the Motrola v190, which has 10+ hours talk time, ~500 hours standby time, and costs $100 from motorola.com (I saved another $10 with the coupon code "thankyou"). This is a basic no frills phone, but it charges from a standard USB plug, so that I do not have to carry yet another power adapter, and the battery life and price are excellent.
Finding a SIM card for global use with affordable rates is a greater challenge than finding the phone. The best website summarizing the options and providing useful discussions is prepaidgsm.com. This industry is changing a lot, so it is hard to track. Another option is getting a SIM card in each country. Getting a country specific SIM card makes the most sense for some countries, such as India, where the per minute rate is very high (~$3) and I will be for several weeks.
To compare rates, I went through several of the companies websites (09mobile, telestial, globalsim, united-mobile, yackiemobile) and tediously collected the rate data for each country I would be in. Using the number of days in each country, I computed a weighted average inbound and outbound cost (using the US as the destination). I then weighted the average of these two numbers, on the assumption that I would receive many more incoming call minutes than outgoing calls.
The carrier with the best coverage and average rates was yackiemobile. But this company has a very poor reputation on prepaidgsm, and has not responded to an e-mail inquiry yet. Telestial seemed like it would be more reliable, but also did not respond to an e-mail inquiry. According to some posts onprepaidgsm, Telestial is just reselling minutes from one of the other companies, while adding a hefty markup. 09mobile has the best country coverage, but no SMS messaging, a $0.2 connect fee per call, and charges in Euros, meaning I would incur a currency conversion cost. To keep call costs down, these companies use a callback method, whereby you make an outgoing call, hangup, then the system calls both you and your destination party. This callback method can be incompatible with some phones, but it is hard to determine for a particular model (i.e., the V190) whether or not it would be compatible. Thus, I have yet to find a company providing a global SIM card that I can use.
The telecommunications Industry is of jargon which I find unfamiliar. Someone even described how to do your own callback system using several different services, but they seem to be available only to businesses, and again one runs into the learning curve.
Survival kit
Why duplicate what's in your pack, it adds weight. The only "survival" things I carry (i.e., I wouldn't use it except in a pinch) are items scavenged from an AMK kit by Jack Ritter of Equipped to Survive that I reduced to a single film canister (thread, needle, string, wire, fishhooks, tinder, sparker; probably the most useful are the tinder and sparker), whistle, iodine tabs, and extra matches. I also keep other stuff: compass, pocket knife, miox purifier (incl. salt, spare batteries + test strips), two light sources (small LED keychain and headlamp), spare batteries, eyeglass kit + spare glasses, 1st aid kit, of course a compass. Extra clothes when in backcountry. All the usual stuff. I decided to not carry my old space blanket or, from the AMK kit, the signal mirror, aluminum foil and paper/pencil; my 1st aid kit has safety pins.
Budget
What is my budget? Huh?
Preparation > $1200
Storage $720
Insurance ~$2400
Flights >$3600
Ground transport $?
Lodging and food $11000?
Visas ~$500
Total > ~$19400
Maybe I will spend less on lodging and food, I just have no idea. People do these trips for ~$15000/yr, so it should be doable. At any rate, still less than a year of expenses in the US. I looked at Me Go again, she averaged about $31/day on her trips, excluding pre- and post- trip expenses, so that would be transport, lodging and food, visas, etc. for $11300/yr, adding my initial flight, storage, and insurance we have ~$15000. I spent too much on gear and won't go into that here,
Preparation
equipment $?
camera gear $?
legal affairs $500
vaccinations $500?
medications $100?
Total > $1200
Insurance (per year)
medical insurance $1600
evacuation insurance $129
camera insurance $250
luggage insurance ?
property insurance $250?
Total ~$2400
Flights (no idea!)
bos to sfo $300?
sfo to nrt $600
nrt to mongolia $300?
india to sea $200?
sea to au $200?
au to nz $200?
nz to au $200?
au to mideast $800
africa $?
africa to south america $800?
south america $?
Total > $3600
Ground transport ?
Lodging ? $15/night? $5500/yr
Food ? $15/day? $5500/yr
Total ~$11000
Visas
Total ~$500
Flights
Getting from one place to another. Plenty of flying. Eventually you start to memorize airport codes. There are aggregators, like orbitz, which I use for most of my US travel. But orbitz has its limitations, as well as a poor cancellation policy for add-ons like hotels (no partial refunds past 48 hours or some such nonsense). There are also super aggregators like mobissimo. For instance, I need to fly from San Francisco (sfo) to Tokyo (nrt), so I run a query on mobissimo and find fares on United, where i have lots of frequent flyer miles for ~$600 one-way. There is also Farecast, which is supposed to help with "buy now or wait" questions, but it relies on the usual sites, like orbitz, and so misses the lowest fares.
Possibly useful reservation sites:
http://mobissimo.com
http://orbitz.com
http://farepath.com
http://kayak.com
http://cheapoair.com
http://farecast.com
International Airline Carry On Luggage Allowances
http://www.airlinequality.com/
http://www.planecrashinfo.com/rates.htm
http://www.bootsnall.com/guides/air-travel-guide/
Getting money overseas
Getting local currency overseas can be done several ways.
- Carry convertible foreign currency, usually US dollars or Euros, and have it converted at banks or on the street. Have some of this. Good for paying for visas and when first arriving in a country. Always have stashed in several secret places (along with a bit of local currency).
- Carry travelers' checks, e.g. Amex or Thomas Cook, , and have it converted at banks or on the street. Good to have some of these on hand for places where no ATMs or need quick cash. Replaceable in case of loss or theft.
- Use credit cards to pay for things and to get cash advances at ATMs or banks. Most of Asia you can't pay for anything with credit cards. Cash advances on credit cards charge interest. Bad idea.
- Use bank cards to get cash advances at ATMs.
I use this last method the most. At first I carried a regular ATM card from the US, but a lot of ATMs were not on the same US banking networks, so I got a Visa debit card. This works at every ATM I have tried to date.
For each of these methods you will pay. My bank charged me 5% commission to give me my travelers checks and one gets a reduced conversion rate, compared to cash, when converting to local currency. I haven't used my travelers' checks yet. Changing cash also has a cost, but shop around for the best deal. The cost of ATM cards varies. My bank seems to charge me a flat $2 withdrawal fee plus a 2% conversion fee (a stinking commission); this is about typical for many US banks. Some are cheaper and some are more expensive. I thought using HSBC, which has branches in many countries, might save me money, but they have a 3% fee, which would be worse, though they have a lower ATM flat fee. These fees add up. I minimize withdrawals but it still gets expensive. If I withdraw just twice a month, or 24 times a year, that's $2 * 24 = $48 plus the 2% fee. You also need to check the currency conversion rate, but this seems to be close to the published rates for my bank, though a bit hard to determine. I'm still searching for a cheaper solution worth the hassle of opening a new bank account.
