Tips for Canadian Traveller

1. ATM cash withdrawal from a U.S. bank like Citibank costs a (Cirrus) transaction fee of only Cdn $ 2, compared with Cdn $ 3 for foreign bank like B.C.A.in Indonesia.
2. From a quick observation (read: not too many supporting data yet) it is more economical to purchase using money obtained from ATM compared with credit card payment. The Cirrus exchange rate seems to be more favourable than credit card (Mastercard) company. The disadvantage is you are using real cash. Rumour has it that some ATM in Indonesia dispensed fake money :-(.
3. Do not use pre-selected (displayed) amount in Indonesian ATM. The BCA programmer goofed :-). I selected Rp 2M and instead got Rp 1.5M. It's better to key-in 2000000 manually (from 'other amount' selection).
4. Most travel agents in Indonesia demanded payment using US$ real cash and it better be a 'newly minted' banknote. Some may accept your traveler's cheque but there is no guarantee.
5. When you are driving, make sure you carry enough Rp 100 coins and also Rp 1000 banknotes. Your newly rented/borrowed car may get a 'not-so-friendly' scratch from Pak Ogah for a lousy Rp 100 (2 cents Canadian) that you didn't have. You need Rp 1000 at almost every spot.
6. One of the most widely used items in our journey was the money belt that my dilligent wife made it specially for her hubby. Unlike money belt that I used to have and contained metal, this one is made of cloth and the belt has a velcro system for tightening. This way, I could peacefully pass the x-ray scanner with a broad smile knowing it wouldn't buzz. Also, she made it very thin so my tummy didn't show more than the fat behind it, thanks to the Indonesian martabak and other delicacies.
7. On x-ray machine nuisance (but necessary), please be aware that your travel wipes will cause the alarm to buzz since it contains aluminium lining. I usually bought Life brand from Shoppers' Drug Mart.
8. If you don't like to eat in the airplane using metal fork and plastic knife combination as they are now 'standard' utensils after September 11, bring your own chopstick, The security guy still doesn't know that in the hands of Siauw Lim's martial art fellow, chopstick is more lethal than airline knife.
9. One of our best investment that cut our travel cost (approximately Cdn $ 14.5K for our 2 months journey, including gifts and souvenirs) was the 'three-in-one' coffee and instant noodle we brought. Calculate an additional of 60 times $ 10 for the cost of our breakfast if we have to eat-out. If you don't own an MSR cooking stove. you can buy (at Canadian Tire or Home Hardware) a heating element to boil water.
10. Another item that we treasure greatly is our compass. Without it and without a good map, I might still be in Milan or Venice finding ways :-) Don't leave home on a journey without a compass. You will thank Bang Jeha one day :-).
11. You easily get bored while in traffic jam? Don't be desperate. You can bring your travel Scrabble if traffic moves at 1 km/hour and play with your co-pilot. You can also gather statistical data such as how many buses per minute or per kilometre that you pass. I love traffic jams cause I can watch interesting things from the comfort of my (borrowed) automatic air-conditioned car.
12. Grow your moustache and beard if you want to visit Indonesia. It's still a macho country so your moustache may make a difference. Also if your head is smooth, never had any lesion (korengan, pitak), you may want to shave it in Ronaldo's style. If you look like a soccer player (read: no fat tummy) and still are looking, you may get a nice Indo girl :-).
13. One item that I brought but never used, especially in Jakarta, was my sunglasses. You won't need it anymore, the sun is shaded by the smog and other pollutants :-( so that you also won't need any sunscreen.
14. I can still count the mosquitoes bite marks in my body cause if it is not that bad, I try to avoid putting 'deets' on my skin. If you are sensitive to mosquitoe's bite or doesn't want to risk getting 'dengue' (demam berdarah) bring a mosquito tent (kelambu) that you can buy at MEC or at any other Canadian camping store.
15. Bring a roll of duct tape, seems the Indonesian never use or know about this magic tape (you can fix a bad leak on your canoe). We almost emptied our last roll of duct tape on our last day in Jakarta.
16. Since we went to many cities, from time to time people asked me which one was the best. In honesty, there was none, we loved them all even Jakarta :-). Each city is unique, there are always bad and nice people who live there. We were fortunate to find mostly nice people like you :-). Don't expect too much, just count your blessing when you wake up and your stomach is fine. This way you will enjoy every city you visit.
