Raw vegan

Last week of annual leave. Just went to the tax accountants today and not really doing much although I should be studying.

I got some lovely organic groceries I'm so excited about. I also got some raw organic coconut oil. My groceries, excluding the oil, we're about $70 and should last me about 3 or 4 days, so that would be $140 a week for me to eat 100% high carb raw organic. I was hoping for $100 a week but I can afford it right now until I figure out how to organise myself to buy in bulk. For now, I don't mind so much because I'm probably spending the same I would have on my SAD (Standard Australian Diet) due to all the take-away and restaurant food. Also, my health and well-being is certainly worth the investment.

Natural birth control

I've spent multiple consultations with multiple GPs and OBGYNs talking about birth control options as  my body and my mind do not like what we've tried so far.

Lately, I've been using a phone app to help my monitor and use the rhythm method. The problem with the calendar-based or rhythm method is it assumes every woman has the same luteal phase after their period. I got put onto the app by my friend who is trying to conceive.

Natural birth control, or fertility awareness, uses the monitoring of basal body temperature as well as combining calendar method information. Monitoring cervical mucous is another way to help gain more information about what phase of your cycle you are in.

Background info - women produce only one egg per month (ovulate) and that occurs on only one day per month. Conceiving can occur around only 6 days per month as sperm can live for up to five days, thanks to the cervical mucous, and the egg can hang around for about 18 hours after ovulation - this brings a total of only about 6 days per month max. Cervical mucous signs of fertility is when it is of a raw egg-white colour and consistency - this should happen during the 5 days leading up to ovulation. (For more info re cervical mucous see this YouTube video).

If you use your calendar (free iPhone apps available) and monitor your cervical mucous, this alone has a 93% effectiveness - around the same as condoms.

If you monitor your basal temperature and use a calendar, this provides up to 99% effectiveness. Combining all three methods - calendar, cervical mucous, and temperature, will provide a contraception effectiveness of greater than 99% (or if you want to get pregnant, this helps you too).

LadyComp is a great device that  combines a thermometre into a computer calendar that gives you coloured lights for whether you are infertile or fertile (depending what you want).

It feels good to be in control of my own body, to not be taking synthetic hormones, to not be worried about the increased risks of cardio-vascular disease, liver disease, and cancer. To not be gaining weight and losing my mind. My last contraception, Implanon, made me gain 20% of my body weight in less than a year and I'm still stuck with it now.

My question is - why has not one single doctor even briefly referred to these methods in my 19 years of fertility?

Back to reality

I'm back in my routine, although I still have about another two weeks before I return to work. I am, however, back at uni x3 (Chinese Med, Herbal Med, and International Health). I have a total of four subjects this semester. My to-do list is rather lengthy.

I want to go raw vegan again, so I started my morning with banana with coconut and cinnamon and a rose hip and hibiscus tea. I can't wait to buy a Vitamix blender, an Excaliber dehydrator, and a good juicer. Then I should be set. For now I'll have to make do with my crappy juicer, my cheap blender, and no dehydrator. It's a zucchini and tomato with fresh basil and pine nuts salad today, maybe some lemon juice and shredded coconut too and perhaps some spices....mmmm I'm so hungry.

I'd like to buy more organic. Right now after returning from holidays, my funds are a little low, and the nearest organic grocer is 40km away. There are some organic veges in the supermarket near CM school (I thought there were more but I was duped by the plastic "wicker"-style baskets they normally put the organic stuff in which was all in one place but only a few of the baskets had organic veges in them). Anyway, here is a link to the Clean 15 which are the fifteen fruit and veges you don't have to buy organic as they usually contain very low levels of pesticides. This is an American list, but I'd like to think that the foods that don't require pesticides it's fairly universal. Well, the list is a start anyway. There is the partner list, the Dirty Dozen, which lists the worst food i.e. the ones you should only buy organic.

Ok off to make my salad......

Bali Day 8 - 9

(Snorkelling the coral reef at the shore of Amed beach)

Day 8

We sadly had to check out of the elephant safari park and head 3.5 hours north to Amed for our diving course.

