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Travel Shots, Moving Out, etc.October 23, 2000 -- OK, so any doubt about this really happening is starting to be replaced by real excitement. I can't wait to take off! Copper CanyonHere is one of the places I want to visit within the first few weeks. It's called Las Barrancas del Cobre, is 5 times the size of the Grand Canyon, and is made up of 20 canyons. It will be incredible to see this place! If you want any more info on it, please just ask away. I'll have lots more to say about it later.
Travel ShotsI got my travel shots the other day. The clinic wouldn't bill my HMO directly, and not wanting to raise a big stink about it since I'm leaving soon, I decided to just eat this cost. My final analysis is this: I'd rather pay for shots now than pay for it the rest of my life by not getting shots! It was $248 for the office visit and the 3 shots I needed -- Typhoid, Hepatitis A, and Yellow Fever. Important: I didn't know this, but you can't cross a lot of the borders in Central America unless you have a little shot record with you that states you've been innoculated for Yellow Fever. Keep this in mind if you are planning on going there. Don't really know what Yellow Fever is, but I'm sure it's not pleasant! The "iffy" items that I passed on were malaria and Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B, you have to get 6 months ahead of time, plus a booster for it to be effective, so I wouldn't have been protected at all. Incidentally, you get Hepatitis B from screwing someone who has it, Hepatitis A you get from the feces of someone who is infected....BLECK!!! Malaria pills I would have liked to get, but you take 6 horse pills at 10 bucks a piece (1 week before, 1 week during, and 4 weeks after). 60 bucks per week of protection seemed a little much, and I really don't know what times I will be in the jungle anyways, which is really the only time you need it. I guess I'll gargle with DEET for those times. Mary PatSo, my coworker Elise put me in touch with one of her friends in Puerto Vallarta named Mary Pat. I look forward to visiting with her. From what I have gathered, she is building a Bed and Breakfast down there. Sounds like a very nice lady. She recommended that I stay at the Hotel Eloisa or Hotel Rio --- centrally located, cheap, and quiet --- what more could you want, right? Also suggested staying away from Yelapa, as she got some illness from the water there (?), and said Punta Mita was a nice place to see the whales. She is flying down November 6th, and I hope to meet her for coffee one day. I'll let you know if I end up visiting with her. FishingIf you don't like fishing, you may want to skim this paragraph, but I finally decided to take my 9 foot fairly sturdy fishing pole. My big debate was -- How the hell am I going to tote this around?!!!? I looked for collapsible versions that would go down to 22 inches, to fit oh so snugly within my backpack, but all of these are for itsy bitsy troutsy woutsies, and I'M AFTER THE BIG BOYS!!! I'm just going to get a 5 foot length of PVC pipe, 3 or 4 inch hole, then put the caps on each end and I am in there. Pretty nifty mode of keeping it from getting smashed up. Called Alaska, and they said you could check it without a case, but you had to sign a waiver (read == we will smash your pole without a case, ha ha). After talking to them, the case sounded like a good idea. Then, there was the issue of lures and not knowing what to take. I called Jeff Klassen Fishing on Saturday, and a few hours later, Jeff himself called me back. He is a very nice guy, answered several of my questions, and is sending me a lure pack that should get me going right for $79. I couldn't find all the lures he was describing, and certainly couldn't find any in the 2-4 ounce class, so getting them from him worked out really good. Apparently Klassic Poppers, Krocodile spoons, giant Rooster Tails, and Rangers all work great. Fish will beach themselves chasing them in and wait for the next wave to pick them up. Very aggressive 5-20 pound fish. If I catch even one of these it will be total bonus time for me. Rooster fish, crevalle, sierras, grouper, lady fish....the list goes on! Revised Gear ListOK, after some debate, here is the revised gear list. You can check out my original gear list on my travelogue entry from October 8th. I will let you know how these choices work out. Some I'm still up in the air about, but who knows.... Please let me know if you think I'm off with any of these. Chris B corrected my choice for a book, noting that while Vonnegut would be great, his books are a little short and he recommended Confederacy of Dunces or Sometimes a Great Notion. Signe seconded the motion on C of D, so I bought it.
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