A Backpacker's Guide to Survival: What to pack?

The one question I always get asked when I'm traveling is "how the heck do you pack so light?!" Easy. When everything you own is strapped to your back, you learn to perfect the fine art of minimalism.

Ok, ok. Not everything I own I carry. Mom and Dad keep a dusty closet safe for me full of childhood photo albums, yearbooks, shoes I'll never wear again, and an extra pair of jeans and togs buried somewhere... Nonetheless, I think I may be able to help with some tips and guidelines.

Life on the road is liberating because it really forces you to prioritize; forces you to strip down to the bare minimum and really differentiate between essential and luxury items. You always see that girl, at the airport, at the train station, struggling up the stairs since hostels never seem to have working elevators...she's young, she's tiny and she's carrying a pack that's nearly 3 times her size weighing well over 25 kilos! I feel sorry for her, and I always wonder "what is in there that she absolutely CANNOT live without?!"

Don't get caught looking this sad! Whether you're traveling for 2 months or 2 years, try to only pack for essentials you need to survive 2 weeks. Everything else can be replaced and found easily during your travels (**note, even the most remote places today seem to always have some form of access to civilization and Schick razors**.)

1.) The Perfect Backpack:

If you're like me, hopping around every few days or so, a top-loader will drive you absolutely insane. You'll find that somehow, the very thing you need in a pinch's notice is always at the bottom of your pack. I recommend an all-around zip bag, or one that has many entry points--as long as you keep your pack organized you'll always be able to get to your stuff quickly.

I also recommend one with padded waist straps and a strong back frame. As many pockets and compartments as possible and (I know this sounds funny) one that fits! Try it on, pack it with weight and feel it out. If there are noticeable lumps or kinks, ditch it, because after hours on your back in the heat and humidity you'll want to throw it off a balcony!

Check the zips and choose a brand name that guarantees durability.

Also check for compression straps, will the straps be manageable when you're checking in for flights? I've lost more than my fair share of buckles and straps due to luggage rough-handling in the past.

Remember size matters--if you buy a big pack, you'll fill it. And most importantly, be honest with yourself. Don't waste the big bucks on a super flash mountaineering pack if you're not planning on spending more than a day or two trekking or climbing.

My perfect pack is the Mountain Equipment Co-Op Pangea 60L pack.

The selling point for me was the fact that all the straps and buckles zip under a cover, and the backpack magically transforms itself into a suitcase.

It took years of trial and error to find it, and I had to take a family trip to Canada just to acquire this bad boy!

**Of course international shipping rates are available, just check out their website**

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?

(Banff, Alberta- Canada)

2.) Clothing:

Mom's right, the secret to light packing is packing light layers!

Of course, this is all weather and culturally dependent. (Please, please do your research! Too often I see ignorant tourists prancing around the islands of Thailand topless, not realizing that 5% of the Thai population is Muslim and that most of them live in the southern islands!)

• I always carry 2 week's worth of underwear, at least 6-8 tops and 2 pairs of pants (1 pair of jeans for comfy travel and outings, 1 pair of "working" pants for trekking, climbing, etc.)

-----Work pants that are quick-dry and zip off into shorts are a great buy.

North Face is a great brand, and it's pretty easy to find great steals on sale/clearance sections in your neighborhood outdoor store. In my pack now I have a pair of prAna convertible pants that zip off. They're stretchy, comfy, and tough to rip!

• I always allow myself ONE 'date outfit' for when the occasion calls to dress to impress (happens...rarely, but it happens.) I go for the tunic with leggings look, because it all rolls up into a neat little ball and doesn't require any ironing...Ladies, do us all a favor and leave the heels at home!
• Tops: vary them, a few t-shirts, a long sleeve thermal, a button down cotton long sleeve, a few tank tops...
• I always travel with a scarf and bandana, many uses include: head shade, sweat band, smog/sand/dust mouth cover, immediate warmth, and a shawl to cover the shoulders if needed (temples, sacred sites, etc.)

(Photos from India. Left: desert camel safari in Jaisalmer; Right: Amber Fort)

Just remember, on the road your clothes are up for grabs. They will get dirty, wet, torn, shredded and always lost in the laundry! So don't bring anything you can't afford to lose.

3.) Shoes:

I have to admit, I'm fiercely loyal to my Keen Newports.

My old reliables, they've lasted me years and are suited for every terrain (except maybe cold climates...)

They're water shoes, with lots of comfy straps, and a toe cover when I need to do some serious construction projects or hiking expeditions.

The Andaman Sea claimed my first pair during a particularly nasty monsoon storm years back, but since then I'm all the wiser. I keep a carabiner attached to my shoes, and strapped to my pack at all times when not in use.

Check them out here: http://www.keenfootwear.com.au/product_SP09/womens/trailhead/510230.php

• I keep one pair of working shoes, and one pair of flip flops (thongs, jandals, whatever you call them) and that's it.

