Vaccinations 2

Okay, vaccinations are a bigger issue than I thought. Some need several shots...so almost one needle each week for a couple of weeks. Getting addicted to it :-). Most of them are okay, but rabies and Japanese encephalitis are tough, I can tell you!!!

Vaccinations

The guides are great. But I have to confess my first greatest attention and concern is focused on the precautions. You shouldn´t start reading the official warnings of your State Department, if you are an anxious person. But of course there are some preparations an precautions you should take, especially on the medical and behavioral side. Most of it is just sensitivity and common sense travelling in a different climate with different hygienic standards. Drink bottled, eat cooked and shell fruits are some of those basic principles. Stefan Loose sums up all the necessary ones from travel experienced people in his guides. He also sums up the contents of the bring along first aid kit including malaria precautions. What I definitely need are some vaccinations. Especially when you plan to leave the tourist routes like I want to do. Hepatitis, Japanese encephalitis, polio, rabies and typhus for example. Thankfully in Germany we have some basic vaccinations almost everybody gets, so I don´t have to do them all until summer...

Decision made

Love to go to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. But it is monsoon season when I`m there from July to September. Not the best for a first time Asia explorer I guess. So saving this for another time and decided to travel Thailand and Malaysia including East Malaysia with Orang Utan country. So much to see and explore with lots of beaches and the best about it: no monsoon in most parts during my travel period. Bought two Stefan Loose Travel Guides, one for Thailand and one for Malaysia (Thanks Andrea for the great suggestion). Everything is in there, from accomodations to restaurants, very detailed maps and descriptions how to see and do things, even a packing list. With such a great guide I´m well prepared for my adventure. Perfect for an individual traveller in an unknown country!