Countdown… T minus 48 hours!

Okay, it’s super exciting now! Sorry for the lack of updates recently, work has been pretty busy and then I got absorbed with you know, actually prepping for the trip instead of procrastinating and writing in the blog!  Here’s a quick update…

My bag is packed!

I was shocked when I weighed it that it’s only 11kg! I normally end up with a suitcase quite close to 20kg for a normal business trip, so how I’ve managed to pack for 3 weeks in 11kg is beyond me! Just crossing fingers I haven’t forgotten anything significant.

Foreign currency has arrived! 
I decided to go for a mix of Thai Baht and US Dollars, so that I can change to the other countries as I go. I got a good deal on the Post Office website and £3 cash back with Quidco!

I called Gadventures

I initially called to check up on the baggage allowances for the flights which they’re booking – 15kg is what they advised.  But I also managed to find out that on the trip are 8 people (including me) with an age range of 21 to 50, and people from USA, Canada, UK and Europe – so it sounds like a pretty mixed bunch and I’m right in the middle of the group which will hopefully work well.  I can’t wait to meet all my new travel friends soon!

I joined Parkrun!

If you don’t know what Parkrun is, it’s a nationwide (worldwide?) scheme for running a 5km run every Saturday at 9am. It’s a free, volunteer run thing and it’s designed to encourage healthy lifestyles. I set it up and went along to the first run in Crystal Palace park and managed to knock out a 27:06… Pretty great 🙂

One day in Bangkok

Hi all

I’ve just realised that during my itinerary I will have my first day in Bangkok before the tour officially starts. I land at 9:40am in Bangkok and have basically a full day before the introduction meeting that evening – around 19:00 I guess. 

On the first day of the tour we take a Klong riverboat tour and visit the Grand Palace, so I don’t need to do those, but what should I do with my first day in Bangkok??

Comments please!

Vaccinations?

Reading into it, it seems like I should probably get back to the travel clinic for this trip. For some reason I had told myself this wouldn’t be necessary for South East Asia but according to the web-checks I’ve done, I need at least one new injection. That’s pretty surprising considering the plethora of things I got done before the trip to Peru, which included Hep A, Hep B, Cholera and Yellow Fever protection.

 
Digging into this, the recommended Tetanus, Diptheria and Polio sounds pretty routine, and probably something I should have had a few times already.  I’ll book an appointment soon and get stabbed!

   

Counting Down!

  The countdown has properly begun now.  I have been keeping an eye on the Gadventures app and it popped up this morning saying 30 days to adventure! I can almost feel it now!

  But before it begins, I’ve got a couple more work trips – 6 more flights in fact, so I can’t really start packing yet. I did give my backpack a bit of a test run a few weeks ago on a weekend away and even then it proved to be awesome. I’m looking forward to figuring out what I actually need to take, and managing  to squeeze it all into the bag.  18 days is a lot to pack for, especially since the region is entering into rainy season as we go so we’ll likely need a mix of rain and warm clothes.  Here’s the official packing list, with my notes:

• Antibacterial wipes/gel (easy)
• Binoculars (easy)
• Camera with extra memory cards and batteries (easy)
• Cash, credit and debit cards (easy, but which currency??)
• Cash in USD (easy)
• Day pack (easy)
• Documents (must remember to print them in advance)
• First-aid kit (easy)
• Flashlight/torch (ironically I need to arrange this!)
• Fleece jacket or warm layer (several options, just got to pick which one)
• Flight info (must remember to print it too)
• Gloves (which type??)
• Hat (sun hat? Ski hat? G adventures can be very ambiguous sometimes!)
• Insect repellent (got it)
• Insurance info (need to ask for this from work)
• Long pants/jeans (no problem)
• Money belt (I don’t own one, not sure if I need it or if I should go for alternatives)
• Outlet adapter (easy)
• Passport (easy)
• Personal entertainment (I’ll probably bring some books and my iPad)
• Pocketknife (This makes me uneasy, but ok)
• Rain gear (easy)
• Rain jacket or poncho (um, didn’t you just say that?)
• Required visas or vaccination certificates (I need to check on vaccinations)
• Reusable water bottle (got it)
• Shirts/t-shirts (should be fine)
• Shorts (should be fine)
• Small travel towel (got it)
• Sturdy walking shoes (see below)
• Sunblock (need to buy strong stuff)
• Sunglasses (got nice ones, might buy some cheaper ones)
• Sun hat/bandana (as opposed to the ski hat above?)
• Swimwear (sure)
• Toiletries (yep)
• Umbrella (really? Seriously? Sure… I have one, but wasn’t expecting to need it!)
• Vouchers and pre-departure information (covered above!)
• Warm clothing (covered above!)
• Watch and alarm clock (need to find the watch I bought for Peru)
• Waterproof backpack cover (built into my pack)
• Weather appropriate clothing (pretty sure this is covered somewhere above!)

As with before, there are tons of duplicates on this list – I think G adventures must compile these lists from multiple sources and as such, they end up with similarly written things using different terminology. I’m not too phased by anything on the list, but pondering if I should invest in some decent lightweight shoes for walking – most of my day to day shoes are pretty un-sensible for scrambling over rocks or hiking in woods. I don’t think this trip needs full scale hiking boots, so those can stay at home, but I might need a trip to a a shoe shop some time in the next month.

