[Paisleychick-lj] lessons learned continued.....

[Beatrice M's blog]

[![][1]][2]   
[Rain over the rainbow][3]   
Originally uploaded by [blmurch][4]. 

More bullet point style lessons learned.....  
  
Getting a full night's sleep before a day of travel is imperative, otherwise I become a grouchy bitch. Kragen can be a stubborn mule and I can be mean. We apologize pretty quickly, but it would be better if we weren't so hard to get along with in the first place. Being rested helps.  
  
Stressing about being late is not necessary. It adds to the stress of travel and doesn't make you go any faster and usually fucks things up more.  
  
There are a lot of interesting foods out there. I still don't like strong cheese.  
  
Mosquitoes suck and I still don't like creepy crawly thing, but I'm getting more fascinated by them instead of so squicked out.  
  
Poor people are generous. Americans by and large are not so quick to give - us included. There are less services here and begging is often the only way to get by. Poverty is horrible.   
  
Washing hands often is important and restaurants without soap in the bathroom should be avoided.  
  
Taxis are not to be trusted as much as in the states as they can be stolen. Calling for a taxi on the phone, especially at night, is a good idea.  
  
Must haves in the luggage: towel =) earplugs, eye-mask, clothes, sewing kit, paper and pen, laptop, camera, books, music player (speakers?), toiletries (including combined shampoo and conditioner and a spray-on/leave-in conditioner for my hair), swimsuit, mosquito net/bug repellent, spa hair towel, two pairs of shoes, Purell (tm), daypack, a sense of humor, wits, patience and a smile.  
  
A smile and a good attitude will get you very far. Apologizing for your poor language skills in the language of your host country will get you a lot of points and people trying to help you get what you want/need.  
  
The internet is awesome. Staying in touch is crucial and so easy as long as people read what you write.  
  
Drunk "young men" are annoying, usually harmless, sometimes dangerous, but obnoxious the world over.  
  
Kragen needs to code in order to live and breathe. If he cannot create and learn he gets a "little manic". I still don't like it when he stays up all night though.   
  
_Dulce de leche_ is yummy goodness and _alfahores_ should be a controlled substance.  
  
It is a lot easier to eat unrefined foods outside of the states, but non-starchy veggies are hard to come by and more expensive in the tropics and Andes. The starchy veggies they do have are much less sweet than in the States and are very starchy both in flavor and texture.  
  
Not having a car is really easy when there are so many buses and trains and taxis and cities. Suburbs are pretty much unheard of here. There are cities and there is the country. Not much in between.  
  
Sharing a computer is hard, but compromises can and are made.  
  
Meeting new people is awesome and great. It is too easy for us to hole up together and speak only English. We are getting better at speaking Spanish to each other and out in public.  
  
Cheap hotels are usually used by travelers on a budget and locals having sex. Concrete is almost sound proof, but not quite.  
  
It is important to double check tickets when you buy them for location, date, time and correctly spelled names. Really, trust me on this one.  
  
I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of for now. Ask me questions!  


   [1]: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/123/375771989_d7c151a73e_m.jpg
   [2]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/375771989/ (photo sharing)
   [3]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/375771989/
   [4]: http://www.flickr.com/people/blmurch/

URL: http://paisleychick.livejournal.com/293348.html