----In cooler climates I trade in the flip flops for my favorite travel companions- TOMS shoes. This is a great organization I love to support; their mission statement being "with every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for one."

Read more here: http://www.toms.com/

The shoes are comfy, stylish and incredibly easy to travel with. My personals are the Vegan brand made from all organic materials and recycled plastics. They're pricey, but worth the cost to help those and support a worthy organization.

4.) Extras, I never leave without!

• 1 pair of leggings or thermals (immediate warmth if needed)
• 1 rain jacket or poncho
• 1 thermal layer or light sweater
• alarm clock
• washing powder, string to hang your clothes, scrubber for hand washing
• socks!
• address book for friends/places you discover along the way
• adapters/converters if necessary
• journal, music for entertainment
• at least 2 books (exchange and sell them along the way to other tourists)
• daypack and small travel purse (*small* just to keep your valuables safe at the bar)
• 1 or 2 travel locks (if staying in hostels or dodgy guesthouses)
• travel money belt
• passport & important documents holder
• stocked first aid kit (let the Red Cross help you fix a kit):

  http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d229a5f06620c6052b1ecfbf43181aa0/?vgnextoid=f247e8afd40ee110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

• -sunscreen and mozi (mosquito) repellent-- good products hard to find in Asia
• -personals: medicines, tampons (ladies: hard to find applicators in most regions), and cosmetics (remember, small travel size and plan to replace on the road!)
• 1 sarong or small pack towel
• 1 or 2 sets of togs, or swimmers, or bikinis
• silk sleeping bag liner (cotton liners are too bulky)
• headlamp (make sure the batteries are easy to replace on the road!!)
• sleep kit (face mask, ear plugs, and Valium if you can score them for painful international flights)
• stash of plastic bags--you'll always find a use for a plastic bag
• pocket knife
• backpack rain cover

Do Not Bring:

• anything you can't live without...anything of value will be the first thing lost or stolen.
• hair dryers or straighteners
• electronics that fry easily in unstable climates
• more than 1 pair of jeans

Right...well this is just my personal, biased information based on what I've encountered over the years. Most of this I learned through trial and error, so hope it helps!

Tree Planting in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, June 2010

Posted: Aug.2010, Written: July 2010

It's been a while I think...funny that in this country I never seem to have any down time...ever! Just came off of a two week volunteer project in the Bay of Plenty region, and it was awesome!

We worked with an organization named Kuaka, a non-profit conservation organization that has its hands in nearly everything. There were 34 volunteers with me and we shared meals and a lodge, and worked all day together. The only time we split into our smaller project groups were when we did the group discussions and journaling sessions.

So...Kuaka. In the Bay of Plenty region in the northern island. We stayed in a lodge in the middle of NOWHERE. We had to keep a fire burning in the boiler room to keep the hot water running for us each day. We had bunk/dorm style accommodations since the lodge is usually a summer camp site for kids in NZ. We know why no one would ever choose to stay there in the winter...each morning it dropped down to 3-4 degrees! Even in my sleeping bag I still went to bed shivering each night. We were surrounded by bush, the nearest civilization was a 20 minute bus ride through farm land. No phone, no internet, only a little electricity--it was brilliant!

In New Zealand there's a huge problem with possums. They've overtaken the natural environment since they were introduced by the Aussies in the late 1800s and caused a chain reaction of terrible events---loss of habitat, vegetation and native bird species. New Zealand conservation programs are basically a system of killing raids: kill the possums, stoats, rats, rabbits, deer, pigs... you name it, if it was introduced and let wild by accident, it's being eliminated by the department of conservation. A few boisterous boys thought they'd go for a joy walk through the bush the first night and try to hunt possums. I had to arrange a search party with another leader and find them in the pitch dark of the bush. SCARY STUFF! It's so easy to get lost in there, there are no set tracks or paths. We eventually found them and I yelled at them. Pretty much the only way you could die in New Zealand is from getting lost in the bush with hypothermia killing you...and they tried to do that on the first night!

Talk about starting a project with a bang! The two weeks blew by so fast! We planted somewhere around 5,000 trees: tea trees (manuka), white pine (kahikatea), flax, cabbage trees...it was a massive tree planting project working in three different sites. We were trying to create an eco-corridor. There was a section of forest being logged, until a few years ago when they found evidence of a pair of highly endangered north island brown kiwis. Now it's been established a protected area, and they're trying to re-plant the bush, remove the invasive species and encourage the population growth this pair of kiwis might bring. We planted an eco-corridor between one national park and a section of the loggers' protected area now. It was awesome how efficient groups can be in getting the job done!

There was some nasty weeding that we tackled, blackberry bush, grouse and japanese honeysuckle. The blackberry and grouse bush thorns were nasty and they got everywhere! I kept falling into pockets of them and getting thorns in VERY awkward places. The honeysuckle was a nightmare to get rid of, since we had to hack away a forest of it with saws and shovels since it was so thick!

