Processing Cambodia

Posted on January 8, 2013 by shelby

January 8, 2013
Current Location: Sea-Tac Airport, USA

As I mentioned before, Cambodia is a kingdom of extremes. My experiences varied so much from the first day to the last, that I almost wish that I hadn’t posted a thing about it until I could process it as a whole.

My first full day in Cambodia was spectacular. It began with one of the most striking things I’ll probably ever see in my life, sunrise at Angkor Wat. Totally worth getting up at 4am for!

That day, we also saw several of the most photogenic and unique temples of the whole trip, including the Bayon, with its hundreds of gigantic, peaceful Buddha faces.

And “The Tomb Raider” jungle temple:

That evening, my new roommate and I struck out on a quad-riding adventure through the picturesque farmland around Siem Reap. Riding alongside the farmers walking their cattle home at sunset was beautiful, peaceful, soul-quieting. It was a perfect day.

At that point, I thought that’s what all of Cambodia would be like. After spending the next four days in Cambodia, though, I felt naive about the way I’d seen and written about Cambodia in a vacation-y way.

The day after visiting Angkor Wat, we toured one of the secret Khmer Rouge prisons and the Killing Fields, where 3 million Cambodians were tortured and killed in the 1970s. Our tour guide shared the history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge in vivid detail, along with his personal pain. He only shared his own stories within the safety of our tour bus, so I will respect his privacy and fears by not writing about them here.

Prison Cells

Khmer Rouge Child Soldiers
After spending the day with our guide, I saw Cambodia completely differently. I looked around me and saw what he pointed out — there are virtually no old people, because they were all killed by the Khmer Rouge. I saw a population that is very obviously depressed and suffering from generationally passed down PTSD, even the children who didn’t experience it first-hand. People are full of barely-suppressed rage — they literally want to kill the former Khmer Rouge soldiers living in their neighborhoods. Except that if they were caught and went to prison for the murder, it would mean that the 10 people dependent on them for food & survival would starve. It’s not forgiveness, it’s pure practicality. And those free schools are not actually free — something like 1/2 the country’s kids can’t afford to go to school, once it comes to book costs and other fees.

It’s obviously a horrible, self-perpetuating cycle of poverty, depression, and destruction. After hearing all this, I couldn’t bring myself to haggle over anything in Cambodia or Laos. A dollar means very little to me, when compared to what it means to a person feeding their family of 10.

I also, honestly, no longer felt safe in Cambodia. I saw what was done to foreigners who were caught by surprise by the Khmer Rouge, and it was easy to imagine it happening out of the blue again. I saw how certain stories could not be shared safely in public to this day. Sometimes I feel numb when seeing these things in person, in the moment. But with our tour guide barely covering his personal pain in these places, I felt anxiety, real and present danger, and I cried very unexpectedly when he showed us the children’s tree at the Killing Fields.

Our guide explained to us that the survivors we met selling their stories smiled at us only because: if they didn’t smile, they would cry. I noticed the same thing about our guide — after each of the horrible things he told us, he smiled for a second or two, at no one in particular. I don’t think for a second that he took a perverse joy in these things. He was just surviving his very present and current pain. I saw those same smiles masking festering pain everywhere I went in Cambodia after that. No one was happy. No one I saw was just poor — they were poor and traumatized.

We later visited Laos, a poor country with plenty of its own serious regional and political issues, but without the same obvious pain and depression bubbling under the surface. Our tour guide put it very bluntly — the difference between Cambodia and Laos is simply that Laos didn’t have the Khmer Rouge. Laos has plenty of challenges to overcome, like the massive number of unexploded ordinances (UXOs) littering the countryside, crippling families and preventing development of infrastructure. But it seems to have a better chance for real progress within the next generation or two than Cambodia does. If the UXOs can be cleaned up and infrastructure built (no simple task), they are on their way to building something that lasts. It’s hard to see anything more than propping up a shattered population in Cambodia for at least the next generation. But that’s better than nothing.

After my last post about Cambodia and wishing I had a way to send my son’s things over, my mom let me know about a friend who started an orphanage in Cambodia and can take children’s clothing with her when she goes. I’ll be gathering up my son’s clothes and toys. If you want to do the same, let me know, and we’ll make sure they get there.

