There is no turning back now!

Today for a first time, I really started feeling that I'm going. I have just sorted my travel money and have some passport photos taken for visas but only when I came back home and held Thai Bhat and US Dollars in my hands I understood it is now happening for real. So soon. I am so excited!

Regarding my travel finances, I had to give it a long thought and consider all cons and pros. Despite ordering and receiving a brand new card couple of weeks ago which seem to work OK, seeing my old card without any reasons having problems in some of UK cash machines made me carefully prepare for the same thing happening again, this time abroad. Today I converted around 1/3 of my total 3-month budget into: US Dollars (which are widely accepted in South East Asia, sometimes even more desired than local currency), Thai Bhat (as I am planning to book some tours around Thailand in the first few days of being in Bangkok) and US Dollars travellers cheques, which accounted for half of the money I converted today.  Although travelers cheques are a little bit forgotten these days, from what I read online they offer good exchange rates and low charge for conversion at the destination bank (lower than charge taken by your bank when you withdraw money abroad), seem a pretty good option for South East Asia where they are widely accepted, especially that they are refundable in case of being lost or stolen. However before getting too enthusiastic and getting them for your next holiday abroad, it is important to check if they are welcomed as for example some EU countries can be reluctant accepting them.

Now I only need to pack my backpack and get into the airport on time :)

Fantastic news and my new ‘baby’ with unfortunate name

Today I was only going to write about a recently bought toy which I felt it will be a useful and maybe even essential purchase for my trip, but before that I need to share great news.

As a first thing in the morning, I opened my email and received a message from my friend and ex-flatmate from Australia who decided to join me in my first month of travelling in Asia! He knew the dates, the hostel and journey plan from the blog so he booked tickets and I’ll meet him in Bangkok, very probably even in the same hostel (if there are still any rooms left). I am soooooo happy and could hardly imagine better person to travel with as we have already traveled together to New Zealand and had fantastic time. Called my mum and Kevin straight away and I could hear a relief in their voice that I will be with someone trusted (at least for some time) before I meet with lovely Stefanie in Indonesia. Thank you Darwin for making my day! I hope you will not be offended for me putting these pictures up J

Coming back to my ‘baby’, I already am an owner of an old and heavy Dell-ina which at the moment is my main computer and Samsung tablet which I like very much for some things (internet browsing, quick access to maps and emails; no need for me to print out vouchers anymore), but not so much for other things such as typing or other ‘heavy duties’ like fixing/perfecting photos. And as I am planning not only to regularly update this blog (so my mum does not have a heart attack from not hearing from me for too long) but also to work on my own online project which I have already started, I needed the access to small, light laptop/notebook which can do all I want it to but it’s not too expensive so it doesn't eat my travel budget and it’s not massively valuable, in case of damage or being stolen. Finally I bought a very lovely Asus netbook from Argos Outlet (which sells refurbished laptops) for just over £100 with delivery, saving £80 or so if I get the brand new one. Although it can be a bit slow at times (what can you expect for this price and the basic, entry level processor) I completely love how light (not even 1kg), small (10 inch) and portable it is. I have already tested it in Edinburgh for 3 days where I was visiting my boyfriend and it is just what I need for travelling Asia. I am still going to take the tablet with me as well as Asus netbook as I think they both will be useful.

Vaccinations, malaria tabets and other health essentials

Why do travelers have to take medical precautions before going to South East Asia? Answer to this question is directly connected to the knowledge why there are so many diseases in Third World Countries that are not (or hardly)  present in Western civilizations. The reasons for it include favorable conditions for disease growth in this type of tropics which then can be transmitted to humans by insects, not as closely regulated as in Western World sanitary conditions which contributes not only to easier spread of diseases but also to the creation of another source of harmful bacteria which are present in contaminated food and water. The last major way of catching a disease is physical contact with infected person, through exchange of body fluids (can be through sex but also e.g. having done a tattoo with previously used needle).