We arrived to find our accommodation at Divers Cafe to be fairly basic, but at $30 per night for a beach bungalow, I was happy. The BF wasn't that impressed, but he did have good reason as there was no running water and the front door was locked using a padlock and it didn't really close completely shut.

We arranged our diving course for the next day and got our diving gear organised. We were supposed to have Lash for our instructor, but she sadly informed us she had trouble renewing her instructor licence for the season online and she found us someone else.

In the arvo we got out in the water and snorkelled the reef. The visibility wasn't the best but it was nice to snorkel again after so long (last time was probably Samoa in 2010).

Day 9
Today we got up early and had breakfast before our diving course commenced at 8:30am. Seeing as we had already done the theory of Padi online, we were ready for the practical. We got briefed, geared up, in the water, and then....I didn't like it! Not at all! I felt like my regulator was too resistant, I hated the sensation of my weight belt dragging me down underwater, I was tired and felt stressed, and then I began a downward mental cycle of getting upset with myself and thinking too far ahead about all the underwater skills I needed to achieve (which by that stage I had convinced myself were impossible for me). I spent the day resting and calming  myself and retrying breathing underwater for longer and deeper in the swimming pool. The BF took to it so naturally and did two dives in the ocean. I decided I would need longer to advance to that stage.

I felt like an absolute loser as I was surrounded by scuba divers at Divers Cafe, and me, "The Loser", couldn't even go to the deep end of the swimming pool. Everyone else looked so tanned and toned and happy, and I was pale and chubby and sad. Blah. I am, however, resolved to conquering this fear of...drowning...but for me it will take longer than a day. The BF said quite rightly that I got through the theory easily and quickly and he got through the practical easily. So, we can't all be good at everything all the time and we should try and do things we are not good at as well as the ones we are. I wasn't good at this at all.

The BF completed his last dive at about 3:30pm and after that he said "I want to go back to Kuta and get out of here and stay someone really nice for our last night in Bali" so we promptly packed, checked-out, and took a 3.5 hour taxi ride to Ayana Resort in Jimbaran. He had a massive headache so some water, electrolyte drink, a bit of a spew, and some acupressure and massage from me the student doctor of Chinese Medicine, as well as a nap in the taxi, made him feel a lot better by the time we got to Ayana.

Bali Day 7

(Elephant Safari Park Lodge, Taro)

Day 7

We travelled from Ubud to Taro early to go to the Elephant Safari Park and Lodge. This place is owned and run by an Aussie ex-pat and his Balinese family. The elephants have been rescued from a sort of pound in Sumatra from where they are native but are in conflict with the local farmers. 

This park is absolutely amazing. Well, it's as good as you can have animals like this in captivity I think. The one-on-one relationship with the elephants and their individual mahouts is remarkable. 

In the photo above is one of the elephants in her "bedroom". They are chained during the night so they don't roam around everywhere and are left with plenty of food at night and then again in the morning for breakfast before their day starts. Elephants eat an astonishing 250kg of food a day! And are vegetarian!

Each elephant has individual skills. Some do the treks, some do tricks like soccer, and some paint! I had my t-shirt painted by a very talented elephant named Ramona. We also got to wash Ramona with a hose and scrubbing brush which was such a memorable experience.

I'd recommend this place to anyone.

We stayed in the budget room which was about $250 per night. You can simply visit the park but I would recommend staying there as the trekking and entrance fee etc sets you back about $75 per person anyway, and you get breakfast included with the room. The more expensive rooms overlook the park, although ours still had a lovely view over rice paddies.

We caught our elephant "chauffeur" from pre-dinner drinks to dinner. The more expensive rooms have a chauffeur service from the rooms to dinner. 

Bali Day 3-6

(Mt Batur)

Day 3

Oh so happy to be getting the hell out of Kuta. That place is friggin insane. 

We got a taxi from our hotel to take us to Ubud. Along the way we stopped at some silver smiths, a batik weaving and painting place and a wood carving place to see some traditional artisans. The BF bought two handmade kites, which you see everywhere in Bali, traditionally used to scare birds from the rice fields.

