Had a no spend day, but in planning for the trip, I've spent for plane tickets, visa, soon some more for a Hep A shot, typhus shot, and for a bit of anti-malaria drugs, and very soon will finish paying for the rest of the Vietnam/Cambodia trip in February with my sister. I hate to see the money go (funny how you INVEST so much in the number when you know your net worth) but it will be fun and exciting and I still have plenty even after the spending.
The most interesting part with buying the tickets is the Chase Fraud alert phone call ten minutes later. Its doing its job.
I mailed off my passport for the visa ... a little scary, so I sprung for the USPS tracking with 24 hr delivery. $18.30, paid for no mistakes and so far no mistakes.
Anyway, I'm nearly done and the plan is taking shape. Sister is flying out from Milwaukee to Seattle, we fly out together to Hanoi, with stops in LA and Hong Kong. We go on the tour with an additional 35 people (tour closed - no more free spots). Then at the end, we fly home from Cambodia to Seattle.
no-spend but a lot of spend
November 18th, 2010 at 05:52 am
November 19th, 2010 at 01:30 am 1290130239
December 30th, 2010 at 07:00 am 1293692422
Is your hotel in HKK or Kowloon? Temple St. Night market is fun, see the fortune teller at the very last street...she speaks English and is v/good. Does your trip to Cambodia include Siem Reap [Ankor Wat]& accommodation?
You will need the most comfortable walking shoes you can muster as you will likely walk more than you imagine. We often saw large tour buses filled with one homogeneous group, mostly Japanese or Americans who are kept isolated without opportunities to talk to locals. If everyone on your bus is from W. Washington and you stay in American chain hotels, eat American style food in American style restaurants and tour through American style shopping malls, you may as well take a tour bus to Memphis or Las Vegas. I suggest you abandon segregated ground travel and tour via pedi cab. Street food is safe to eat so long as it is fresh cooked as you stand there. Brush up on your negotiating skills, it is standard to reject the sellers 1st price and negotiate at least 1/3 less or walk away! You'll see the same stuff in the next street, shop, city, town, village etc. turn everything inside-out and pull at every seam, workmanship for tourist products is ghastly