Comments on Clothes to Take and More Having taken the trip and returned, some of you may benefit from comments on what we took in the way of clothing, etc. The brand names mentioned below are only there because that’s what I used and some of you may benefit from knowing precisely what clothing I am talking about. Pants – I took 3 pairs of L.L Beans tropic-weight cotton pants. I could have gotten by with two, provided laundry opportunities appeared. Probably 3 pair is the ideal amount. Shirts – I took about 9-10 L.L Beans Chambray Sport Shirts. I rolled them up and stuffed them wherever they would go. Clean shirts were important and they get soaked fast in the heat. I do not feel I took too many and was always on the edge of running out of clean ones. Socks – One of the most important items you can bring. Trekkers will tell you to take just a couple pairs and wash them all the time. Forget it. I was often moving so fast that there was not time to wash, much less dry them. I would take all you have room for. And forget taking cotton socks (they get wet fast), and, unless you are a real hiker, forget about double sock systems and all of that jazz. What worked best for me were 100% synthetic hiking socks. The brand name is something like "Thorlo." Forget about a combination of synthetic and wool ("Smartwool"), which they also make. They were OK, as a second sock for warmth, but they tend to scratch me and developed holes easily. These hiking socks are expensive ($9-$14 a pair), but they are very stretchy (go on easy) and have double knit pads where it counts. I did not take enough of these babies and I regretted it. Next time I will take 10 pair. Shoes & Boots – The same kind of story for shoes. You know if you are a real hiker. In that case, you know what to do or can find out. For the few real hikes I did, I was fine in cheap hiking boots (Nikes) or even a good pair of running shoes. As it turned out, I wore my Tevas all the time (with socks) and my hiking boots seldom. Next time it will be good running shoes and Tevas, no boots. However, my wife wore her hiking boots a lot, because she liked them and did not like the dirt and dust. Jackets – My polar-fleece vest was an essential item. I wore it all the time, whenever there was any chill. I had with me a heavier fleece sleeved-jacket (with no wind protection) and a thin nylon shell (for wind protection. The combination of the three took care of all of the weather that we encountered in Tibet in August and September. Cargo Vest – Perhaps the single most useful item of clothing I took was my cargo vest. I used a vest from Travel Smith called the Timbuktu Travel Vest (#2287), which at $89 was worth every penny. It has 11 pockets in all and it is made out of a special woven nylon fabric (much lighter than cotton). It has a mesh lining inside for quick sweat drying. There are two inside vest pockets, one with a zipper and the second with a Velcro tab. The two outside vest pockets are for eyeglasses and that sized stuff. Two large flapped pockets are in front, and just above these are two large zippered pockets. I found these zippered pockets of very great use. I would put my family’s passports in one of them and wads of foreign money in the other. I would keep smaller bills in the inside zippered vest pocket. I bought all kinds of cotton vests and sent them back. This was the lightest, strongest, and the best. The proof of what am saying is that no less of an authority than world traveler/translator Ngodup Burkhar, on seeing my vest, made me promise to send him one (and one for his father) as soon as I got back. If I sent just one, his father would want it anyway. I sent two. You can reach Travel Smith at 1-800-950-1600 for a catalog. Hats & Gloves – I had a pair of light gloves and a knit hat. Both of these came in very handy, many times. One of the most important places to have the hat and a fleece jacket is on the transoceanic flight where you have no control over the cabin temperature. On the trip over, I had mine in the stored luggage and I froze my butt, so be forewarned. On the way back, I just put on the fleece jacket and pulled the knit hat over my eyes and tried to sleep. At least I was warm. Day Pack – Don’t leave home without it. I used mine all the time, carrying it with me most of the time. In it I had emergency medicine (aspirin, Imodium, etc.), my nylon shell and knit hat, essential papers, visas, and passport (when it was not in my vest), packs of money, notebook & pens, water purification tablets, nail clippers and army knife, keys, bottled water, etc. I looked at a lot of expensive packs and chose the Approach III from L.L. Bean (2,100 cu. in.) at $55. It was tougher than any of the rest and looked like new at the end of the trip, and I had it with me every step of the way. I keep a bottle of water in one side mesh pocket and a hat & socks in the other. A small flashlight, connected by one of those snap-on straps, is always there for night needs. Big Pack – As mentioned elsewhere, I opted for a compromise large pack, which is a duffel-like back that you can carry with a handle (or shoulder strap), that also has a built-in harness for backpacking the thing. This harness is hidden behind a zipper. In addition, this luggage has a small daypack (with harness) that zips to the larger one. It was a good choice and worked well, although I never had to use the harness. Forget about using the small day pack for anything but extra storage. It is just too small. Money Packs – There is all of this talk about money belts and pouches. What they don’t tell you is that with many of these