17. These days not all telephones take coin anymore. Some will work with credit card but most of them expect phone card. If you need to make phone calls in the city you stay, buy a phone card (there is an international one) at the local convenience store like our 7-Eleven. You could also buy train or tram ticket from that kind of store. Confirm the phone number your friend gave you with the local guy because sometimes it still contains city or even country code.
18. Keep small change including small denomination banknote with you. At one time I ran out of them and because it was Sunday, there were only machines selling ticket. I had to walk quite far to find a nice restaurant where without buying anything I could change my money. This is rare.
19. If you want to avoid quarrel with your fellow traveller, invest in a good city map. It's worth the peacefulness :-). One more time, don't forget the compass, most map is aligned to northern direction.
20. If one of your hobbies is like mine, every time you see free washroom, check it out. You never know where is the next one or how long will it take to see another. Yes, my favourite word is: mens. BTW, have you guys ever pay a visit to a women's washroom? It is worth it, much cleaner than ours and it smells nicer. Be prepared to be harassed or worst you will hear stereophonic scream :-).
21. I don't know your trick to get to sleep fast. Mine is to imagine the lovely lake I paddle canoe together with my wifey. There are plenty of those scenes in my memory. If it's not enough I will imagine hiking along the trail between the lakes and this never fails. I know that jet lag could cause you to only get a little sleep. Ignore it because if you are travelling you are not supposed to sleep a lot. You do this at HOME. To overcome jet lag the fastest way, immerse your body in the sunlight during the day, never take a nap.
22. I survived this travel without the mishap of having to go to the washroom every few minutes (read: diarrhoea). Cecilia believes prayer she does before a meal is powerful. Not so in our last trip cause she had 'two un-answered prayers'. I fed her Bactrim for 3 days at the last time. My recipe: don't touch the chilly sauce, especially if it's in an open container. Do not take ice cubes that are not evenly shaped. This means the water source may not be hygienic or could be contaminated.
23. Acclimatize well if you are driving because in Canada we drive on the right way and others on the wrong side of the road :-) (read: left). Having been in Europe for almost 3 weeks before I arrived in Jakarta, enabled me to drive flawlessly on the next day when I got a car.
24. Driving flawlessly in Jakarta means ruthlessly or crazily. You could only do this if, first you were born in that city. Second, you understand driver's psychology meaning the shinier and the more expensive the car is. the more civilised will the driver be. Third, you wear a moustache :-).
25. REMEMBER THIS ONE, your life may depend on it. Never assume that a zebra cross in the city is meant for people to be able to cross the road safely. In Canada, pedestrian has priority, followed by motorcycle and lastly car. In Indonesia it's the exact opposite. People will swear at you if you take too long to cross and may hit you if it's unavoidable.
26. With the exception of my wife's upset stomach, we were quite healthy through-out our trip. We achieved this by walking a lot during our camping and hoteling trip in Europe, by swimming almost every day in Indonesia and walking again in Australia. In other words, don't just eat and shop when you travel, your body needs the endorphine hormon.
27. Carry a checklist of the items you bring along and a mini version. The small list will be handy if like us, you move from home to home or cottage to villa of your friend. With a short notice, you are ready and set to go.
28. Europe is expensive and Swiss is probably the most. Carry water with you all the time so that every time you drink from it you are happier to save SFr. 4 (approximately Cdn. $ 4 too). After drinking 10 bottles you could then start buying gifts for your in-law :-). One of the happiest feeling of people is to see their in-law smiling when they get Swiss chocolates purchased from a water saving program :-).
29. Back to money matter, we could have travelled for a year like the Australians and let go our lawn. (Yes, one more week we didn't come home our lawn would be gone.) We could do this because all my bills are either pre-authorized paid (from my chequing account) or paid by credit card. Prior to leaving Toronto, I 'put' enough money in my Mastercard account.
30. I like Qantas Unicef program. Their passengers are encouraged to give away all their lose coins (changes) prior to leaving the country. They get millions of dollars every year! Be prepared to share what you have with people who need more than you in the country you visit. This way you will be able to sleep faster just by dreaming paddling in a canoe :-).
31. On making phone calls from phone booths, do not expect them to return your money unless you get busy tone or unable to connect. So, start with a small denomination like 20 cents in Europe. Be ready or watch the counter to insert your next coin. So line up the coins next to the slot. The nice thing when you use phone card or credit card, you don't have to worry about your coin supplies.