We stayed at Villa Mandi in Ubud, which I can certainly recommend. It only has 4 self-contained villas with a lovely infinity pool overlooking the rice paddies. It is a short drive or about 20 min walk to Ubud central and is far enough away to be quiet. For $40 per night, it was as steal.

We had dinner and lunch the next day at an indian restaurant located just in front of the accommodation. It was a 3-story bamboo structure which was pretty cool in itself. It over-looked the rice fields and coconut trees and was had a 3-course dinner and the local Bintang beer for a total of about $20 for the tow of us!

Day 4

I insisted that we have a rest day. I had been pretty flat-out leading up to the trip, and hadn't quite normalised from the flight. Even though the flight was during the day, it really took it out of me. I could feel my tonsillitis symptoms flaring up and started to feel quite achy. So, we just went down to the market early in the morning to have a look and try some local delicacies, and I picked up some cloves to chew on (they are good for tummy-bugs i.e. intestinal parasites) jus in case that was part of my problem. WE went back to the accom for the arvo and chilled by the pool. I drank my Veuve Cliquot that the BF had bought Duty Free for our anniversary. At night we went into Ubud to see a traditional dance at the Palace.

The BF discovered he had lost his atm card! He had all our spending money (well, most of it) so this was indeed a set back. After one internet banking to get us back on the road, we went to bed early before our 2.30am start the next day.

Day 5

Today was hiking Mount Batur. At about 1700m from sea level, we hiked the last 500m or so, but it took a good 2 hours. Some of it was steep and difficult and some would be described as a rock-scramble. The Europeans that had all the gear and obviously hike frequently put us to shame, but we made it eventually. I was also dry-reaching the first hour or so and started to panic about getting tonsillitis. At the peak we watched the sunrise and had boiled eggs and banana for breakfast. Then we walked around some other craters and generally were in awe of being on an active volcano. The steam rising from small pits was amazing.

Afterwards we had a buffet lunch from another location looking back at the mountain and we couldn't believe how far we had hiked. I enjoyed it so much I'd like to do more hiking.

The BF wanted to stop at a Lewat coffee place, although I'm quite against using animals in this way as the Civets are kept in small cages to produce the coffee. I did try it though, and was not exactly impressed with the taste so I can say it's not worth it more multiple reasons. The lemon tea was beautiful and I must find some of it here at home.

We also stopped to look at terraced rice fields and I picked up my one of only two souvenirs which was a cow bone calved into a intricate detail of traditional Balinese style.

Day 6

I'm having trouble recalling what we did this day! Day 4, 5 and 6 are a bit blended into one-another. We did finish the evening at XL Lounge which had great food and cocktails and we spent about $100 which was a lot for Bali but a really great night. We also stopped for a massage on the way home.

Edit: I remember! We went to Bali Safari and Marine Park. It was pretty good. We got to cuddle a baby orangutang and ride a camel. We saw a white tiger and watched a really good musical production.

Bali Day 1-2

The most relaxing ride at Waterbom - "The Lazy River"

The first two days in Bali we spent in Legian, which is basically Kuta beach - the most touristy place in the whole of Bali.

Day 1

Our flight was long and there was no entertainment available, so we were SO glad we downloaded some movies onto my iPad to watch. We watched The Artist and My Week With Marilyn, played some poker and listened to some tunes.

On arrival to Bali I was exhausted already. I had read about the "Porters" in the Denpasar airport that collect your bags for you and carry them to your taxi for a tip. I forgot and when we arrived we weren't sure where we were going so the Porters must have seen us and targeted us straight away. As soon as they picked up our bags I was like "Damn it". The BF thought they were Customs as they had these official uniforms on. I only saw a small "Porter" badge on one guy and then I remembered what it said in Lonely Planet (and also I have had similar experiences elsewhere, especially in Kathmandu). They took us only so far, about 20m, and I stepped in and said thanks but that's enough, here's RP5000 each, which is equivalent to 50c. They weren't happy but I was firm. We found the correct 'metered" taxi place and at least avoided getting ripped off a second time at the airport. We were kicking ourselves in the taxi for getting duped as soon as we landed in Bali, but we were a lot more vigilant for the rest of the trip and avoided the same problem one the return trip.

