I have begun my search for a bank that will be in my three major destinations: Chang Mai, Thailand, Hanoi, Vietnam and Kochi, India. Plus, they have to be in NYC. I have my little spreadsheet with all the necessary information for comparison. So far, the possibilities are Citibank, Standard Charter and HSBC. Although I realize ATMs are universal at this point, I don't want to be paying $5 in fees every time I need cash. Debit cards are not protected like credit cards. If someone fraudulently uses my card that money is gone versus a credit card in which I can contest it but I don't pony up the money unless I consent. I wonder if having a savings account connect to my debt card offers any greater safety. Then I can transfer funds from savings to checking, then withdrawal. Of course, another requirement is low/no monthly fees.
I have gotten my letters of invitation for 2 of the 3 residencies. Soon, I can start looking further into visas. This will be another bit of logistics. I need to take into consideration expiration dates for my visas. Ideally I would like to get them all before I leave but I am not sure I can do that. I hope I can because trying to get visas in a foreign country sounds like a nightmare. It is going to be bad enough getting them here and I speak the language.
I went to a clothing swap on Sunday. I thought I had tons and tons of stuff to get rid of then I realized that basically I have tons and tons of garbage. Things that need to be tossed. Not given away.
Pajamas. What does one wear for sleeping in a tropical environment? Nothing is not an option since I will be sharing a living space with strangers. I have a great silk "t-shirt" but I recently realized it is way too warm. So now I've started a hunt for something else. My friend Christina suggested shorts and a tank top. That's a possibility. I want them thin so that is going to mean cheap. American Apparel is always an option for thin but although the quality would suggest cheap the store is not. I am boycotting them on principle anyway. I despise their ad campaign which looks like soft porn. I don't care that they are employees who freely give these images. Is this really the image this company wants to portray? We support our employees but exploit the young women and encourage them to display their bodies in provocative poses. On a different note, I ironically found the perfect pajamas in Chinatown for $12. (Probably cheaper if I wasn't white.) They are 2-piece thin cotton pajamas. The downside is that they are a little girlie ( a little? I mean a lot) for me; Pictures of cute bears and kittens, flowers, pastels and frills adorn. Certainly not me.
That's my progress on the trip. I will keep you posted.