We also got to spend some time on a Maori marae. The marae is the most sacred "temple" of a Maori village. It's where all the ceremonies and meetings are held, and it's also a community centre. We had to initiate ourselves into the Maori village, the traditional way. The "powhiri" (pronounced po-firi) is when the village elders sing you welcome into the village and present you with a gift to determine if you are friend or foe. The "were" (challenge) is a weapon, if you grabbed it you would have been killed and eaten instantly (obviously this doesn't apply in practice today), but if you sing back and offer a fern instead it was understood that you came in peace.

Once welcomed on to the marae we had to memorize and sing some Maori songs and phrases in show of respect. Then stepping into the marae we learned about our village. The marae itself is shaped to represent their ancestors: the ribs, the spine, the face, and the belly which is where we sit inside to show respect. The last night we went back to the marae and did a cultural performance exchange: they sang and taught us songs and dances in Maori and we taught them the cha cha, line dancing, and sang songs like "Amazing Grace" and "At Last". It was heaps fun!

We did a lot of cool things as a group: climbing mountains, hiking in the bush, heading to beach towns for the weekend, horse back riding in the hills, and the weather was just perfect sunshine every day. The only time it rained was once when we were in the bush setting up rat tunnels laced with peanut butter. We placed ink pads inside, and we were tracking/targeting areas where we could identify rat prints. Later on the department of conservation will go in with poison and rat traps to take them out since they're destroying the vegetation. The turned into an epic day of adventure, slipping and sliding down muddy hill banks and getting lost in the dark for a while!

Zorbing Gone Wrong, New Zealand, June 2010

Apparently this was the first time in 14 years anyone's ever seen this happen...the girls inside the ball were fine, just a little confused when they came out on the other side of the fence!

Sky Diving-Nelson, New Zealand, June.2010

So...Nelson, New zealand--- the sunniest spot in the country! I've stripped down a couple layers here, down to thermals and shorts and only one long sleeved shirt :) Woohoo!

Last night was a huge travel day from our glacier hiking capital (Franz Josef) up the western coast of the South Island to the famous Golden Bay. We stopped at a greenstone 'jade' factory to learn why this stone is so precious to the Maori tribesmen. Greenstone can only be gifted, to buy one for oneself is considered extremely bad luck, and to receive it as a gift means you've become someone quite important to your people, your tribe, your family. They believe that greenstone holds the power of past ancestors, and every piece carries the mana "power/ life force" of its previous owners. They are in dress, costume, tools and most often as a sacred symbol of rank for warriors.

After that we stopped at the Cape Foulwind NZ fur seal breeding colony again---I will never get tired of seeing baby wild seals playing in the sun! And on to Nelson, our kayaking, quad biking and sky diving destination! Today was another day though, and a damn good one if I may add! I went kayaking for the full day. After a beautiful 2 hour hike through forest, ferns and coast lines, and while kaayking around the bird sanctuary of Adele island a group of wild seals swam up and around our kayaks and we even spotted NZ penguins, incredibly rare to catch a glimpse of! After kayaking, straight to our sky diving operator. I got a great video and over 100 photos taken of me! SKYDIVING! I can't find the words to explain the rush or how beautiful it is to sail through the air at 13,000 feet! Hopefully the pictures say it all :)

Kia Ora from New Zealand, May.2010

Posted: Aug.2010, Written: May.2010
Greetings 'Kia Ora!' from New Zealand,

I'm finally here, Aotearoa, 'The land of the long white cloud' NZ's true name in Maori language. The flight from Sydney to Auckland was impressive. The plane just dropped out of the sky suddenly and the Northern island appeared out of nowhere! The edges of the island dropped into steep, straight-edge cliffs into the ocean and the sail boats were everywhere---thus Auckland's loveable nickname 'City of Sails'. The island looked so small from the plane, and as we descended we sped up and headed nearly vertically into the ground. I was sure we were going to run out of runway and ram off a cliff before the plane safely towed itself to our departing gate.

Tomorrow I'm on a morning flight to Queenstown, the mountains and forests of the southern island, to start work. Meeting hostels, managers, operators, and getting to the fun stuff--site inspections on the activities we'll be doing for the tour.

I'm in Wellington now. We took a 20 minute flight to get here, on one of the those really small and terrifying planes with propellers that look like a strong wind will just knock the wing off. On the tarmac, I stepped one foot onto Wellington soil and was immediately knocked down by the wind...flat on my ass, in front of everyone. Yes that's right, the local nickname here is 'Windy Welly'---haha, I get it now.

Wellington is the nation's capital at the stepping point between the North and South Island....the mountains up the West coast of the South island were once connected to the range up the East coast of the North Island. So Wellington, is located in a natural tunnel--where winds travel between the mountains, channeled through Cook's Strait (waters separating the islands) creating a powerful 'funnel' action of mother nature!

So far I'm going solo, and my first tour starts in less than a week--52 people all by my lonesome, traveling through a country I barely know!

