Cheaper than Garage Sale Undies

Gina and I have made happy inhabitants of Laos, a mountainous country with plenty of cave-exploration, pre-Angkorian structures, a neato French influence and tons of learning. Yes! I am constantly doing that self-introspective thing that makes me and everyone else who hates the rapidity of my parentheticals absolutely nuts. Alas, it was such a long entry about body image, that I figured everyone could just go see "The Vagina Monologues" instead and probably be better off.

So here's a different sort of treasure for you:

Gina and I are the cheapest travelers on the planet. Her fastidiousness concerning money has saved my wallet...kind of. The following is a list of dirt cheap things we've done.
*Note: This entry may not be suitable for the faint of heart, germophobic, or easily nauseated.

• When Gina was wounded on Ko Tao, they gave her a giant gauze bandage...instead of buying more gauze, Gina would save it, wash it out...then use it again after re-treating the wound. This became a problem when it was noticeably bloody (ew), so, we cut up a sock, courtesy of Cathay Pacific.
• Once, we cleaned our feet with moist toilettes meant to be put on your head. A bus freebie.
• Between the two of us, we use one bar of soap. This bar is for hair, bodies and clothes. It is sacred, and finding the next natural bar of soap is a bargaining and pricing adventure.
• We buy yoghurt at the gas station or minimart for breakfast whenever we can, even if the savings is only in the 10 cent margin.
• We will walk 2 miles to buy 6 liters of water at a savings of sixty cents.
• We will use an airplane freebie toothbrush for two weeks to extend the longevity of our good ones.
• In the absence of a spatula, bread crusts will get the peanut butter from the bottom of the jar.
• Plain, cheap crackers and apples are the new hangover food (Gone are the days of West 4th Falafel, sadly).
• Excitement is finding a can of coca-cola light for under US 60 cents.
• We will find a wooded clearing and make the other stand guard if it means not paying to use squats.
• We take the bus over any sort of terrain, even if that means 7 hours to go 100 kilometers over a mountain range. And on that bus, if JoAnne gets stuck in the back between a man with an M22 weapon (I had a good, long time to inspect it, each time the barrel struck my knee in the tumult of the twists and turns) AND a small child, throwing up out the window, it's okay...because she's saved $2.
• We will take shared taxis for 3 hour rides with 6 other passengers. That's right: a small sedan with 5 in the back, 3 in the front.
• We bought a sarong in Thailand (in absence of a beach towel) but it's hard to share...so we contemplated cutting it in half.

Even though we are so cheap, our funds are dwindling...so...there has been a major change in itinerary. Gina and I are going to Australia for the month of April. There we will stay with Gillum family friends: John and Diana, and hopefully run into some under the table work.

(More cheap fun with Champ in a park in Hanoi- a couple taking their wedding photos thought this was great, so we are now part of someone's memories of the happiest day of their lives. In our tevas and one-bar-of-soap grungy glory.)

Love to all,

J