We arrived to our hotel - I had printed out the address and map and as we used the suggested pre-paid taxi from the airport we got to our destination, The Legian 101, without little hassle. But... once we got to check-in the hotel they informed us that there was some issue with the rooms flooding and we were being transferred to another hotel. Not happy. The other hotel was the same star rating but completely different to what I had wanted for our first night in Bali, which was modern facilities and a view overlooking Kuta Beach. Our new hotel was called White Rose and was spookily close to Ground Zero from the 2002 Bali Bombings, which happened all to recently in my mind. Our room was a twin instead of a double and was quite shit. The pool was ok, the location ok, and the buffet breakfast quite good. I had a mini-anxiety moment thinking about being blown-up by terrorists so my darling BF helped me by pointing out that none would blow-up the crappy dolphin fountain we were staring at by the side of the pool.

(The photo doesn't quite highlight how tacky this fountain was)

We took a 20 min stroll down to Kuta Beach for the sunset only to be so disappointed by the massive crowds down there. We took a taxi back to The Legian 101 and claimed our complimentary meal for the hassle of being transferred hotels. It was quite nice.

(The rooftop restaurant/bar and pool at Legian 101)

Day 2

My over-excited BF was so keen to go to Waterbom waterpark, so we went first-thing in the morning. I had pre-warned him I wasn't keen to do all the scariest rides, so he was happy that I went on four or five of the tamer rides, then took a massage while he went on all the others. He did this crazy water-slide that begins by you being dropped and free-falling a few stories and reaching a max velocity of 80km/hr. Yeh, I preferred the massage. Just watching him do it got my heart-rate up higher than his (I took his pulse afterwards). He said it was so fast with so much water flying everywhere that you can't really absorb what's happening.

That night we had some traditional Balinese photos done (on my request) then a nice seafood dinner. I can't eat much meat after being on a meat-reduced diet for so long (I'm keen to go back raw vegan now I'm home, but more on that in another post). I was happy to have the rice and veges and one prawn but thats about it. The BF got his first experience of lobster and crab.

We took a pony-and-cart ride home.

Bali

Well I'm just back from Bali and we had a great time. We got to do, see, and eat plenty.

In the following posts I will recap the 10 days....

(The above photo is from a traditional dance we saw at Ubud Palace)

Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet - it must be the world's best and most loved travel guide.

So, when I first began travelling the book The Beach came out. So I read it. It was perfect for that time of my life. I wasn't going to Thailand (that time), but I was going into the travelling culture.

So, anyway, the protagonist, Richard, disses Lonely Planet for changing the way travellers move around and for affecting the travelling experience. Travellers today continue to diss LP as they do touristy destinations, but touristy destinations are popular for a reason, as too is LP.

As far as travel guides go, it is really hard to go past Lonely Planet (no, I do not work for them, but yes, I would love to). I use them all the time, and when I lived in Samoa for two months, I looked at a few travel guides towards the end of my stay (that belonged to other travellers) and everything that was in LP was spot-on and I wished I had known about from the get-go. It was exactly what advice I would have given to other travellers.

Ever since then, I rely on them with more...reliance....than ever before. When I start dreaming of another adventure, I buy the LP guide for that destination. Too bad their website leaves a lot to be desired, and I rely more on TripAdvisor as my on-line peer-reviewed source of information.

My LP collection is my favourite book collection, ok after my medical book collection, and takes up almost an entire shelf on the book case I have in the "reading" corner dedicated solely to books on travel and adventure.

SouthEast Asia on a Shoestring is one trip I've wanted to do for awhile. "If I'm going to Bali, then I'm going to do it backpackers-style," I thought. Island-hoping was high on my original agenda. This has now been replaced with scuba diving and volcano trekking. Nonetheless, I can't wait to check out a few of the budget-end recommendations in my book in Bali.

Next - I already have the Mexico LP, but I still need the Mongolia one and perhaps an African one for next year. Or maybe a Tasmania/Australia one for later this year....