I did a bit of research today, 23/2/2008 in Pai, Thailand at local exchange counters.
| Bank | $1 | $5-$20 | $50-$100 | TC |
| Bank of Ayudhya | 31.16 | 31.52 | 31.94 | 32.11 |
| Krung Bank | 31.20 | 31.57 | 31.95 | 32.10 |
My bank, Wachovia, charges a 2% foreign transaction fee on my Visa debit card. The effective rate for 23/2/2008 for a withdrawal with my Visa debit card would be 31.79. still not very good. But, my bank also charges a $2 flat ATM fee, so the rate depends on the withdrawal amount. For a zero-fee transaction the rate would be 32.44. On a $100 withdrawal, we would have $100 + flat fee + percentage fee = $100 + $2 + $2 = $104. One hundred dollars at 32.44 THB/USD are 3244 B, but 3244 B / $104 = 31.39 THB / USD, a pretty measly rate. For a withdrawal of $200, $300, and $500, we have $200 + $2 + $4 = $206 @ 31.15, $300 + $2 + $6 = $308 @ 31.60, $500 + $2 + $10 = $510 @ 31.80. Basically, using an ATM gives through my bank gives poor exchange rates. If I had a no ATM fee 1% foreign fee card I would get a rate of 32.11 BHT / USD.
There's a dated, but informative thread at Lonely Planet.
Bankrate.com posted foreign currency conversion rates for several banks, though the information is old (2005) and is presented in a terribly inefficient manner.
Bankrate.com has several articles on the topic. For instance, Best cards for foreign travel says that Capital One comes out on top for ATMs. The article Cutting currency conversion charges says that Visa passes a 1% fee to banks, so if using Visa cards, this would be the minimum you can expect from a bank. Currency conversion costs has a table showing fees for several banks; updated 11/12/2007, Capital One is the current winner.
Over at Capital One, No HassleSM Prepaid Visa® Debit Card account has a 1% ATM fee plus $1.75 per withdrawal, plus $5.95 account maintenance fee (waived with direct deposit).
One of the biggest costs is the mismanagement of the dollar by the US government resulting in the current weak dollar. When my SEA LP guide was published, in March 2006 (two years ago) the Thai Bhat was trading at 41 to the dollar. It's now closer to around 33 to the dollar. Similarly for the Indian rupee, historically at around 50 to the dollar but now down to around 40 to the dollar. Etc. So because of Bush and his minions (the US Congress) and various financial messes my trip is costing me about 20% more than it otherwise would have. Thank you Bush.
Smarter Travel has a column on money and a summary of some banking costs:
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/foreign-exchange-101-update-p...
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/fall-foreign-currency-report....
Medical
(Stub)
Altitude Sickness
Lhasa is 3700 m high. Recommendation is to ascend no more than 300 m per day. The train to Lhasa may or may not allow one to follow this recommendation, it ascends above 5000 m and descends along its route. Mild altitude sickness symptoms are to be expected at altitudes above 3000 m. More severe symptoms, marked by ataxia and worsening of mild symptoms, necessitate immediate descent. Test for ataxia by walking heal to toe (like field sobriety test). Diamox, used to reduce the symptoms and aid adaptation is contraindicated for me.
References online
CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008
Chapter 6 Non-Infectious Risks During Travel
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh6-AltitudeIllness.aspx
Outdoor Action Guide to High Altitude: Acclimatization and Illnesses
by Rick Curtis, Director, Outdoor Action Program
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html
Acclimatization and altitude sickness
This info is taken from "Trekking in the Everest Region", 3rd edition.
http://www.project-himalaya.com/info-ams.html
Lhasa train elevation profile
High Tea : Railway to Lhasa
http://vistet.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/high-tea-railway-to-lhasa/
Japanese Encephalitis
Another vaccine-preventable disease in Asia. Most of what you need to know as a traveler is here:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/jencephalitis/qa.htm
See also my vaccinations page.
It's quite hard to find good data on actual risk to the virus. Basically, the mosquito breeds in cultivated (flooded) rice paddies and the virus resides and multiplies in pigs and birds. You are at risk in areas near cultivated rice paddies with pigs and birds in southern Asia. The further away you are from such areas the lower your risk, presumabely because mosquitos can only travel a certain distance. Because cultivation is seasonal risk is also seasonal, with infections peaking during the cultivation season. In SEA, this would be during the wet season, e.g., in Thailand, from around July through October. In the area of Pai, rice fields were not being cultivated when I visited in late February 2008, but riding the bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, which lies east of Pai, I saw actively cultivated rice paddies. The risk is higher during the transmission season in SEA, which the CDC gives as May to October. While the risk is lower during the dry season, I expect it is not zero. I couldn't find an article that gives good seasonal information in a simple format, the closest and most recent data are for Malaysia in Wong SC 2008 et al (see reference below), and there are several articles that studied infections in parts of India.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18291002?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSys...
Trop Med Int Health. 2008 Jan;13(1):52-5. PMID: 18291002
A decade of Japanese encephalitis surveillance in Sarawak, Malaysia: 1997-2006.Wong SC, Ooi MH, Abdullah AR, Wong SY, Krishnan S, Tio PH, Pek PC, Lai BF, Mohan A, Muhi J, Kiyu A, Arif MT, Cardosa MJ.
Malaria
The best way to avoid malaria is to avoid being bitten by a mosquito carrying the disease. In regions in which malaria is transmitted, this means avoiding mosquitoes which bite mainly in the evening/nighttime, covering up with clothing, using a bed net, using insecticides and insect repellents (DEET). There is lots of reliable information available, e.g., from the CDC.
Malaria preventatives are important for reducing malaria risk. Both the CDC and the WHO provide detailed information about malaria risk and drug resistance in different countries. There are several drugs used for malaria prevention, primarily: chloroquine, doxycycline, mefloquine, and atovaquoe/proguanil (malarone). Chloroquine resistance is widespread and mefloquine resistance is present in parts of Cambodia and Thailand. For each country, I determined if malaria was present and if it was resistant to chloroquine or mefloquine. Malarone is very expensive ($5.37/pill). Mefloquine would not be suitable for me, and there is also resistance in two of the countries I would be visiting. Chloroquine resistance is widespread. This leaves doxycycline, which costs only $0.1 per pill from Costco pharmacy. There are basically two Malaria exposure blocks in my trip: (1) India and SEA and (2) Africa and South America. Doxycycline needs to be taken 1-2 days before entry to a malarial region, daily while in the region, and for 28 days (4 weeks) after leaving the region. From this, it is straightforward to compute the number of days during which doxcycline is needed.
The main side effects of doxycycline are nausea and photosensitivity. The nausea can be reduced by taking it with food. Some 2% of people taking doxycycline develop severe photosensitivity (REF), but less severe photosensitivity is a common side effect. Doxycycline may also cause staining of adult teeth, especially if used in summer when presumabely there is significant sun exposure (Ayaslioglu E et al). I asked my doctor for a trial prescription; she said reactions appear within about five days, so I will try the medication for a week to test my reaction before getting the full year's worth of medication.
It is recommended to be tested for malaria exposure following a stay in a malarial region. I plan to get tested in Australia, where I may also restock on medications. This will be approximately my halfway point in the trip and a good chance to take care of any medical issues that may have arisen.
