In Two Days

In two days, I will be leaving for India. The Spider Monkey is accompanying. It should be the trip of a lifetime.

And yes, I know I have bunny ears in the picture.

So I set up a new blog for the trip . . . because I wanted to try out the competition, and really it is a separate thing.

spidermonkeyandems.wordpress.com

Hopefully, I will be able to update from the hotels, late at night. We will see.

I am already struggling with the fact that I may be too high maintenance . . . I am the one who wants the five star hotel at the end, I am the one signing up for the Skyclub Membership because I don't want to sit in the airport or more specifically, I want to sit in the nice part of the airport with the cookies, the "free" soda, and the nice people who can also afford to sit there. I'm definitely a "flashpacker" not a backpacker. And I have a feeling this is going to be a dirty vacation. (I did go for eight days without a shower on a "tall ships" trip)

And then I loop to "who cares?" and I'm fine. I'll bring home lots of pictures. I get to ride a camel. All Yayness. So check it out.

Because Nothing will be Easy

I am leaving for India in a week and a half.

And today was a good example of my preparation for the trip.

Several months ago, I went to a "travel doctor" at a significant cost to myself to make sure that I would be ready to go what is considered a third world country. They handed me a printout of the risks of going to India (something I could have printed off the internet myself . . . but hey, I didn't have a working printer then), tested me for resistance to Mumps, Measles, Rubella and Chicken Pox (I was NOT resistant to Measles. Good to know), gave me several vaccinations and two prescriptions, and sent me on my way. They refused to give me a rabies vaccination (a bad plan, considering the chance of me being bitten by a monkey) (and if anyone could be bitten by a monkey, it would be me). Oh, and charged me a good bit of money.

One of the prescriptions was for Cipro. The other, Larium . . . or mefloquine. Now Larium is known for it's bad side effects. There are websites dedicated to stories of lives ruined by Larium. The nurse said it was all bad press, but it's a little disturbing that I have to carry a card in my wallet. And I am the queen of bad side effects, especially with medications where there are little known side effects. So I'm hoping since there are lots of KNOWN side effects, I'll take Larium and nothing will happen. Just like thousand of other people. (The dreams are supposed to be very, very vivid)

So yesterday I decide it is time to fill these prescriptions. I have to take my first dose of Larium on Saturday to be ready in case a mosquito decides to feast on me. I drop off my prescriptions at my "local pharmacy" which is a Target relatively near my house. 20 minutes later they call. My insurance company has denied one of my prescriptions. Cool. I'm still in the store. I come back to the pharmacy for clarification.

I need 9 pills. One week ahead of my trip. Four Saturdays during my trip. Four Saturdays after my trip. My insurance will only pay for four pills - a 30 day supply. I will have to call them for an "override" as I will still be in India when I need a fifth pill. Okay. Sounds reasonable.

And here is where it goes wrong . . . sounds reasonable . . . sounded reasonable to mail my passport to get a visa too . . . should be easy . . .

Next morning, call my insurance company and explain my situation. Nice lady puts me on hold for a long time. No problem. Just have the doctor call. We'll give you an override. This takes me fifteen minutes.

Call the travel medicine place. Remember, I paid them a good bit of money for them to give me a printout and a pamphlet. I explain my situation. I only need five bills, a seven day override. I get fifteen minutes of interrogation about why I didn't fill these prescriptions several months ago and why I didn't know that insurance companies don't fill prescriptions for more than thirty days. I was supposed to telepathically know that I was supposed to walk out of their office and fill my prescriptions two months early . . . so I could get a refill (for the drugs I had not yet used) the next month.

This conversation was very much like the one where I was supposed to telepathically know that the visa company was going to send my passport "no signature required" and that I should send my own airbill if I didn't want stuff just dumped on my porch (maybe . . . if it even got to my porch).

Finally, despite my lack of telepathic skills, the nurse agrees to call for me. She almost immediately calls me back. "Your insurance company says you need a signed form from your employer for a vacation waiver." So my insurance company will not pay for one additional malaria med without a note from my employer . . . but they will pay when I come down with malaria?

And my employer? I didn't even bother. Everyone who knows anything was forced to retire and everyone else is on vacation. I work for a school district and it is the month of July. Good luck with contacting them.

So I pay for the fifth pill on my own. A pill that will possibly give me vivid nightmares of animals and people killing me. All for 13.99. I hear college kids pay much more than that for other stuff that does the same thing.

As I drove to pick them up . . . after finding every prescription in my house, so that my insurance company could pay for those . . . I thought to myself "nothing about this trip has been easy".

So hopefully, once I get there, India will be a beautiful relaxing feast for my senses. Elephants and nice happy monkeys that do not bite me. Bright colors and yummy lassi. And shopping like I have never known.

I have a passport. I have a visa. I have five anti-malarial pills.

I have a hat that you can squash into a little-bitty circle. It will be fine . . .