Why I Might Make a Great Boy Scout

Normally, trips I've planned come up so fast that all the last minute details get pushed aside, I throw everything into a bag hoping that I've got what I need, and then collapse into my seat, exhausted, once I've boarded the plane! Having been out of school the last week, I have had the luxury to obsess about every possible scenario. The result is that with the normal allotment of clothing and supplies, I have brought:

1. An extra memory card for my camera (even though I have plenty of storage and plan to transfer images to my laptop each evening)

2. Medications, including but not limited to Acidophilus for "good bacteria", allergy medications in case some as yet undiscovered allergies arise on my first trip to Asia, and decongestants to help fight pollution's attack on the respiratory system

3. Woolite in case I need to handwash clothes

4. Extra t-shirts in case I'm too lazy to handwash clothes

5. Hand Sanitizer, extra toilet paper, two copies of my passport and visa, and a mini first-aid kit comprised of bandaids and travel size Neutrogena tube crammed into an old Altoids tin

And I'm certain that I've forgotten something important!

Here is what the weather forecast looks like. It will be brutally hot!

Next week in Beijing: