[les1999]

Originally Posted by Evil Penevil

I'd like to add the following bits of advice for newbies, more general than specific to LOS. My grandfather traveled to far-flung places, including Asia, in the late 1800's and early 1900's. He died before I was born (my father was the youngest of 11 children), but he did pass on some advice about traveling abroad that my dad gave to me. I'm sure it isn't original, I've seen many variations of it in written form, but he had two major points:

1) The night before you depart, lay out all the clothes and gear you plan to take on your trip. Put beside that all the money you have saved or borrowed for your travels. Reduce the amount of stuff you're taking by half and double your money, then you'll have a good trip.

The second one is still applicable to many parts of the world and even many parts of Thailand, but obviously not all of it in every LOS situation.

2) In countries where the people don't speak English, keep your eyes and ears open, your mouth shut, your money safe and your pants buttoned. Offer the men tobacco and leave the women alone.

Evil

your grandfather was obviously a very smart man - very good points which just goes to show we can all learn from our elders - trouble is there aint too many more 'elder' than me.......5555555555555