We started our tour in Queenstown (bottom tip of the South island) and have worked our way up the West coast: mountains, lakes, wineries and gold mining history. I finally hiked a glacier--Franz Josef! It was awesome: ice tunnels, crevasses, blue waterfalls, and ice climbing...I'm hooked! The only other glacier in the world that leads into a rainforest is in Patagonia, so it's pretty special.

Today we were in Nelson, kayaking around the Abel Tasman Bay. I saw wild NZ fur seals and Wekas---flightless birds related to the Kiwi. Most of the indigenous birds are flightless because they had no natural predators and were not evolved for the need to fly away. The only native mammals to NZ are two species of bats: short and long tailed. All other animals have been introduced by European settlers in the 19th century, with some pretty devastating effects.

...The sheep...49 million sheep in this country...you can't throw a stone without seeing one. It's getting annoying every time we get held up in 'stock traffic' when herds of sheep sit on the roads and refuse to move no matter what you throw at them!

I'm learning Maori- history, legends, myths and most importantly the language. It's confusing hey, with words spelled like Aotearoa (a-yo-tea-yah-row-ah) "Land of the long white cloud" and the true Maori name for New Zealand. Ihenga (I-hee-na) and Arawa (adi-wah) and Ngati Tuwharetoa (nati- too-farry-to a) are tribal names, hangi (hawng-ee) traditional foods cooked in the earth on heated stones, and hongi (hong-ee) the Maori greeting.

Our bungy jumping operator Priel is Maori, and my first day in Queenstown she grabbed me and pressed her nose to my nose for a good few seconds. I flinched as I thought she was kissing me, then remembered this was Hangi---the greeting. That's gonna take some getting used to.

Tomorrow we're off to Rotorua to white water raft a class 5 rapid off a 7 meter waterfall...in freezing cold water...wish me luck!

.....................................................................................................

G'day from the Australian Bush, May.2010

Posted: Aug.2010, Written: May.2010

I guess we'll start with Thursday. Thursday I took a walk around Sydney city with prima Ale and her baby Daniel. We started off with a quick lunch at the Sydney Fish Market, a series of warehouses with all the fresh daily catches overlooking a harbor. We bought a dozen fresh Pacific rock oysters (raw, with lime of course), fried calamari, and some fish Kebabs (dipped in sweet chili sauces.) I'm pretty sure this was the first time I have eaten raw oysters, and I loved it!

The sky was bright blue with big puffy white clouds, the weather was warm and all the sail boats were anchored in the harbor...it was just a fantastic outdoors meal! (Fighting the sea gulls for my calamari was a pain... geez they really are obnoxious out here!) After that we wandered around Darling Harbor and snuck a peek past the Sydney aquarium and wildlife world, then took a ferry from Darling to the Circular Quay harbor (home of the famous Opera House.) The ferry was fantastic (even better than the sunset harbor cruise last week because the views of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge in the sun were just incredible!) At Circular Quay we hopped on the trains back to Ale's house and I packed a rushed bag for a weekend in the bush!

Two trains later and nearly a 2 hour journey, I arrived in Windsor to start my weekend reunion with the high school group I led in Thailand last winter. Of course, the 18 year old boys wanted to meet up and go straight to the pub. And that we did, drinks on them the whole night and some embarrassing videos of me singing Karaoke to Ace of Base's "All that she wants." All in all they were very well behaved :)

I am seriously impressed with Aussie hospitality...I have never felt so welcome as a foreigner before! The boys (Brendan, Gilly and Pat) & their families have opened up their homes, become tour guides/chauffeurs, offered me food and drink for free. It's just incredible how polite everyone has been! Anyways, Thursday night ended without drama and Friday morning the boys took me to the Blue Mountains world heritage parks. The mountains and the valleys turn blue because the oil from all the Eucalyptus trees mixes with the mist and creates a blue tint. They boys taught me everything they knew about Aborignial myths and folklore surrounding the mountains and told me great legends of the Rainbow Serpent who carved the Australian landscape that Aboriginals still believe today. We took hikes, scenic railway cars, gondolas and drives through the parks and it was massive! We stopped for lunch in a local park and took a break from all the sightseeing to teach me rugby...and I'm pretty good at it too!

They also took me off the beaten path to a local spot, where we hiked through massive bush to a look out point called Glenbrook, and watched the sunset mix with the blue mist...we told ghost stories and scared ourselves to death as we hiked out of the bush in near dark back to the car! **I keep forgetting---all of the world's deadliest animals live here...gotta be more careful and stop letting high schoolers make all the decisions!**

Today (Saturday) I've moved in with Margie, one of the high school teachers who came on the trip. She's taken me in and showed me around her village, Hawkesbury. It's all farmland out here and she took me to her dad's farm (45 acres!) who raises all sorts of strange animals: chinese silky chickens and alpacas to name the strangest. I got chased by a herd of alpacas today since he thought it would be funny to hand me the food bucket (city slicker that I am and all that!)

