Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore – March 2012

I was able to book about five weeks off from work and headed to Thailand and area.  Due to language and trying to get around in a crowded place, I decided that taking a tour would be a lot easier.  The original tour I was going to do was to start in Bangkok, went north to Chaing Mai and then head back south and ends up in Singapore.  Unfortunately, this tour was cancelled but I was able to put two tours together to make basically the same trip and pay the same price.   

Getting there was a long process.  I flew to Vancouver late at night as I wouldn’t be able to start my next leg until the AM.  I knew I would have to stay awake and entertain myself so the later I got to Vancouver, the better in my opinion.   As I was flying on points, I didn’t have the best options for how I was routed.  I had quite a few hours to kill in Vancouver so I found some food and then found a place to bunk down.  Many people were having naps, but as I was travelling alone, I didn’t feel comfortable doing that.  Eventually I was able to get checked in for my flight to San Francisco and continue my journey.  Once I got to San Francisco, I was off to Tokyo and then to Bangkok.   I arrived at my hotel at 1:30 AM, tried the Wi-Fi but no luck so I went to bed.

When I woke up the next day, I found food; the pool and internet so I could let everyone at home know I arrived.  Spend the next days just relaxing by pool and wandering outside on Khoason Road to check out the shops and food.   As I knew I would be back in Bangkok again, I didn’t do much for shopping at this point as no sense carting it all around.  I had a night scheduled here at the end so I
would shop then.

One of my favourite things to do was to go out and get a shake.  I stopped at one cart and went back to it the next day and the vendor remembered me and my order.  I thought that was pretty impressive with the amount of tourists that wander through the area on a regular basis.

Typical foot traffic

One of many shake stands

One Year Since I Went to Africa

September 22, 2015 I went off on my adventure in Africa.  From losing my luggage, to seeing elephants in the wild and the rumble of Victoria Falls, it was a great month.  

There are some photos that I didn’t share in my blog posts of my trip.

I have no clue what this is but I think it is pretty.

Kande Beach

Our tents at one of many camping sites.

Many stores were like this, just small stalls on the side of the road.  Nothing like what we are used to in North America.

A short video of Victoria Falls.  Remember, this is the low season.  Imagine in the high season!

3 Travel Accessories You Should Have

When it comes to travel, you will need to pack some items to help you with security and keeping your items safe and working properly.    Below is my list of items that you need when you travel to keep your belongings and electronics safe.

Locks for Suitcase

I travel with two kinds of locks.  The first set is for when I am actually travelling via air.  I lock my suitcase with a cable tie. While this isn’t a lock, it does add a level of security.  You can purchase locks that say they are TSA approved and that they have a skeleton key for them but I have also heard that they will not bother; they will just cut it off so I prefer to use my cable ties which are pennies a piece.

Once I arrive at my destination, I cut off the cable tie and use a regular lock.  I typically have a key lock but you could use whatever type of lock you prefer.  I don’t like to use a “real” lock while I am in the air as I am paranoid they will cut it off and I am out the money for the lock.  

Converter with USB Port

When I started travelling in the early 2000s, you simply needed a power converter.  But with so many people traveling with smartphones, it’s pretty much a requirement to be able to use a USB cable with your charger.  I had to borrow this on my last trip as I didn’t consider how some of my items charged when packing.  That said, I plan to buy something that will take USB cables for my next trip.

One thing to consider when you are purchasing a converter is the size.  The first converter I bought was big and heavy which would cause it to fall out of the outlet.  I ended up borrowing from others occasionally or putting something under the converter to hold it up. 

RFID Devices for Credit Cards

With credit card theft on the rise, it’s a good idea to get some RFID sleeves for your wallet.  I don’t know how they work but they are designed to block the signals from skimmer equipment.  These sleeves are thin and allow you to put your card into the sleeves and have it still fit into the slots in your wallet.  Even though these sleeves are thin, they are durable and shouldn’t tear or puncture.