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Questions and Answers We love receiving questions from people -- whether they are armchair travelers or world explorers. We’ve even had questions from our own parents! Please be aware that these questions and responses were from the year 2003. In some cases, we have changed the way we do things. If you have questions of us, please send them to mail@TwoGypsies.com. Q&A Q: How much electricity do you use on Pioneer, and how do you keep up with the demand? Q: How safe is sailing, and what kind of safety equipment do you carry aboard Pioneer? Q: What immunizations do you need for SE Asia? Q: How much electricity do you use on Pioneer, and how do you keep up with the demand? A: When we renovated Pioneer we anticipated using a lot of electricity, and we do! When the new engine was installed, we threw out the existing four Group 29 batteries and installed four Lifeline AGM 4D batteries. Because they are large and heavy (142 lbs each), this was no small undertaking. But that gave us 840 amp/hrs of capacity (only up to half of which is usable, in order to extend the life of the batteries). We also threw out the old Heart inverter/charger (1000 watt/50amps), and replaced it with the largest model (3000 watt/140 amps). This means we can run electrical appliances such as the coffee maker, toaster, microwave, television, computer and various tools without exceeding the wattage limit. Our typical daily usage at anchor is about 90-150 amp/hrs. When we're plugged into shore power, which is rarely, the charge rate is swift. That's the beauty of matching high capacity batteries (AGMs can accept a super high charge rate) with a big charger. All this electrical usage has to be replaced somehow, even while we're at anchor. We added a second Balmar alternator on a custom made frame on the top of the new engine. Its capacity is 210 amp/hrs, and not only does it do a great job charging the batteries while we are motoring, it produces about 100 amps while the engine is idling (!) and up to 140 amps at fast idle. While our system is new, and we aren't sailing in extremely remote areas, we feel confident not having an additional charging source, such as a wind or solar generator. We may eventually add one or the other, or simply carry an gasoline powered generator such as the super quiet 2000 watt Honda portable. It is small and light enough to keep stored in a remote location, to be used only in the case of emergency need. If we are anchored for long periods, we find it necessary to run the engine about once every second or third for about 90 minutes to two hours, in order to charge the batteries. We usually put transmission in reverse while charging, to put a healthy load on the engine and keep it up to normal operating temperatures. Naturally this requires a sharp lookout -- not only in case the anchor could drag (although that huge CQR hasn't dragged yet under any circumstance), but because "prop walk" causes the boat to slowly rotate toward the left (Port side) while running in reverse. If we are in shallow water, we do not put the engine in gear, avoiding the possibility that sand could be kicked up and be sucked into the engine cooling water system. Because the inverter itself uses considerable power, we try to limit its use, and when it is on, we use it to run or charge several things at once. While making coffee in the morning, for example, we are sure to be charging the computer at the same time. But the best time to charge things is while running the engine to charge the AGM batteries. When the amperage being accepted begins to step down, the alternator is not running at full capacity. We then charge everything possible. Examples include rechargeable 12v batteries (12 at at time), the portable drill, VHF radio, cell phone, spotlight and various other flashlights and tools. We have found that no matter how much electrical capacity one has, there is always a tendency to add equipment that requires still more. We think our decision to completely revise our electrical system while we were installing the new engine -- and include state of the art components and huge electrical cables -- was an excellent plan. We decided early on that if a boat were to be our only home, we would not skimp on certain things. We think that having enough electrical power is essential in many ways. And after the sun sets in a secluded anchorage and we decide to share a bottle of wine and watch a movie, it's just plain nice. Q: How safe is sailing, and what kind of safety equipment do you carry aboard Pioneer? A: Sailing magazine photos of beautiful boats resting peacefully at anchor in the perfect tropical cove mislead non-sailors into believing that ours is an easy lifestyle devoid of stress or danger. Boy would THAT assumption be wrong! Scores of books have been written about the thousands of ways sailors can come to grief -- and how to minimize those dangers. To protect ourselves, we maintain Pioneer in seaworthy condition, keep ourselves informed, and work to enhance our sailing skills. Here are a few examples of things that can go wrong, and the decisions we have made to enhance our safety. There are 18 holes through our boat below the waterline. They provide or drain water for a variety of boat systems, house the propeller and rudder shafts and connect various hardware. Any of these "thru-hulls" could fail, potentially sinking the boat. To save money, some people use plastic thru-hull fittings and valves in key locations. We use bronze. When Pioneer was re-powered and underwent exhaustive additions, changes and upgrades, safety more than any other factor, guided hundreds of equipment and hardware decisions. A boat can be almost impossible to see in the open