On Traveling Solo

Posted on January 6, 2013 by shelby

January 6, 2012
Current Location: Beach Chair, Bo Phut Beach, Koh Samui, Thailand

Two days ago, I met another girl traveling solo through SE Asia. We were seated together for lunch on our snorkeling daytrip because we were two oddities — the only two people traveling alone. She’s the only other solo traveler (female or otherwise) that I’ve met outside of the tour group in this entire month, which has been a bit surprising to me. And women traveling alone are apparently surprising to everyone else here, too. They can’t seem to wrap their heads around it, local or foreigner. I thought that with the strong backpacker culture here, women traveling alone wouldn’t be so rare, but I was wrong. (Also, I’ve only met ONE other American. Travelers here are mostly Australian, European, and Asian.)

The details of her trip were slightly different than mine, but her reasons for going, and her feelings about traveling alone, were eerily similar.

Like me, she planned the trip with less than a week’s notice to fill some unexpected time off.

Like me, she hears from friends all the time that what she is doing is brave, courageous, and that they wish they could do the same thing. Like me, she can’t understand why people say this. Logistically and financially, not everyone can just disappear to the other side of the world, and that’s definitely a reality. But if those limitations can be worked out, then it doesn’t feel like it takes much courage to do this. I’m not minimizing what it takes — the courage aspect just doesn’t click for me (or for her) and I think I’ll have to think about that some more. I don’t think this means that I’m fearless — I have plenty of fears, and feel them intensely when I take a risk too far outside my comfort zone. I do think it takes some imagination, an ability to think of something different to do than what’s right in front of you, and a preparedness to flex with imperfect situations. But, I promise, anyone could do it. If you feel it and you want it, and you have an ounce of patience and adaptability, do it. You will be fine. If you can’t take off for a month, go somewhere for a weekend. Anything, outside your routine and for yourself. And if you want someone to go with you, let me know!

But is it safe to travel alone? As a grandfatherly South African pointed out to me over a Singha the other day, any city in the whole world is dangerous if you go to the wrong neighborhood, or take unnecessary risks. Here, you learn to hold your purse in front of you to avoid pickpockets, but I’ve never felt there was a risk of assault in any public area, at any time of day. But I certainly explore more when I have friends around, and stick a little closer to home when I’m alone. I am pretty proud of myself for going to the (family friendly!) ladyboy show here on Koh Samui by myself, though!

Like me, she spent two weeks with a group, and the rest of the time alone. Unlike me, she spent those two weeks building a school in Cambodia. I wish I’d had the clarity of thought at the time to plan something like that. If I had another month or six to wander, that’s what I’d do — something to work on with a group that actually does the world some good during my wanderings.

Like me, she’s finding that traveling alone is freeing, but the memories and sightseeing feel kind of hollow without someone to share it with. I don’t mean necessarily a romantic partner — I just mean someone (non-irritating) who experiences it with you, talks it over with you at the time, and afterward. The shared conversation helps lock the memory in, I think.

This started me thinking about how most of my best memories from this trip are from the two weeks I spent with the tour group, which was only half of my total trip. (Top memories will be a separate topical post!) Although we were all strangers to each other when we began, we became close — a little, eccentric wandering tribe from all over the world, that took care of each other. Wherever we came from, we shared some of the most amazing sights on Earth, and dealt with some of the most unpleasant conditions of our lives, and that bonded us and deepened those experiences. Like family, I came to love them for the quirks that may have annoyed me if they weren’t “my” people. Even after the tour ended, the group didn’t let go. We were so used to functioning as a group, we continued to coordinate ourselves for group meals and sightseeing, even after we were officially disbanded. We spent as much time together in Bangkok as possible, until one by one over the next few days, each person peeled off back to their own lives or their next destination. When one of them posts new photos from the trip to facebook, I laugh at how we all have exactly the same “wow moment” photos, and then get to relive the moment again.

As for the things I did alone, I would describe them as nothing more than “sightseeing.” I have some great photos, but that’s it. I barely remember those things, actually.

