Days 1-2: Exotic Portlandia and San Francisco
In trip-planning news, Citibank’s automated anti-fraud credit card measures are so aggressive that it was nearly impossible for me to book my Thai hotels & train tickets online this weekend. They blocked every charge, crashed whichever website I was trying to use to purchase something, and then notified me via text or voicemail that I needed to call them back within 2 days or my credit card account would be suspended. At this point, I count 7 hours of my life lost to dealing with this nonsense.
I’ve let them know where I will be, that I won’t have ANY phone access while I’m traveling, and if they pull these kind of shenanigans while I’m gone, I will be royally screwed. Citibank swears they have my travel plans noted and will stop blocking my account, but I guess I’m now mentally prepared to end up moneyless, credit card-less, and stranded. My cardboard sign will say “Will Project Manage for Airplane Tickets.”
I did eventually manage to book places to stay for my entire trip, so I probably won’t be sleeping on the beach. Here’s the trip:
PDX -> SF -> LAX -> Tokyo -> Bangkok -> Cambodia (Angkor Wat!) -> Laos (Malaria!) -> Bangkok -> Chiang Mai (Monks and Elephants!) -> Koh Samui (Island beaches!) -> Seattle -> PDX -> home!
It’s going to be strange, wonderful, and disorienting to be disconnected from the holiday markers of time in the outside world.
- Christmas
- New Year’s Eve
- The End of the World (according to the Mayan Calendar)
- And perhaps most importantly – The Hobbit Premiere. Hope someone will go see it with me when it’s a month old!
Edit: I just realized that I lost the 3rd & 4th doses of my typhoid vaccine pills. I may not be able to get as adventurous with street food as I had planned.
Oooh ooh me, I will go see it with you when it is a month old!
PS Ugh, Citibank. Hope it is truly sorted out.
I still haven’t seen Hobbitses! I think my best chance in SE Asia was in Bangkok, but I couldn’t be bothered.
Yay! It’s a date!