What I used to capture all the memories

What to pack for Thailand

Thanks for all the luggage tips from Meg and Nikki F.

(As I type this blog post, I am eating an apple I bought at Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur).

Literally, this is all you need, even if you like to be prepared like me.

1. Bathing costume - useful for lying around at the pool, on the beach, or for wearing with shorts.
2. Short shorts
3. Flat strappy thong sandals - lots of them
4. Sleeveless tops. No T-shirts (too hot for them) or if you insist, then just take 2 or 3.
5. Cap or hat
6. Lots of sunscreen
7. Capri pants for evening. Still wear with those same sleeveless tops in the evenings.
8. Short pyjamas
9. Magazines and books

Since being on holiday, I'm grateful for small things

I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment because there is SO much to blog but if I don't start it will only get worse so here goes.

Cool weather
After the heat in Thailand and Malaysia, I am loving the cooler weather here in Jhb. We literally lived in shorts and skimpy tops with slops. I walked out of the airport building on Wednesday and revelled in the cold! Lovely.

Drinking water
Those of you who know me well are aware that I drink at least 2L a day. It is so, so nice to just open the tap to get water and not have to buy bottled water.

People that understand me & who speak English
The Thai people speak very, very limited English (and understand, I'm being very generous here). The Malaysians were a tad better but I found them unforthcoming. For example, here is a typical conversation:

M: Are there any ATMs here?

Malaysian: Yes (that's it - not yes, they're right over there)

M: Where will I find them?

Not having to do sums before shopping
This is to work out the cost of the item in Rand. In Thailand, R1 bought about Thai baht 4.70 on average. And in Malaysia, R1 bought about RM0,45 (ringgit)

Brown bread
My mother-in-law bought us some brown rolls and I swear, they tasted like a gourmet meal after having being starved of fibre for 2 weeks.

Muesli & other fibrous cereals
At both the hotels, there were only kiddies cereals like Coco Pops, Rice Krispies, etc. (in other words, non-healthy stuff). We craved All Bran and Weetbix and on our first morning back, Dion had a huge bowl of fibre sticks (I don't know the proper name – Fibre something – I call them fibre sticks) and I had All Bran.

I'll add more as I think of them!