Some final thoughts on travelling

I will be leaving soon to return to America, land of drinkable water, ice cubes, fresh fruits and vegetables that don't threaten to poison you, Diet Coke, and decent pizza. As I do so, I have jotted down some of the ideas that have occurred to me in the last few days, and before I begin the several days of airplane travel that will bring great joy and relief to my dog (and hopefully my wife and daughter #2, though I suspect the dog's greeting will be more overwhelming initially), I thought I would share my thoughts:

What to pack:
-It is possible to travel with only two sets of pants, shirts, socks, and underwear if one washes them out each day in the sink. Shirts can be reduced to one if one adopts the “been there, seen that, bought the t-shirt” mentality.
-A pair of hiking boots and a pair of sandal will cover most of the bases as far as footwear. The sandals are critical for showers in dorm-like settings, or anywhere near a bathroom in Tibet. Even better would be class IV biohazard suit.
-A travel pillow is a plus, especially for dicey hotels and long car trips. A sleeping bag is less critical unless one is trekking. Choosing companions who don't snore also helps with sleep.
-A small calculator would have been very helpful, especially when going from country to country and trying figure out quickly whether 600 ruppee is good deal for a burger(no), or 20 yuan for a t-shirt (yes) , or god forbid some number that does not divide easily into the conversion rate!
-A small umbrella would have been useful to deal with sun beating down, more so than the rain jackets, given that we had very little rainfall most of the days, despite monsoon season. Maybe my friend "Mary Poppins" (you know who you are...) had it right.
-A “Murse” (man-purse) is also handy for keeping the guide books, notebooks, leisure reading, a pen, etc. No wonder women carry those things. But it is critical that it not look like a purse, or you will question for masculinity (obviously this one only applies to men). I got mine at Cabella's, known more for manly products like guns and hunting equipment.
-A decent camera lens is critical to enjoying the photographic experience. A crappy lens is even more obvious when others can zoom in to capture great shots of people surreptitiously, while your own shots look like distant specks. Plus crappy lenses have a suicidal impulse that makes them fall more easily to the ground. They know how utterly worthless they are.
-US Dollars are easier to convert than Travelers Checks, especially in dinky third world towns. Always have a supply of 20’s. I kept a few in my shoes.
-When traveling in Tibet or China, it is definitely BYOTP (bring your own toilet paper!)
-Second hand books are best for traveling. They are cheap enough that if the book is trash, you can just leave it behind for someone else to “enjoy”; and if they are good, they make great gifts for travel companions met on the road. I suppose they can also double for toilet paper in Tibet, since there is nothing to clog up when you poop into a drainage ditch doubling as a toilet.
-Noise cancelling headphones are the way to go for noisy planes, bumpy cars, or generally ignoring your children.
-Bottled water is a very silly idea in the US, but critical in Asia.
-Pocket sized purell means less worry about germs at meals. Always borrow from your travelling companions.
-If you play an instrument, bring it or you will wish you had. Does not apply to bagipes, accordians or tubas.
-A photojournalist vest allows you to carry on more things on the plane. It also makes you look extremely dorky. It's your call.

Some Cultural Observations:
-Keeping only as much cash as you would spend on something in your wallet allows you to bargain down more easily. When you can open up the wallet and say "That's all I have", you'd be surprised how often that helps drop the price where you want it to be. Also walking away drops the price. I wondered how far I would have to go to get the vendor to pay me to take the item!
-English is the universal language, except where it's not. Apparently China and South America have yet to see the light.
-Thailand is full of wily strangers. Always bargain down, or walk away. This does not work in the US, for people who travel from Asia to the US.
-Communism breeds paranoia. I still don't know if I was being scrutinized, but the fear that I was worked well enough.
-Learn to ignore beggars. Start by ignorimg your dog mooching at the table, then move up to ignoring your kids. Remember, all they all want is something you have.
-Apparently Lonely Planet guides are required by all world travellers. This does not mean it is always accurate, just that you are apparently required to have the requisite country guide with you.
-The "european style" of lunches and dinners (two or three hours at a clip) does wonders for building relationships and killing time when stuck in dinky towns with nothing left to do.
-Apparently ever dinky town in every dinky country has an internet cafe. There's no reason to not tell your mother you are safe. You know how she worries about you.
-If you decide not to shave your beard, you should at least trim it when the barbers keep urging you into their shops for a shave. I was going to limit this suggestion to the men, but I realize that there may be some women with hormone issues as well.
-In Thailand, the taxi driver wants your money. He will refuse to turn on the meter. There is little you can do if you want to get back to the hotel. Deal with it.
-The Chinese LOVE porn. Lhasa is no place for young children.
-Hindus don't eat cows because they are sacred. When they see that Muslims don't eat pigs, they assume it is for the same reason. Cultural blinders cause people to see things in limited ways. Remove yours and don't assume that the actions you observe in others is due to the reasons it would be for you.
-In Nepal, the women dress in the traditional salwaar kameez and scarf. Western women can fit in more easily by doing the same. However, if a man tries to wear tradional clothing he will stand out, since the men wear shabby western style clothes. Imagine a Nepali man trying to fit in while in America by wearing a tuxedo with top hat and cane. Just does not work!
-The words "Coca Cola" are universally understood. You can always get a Coke.

The Proper Attitude for Travel:
-Even if you don't get to interact with local people, if your group tour has a variety of countries represented, you can still learn about other cultures.
-When you make your travel video, be prolific. (Thanks to Simone, from whom I stole the idea)
-Maintain a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. Don't worry if they have different ideas about hygiene, appropriate types plants and animals for foods, basic safety measures, etc. If there's no risk, there's no adventure!
-If you feel you got "ripped off", remember you decided to pay the agreed upon price. Besides, odds are it is a very small sum of money for you, very big sum for them. It's like gambling - don't put up more than you are willing to lose.
-When it comes to souveniers, just buy a bunch of stuff. You can sort it out later as to who gets what. Don't you have friends to take this stuff off your hands?
-Remember you are a tourist. If you travel to country where the people do not look like you, you are obviously a tourist. Embrace your nature. Take pictures, look lost, and don't think you are too cool to be a tourist. But don't be a jerk either.
-If you travel with your father, you will save money on food, housing, entertainment, etc. If you travel with your daughter, you will lose money on food, housing, entertainment. If you are lucky, neither one of you will want to kill the other too often.
-Maintain your sense of humor. First of all, you will need it. Second, people will enjoy being with you more if you are joking and smiling instead of bitching and whining. Remember that every bad thing that happens makes for a better story. For example, which story would you rather tell your friends: "We got to the border, they checked our passports and visas, and off we went"; or "We got to the border of Communist China. They held our passports and we waited in the rain for 2 days to get into the country. We were crowded 6 to a room. The bathrooms were holes in the floor. They kept taking our passports back, and we never knew what was going to happen next. It was like something out of "Midnight Run"?

Two final suggestions if you have enjoyed my blog:

First, if you don't have one, order your passport today. Even if you don't have a trip planned, it's a lot easier to go if the passport is in hand

Second, if you have enjoyed my musings, leave me a comment. If you haven't enjoyed them, why are you still reading them?

PS - I will be posting more pictures when I get back Stateside and can go through the 1200 or so shots to get the best. I'll either post them here or on webshots.