Po Chai Pills and Other Items of Interest

by Jamie Rhein on

When I was reading National Geographic Traveler, I came across an essay by Daisann McLane, an American living in China who writes the blog, Learning Cantonese and is the “Real Travel” columnist for the magazine. Her essay was about getting sick and taking some mystery pills, meaning she didn’t know what they were exactly, but the doctor- told her-to-take-them pills. They were called Po Chai and they worked. Daisann’s experience reminded me of my own.

Getting medicine from in Asia facinated me when I lived there. In Singapore, the doctor I went to had an office in an apartment complex. This is typical in Singapore. Mega apartment complexes often have grocery stores, beauty parlors and a doctors office for anyone to use. You don’t need an appointment, you just show up. The doctor I went to was excellent. After she found out what was wrong with me,( nothing much really), she sometimes gave me a prescription.

Before I went on a trip, I’d also head to the doctor to get a supply of pills for stomach ailments. She’d count some out and put them into a tiny zip lock bag. By the end of the trip I never could remember which pills were for what problem. Once in awhile, I’d take my pill stash to her so she could again tell me what was what.

In Taiwan, the doctor, also a walk-in type, gave pills in a strand of packets, each packet a separate dose. If there was a 10-day dose, there would be 10 little pouches attached together. When you got to the last pouch you were on the last dose. If two or more pills were to be taken together, and there always seemed to be two or more, those were in the same pouch. There was never an indication of which pill went to which purpose. The advantage of this method is there weren’t a lot of bottles to keep track of. The disadvantage is those packets could take up a lot of room.

Daisann’s subject matter goes beyond medicine, each month she adds new essays with photographs, and provides some language lessons besides. Her recent essay, “Hong Kong is Always With You” is linked to another essay she wrote that was recently published in Slate.

Travel Writing Contest: A Mongolia Connection

by Jamie Rhein on

If only I were a college student. Here’s a travel/writing opportunity not to miss. National Geographic Traveler has paired up with the travel company Trovcoa to cook up a very cool essay contest. In 300 words or less, write about an experience that moved you, excited you or changed you. Easy, right?

If yours is chosen out of all the other essays they receive from college students in North America, you will win a trip to Mongolia. This could be your springboard to bigger and better travel writing experiences since you will be working on assignment with the magazine’s Editor- In-Chief Keith Bellows. Your work will be published on National Geographic Traveler ‘s Web site.

This is kind of like “American Idol” or “Dancing with the Stars” but the writer’s version. Except, either you win or you don’t, and you won’t have to stand in front of the judges while they critique your work in front of a live audience. Of course, there’s not a million dollar record contract either. But hey, you’ll be published by the same magazine that publishes Pico Iyer. And you’ll have seen Mongolia. I call that even.

The deadline is December 31, 2007 so you have some time to figure out how to condense down your experience to make it zing.

Taj Mahal From the Outside

by Jamie Rhein on

Another World Heritage Site that was rated in the National Geographic Traveler article that Erik Olsen mentioned in an earlier post is the Taj Mahal. If you ever get a chance, go. It is a truly stunning piece of architecture that the Indian government knows full well it needs to protect. Of course, there is the slew of folks who clamor to sell stuff to you from the time you hit the parking lot until you get inside, but it’s not the worst experience.

Here is a video from veras films shot outside the Taj Mahal. This is a glimpse of one of the most famous places in the world from a very different angle. The interviews with the kids and the music are wonderful touches.

Sanitized Travel

by Iva Skoch on

At the risk of talking ad nauseum (yuck, yuck) about getting sick while traveling, National Geographic’s Traveler magazine has a good article this month with the pros and cons of eating street foods versus avoiding local cuisines.

On one hand, they quoted an infectious disease expert and a CDC travel health specialist as saying that, while some folks may be naturally predisposed to intestinal bugs, everyone should watch out when eating foods that have sat around in the open air for very long, as well as fresh (peeled) fruit or veggies, regardless of the locale.

On the other side of the debate is chef and author Anthony Bourdain who says he hasn’t yet gotten sick eating street food, even though he’s known for traveling around the world, eating weird stuff. Further, his TV crew has a running betting pool as to who will be the first victim of local food. His choice comment? It’s the “Purell junkies” who inevitably get sick; better to follow the locals’ lead on what to eat and drink. Avoiding eating local foods can cause you to miss a deep connection with where you are when you travel: “Food is the purest expression of local identity.”

What do you do while traveling, dear readers, just eat it?