Tag Archives: Asia

March 2, 2012 · 12:45 am

What I’m bringing to the Annapurna Circuit

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This is my Nepal prepping / packing list.  Its goes astray from my normal skrewy posts about my everyday antics.  You can skip it without missing much.

In three days I’m leaving to go to Nepal for a month.  Twenty of those days are going to be spent trekking the Annapurna Circuit.  If you’re planning a similar trip, here’s a few things you need to do before you leave.

Go to a travel clinic.  The doctor will give you vaccines for Typhoid and Hep A.  He will give you a certificate (if you don’t already have one) proving that you been vaccinated.  Bring the certificate with you on your trip.  He will also give you a prescription for Cipro – if you don’t have insurance, get the generic ciproflaxacin.  If you get sick off of contaminated water, it kills the bacteria in your body.  Ciproflaxacin costs $22.  Typhoid and hep A are both under $100 (although I’m unsure because I haven’t gotten the bill yet).

Oh and make sure you’re set up for automatic bill pay at your bank so you won’t have to worry about late payments on anything.

Get travel insurance.  I got mine from worldnomads.com and opted for the Explorer package.  It’s $114 for three weeks.  Print out the certificate of insurance and take it with you.

Next is my packing list.

I never trekked before or been on any long hikes.  I had zero equipment, so I had to buy everything brand new.  I bought most of my items on Amazon, cause, well, Amazon rocks!

I bought the Kelty Trekker 3950 on Amazon for $110 free shipping.  It’s light weight and perfect for the trip.  It has a compartment for a camelbak and a hole for the hose – very convenient!

I added a few reflectors to it.  You should add reflectors to your pack even if it’s just to spot it easier in the airport luggage rack.

I bought my boots at EMS.  Eastern Mountain Sports = big bucks.  Fortunately for me they were having a clearance sale that week.  I’m seriously a lucky bitch sometimes.  So I bought these Bad Mamma Jammas:

I didn’t even have to look at any other boot.  I made eye contact with them and it was love at first sight.  I love the color!  They are boots fit for a sexy anime character.  That’s the look I’m going for – sexy anime Melanie.  The guy at the store talked me into buying inserts called happy feet.  They’re good for my goofy flat feet, but they set me back $40.  I also bought memory foam antibacterial inserts to go on top of my happy feet inserts ($10).  So basically, I went all out for my delicate tootsies.

For socks I spent $120 on 6 pairs of liner socks and 3 pairs of smartwool socks.  I couldn’t find a cheaper deal anywhere.

When trekking the Himalayas, the weather varies from subtropical to subzero depending on what altitude you’re in.  Packing light is crucial for a trek like this, but also tricky to find clothes that are both breathable and warm.

I’m going to Nepal in March.  From what I read on the net, temp ranges from 0 to 68 Fahrenheit.  Wicking shirts and layers are a must.

I bought 3 short sleeve wicking shirts, 2 thin long sleeve and 2 heavy long sleeve.  This may be too many to carry, but I haven’t figured out which one’s I should leave out.  Nah screw it, I’ll just take them all.  I’m also bringing a windbreaker that crushes up nicely into my pack.

For pants, you really only need one pair.  I’m bringing the kind that can turn into shorts by zipping off the legs.  Most outdoor places sell them.  I’m also bringing one heavy and one light thermal long underwear.  The heavy thermos can double for jammies and I’ll only wear them during the day for the high altitude hikes.

Most of my clothes are shoved into dry packs that I can compress down into a manageable size.

I’m bringing 6 pairs of underwear rolled up and shoved in a ziplock bag (also compressible).

Two sports bra’s

Glove liners and wool fingerless gloves that convert into mittens.  Mittens are warmer than gloves, but I have my fingers if I need them.

A small winter hat.  I’m debating if I should bring my wool hat, but it’s so bulky.

Neck tube/face mask

Travel journal and Pen

Moleskin for blisters

Sleeping pills

Sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner.  The tea houses have blankets, but they are primary used by the porters.  The porters will give up their blanket for you, but they will get sick and we don’t want that.  However, I won’t be hiring a porter, so maybe I can use their blanket?

Quick dry travel towel

A trowel.  I hope I don’t need it.

6 peel and stick body warmers that last all day.

Travel medic kit

Eat’N Tool

Lemon-lime sport drink tablets

A few packets of Vplenish vitamin boost

A hanky for my nose

A little thing of tissues

Hand sanitizer!  This is a must if you don’t want to get sick.

