On Saturday, I went for a OVE pre-trip camp. There, we got to know our group members and also had a short briefing. During the briefing, there are things to rejoy and also things to worry about. The good things first...we will be staying in a lodge for the first 8 days and it seems to be in a good condition. There's air-conditioning! The school at the capital, Vientiane, looks quite alright too, equipped with white board and proper tables and chairs. Not too bad. Here comes the worrying part...we will be staying at the villagers' houses for 4 days and the toilets are...I think I will try to restrict my big business when I am in the village. Haiz, I am not in the same group as Priscilla too. The only person who I know in my group is Esther's sister.
Oh some interesting things to share. In the booklet that we were given, we were advised not to drink their tap water and not even to use it to brush our teeth! Use mineral water to brush teeth?? We were also told that the office hours in Laos are from 8am to 4pm. Yes 4pm!! Wah I think even slacker than Europe side. And we have to stay inside our lodge or village house after 10pm - "unspoken rule to cease daily operations before 2200hrs"! We have to be careful not to anyhow touch things as well as there could be grenades or some other explosives!
Today, I went for vaccinations with Priscilla at woodlands polyclinic. We had 2 jabs, influenza and typhoid, one on each arm. It's quite painful, especially for us who are afraid of injections. We had some anti-malaria pills as well that we have to take for 7 weeks. We have to start the medication 1 week before the trip and can only stop 4 weeks after the trip. Haha at first I was quite stunned. Take pills for 7 weeks?! Luckily we were told that we just have to take one pill per week. In total, the jabs and medication cost close to $50. So ex lah! Somemore I am not done with it. I still have to consult my GP for some pills to delay my menses and Pris said that hers cost $43. Oh man! $100 gone just like that! This trip is making me poor.