32. I "read" Men from Mars and Women from Venus (John Gray) in the bookstore or quicky style :-). So I don't remember whether John mentioned one difference. When I started my journey, I brought only 2 shoes, no sandal. When I came back, I left the other one (my hiking boot) for my nephew. On the other hand, Cecilia brought some shoes and sandal. By the time she came back, she had 10 of them. Remember Imelda Marcos? :-) So, if you are travelling with a woman, plan to buy an extra luggage for those things.
33. In Toronto, I don't really need an alarm clock because my body has it. It's a different story when travelling. Invest in a good alarm clock if your travel itinerary depends on it. You cannot trust the hotel person to wake you up. We had to catch the next train from Milan because the guy swore I didn't ask him to wake me up. He was using a different book from where he jotted down my request and I didn't know where he put it :-).
34. I didn't bring a laptop in this trip, I lost mine when I retired :-). If you plan to or have any other electrical equipment that needs local AC power, make sure you know their plug system. To be safe, buy an adapter for your North-American plug that will fit whereever you go. CAA sells this or you can check your local hardware store. Oh yes, beware that some countries have 220V 50Hz AC power unlike ours.
35. I don't know if you are a collector of frequent flyer mileage. I am :-). I jotted down all my numbers, be it from American Airline, Air Canada, or Singapore Airline on a sticky paper and taped it inside my wallet. You never know when you would need any of those numbers. This way your wallet won't be as bulky. You also won't need your library card, COSTCO member card, Chapter IRewards card, AMC movie watcher, etc, etc.
36. Remember one of my stories where I "tested" my future-wife-to-be in camping trips? If it's possible to go on a trip with your fiancee, take her/him with you. Like camping trip, it's an excellent 'test bed', I used computer terminology, I don't mean to go to bed with him/her. Well, if you are crazy enough to spend Cdn $ 200K (cost of raising a child these days in Canada) on a 2K trip, go ahead. Travelling together with your fiancee will enhance your romantic relationship as well as allows you to check your patience when she/he demands something not to your liking. :-)
37. Heaven forbids you lose your passport. I always make photocopy of the most important pages from my passport. In Indonesia, I left my passport at home and took the photocopy only, along with my international driving license. In case you lose your passport, the photocopy can speed-up the replacement process.
38. Besides taking my AMEX card, I never leave home without a travel insurance and in this thing I don't save money. I opted for deluxe package from a reputable insurance company. On my last trip, I paid 600 $ for 2 months, all-inclusive coverage and this helps me in having a sound sleep.
39. I also don't save money on my underwear :-). I bought two Tilley's quick- dry underwear that costs $ 20 each. Almost every night :-) I washed one and it was ready for me on the next day.
40. I didn't bring many pants and shirts either. I chosed colour that they were interchangeable, the shirt would match any pant, vice-versa. Well, you know that green is my fave colour. So my pants were either green or brown, the same with my shirts. My shoes other than the boots were brown.
41. I love my daypack. I went to several places and stayed over for a night or two with just a daypack. If you can afford a waterproof one, it is ideal, else get any kind with a good size to contain your one night paraphernalia.
42. Our European pacing was excellent. We achieved this by not planning it too tight. We only knew our start and end date. The rest we 'played by the ear'. If we liked the city more, we stayed longer. I couldn't imagine trip where every night you change city, rushed out and rushed in. This is the nice thing of do-it-yourself travel. You are more relax but you see less. I would still choose my way :-).
43. In my mother language there is a proverb, loosely translated it means ashame to ask, aflame you'll be (read: you get lost). Don't be shy or ask when you don't know the way. Try a young person if the older guy doesn't speak English.
44. We rented a car in New Zealand and the cost includes tax and insurance. Find out prior to renting a car, what are the additional costs that the guy didn't quote when you made the booking? You always have to pay for the gas and fill your car up prior to returning. When car rental companies refill the fuel they stop as soon as the fuel tank meter reaches the F mark. Follow this trick when you refill the car at the nearest gas station from the car rental, else you are subsidizing the next renter :-).
45. Last but not the least, cost of Internet cybercafe can be really expensive in Europe. We found two sources of good deal. One in our campground office and the other, in the cafe of a museum. If you eat or just have a coffee in there, the Internet connection is FREE.