Well, this is it. It has begun. The last few days have whirled by Scott and me like a blustery fall day, peppering us with goodbyes –to old and new friends, family and loved ones, and some of the less obvious things like English signage and running water. With both hearts weighted by these goodbyes, and lighted with excitement about the untold wonders that lie ahead, we strode onwards through a wind of passports and visas, various cables, bottles upon bottles of pills, and many packings and unpackings of our bags.

We stood amidst this bluster in the luxurious and surveyed  our inventory for the next ten months. Scott and I carry three items each. A general backpack, a technology/carry-on bag, and our Dahon collapsible bicycles.

We stared out across the gleaming carpet upon which all the equipment that was to propel us over these ten months was laid, and marveled at the immensity of what lay ahead. For those of you who are not so into inventories, by all means, cease your reading immediately.

For the rest of you out there, who share Scott’s and my own propensity for lists… I give you without further ado, our inventory.

Mobile Pharmacy:

• Imodium
• Benadryl
• Pink Bismuth Tablets
• Imitrex
• Prevacid
• Dramamine
• Medicated Eye Drops
• Jarrow Brand Saccharomyces Boulardii + MOS
• Jarrow Brand EPS tablets
• Tamaflu
• Diflucan
• An Epi Pen
• Promethazine
• Malerone
• Flagyl
• Nitrofur MAC
• Ciprofloxin
• Hydroco/APAP
• Azythromycin
• Metronidazol
• Flexaril
• Doxycycline (a lot of it)
• Tetrazodone
• Bandages
• Moleskin
• Micheal’s Paraherbs
• Red Bull Energy Shots

Woody’s Carry On:

• AsiaWheeling Business card holder
• Bundle of AsiaWheeling business cards
• 1 Canon Power Shot A610
• 1 Battery Charger
• 2 sets ear plugs
• 1 Alphasmart Dana
• 1 pouch filled with cables
• 1 MacBook Pro
• 1 Dop kit (toothbrush, dental floss and the like)
• 1 copy of Nick Danziger’s “Danziger’s Travels“
• 1 copy of Micheal Chabon’s “Gentleman of the Road”
• 1 Document pouch including:
• 3 photocopies of my passport
• Evidence of my exit flight from Indonesia
• A copy of my diploma
• A signed and notarized letter from our great helmsman commending us to the journey

Woody’s large backpack:

• 4 pairs of Ex-Officio Travel Underpants
• 5 linen shirts
• 1 AsiaWheeling t-shirt
• 1 Russian short-sleeved Liz Claiborne knock-off
• 1 pair of Japanese men’s pants
• 1 pair of running shorts
• 2 pairs of Smart Wool Socks
• 1 wool sweater which my father purchased in the seventies
• 1 Master Brand Braided Steel BIke Lock
• 2 mini bungi cables
• 1 Master Brand micro luggage lock
• 1 black raincoat and rain pants
• 1 spoke wrench
• 1 triangular allen wrench set
• 2 Knog tire patch kit
• 1 dive mask
• 2 Wiki Readers
• 1 flashlight
• 1 clothesline
• 1 pair of gloves
• 1 steripen
• 1 quick dry towel
• 1 silk sleeping sac

Books:

• Edward W. Said – Orientalism
• David Byrne – Bicycle Diaries
• Niall Ferguson – The Cash Nexus
• Lonely Planet – Central Asian Phrasebook
• Luxe Guides: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Laos & Cambodia, Phuket

Electronics:

• Flip MinoHD Video Recorder
• Earbud Headphones
• WikiReader
• MacBook Pro
• Olympus E-P1 Micro 4:3 Digital Camera
• Various USB and international charging cables
• Wintec WBT 201 GPS DataLogger
• MiniMaglite flashlight

Mobile Pharmacy:

• Doxycicline 280 Pills (Anti-Malarial)
• Ciprofloxin (60 pills Antibiotic)
• Acetomenaphen with Codeine (Pain Killer)
• Azythromyacin (Antibiotic)
• Jarro Dophilus EPS Pro-Biotic
• Saccharromyces Boulardii + MOS
• Michaels ParaHerbs
• Michaels Adrenal Xtra
• Band Aids
• Ibuprofen
• Ultrathon Insect Repellent

Dop Kit:

• Tooth Brush
• Tooth Paste
• Razors
• Sunscreen
• ToothPicks
• Dental Floss

Corporate Identity:

• 600 AsiaWheeling business cards
• 500 AsiaWheeling stickers

Clothing:

• AsiaWheeling 2.0 V-Neck T-Shirt
• AsiaWheeling 1.0 V-Neck T-Shirt
• Muji V-Neck Undershirt

• William Cheng & Sons Button-Down Shirts (3)
• Christie’s Panama Hat
• wool sweater
• Microfibre towel
• handkerchief
• 3 pairs Exofficio boxer-briefs, cotton boxer shorts
• raincoat
• 2 Carhartt Shorts
• Levis 514 jeans, khaki pants
• 4 pairs socks

Shoes:

• hiking boots
• Havana sandals
• Blue Zig Zag Wino Canvas Sneakers (Size 13)

Bike Equiptment:

• 3-size allen wrench
• tire irons
• Knog Patch Kit
• repair kit for Planetary gear shift
• Dahon Speed TR Folding Bicycle
• Knog Nerd, Frog, and Gecko Lights

Misc:

• RedBull Energy Shots
• Sunglasses
• Neck Pillow
• Scuba Mask
• Maglite, Pencils, Muji Pens
• Passport
• Documentation, Sir Kensingtons Work
• Pack Lock
• Quickdry Towel
• A copy of my Brown Diploma, My Eagle Scout Award, and a letter of service recognition from Congress, as well as our Mandate from the Great Helmsman David Campbell

Bags:

• Karrimore Track 30 Daypack
• REI Starlite Backpack

Cash:

• USD, HKD, SGD, VND, CNY, JPY in various amounts

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 10:11 pm and is filed under Air Travel, Asia, Pre-trip, Preparation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.