ocean, especially in the kind of weather that might be causing it to sink. If disaster strikes in spite of our many defenses against it and Pioneer is in serious danger of going down, we have several ways to summon help. Our GPIRB is an electronic device the size of a breadbox. It has a GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) receiver and two transmitters inside. To send a "mayday" call, we can set it off manually -- or it will start automatically when exposed to salt water. Via two types of satellites (polar and geo-synchronous) it can send distress signals encoded with our PRECISE location (within 100 feet) - no matter where we are on any body of water in the world. Because the signal contains a unique identifying code, authorities will know who we are, the size and type of our boat, the safety gear aboard and the number of people. The GPIRB also emits a short range homing signal to help guide rescue vessels and aircraft as they close in on our location, which could be changing quickly in strong winds or currents. We also have a new high-tech VHF-DSC marine radio. VHF (very high frequency) radios are intended for local calling. The great thing about this new technology is that the radio accepts a GPS signal expressed in latitude/longitude. It is accurate to about 10 feet anywhere on earth). This means the radio knows exactly where we are all the time. If we have an emergency, we can push the red distress button, activating the DSC (Digital Selective Calling) function. The radio will automatically tune itself to the new international distress frequency (eventually most boats in the world will share it) and emit a distress signal encoded with our precise location and the time it was first transmitted. Best of all, it will "network" itself, passing the emergency signal -- and after response, voice traffic -- through radios on other boats so rescue authorities can initiate a search. Each time the emergency button is pushed the boat's location is updated. We can also use this radio to talk with other boats on a non-emergency basis over great distances, again by relaying the signal from boat to boat through other radios. Marine SSB (Single Sideband) and HAM shortwave radio (ours is an ICOM 710 with automatic tuner and backstay antenna) is very useful because can receive news and weather forecasts and various other reports, and allow us to talk with other sailors to compare notes on the weather or anything else over distances of hundreds or even thousands of miles. During ocean crossings, many sailors check in with each other once or twice a day to discuss weather and sea conditions and to help resolve any problems. This radio also has an emergency button. When pushed, it emits an emergency signal that can be heard great distances by the Coast Guard, other authorities, and anyone else with this technology. The radio is capable of broadcasting on a wide range of frequencies, allowing the user to match frequency bands to propagation conditions existing at any moment. Our Pactor III modem is the newest addition. It's rather like the modem used to connect a home computer to the Internet, except that this device works with our laptop computer and the shortwave radio to send and receive e-mail, weather charts and a variety of other critical information - to and from just about anywhere in the world. The transmission rate is slow, about one minute per text page, but we can receive important messages no matter how isolated we are physically, and without any connection to land. We take great care that this e-mail address does not fall into the hands of people who would send large attachments or forward the kind of "humor" and other nonsense and "spam" that clogs computers and the Internet worldwide. An onslaught of that kind of material would render this expensive system useless to us. We also have a new high-tech life raft. Becky has been working with one of the very best makers of ocean life rafts, Winslow, and we can't recommend them highly enough. They can vacuum pack a four-person ocean life raft down to about half the size of a suitcase -- AND, in whatever shape we specify. We found a convenient space on the boat, gave Winslow its dimensions, and they packed the life raft to precisely fit that space. If Pioneer is sinking we can tug a chord and within six seconds the raft will inflate, allowing us to climb into it as the boat sinks out from beneath us (the ONLY time it should be used). As we do that, we'll grab the EPIRB and other safety gear including flares, smoke bombs, food and water and fishing gear. One reason we installed such huge battery capacity in Pioneer - beyond supplying electricity for daily living -- is for its ability to power radios and lights and run pumps and motors for a long time even if our main diesel engine can't be started in the wake of an emergency (or for any other reason). As additional insurance we bought a 2000 watt Honda gasoline powered generator that can sit on the deck, charge batteries, run bilge pumps and other emergency equipment and even keep the refrigerator operating -- by the day, if necessary. It runs about six hours on a gallon of gasoline. The safety devices we use most often are high-tech PFD's (Personal Flotation Devices). They are relatively comfortable to wear and will inflate in two seconds when a chord is pulled -- or when they have been in salt water more than a few seconds. They are fitted with stainless steel rings to which we connect high strength retractable tethers. When conditions require - and always when sailing at night - we keep ourselves tethered to the boat. On the other hand, if the boat should actually sink, our tethers can be quickly released to avoid our going down too. We love Pioneer, but if it goes