So, I have learned that striking out on your own, doing the unexpected, going where the wind and your whims takes you, and making new friends, is really empowering and clarifying. I have (and already had) the confidence that I can go anywhere on my own, and be fine. I can take care of myself, handle pretty much anything (not perfectly, but that’s okay), and figure it out along the way. I can be flexible and deal with discomfort, uncertainty, and appreciate unexpected joyful moments. I think that going it alone every once in a while (maybe once a decade?) is a good way to reconnect with my authentic self. But I will make sure to build a shared group experience into any solo trip I plan in the future. Building a school in a remote village with a group of people I don’t know sounds great for my 2022 Shelb-venture! I don’t ever need to spend 5 days on the beach by myself again. Luxury and relaxation is nice, but I’d rather be back in the hot, Malaria-ful jungle with my tour buddies! At least I have a world full of people to visit now. Australia/Sweden/NYC 2013, I think!

Khawp Jai Lai Lai (Thank you very much, Laos!)

Posted on December 28, 2012 by shelby

December 28, 2012
Current Location: Vientiene, Laos

I think I could spend the rest of my life on this group tour. 14 little ducklings scurrying after our mother duck as she leads us from village to ruined temple to street market. I’m used to traveling on my own, planning my own trips, figuring out my own transportation. We don’t stay at comfortable hotels, but the conveniences of a group tour are pretty amazing (she checks us all in at the border crossings, translates for us everywhere we go). The conveniences aren’t really what make it so great, though. For me, the structure given to our days and schedule is exactly what I needed. Instead of constantly worrying about logistics, following their schedule has freed my mind for introspection.

One thing my inner self was telling me is that I’m kind of done with temples, monks, and elephants for a little while, and I need some beach time ASAP, so I changed my travel plans. I’m cutting out Chiang Mai, and instead spending NYE in Bangkok with three of my tour mates. Then, I head straight to Koh Samui on Jan 1. That gives me about 6 days in the islands to seriously relax, get some sun, do my laundry, read, write, and deal with the 1600 (and counting) photos I’ve taken. I’m feeling very backpacker-esque, floating wherever my whims take me!

Laos is actually an amazing backpackers’ retreat. It’s warm but relatively pleasant, beautiful, exotic, full of historic AND adventurous things to do, and the people are relatively relaxed (compared to Thailand and Cambodia). Luang Prabang, the historic capital, isn’t anywhere I would have thought of visiting, but it’s a really charming, nice town. I could spend a week there, if it weren’t so hard to get to from the US.

The woman offered “Noodle Soup?” and we said “YES!” Best mystery order ever.

Also, Facebook wins – over and over. Meeting up in random towns in SE Asia with friends from the US I haven’t seen in 10 years, all because we saw each other’s plans on Facebook, is amazing.

We’ve packed some of the most memorable and death-defying moments of my life into the last few days. Although, admittedly, every moment here is kind of death-defying since everyone seems to take anything related to safety extremely casually.

I was the only one from our group of 14 to jump off these waterfalls. It was the best! (Dude included in the photo for scale.)
Kuang Si Waterfalls, Luang Prabang, Laos

Who volunteered to ride for an hour on the angry elephant’s neck with nowhere to hang on? Me, of course!

Omg, you guys – I need one.

Hot air balloon ride over Vang Vieng this morning.

Tomorrow, we poke around Vientiene (the Capitol of Laos), cross the border to Thailand, and then take an overnight train to Bangkok — and then go our separate ways. I’m definitely still in denial. Then the clock really starts on my time left as a wanderer.

It’s not all bad, though. Ending the tour portion of my trip means no more:

Squat toilets
7 hour bus rides
Potentially deadly ice in the drinks

On my first day in Bangkok over two weeks ago, I was overwhelmed and wondered if I could survive it for a month. Now, after Cambodia and Laos, returning to Bangkok feels like returning to full, modern civilization — almost like returning to the US. I don’t care if this makes me uncool — I am going to eat SO MUCH PHAD THAI when I get back to Bangkok!

Unexpected Return to Civilization

Posted on December 23, 2012 by shelby

December 24, 2012 (Christmas Eve)
Current Location: Pakse, Laos

Goodbye: flat, dry, hot Cambodia! Hello: leafy, mountainous Laos!

