Visas

Something new we've had to deal with on this trip compared to previous trips is the need to acquire Visas for entry into some of the countries we'd like to visit. Somehow I've managed to avoid countries where a Visa is required for entry, so I had some learning to do for this trip. The majority of the countries we're visiting in the next few months need Visas for entry, but these can be arranged at the border or airport when you try to enter the country. The big exceptions to this are China and India. These needed to be arranged in advance from home....

Our passports arrived in the mail on Friday with our India Visa pasted inside. Woohoo! We're now set! The China Visa was a bit of a pain to procure, since you can no longer mail it directly to the embassy. You have to use a Visa processing company, which tags a fee onto the already high cost of the Visa itself ($130 each). China quickly figured out that it could double the price of its Visa costs due to the impending Olympics in Beijing, so even those of us who are trying to avoid those games get tagged with the high Visa cost.

It's worth noting that the United States has some of the highest Visa costs in the world, making it one of the hardest countries to enter. Many other countries that have high Visa prices for US citizens do so in direct response to the US imposing these same high prices on its citizens trying to enter the US. A good example of this is Brazil. It costs $100 for a US citizen to enter Brazil, but only because it costs a similar price for a Brazilian to enter the US. Hmmmm......

Ah, logistics.....

-Matt!

The Route

Hello!

I've added a graphic of our route; It makes it look like we are jumping all over the place, but really the trip focuses on 3 (possibly 4) areas: SE Asia/China, Nepal/N. India, and Eastern Europe (with a possible addition of an as-yet-to-be-determined section of South America). Other yellow dots on the map are layovers for a day or two; Dubai and Dublin being the most prominent. Of course, this is all subject to change!

-Matt!

Immunizations

My arm hurts! I went in today and received the travel immunizations I needed for this trip.

Getting to the point where I could finally do these shots was a ridiculously long process, because I (almost unfortunately) found out that they were covered under my health insurance plan. Apparently, under Arizona state law, medically necessary immunizations are required to be covered, regardless of the reason for needing them. I was told by multiple people at Aetna (my insurance co), that yes, they were indeed covered. Great! Unfortunately, nowhere in my network gives the immunizations required, so I've basically spent a month calling my doctor's office and Aetna trying to get an out-of-network referral so I can have them covered. I won't go into details, but this process has been ridiculously difficult. I've been stubborn and persistent though, because one of the vaccinations I was hoping to have covered was Japanese encephalitis (JE), a series of three shots that costs almost $500. We had to start this series over a month before we leave on our trip, so I finally just made an appointment for today.

Ironically, after all of this hassle, Sarah and I made a last minute decision NOT to get the JE vaccination (literally while in the waiting room). Based on research last night and reading the Center for Disease Control info on this disease, we won't be at as much risk as we thought in many of the areas we are going to. We'll take extra precaution against mosquitoes, but then again, we were going to do that anyway.

So I left the lab this morning with three bandaids on my left upper arm. I got the adult booster for polio (for India), yellow fever (for South America), and typhoid (general). Sarah left with no shots whatsoever, since she's more on top of these things than I and has already finished her immunizations. She'd only gone to the clinic with me because we were going to get the JE shots.

Whew! Another step in the pre-trip process taken care of. And it only cost $250 instead of $800.

-Matt!

‘Round the World.

Well, it’s time to do some wandering. After almost two years with Tucson Audubon, I’m trading my in desk for a backpack, and heading out on a grand adventure for a while. It hardly seems like so much time has gone by since I joined the TAS family. What great people! I’ve gotten a chance to work a varied and interesting schedule, from directing the Institute of Desert Ecology and Riparian Family Institutes, to planting trees with the Restoration crew, to mapping out data and doing bird surveys for the Important Bird Areas program. Along the way I’ve gotten to know many incredible people through programs, guided walks, and in the office.

In June, my girlfriend (and fellow TAS employee) Sarah Prasek, and I are flying to China, where we will begin an overland journey through China and into Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. From there, we’ll take a short flight to Nepal and spend some time in the Himalayas before moving down into northern India. Another flight will land us in Turkey (by way of Dubai), where we will again travel overland through Eastern Europe. Along the way I’m hoping to see a few birds (to say the least). We’re taking one carry-on bag each and using public transportation the whole way. We’ll be back sometime in December and will rejoin the Tucson Audubon staff. To keep up with our journey, check future issues of the Vermillion Flycatcher or my blog at wherearesarahandmatt.blogspot.com. Que te vaya bien!