to Davey Jones' Locker, we don't plan on making that trip. On the stern, we have a tall pole fitted with a flag. It will float standing straight up if tossed into the water. It will be easier to see than a person floating in steep waves. We also have two other types of floatation devices that can be thrown to someone in the water. We do everything we can to avoid ever having to use these expensive items. But it's sure nice to know they are available - just in case. Q: You have announced plans to initiate an extremely adventuresome trip throughout Indochina and Nepal over the coming six to eight months. Where do you even begin to plan such an adventure? A: Good question! Even though we have visited a combined 64 countries in our lives of continuous travel, this coming trip is a real challenge because it will cover such diverse topography, climate and governments. Some of the areas we plan to visit have only been open to outsiders a short time. You have to think about all those active land mines buried all over Cambodia, for example. To a great extent we rely on past experiences, adjusting things as necessary. Health is a big consideration. Many of the areas we’ll travel, including remote jungle villages we have visited before, have serious problems with TB, resistant strains of Malaria, Dengue Fever and numerous other threatening diseases. We’ll be in area where a lot of dangerous insects and animals (including wild Tigers) are found, so we’ll be especially wary of those additional safety concerns. We carry an extensive medical kit, as much printed medical information as we can carry, and we load our computer with all kinds of medical information and lists of numbers to call in an emergency. In a life threatening emergency, our Platinum American Express card is most valuable. If necessary, they will arrange transport for either of us, whether our problem is disease or accident, to an appropriate medical facility, even if it’s in another country -- and at no cost to us. So a great amount of planning relates to health and safety. Pre-departure immunizations are a must, and a complete medical record must be carried in order to be turned back at some international borders. Transportation is a challenge and on this trip we’ll be using airlines, boats, trains, busses, private vehicles, motorcycles -- and perhaps even an elephant or two. Having done these things before certainly helps. We try to use accrued airline miles to reduce expense, and we take advantage of airline specials. For example, our flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok will be in business class on China Airlines, but because we will take advantage of post-SARS ticket specials (an effort to get people flying again) our tickets will cost less than coach tickets might have last year. And the best part is the comfortable seats, great service, and ability to change schedules without penalty. We often rent motorcycles, and have only crashed a few times. All across Asia it’s possible to hop in the back of “bemos” or other small pickup-truck “busses” and travel extremely cheaply. Basically, we plan the major legs of a big trip first, knowing that we can fill in local transportation needs later. Flexibility is very important. Lodging is a big expense, and we rely on books such as Lonely Planet to guide us to the bargains. In most places discounts are available for longer term stays. We shy away from places that take credit cards (although not always), because they usually cost more. Money: In many places ATM machines are the best way to obtain cash in local currency. The commission is almost always less than at banks, and there is no hassle. Sometimes we carry traveler’s checks (American Express are best). In the case of the upcoming trip, visas will be a challenge. In Asia you can go embassies of other countries and obtain visas. But there is quite an art to it. In some places they are cheaper. In some cases it’s better to wait until you arrive somewhere. In other cases you’ll be turned away if you arrive without one. Again, read up in advance. Another good source of information involves the experiences of other travelers -- whether via Internet, friends sitting around at home, or people you run into on the trail. You’ll find that most adventure travelers are eager to help those following. I guess there is no short answer to your question. There are thousands of details to attend to -- not the least of which is arranging for bills back home to be paid and taxes prepared, and mail to be forwarded. We suggest you read our logs of previous travels. The log on Indonesia is an especially good one because it deals with especially difficult challenges of this lifestyle. Q: You mentioned that you are going to Nepal. Where is Nepal, and what’s so special about it? Where will you live? A: Nepal is a landlocked country north of India and south of China. If you had an airplane that could travel the shortest distance there, nonstop, from Houston, Texas, Kathmandu would be a flight of 8,475 miles and the route would take you directly over the North Pole. Before landing, you would fly near the highest place in Nepal, which is also the highest place in the world: Mount Everest. Its top is 29,035 feet above sea level. Our route will be much further. We will begin in Solomons, Maryland, travel to Los Angeles, California, then to Taipei, Taiwan, then to Bangkok, Thailand, then to Kathmandu. Solomons, MD to Los Angeles airport via Yuma 2,829 Total: 12,578 miles, 130 more than the shortest distance between any two points on precise opposite sides of the earth. About 25 million people live in Nepal. Currently the average life expectancy is 58 years. A very poor country by world standards, it’s people are 90 percent Hindu. The