Laos is a pretty mystical place. The jungles are so dense and unexplored that it leaves a lot of room for stories about hidden monsters and magical beings. Our local guide told us about 40 meter anacondas that will kill you just by looking at you, and 8 meter dragons (snakes, I think?) in the Mekong. The walk up the road to Vat Phou was definitely magical. This ancient, crumbling road with white trees bending overhead felt a lot like walking up the yellow brick road to Oz. Or like the city of the Wheelers in Return to Oz.

Vat Phou, Laos

We’ve reached the midpoint of the group tour. Half the group has food poisoning, and stress is getting higher. Since Angkor Wat, accommodations have gotten progressively rougher as we’ve journeyed deeper into Cambodia and Laos. The water & food has become less safe, the power less reliable, the showers worse, and the mosquitoes more evil and malaria-ridden. We all signed up for this, of course, and will all love the memories, I’m sure, but it’s a bit draining in the moment.

That said, I love the group. I love sitting for hours at a restaurant on the Mekong River drinking Beerlao with 7 other women from around the world, playing MASH and laughing, as we tell each others’ fortunes with the silly schoolyard game. (We all swear to update each other on facebook when those fortunes obviously come true!) The group is generally pretty respectful and well-behaved as we travel around, so I don’t think we draw more attention than necessary as “tourists”, but people are certainly interested in finding out the story behind this mixed group.

The tour group consists of 15 people:

8 women traveling alone (2 Americans, 1 Canadian, 2 British, 2 Australian, 1 Swedish), 21-42 years old.
1 married Australian couple
1 German couple in their 20s/30s traveling together
1 older Canadian guy traveling alone
1 British guy traveling alone
Our tour guide is an amazing Thai woman.

Thank goodness for Facebook! There is actually a teeny, tiny chance that I won’t completely lose track of all of them when the tour is over.

We hit our first real snag on the trip yesterday. A storm on the Mekong River was causing waves and a dust storm. We were supposed to cross the river via rickety ferry to get to our overnight homestay in a village on one of the Lao islands. We all prepared for no running water, no power, and were ready for our authentic Lao experience. But no one felt safe getting on that ferry. We watched skeptically as other boats really struggled to make it, remembered all the news stories about ferries sinking with tourists onboard, and we counted the life jackets on the ferry (count: zero). So we turned back to Pakse. They put us in one of the only hotels that could accommodate our group, the Pakse Hotel, and it turned out to be the nicest hotel we’ve stayed at so far. Steady Internet, modern showers, and $5 60-minute massages next door was EXACTLY what we all needed.

I’m on Day 5 of food poisoning. We all spend a lot of time trying to figure out which meal caused it, but then we all happily keep eating everything my doctor told us not to — any ice, fruit that we didn’t peel ourselves, food that isn’t broiling hot when we receive it. Carrying my backpack became really hard when all I’d eaten for 3 days was white rice. Luckily, we are all walking First Aid kits, and most people take care of each other.

A few random photos from the past few days:

Royal Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Rickshaws in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Having a hard time not snuggling the probably-rabid feral cats. My roommate swears to hit me if I get too close. She’s tough, she’ll probably do it!

Dolphin watching on the Mekong River at sunset

The Kingdom of Extremes, Cambodia

Posted on December 20, 2012 by shelby

December 20, 2012
Current Location: Phnom Penh, Capital City of The Kingdom of Cambodia

As we’re about to leave Cambodia, I’m going to post some current thoughts out of order (skipping over December 15-19 for now). Cambodia has been such an experience of extremes.

