Friends, family and readers of all ages, please be advised. The
following information is strictly based on my personal preferences in
SE Asia and may not apply for those of you traveling on a more flexible
budget. Every morning I made sure to include most, if not all, of the
following items in my handy-dandy messenger bag.
Wreck This Journal: Also known as my travel bible. Weeks before I
began my SE Asian adventure, my two dear friends, Abby and Aubrey, planned a surprise birthday party for me...which I failed to attend. I
stumbled home from the bars later that evening, or should I say early
morning...and found a collection of gifts snuggled up with my down
comforter. I was a bit confused at that point (not knowing that the
party had been held just hours before) but was so excited to dig
through the box of goodies! All of the gifts were fantastic, but the last gift I unwrapped was a like gold. A 200 page,
medium-sized, paperback book that was titled, "Wreck this Journal."
Every other page housed a creative activity in which I was encouraged to act on.
"Climb up high. Drop this journal."
"Tear this page out. Put it in your pocket. Put it through the wash. Stick it back in."
and my favorite: "Hang this journal in a public place. Invite people to draw here."
I will admit that I haven't followed a majority of the
directions, but the actions have drawn a lot of attention from fellow
travelers. The journal has survived four weeks of vigorous activity
and will have to endure another three and a half weeks before it
retires. WTJ (Wreck This Journal) currently hosts scribbles of travel recommendations, phone numbers, translations, exotic fruit names, facebook
friends, emails, yoga studios, meeting places, meeting times, bus
numbers, airline confirmation numbers, conversion rates, random acts of
kindness, thoughts, daily activities, costs of food and a detailed
daily account of my adventures. I may be able to remember every detail
of my travels today, but come next year, those important moments of my
travels will fade and be lost in time. This is the first time in my
life that I've had the discipline to record my daily routine/thoughts.
Thank you Abbs and Aubs!
Tooth Brush + Mouthwash: A mintaful
burst of fresh air and gentle scrubbing. A spa treatment for your
mouth. While traveling in borderline third-world countries, I've
encountered days full of sweat, dirt, diesel exhaust, sewage,
roadkill...pretty much anything foul you could imagine. I may not have
been able to shield my body from the filth, but my mouth was entitled
to VIP treatment.
As
far as mouthwash in concerned, don't settle for the cheap stuff. Spend
the extra ten cents on Listerine's Cool Mint. The stronger the sting,
the fresher your mouth will feel in the 90+ degree humidity. I also
recommend splashing your toothbrush with the Listerine and brushing
away any unwanted residue leftover from the questionable street food.
It's an easy task to enjoy the simple pleasures of a clean mouth in a
dirty environment. Feel like your teeth need a brushing?
SIGG:
Another gift I received on my birthday, via FedEx on my front porch
from Kelley in SD. A cleanly designed water vessel made of stainless steel
that is conveniently topped with a looped cap, which can be affixed
onto any bag with a carabinier.
This is the one item that I am kicking myself for not bringing with me.
Not only would it have kept my water cool, but it would have saved me
quite a few dollars. My alternative to the SIGG; a reusable 1.5 liter plastic bottle, courtesy of 7/11 (for 12 baht) with a 2-day lifespan.
Thanks to Hannah and Molly, I discovered filtered water dispensers
throughout Thailand. Instead of hitting up the 7/11's on an hourly
basis and handing over my precious "baby baht," I could locate one of
the off-white contraptions, insert a single baht, press go, and watch
the filtered goodness make its way into my bottle. Consuming 8 liters
of water a day could break the bank. Who would have thought hydrating
would be an expensive hobby...?
Medicine Cabinet, Miniaturized: No, this isn't another episode of
"Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," it's simply a sampling of a first aid kit
held together in a small ziplock bag. 2 Advil, 2 Imodium, 2 cough drops, all natural throat spray (with echinacea) from Whole Foods, 2 bandaids, lip balm, sample sun screen packets and a cleansing wipe (donated to me by one of my guesthomes).
This may sound extravagant, but it's necessary, especially when more
than 50% of the food I'm consuming is questionable. Fortunately, very
few of those items have been removed permanently from my ziplock, but I know if a problem arises, I'll be prepared.
The Scarf: This is it's 2nd debut in my blog. It must be important.
From my last entry, this square piece of green and black checkered
cloth has also served as a beach towel, bath towel, a modified version
of a bag to carry snorkel gear, sunshield, hippy headband, bed sheet, skirt, table cloth and a sweatband. Who wants one?!
Pens. Pens. Pens: I strongly encourage attending tradeshows
or expos before traveling to a third-world country. Stock up on
ink-filled plastic cylinders. These simple objects are treasures for
the children. As mentioned in my previous journal entry,
the kids totally eat these up. I usually carry pens with me for my own
selfish reasons, but I've quickly learned to bring a few extras as
gifts.
TP:
Bathrooms don't exist in Thailand. There are no baths to be found. Key
word: Toilet, and you're lucky if you actually find one of those. In
most cases, the "toilet" is an elevated bowl. No flushing, no pluming
and certainly, no toilet paper. For a comfortable exit from the
non-westernized toilets, I recommend stashing some tissues in ziplock baggie. There's no need to spend extra baht on a roll of TP since most restaurants will provide TP
centerpieces on their tables. It's become second-nature for me to grab
a couple squares from the tables before entering the disposal chamber.
Liquid Soap (travel size): A little drop goes a long way. Not only is TP
a rare find...you're lucky if they even have soap or a functioning
faucet. Hand sanitizer is a great alternative, but I still believe in
the real deal. Leave it to the soap and a splash of your bottled drinking water to chase away the evil bacteria.
Your immune system will be thanking you later.
Sun Screen by Day, Bug Spray by Night: The sun is intense in SE
Asia and I constantly found myself reapplying the SPF 30 on an hourly
basis to avoid the cancerous burns. It worked wonders. One application
of SPF won't outlast your sweat, frolicking in the waves or cannon
balls in the middle of a corral reef. Save your skin.
Once the sun begins its descent, it's feeding time for the
mesquitos. By carrying the bug spray in your travel pack at all times,
you avoid the unnecessary trip back to your room, and can also avoid
being eaten alive (and possibly contracting malaria).
Fully-Charged Cell Phone: Obviously, the cell phone is the first
thing we all make sure we have in the working world. It's our
lifeline, our connection to everything. Why would this be necessary
when traveling?
Besides communicating with fellow travelers, scheduling meeting times,
reconvening with friends in chaotic situations, the cell phone has doubled as my
alarm clock, my watch and my currency converter (thanks to the calculator function).
Other notable items: coin purse, ziplocks
(for leftover food or leaky fruit), plastic spoon, snacks, deck of
playing cards (could be useful for late night drinking games), i pod +
mini speakers (only if there's room in your bag...you never know when
you'll need some tunes as a soundtrack)
Please feel free to add other items to this list and let me know if anything listed above has helped you in your travels!
--
www.rachellevagy.com
