SE Asia 2023

This post includes a list of things I'm glad I brought, didn't need, and survival skills/bits. It was started as "a few things that served me well for this unplanned day in Hong Kong HKG" and grew into a list of things to make traveling easier and more enjoyable.

In no particular order:

1) My Hoka shoes and daily dog walks. I wish I'd turned on my fitness tracker as I walked many km and hours through out my trip. I also did a lot of walking and standing in the plane. I chose to prioritize healthy circulation and flexibility over sleep. I know from long work shifts that walking and moving is the key to keeping me awake and relatively functional.

2) Being an extrovert. I can talk to anyone which helps pass the time and helps me find my way. As I get older I'm less concerned about looking dumb.

3) Life as a birth worker. Sleep is my superpower but so is the ability to function without it for long periods of time. By the time I got to my last flight I'd been awake for most of 48 hours. I managed a couple of cat naps on the plane which was a far cry from my expectation of tucking in for 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Another cat nap in the Hong King airport, which has lots of places designed for sleep.

4) My Osprey Fairview 55L backpack, specifically designed for carry on specs. No lost luggage for me. Also a change of clothes and access to toiletries was a sweet treat when I missed a connection.
Thanks, Mom & Jack!

5) My new Travelon Anti-Theft Metro "Waist Pack". (If you're over 30, it's a fanny-pack.) This was a splurge before my trip and money very well spent. I could write a whole blog post about this thing - I'm betting a well-travelled woman designed it - and I might never ever travel again without it. If I had to give up my Hoka shoes or my Travelon fanny pack, that would be Sophie's Choice! (You all know how much I love my Hokas.)

6) My Beam insulated UV water bottle. Fill from any tap, push the UV button, and drink water that's free of pathogens 3 min later. Stays cold for hours. According to my math I would have to purchase 60-150 bottles of water over the month and that just hurts my Earth-loving hippy heart too much.

6a) Adjustable sling to hold water bottle. It's air-light folds down into a tiny pouch.

7) My cut and paste strategy. When in Rome...
Glomming on to friendly strangers or at least observing & copying them to find my way. I actually told an older man in Hong Kong that I was adopting him because he knew his way through the airport. We were both on the same flight to Hanoi and thought if we ran fast enough we might make it. No such luck.

8) My Petzl Actik Core headlamp. Tiny and powerful, used daily. The only day I left it behind, I ended up in a dark cave (on a boat tour) - crap. I really, really wished I had brought it. It has a rechargeable battery but can also be used with 2xAAA batteries. It has a red light, regular light, flashing, and 3 brightness settings.

9) My magical bomber GI protection, which I usually just start taking a day or two before even though the rx is 1-2 weeks before. I continue for a week or two after returning. This is well worth making space in the pack!!  I've travelled all over the world and have never been sick, even eating street-vendor food. 
- Take all three according to instructions on bottle.  Do the math to ensure there’s enough for a week or two before the trip (or a few days if you're like me), through the trip and for 4-6 weeks (or 1-2 weeks, realistically) after.
Ø  Herbal parasite formula (e.g. Wild Rose Paratech or New Roots Parasite), 1-2 daily (morning and late afternoon).
Ø  HCL supplement (e.g. Chinese herbs or Berberine HCL), 2 daily with meals.
Ø  Digestive enzymes for bigger cooked meals
Ø  Heat-stable probiotics (e.g. FloraAdvanced Probiotics, Genestra, Renew Life). Take a dose daily before bed. 


Other bits will be updates as I go - mostly so i remember next time...

