General hints


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Don?t give your passport to anyone also if they are officials except customs officers at the border or the staff at the bank. Show a copy if necessary and hide the original passport at your body.

Don?t leave any valuables in your room not for one second also if you travel with companions.

One of the best medicine I experienced against diarrhoea or amoeba is a combination in one table of 400mg Norofloxacin and 600mg Tinidazole (named NTD in India). Take two tablets a day if it won?t get better after two or three days of fasting and drink a lot of bottled water.

If you carry a fleece jacket or something similar with you put it in your daypack and use it as a pillow if the seats in the bus are uncomfortable.

If you trek in cold areas a good idea is to carry an ordinary aluminum bottle (1l) for drinking water with you. Fill it with hot water (available in the lodges) before you go to bed. Pack it in your sleeping bag down to your feet. It will warm your feet at night and at the next morning it has the right temperature for a drink.

If it?s hot put a frozen bottle of water (if available) between your neck and the T-shirt. It won?t fall down if you wear a daypack.

Adjustable walking-sticks are very comfortable in the mountains.

If you travel by train and want to get a shower you should enter the toilet at low season (night) with a bottle. Be sure that the sink on the floor is removed and water is available from the tap. Lock the door and get undressed. Fill the bottle with water and you can shower as long as you want with the water out of the tap. Be sure that you have finished before the next arrival to a station.

I tried a few methods of carrying the most important things like passport and money. The most comfortable and secure way I discovered was to carry all in an leather pocket with a leather belt under my trouser as the Pakistani do. For small money and tickets I have had a leather purse with a chain (available in biker shops) chained to my trouser money belt. In this belt I stored a copy of passport, cheques and useful addresses.

If you fly to your destination ask you stewardess for much refreshment towels as they can offer. They are so useful at any time.


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