If I had known that there would be MORE THAN ONE TOWN SPECIALIZING IN FRIED SPIDERS, I may not have booked this tour!
If I had known what an amazing person my tour guide would be, and how much focus she would put on understanding how terrible things are for the kids of Cambodia, and actually helping then out a little bit along the way, I would have made everyone I know come along with me.
I’m having a hard time not giving everyone all my money, knowing that each person is supporting 10-20 others.
Angkor Wat was everything I’d hoped, and more. Certainly worth waking up at 3:30am to get there for sunrise, and definitely worth getting a teeny bit lost from my tour group to stay behind and get the best sunrise photos.
My roommate is awesome. And I don’t normally do well with roommates.
In fact, I’ve grown to really like most of the people in the group. And of course moreso as I hear their stories. In the past day or two, they’ve gone from people I’m glad are around to stave off isolation, to people I enjoy seeing every day. It’s fun that there are 8 women traveling solo, out of 14 people.
Many of us appear to be slightly allergic to Cambodia. Since the moment we crossed the border, we’ve been itchy, without any bites.
Unexpectedly, going on the quad ride through the Siem Reap countryside turned out to be one of my top 2 experiences on this trip so far. Riding alongside the people on bikes, families on motorcycles, farmers walking their cows home on the road was a magical experience. I regret not getting any photos of the things I saw during the ride out before sunset, but I probably soaked up the peaceful, beautiful experience better that way.

I’ve had a stomach ache all day and haven’t been able to eat a thing. I was still able to do all the group things — including visiting the Pol Pot death camps and the Killing Fields, which was an extremely sobering experience.

Getting into the extreme poverty and horrifying RECENT history of Cambodia is awful and, honestly, makes me a little scared to be here. But it’s certainly putting my life into perspective in a very good way.

I wish that I’d thought to pack some of my son’s old clothes to bring to the kids here and in the mountains of Laos. (Apparently, it’s freezing and they can’t afford clothes – our tour guide bought 20 sweaters in Siem Reap to bring to the hill tribe kids in Laos.)

I’ll write it here to keep myself accountable — I need to make sure his extra stuff goes to kids who really need it. I’d like to figure out a way to ship stuff here after I get home, but it may be just as helpful to give it to a charity in the US. We always give everything to Goodwill, which is good, but it would mean something to me to give them directly to orphans.

One Day in Bangkok

Posted on December 18, 2012 by shelby

December 18, 2012
Current location: Siem Reap, Cambodia

I’m not keeping up on this as well as I’d hoped, but I’ve decided to be okay with that! Days are extremely long & busy, which is great, and managing/backing up my photos takes up the last bits of energy before I pass out for 5-6 hours of sleep.

I’d hoped to keep up on this so it was fresh and not just a recap… but here’s the start to my recap.

Wednesday-Thursday, 12/12/12-12/13/12
Travel Days
My big anti-jet lag plan was to stay up nearly all night Tuesday night, and sleep all day on the 20 hours of flights to Bangkok, ending up on Bangkok time. It basically worked! And as a bonus, I was unconscious for enough of those flights to make them bearable. Getting off a 12 hour flight, just to get straight onto a 7.5 hour one was pretty torturous, though. I actually sort of hoped for a flight delay out of Tokyo so I could have a break between flights, but the airlines chose that particular day to run all three of my connections back to back with no delays or issues!

After a ride in a hot pink taxi, I arrived at The Bangkok Centre Hotel at 1am Friday morning. Where did Thursday go?

Friday, 12/14/12
Bangkok, Thailand
This was my first day exploring a huge foreign city alone. I headed for Old Bangkok, figuring I couldn’t go wrong by starting with the big and most famous temples.

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Covered up to visit the temple, in 95+ degree temperatures.
Grand Palace, Bangkok

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Apparently, even monks go on group tours!

Long tail boat ride on the Chao Praya river

Wat Arun, my favorite temple in Bangkok. Yes, I climbed it!

The view from the top of Wat Arun

My first meal in Thailand ended up being the best. This set the highest bar possible for Phad Thai!

Dinner in Chinatown, Bangkok

Frog in a bag, Chinatown, Bangkok

Dinner in Chinatown, Bangkok

Dinner in Chinatown, Bangkok

Tuk Tuk ride home in Bangkok

Three days’ recap down, four more to catch up on!

Adventures in Photo Management: The Dark Underbelly of Travel in the Digital Age

Posted on December 15, 2012 by shelby

In leaving the US for a month, I expected that I would miss some culturally relevant event. During my exchange to Japan in 1996, that Big Event was Tickle Me Elmo. You can’t really catch up on that type of experience from afar, or afterward.

