Preparation

Afternoon everyone!

First, a big thank you to everyone who expressed an interest in following along with our trip!  I'm excited to share our experiences with you.

Second, we leave a week from today!!  Very specifically, exactly a week from now (3:20pm EST), we will have boarded our plane in San Francisco and be an hour into our flight to Osaka Kansai International Airport.  And I thought now would be appropriate to share a bit of our preparation for this trip - in case any of you find yourselves jetting of to SE Asia!

Tang and I did have to get shots for this trip, all for the Thailand portion.  Japan, in terms of diseases and food-borne illness, is on par with the US and Europe (or so the nurse said).  For Thailand, however, it is recommended that travelers, at a minimum, receive the hepatitis A and typhoid vaccinations.  Both are to help cut down on food- and water-borne illnesses.  We won't be taking any malaria medications, mostly because Bangkok and southern Thailand don't have problems with malaria.  If we were headed north, a more forested region, then malaria meds were recommended.  That being said, we are packing some pretty hefty bug repellent to cut down on all the bite-y critters.

My packing list

Packing - I have a love/hate relationship with packing.  I love to pack because it means our trip is almost here.  I hate to pack because I never know what to bring.  This trip has been an exercise in creativity in figuring out how many different ways I can wear about 10 articles of clothing.  Ok, maybe 12.  I won't bore you with the details of my packing list, but there were some cultural considerations I had to keep in mind as I selected my wardrobe.

First, it is going to be HOT and very humid.  Japan isn't so bad; I'm talking mid-80s with ~50% chance of rain.  Thailand, though, is like Florida - 95+ with at least 80% rain chance each day.  But it is the "afternoon shower chance of rain that doesn't do much to cool things off, just make them stickier".  So, I want to pack light clothes, but nothing too fancy that I wouldn't mind sweating through.

However, despite the climate, Thai people dress fairly modest.  Mama D's advice boiled down to nothing too skimpy (darn, I have to leave my bootie shorts at home!).  Bathing suits are only ok at the beach, and dressing in a revealing manner can bring unwanted attention.  Also, visiting the Royal Palace and Buddhist temples require women's shoulders and knees (I think) to be covered.  So, I'm sticking with t-shirts and capri-length pants and a couple of maxi dresses with a cardigan.  And a hat, of course.  Now to fit it all in a suitcase...  

Never leave home without your hat, umbrella and bug repellent!

See you in Japan!