Ayaslioglu E et al 2005, Doxycycline-induced staining of permanent adult dentition, Australian Dental Journal, 50(4):273-5 doi:10.1111/j.1834-7819.2005.tb00373.x
Malaria self treatment
Based on my reading online, when traveling to areas where treatment may be delayed 24 hours, it may be necessary to self-treat for presumptive malaria. This should be done when having a high-fever in a malarial area and medical care and diagnosis should be sought as soon as possible. Do not take my word for it: I am not a doctor. See your doctor and visit some of the following web sites for competent information.
I am traveling in areas where there is resistance to Chloroquine and am already taking doxycycline for prophylaxis. Treatment needs to be done with drugs other than those being taken for prophylaxis. The best treatment for me would seem to be Atovaquone/proguanil (brand name Malarone. Atovaquone/proguanil is a drug combination administered as a single tablet of 250 mg atovaquone and 100 mg proguanil. The Canadian site listed below gives the treatment dosage as "1000 mg atovaquone AND 400 mg proguanil (4 tablets) once daily x 3 days". I should therefore carry at least 12 tablets of Malarone. I am currently in Chang Mai in Thailand where there is the Malaria Centre; I will contact them and see if they offer or can recommend a reliable place to get Atovaquone/proguanil.
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/04vol30/30s1/page6_e.html
Canadian Recommendations for the Prevention and Treatment of Malaria Among International Travellers
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentMalariaDrugsPublic.aspx
Information for the Public: Prescription Drugs for Malaria
WHO malaria drug resistance
http://www.who.int/drugresistance/malaria/en/index.html
CDC FAQ on Malaria
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/faq.htm#4
Self-treatment for malaria: the evidence and methodological issues.
Health Policy Plan. 2002 Dec;17(4):333-44.
McCombie SC.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12424205
Getting Ready: Malaria
http://www.drwisetravel.com/malaria.html
Permethrin bed net treament protocol
Schreck, CE and Self, LS, Bed Nets that Kill Mosquitos, World Health Forum, 1985:6 p342-4.
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/whf/1985/vol6-no4/WHF_1985_6(4)_p342-344.pdf
Medical insurance
Probably the safest solution is to get a basic domestic individual health insurance plan for the US and supplement it with one of the international plans such as those offered by insuremytrip. The domestic plan will cover the usual medical treatments in the US and the interntional plan will cover overseas treatment. Individual plans via bcbs are very expensive, at least $230 a month, so one of the state's subsidized medical plans would be more affordable. Therefore, which state plan do I get? Which international plan do I get? Can I cancel my travelplus insruance, which offers 100,000 evac insurance and get a prorated refund if the other medical plans offer suitable coverage? How does it work if both insurers offer coverage for the same thing?
Traveler's Emergency Network, provides emergency travel services, including $100,000 evacuation insurance for $129 annual individual membership. Limits trips to 90 days.
InsureMyTrip.com, quotes and comparisons of several travel and medical policies; very convenient.
MedicAlert, medical records for $40 1st yr, $25/yr after. For $129 get $100,000 emergency evacuation insurance, but the plan brochure has many exclusions and limits trips to 90 days--unfortunately this information is not spelled out on their website, meaning a big waste of money (very disappointed with lack of prior disclosure).
insuremytrip.com
Travel medical policies at insuremytrip.
Quotes below are for one year coverage $500,000 limit, MA residence, 38 yo, basic $250 deductible, hazardous and/or sports riders, quoted 13/10/2008.
Global Underwriters Diplomat America (Any Country - US Visit Only) $ 1,810.00
Global Underwriters Diplomat International (Any Country - No US Visit) $ 742.00
Global Underwriters Diplomat Long Term (Any Country - w/ US Visit) $ 1,678.00
Global Underwriters Diplomat Long Term (Any Country - No US Visit) $ 1,054.00
International Medical Group Patriot America (Non-US Citizens) $ 936.00
International Medical Group Patriot International (Overseas US Citizens) $ 588.00
MEDEX TravMed Choice (U.S.) $ 784.75
MultiNational Underwriters Atlas America (Non-US Citizens w/US Visit) $ 996.00
MultiNational Underwriters Atlas International (Any Country - No US Visit) $ 624.00
Seven Corners Liaison International (Any Country - w/US Visit) $ 1,168.00
Seven Corners Liaison International (Any Country - No US visit) $ 642.40
Global Underwriters is underwritten by AIG, which is given an "A" rating by insuremytrip--but as we've all heard, AIG is one of those banks that went belly up recently.
Most of the plans have 3-year exclusions for preexisting conditions. Also, what happens if I develop some major disease, like cancer, and need to return to the US for prolonged treatment? How do these plans fit in with HIPAA portability and preexisting condition limitations for continuous coverage when I end my trip and purchase regular health insurance? What if I'm injured in a terrorist attack, would that be excluded by plans--e.g., the old act of war exclusions for some types of insurance?
Travel Health Insurance Recommendations posted to lonely planet provides links to a couple of comparison sites: http://www.quotewright.com/ and http://www.ibackpack.co.uk/compare-backpacker-travel-insurance.htm..
Following these links, I checked out worldnomads.com travel insurance. their policy for the usa has so many exclusions i find it rather less than a proper insurance policy: they exclude, for instance, epidemics and terrorism. so what do i do if i'm traveling around and find myself in a cholera epidemic needing evacuation? or a victim of a terrorist attack needing evacuation? what do they care what the cause of my injury or sickness is, all they should care about are the relative risks, price these into the package, and offer coverage that actually insures me against all risks--possibly charging a rider to cover additional voluntarily assumed risks, such as caving, scuba diving, etc.
quotewright.com did not find any suitable medical evacuation policies covering a resident of massachusetts for a one-year trip. their plan summary for medical insurance is not as convenient as insuremytrip.com, where most of the relevant terms are displayed on a single results page. many of the plans are offered by the same companies, and many of the companies have excessive exclusions, such as exclusions for terrorism.
BCBS MA options
Access Blue Basic $2000ded $225/mo no coverage outside us
Preferred Blue PPO Basic $2000 $233/mo has coverage outside us
Mass Health Connector
Insurance for residents of MA--which now charges residents if they don't have medical insurance and provides low-cost insurance via Commonwealth Care. No information for services out of state and out of country.
http://www.mahealthconnector.org
Call 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765) Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
commonwealth care with nhp seems to cover the most hospitals in mass.
the plans available via commonwealth choice are quite expensive starting at ~$200/mo and up.
Mosquitos
Permethrin bed net treament
Jawara M et al Comparison of deltamethrin tablet formulation with liquid deltamethrin and permethrin for bednet treatment in The Gambia.
Trop Med Int Health. 2001 Apr;6(4):309-16.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11348522
Permethrin bed net treament protocol
Schreck, CE and Self, LS, Bed Nets that Kill Mosquitos, World Health Forum, 1985:6 p342-4.
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/whf/1985/vol6-no4/WHF_1985_6(4)_p342-344.pdf
(The protocol is very simple--read the article to find out how.)