However, I never expected something so tragic as the recent elementary school shootings to happen basically immediately (or at all). As I happily uploaded the first of my photos, I was shocked to learn from facebook what had happened. I had landed in Bangkok just hours earlier, and all I wanted to do was get back on a plane immediately and go hug my son. Not being able to physically hold him and reassure the mama bear inside that he’s okay was extremely painful. However, I have Skype, and can talk to him and see his sweet face every 12 hours. Logically, I know he is okay. My heart goes out to the families who truly did lose their sweet babies. It makes no sense. None.

I thought about whether to keep posting photos and anecdotes from my trip for now — it seemed almost disrespectful to interrupt the flood of emotion pouring out on facebook with my silly vacation stuff. But a few people requested that I keep posting, so that there was something positive in the midst of all the sadness. So, I will. But I do it respectfully, and not without care for the more serious things going on.

So, back to the travel blog — the thing about blogs is that you have to keep on top of them while thoughts are fresh. As I’m gallivanting all over Bangkok, I’m constantly writing posts in my head. But most of my actual down-time and precious internet time has been spent figuring out how to deal with all my photos. I want to share them, but first I want to make sure they’re backed up online in case my backpack is stolen at some point, along with all my physical photo storage. I already have over 200 photos, so this is quickly becoming a massive undertaking.

Here’s what I’ve settled on:

Camera -> SD card reader -> iPad
iPad -> Dropbox (backup)
iPad -> facebook (immediate sharing of a few photos)
iPad -> Snapseed (editing the best photos)
iPad -> Blogging at some point?

This evening, I even chose a bar based on the free wifi offered with the beer. I don’t even like beer. But it allowed me to keep my backup upload going during dinner!

Anyway, now that I’ve got this worked out, I’ll try to catch the blog up soon on my 21 hr travel day and my first two amazing days in Bangkok.

In the meantime, a few photos:

Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Arun, Bangkok, Thailand

Apparently, monks take group tours, too!

Found my first elephant <3

This is where I officially stopped listening to Travel Doctor’s advice about not eating ice.
Chatuchuk Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand

A Disturbing Lack of Plaid

Posted on December 11, 2012 by shelby

Days 1-2: Exotic Portlandia and San Francisco

Sunset over Portland

Since I already had a previously-purchased, non-refundable ticket to San Francisco (long story), I thought that spending some time in SF on my way out of the country sounded like a fun thing to do. This wasn’t my most convenient idea ever. Hanging out in the grey city of fog with only the clothes I packed for Thailand is… chilly. The hipsters don’t understand my rain jacket, sundress, sandals, and distinct lack of plaid.

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.

Eat, Sleep, Facebook

Posted on December 9, 2012 by shelby

“Ever notice that ‘What the hell’ is always the right decision?” – Marilyn Monroe

Let’s acknowledge the Thai elephant in the room: 30-something woman planning a last-minute trip alone to SE Asia — it’s totally an Eat, Pray, Love-style cliche. But, whatever!

Planning time: 5 days flat
Travel time: 29 days
Countries planned: 3 (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos)
Known travel companions: 0 (But I’m with a tour group of 10 for 15 days, and I think that I’ve almost sold a few of you nomads-at-heart on meeting me in Bangkok for NYE!)

My visit to the Travel Doctor made me take the SE Asian Malaria Mosquitoes pretty seriously. I’ve been pumped full of injectable and pill-form vaccines, and I’ve treated my long clothing with Permethrin, the latest in Mosquito Avoidance Technology. The bad news is that there’s no prevention or cure for mosquito-transmitted Dengue Fever, also known as “bone-breaking fever.” Sounds like a party. On the other hand, the good news is that it’s not the season for Japanese Encephalitis. So, yay?

I’m nearly packed. The big question on my mind tonight is whether to bring my iPad AND my 11″ Macbook Air so that I can edit photos on the road, or if that puts me at too much risk, carrying all that plus my camera, etc.? I am open to thoughts on this.

Welcome to the Shelbification Summit.

“Ever notice that ‘What the hell’ is always the right decision?” – Marilyn Monroe

Author Archives: shelby