my wisdom for deb harley: this trip will cost exactly how much you spend. which can be almost nothing, or everything you’ve got left, all depending. get off the beaten path. there is a well greased tourist machine almost everywhere – which can completely prevent you from having the adventure you aim for. assume the best in people. there seems to be some big misunderstanding  - there is absolutely nothing to fear. you will find good people everywhere. do not be annoyed if you are not getting the “local price”. be generous with your money a few dollars to you is a million to someone else. never fail to appreciate hotel room art. don’t worry everything will be in english, and if its not there are plenty of nice people around who want to practice. don’t even think about complaining about the heat. as long as its freshly cooked – eat with street vendors! but you must be scrupulous about clean water! i highly highly recommend bringing a steripen – asia does not need more empty plastic bottles in her streets or rivers or oceans.

each new place you go, the very first thing you do: learn how to say hello and thank you in the native tongue. if you are nice, people will be nice back. if you are bitchy and demanding, people will treat you like a bitchy and demanding tourist deserves to be treated. and if you pass a drunk in the gutter who wishes you happy birthday (when it happens to be your birthday), you can know it is just god, who, no matter where you go, is never further than your own jugular vein. and try not to be discouraged about how devastatingly dirty it is.

your gonna wanna fly to luang prabang in laos, then ask the taxi driver to take you to the town center (he will speak english) find yourself a little post-colonial french villa for the night (or the next ten). once you’ve settled there and have seen the night market, gone to the waterfalls, and rented a bike with a very comfortable seat for the day, ask someone where to find the “slow boat”. you cannot find it on the internet (i would skip the fancy expensive boat you can find on the interwebs and just get your ticket for the slow boat in person the day before the journey)- and surely you know this but to be certain all of the most precious experiences you will have, won’t be advertised on the internet. what your looking for can’t be found online – you must tie your shoes and go out and find it. of course there is nothing wrong with making plans, but… keep them to a limit and then watch the road roll out in front of you. … luang prabang is a small village, it will be a short a plesant walk to the dock. actually there is no dock – its more like the garden where they park the long wooden boats with hand made curtains. take this boat up the mekong to the thai border (about a 3 day journey), where you can get another taxi and in a few hours be in chang mai thailand… which you will either love or hate, all depending on how you feel about sex tourism.

the most valuable piece of advice i can give you is: you must carry toilet paper with you at all times. in spite of the bum gun’s popularity, TP is for sale on street corners everywhere so please don’t worry about bringing six weeks worth. you hardly need a thing. your credit card and a pair of underwear. everything else is extra.

walking is always my favorite way to get around – plus its more likely you will meet people. usually you can find a bike to rent and this is also a super way have a look around. for longer journeys the local bus transportation is always the cheapest and best and most exciting – but usually there is also bus and taxi service reserved for people who want airconditioning and don’t mind being part of a tourist hurd. as long as you’re not in a hurry it usually works out. just make sure that you don’t forget to swim with monks in rivers or do tai chi with the old lady’s in bangkok’s parks who want to have tea under neem trees and read your palms. its all happening.

and as my friend suzanne has pointed out, by and large then beer in asia is deplorable, the only acceptable choice is beer lao. there. i just saved you a lot of trouble. between that one and the toilet paper you’re all set. oh, and one more big one. make sure to get your nose out of your guidebook and smell the mango curry, marvel at the birdcalls, taste whats in your mouth, don’t forget to really see things, which manytimes a camera can completely and totally prevent you from doing. have fun and send me a post card! PO BOX 16221 St. Paul MN 55116

a) {nusa lembongan}           b) {taupo}          c)  {koh chan}         d) {bangkok}         e) {sarnath}         f) {tongorriro}          g) {dharmkot}      h) {amritsar}      i) {penang}