country is perhaps best known worldwide because of the many mountain climbers who attempt to climb Mount Everest. Why go there? Here is a paragraph from the “Lonely Planet” guidebook on Nepal: “Draped along the greatest heights of the Himalaya, the kingdom of Nepal is a land of sublime scenery, time-worn temples, and some of the best walking trails on earth. It's a poor country, but it is rich in scenic splendor and cultural treasures. The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the Western imagination and it's a difficult place to dislodge from your memory once you return home.” Our personal goals in going there include a desire to come to know the people and learn their customs and views, and our desire to travel high enough into the mountains to take some great photos of the world’s highest mountain range. We have purchased a high quality digital camera capable to taking photos of 14MB each, just for this trip. Friends who have been there say they were charmed by the gentle people and stunned by the scenery. They tell us, and the guidebooks agree, that the best time to visit is late in the year. Summer is rainy and hot, the dead of winter is cold, and during much of the rest of the year the air is not clear. The best time to be there is early October through mid December, which is our plan. Through e-mail, we have negotiated a good rate at Hotel Thamel in Kathmandu. After arriving there and resting up from the long trip, we will first explore the city and its temples and people, later venturing further from the city. We are considering a trip from there to Tibet, a stark, isolated and very high area of southern China. When we get to Nepal we will post more details in our logs (assuming we can get our computer on line to upload the information). This will not be an easy trip, but for both of us it has long been a goal. In fact, it was on our schedule in 2001 but we postponed it because of political instability there in the wake of the Crown Prince’s murder of the entire Royal Family (and himself), and because in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the United States and Americans in general worldwide we felt it was not safe to travel then. Q: What immunizations do you need for SE Asia? Preparing for an extended visit to south and Southeast Asia is a blast – literally. Immunizations are an important part of planning for trips abroad, whether brief or extended. Not only would it be risky to overlook this protection, it could prohibit entry into some countries. Vaccination requirements vary throughout south and Southeast Asia, but here is an example of the protection recommended for Nepal: Because the expense of many kinds of immunizations can be significant – some require three shots at $160 each – we have learned when and where to receive both initial and supplemental protection. In some locations the same drugs can be considerably less expensive. For example, a travelers’ clinic in Kathmandu charges only $35 for shots that would cost us $160 in the US. If you think that’s insignificant, think of it this way: There are places where immunizations from reputable clinics cost $100 less per shot than in the USA. If you are going there anyway, and have the time necessary to complete the series, the savings can pay a good share of your travel airfare. Before we went to Borneo (before this expedition began in 1999) we received a broad battery of shots and oral prophylactics. Since then we’ve had immunizations and boosters in a variety of locations, some quite unusual. For example: the upstairs warehouse of a drugstore in Mexico. In another case, Don cut his foot in southern Thailand and received a tetanus booster. Unfortunately, there was no way of later knowing whether the immunization also carried an anti-diphtheria drug, meaning that he had to repeat the booster in preparation for Nepal. On the other hand, several years ago Don didn’t have the Japanese Encephalitis series because he thought it was too expensive. Becky opted to have the shots. For Don it was a calculated risk, but all was well. Now that we’ve learned that the shots are available in Nepal at 25% of the U.S. cost, Don will have the series and Becky will have a booster as soon as we arrive there. Although we have collectively visited nearly 60 countries and principalities, neither of us has been seriously ill overseas. Don had the flu in Mexico and kidney stones in Indonesia. Becky felt a little queasy for a time in Thailand, and had some blurred vision problems with an anti-malarial pill. Both of us were repeatedly exposed to Tuberculosis, but tested negative. And both of us have suffered minor injuries. But overall we have enjoyed good health – due in no small measure to pre-trip immunizations. We’ve also been careful while traveling. We are careful what we eat, sure to protect ourselves from mosquitoes, cautious about where we went – even though we have traveled in places considered dangerous by many people. Central Borneo, areas along the Thailand-Burma border and remote islands in eastern Indonesia, are examples. We also carry a medical kit, and it has come in handy. We are never without some antibiotics, bandages, painkillers, snakebite kit, intestinal and stomach medication, rash and skin irritation prevention, and information about various maladies. Our coming trip to Nepal, Tibet and much of Indochina carry their own unique risks. For example, the road between Kathmandu and Lhasa tops out at nearly 17,000 feet. You can bet we’ll have plenty of high altitude sickness medicine. And finally, if worse comes to worse we carry Advanced Medical Directives, organ donor cards and our notarized Wills wherever we go. Q: We have read of a great deal of strife in Nepal because of Maoist terrorist