foreign currencies, you cannot cash large bills. No one will touch them. You must exchange for small bills in the foreign currency, ones that ordinary shopkeepers will be able to handle. The point here is that when you exchange $1000 in U.S. currency for the equivalent in small bills in Nepalese rupees, Indian Rupees, or Chinese (Tibet) money, you are going to end up with a wad of money 5 inches thick! In fact, the Indians staple whole packs of money so tightly that you almost need a machine to open the pack. There is no way you can cram this kind of wad into a money pouch, so be forewarned. Often, the places for money exchange are few and far between, so when you get to one, you want to exchange some serious money (a thousand or more). Bring a bag to carry your money away. That is why I had to put much of this in my daypack and never let it off my back or out of my sight. Water – Almost everywhere we went, there was bottled water, although I would sure not call it ‘mineral water’. Sometimes you had to stock up and buy a case of the stuff, but it was available. I never had to use my iodine tablets (to purify water), but I was glad I had them in my day pack. But note that much of the Chinese bottled water is purified with iodine and the iodine residue has not been removed. It is water, but it taste like iodine. Laundry – Laundry opportunities are rare or, if available, can take two days of longer, so take note. In Tibet, you can only find someone willing to do your laundry in the largest cities, like Lhasa and Tsetang. They charge by the piece, so one sock costs as much as a pair of pants. I have no idea what kind of water they are washed in, but often the clothes smell a little like sewage when you get them back. Just thought you should know. And having laundry done is a tad expensive too. All in all, take plenty of essential items like socks and shirts (underwear?) and look for a laundry every time you plan to be in a city for a couple of days. Of course, you can rinse things out in your hotel, if you have hot water or just water. You may not have time for it to dry, however. There is also a tendency for laundries to give you clothes back damp, so be sure to check for that. Fuel is scarce in Tibet and they use as little as possible. Medicine – Better have the allopathic medicines you need with you or be ready to see a Tibetan doctor and use Tibetan medicine. Tibetan doctors are now using a combination of traditional Tibetan methods coupled with modern Chinese allopathic medicine, so be aware. The English Language – There is not a lot of English spoken in Tibet, so have your phrase book handy. Without your guide (and it will happen), you will be facing a lot of very friendly smiling helpful people who have no idea what you are saying to them so urgently. Toilets – Be prepared for a shock anyplace, but in the best hotels. The Tibetan toilet is a smelly room with a vertical slot in the floor, flies, and a lot of missed hits. And it stinks big time. You will find no paper, so bring your own. Or, if there is toilet paper, it tends to be the red crepe-paper kind that is a new experience in itself. Often toilets are outside and about up to your waist in height. Everyone can see you unless you crouch low, which is the point. You don’t want to go near them in stocking or bare feet. At night, you will need a flashlight for sure. And many of the toilets don’t take toilet paper well or only with great care and attention, so don’t feed it a bunch. A backed up toilet is not much fun and it may be hard to find anyone willing to fix it for you. Not-working toilets are a staple of travel life in Tibet. Also be ready to just step off the road and find a good place. Everyone else with you will be doing the same thing. In many ways, the in-the-field method is a lot nicer than the indoor toilets. If you tend to constipation, God help you. Showers & Baths – Forget about baths, you will hardly ever find one. For showers, expect to use the whole bathroom as a stall, which means anything in it (toilet, sink, your clothes) has a good chance of getting soaked. And hot water may take a very long time to appear or not be available at all. Or you may get a trickle of water, hot or cold. Many times you will be lucky to just be able to wash up in a basin and throw the water out. And bring your own soap and one of those travel towels. And keep your mouth closed when you shower. You don’t want to get that water in your mouth! Many places don’t provide soap or towels. Heat & Blankets – There was no heat in any of the hotels we stayed in. Often there were so many thick blankets that it crushed your body. No joke, I have never seen such heavy bedclothes, anywhere. Use your sleeping bag (with a vinyl ground cloth under it) and sleep on the top of it all. We did this in all but the very best hotels and never got a louse. Night Life – Forget it. In most places, there are no streetlights. There are bars, but you would have to get there and know what to do when you got there. Most of us find ourselves going to sleep with the Sun and rising when it gets light, like all of the other people in Tibet. In bed by 7:30 PM? You bet! Locks – Keep your money on your person and all valuables in the daypack that you never let out of your sight. You cannot trust your room locks and most have no night lock on the inside of the room. I always left my bags locked in my room with those little combination locks, set to some number that I could not forget. Our whole family used the same combination, so that we could open each other’s packs if the need arose. Finished ...back to the opening page