I started my preparations around 8 weeks before my planned departure with vaccinations. If you have not had your injections done recently (and most of us have not had one since childhood or for this particular diseases never have done at all) it is advised to have them done at least 6 weeks before going. Depending on where you going, for South East Asia recommended vaccinations include Typhoid Fever, Hepatitis A and B, Polio, Diphtheria and Tetanus, Tuberculosis, Rabies and Japanese encephalitis. Because I am not planning to go to rural areas and work with animals like pigs, I ruled out vaccination against Rabies and  Japanese encephalitis. I have already had done my Tuberculosis shoot when I was a kid and I am not planning to have any physical contact with anybody therefore Hepatitis B also was out of my list. Finally, I had done 3 injections: one for Typhoid Fever, one for Hepatitis A (both spreading through uncooked/contaminated water or food) and one (thankfully) containing all three Polio (spreading through contaminated food), Diphtheria (air and skin to skin contact) and Tetanus (bacteria present in soil entering your cut or scrape). Injections itself didn't hurt but around half an hour later they started bruising, swelling and be very painful when touched. As I have them in both of my arms, because of the pain I  had trouble sleeping comfortably for next 3 nights.

While taking vaccinations, the doctor prescribed me malaria tablets. There are few types of them, the most popular and available only with doctor prescription are:

1. Atovaquone plus proguanil (commonly known as Malarone), they are the most expensive ones
2. Doxycycline, slightly less expensive but common side effect is sensitivity to light
3. Mefloquine or Lariam, the cheapest ones but with the most side effects


The doctor basically told me that the more expensive ones you take once a day (I am talking about £70/two weeks supply!), and the cheaper ones you take once a week (£14/6 tablets or so) and that they generally can make you feel a little bit sick, dizzy and drowsy. That was pretty much  all the information I was given and based on that I purchased the cheaper ones, not only because they were cheaper, but also because I prefer to take them once a week rather than ever day. As I was suppose to start taking them 3 weeks before going, just before taking my first tablet I was reading about them online. And I couldn't believe what I found out. They basically are very controversial psychotropic (!) drugs, in a long run affecting your brain and mood, very commonly making you to have nightmares and severe depression. And if there is any family history of depression/psychological problems, you should never come close to them. That discovery was pretty scary and I am so happy I read about it before I took my first tablet. My brain is the most treasured part of my body and I never ever want to mess with it. I also am quite disappointed if not angry with this stupid GP who have not even mentioned this type of risk while prescribing me this tablets.

Here is a link to the youtube video which summarizes well what I read about the Lariam tablets:

 Dangers of Lariam/Mefloquine

Overall, although some rural areas of South East Asia are considered malaria risky, majority of where tourists go is malaria free (as I am going to travel on my own, I don't really want to go somewhere far away from where other people are). Also, because of severe side effects, many travelers start taking the pills and drop them after few weeks and they ere perfectly fine, just as my boyfriend and his friend were when they went traveling together to the same region, refusing to take anti malaria medications. After a careful thought, I decided not to take the malaria tablets at all (although I already bought my psychotropic tablets for £50); the risk of taking them and having side effects is much higher for me than catching a malaria which in fact is a treatable disease.

The final precautions I am taking, is to stock up with charcoal (which naturally absorbs and neutralizes poisons, in case of food poisoning), diarrhea tablets, familiar to me painkillers, maybe some lemsip and lots of good insect repellant spray/gel (50 DEET or more) and repellant plug ins.

At the end of the day, I hope that I will not need to worry abut any of what I just wrote and without any problems I will be enjoying my trip. It is so soon now! In three weeks from today I will be landing in hot Bangkok :)

Tickets and journey plan

When it comes to tickets, thankfully they are nowhere near as ridiculously expensive as for Australia, although there is not that much difference in the distance. I got my tickets in the beginning of July, and as I wanted to start my journey in Thailand, the best option I found was a return ticket from Bangkok. I got return tickets for £640 with British Airways (have never traveled with them yet) and was convinced it is a good price but little did I know that literally a week later tickets for the same route were on sale with STA travel with my favorite Emirates and I could go for around £100 less! Anyway, I am still happy I booked the tickets when I was ready for it rather than waiting for better occasion which could never arrive and the situation would only put my plans on hold.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I can talk about wanting to go somewhere for a long time, but when I finally find the time to really make it happen (this year my attention was consumed with final assignments for University), the plan and the length of the journey very quickly appear in my head and within hours I am ready to book tickets and talk about travel destinations.

