Travel Meds - What to take on a trip

I just read Laurel Miller's article "Top Fifteen Articles to Have in Your Travel First Aid Kit", published by Gadling on December 21, 2010.

In her article, Laurel recommends that we first start with a basic Travel First Aid Kit and then, build it up to our own specifications.

Here is her selection of must haves:

"1. Band-aids/gauze pads/moleskin (for blisters)

2. Surgical tape
Use it to hold dressings in place, or to strap sprains or strains. A roll of this saved my ankle after a bad fall while backpacking.

3. Sewing needle and safety pins
Sterilize and use to drain blisters, remove splinters, or make a makeshift sling.

4. Small mirror
Useful if you get something in your eye or have a facial injury. If you're the outdoorsy type, it's an emergency kit essential for signaling should you get lost.

5. Prescription drugs
All of your regular prescriptions, as well as antibiotics or other meds prescribed by your doctor. Be sure to keep them in their original bottles, and carry copies of your prescriptions with you.

6. OTC drugs
Imodium, Pepto-Bismol tablets, antihistimines, Pepcid, ibuprofen, eye drops. For women: Uristat and an OTC or prescription for yeast infections. Comprehensivey, these meds cover a wide range of ailments, from food-borne illness to allergies, but reserve the Imodium only for emergency situations where you must travel (it's a potent anti-diarrheal).

7. EpiPen
This isn't just for those with known anaphylactic allergies. When you're traveling abroad, you never know what might trigger a reaction; it's also possible to develop a sensitivity to things you haven't previously had a problem with.
travel first aid
8. Alcohol wipes and hand sanitizer
Sterilize your hands, implements like tweezers, even wounds, if necessary. Sanitizer is something you should be in the habit of carrying when you travel, regardless.

9. Tweezers and non-safety nail scissors
Remove splinters and insect stingers, cut surgical tape or bandages; there are endless uses for these two.

10. Thermometer
If you develop a sustained fever of 100.4 or higher, it's time to seek medical attention.

11. Electrolyte powder packets and Emergen-C
If you're suffering severe diarrhea or vomiting, it's absolutely essential you rehydrate and replenish electrolytes. If you have access to Gatorade, you can down that, along with bottled (if necessary) water. I use Airborne and Emergen-C after long flights and at other times I need to keep my resistance up, or if my immune system is taxed.

12. Antibiotic ointment and hydrocortisone cream
Don't underestimate the importance of these two, especially if you're traveling in the tropics, where things tend to fester, or you have a coral cut, serious blister, sting, bite, or rash.
travel first aid
13. Matches
Sterilize needles or safety pins; matches are also an essential for wilderness emergency kits. Store in old film canister or Rx bottle to keep dry. You can additionally waterproof by painting the tips with nail polish.

14. Ziploc bags
You never know when these will come in handy. You can make an impromptu ice pack, store creams and ointment in them to prevent spillage, use them as an extra layer to keep meds dry, etc..

15. Mini first aid or wilderness safety manual

If you're traveling long-term or spending lots of time outdoors, you'll find this useful at some point. Many first aid kits come with one."

If you wish to read Laurel's complete article, please click (or cut and paste) the following link :
http://www.gadling.com/2010/12/21/top-fifteen-items-to-have-in-your-travel-first-aid-kit/ and if you have any other suggestions, please leave us a note.

Thank you Laurel and Gadling!

A Funny Flight Attendant book - Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase!

This is so cute, a book on funny airline stories authored by Flight Attendants Janet Spencer and Betty N. Thesky. It's titled Betty in the Ski with a Suitcase. Here are some details from the book, as posted by Heather Pool in her popular Flight Attendant Blog - Galley Gossip With Heather Pool:

"...10 FUN FACTS FROM BETTY'S BOOK...

1. Around 25% of first class passengers pay full fare. The rest are upgrades, frequent fliers and airline employees.

2. Airlines update the fares in their computers about 250,000 times daily.

3. 12 million free tickets are issued annually due to frequent flier miles.

4. Airplanes take off and land every 37 seconds at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

5. The first airplane toilets were simply a hole in the fuselage of the plane through which one could see the countryside passing below.

