SE Asia Tour 2006

The anticipation is starting to get to me. I wonder how it’s going to be all on my own, how fun it will be to hangout on the beach by with Harv and Dan, and the kind of trouble I will get into by myself. I’d have to say Dan must be excited. He eagerly sent me a suggested iterinary for the first month of the trip today. I meet up with Dan and Harv in Bangkok and will be traveling with Dan and Harv until February 5th. After the 5th, Dan and Harv go to Japan, and I leave for Hanoi in Vietnam on February 6th. They both arrive a few days before me in Thailand. We’re planning to meet in Bangkok a couple of days after I arrive on January 11th.

Boxing Day Tsumani

It's hard to believe today is the 1st anniversary of the SE Asian tsumani that killed over +200,000 people and killing 15 Canadians travelling in the region. I remember being glued to the television for weeks watching the coverage feeling helpless, and trying to rationalize what had happened. I still feel very bad about it.

Merry Cmas

Merry Xmas everyone! Only 12 days to left till liftoff!

Off the beaten path

Just imagine a place where there are no billboards, or the well known golden arches. Myanmar is next door to Thailand, and has been governed under military rule since late 70s. The government has a strong dictatorship on the Myanmar people. The standard of living has not improved since Myanmar was ruled by the British, when the country was known as Burma. Myannar is also one of the poorest countries in the world. It is widely known that the Myanmar people are oppressed against their will, and human rights against the Myanmar people are regularly violated by the government. Authorities are known to record conversations in public places, screen phone calls, ban and control all publications that enter the country. Myanmar doesn’t sound like a pleasant place from this perseceptive; however, the Myanmar government and people treat travelers very well to help stimulate the poor economy. Although it may seem unusual to travel there from western standards, the simplicity of life in Myanmar sounds very intriguing to me. I may not be able to make any phone calls, or send any email if I make it there. There are no ATMs, and credit cards are not accepted in protest to the US embargo against Myanmar.

Drowning at December's Full Moon Party

Well, I recieved some disturbing news about the conditions on Koh Phangan last nite. Koh means island in Thai. Koh Phangan is the site of the world famous Full Moon Party where >10,000 travellers meet and party from dusk to dawn on a large strip of white sand beach. There has been recent flooding on the island which caused two travellers to be swept out to sea during December's Moon Party. According to newswire, authorities may cancel January's Full Moon Party which Harv, Dan and I were planning to attend. I am so disappointed.

I got mail

I had a big grin on my face after I opened the mailbox today. I recieved my visa to visit Vietnam, and got my passport back!

The process for obtaining a visa for Vietnam is outlined on their website at vietnamembassy-canada.ca/html/service.html. The process involves phoning the embassy to get pricing, submitting several passport pictures, organizing a money order, and sending your passport to the embassy in Ottawa. I was skeptical in sending my passport away, but I glad I got it back. I used eXpresspost, and had my Visa in about 5 business days.

Which book should I take?

There is a large selection of different guidebooks to take on any trip. Lonely Planet, Let's Go, the Rough Guide, Frommers, Fedors, Michelin are a few of the brands available. Some companies publish a country guidebook as well as a regional guidebook to add to seemingly large category of books. For example, The Lonely Planet publishes a guidebook on Thailand, as well as a regional guidebook on Southeast Asia. The regional guidebook is a better value as they contain information on several countries, whereas the country guidebooks have in-depth information on a specific country. Books range from $20 for a country specific book and $30 for regional guidebook.

For my situation, I need a regional guidebook on SE Asia. After reading a few of the guidebooks, I'm leaning toward taking a copy of the Rough Guide for Southeast Asia with me. I could bring several country specific books on my trip; however, weight and cost becomes an issue for me. The Lonely Planet, Let's Go, and the Rough Guide are brands that tend to focus on budget and backpacker traveller. These brands are of particular interest to me. To help narrow down the choice, I like to skim through each book at the bookstore, or take a bunch out from the library. Availability becomes an issue when using the library especially if urgency is an issue. Other than that, using the library is one of the better ways of skimming through books for free, and without feeling rushed. The library carries recent editions of all the popular brands. At home, I reserved a bunch of books using the online catalogue on the library website, then I had each book transfered to the library a few minutes away from my place. http://www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/. I accumlated a nice collection of guidebooks to skim through after a couple of weeks.

Shooting up

After the consult with the travel doctor, I realized that my GPs advice wasn't far off what the travel doctor advised. I recieved some maps from the travel doctor describing the malaria free areas in each country I plan to visit. She also prescribed anti-malaria pills, and medicine to fix any bouts with upset stomach and unusual bowel movements for me.