I am leaving from Newcastle on 4^th of September (will arrive to Bangkok on 5^th afternoon) and coming back to Newcastle on 22^nd November (will be back the same day at night).

The journey will be broken down to 3 parts, each month being one part. The first month (September) I want to travel Thailand and do round trip through Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Second month (October) will be for Malaysia finishing in Singapore and the third month (November) I want to spend in Indonesia starting in Jakarta with Stefanie which I can’t wait to see! I am still considering doing a 10-day meditation course in Indonesia but haven’t booked anything yet. From Indonesia I will take a flight back to Bangkok to get my return flight to Newcastle.

The dates in each country are flexible and depend on what I actually feel like doing at that time. If I find myself with spare time, short visit to Japan or South Korea will be considered although I would like to have another longer trip dedicated to this region. Below is the map with rough plan of my journey: 

Shopping

Apart from obvious essential things such as vaccinations, malaria tablets, visas (for South East Asia most are available at the airports apart from Vietnam where for Polish passports holders it is required to register online first and get a promesa visa before turning up to the airport), travel insurance etc, there were few other things I felt like I should have. First on the list are personal security items. Although I hope I will never have to use them, as single female traveler it is better I have than not have them. I purchased a personal alarm (upon activation it gives a very loud siren of 140db for attracting attention) and criminal identifier farb-gel-spray (containing a very hard to wash farb that stains skin and clothes of attacker for up to 7 days for easier identification). They both comply with UK regulations (unlike the pepper spray) and I bought them from a legal website, here are the links:

http://www.eightriverssecurity.co.uk/mini_minder_torch_personal_alarm.html

and

http://www.eightriverssecurity.co.uk/about_farbgel.html

I also decided to opt for maximum security when it comes to my most important personal belongings which are passport, money and credit cards. I purchased Security Holster (looks more secure than simple neck pouch) and a special wallet with the chain so it can be attached to the belt or handbag preventing it from stealing.

There are links

http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/deuter-security-holster-b6110109?id_colour=114

http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/pacsafe-walletsafe-50-compact-wallet-b6110094?id_colour=124

After initial struggle with putting holster on, I managed to make it fit. However, I still believe the designer made it for men; he didn't consider the fact that women have boobs and the holster does not sit as good on them as on someone flat-chested. Apart from it, I really like how solid it feels and I am looking forward to test both purchases in my journey J

Insurance

I am NOT going to Asia without a proper insurance. It is not like I am expecting the worst; in fact I never want to need to contact the insurance company but because I simply don’t know what to expect there, I carefully chose my cover. The very helpful for doing so turned out to be the website confused.com where I could easily compare a range of travel insurance for my circumstances (backpacking), length of travelling, cover requirements and budget. Eventually I booked the insurance with the CoverForYou, level of cover RUBY which apart from substantial insurance for medical expenses, cancellations and baggage, also gives me protection against airline insolvency which I really wanted to have as unfortunately it can happen in Asian countries. Airline insolvency cover and good reviews about the provider ultimately convinced me to purchase insurance with CoverForYou. 

Hostel Booked!

After looong time thinking and consulting with people who might know, even speaking to the girl who traveled Thailand on her own and told me not to book anything until I arrive there as I will definitely receive better offers and useful tips upon arrival, I decided to book the hostel for the first three nights in Bangkok. As I completely understand the girl’s approach and it is probably true what she is saying, from my experience it is such a peace of mind to already have some starting point organised wherever you travel. The decision which hostel/hotel to choose was influenced by two major factors, first one was the fact that I am expecting to be jet-lagged for the first few days (and after being in Australia I know how painful this experience is  for me) therefore I decided not to go straight into shared dorms but instead to select a decent single room or to book a whole double room just for myself, which of course doubles the price, but is not a problem in (I am yet to confirm) famously cheap Thailand. The second factor was my boyfriend’s opinion as he is lucky enough to have already been to Thailand before and advised me to stay away from the main streets and also told me about rough areas to avoid. Out of few hostels I was considering, I finally booked The Cozy Bangkok Place and this is where I will be staying from 5^th to 8^th September. I cannot wait!