HORN, K et al, TECHNOLOGY FOR CONVERSION OF CONVENTIONAL MOSQUITO NETS IN THE FIELD INTO LONG LASTING BED NETS, , Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Urban Pests Chow-Yang Lee and William H. Robinson (editors), 2005, p287-94. Article fails to state which binders were tested, making it rather incomplete.
http://www.bayervector.co.za/docs/K-OTab1-2-3-ICUP.pdf
Mosquito Net Guide
http://www.safariquip.co.uk/i_mosquito_net_info.html
My mosquito net (picked up used in Bangkok)
Bugproof Combo Mosquito Net Treated Single (Quick Find: MNC011)
Dimensions: 220H x 95W x 215L cm
Weight: 295g
http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/catalog/browse/mosquito-nets/bugproof-combo...
How big is my net? Product page for Bugproof Mosquito Net Treatment Kit states "an average size net with an area of 10sq metres (most single nets)" http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/catalog/view/bugproof-mosquito-net-treatmen.... Calculating the size actually results in 15.7 sqm, rounded to 16 sqm. That's 8 g of permethrin for a treatment. A 1% solution would need 800 mL. You can get a 1% solution in lice shampoo in Australia for AUD$13. Sawyer sells a 0.5% solution. Bugproof Clothing Treatment Nomad 100ml contains Permethrin 0.5% while Netting Impregnation Kit Swisstulle 40ml contains 12% w/w permethrin (http://www.travelpharm.com/index.cfm/malaria/Products.List/category_id/1...). Pyramid Permethrin Treatment Kit contains 60ml Mystox CMP permethrin 12% (http://www.safariquip.co.uk/acatalog/Mosquito_Nets.html#aLIFEXTK00).
Repellents
DEET
Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Health Canada, Re-evaluation Decision Document RRD2002-01: Personal insect repellents containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide and related compounds)
http://www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/pdf/rrd/rrd2002-01-e.pdf
Duration of complete protection is analyzed from existing literature. Duration of protection increases with increasing DEET protection, with diminishing results as concentration increases beyond about 30%. Concentrations of 10-30% all yield reasonable CPTs. It is recommended to reapply lower-concentration DEET every few hours, rather than use high-concentration DEET. Repeated use of a lower concentration results in longer protection with less exposure to DEET than application of a high-concentration solution. Duration of protection is highly variable in individual tests, even under laboratory conditions.
Picaridin vs. DEET
Conclusion: KBR3023 (Icaridin , Picaridin) and DEET both are effective. In some cases KBR3023 last longer (Costantini C et al 2004), in others DEET lasts longer (Frances SP et al 2005). May depend on concentrations of repellent, tested species, experimental methods. See below for some references.
Fradin MS, Insect Repellents, Emedicine 20060207.
http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic540.htm
"IR3535 (3-[N-butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid) is a chemical repellent that has been available in Europe for 20 years and has been sold in the United States since 1999. This repellent is currently available exclusively through the Avon Corporation as Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus IR3535, at concentrations of 7.5-15%."
Icaridin (sold as Picaridin, IUPAC 1-piperidinecarboxylic acid 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-methylpropylester) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icaridin
Frances SP et al 2005, Field evaluation of commercial repellent formulations against mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northern Territory, Australia. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 2005 Dec;21(4):480-2.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16506580
Found DEET effective for longest period.
Costantini C et al 2004 Field evaluation of the efficacy and persistence of insect repellents DEET, IR3535, and KBR 3023 against Anopheles gambiae complex and other Afrotropical vector mosquitoes. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2004 Nov;98(11):644-52.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15363644
"estimates of half-life were 2.9, 2.9, and 4.1h" for DEET, IR3535, and KBR 3023, respectively. Repellents IR3535, and KBR 3023 are picaridin or trade-name Bayrepel.
Badolo A 2004 Evaluation of the sensitivity of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae complex mosquitoes to two insect repellents: DEET and KBR 3023. Trop Med Int Health. 2004 Mar;9(3):330-4.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14996361
"The relative potency of KBR 3023 was not significantly different from that of DEET for An. gambiae s.l. (95% confidence limits 0.7-1.0), whereas in the case of Ae. aegypti it was with 95% probability 1.1-2.0 times more potent than DEET."
Barnard DR and Xue RD, Laboratory evaluation of mosquito repellents against Aedes albopictus, Culex nigripalpus, and Ochierotatus triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae). J Med Entomol. 2004 Jul;41(4):726-30..
"When estimated mean protection time (eMPT) responses for each repellent were averaged for all three mosquito species, Autan, Bite Blocker, Off!, and Repel prevented biting for > or =7.2 h; IR3535, MosquitoSafe, and Skinsations for 3.2-4.8 h; and ByGone, Natrapel, GonE, NeemAura, and SunSwat for 0.9-2.3 h."
n-Octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide
n-Octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide (NOBD) is a compound intended to enhance the effect of pesticides and of DEET. It is used in Aerogard "Tropical Strength" insect repellent spray, which claims "6 hours protection". This product contains 17.1% DEET and 3.58% NOBD. I purchased a 135 mL pump spray for about AUD$8 in the Discount Pharmacy on the mall in Darwin, NT, AU. I asked a very helpful clerk what NOBD does. She asked a pharmacist, who looked up online and found it was a synergist. While they were online, I called the 1-800 number listed on the bottle for the manufacturer, but the customer service person could not answer my question as to the purpose of this ingredient. I purchased the Aerogard as it was the only pump-spray with a reasonable DEET concentration. According to Pest Management Regulatory Agency of Health Canada, NOBD may actually decrease the protection duration when used with DEET alone, and the added complexity of evaluating risk of exposure and the paucity of data on NOBD led the agency to recommend that it not be used in repellents with DEET. I will be looking for 30% DEET instead.
Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Health Canada, Re-evaluation Decision Document RRD2001-02: n-Octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide
(MGK Synergist 264),
http://www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/pdf/rrd/rrd2001-02-e.pdf
"CPT values for 20% DEET + 4% MGK 264 against mosquitoes were shorter than those calculated for 24% and 20% DEET alone. ... Since the only reason to add MGK Synergist 264 would be to increase efficacy, there is no justification for continued registration of products containing MGK 264 based on the efficacy evaluation."
Vaccinations
I have received the following vaccinations (in addition to the usual required in the US):
Tetanus booster
Diptheria booster
Polio booster
Typhoid
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Yellow fever
Meningitis
Rabies preexposure booster
Typhoid was provided as oral tablets containing inactivated typhoid. You take these pills every other day for four doses. The pills must be kept refrigerated to maintain the viability of the organisms.
According to the WHO (REF), risk of infection with yellow fever risk in African countries where it is prevalent is ~1:300, while risk of death is ~1:1300. The risk of the vaccine is much lower than this, with severe complications somewhere on the order of 1 in a million (this is not an actual quoted number, but if you look at the reported number of problems it's somewhere in this ballpark). Severe reactions are more common in people with compromised immune systems or thymus problems. In addition, some countries will deny entry for people arriving from yellow fever endemic countries. Thus, yellow fever vaccination was a good idea.
Meningitis is most prevalent in some central African countries, particularly during the dry season. It is also present elsewhere. It seems like a good idea to get vaccinated.