Margie's an artist, so her home is filled with antiques, paintings and sculptures. She's taken me to a few local art galleries, mostly Aboriginal, and also took me to the oldest church in Australia for Devonshire 'High' Tea: scones, teas and biscuits. It's all farmland out here, but it's got the flavor of English countryside...and culture, definitely! It's strange though, because the oldest church in Australia was built, by and for, the first generation of convicts who were kicked out of England and sent overseas to serve their sentences...these Aussies are so proud of their convict heritage it's hilarious!

Margie's partner, Peter is a great character too. He's a Vietnam war vet who lost his leg. He's into model building, so the house is decorated with model sail boats, air craft carriers, planes and trains he's been building for years. His latest project is a massive life-size replica of a Super Marine S-5 plane built in 1927 (a forerunner for Bristish Spit Fire which they say won the Great War.) In his garage (between the two antique Jags) he's got the guts of a plane being built and I keep thinking...this is Peter and Dad's idea of a playground! His friend helps him build it, and he's another vet (Navy) and once they got wind of our family and the military background they couldn't get enough story sharing out of their systems. Hopefully in two years time they'll finish the plane and have it ready for displays in museums or air shows.

I must have said something right, because Mom and Dad you're invited to stay here with Margie and Peter if you ever come to visit me in August. You would LOVE it out here! They have a huge property, overlooking the valley and the lowlands, and in the early am you can see wallabies hopping around their back yards foraging for foods...so cute! Tomorrow is the high school BBQ. All the kids and Margie have put together this Thailand reunion tomorrow, and the kids are great...they're all so excited about introducing me to their parents! It'll be great to see them and spend the day with them and for some reason they're insisting on me sticking around until Monday morning to visit them at school. Monday afternoon I will be back in Sydney city and back with prime Ale where she's promised a visit to the famous Taronga Zoo, and pancakes in the oldest district known as the Rocks overlooking the Sydney harbor...yumm.

Happy as here in Sunny OZ!

Burmese Refugee Relief Work, Thailand 2010

Posted: Aug.2010, Written: Jan.2010






Well, I have officially survived the high school group. 3 weeks traveling with 22 people, all between the ages of 15-17 years old has me more exhausted than I've ever felt before!

The group was great, a great group of kids who really made me laugh every day. They were naughty and constantly asking a million questions (never waiting for the answer!) but they were inspired by everything they saw and did during their time in Thailand. I'm not a teacher, but I know that I touched the lives of each of these kids in some small way or another...so many of them started to cry as we hugged goodbyes at the airport yesterday, and better yet so many of them swore they were going to come back to volunteer again when they turn 21. Some of them really learned something new about themselves.

The kids were incredibly naive and sheltered, so they were challenged every day and pushed way beyond their comfort zones. In three weeks I could see personalities change, and personal growth from these kids which was amazing since university students rarely go through such a quick transformation. I'm proud of our accomplishments together, and looking forward to spending with with high school groups again...despite the sleepless nights and manic running around 24 hours/day!

Our time together at the orphanage was amazing, nearly 100 meters of fence construction was done in 3 days, we painted the home from head to toe (which is a feat for a 4 story building), we started construction of a new volunteer house, we did two days of gardening planting vegetables and banana trees (not as easy as it sounds!), and we did several sessions of English teaching (maths, vocab, arts)...but the real impact was with the relief work.

Feeling inspired after our New Year's meditation ceremony, I asked Didi to let our group get involved in relief work within the local community. We set out the next 3 days building roofs (grass thatched roofs) for a blind lone grandmother, and delivering rice, clothes and medical care to the Burmese refugee camps. I took small groups of 6 at time in the back of a truck to the Thai/Burmese border. We then set off with our Baan Unrak volunteer nursing staff and headed straight into the jungle. To say villages doesn't quite cut it...we were in camps. Small families and spaces cramped together, in the middle of nowhere. A lot of the babies were born to women younger than the high school kids in my group, and a lot of them having been born in the jungle were seriously malnourished and physically deformed. One young boy, 15 years old got caught in a forest fire...all of his skin from head to toe had melted off only a few days ago, so I got in to help re apply ointment and gauze...

I also watched a man die. He had been lying down for 6 months and his stools were pitch black...internal bleeding. He couldn't move, eat, sleep, or pee. For 6 months in this condition, because as a political refugee from Burma he has no rights, no access to anything! When I was there with the nurse, he took one breath and closed his eyes...then he stopped moving. The nurse said she would come back again tomorrow with a car if she can find one and try to get him to a hospital...but we both knew it was too late.

I can't explain too much more...there was a lot more that I saw and did, but it's still processing I think. Leaving Baan Unrak this time was the hardest time yet, and I still haven't come to terms yet with leaving Thailand in general....Australia is sounding worse and worse every day, and I feel like I'm trying to dig my heels in as hard as I can. How can I go to Australia and leave all this? I'm finally doing something with my life, something meaningful and I've finally found something worth fighting for--the preservation of life.