6. The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, sells about 10 million items from lost luggage annually.

7. One of the biggest planes is the Boeing 747. If set upright it would rise as high as a 20 story building

8. Air travel is the second safest mode of transportation. Only the elevator / escalator is safer.

9. Tolerance for alcohol drops by about 30% when you're at 30,000 feet, so a few drinks will go a long way.

10. The longest flight in the world is the nonstop flight from New York to Hong Kong which travels 8,439 miles over the North Pole in 15 hours and 40 minutes.

Betty N. Thesky is a flight attendant who works for a major airline and the host of the popular podcast Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase. You can read more about Betty on her website BettyInTheSky.com ..."

For more on Heather's blog or on this article, please click the following enclosed link below. Thank you Heather and Betty!

Galley Gossip: Funny flight attendant book - Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase! | Gadling.com

Moscow - Sandunovski Sauna/Bath House

Once again, we're back to flying those fantastic four and five day long winter trips to Moscow. These extended stays, provide us with a great opportunity to do "what Russians do" in the winter - they head for the "banya" (the Russian bath house).

So what is this "banya"? Well, it's a Russian spa/sauna, a restaurant and a bar all packed up into one place - A perfect place to relax, defrost and detox your body Russian style.

While you visit, you may have a full meal, drink a variety of alcoholic beverages, sweat in scorching hot saunas and dip in freezing cold pools. It sounds awful, but it's great, I promise. The banya is a very popular activity for Russians of all ages during and a preferred meeting place for politicians and business men.

If interested in a "banya", head to the fanciest and most historical one in central Moscow, The Sandunovski Bath House, which is located only a couple of blocks away from the Kremlin. This attractive bath house, was originally built in the 1890's for the nobility and was later refurbished to it's original architectural splendor in 1992. In the 1900's, the Sandunovski bath house, was frequented by famous people like Leo Tolstoy and Alexandr Pushkin. Today (thank the communist gods) it welcomes everyone.


Banya attendance in Russia, cuts across all ages and social classes and it's considered a great equalizer. Everyone, regardless of class or rank is treated the same while at the banya. Russians also believe that while the church is good medicine for the soul, the "banya" is the best medicine for the body. As a result, most Russians consider a visit to the banya an integral part of their daily lives.

If you decide to visit the Sandunovski Bath Housee, plan your visit carefully. Have your hotel concierge write the address of the bath house in Cyrillic, so you can take it with you. This way, you can ask for directions if you get lost. Also, have the hotel call ahead to make a reservation in your name. FYI, there are two levels of spas in the women's side - one is fancier (second floor) and the other (main floor), is the equivalent to a general public admission.

For your first visit, I recommend you purchase the "higher end" ticket, just in case you need extra help navigating the rules of the bath house. All banya services - drinks, food, massages, slippers, towels, scrubs, etc.- are available "a-la-carte" and for an extra charge. If you decide to go, just bring yourself and all else will be provided.

Be prepared to shed your clothes in an open space with all other spa visitors. They provide secured lockers (behind the spa counter) to store valuables. The essence of the banya experience (as I discovered) is to alternate repeated visits to the hot sauna with cold showers or dips in the freezing cold pool. Do it for as many times as you can stand it. In between these sessions, catch your breath in the lounge, drink some shots of vodka and relax.



After a few sessions of hot and cold, a massage, a body scrub, birch branch back whacking plus some delicious, hot mint tea, I felt my body the most relaxed I have ever felt. When I walked back to my hotel, my feet felt like they floated above the snow and I could barely feel the freezing cold chill of the night. I understood then why the banya was so popular in Russia, specially, during the winter months.

FYI - Folks will be walking around the banya completely nude, wearing a cone shaped, felt hat. Don't freak out. While this is definitely odd looking, the hats serve a very important purpose. They protect the top of ones head from burning while inside the very hot Russian saunas. Who knew these were kept so hot? If you go, protect your brain cell and the top of your hear and either wear the obligatory cone hat or a simple towel wrapped around your head.

Hope you enjoy the banya! as much as I did!

Nastrovia!