I had a full rabies course in 1985 following an animal bite. Rabies resistance wears off with time. People, such as veterinarians, who work with potentially rabid animals need boosters every two years to maintain immunity. A three-shot preexposure series is very expensive. It was not clear cut whether I should get a full preexposure rabies sequence given my activities and duration of stay in countries where rabies is more common. My doctor therefore recommended getting a single shot and possibly checking my titer. At the time, I missed getting my titer checked. Walking around India, with its multitude of dogs, I realized a full rabies pre-exposure series would have been advisable. In retrospect, I should have gotten this course, should have checked my titer, and based on material I have read would suggest people get a series if going to India or Nepal. CIWEC medical clinic in Kathmandu also recommends a course for visitors to Nepal.
I did not get immunized for Japanese encephalitis. This disease is present in the Asian countries I will be visiting and can leave lasting and damaging neurologic problems. However, it is mainly recommended for people working outside our remaining for prolonged periods in areas of high exposure, such as agricultural workers. The vaccine carries a higher risk than the other vaccines. In addition, the likelihood of transmission depends also on the climate which varies with the time of year. The vaccine is also expensive and requires a three shot sequence. Very few American travelers have contracted the disease while overseas. This disease is prevalent in SEA. The main season is May to October. I plan to leave SEA by May, reducing my risk. However, now that I am here it would be nice to stay longer in some rural areas. The CDC has information on the risks, and it seems the vaccine is not particularly dangerous: the information hand-outs I was given at the health center were not particularly helpful and were more alarmist on the vaccine than the risks of the disease! In retrospect, I should also have gotten this vaccination. It requires a three-shot series over a month. Adverse effects can appear 2 weeks after inoculation, so one must remain in an area with medical care for 6 weeks (one month for the series and 2 more weeks to monitor for adverse effects). This means I cannot get the vaccine while traveling! Damn.
The transmission season in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia is May-October and in Indonesia peaks Nov-Mar and Jun-Jul in some years, but risk is present year-round and depends on conditions and regions.
From the CDC Faq (quoting another source): "Who should be vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis?"
"Travelers: Japanese encephalitis vaccine is NOT recommended for all travelers to Asia. In general, vaccine should be offered to persons spending a month or longer in endemic areas during the trans-mission season, especially if travel will include rural areas. Under specific circumstances, vaccine should be considered for persons spending <30 days in endemic areas, e.g., travelers to areas experiencing epidemic transmission and persons whose activities, such as extensive outdoor activities in rural areas, place them at high risk for exposure. ... Estimates suggest that risk of Japanese encephalitis in highly endemic areas during the transmission season can reach 1 per 5,000 per month of exposure; risk for most short-term travelers may be 1 per million. Although Japanese encephalitis vaccine is reactogenic, rates of serious allergic reactions (generalized urticaria or angioedema) are low (1 to 104 per 10,000)."
The upshot is if I don't hang around rice paddies and conclude my travel in the area by May, which is my plan, then my risk for JE is relatively low. The CDC page on JE quotes "Based on postmarketing surveillance data, the reported rates for allergic adverse events following the administration of inactivated mouse brain-derived JE vaccine doses were 0.8 and 6.3 per 100,000 doses in Japan and the United States, respectively." It was these statistics on the relative risk of contracting the disease versus risk from vaccination that originally convinced me not to get the vaccine.
This article seems to exactly cover my concerns:
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/341247
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2002;35:183–188
DOI: 10.1086/341247
TRAVEL MEDICINE
David R. Shlim and Tom Solomon
Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine for Travelers: Exploring the Limits of Risk
I love the introduction. The article cites the risk to travelers as 1 in a million chance of contracting the disease, which is actually 10 times greater than the risk to Americans of contracting meningitis. To help put risks in perspective, they also cite a study that put the risk of death from trekking in Nepal at 15 in 100000. Later, it cites CDC work that, eliminating travelers who stayed only in urban areas, came up with a range of 1:5000 to 1:20000 per week, significantly higher. Their recommendations for travelers to which vaccine should be given are: "persons who will be spending time living in a village setting near rice paddies and farm animals during a season of transmission ... bicyclists, backpackers, and other adventure travelers whose itinerary is uncertain but may include significant time in areas of endemicity". Again, I won't be in these regions during the transmission season, so I guess the recommendation that I not get the vaccine was valid.
CDC Thailand http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationThailand.aspx
CDC Vaccinations http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentVaccinations.aspx
CDC Japanese Encephalitis http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-JapaneseEncephalitis.aspx
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1708-8305.2006.00092.x
Stephen Toovey MBBCh, CTM, FACTM, FFTM, Filip Moerman MD, DTM, MSc, Alfons van Gompel MD, DTM (2007) Special Infectious Disease Risks of Expatriates and Long-Term Travelers in Tropical Countries. Part II: Infections Other Than Malaria
Journal of Travel Medicine 14 (1) , 50–60 doi:10.1111/j.1708-8305.2006.00092.x
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.2310/7060.2005.00006
Steffen Robert, Connor Bradley A. (2005) Vaccines in Travel Health: From Risk Assessment to Priorities
Journal of Travel Medicine 12 (1) , 26–35 doi:10.2310/7060.2005.00006
Personal Affairs
Stub for puting one's personal affairs in order.
Communications
Email is great and can be accessed at internet cafes. For phones, there is my global quad-band GSM Motorola v190 no frills phone with good battery life. To use it, I need a sim card, like http://travelsimshop.com, or a local one for each country. India is so expensive per minute that not using a local sim would be nuts. Each sim card will have a different number, so for people to reach me I need a single fixed number. Enter voice mail services like http://evoice.com, for $5/mo you get a number, it will email you or page your cell phone to notify of its receipt. There are a lot of services out there, still looking for a good one.
Insurance
I will need the following insurance: medical, evacuation, photographic equipment, luggage, stored personal property.
I can continue my previous employer medical insurance for $140/mo, or $1680/yr for up to 18 months, starting from 6/07, so this is good until December 2008. Offers world-wide coverage, $25,000 evacuation insurance.
Actually, TEN's fine print limits coverage to 90 day trips. No good. So I joiuned medicalert for $40/yr and added their travelplus insurance, which includes $100,000 evac insurance, for another $100/yr. To supplement my evacuation insurance, I will join Traveler's Emergency Network, which provides emergency travel services, including $100,000 evacuation insurance for $129 annual individual membership.
For my camera gear, I can purchase a special policy for around $200-$300 for the year from my insurance agent.
I still have not found insurance for my luggage and stored personal property.
My Stuff and Storage
What to do with all the junk I've accumulated? Sell? Donate? Give? Discard? Store? All of the above. Sell on craigslist.com. Donate some things. Give some things away to friends. Store the rest, like books, clothes, my comfy bed. Where to store? I live in Carrboro, NC, near Chapel Hill. Googling for storage found me a list of 20 places, which I threw into Excel and called in sequence to find out rates and availability. Then I made a custom map in Google Maps to see where they're located; I also grabbed a jpeg of same. The KML file for Google Earth is attached.