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Cozy-Bangkok-Place/Bangkok/20713

Talisman

Although my birthday has already passed, recently I received a very meaningful gift from my closest family. I did not expect a present, never mind a present like this.

In the middle of my busy shift at work, my sister popped in just to give me the little bag. I briefly opened and look at it as at that moment I didn't have time to even try it on. I received a beautiful, simple, little piece of jewelry. I put it in my bag and came back to working. From time to time the present was coming to my mind and I could remember a writing on it, it said O.K.A.P. But there was something missing there. ‘I know!’ I said to myself. 'What about Nutka?'

As I got home from work, and had a closer look at it, I very quickly realized that it is not an ordinary bracelet. There was nothing missing. Nutka was there too. Moreover, the bracelet was warm in my hand. And then I saw something. It wasn't a reflection of the light in polished silver. The bracelet glowed with delicate, warm light.

In the smooth surface of jewelry, I could see all my family, all four of us, and Nutka who could not write her initial but she still showed herself. I saw all these happy memories in our flat in Krakow, all so alive and locked in my head as it was yesterday. I could feel the warmth of caring, loving and worrying about me coming from four different directions, just as we live now in four different places, with Nutka above all of us.

I am going to take this warmth closed in this beautiful bracelet with me wherever I go. It will be my talisman. It will always be quietly reminding me of what really is valuable and important in life. Thank you very much for this beautiful gift.  

Preparation

For many, experienced and first timers, the final decision of going far away (especially if you realised that you're going on your own) and planning and preparation for the trip, is often a very stressful time. For some reason, for me it is one of my favourite part of the journey. As soon as I know I am going (the tickets are booked and/or I received a final confirmation) immediately in my head the list of all the things I have to do, in a perfect order is created. It is happening without my conscious thinking, and very quickly I just feel like I need to sit down and write it all down, pour it out, let it escape as a perfect plan on a paper. And usually there it is, very rarely it needs any more adjustments. This process is almost effortless. All I have to do now is relax and keep ticking the boxes on the list by doing each and every of this little things I have written down.

Every time I am going away, this very specific feeling is brought to me. The feeling I had for a very first time when I was going hitchhiking with my crazy girlfriends from Krakow to Prague. Then I felt it when one of my (crazy) girlfriend and I left the tour bus that suppose to take us from Sicily to Poland, in Rome. We decided that 2 weeks in Italy is far too short, we needed to make the fun last longer. There was nothing wrong with this, apart from the fact that it was organized holidays, we both literally just turned 18 and our tour guide was responsible to deliver us home. He made us write and sign the official letter that we take responsibility for ourselves. He then said: ‘Maybe you are in your legal age, but you are no adults yet’. Although he was probably right, and we were left completely on our own, in a foreign language city with very little money, it was one of the best holidays in my life so far and I’ll never forget it. Then I had this felling again when I was in the airplane, going to the UK for a very first time, leaving everything behind. This feeling is a very strong mixture of 80% excitement and 20% fear and 100% trust in my inner guidance, intuition and sharp alert for signals of orders I placed in my meditations weeks/days before going. I love to test my spirit and remind myself again how tremendous yet silent power I possess and how beautifully I can shape my reality, literally. And it always works.

In other words, some people love bungee jumping or skydiving which give them adrenaline. I seem to love situations that are nothing but stress for many people like going away on my own (the further the better), moving houses, changing jobs or moving to another city. Even if I am not necessarily doing these things on my own, I still have this sweet knowing that my fate and my future is in my hands. I love it.