activities. Now that you are there, what is the real story? A: Without question, Nepal has its problems -- politically, socially, militarily and economically. We have thought long and hard about how to answer this question and find no better way than quoting an October 21, 2003 opinion piece by Ameet Dhakal in The Kathmandu Post. Shortened only slightly, it said: Sometimes a song effectively communicates what voluminous books and scores of leaders fail to say. So does American megastar Bob Dylan’s song “Blowin’ in the Wind.” “How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky? Yes, ‘n how many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry? Yes, ‘n how many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind.” How many people are too many? We have lost the lives of about 10,000 Nepalis, many innocents among them -- in the sense that they have nothing to do with the ongoing power struggle. Every day the stories of mayhem, brutality and cruelty fill the pages of newspapers, sound bites of TV channels and minds of people. Everyday, we are being traumatized collectively. A school in Doti became a site of heinous crime last week. Maoists forced innocent students in uniform at their school for some cultural lectures inviting army intervention. Reported stated that a sixth grader, while being dragged by the army, begged for her life and pleaded that she was not a Maoist guerilla. Before he could judge her -- if at all he was willing -- another army personnel shot her dead in the back. Maoist leaders have repeatedly downplayed the killings of the innocent, rather glorified them as a necessary prerequisite for the success of their revolution. And the Maoist militants look more and more willing, eager indeed, to kill. Yes, force has been used historically to overthrow unjust rules. But such use of force should follow some principle, even by Maoist standards. CFhe Guevara, the famed revolutionary of the Cuban revolution, once said that the use of force should be aimed at awakening the consciousness of the masses that the present rule is unjustified and change is possible. But the Maoists seem to be in a different trajectory of their revolution. They are using force not to awaken the masses any longer. Having failed to inspire common people, the Maoists are exceedingly showing criminal tendencies to threaten and coerce them. Historically, many radical communists have lost sight and purpose of their revolution and resorted to brutal killing to gain and consolidate power. Joseph Stalin lost it in the former Soviet Union and killed two million of his compatriots, many of them his party’s senior colleagues. Mao lost it in China during the Cultural Revolution, Pol Pot in Cambodia, and Mohammed Siad Barre in Somalia, to name a few. Perhaps Maoists now know that this is not the war they are going to win. They have, hopefully, realized that they misread the regional and international geopolitics. This phase is critical for any revolution, otherwise their rank and file would be in jail, if not dead. They, on the other hand, have the daunting challenge to look for a safe landing. When both look impossible, revolutionary parties have often degenerated into criminal groups. The inertia of violence often eats its initiator. But it would also be a mistake to assume that the army, as it claims, is going to win this war. That’s an absolute lie. the Army’s claim is good only for propaganda value. Henry Kissinger, the veteran American diplomat, commenting on the power dynamics of the modern guerilla warfare, once noted: “The conventional army loses the war by not winning it and guerillas win it by not losing.” So true. Maoists will never defeat the Royal Nepal Army and the latter will never win over the Maoists. We are rapidly sinking into this abyss where both the sides kill each other -- and of course the innocent people -- but no one wins for sure. Those alive will painfully recount Dylan’s song; “Yes, ‘n how many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died?” Somehow, we have to find an end to this war. And the solution has to be political, no doubt. The King, at the helm of affairs, as to take the initiative. Unfortunately, the King looks unwilling to talk, much less reconcile, even with the mainstream political parties. All their weakness and incompetence notwithstanding, give the political parties some credit for soft peddling their agitation against the King and their unwillingness for rapprochement. Now tired, perhaps humiliated, with the Palace’s indifference, they are again gearing up for agitation. It’s a great loss for the King that the upcoming agitation will further draw the monarchy and the political parties asunder while the republican force is stealing the political limelight. This will further corner the King. How could he really overlook this? And, here comes Dylan’s finishing lines of the song: “Yes, ‘n how many times can a man turn his head, pretending he just doesn’t see? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.” Q: You experienced Nepal for two months. We know there are many wonderful and unique things to experience there, but the recent political situation sounds awful. Can you summarize it? Becky and I have visited a combined total of 70 nations (including principalities and protectorates of various kinds), and we have never seen a more pitiful and hopeless situation than exists in Nepal. We think the U.S. is mishandling it by providing military assistance, but that's only a tiny part of the matter. A friend told us it makes no difference whether we tell this story, that people around the world, unless they are directly affected, will not care. That’s the saddest thing of all. |
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