PS- Sandunovsky Bath House has a different entrance door for men and women. The men's entrance, is right on the corner (photo enclosed below); The women's entrance, is half a block down the street that runs to the right of the men's entrance. (Photo enclosed above with lady entering)


Sandunovsky Baths

Full Name: Sandunovsky Baths, Moscow, Russia
Cost: From Rbl1000; children from Rbl300
Opening Hours: Daily 8am-10pm
Address: Building 3-7, 14 Neglinnaya Ulitsa 107031
Directions: Kuznetsky Most Metro
Contact Details: Sandunovsky Baths
Phone: +7 (8) 495 625 4631 or +7 (8) 495 628 4633 (private banya)

Dottie's True Blue Cafe - San Francisco, CA

Thomas Cross (DCASW) strikes again with another "hot" restaurant recommendation for Postcards. This time, it's for a fantastic restaurant in the downtown area of San Francisco, that serves home made "out of this world" breakfasts. Please take note, the name of the place is Dottie's True Blue Cafe (map enclosed).


In Tom's own words, "...Another suggestion for San Francisco layovers (downtown)! The best breakfast in the world. If you love a great home-made out-of-this-world breakfast, you will be in HEAVEN here! I try and eat here every time I am in San Francisco. Get there early, especially on weekends, as there is ALWAYS a wait for a table! Adrian and I had our pre-wedding breakfast here, complete with Mimosas! The neighborhood is a bit sketchy, but it's only open during the day, so it shouldn't pose a problem...".


Mmmm, I' don't know about any of you, but I can't wait for my next San Francisco layover to give this place a try. Thanks Tom for sharing with us and congratulations on your wedding to Adrian! Please, keep your suggestions coming. We love them!

To get information, directions, menus and reviews on Dottie's True Blue Cafe in San Francisco, go to www.sanfrancisco.citysearch.com or click on the enclosed link below.
Dottie's True Blue Cafe - San Francisco, CA, 94102 - Citysearch


Dottie's True Blue Cafe
522 Jones Street
(between Geary & O'Farrell)
San Francisco, CA, 94102
415-885-2767


Photos, courtesy of the Internet
Story, courtesy of Thomas Cross (DCASW)

PARIS - Restaurant "The Three Littel Pigs"

The Three Little Pigs - Aux Trois Petit Cochons. I love the name of this Gourmet Parisian restaurant that comes highly recommended to Postcards by Thomas Cross, a DCASW who was previously based in Paris.

This lovely, "petit" restaurant, located in the same street where Tom lived when he was based in Paris (that's how he discovered it) serves, according to Tom, "AMAZING French food for a great price". Three Little Pigs offers two Prix-fix (set menus) options - One for 29 Euros and the second one for 35 Euros (menu selection enclosed below).

Three Little Pigs (Aux Trois Petit Cochons) is also considered the best Gay French Gourmet Restaurants in Paris.

Tom also told us that the food at the Three Little Pigs is prepared with "market-fresh ingredients every day" and is always "delicious"! So good, that he makes it a point to return for a meal each time that he has a Paris layover! He's never had a bad meal at the Three Little Pigs!



If you're interested in perusing the December 2010 menu for The Three Little Pigs restaurant, here is a copy downloaded from their website:

If you wish to visit this restaurant, please make a reservation before you leave your hotel and keep in mind that they only serve dinner.

Our menu of Décember 2010,

A starter and a main course or a main course with a dessert : 29 euros
A starter, a main course and a dessert : 35 euros

Cannelloni of salmon, smoked salmon mousse with herbs and lemon, celery coulis and toasted bread
Salad from Landes with marinated duck fillet, home made duck foie gras
Creamed pumpkin soup, fine slice of cheese with croutons
Braised Belgian endive oven grilled with cream and ham, grated cheese from Salers
Snails from Burgundy with green butter and bacon, baby vegetables

Farm hen with white cream and cheese, boiled vegetables
Sautéed cod steak, salt cod brandade, mashed potatoes with olive oil
Duck breast fillet with orange, preserved potatoes
Sautéed sea bream fillet, olive oil sauce with tomatoes, green asparagus, Brussels sprouts and broccoli
Fillet mignon of pork stuffed with mushrooms and green vegetables, preserved green lentils