Here's the list of storage places:
| Village Self Storage | 515 S Greensboro St | Carrboro | NC | (919) 942-7725 |
| Morningstar Mini Storage | 510 Jones Ferry Rd | Carrboro | NC | (919) 929-0046 |
| Chatharidge Self Storage | 222 Old Lystra Rd | Chapel Hill | NC | (919) 932-6208 |
| Chapel Hill Self Storage | 1705 Legion Rd # 100 | Chapel Hill | NC | (919) 967-4460 |
| Lawton Self Storage Incorporated | 2616 Old Greensboro Rd | Chapel Hill | NC | (919) 929-9057 |
| Ironclad Self Storage | 102 Vickers Rd | Chapel Hill | NC | (919) 929-1950 |
| Farrell's Self Storage | 354 Mcghee Rd | Chapel Hill | NC | (919) 969-9877 |
| Colonial Storage Center | 5502 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd | Durham | NC | (919) 489-1300 |
| Allen's Self Storage | 5672 Us Hwy 15 501 N # B | Pittsboro | NC | (919) 542-0025 |
| Cardinal Self Storage | 519 Martin Luther King Pkwy | Durham | NC | (919) 572-6777 |
| Uncle Bob's Self Storage | 1200 E Cornwallis Rd | Durham | NC | (866) 247-6895 |
| Uncle Bob's Self Storage | 4417 Hillsborough Rd | Durham | NC | (866) 247-6895 |
| Security Self Storage | 1945 E Cornwallis Rd | Durham | NC | (919) 544-3969 |
| The Storeroom Self Storage | 3822 S Alston Ave | Durham | NC | (919) 544-6220 |
| M & M Airport Self Storage | 6520 Mount Hermon Church Rd | Durham | NC | (919) 596-7186 |
| Starpoint | 104 Daimler Dr | Chapel Hill | NC | (919) 932-7537 |
| Hillsborough Self Storage | 640 Valley Forge Rd # D | Hillsborough | NC | (919) 644-6776 |
| Stow-A-Way Mini Storage | 5200 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd | Durham | NC | (919) 489-8972 |
| Starpoint Global Service | 10003 Main St | Chapel Hill | NC | (919) 942-6666 |
| Westview Storage | 4528 Hillsborough Rd | Durham | NC | (919) 383-4321 |
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| storage.jpg | 160.91 KB |
| storage.kml | 459 bytes |
Wills and other affairs
Going on this trip is a good reason to get a will and other documents put together. I contacted a lawyer, we met, and he sent me drafts of the following:
will;
power of attorney in case I am incapacitated;
health care power of attorney, designating someone to make medical decisions should I be unable to make them myself;
natural death declaration, allowing termination of life support
and hipaa declaration, allowing release of medical information in the US.
These documents had all sorts of details I wouldn't have thought of, so I guess having a lawyer help with this stuff is a good idea, even if it's boiler-plate text.
Visas
Some countries require visas prior to arrival, some do not, and visas expire at different times. The US State Department has a good summary of travel requirements for US citizens. I started with this list, then visited each of the countries' embassy websites to confirm the requirements and compiled this into a table. The important countries are those that do not grant a visa on arrival. Given my itinerary, these are Australia, China, India, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Australia just requires an electronic authorization (ETA). China has more extensive requirements, but according to the Lonely Planet forums, it is not hard to get a visa. Tanzania is so far out on my route that the visa would expire before arrival, so I will need to get it while on the road. I will either get the visa for Vietnam prior to departure or, like Tanzania, from one of the embassies on the road. I plan to get the visas for China and India during the last month before departure from the US.
For Chinese visas, you have to apply in person (no mail-in service). This is a hastle, who has time to drag into Washington or NYC? Well, I might have time to do this in person in NY in August. A LP post recommends China Visa Service Center. Fees start at ~$29, then add mail to/from for another ~$30 on top of the embassy fees, so we're talking an excess of ~$50 for a few hours in NY. The consulate for the north east is in NYC at 520 12th Ave., New York,NY 10036 212-244 9456. A 6mo double entry visa is $75 or multiple entry $100. From the embassy site: "The regular processing time is 4 working days. For express service, additional fees of $30 for 1 working day processing (applications presented before 11:30am may be picked up between 2:30pm-3:00pm on the same day), or $20 for 2-3 working days processing will be charged." So really, $50-$30 = $20, which is still worth a few hours hanging out in camera shops or sightseeing in NYC.
For India, the application asks for references, but apparently this does not apply to simple tourist visas, see this LP post. The NY consulate handles the North East, at 3 East, 64th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenue, New York, NY10021, while the South East is handled by the DC consulate at 2536, Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20008 (202) 939-9806. For the embassy website: "Applications received at the counter between 9.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. are normally processed the same day and serviced documents can be collected from the counter between 4.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Applications sent in mail will normally take about 5 working/business days to process from the date of receipt in the Embassy." Since I will be stopping through NYC later in August I can just do this in person and save time and mailing fees.
Indian consulate in NY
Chinese consulate in NY
For Australia I need an ETA ~$20, good for visits up to 3 months within 12 months of issue, multiple entry. Application is online.
Tutorials
How to, tutorials, etc.
Digital workflow on the road
This post describes my workflow to handle digital images and how I publish them on my web site while on the road. My camera has shot about 35,000 images, nearly all of which have been taken on my trip which started in August of 2007 (it is now May 2008).
Equipment and software needed
Digital camera, flash memory, spare batteries
External USB disk, 2.5", and USB cable
Portable 2.5" disk drive that can copy cards directly
Good card reader with USB cable
USB flash stick with portable software (see below) and notes
Software: allwaysync, setnametotime, fastimageresizer, winscp, putty, Open Office
A website that lets you upload pictures. It is best to have your own website. I use gallery2 software integrated with drupal.
A laptop would be nice but I use public Internet cafes.
Shooting guidelines
Carry a lot of flash memory. The more the better. It's lightweight and reliable. Use 8 GB or larger cards to avoid having too many cards to worry about. I got 56 GB at about USD$10/GB last year, which is enough for about 20 days continuous shooting (varies depending on subjects). I number each memory card (1-8). When one card fills up I go to the card with the next higher number, rotating back to 1 when the last card fills up. This way I always am several cards away from the oldest pictures on flash memory, which are the old pictures that are typically en route on DVD (see below) to home. By going sequentially I avoid accidentally overwriting pictures that have not been backed up. I also double check the card just before overwriting to make sure it has old pictures. Shoot maximum resolution in raw + small jpeg. Use the JPEGs to upload to review images and upload to your website.
Backing up
The goal here is to avoid losing any images and to have images stored back home. The basic approach is:
1. capture to CF cards
2. duplicate CF cards to portable disk
3. duplicate to second portable disk
4. burn DVDs
5. mail DVDs home
6. copy DVDs at home to large disk drive
7. store DVDs at separate location from main disk drive
8. clear CF cards and duplicate copies on portable disks as space is needed
This way, there are always at least 2 copies of the data. If there is a problem, e.g., DVDs lost in mail, I can always burn another DVD. Having two disks means I can maintain a second copy even if I have had to recycle CF cards before step 7 (above) is confirmed. As a further precaution, I avoid having all of my copies plugged into a computer at the same time--just in case there's a malicious virus or a power surge.