A small water filter that immediately filters water.  $50 EMS.

Head lamp

Sodium Chlorite tablets for water.  This woman I talked to says they work great but take four hours to kick in – hence the water filter.

An LCD flashlight keychain

Extra cord

One liter platypus bottle with hose

One liter Nalgene bottle

Sunscreen

Moisturizer

Chapstick

Hot topic’s dry shampoo.  This stuff works and I never seen it sold anywhere else.  It’s only $8.

A little spray bottle of Rosewater.  It’s multipurpose.  Works as a disinfectant and deodorizer.  Works on cuts and scrapes, too.

My coolpix camera

My Ipod Nano and Iphone (for music)

Headphones

4 extra batteries

Earplugs

Cloth tape for my toes.  I may need to wrap them to prevent blisters.  I thought of this myself and not sure if it’s normally something trekkers do.

Compressed, biodegradable baby wipes

Stuff for my period

I’m bringing 20 playtex sport body wipes

Travel deodorant

Shampoo / body wash

Toothbrush / toothpaste

Razor.  Because I can’t stand hairy armpits!

Comb

Sandels

Pocket mirror

Tweezers

Pomegranate flavored fiber packets

My nana’s old whistle

I’m a smoker, but switched to electronic cig’s 8 months ago.  Since I can’t bring them, I’m bringing a tobacco pipe.  It’s cool looking.

Waterproof matches

A sun hat

Sunglasses

Pancho

Small book for rainy days

Altimeter

A bunch of carbiners

I’m going to get two hiking poles in Katmandu and a down jacket.  You can actually buy everything you need in Katmandu, but I’m a newbie world traveler, so I like to arrive already prepared.  One of the girls I’m going with is getting her vaccines in Katmandu.  That’s a little too brave for my Connecticut blood.

I think that’s it.  It sounds like a lot, but my pack is still not very heavy.  That’s why I won’t need a porter.  A porter would laugh at my pack if they had to carry it!  Did you know that their cargo can also consist of people?!  They carry people on their backs!  Not in a rickshaw, but in an actual basket attached to their back.  I’m hoping to take a pic of one.

Whew, okay I’m done with my list.  Now I can relax.  I was packing as I made the list, so I’m all set.

You can rent a locker in Katmandu or another town similar to store everything you won’t need for your trek.  Like souvenirs and extra clothes.

By the way, I really don’t know what I’m doing.  I’m no expert, but soon will be!

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January 27, 2012 · 4:03 am

Trekking the Himilayas for a month? Sure, why not.

I worry about me sometimes.  I worry about being too content with myself.  I mean, I don’t want to get married, I don’t want kids, I have little desire to buy my own place (maybe the desire would be there if I had more money but I don’t, so it’s not).

I like staying in.  I’m content with reading a book or playing video game’s…  A woman of 32 isn’t supposed to be like this!!  I’m like an android of mediocrity.

I just don’t want anything – period.  Well, I don’t care to possess anything is more like it.  I want to possess knowledge and experience and that’s it.  And those possessions I can take anywhere without feeling bogged down and overwhelmed with responsibilities.

Okay, so here is a rundown of my current situation:  I’ve managed to save $3,000 in the bank.  What’s my next move?

I can…..

A)  Pay off the remaining $3,500 of my debt.

B)  Finally buy my dream laptop – the Imac Pro.

C)  Start my “Air Touch rejuvenation” business and buy the $2,000 oxygen bar that I need.

D)  Put a down payment on a new car because my car is being held together by plastic zip-tie’s.  Well, the sway bar is held up with a plastic zip-tie.  A zip-tie is the only thing stopping my car from swaying out of control.

E)  Or I can fuck all the above and go to Nepal.

Umm, okay, being that the only two things I wish to possess in this life are knowledge and experience (forget that I mentioned the Imac Pro), than my choice is obvious.  Nepal it is!

I base all my decisions on death-bed Melanie.  I imagine that I’m laying on my death-bed and looking back on the choices I made.  Which one would I regret not taking?  If my death-bed is made for me in Nepal than I no doubt would have wished I paid off my debt instead, but life’s a bitch like that.

What I’ll be actually doing in Nepal is where the real craziness lies.

Kristina wants to trek the Annapurna Circuit.  It’s a 150 mile loop that takes approximately 20 days to accomplish.  In the Himalayas!  Or as Brad Pitt would say, “the Hima-LIE-yas.”

Omg I LOVE Brad Pitt!  I hate Angelina.  Okay I don’t hate her, but dislike her a lot.  Is it pathetic that that clip can still make me teary eyed?