Ahhh, it’s getting close now… 

GAdventures got Appy!

Whilst browsing the GAdventures website yesterday to check some details of my trip, I happened on a link to the new ‘GAdventures App‘. Intrigued, I downloaded it and logged in…
Wow, what a treasure trove of information that thing is! The entire trip itinerary is laid out in detail, way more detail than is available anywhere else – including the names and addresses of the hotels we’re going to. Super cool, so much excitement when I started browsing the itinerary.  It also lists out all the optional activities (although most of them just say ‘talk to the CEO during the trip’) and has interactive maps where you can browse the days routes.  It even tells you the exchange rates and weather in each location on the tour.  I’m almost convinced to take my phone with me based on how much information this thing gives me!

So now I know the hotels i’ll be staying at!

FuramaXclusive Sathorn, Bangkok

The Empress Hotel, Chiang Mai

Maison Dalabua hotel, Luang Prabang

Golden Silk Boutique Hotel, Hanoi

Continental Saigon Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City

Landscape Hotel, Phom Penh

Royal Angkor Resort, Siem Reap

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National Geographic!

I got a really exciting email just before Christmas from GAdventures, detailing the new arrangements they have on offer for some of their trips. GAdventures have partnered up with National Geographic on some of their trips – and that includes the trip that i’ve booked on! That means that as well as all of the exciting stuff that was already planned, they’ve added even more to the schedule and now it’s endorsed by National Geographic, we’ll receive a ton of information about the trip before we go!

According to the email, two new parts of the tour have been added:

New – Phare, the Cambodian Circus
Get a behind the scenes visit then attend an amazing performance that blends music, theatre, dance, and acrobatics at Phare, the Cambodian Circus. This social enterprise provides training and employment opportunities to disadvantaged Cambodian youths – not to mention a show that’s out of this world.

New – Wat Visoun Visit
Originally built in 1513, Wat Visoun is Luang Prabang’s oldest operating temple. Walk through with a Buddhist monk, who’ll discuss the site’s dramatic history, the Buddhist art that was once housed here, and its unusually shaped stupa – known as the “watermelon stupa.”

I’m getting so excited, after reading about the amazing places – and GAdventures have also added a ton of new photos of the trip to their website!  Counting down the weeks now!  (18 weeks, 5 days, 16 hours…)

Khantoke Dinner

Another thing i’m really excited about during the trip is the Khantoke Dinner – a traditional northern Thai dinner which we will have one night during our time in Chaing Mai.  Khantoke is a sort of dinner/show where you sit around a low table and eat whilst watching traditional entertainment on stage.  We did a similar thing in Peru, so i’m quite excited to see the differences and compare the cultures.

One big aspect i’m looking forward to is the food in Thailand – Thai food is legendary around the world and i’m sure they’ll go to an effort to show us some of the really amazing dishes.  We even have a cookery lesson one day, but i’ll write about that in another blog.

Angkor What??

I have to admit, when I first started searching for a holiday in South East Asia, I had never heard of Angkor Wat.  You probably haven’t either, unless you’ve read up on the Bhuddist or Hindu religions – both of whom Angkor Wat is pivotal to. It’s actually the worlds largest religious complex, and started off as a Hindu religious temple before being converted to a Bhuddist site.  There is so much amazing fascinating history there, it’s going to be incredible to explore and learn about these religious which I don’t know much about.

Angkor Wat is one of the ‘7 wonders of the world‘ so I can add it to the list of wonders i’ll have visited too!
I found a great blog which explains way more about Angkor Wat than I can… Take a read here 🙂 

Halong Bay cruise

Hi all! My excitement has started, so i’m going to bore you all with pictures and stories about the parts of the trip which i’m most excited about.

One of the parts of the trip takes us to Halong Bay for a 2 day / 1 night cruise around the bay on a junk boat.  If you’re not familiar with Halong Bay, it’s a UNESCO world heritage site in the north of Vietnam with a couple of thousand islands and some truly amazing views.  We’re going to be swimming and exploring the bay over the space of 2 days!  I wonder if the boat will be as fancy as the one in the picture above?

Why I do group travel

As those of you who know me will already be aware, I travel a lot for business – and have seen quite my share of airports, hotels and cities around the world.  So why pay someone a ton of money to go on a pre-arranged tour for my holidays?

Here’s my top reasons:

• Someone else takes the stress! – This is a big one… The fact that someone else organises all the accommodation, internal flights, restaurants, and even stupid stuff like somewhere to wash my clothes!
• I get to meet awesome new people – who doesn’t wanna spend a couple of weeks getting to know likeminded people whilst experiencing some of the most amazing places in the world?
• I make the best use of my work holidays – optimising the time available by doing all the highlights whilst not wasting time on things which might be disappointing.
• Gadventures offer tours all around the world – so it’s one place to go and dream about all my future trips, knowing what to expect in terms of service and experience.
• The locals guides the tours know the local area – so you get the tips on the best place to buy postcards, where to eat and drink and any other crazy questions you might have.
• No single supplements! – Most holiday companies charge single person supplements.
• A choice of comfort/budget level – I can choose to do a trip based on budget, or comfort – depending on my priorities.
• Gadventures also run their own foundation – The planeterra foundation operates a bunch of places around the world and the trips pass through their locations, meaning you’re giving back to the country in a positive way with the trip.