Backup to a portable disk. Before plugging any of your equipment into a public computer make sure they have a decent antivirus program, e.g., nod32, Kaspersky, Symantec, etc. A lot of places use AVG freeware, which is not very good, but it is better than nothing. You will probably still get viruses on your media and have to clean them up, so keep backups of everything. As an insurance policy, backup your CF cards to a portable disk before plugging them into a public computer. I have been using a HyperDrive Space disk enclosure as a portable drive, though it is not well constructed. While it still works I would not purchase another one. Maybe the Nexto portable drive would work better, though it is more expensive. Purchase the disk drive separately from the enclosure to save some money and get the disk you want. I use a Seagate 120 GB 2.5" IDE disk. I also have an external USB enclosure with an 80 GB 2.5" disk, both of which I got in China, though a higher capacity disk would be preferrable.
After copying the cards to the portable drive I use Internet cafe computers to copy CF cards to the 80 GB USB disk as follows:
Split the files on the CF cards into DVD size folders. For an 8gb disk this means two folders. I put half the files in one folder and the other half in the 2nd folder. Folders are named "yyyymmdd-yyyymmdd" (start/end) dates. be sure to carry a high quality card reader and your own USB cable since the ones in Internet cafes are nearly universally crap (slow slow slow).
2. Use allwaysync to copy the files from the CF card to the external drive. Alwaysync is a free file syncing program. You will probably need to plug it directly into the USB sockets in the back of the computer, even if the computer has front sockets, as the front sockets usually can't handle a disk drive.
Burn each folder to a DVD, working from the external disk drive. Burn the files from the external USB disk drive, which is better than a CF card that can hiccup and then you have a coaster instead of a DVD. I name the dvds "yy-mmdd-mmdd". Each DVD is also numbered, I'm up to "083" now. On the DVD I write the country and main places or cities in the pictures. I also have a file listing all of my DVDs along with basic contents and status (see below). This is a plain text file I can edit anywhere. I update it as i burn DVDs and then email a copy to myself as a backup as well as keep a copy of the file on a portable flash drive.
It is cheapest to buy your own DVDs. Try to get brand-name disks, like Sony, Ricoh, TDK, Maxell, etc. You can still use no-name disks and they usually work. Get DVD-R or DVD+R 16x disks in 20 disk spindles if possible as these are cheapest. Pick up a packet of nylon sleeves, which are more compact and lightweight than slim jewel cases. It can take some searching to find DVDs for a decent price and a lot of haggling in Asian countries and India, but in the end a blank DVD should cost USD$0.50 and not more than USD$1.00 (unless the USD continues to plunge). Some places will charge to use a DVD burner, again haggle like mad to get the price down to say 50 Rupees in India or go to a shop that doesn't charge, which is common in AU/NZ.
An example file with list of DVDs:
Disk drives:
1: 120GB Seagate in HyperDrive SPACE enclosure
2: 80GB Hitachi in DataStorage enclosure
Column headings (1=done, 0=not done):
sel: selected pictures for uploading
svd: copied nefs of uploaded pictures
cf: cf card number
hd: disk numbers
dvd: dvd number
pst: posted dvd home
rcv: received dvd at home
cpy: copied dvd at home to disk drive
dates: date range of images (yyyymmdd-yyyymmdd, utc dates)
images: image numbers
contents: brief description of contents
| sel | svd | cf | hd | dvd | pst | rcv | cpy | dates | images | contents |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20070810-20070824 | 3507-3953 | us, japan:tokyo |
Selecting files
Go through the images picking out the ones you like for your website. I do this by loading the first picture in MS Picture Viewer, which is on every Windows PC and can be used by right-clicking the first JPEG in a folder. I put the picture numbers in a spreadsheet that looks like this:
| folder | image | country | location | description | copy | 20070810-20070824 | 3511 | japan | tokyo | street scene in tokyo | copy j:\photos\20070810-20070824\_DSC3511*.* j:\photos\upload-20070910 |
The copy column is a Windows copy command which is generated automatically from the previous columns (minimal knowledge of a spreadsheet program is needed for this). I use the Open Office Calc software as the spreadsheet. You need to create directories as appropriate for the places visited, e.g., japan/tokyo, etc.
Once I have the pictures to upload I copy the "copy" commands into a text file, name it "upload-20070910.bat" (or something similar) and run the script, making sure that all the commands work, since Windows batch files keep on going even if there's an error copying. The script copies the full-size JPEG and raw files. The raw files of the selected images are kept with me, but, to free up disk space, I delete the raw files in the original folders after the DVDs have been received at home.
Uploading images
After the files are copied I run "setnametotime" to rename the selected files as "yyyymmmdd-hhhmmss[.nn]z-.jpg". This ensures that each file has a unique name, even when my camera rolls around its counter. The name is a timestamp using UTC time since I can't be bothered to reset my camera's clock, hence the z. The original name is included to be able to find the original file in the original folder.
The images are resized for the web by droping the upload folder on "fastimageresizer" to get images rotated as per camera EXIF data and resized to 75 medium quality 1024x768 jpegs. You need to configure the options in fastimageresizer to dump images in a separate folder and use exif data etc. Fastimageresizer crashes if you have more than 2 folders deep in recursive resizing, but that's not hard to avoid. The resized folder is then zipped using any convenient zip program--either built into Windows or 7 Zip. The folder is uploaded to my website using winscp. I log on using putty to handle file munging on the server. Using the gallery software on my website I load the images into the gallery.
Destinations
Lists of possible places to see.
1000 Places To See
Top 10 hikes
besthike.com: top 10 hikes in the world 2006
December 25th, 2006 ·
#1) West
Coast Trail, BC, Canada
#2) John
Muir Trail, California, USA
#3) Tongariro
Northern Circuit, New Zealand
#4) Ausangate
Circuit, Peru
#5) Sunshine
to Assiniboine, Alberta, Canada
#6) Glacier
North Circle, Montana, USA
#7) Mt.