Anyway, back to the 20 day trek, I never cared for camping or sleeping outside.  I never technically had to “rough it”.  And here I am signing myself up for the possibility of massive traveler’s diarrhea and shitting in a shit splattered hole in the ground in the middle of cold snow-covered nowhere for 20 days.  Ha ha.  It’s funny now, but won’t be later.  Is it funny now or is that nervous laughter?

There have been casualties on this trek.  I can get mountain sickness and die of cerebral edema.

Anyway, shit yo.  I’m doing it.  Fuck Yeah!  High emotion’s and high risk equal strong words.  Fuck! Shit!  What am I doing!?

I’m in relatively good shape.  I don’t exercise much, but my job keeps my legs and arms well maintained.  I’m 5′ 6″, 128 pounds – leg’s built for stamina, not speed.  For a 32-year-old booze hound lay-a-bout bar fly, I’m in ship-shape.  I can’t run farther than a mile, but who can these days and who really wants to?

I’m certain that I’m in good physical condition for this.  I have the money, no restraints keeping me from going and how often does a Himalayan trek fall into my lap?  In the future I can always go to the more well-acquainted tourist places that dumb American’s like to venture without fear of the unknown – but for now, in my condition, anything goes!  And majestic high-altitude places are well worth the risk.

I’m watching Naruto.  It’s a japanese cartoon.  I can watch rerun’s of How I Met Your Mother (I’ve never watched them) on Netflix, but no.  Instead I’m watching 220 episodes of a japanese cartoon.

My first Japanese cartoon was Mushi-shi, than I watched Claymore, and now this.  Once you start watching these cartoons, your brain doesn’t view life the same way.  It’s changes perspective.  It’s like a drug.

And now for your moment of zen, here are the lyric’s for Naruto’s theme song.

We are Fighting Dreamers, aiming high Fighting Dreamers, not caring about appearances Fighting Dreamers, because we believe Oli Oli Oli Oh-! Just go my way!

Right here Right now (Bang!) Fire like a bullet LINER! Right here Right now (Burn!) Finish it off Get the fire!

At the middle of a grim fighting road, we up man’s map; where do we go? The plant-eating crow plunders that and escapes

Now, the eye of the heart only opens to make sure of the present! (Yeah!) There is nothing lost, so let’s turn back!

We are Fighting Dreamers, aiming high Fighting Dreamers, not caring about appearances Fighting Dreamers, because we believe Oli Oli Oli Oh-! Just go my way!

Right here Right now (Bang!) Fire like a bullet LINER! Right here Right now (Burn!)

The creeping soundless shadow always puzzles us The big short burst of wind increases the swell as it blows over

The sharp raised blade cuts open my tomorrow! (Yeah!) Whatever the guarantee, its not anywhere it seems!?

We are Fighting Dreamers, aiming high Fighting Dreamers, not caring about appearances Fighting Dreamers, because we believe Oli Oli Oli Oh-! Just go my way!

Right here Right now (Bang!) Fire like a bullet LINER! Right here Right now (Burn!) Finish it off Get the fire! Right here Right now (Bang!) Fire like a bullet LINER! Right here Right now (Burn!) Finish it off Get the fire!

We are Fighting Dreamers, with these best friends Fighting Dreamers, swallowing up everything Fighting Dreamers, with high ambitions Oli Oli Oli Oh-! Just go my way!

That’s not the whole thing, but you get the idea.

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March 8, 2011 · 8:13 pm

Day Four of Korea

Time goes by way too fast on NyQuil.  It puts you in a whole other dimension.

I’m liking this way too much.  Laying here in bed and watching movie’s all day.

I had to give two massages yesterday at the spa down the street and it wore me out.  I fantasized about my bed and about NyQuil.

Ode to NyQuil

I shutter from a chill

I take a soft swallow

Of my NyQuil

Warmth envelopes my throat

It’s as if I’m floating on a boat

Down a green river of delight

Down into the emerald night, everything will be alright

The green river slithers down my esophageal

Filling me up as if a meal

It subsides in my insides thwarting instances of the flu

It presides in my insides turning my hue less blue

No more aches or fever bakes

No more cold toe’s, runny nose

Coughing, sleepless tossing

No more sneezing, breathless wheezing

It does what no pill can

I am a NyQuil fan

Grassy, sprouting, immature green

The color of youth, undecayed, tender, lean

You know what I mean

NyQuil

It’s the bee’s knee’s

I gave up on the poem at the end, a little.