OTHER RANDOM THINGS I'M GLAD I HAD:
- Cash! Cash is king. American money is pretty much useless in Asia. Most places only take cash in local currency.
- Washcloth - these pretty much don't exist in Asia
- Small bar of soap in a zip-lock for my fanny-pack
- Laundry strips (the dry soap kind, like Earth Eco Strips); just a few in a zip-lock. Saved my from using smelly detergent from laundromats.
- Zip-locks! Water-proofed my passport and phone in wet areas and boat tours. All kinds of uses.
- Sarong - so versatile and people need to be covered to enter temples - no shoulder or knees showing. Easy to throw over a pair of shorts to go into a temple.
- Sun-Shade shawl. (Thanks Mom!) Kept me from frying a few times and was an easy top-layer over a tank for temples.
- Small notebook for important details, names of next location, reference # etc. in case my phone died and to save flipping between apps. Flipping between apps urgently to find my next bus got old real fast! This was an unexpected life saver.
- One long-sleeved, soft shirt, as public transit is FREEZING. I even used my wool cowl-neck too.
- Thin scarf to dress up an outfit. I cover my face with it while flying, bussing, on trains as that's the only way I can sleep in public.
- Grab App - like Uber for Asia but way better. Ensures safe, easy, affordable local travel.
- Booking.com, Trip.com, and Expedia apps to find accom and transportation. Fellow travellers and I lived by reviews and ratings on these apps! I rarely used AirBnB on this trip but not a bad idea to check it.
- TripAdvisor app for local things to do, day-tours and trips. Reviews and easy to book. Compare prices with booking at hotel or local travel kiosks. Since almost none of the local speak English, TripAdvisor was a saviour!
- AirAsia app was almost always more affordable and had more flights than the general booking apps. Plus points. I got upgraded to posh travel on one of the flights for no reason except using the app! Generally, it's cheaper to book local transportation and flights when in a country than before entering.
- An international phone plan from my cell-carrier that could just be activated on the days I needed it. Good for travel between countries but too $$ to cover a trip. Bought local SIM cards at the airports when entering new countries, with unlimited or big data plan as one lives by Google Maps and WhatsApp in Asia, and while travelling in general. (Future self: The people who sell them will swap out SIMS or add them to a spare port for me. Learn about e-SIMS before next big adventure.)

DID NOT NEED:
- Shampoo (unless I wanted to be picky about what I use)
- Compression-sacks. They don't save any weight and if I have so much that I need to compress it, then I've brought too much. (Winter travel and bulky clothes are an exception; not needed for this trip.)
- Towel. Most places supplied them and I only used it a couple of times. Could have improvised and used my sarong in a pinch. I used it as a blanket a couple of times.
- Blow-up foot rest for plane. Nice to have but not necessary and another thing to carry all month. This is much better than the hanging foot rest which I was advised to not buy as it bugs the seat in front every time I move and can only be used with the seat-tray closed.
- Mosi-net, which was supplied when needed. I stayed in decent places. Might have been useful in cheap hostels?

NOTES FOR FUTURE:
- Download currency in money app & language in translator before I need them! Practise for at least a week before departing.
- Look up tipping in area.
- Look up how to say thank you in local language.
- Look up local customs such as acceptable clothing, especially in Asia.
- Make one doc per outing with important info such as destinations, name of accom, confirmation #s etc. Don't rely on flipping through screens - it's torture.

LONG-HAUL FLIGHT SURVIVAL:
- Compression socks for any flight over 6 hrs. I put them on at the airport just before boarding as I don't love the feel of them but my feet felt great upon landing.
- Drink tons!! There's no line-up for washrooms. The flight attendant told me folks don't like to drink on long flights b/c they don't want to have to use the toilet. Dehydration is the enemy of travel.
- Get up and walk, stretch, every hour while awake. I made some friends, seeing the same walking group over a 14hr flight. There's a walking-crew on every long flight, often hanging out by the emergency doors to stretch and chat.
- Paying a little extra to choose a seat with escape access, since I like to walk around so much. I had a middle bulk-head seat flying to Asia so I could sleep or escape with out waking my seat-mates. On the way home I chose an isle in the middle section of seats so my seat-mates could get out the other way if I was sleeping and I could easily get up if they were sleeping.
- Download airline app, ideally before leaving home, for access to movies and online internet. One can use airmiles to pay for wifi (or about $25) for a long flight - well worth it! But one must have the app downloaded BEFORE boarding the plane for this and the entertainment to work.
- I wish I'd found a good neck-pillow. The inflatable one I bought was no good. It made sleeping difficult unless I was at the window. At least it didn't take up much room in my pack. I'll keep looking for the perfect fit.
- Note: Gloria LeMay swears by wearing loose clothes and taking off everything binding such as bras and belts during long flights. No thanks! I did wear nice PJ pants over the Pacific and always wear layers but that's as far as I took that advice LOL.Read more