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
#8) Annapurna
Circuit, Nepal
#9) TMB
(Tour de Mont Blanc), Europe
10) Overland
Track, Tasmania
Volunteer opportunities
Earthwatch: Volunteering on an Expedition
http://www.earthwatch.org/site/pp.asp?c=dsJSK6PFJnH&b=2136833
Globalteer: Worldwide Volunteer Opportunities
http://www.globalteer.org/
World Heritage Sites
UNESCO World Heritage List
Argentina
- Los Glaciares (1981) #
- Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil) (1983, 1984) *
- Iguazu National Park (1984)
- Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas (1999)
- Península Valdés (1999)
- Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks (2000)
- Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba (2000)
- Quebrada de Humahuaca (2003)
Australia
- Great Barrier Reef (1981)
- Kakadu National Park (1981, 1987, 1992)
- Willandra Lakes Region (1981)
- Lord Howe Island Group (1982)
- Tasmanian Wilderness (1982, 1989)
- Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (1986, 1994) 1
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (1987, 1994) 2
- Wet Tropics of Queensland (1988)
- Shark Bay, Western Australia (1991)
- Fraser Island (1992)
- Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) (1994)
- Heard and McDonald Islands (1997)
- Macquarie Island (1997)
- Greater Blue Mountains Area (2000)
- Purnululu National Park (2003)
- Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (2004)
- Sydney Opera House (2007)
Chile
- Rapa Nui National Park (1995)
- Churches of Chiloé (2000)
- Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso (2003)
- Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works (2005)
- Sewell Mining Town (2006)
China
- Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang (1987, 2004)
- Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (1987)
- Mogao Caves (1987)
- Mount Taishan (1987)
- Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (1987)
- The Great Wall (1987)
- Mount Huangshan (1990)
- Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area (1992)
- Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (1992)
- Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (1992)
- Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (1994)
- Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa (1994, 2000, 2001) 7
- Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde (1994)
- Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu (1994)
- Lushan National Park (1996)
- Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area (1996)
- Ancient City of Ping Yao (1997)
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou (1997, 2000)
- Old Town of Lijiang (1997)
- Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing (1998)
- Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing (1998)
- Dazu Rock Carvings (1999)
- Mount Wuyi (1999)
- Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun (2000)
- Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (2000, 2003, 2004)
- Longmen Grottoes (2000)
- Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (2000)
- Yungang Grottoes (2001)
- Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (2003)
- Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom (2004)
- Historic Centre of Macao (2005)
- Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries (2006)
- Yin Xu (2006)
- Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (2007)
- South China Karst (2007)
Ecuador
- City of Quito (1978)
- Galápagos Islands (1978, 2001)
- Sangay National Park (1983) #
- Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca (1999)
Egypt
- Abu Mena (1979)
- Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (1979)
- Historic Cairo (1979)
- Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur (1979)
- Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae (1979)
- Saint Catherine Area (2002)
- Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley) (2005)
India
- Agra Fort (1983)
- Ajanta Caves (1983)
- Ellora Caves (1983)
- Taj Mahal (1983)
- Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (1984)
- Sun Temple, Konârak (1984)
- Kaziranga National Park (1985)
- Keoladeo National Park (1985)
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985)
- Churches and Convents of Goa (1986)
- Fatehpur Sikri (1986)
- Group of Monuments at Hampi (1986)
- Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986)
- Elephanta Caves (1987)
- Great Living Chola Temples (1987, 2004) 12
- Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (1987)
- Sundarbans National Park (1987)
- Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (1988, 2005)
- Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989)
- Humayun's Tomb, Delhi (1993)
- Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (1993)
- Mountain Railways of India (1999, 2005) 13
- Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (2002)
- Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003)
- Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004)
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004)
- Red Fort Complex (2007)
Indonesia
- Borobudur Temple Compounds (1991)
- Komodo National Park (1991)
- Prambanan Temple Compounds (1991)
- Ujung Kulon National Park (1991)
- Sangiran Early Man Site (1996)
- Lorentz National Park (1999)
- Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (2004)
Israel
- Masada (2001)
- Old City of Acre (2001)
- White City of Tel-Aviv -- the Modern Movement (2003)
- Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba (2005)
- Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev (2005)
Japan
- Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (1993)
- Himeji-jo (1993)
- Shirakami-Sanchi (1993)
- Yakushima (1993)
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) (1994)
- Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (1995)
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (1996)
- Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (1996)
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (1998)
- Shrines and Temples of Nikko (1999)
- Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (2000)
- Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (2004)
- Shiretoko (2005)
- Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (2007)
Mongolia
Morocco
- Medina of Fez (1981)
- Medina of Marrakesh (1985)
- Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou (1987)
- Historic City of Meknes (1996)
- Archaeological Site of Volubilis (1997)
- Medina of Tétouan (formerly known as Titawin) (1997)
- Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) (2001)
- Portuguese City of Mazagan (El Jadida) (2004)
Nepal
- Kathmandu Valley (1979, 2006)
- Sagarmatha National Park (1979)
- Royal Chitwan National Park (1984)
- Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha (1997)
New Zealand
- Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand (1990) 17
- Tongariro National Park (1990, 1993) #
- New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands (1998)
Peru
- City of Cuzco (1983)
- Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (1983)
- Chavin (Archaeological Site) (1985)
- Huascarán National Park (1985) #
- Chan Chan Archaeological Zone (1986)
- Manú National Park (1987)
- Historic Centre of Lima (1988, 1991) 18
- Río Abiseo National Park (1990, 1992)
- Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana (1994)
- Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa (2000)
Senegal
- Island of Gorée (1978)
- Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (1981)
- Niokolo-Koba National Park (1981)
- Island of Saint-Louis (2000)
- Stone Circles of Senegambia (2006)
South Africa
- Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs (1999, 2005)
- Greater St Lucia Wetland Park (1999)
- Robben Island (1999)
- uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park (2000)
- Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (2003)
- Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (2004)
- Vredefort Dome (2005)
- Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape (2007)
Thailand
- Historic City of Ayutthaya (1991)
- Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns (1991)
- Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries (1991)
- Ban Chiang Archaeological Site (1992)
- Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex (2005)
Turkey
- Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia (1985)
- Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği (1985)
- Historic Areas of Istanbul (1985)
- Hattusha: the Hittite Capital (1986)
- Nemrut Dağ (1987)
- Hierapolis-Pamukkale (1988)
- Xanthos-Letoon (1988)
- City of Safranbolu (1994)
- Archaeological Site of Troy (1998)
United Republic of Tanzania
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area (1979) #
- Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara (1981)
- Serengeti National Park (1981)
- Selous Game Reserve (1982)
- Kilimanjaro National Park (1987)
- Stone Town of Zanzibar (2000)
- Kondoa Rock-Art Sites (2006)
Viet Nam
Resources
Voting overseas (for US citizens) http://www.fvap.gov/
World map (large) http://web.mit.edu/kenta/www/one/world-map.png
Money, Q&A
http://www.smartertravel.com/all/?content_type=column&column_type=asked_...
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/foreign-exchange-101-update-p...
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/fall-foreign-currency-report....
Health
Travel food safety resources http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/FoodSafety/FoodSafetyTravel.htm
If my stupid cold doesn't improve, what to do in case of sinusitis
http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/sinus/antibiotics_sinusitis.cfm
I even have doxycycline (for malaria), so I can use if necessary; some prescribing info at http://www.doxycycline.com/prescribing.htm
Doxy is a synthetic variant of tetracycline, it blocks bacterial protein synthesis, broad spectrum (gram + and -). Good for sinusitis, pneumonia. Treatment: 2 x 100 mg on the first day, 1 x 100 mg for seven days, after meals. So, at least I don't have to deal with possibly conterfeit Chinese medicines. If this stupid nose doesn't get better with some clearer air I'm hitting the doxy before I get to Nepal.
Lodging
Beijing airport hotels
http://chinatour.net/index.php?cPath=25&gclid=COKTotGbr44CFRDMbgoda28Iaw
To see, to do
World Heritage List
Stores
REI
Forums, Advice, etc.
Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forums
Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Gear Forum
Boots 'n All
Travel Independent, great concise travel info.
Fellow Travelers
Me Go, Megan's (organized) travel diary.
Zen Backpack Security http://zenbackpacking.net/BackpackSecurity.htm
Finance
XE currency converter.
Flying
TSA carry on rules
Time in different cities
World Time Saver