Pesky Mosquitoes

Every year I get a travel checkup at the doctor. Unfortuantely, my "honorary degree via typo" isn't enough to let me get my own prescriptions.

I'm probably one of the most up to date people when it comes to vaccinations. Nothing really exciting, just the following:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Whooping Cough
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Typhoid
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella

Unfortunately, there’s no vaccination for Malaria. So, I normally take a pill once a week to prevent it. This year I guess they changed the recommendation to another type that is once a day: Malarone. Oh well, perhaps this one won’t burn my throat when I swallow it. Plus, it’s not supposed to trigger hallucinations like the other medication. Too bad I never got that entertaining side effect.

Goals for 2008

It looks like this is going to be a pretty good place to record things. Setup was quick and easy.

So, what does Sam have planned for 2008? I've already received some emails from Pat and Deanna. They have been working in Laos for a little while, and arrived in Battambang some time ago. It looks like a couple computers will need some service, no surprise really. The big fun this trip will be delivering surgical instruments.

Last year there were epidemic outbreaks of Dengue Fever. I decided to stop by the local hospital to see if I could be of any help. It turns out that they have a very well documented list of "things we need" in case people ask. The one part that caught my eye was the need for surgical instruments. I have contacts from years past that still work in the medical device industry. Even though it took longer than I thought it would, I was able to get over 300 devices gathered up!

So, we'll see how Cambodian customs reacts to my luggage. Luckily, I have a very nice letter from the hospital to help me get through. I especially like how I was given an honorary degree.

First Post!

I'm setting up this Blog to make it easy for friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, enemies, and anyone else who wants to read about my 2008 Cambodia trip. Let the blogging begin!