Roller Coaster Ride

Well, I received word from Uniterra that I am good to go for June 5th. Unfortunately this isn't going to work out - and I'm getting a little swamped at work. So it looks like I will have to wait until the Fall to go. Again a bit disappointing...missed it by 2 weeks...

On another note, I received some emails from the insurer which were kind of weird. They were asking about results from the medical test. I was told that a short term leave didn't require a medical examination and said so in an email to them. That seemed to be OK. The questions on the insurance application form were crazy though. They wanted to know all about my family, their ages and if they died, when and how. I'm not sure they're allowed to ask these questions. Be prepared for a weird form.

This is turning into a roller coaster ride and I'm cool with that. I'm pretty flexible but I can imagine how this might frustrate a lot of folks. If you have some disappointments, no worries. It makes the journey all the more intriguing, stay tuned...

SNAFU!

• Police Record Check - done
• Immunizations - done
• Passport - done

All systems go? Not quite. Due to political instability in Nepal I cannot leave for Kathmandu on Thursday as scheduled. Unfortunately I do not know when I will be able to go. Although this is dissapointing it is not totally unexpected. having read the political history of Nepal, political volatility is frequent. I've considered delaying the trip until the Fall becasue of an increasing workload at my work.

Hopefully I'll hear back from the Nepalese partners soon so I can make plans. At least everything else is done. No more needles...YAY!

To read up on the latest political news in Nepal, click here. I recommend keeping up on the latest news to be better prepared for the trip.

Vaccinations...sigh...

Rule of Thumb: Do your research first!

I was given a list of vaccinations for Nepal: typhoid, hepatitis A&B, Japanese encephalitis, malaria (in Terai).

Here's some advice:

• Start your shots a month ahead of time. You will need 21 days for the hepatitis A & B which is a series of three shots, 1, 7, 21 days. By the way, it's about $70 per shot. I won't have time for the 3rd shot before I leave but my Doctor recommends getting the third shot when I come back.
• I had all perscriptions filled at the pharmacy except for the Japanese encephalitis. The Typhoid shot had to be ordered, which only took a day. It's cheaper going to your doctor than a travel clinic. The doctor charges $10 for the injection.
• I'm not an expert but I would recommend thinking twice about getting the Japanese encephalitis, unless you will be in Nepal for more than a month. It's insanely expensive ($600) and the travel doctor thought it would be nuts..and it would have to be ordered in. I didn't get the shot. This is not something you can get through your regular doctor and pharmacy.
• Malaria is not 100% necessary but recommended if going to Terai. I hope to go to Terai so I got some pills. There are different pills you can buy. I splurged on the expensive Maleron that you take everyday. Super expensive ($5/pill) but less chance of going squirrely with hallucinations. Also found out that the Leave for Change program doesn't cover Maleron. Lesson learned, read the fine print.
• Check out this useful website for vaccination details: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx#N

If anyone asks...and for some reason I was asked...about Typhoid Mary, tell them she was a cook in the early 1900's who infected a lot of people with Typhoid. She was a carrier and was in denial so did nothing to prevent spreading the disease: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_Mary