Xmas Lady Boy Cabaret Show at ENP, Thailand 2009

Posted: Aug.2010, Written Dec.2009

Right now...it's the morning of the 25th for you, so Merry Christmas!!! I've got 97.3 Coast FM tuned in on my lap top right now, and sappy Christmas songs are making me sentimental...time for a mass email then! I hope the family's together somewhere, and having an awesome holiday season now.

My Christmas celebration was last night...and even though I was far away from friends and family in America, I was surrounded by new friends and family here in Thailand. (Much improved from last year's lonely beach getaway!) Lek (the founder) invited me to celebrate X-Mas with her at Elephant Nature Park. They were planning a huge feast and a jungle party with the elephants...they offered to put me up and promised me I didn't have to work or do any manual labor to earn my keep--I was very happy with this arrangement.

I decided to rent a car, and brought Chad and his wife along too. They're fellow Americans and recently moved here to Chiang Mai, so they don't have any friends of their own yet. They're great people and also from South Florida- so they bring a little piece of home with their company. We rented a truck and made our way to the park yesterday afternoon.

Before pulling off into the jungle, we stopped at a Tesco-Lotus supermarket to stock up on goods. We were just planning to buy one or two bottles of wine, but of course it was 4 pm. Between the hours of 7am-11am, and 3.30pm-5pm you're not allowed to buy alcohol in stores and supermarkets (something about keeping kids from buying booze.) We were sad and putting the bottles back when one of the store clerks added with a wink and a smile "if you buy 12 liters, OK."

12 liters of alcohol....that would come out to 14 massive bottles of beer, and 3 or 4 bottles of wine....We knew this was going to be a good night! We loaded up our stash and were off to the park again. (Kicking ourselves later, for not remembering to buy painkillers for the hangover this morning....) I was fully expecting Lek to stash us somewhere in the park, out of sight out of mind and more importantly out of the way! However, she saved the VIP bungalows for us; bungalows in the park I never knew existed! Big plushy king sized beds, fluffy pillows, and private showers....definitely an improvement from the usual hut I live in when I'm leading projects at the park.

Dinner at the park was a feast, as usual...but my highlight was dim sum! OOOOOOOOOooooooohhhh dim sum with shrimp and pork, and BBQ (Thai style, with grilled chilies), and of course cheap French wine to keep our throats from getting dry. After dinner people from the local village swarmed the park and Santa came on stage to give out presents sponsored by ENP to all the kiddies and their families. Christmas music and carolers started the evening off alright, and it was just starting to feel like home...until the mahouts (elephant handlers) came out.

The mahouts are all minority peoples, from remote Burmese villages. So imagine my shock and surprise when they swarmed the stage in short skirts and costumes that were glittery, feathery and sparkling, and enough make up to actually look pretty as girls! They did a series of traditional dances set to flutes and drums which was normal enough...but they pranced around on stage in drag! These men are little, but incredibly strong! I mean they spend their days bossing massive elephants around and living off the jungle, so they have to be tough! I think I was more shocked at how good some of them looked as girls...how did they manage to make their make up look so nice??? And their short skirts... *shudder*..., they definitely were not aware of having to keep your legs together when you're in a skirt!

Then the lady boy cabaret show began. They hired professional dancers and DJs from the city for this event. These girls (or men?) were HOT! Beautiful bodies and costumes made it soooooo easy to forget they were men. (Which I think caused some physical confusion for some very drunk mahouts later on that night...) Anyways the dancers were incredible! The music was everything you expect- Gloria Estefan and Aretha Franklin and a nice mix of Korean pop. I'm embarrassed to admit that when "I will survive" came on, I pushed myself onto the stage for a bit....I blame the cheap Filipino beer for that move. And I WILL NEVER LIVE THAT DOWN AT THE PARK FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE.

One of the ladyboys spent the entire night performing with her right boob coming out of her sparkly bikini top...of course she couldn't feel her boobs, so she had no idea! For nearly one hour we were all glued to her boob, thinking one of two things: men, thinking 'why does this feel so wrong?'; girls, thinking 'damn they're nicer than mine!' I wonder what the small children thought....they definitely got more than an eyeful! Then...Patty came out. Patty is the lady boy who runs the ENP office in Chiang Mai city. She's one of the sweetest people in the world, always giggling and smiling. (She came out to the hospital when I was sick to check on me now and again, always keeping me company.) She was definitely the star of the show, doing a solo number as a Chinese pop/folk star in full traditional wardrobe....no words can describe how bizarre this was.

After the lady boys left back to Chiang Mai, the dance party began...and this is about the time my memory starts to fade. I remember Chad grabbing another bottle of wine, and then...everything goes black from that point on. I remember dancing, on stage and off, and taking a ton of photos with the staff. And then I remember Burm (one of the staff and a good friend) walked me back to my bungalow and actually tucked me into my bed. Ohhhh, soooooo bad.

This morning was brutal. I stayed in bed until I thought I wasn't going to die anymore and faced the music. Literally, when I came out everyone started making fun of me singing and dancing "I will survive." Ugh, I'm pretty sure I was filmed during that too. Lek gave me a beautiful present, a silver pendant with the personalized ENP logo to add to my charm necklace and I left the park feeling like I had spent one of the best holidays I could have asked for away and alone from the family.