"One must always plan their next holiday before embarking on their current one" - CJ.

Packing - what I'm taking

Here's my list (and it's considerably longer than my BF's)....

Documentation and electrical

1. Passport, documents (including tickets!), wallet (with cards, cash and ID), diary (organiser)
2. Sunglasses (not doc or elec but just as essential)
3. Phone and charger 
4. iPad and charger (with movies and books on it!)
5. Good camera, longer lens, and charger (with SD card in it)
6. Underwater camera and charger
7. Travel adapter
8. Lonely Planet - post to follow.....

Toiletries

1. Toiletries - minimum makeup, toothbrush, tooth paste, small container of purple-toner for my hair, hair ties, bobby-pins
2. Survival kit - panadol and nurofen, immodium and senna, bandaids, anti-septic lotion and Travel Calm (anit-pain, anti-too fast, anti-too slow, anti-puke, anti-bleed, anti-septic)
3. More survival - eye mask, eye plugs for too loud, ear plugs for pressure
4. ?travel pillow (may not make the final cut)

Underwear and footwear

1. Under wear - 4 pairs panties, 3 bras, 2 pairs of socks - all in delicates/laundry bag x2 (one for dirty and one for clean) - you can use hotel hand-soap of need-be
2. Thongs x2 pairs (off-road sandle-type and comfy/pretty type)
3. Runners x1 pair (for early morning jogs and hiking volcanoes!)

Specialty-gear

1. 1x set running outfit - knee-length running tights, sports bra 
2. Swim wear - 1x bikini, ?1x one-piece (for diving)
3. Scarves - another tough one to minimalist - may favourite travel accessory - prob 2
4. Bad weather gear - multi-purpose rain jacket and ear-warming head-band
5. Fancy purifying water bottle

Tops

1. Singlets! - about 3 or 4
2. T-shirts! - about 2 or 3
3. Shirts! - about 2
4. Cooler wear top - 1x cardigan

Bottoms

1. Jeans! A must-have in any situation at any time! Im taking the pair that does casual and dressy.
2. Cargo pant - comfy and roll-up into shorts.
3. Skirts - difficult here because I love them - prob will cut-back to 2 - shorter and longer
4. Dress - one stretchy-maxi and one sari-wrap
5. Sarong - don't have one right now! WTF!? First Bali purchase....

Other accessories - none! Only the jewellery I'm wearing.

Books etc - none - only whats in the iPad and the Lonely Planet. I always imagine myself reading a book by the ocean/pool but it never happens.

Let's see if this fits in my suitcase or if I need to do my halving rule!

Packing - my tips

I leave for Bali in 2 sleeps - so it's time to pack (we leave early on Friday morning).

I'm not as well-travelled as all the other people on my Tibet trip, but perhaps am one of the most well-travelled of my friends and I like to think I have got packing down to a bit of a fine art. All those years out bush in the Army probably helped a little too to remember to take things you may need but not those you won't and definitely no more than is worth lugging around.

Here are my top tips for packing:

1. Pack no more than you can carry on your own and for distances further than your front door to your car in your driveway. Hotel lobbies themselves can be surprisingly long, there may be some steps, or your taxi may have to stop around the corner. It is so embarrassing as a female to not be able to carry your own shit - you're basically saying to the world "I expect you to carry my shit for me." Not cool. Ok, so you may not be able to lift your bag onto the top of the bus yourself, but you should be able to lift your own carry-on bag into the overhead locker on your own.
2. Hybrid-luggage. The ones with wheels and back-pack straps. So many times I am SO glad to have both options. So many times people say "I wish I brought a bag like yours." Unless you are really, seriously planning on doing an over-night trek where you porter your bags yourself or it's a difficult trek for your porter, or you are a contestant on The Amazing Race, you seriously want to consider the wheels. Conversely, don't go for just the wheels and pathetic little handle. The only exceptions are if you are getting valet parking for your BMW at the Paris Hilton and want to look amazing rolling your matching luggage into the First Class line at the airport (and you don't mind looking like a try-hard).
3. Carry-on bags and check-in luggage does not have to be the maximum possible size and weight allowed. Seriously, people. I also love skipping the baggage collection at the other terminal and saving $30-100 on my check-in luggage allowance, but know the different between being thrifty and a total tight-arse that is ruining the experience for everyone else by taking-over the whole aircraft over-head locker and taking 30 minutes to get organised. It is ok not to put anything in the overhead locker as well, you know. Consider a small handbag or laptop bag that goes at your feet. It should be enough for your iPad, phone, wallet, passport and toothbrush. I keep my boarding pass in my pocket. You need it at least 3 or 4 times and I find it hard to imagine someone stealing my identity on a flight without my knowledge (seeing as we would be sharing the same seat). Have you ever stopped to realise that if everyone took their maximum size carry-on luggage that it wouldn't actually all fit up there? The dimensions just don't add up. Go smaller than maximum.
4. Lay out what you want to take with you and then halve it. This is my golden rule and it always works. Inversely, budget how much money and time you will need then double it.
5. Always leave room in your bag until your final leg of the journey. We all know that nothing friggin fits back in properly as soon as it comes out at the first hotel room. And don't forget if you "wear" all your bulky clothes on the plane, you will have to wear them anytime you need to pack your bags. Not worth it - leave space. If you don't easily have enough space, re-pack. It feels SO good to pack to come home and have AIR in the top of your bag. No stress = more enjoyment.
6. Keep at least one pen on you at all times. This is for filling out the immigration and customs cards they give you at the most inconvenient places and times, and for other pen-requiring occasions.
7. You don't need to convert your entire life-savings into foreign currency (and does anyone actually used travellers cheques any more?) The only times I've had slight, minor issues were where there was still at least one ATM in the major city that took my card, or a store/hotel that was willing to let me withdraw cash for a fee or purchase. Mind you, I've only been to Europe, Asia, South Pacific and Australia and I have a VISA. It may be worth having a second option like Cirrus or MasterCard but I've always gotten away with VISA. Worst-case scenario - you go back to the airport (where you landed) and get cash from there. A few hundred in US dollars or Euro can be very handy. I recommend having at least some cash. I normally take about $200 USD (or Australian) and buy something small at the arrival airport and get my change in the local currency, or withdraw from the ATM at the arrival airport in the local currency, OR if those two options fail I then proceed to the currency exchange counter. Whatever you end up going with, you can easily Google ahead of time and find out how difficult it's gonna be. Oh, and check with your bank re overseas transaction fees. My bank charges nothing but I heard many charge up to $20 per transaction! Oh, and the flight might not have cash/credit services so it's good to have both available on you.
8. Passport, visas, immunisations, medical/travel insurance, regular medications  - do I really have to spell these out? Didn't think so. Months ahead, people. My rule is: if you're not responsible enough to get these organised in time, then you're not responsible enough to travel to a foreign country without direct adult supervision. Google what immunisations you need and don't expect your GP to know and to care to tell you when you require your boosters. Also, they can be a few hundred dollars if you need them all, so again, if you can't afford your immunisations then you probably can't afford to travel overseas. Even to Bali.