My left arm is feeling bruised today. I took three shots in my arm for rabies, polio, and typhoid. I decided to get the rabies vaccine despite the expensive cost. The doctor advised I was in high risk of contracting the rabies virus since I plan to visit rural areas and villages. The vaccine for rabies is administered in three shots. I have a second rabies shot next week, and another rabies shot right before I leave for Asia.

The traveller's advice on the Centers for Disease Control website is an excellent point of reference for any traveller searching for health related information to prep for a healthy vacation. http://www.cdc.gov/travel/seasia.htm

How NOT to bank overseas

25 days left and counting. Last night, I decided to read the latest traveller's news on Thailand from the bulettin boards at thorntree.lonelyplanet.com. I learned that southern Thailand has almost recovered from the Tsusami a year ago (Yay), the guesthouse rates in Bangkok have skyrocketed, and how NOT to do my banking overseas.

Sure enough, I'll be stocking up on calling cards to do my banking. I spent an hour reading about hi-tech theives who scam on the tourists that bank at internet cafes. The scam works like this: the theivies use a spyware program called keylogger to save all your keystokes from the moment you login. After you leave, all your keystokes including passwords are saved to a text file which can be retrieved to steal your money, or credit card information. The scam is hard to beat. The recommended solutions are to bring your own computer to bank with (I'm not bringing a laptop on this trip!), or reinstall the operating system on the computer you will do banking on. Quickly scanning, and disabling processes using alt-cntl-delete to find the keylogger program is not foolproof.

Time for the travel doctor

After freaking myself out about rabies last night, I decided to seek expert advice from a travel doctor tomorrow. Up until now, I've been going to my GP, but I think a visit to the travel doctor will help supplement what I've been already told. I found a helpful list of medical clinics across that specialize in travel medicine and vaccinations across Canada on the federal government site. These clinic are part of a goverment program called travel medicine program (TMP). http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/travel/clinic_e.html. Although my GP means well, I might have been better served seeing an expert on travel medicine since the information on disease control across the world constantly changes.

Limping, caught the flu, and getting rabies

27 days left and counting. I've contracted some weird sickness over the last couple of days. I'm congested, and coughing not getting much sleep. I figure I caught something from the gym through the "unhygenic" use of shared weights and mats.

Not only am I sick, I also have come down with achilles tendonitis. I've been training hard consistantly running at speeds of 6.0mph and inclines of 10%-12% on treadmill lately for extended period of time. My joints have been taking a pounding lately. So much so, I'm limping around the house equipped with an ice pack, ibuprofein, and anti-inflammatories in hand. I don't think I'll be running for awhile.


The cost of my vaccinations are starting to creep up to the cost of my flight. I visited the doctor yesterday to diagonse my foot problem, and get some info on the rest of my vaccinations. Before visiting her, I wasn't thinking I would get the rabies vaccine. For one thing, the rabies vaccine is costly because rabies is non-existant in North America. I need 3 shots, and they cost $200 each! The vaccine also doesn't prevent one from contracting rabies itself. I will get rabies even if I get vaccinated. However, the key benefit to the rabies vaccination is that it is safeguard against potential death. Should I contract rabies, and I cannot seek medical attention within 24 hours, my chances of survival decrease significantly. The vaccine gives me seven days of "life" to see to a doctor. I wasn't planning to interact with animals; but, if I accidently run into some rats, bats or a monkey, somehow I think I'll be happy that I got these shots as I'm trekking back from the jungle to civilization.

30 days left and counting

Say hello to my empty, trusty backpack. It's always ready to go wherever I go. 30 days left, and counting. Can you tell I'm anxious? I've watching reruns of the lonely planet. My condo is full of guidebooks on various countries. I've been shooting up on various vaccinations for the trip. And, I constantly daydream of white sand beaches, and a dip in clear blue water.

Alas, I don't have to wait too long. I'm leaving on Jan 7th. The flight is long, and I have several stopovers. The first stopover is in Seattle, then onward to Seoul and finally Bangkok where I'll meet up with fellow friends and travellers, Dan and Harvey.

I only have a few things I want to accomplish overseas. Nothing too major. For one, I want to climb a mountain. I know I've climbed Grouse several times (853 metres), but I want to climb a large mountain. So, my travels will take me to Borneo in Malyasia where I will summit Mt. Kinabulu, the highest peak in SE Asia, at 4095m. I also want to finish my PADI open water license in Phuket. I'm only two ocean dives away from finishing and I've only been putting off getting my license for two years now! Lastly, I want to run the Temple Half Marathon in Southern Thailand in March. Other than that, everything else is game. I'll keep an open mind. I'll eat whatever, go everywhere, and do anything.