I Survived Dengue Fever, Thailand- Dec.2009

Posted: Aug.2010, Written: Dec.2009(Photo): Me and Steph Velvarde in the the Chiang Mai Ram Hospital---she was lucky enough to only have a bacterial infection!

I've officially been in the hospital now for 5 days with dengue fever. It's a mosquito borne illness that the scientific community lovingly refers to as break-bone fever. It's just as pleasant as it sounds.

I started feeling sick Tuesday afternoon (the first day with a new group at Elephant Nature Park). I have a low-grade fever that refuses to go away (38-39 degrees C) and the feeling of broken joints and bones. I can't really walk or sit in one position for too long since it hurts too much. The nurses won't allow me to move anyways. They have me call them whenever I need to pee or get up for any reason, they're afraid of me falling over and causing internal damage. Suits me, after 5 steps in any direction I'm keeling over anyways from pain. They're keeping a very close eye on me, so rest assured I'm in the best possible hands.

What once started out as a hideous rash on my ankles and shins 3 days ago (imagine scabies), has since spread to my entire body. It's like I've been severely sunburnt on every inch of my body, and my skin burns hot to the touch. The rash is only too much in the night time when the itching gets so bad I can't sleep and the antihistamines prove worthless.

My platelet count as of today was 28,000, which is still ok. It was 50,000+ when I first checked in. As long as that doesn't drop below 20,000 I'll still be ok according to the doctors (and then I won't require a transfusion from Bangkok.)

My hands and feet have swollen to about 3 times their normal size, which adds to the difficulty of maneuvering on my own, but they say this is from the IV drip. They're ugly as hell, but as far as things go, they're the easiest for me to deal with right now.

Every night the nurses check on me every hour, when the fever is at its worst. They check my blood pressure, and temperature, and drug me up. When the fever gets to its peak every night they douse me with cool water and cold packs, packed into my bed to help me cool down.

I know it sounds really bad...and it has been. But things are looking up. I went from not eating to surviving on bits of fruit for 4 days, to finally getting my appetite back yesterday. The fever has stopped showing during the day as much as it used to (tonight we'll see how it goes.) I have visitors and company every day, and flowers and cards in my room to keep me happy. The only thing I don't have is a camera, which is a shame because I can not explain how hideous my legs are...really you've never seen anything like this! It looks like an early stage of leprosy!

I also have Christmas plans to get better for---at the ENP they're hosting a huge party and Lek invited me to crash with her for the night. Lots of booze, lots of singing and of course a ladyboy cabaret show....that's right, many things to get healthy and stay positive for! Lek's been so great, sending her love via flowers and cards and sending her staff to come visit me daily, maybe next christmas we can help her buy/rescue an elephant? :)

Borneo's Prime Jungles, Oct.2009

Posted: Aug.2010, Written: Oct.2009

I'm writing this from Borneo, on the north-east tip of the island in paradise on Earth---Sepilok Forest, Sandakan!

Just to put this trip into perspective, let's go back a couple days. My flight from Singapore touched down into M. Borneo late the other night, and as soon as I stepped out of the airport I knew I was in for something special!

I traveled North to Kota Kinabalu just in time for one of the world' most challenging races. People and press were coming from all the corners of the world to race up Mt Kinabalu (one of the highest and toughest climbs in the world). An Italian won it, making it to the summit and back in less than 3 1/2 hours...my trek to the summit would have taken a whole 6 1/2 hours (which was average timing for foreign tourists). I say would have...because of all the traffic of the race and the torrential monsoons, there was no access to the trek for me. No worries, planning on coming back again!

I stayed at a chalet, high up on the mountain and had a beautiful sunset and sunrise over Kinabalu to treat myself to. We were at least 4,000 meters up which made it cold, windy and refreshing considering we were sweltering in lowland jungle all day before.

After Kinabalu was a treacherous 6 hour journey through the heart of Borneo to a jungle camp called Kinabatangan---one day trekking and a boat cruise along the river I spotted wild Boreno pygmy elephants cooling off in the water, pythons, freshwater crocodiles, flocks of storks and horbills, Kingfishers, the famously odd, big nosed Proboscis monkeys, wild orangutans, wild boar and civets on my balcony in the night camp sight. Jungle heaven!!!

Today, in Sandakan I'm in a luxurious resort tucked into the mountains and forest (even more if not just as beautiful as our accommodation at Lisu Lodge in Thailand). I spent the whole better part of today visiting the Orangutan sanctuary here, and learning so much about rehabilitating orang utans and their endangered plight here in Borneo...they rely on volunteers here, anyone interested???

