TRAVEL TALES

There are travel accessories which are essential and if you're going to Asia, one of the most important things is a money belt. There are two types - one worn around the neck, the other around the waist. I prefer the waist one as it's out of sight and more comfortable especially in a hot, humid climate.

Be carfeul of the one you buy - some only have one zip, others have two. One shop had three moneybelts - all in varying prices. The cheapest one was cheap and nasty - one zip, no compartments and no clip to tie the belt. Ditto the second one. The third wasn't much better. Mine was purchased from Kathmandu as they carry good quality ones.

Travel Accessories

These are the items I needed, the money belt comes in two colours - I bought the light tan. Depending on which country you are travelling to, chances are you will need an adaptor as not all countries use the same electrical plugs. The one above is Europe - fortunately both Cambodia and Malaysia use the same. Keyless padlocks are preferable, keys can get lost or stolen.

More Travel Accessories

The flight to KL is 8 hours, I'm a little concerned about swollen ankles. The longest flight I've taken till now has been 4 hours and I find when I'm sitting for long periods my ankles do swell and become quite puffy. Although I do rotate my feet and do exercises on planes, still 8 hours is a long time. Doc suggested flight socks, which I had been debating about when I was at Kathmandu. The Magic Cool Wrap also interested me - you dip the wrap in water and place it around your head - sort of like a Karate Kid headband. Salesman said they stay cool for a couple of hours. They come in a pack of two and the second one could go around the neck - this might be a good way of combating the humidity - especially useful if you're from a country with a totally different climate and unused to tropical conditions. Or even if there is no humidity, travelling in a country which is much hotter than what you're used to.

Toiletries

Keeping toiletries together avoids the hassle of things rattling around in your suitcase. I would prepare for a trip, but sometimes found I would get the shampoo, conditioner and hand cream bottles mixed up. . When I went to Darwin in 2006, I realised I was washing my hair with hand cream and massaging shampoo into my hands.
Not very good for the hair. Or the hands either.

Determined not to make the same mistake again, I washed the remains out, let them drain, then refilled them. And this time there's no getting mixed up - the orange one holds conditioner (there's an 'o' in orange and an 'o' in conditioner, the pink one- there's a 'p' in pink and in shampoo. The white one is for hand cream, because hand cream is usully white. Below is the toiletries bag I have plus the travel brush.

The bag is good for the fact you can hang it up whilst in the shower and the inner section also comes out.

Travel Hairbrush

These type of hairbrushes are very good when you're travelling (they're also good to have at home too), they can be used on wet hair and the whole thing folds down to a more compact size. The mirror comes in handy as well.

Hello, this is the first post in my blog here. I have a number of other blogs and I'm used to posting in them, but this one seems the most difficult one to start for some reason. As the old saying goes, "It's always best to start at the beginning."

I started travelling when I went on my first holiday in 2004 - to Tasmania. And my first ever flight in an Aeroplane. Scary stuff. I was terrified. I looked at the magazine the airlines have in that little pocket on the back of the seat in front of you - I have no idea what I was reading, I just stared at it. Anyway, not wanting to bore you all with the details, suffice it to say I am now an old hand at this flying business. In fact - I love flying. It's like being free and just floating somehwere. (I am reminded of the tale of the little Nun, who on a flight had her Rosary beads clenched tightly in her fist, her lips moving. The man sitting next to her asked, "Are you afraid of flying, Sister?" To which the good Sister replied, "Flying, no. Dying, yes.")

I had a goal - to visit all the states and territories of Australia. I finally completed that goal, and have have a couple of overseas trips. I am currently working out where my next overseas trip will be. It will be somewhere in Asia and I'm pretty sure I want to visit Siem Reap again. It seems the number of flights and holidays I can do are in direct competition with my pocket!
Ah well, c'est la vie.

.

Above: Penny Royal World, Launceston.

I didn't have a digital camera back in 2004 - this is a photo of a photo so the quality isn't all that crash hot.