9. Itineraries and hotel vouchers etc - my life has been so much easier ever since I bought a book with plastic A4 pockets in them for all my printed-out tickets and hotel reservations etc. It keeps them nice and are easier to find. They slip easily into my handbag no worries and win I rock-up at the counter I know what the hell is going on and have the written confirmation to prove it, even in the most jet-lagged state. Also, make two or three copies of your itinerary and leave them with your housemate/mum/someone responsible that can help you in a bind. Your travel agent can be that person too (if you have one), and in fact this is one of the best reasons to use a travel agent in my opinion. Photocopy your passport or take a photo of the details on your phone and email to yourself so you have the details if you lose it. A copy with Mum is ideal.
10. Converter-plug-adapter-thingy. They're a fortune at the airport and can be difficult to source overseas (or simply time-wasting to source). A lot of hotels have them, but my motto is to be self-reliant. Just get one that is a multi-adapter and be done with it for life. A surge protecter for "sensitive" items such as laptops, iPads, phones etc may be a good idea. Also, the voltage OS may be different to home and your battery might not like it! If your gear is super-dooper expensive, you may want to look into this a little more. As for me, I'm happy to charge without transformers or surge-protecters. In my opinion, stuff doesn't outlast it's battery these days anyway.
11. Toiletries - don't be a princess. Seriously. You can't live without your 4-step facial routine for 10 days? You really want to spend an hour every morning on your holiday straightening your hair before you get it all dusty, sweaty, and pool-drenched later that day? You can't just use bobby-pins? Ok, this one is up to you, but I'd personally rather not carry 5kgs worth of over-priced crap that doesn't even work anyway and is only guaranteed to leak all over your clothes. (for exceptions see number 2). Ok, if your face is super-sensistive and NEEDS a sunscreen moisturiser with zinc and SPF30+ hypoallergenic cruelty-free organic then go head. Personally, I'd rather just use the hotel stuff or pay $1 for something from the local supermarket when I arrive. Exceptions - those paper-like soaps and shampoos etc made for travelling and not leaking that are about $3 each and are tiny, and I occasional take a toner for my blonde hair as I hate it when it goes yellow. As for makeup - take the basics, girl-friend. Think - overnight stay's worth.
12. Baby-wipes - these are my ultimate toiletry exceptions (along with tooth brush and tooth paste). People tease me at the beginning of the journey for them but always want some eventually. I don't know what it is about travel but it makes you really sticky. Take them in your handbag. Take them everywhere.
13. Feminine products (tampons etc) - BYO. I've explained why in previous posts, but in a nutshell, you may be surprised at the varying degrees of feminine product habits around the world and the non-availability of female-orientated items. This may go for other things we take for granted in some parts of the world such as condoms and womens' lib.
14. Apart from your regular medications, I always take - basic analgesia (panadol, nurofen), Immodium (anti-diarrheal), bandaids,  and sometimes herbal antiemetics (anti-nausea, such as Travel Calm - esp if going by boat or if prone to motion-sickness). Sometimes I take some other gear seeing as I'm a paramedic and would hate to be without it in an emergency. You may want to consider an antiseptic for bad cuts/scrapes. Save Immodium for emergencies such as really bad diarrhoea or if you're about to board a plane/bus. One bout of the runs isn't gonna kill ya and you're body if removing the bad bacteria, quickly, for a reasons. Inversely, you may want to take some anti-consitpation meds such as Senna. There's nothing like the stress of travelling, the poor access to decent food, and the use of Immodium to bind you up. Carry these in your handbag cause when you need them, you really need them urgently, and you will always need them the times they are stowed away in your check-in luggage.
15. Check what you can and cannot pack in your carry-on and check-in luggage. It varies in different countries but is EASY to find out from the people that you booked to fly with. Forget trying to carry on-board any sort of liquid >100mL in Australia (except for duty-free liquor of <1L). Also, don't be the fool that forgets their nail-scissors in their toiletry bag and has to unpack everything in security. Embarrassing. Oh, while I'm at it, big belt buckles, and sort of shoe with a platform or big heel (metal re-enforced) big jewellery, or coins - get them off your person before walking through the darn metal-detector. Don't wear those shoes to the airport - it's stupid (and another reason why the "Oh I'll just wear all my bulky items on the plane" is a bad idea).