The orangutans have been one of the most amazing sights of this leg of my journey---that and the wild pygmy eles! They were so much smaller, and I realize now this is the very first time I've ever seen a wild and naturally free elephant...a beautiful sight :)

I wish you guys could all be here with me. My days are full of boat trips, trekking, night safaris and jungle, and some of the best Indian and muslim food I've had since India!
No need to worry, I've taken about 100 pictures of monkeys, apes and eles to share when I see you all again soon! Better be going now, early flight to the Kingdom of Brunei tomorrow.

Selamat Tengah Hari, Malaysia, Oct.2009

Posted: Aug.2010, Written Oct.2009

Taman Negara national park is where I've been the past couple days....a 130 million year old rainforest and home to the largest flower on earth and the largest trees on earth! Also, wild tigers, elephants, hornbills (my favorite birds!), and of course the most incredible trekking trails :) I went trekking for 6 hours straight the other day...granted 2 of those hours were just getting to and across the canopy walkway---a foot bridge suspended 40 meters above ground, into the canopy, and known as the longest canopy walk in the world! I was in jungle heaven!

Writing now from Melaka, Malaysia right now---an old colonial sea port town that used to belong to the Portuguese during the 14th century. The buildings and architecture here are stunning, and the setting takes you back in time so easily. The avenues are lined with churches, cathedrals, forts, temples (Chinese and Indian) and mosques. The main mode of transport is a rickshaw, bound in scarves and flowers of every color.

I stayed up late last night listening to Indian Karaoke from the bar downstairs from my room, and woke up at the crack of 5 am to the call to prayer from the local mosque. The chanting was lulling me to sleep happily until 6:30am all chaos broke loose. In Chinese tradition, police officers from the station next door decided it was time for calisthenics---which of course required a booming stereo and a megaphone!

Things are exciting as ever. Tomorrow I'm taking a 5 hour bus journey to Singapore...although things sound like they're going to be ridiculously expensive there...so maybe one night only? I'll check out a couple museums, free after 6 pm!, have one Singapore Sling on a rooftop somewhere, then catch a flight out of there---to Borneo!

Halong Bay to Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, Oct.2009

Posted: Aug.2010, Written Oct.2009

I'm not in Vietnam anymore...it was a quick trip in the North before I decided to get the hell out of Kansas! I managed to dodge all three typhoons this week, and was one of the lucky few who managed to tan in Halong Bay! Halong Bay...was PHENOMENAL!

I happily rented a kayak for a couple days and kayaked through floating fishing villages--out in the open sea! Each villager had a hut with a guard dog too that would snarl and growl if my kayak got too close...amazing that dogs could adapt to a life in the open sea. In my kayak I had the ocean to myself...Halong Bay used to be all mountains until the sea levels changed (thousands of thousands of years ago) so every way I turned my body in my kayak I was surrounded by the mountains coming out of the water.

After Halong Bay I teased a bit around Hanoi doing some good ole fashioned sightseeing. Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and the famous 'Hanoi Hilton' (Hoa Lo prison) where John McCain was detained during the war. The museum was such a crack...all the American pilots were smiling in their photos and the Vietnamese govt kept trying to sell the idea that during the war they were incredibly giving and kind to their prisoners...propaganda BS that was tacky and painfully obvious to any sightseer. I've read McCain's bio, and his story definitely doesn't match up with what the Vietnamese are selling. They also had this whole section dedicated to the 'Evil French Colonialists' and the weapons of torture used against the local villagers during the French war...they even had a used rusting guillotine on display...eek!

Nevertheless it was interesting to see. Vietnam in a nutshell? Busy busy busy. Soooooo much traffic and too many motorbikes. The food cheap and tasty, the people incredibly hospitable, the natural scenery and landscape is absolutely stunning, and I managed to stay out of the hospitals...so this was all good :)

Right now, I'm in an internet cafe in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Right away, culture shock! The city is huge, and clean and beautiful! It's modern and well kept so everything looks shiny and new! I had to scrape away layers of filth and dirt from my eyes and clothes from Vietnam today to fit in. Suddenly I'm back in a world where I'm constantly under dressed...tourists walk around with name brand bags, jeans, high heels, and jewelry...My rugged Keens, camos, and ripped t's seem to attract a lot of attention...No matter, I'll be out of the city soon and back in the jungle where I belong.

I'll be heading to Taman Negara national park to sleep and hike in the jungle and hopefully spot all sorts of wildlife. I have no expectations for this part of my trip, since I know absolutely NOTHING about Malaysia and Borneo...perfect! So far I'm loving the vibe of KL though---it's such an interesting mix! Walking down the streets I pass women in full burkas, walking alongside Chinese girls in mini skirts and hooker heels, and Indian women in beautiful saris...all sharing the street, markets, food and laughter together. I grabbed a taxi from an Indian Sikh, had Chinese/Malay curry dinner in China town where my waiters were Burmese, a Malay muslim women picked out a head scarf for me to 'fit in more', and met a friend who's Thai and happens to be family with people I work with back in Thailand! I've never seen such a mix of cultures on this scale before :) As far as first impressions go, I'm loving Malaysia and I think I'll be quite sorted for the next couple weeks.