Читать книгу Bangkok and Chiang Mai On a Rope - Larry Stein - Страница 9

One of the inviolate mathematical rules of travel is the inverse relationship between the length of your trip and the amount of clothes to pack. Don't take two weeks worth of clothes for a one-month trip. Four to five days worth will suffice. Packing light will prevent weight surcharges for flights within Southeast Asia.

In Chiang Mai, for a nominal price, vendors will wash and fold your clothes with a turn around of 24 hours or less. Although slightly more expensive, similar services are available in Bangkok. Lightweight clothing, such as polo and other cotton shirts for men, and palazzo pants for women, are often available at bargain prices.

For emergencies, bring some dry detergent for hand washing. For men, order some quick drying underwear for the trip. The main brand is Exofficio, which is available from Amazon and many other providers. Made primarily of nylon, a pair will dry over night.

Pack warm weather clothing. Pants are preferable to shorts because they offer better mosquito and sun protection, particularly if treated with permethrin. Pants are also more consistent with the cultural norms. Lighter weight pants save money compared to jeans, because laundry is often charged by weight Bring comfortable walking shoes, sandals if possible. Sandals are easier to take off than tennis shoes, at the many wats that require covered shoulders and bare feet. For some northern cities you might want a light sweater or windbreaker. Bring sunscreen and as mentioned above, mosquito protection.

Bring a bathing suit for daytime dips, and a flash light for the, sometimes dark night time streets and paths. Bring toilet paper for when nature calls and your hotel is too far away to hear. A helpful hint is that American fast food restaurants, in places like Bangkok may serve crap, but they are a clean place to excrete.

Bring any and all medication that you might need. If you use glasses, take a back up pair. Take sunglasses and a hat for the sun. Make a photocopy of your passport and bring extra passport photos. Pack, or carry, a secure way of holding your money and passport. I use a travel pouch that hooks to a belt, or in my case, suspenders. Two top brands are Eagle Creek and Lewis N. Clark. Bring a camera and enough memory chips. For more on cameras see the section on ” Vacation Photography.”

Most importantly, bring a sense of adventure.