I’m exhausted.  I can’t tell if it’s from the 14 hours of sleep, or if I’m still legitimately sick.  Let me brush my teeth.  Maybe I’ll feel different after brushing my teeth.

I feel a little better, but not by much.

I guess now is a good time to write about my day four of Korea.

Sarah had to work unexpectedly, so it was just Kristina and I to venture off into the big Korean city all by ourselves for the day.  I already wrote about that here.

That night we met Sarah’s little friend from Manchester, England, Rachel.  Rachel is absolutely awesome and I’m very upset I hadn’t taken any pictures of her.

We went to this backwards restaurant for dinner.  Here are pic’s from inside the restaurant.

That’s the way into the place.

This was my view while sitting at our metal table.

This was the menu.  It was two wooden boards with chalk pictures scribbled on them.  I wanted to point to eggs over my-hammy, but couldn’t find it.  I did, however, find a picture of a flying squid.

A quiet, omniscient boy in a black hoodie served us.  His hood was up the entire time.  He served us two cooked birds on two big dishes.   We each got a fork and a tissue napkin.  We were to dig in and eat from the same plate.

It was rustic, and I liked it, except for this one mysterious bit of food that I shoved into my mouth and couldn’t swallow.  Sarah lent me her tissue napkin so I could spit it out.  Rachel told me I won a prize for finding the inedible portion of the meal.

After dinner I asked Sarah to give me a cool, chill pose.

We went to the Red Bottle.

They had the Wii.

Hoards of alcohol went down my gullet that night.  When I reach a certain level of attention from the people in my immediate surrounding, mixed with a high dosage of alcohol, I start getting physically aggressive and my body wants to do weird spasmodic dances to keep the attention on me.

After beating everyone at arm wrestling (and telling them it’s not cheating if you throw your body into it), I started dancing.  Not breakdancing at first, but just regular dancing.  The more I danced, the more people paid attention to me.  The girls bartending grabbed me by my hand and pulled me behind the bar.   They fed me shots of jagermeister before turing me loose to dance some more.

It didn’t take long until I was on the floor spinning around.  I was trying to get little English Rachel to spin on her back with me.  I don’t recall if she actually did it or not.

I was breakdancing to Michael Jackson’s Beat It, and doing perverted things to a chair.  Why do I always end up fondling a chair?  I don’t know, I don’t remember.  But it’s over and it’s done –  I can close that book.

It was the alcohol.  That and I didn’t get much attention when I was a kid, so naturally stuff like this happens to me.

I was teaching this meek Korean man how to do the tango.

That’s all the pic’s I have of day four.  Now I don’t know what to do with myself.  I’m too sick to go out, but not sick enough to lay in bed.  I want to get snockered on NyQuil.

My Second Ode to NyQuil

You are my wife, my husband, my lover in sin

You shower me with kisses when you dribble down my chin

I hack up mucus, but you love me all the same

If you had ears and eyes, you would read my poems

and not think them lame

For you are my NyQuil

You are the bee’s knee’s

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February 22, 2011 · 10:19 am

I’m here in Korea, Yarooh!

I’m safe and sound here in cozy South Korea.  There’s a 14 hour time difference between here and home.  It’s 6:46 pm here, so home would be…..uhh, 4:46 am?  I’m really bad at math so I’m not sure if that’s correct. 

Anyway, we are chillin’ in Sarah’s apartment high up in the sky away from traffic and construction noise.  Kristina is upstairs in the loft reading her book and Sarah is next to me ironing her favorite shirt for tonight.  We might go to a jazz club, but we’re not sure yet.

The food is interesting here.  People are interesting.

I’m on Sarah’s computer because  I can’t seem to hook mine up the internet, which means I can’t post pic’s until I get back home.  It’s only day three of my trip, but I already taken about a hundred photo’s. 

I just taken a good healthy swig of some beer called Cafri.  It’s like a Korean Corona. 

I’m tired and need to eat.

Kristina and I tried our luck on the subway earlier today while Sarah was in work.  We ended up inside the worlds largest department store called Shinsegae.  It made the Guinness book of world records, so it must be the largest.  They only allow the best of the best name brands inside the store – Prada, Coach, Louie Vooton.  There were maybe 10 very large floors of these ridiculously priced name brands.  I bought a kiwi blast at baskin robbins and we ate at au bon pain – I was happy to eat a regular sandwich after all the weird Korean food I consumed.

I should get ready to leave.

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