If you've read all that, then congratulations. Next I will talk about what I am actually packing...

Gone scuba....

Just on annual leave from work hanging with the BF, doing our online PADI course to go scuba diving in Bali, packing for Bali, giving the BF a hair and beard cut (!) and going to watch Ted at the cinema tonight. Also been feeding his animals on his farm and generally doing not much of anything. Love holidays....

Countdown to Bali

I've had a few days off work and I am so in holiday mood. I've signed up for the online theory for the PADI scuba diving Open Water course but I so can't be bothered! That's not like me at all! I might do a bit here at the tv on my iPad. So, basically, I'm trying to just rest and get organized before going overseas.

Studies

I've started studying a Master Health Science (Herbal Medicine). It's basically Western Herbal Medicine, i.e. herbal medicine but not Chinese herbal medicine or Ayurvedic herbal medicine etc.

Because I began mid-year, I've started with the research subject and an elective. The unit does trimesters (great concept) abut only does the first two per year (strange). So, anyway, I'm off and running in Herbal Medicine.

I am claiming a credit for the research subject and that leaves me with the elective only this year. I chose a dermatological one which is quite interesting and I figured it might be good for my medical studies as the pre-clinical units skim over dermatology yet it is one of the most common complaints of patients presenting to their primary health care practitioner. I also believe the skin reflects whats happening internally. So far, I'm three weeks ahead already (after one week of term) and I've begun my first assignment (not due for 4 more weeks but I hope to have most of it down before Bali).

The Master of International Health begins in two weeks time (along with Chinese Medicine). I'm only doing one subject, mainly to keep things ticking-over, but also because it's a research subject which can be difficult, slightly boring, but also this subject is very similar to ones in both the Herbal Medicine and Chinese Medicine courses (so I can get credits). There's about another 3 research subjects remaining in my International Health course including a project. The subject I'm doing next semester I was enrolling in but withdrew last year, so I still have the notes for it so I've begun studying for that already and I've currently 2 weeks ahead.

And, Chinese Medicine. I downloaded the Manual of Acupuncture by Deadman (what a name) from iTunes. It was only $39 and the hard copy text book is $135, so I will try and get away with just the app for now and borrowing the hardcopy from the school's library. It has tutorial videos embedded in it too. It is so exciting getting into acupuncture. I was also doing some additional reading about Substance P and how they think acupuncture works. I have begun reading some of the basic introductory stuff in Deadman about Cun measurements and angle of needle insertion. There is SO much in that book it's slightly overwhelming. No wonder most courses do either acupuncture of herbal medicine but not both. I'm only doing two subjects next semester as I gained credits for the others.

Western medicine - I will be doing self-directed study of Dr Najeeb's lectures. My goal is to work my way through and makes notes of all of them. I haven't found anything else that meets my requirements which is I seriously need to refresh my basic sciences, and I need to do it at a foundations level and not just a revision level. I intend to do these before going back to Western med school. I'm hoping this course, and getting a bit more on-top of my finances, will alleviate a lot of the stress I found going to med school. So far, I've begun with the free lectures on his website and if I get through them I'll start the full course which is about $400 for two years access.

Well, that's my update on my studies. I'm technically only doing 4 subjects right now, so with my ability to practically study full-time at work, this shouldn't be too difficult.

Subjects this half of 2012:

1. Acupucnture 1 (CM)
2. Chinese Medicine Diagnosis (CM)
3. Current Issues in Skin Biology (HM)
4. Research and Evaluation Methods in International Health (IH)

Additional:

1. Dr Najeeb lectures (WM)

What to do between study periods

So I'm in between study periods of my Chinese Medicine and International Health courses, and I am likely deferring med school until the new year. Today is my first day of annual leave from work. I go to Bali in a week, so what to do until then?

Apart from obviously catching up with sleep and friends, I real like to get organised between study periods. This really helps alleviate stress - both now and when I go back to study.

Today, I've began organising my study room. I'm going through the cupboard which is the most packed cupboard in my house (besides the pantry). I houses my stamp collection, my craft projects currently 'in progress", recycled bubbles wrap and wrapping paper for who-knows-when, two sets of Chess pieces, the uniforms I never wear and some other clothes I hardly ever wear and don't want them in my wardrobe (formal dresses and the like), pictures and certificates that need framing or are in a broken frame, and some other random stuff I didn't even know was in there!

Also, I've cleaned my Mac screen, keyboard and mouse so they look good-as-new. Walls are getting a wash and then eventually I'm hoping to slightly re-arrange the furniture. I hope the change will be stimulating and I've since obtained a second desk for the BF so he can study when he's at mine. At the moment, the desk configuration could be more optimal.

That's about it.

I've also marked in my diary the due dates and term dates for what I know now (I have all the term dates but now all the assignment dates).

Ready to roll again in two weeks time!