Prepared?

I have more prescription medicines than a perfectly healthy person should have, plenty of clean underwear, and an arsenal of Mandarin phrasebooks, Beijing guidebooks, and other information about China. So by U.S. world traveler standards, I am ready to go.

I'm also taking with me face masks in case of severe pollution in Beijing, advice from my mom about not talking while chewing food, and the international phone number of my insurance company from my dad, as well as prints of both my parents' beautiful nature photography from the western U.S to give to new friends and colleagues. So by parental standards, I'm all set.

Also packed in my suitcase are a headlamp*, electrolyte replenishment drink powder (enough to make 27 quarts, or almost 7 gallons), and water purification tablets. These items are my must-haves that originally came from my experiences camping and backpacking but now go almost everywhere with me.

For international travel, I've had to drop pepper bear spray from my essential list because surely the TSA considers it a weapon. Actually that's exactly why I was originally drawn to it. From the necessity of carrying it on hiking trips in Wyoming in case of black or grizzly bear run-ins, my bear spray has since become my trusty companion on numerous road trips alone around the country. Good for bears, good for human attackers, too. In China, I'll have to forgo it and instead turn to safety in numbers with my group. (Wait a second, this works for bear protection as well. A bear attack has never been directed at a group of four or more people. The connections between bears and muggers seem to go deeper than I had thought.) Anyway, excepting the bear spray, by my own standards, I am ready to go.

So China, I hope you're prepared for a rock-climbing, book-wormish, freckled and fiery red-head, because I'll be touching down on July 8 at 1:55 p.m. (Boston still doesn't know what hit it since I got there two years ago!)


*I really don't know how anyone survives without a headlamp. My Petzl Tikka already came in handy when the power went out in my Brighton, MA, apartment for over 12 hours while packing for my trip. I mean, really, if you've never experienced the beauty of light shining exactly where you need it--wherever your face is aimed--and not having to hold a flashlight while still trying to use your hands...well, I highly recommend it.