We leave tomorrow! I can’t believe it…
And as if to still any residual fears I had about travelling with diabetes, I’ve just made contact with Lara Mckane – another young diabetic who’s travelled through South-East Asia and has some words of wisdom to share with us… What great timing!
1. Hello! Please could you introduce yourself – name, age, how long you’ve been diabetic?
Hi, my name is Lara Mckane. I’ve just turned 29. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 21 – so I’ve had it for roughly 9 years.
2. Where have you traveled?
Well, after studying I went overseas to work in the UK. While over there I was diagnosed with diabetes. After living in the UK for 3 years I went backpacking around Australia with a friend for a year. From there I raised enough money to travel South-East Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos for a further 8 months.)
3. What was the most difficult thing about traveling with diabetes?
I love hiking… While in Cambodia we did a few hikes over numerous days, and although this wasn’t difficult it took some planning – making sure I had enough food and glucose in case of emergencies. Also making sure my insulin was kept cool in 3rd world countries where not having fridges is common practice.
4. How prepared were you before you left?
I did alot of research and preparing before going to Auz – making sure I could get the correct insulin while over there and that I had adequate medical cover in case of emergency. Asia, however, was a different story – I didn’t prepare at all other than taking adequate supplies of medicine and snacks.
5. Do you have any hints or tips for diabetics who want to travel?
I think it’s important to do research into the country before leaving – things like can you purchase a similar insulin, similar glucose strips etc over there. Also take a cooler bag or ice bags with you, to keep your insulin cool at all times – because you never know if you may break down for a few hours at a time.
Don’t let something like diabetes hinder your dreams – as long as you look after yourself and prepare yourself adequately there is no reason why you can’t do anything you set your mind to. I’ve dived the barrier reef, hiked through the jungle, sky-dived and still dream of climbing Kiliminjaro.
Which, for those of you outside of South Africa, is the biggest health website in the country.
Check it out! www.health24.com
Front-page story about our upcoming trip… Fame at last!
And it’s a really lovely interview.
Now I’m off to run errands all morning – chat to you later!
Exotic Brazil pics (here and below)
Here it is, as promised! The second half of my interview with the very inspiring, very well-traveled Martha Iskyan. For those of you just joining us today (go and read yesterday’s post first!) Martha and her husband, Howard (a Type 2 diabetic) have travelled pretty much all over the world, and have very kindly agreed to share some travelling tips with us.
Here goes…
4. How prepared were you before you left?
We were very prepared. We knew how we would get from the airport to the hotel or B&B or wherever we stayed the first night, so that there would not be any anxiety or confusion about that. After that first day/night, we could plan what we wanted to do by reading the Lonely Planet, our travel “bible”. We also had car rentals reserved online, before we left, since that is much cheaper than walking into an office and renting a car.
We had a general schedule of staying in one city so many days, but if we did not like the place, we left earlier, or if we liked it, we stayed longer.
We travel light: each one medium sized expandable suitcase on rollers, each a small pack-back, Martha a small purse that fits under her jacket, and Howard a small flat envelope-sized bag around his neck with important credit cards and extra cash.
When we walked in cities, I kept a small amount of money and one credit card in my sock. Each of us had two different credit cards, in case one card would not work, another would. ATMs the world over are fickle! Particularly in Brazil! Some cities still run on an ancient CIRRUS system, and our cards would not be accepted in the whole city! HSCB banks are the best and always took our cards.
5. Do you have any hints or tips for diabetics who want to travel?
Some hints: See above… and more…
Clothing for different climates was a challenge. We found that being able to “layer” was the best; i.e. 2 pairs of basic pants: several tops with short and long sleeves, fleece jackets, one heavy sweater, and a windbreaker jacket with a hood. It looks like your schedule takes you mostly to warm climates during the time of year those countries are in summer.
Every day, I inspected Howard’s feet to ensure there were no blisters or athlete’s foot and toenails were short. I gave him foot massages for circulation using a good all purpose cream. We brought flip flops to use in bathrooms.
If you feel a cold or fever coming on, or have flu symptoms, go to the doctor immediately. We cannot stress this enough. Do not rely on remedies of pharmacists. They want to help, but cannot prescribe antibiotics and that is what you need to take. (However, pharmacists are very good at giving directions when you are lost. They usually live in the city or village, are intelligent and speak some English.)
Always travel in two’s. I noticed when Howard would get tired or sluggish, before he realized that his sugar had dropped dramatically, while we were walking.
The way to get his carbohydrate level up was the universal great drink: BEER! How he enjoyed that!
It also gave us a time-out to regroup and review how much more we were going to walk, see, or decide if it was time for lunch.
We usually had one large meal a day: lunchtime. During the day we would purchase some whole wheat bread, cheese, fruit, drinks, (beer or maybe a small bottle of wine) and enjoy this in the hotel room in the evenings.
Take one regular syringe with you, just in case your pen doesn’t work, for some unexplained reason, so that you can still draw the insulin out. We have had this happen twice now. That way you do not waste the whole pen, if there is still a lot of insulin left, and you will not run out, since you will take exactly what you need!
Make sure you have prescriptions for every medication you take, in case you need a refill, but also to show to the airport control, if they question your insulin pens. (We have never had anyone question this, but you never know).
Do not carry anything more than 100CC of liquids or creams in your carry-on bags, nor scissors.
We had a small blanket in the backpack to sit on, or to use if we were cold: a spoon, fork and small knife and bottle opener. We also brought or bought a small bag of whole grain cereals, to eat for breakfast if there were only croissants and coffee (often the case in Argentina and Chile). Brazil has by far the BEST breakfasts anywhere!
In restaurants we asked for vegetables instead of the daily ration of chips and rice. We never had any questions about that. Sometimes, we had to pay a little extra, but that was worth it. Try to eat only peeled fruits or fruit that you can peel yourself, and cooked veggies, to ensure that you are not getting some bug.
Most of the time we drank the water out of the faucets, but it is probably advisable to have bottled water for night-time drinking.
We had a check list that we used every day, either before leaving on a daily outing in a city, or when we left the hotel. I would go over the check list and we both would say, “got it.” My job was to look under the covers and under the bed(s) and check the bathroom, as the last person leaving the room.
Have an awesome time, enjoy every moment and above all, relax and take the ride in stride! Howard and I are intending to make a round-the-world trip, if and when he retires!
We will then see the places we have not seen yet!