Selection of French cheeses, green salad
Almond cake with pears, light custard cream with pear alcohol
Blanc-manger with coconut, caramelized pineapple
Home-made meringues with vanilla ice cream, preserved grapes, almond sauce
Dark chocolate cake, biscuit stuffed with pastry cream, cacao sorbet

For more information on The Three Little Pigs's restaurant, visit their website:

Restaurant Aux Trois Petits Cochons
www.auxtroispetitscochons.fr

Phone : + 33 (1) 42 33 39 69
Aux Trois Petits Cochons
31, rue Tiquetonne
75002 PARIS - FRANCE

Bon Appetite!

Thanks Tom, The place sounds divine! I'm there on my next Paris trip.

Photos, courtesy of Three Little Pigs website
Story, courtesy of Thomas Cross (dcasw)

BHEESTIE Bag- Helps remove water from a cellphone or other small electronic

Bheestie Bag " It's easy to use and it's always thirsty". I love that line! It's about this pretty handy product that sucks the water out of your electronics if you ever, let's say, drop your phone in water or spill a drink on your camera. Ouch! I discovered this gadget while reading a recent New York Times article on "recommended travel gadgets" by Seth Kugler.

So what exactly does the Bheestie Bag do? it extracts water/moisture from your electronic devices, so if you happen to drop your iPhone in a pool or your camera in a lake while traveling you can save them from "drowning" by dropping the wet electronic device in the Bheestie Bag and puf! like magic, it will extract all the moisture out of the "injured" device and return it to it's former dry, healthy self. Amazing!

If interested, visit Bheestie's official website (link enclosed at end of this post). The bag sells for $20.00 (twenty) dollars and it can be ordered via Bheestie's official website at www.bheestie.com or via www.Amazon.com. You can also purchased it directly from any REI retail store.



I'm enclosing a more detailed description the Bheestie Bag, as per Amazon's website. I'm also including some testimonials from Bheestie's website for your perusal. In addition, aside from the New York Times, the Bheestie Bag has received positive reviews from NPR, the Today Show, ROAD magazine, Fox News and more. Check their website for additional information.

Amazon's description of the Bheestie Bag:
"BHEESTIE keeps personal electronics working better and potentially lasting longer. Can be used for daily maintenance or even to save a wet cellphone, iPod®, camera, etc. BHEESTIE can last up to a year depending on use.Great for use after sports and activities: running, skiing, golfing, boating, travel, gym, walking, beach,
biking, water sports or accidental soakings. BHEESTIE pulls the wet out of your
electronics"

Testimonials from Bheestie's site:
"My cell phone was in my pocket of my blue jeans. They needed to be washed so I threw them in the wash forgetting to grab my phone. All of the sudden I heard a banging noise coming from the washer. It was my cell phone in the washer on the spin cycle. I took it out and put it in a Bheestie bag for 24 hours. My phone was back to normal. Thanks to Bheestie. Katie
"I dropped my cell phone in a coke at an Astros game. It wouldn’t even turn on. After I used Bheestie my phone was back to normal. T.E."

For more information on the Bheestie Bag, please visit their official website - link enclosed. BHEESTIE Bag� - Helps remove water from a cellphone or other small electronic


Happy (dry) trails!

Photos, courtesy of Bheestie Bag.

Buenos Aires - Home Baked Cookies and Alfajores!

Christmas is coming guys, and there's nothing that spells love more than home baked goods for the holidays.

With that in mind, if you're fortunate enough to have a Buenos Aires layover coming up, you'll have a chance to order the best Alfajor cookies ever - lemon zest cookies rolled in coconut, filled with Dulce de Leche caramel - from Diego at donapampa@yahoo.com. They cost $10 a dozen, come beautifully wrapped in a box, and they are to die for, I swear!!!

Please notify him the day before you leave and he will have your cookies delivered to the hotel on the day of your pickup.. Yummy!

Don't forget to get an extra box for yourself. If you try one, you won't be able to stop after the first one, I swear! The are divine!

Happy Holidays! and thanks Diego!

Diego's Home Made Cookies
donapampa@yahoo.com