TRIP TO THAILAND -- CHECKOFF LIST:

Bring your passport: You will not be able to enter Thailand without a passport.

Make a xerox copy of your passport: When overseas carry a photocopy copy of your passport with you at all times. Leave your passport in the hotel safe.

Bring your passport: You will not be able to enter Thailand without a passport.

Make a xerox copy of your passport: When overseas carry a photocopy copy of your passport with you at all times. Leave your passport in the hotel safe.

Bring a pouch with a strap: Carry your passport, cash and credit cards in this pouch. Wear the strap around your neck and tuck the pouch under your shirt. If you lose your passport, you will be up the creek without a paddle.

Arrive at your local airport two hours before scheduled departure: When you check your bags through to Bangkok, they are X-rayed. This takes time. If you miss your flight, you are out-of-luck. We have discounted group fare discount tickets. They are non-transferable, non-refundable tickets.

Melatonin capsules: I have had good luck taking a 3mg capsule of melatonin prior to going to bed when I arrive in Thailand, it resets your body's internal clock. Melatonin doesn't seem to suppress your REM sleep. Timed released Melatonin is the best. Do not get Melatonin with B-6 which tend to keep you active. The FDA reports that in the more than two years that melatonin has been available for sale over-the-counter in the United States, no alarming side effects have been reported. Other suggestions to help avert jet-lag: avoid alcohol during the flight, don't have much caffeine, and try not to nap, as this tricks the body into thinking it's night.

Bring an inflatable horseshoe pillow: You can usually buy this in a department store. This is a little inflatable pillow you wear around your neck when you want to sleep sitting up in the airplane seat. This will especially come in handy if you are in an isle or middle seat and can't rest your head against the wall.

Bring eye shades and ear plugs: These help you sleep on the plane. When you get on the plane in the United States set your watch to Thailand time (7:00 A.M. Chicago time on November 10 is 7:00 P.M. Bangkok time). Try to sleep according to Thailand time. If you cannot sleep, just close your eyes and put your mind in neutral. When it is daytime Thailand time -- stay awake! It is particularly important to stay awake on the last leg of the flight to Bangkok -- you will be arriving in Thailand around midnight Thailand time and it will probably be 2:00 A.M. by the time you crawl into bed. Get up around 8:30 A.M., have breakfast, and get out and exercise in the sun. Remember no coffee, chocolate or alcohol on the air flight (except for the two cups of coffee at the beginning of the first flight in the U.S. if you are on the anti jet-lag diet).

Bring snacks for the plane ride: Bring snacks that will satisfy your hunger -- airline peanuts won't do the job. Try to eat at the times you would normally eat if you were already in Thailand. This is normally not possible since the Airlines control when they feed you, all you can do is eat lightly (no deserts, coffee, soft drinks with caffeine or alcohol) when they serve you during Thailand's night (12 midnight - 6:00 A.M. Thailand time) and eat plenty during Thailand's daytime.

Stretch on the plane: On the flight from the United States to the stop-over in Japan you will be sitting for 14 hours straight! The blood tends to pool in your legs and your muscles cramp up. You should periodically get up and walk around and stretch whenever you can.

Bring a 7" X 24" section of a bath-mat: The seat in the teak Swan Boats are highly polished and slippery when wet, and there is no place to lock in your feet. You will slip and slide in the boat. Bath-mats will provide traction for your butt. A bath-mat has tiny suction-cups on the bottom which will stick to the boat's seat.

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Bring a pair of flexible paddling shoes: Regular tennis shoes are too stiff to grip the boat. Swan Boats have large ribs which you can curl your toes around to try to wedge yourself in the boat -- bring flexible paddling shoes. In some years Thai race officials did not let paddlers into the boats without some sort of foot wear, so don't plan on going barefoot. It is also not a good idea to go barefoot in Thailand except on the sandy beaches in the south. If you were to cut yourself, you are guaranteed to get an infection. Spraying "stick-em" on the bottom of your footwear help them grip the slippery surface of the boat.

Bring gloves for paddling: The shafts of the teak paddles are rough and strenuous paddling will result in some nice blisters. If those blisters' break they could become infected from river water. Water-skiing gloves work well, they don't stretch out like leather gloves and they dry quicker. If you just do not like wearing gloves, spraying "stick-em" on your hands will help you hold onto the slippery vanished paddles.

Bring travelers checks: Traveler's checks receive a better exchange rate, plus they are safer to carry than cash.

Exchanging currency: After you pick up your luggage and go through customs, go straight to one of the 24 hour banks located in the Bangkok airport and exchange your traveler's checks or dollars for Thai. Since they charge a transaction fee per each bill or traveler's check exchanged, the larger the bill or traveler's check the lower the cost of the transaction. Bank rates in Thailand are federally regulated, so they are pretty much the same throughout Thailand. You do not need your passport to change U.S. Dollars, but you will need your passport to exchange your travelers checks -- you also need your "travelers' check receipt," even though the instruction that comes with travelers checks say not to carry your receipt with your checks. If you are exchanging dollars, the larger the denomination of the bills the better the exchange rate.

Bring a credit card: You can charge hotel bills, bus tickets, airline tickets, jewelry, purchases, and cash advances on your credit card -- Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards are accepted in Thailand. Not many places accept Diners Club and I know of no businesses in Thailand that accepts the Discovery Card.

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1988--The First United States Men's Swan Boat Team:Pete Kaye, Arno Wainikainen, Todd Roadman, Bob Brock, Chuck Kern, Glen Green, Alex Shezifi, Kris Gike, Dan Everwine, Richard Landis, Mike Blundetto, Doug Guyer, Brian Smiley, Jim Farley, Mark Lewis, Brad Roadman, Pat Franz, Rich Clark, Eric Werner, Marion Ambros, Rocco English; Steersman: Dan Altman; Whistler: Jim Brody; Team Captain: Pete McNamara.

Eat only cooked food or fruit that can be peeled: Some of you will not heed this warning, that is why we are bringing alternate paddlers on this trip. Do not eat from road side vendors. You must worry about getting hepatitis from unclean eating utensils. If you get diarrhea you should not take any medications that stop you up, all that does is to hold the poisons in your body. It is very important that you stay hydrated.

Drink only bottled water: Drink only bottle water, bottled or canned soft drinks, bottled juices, or beer from the minute you lift off from the United States. Do not drink water from the tap anywhere including the hotel or airplane. Do not pour your drink into a glass that is still wet from being washed. Do not use ice in your drink (except ice with a hole in the middle -- which means that it was made from boiled water), especially do not used crushed ice -- this is ice made in blocks from a factory using regular tap water. Freezing does not kill bacteria, only puts them into suspended animation. Wash the top of any cans you drink from or use a straw. The water in the thermos that the hotel gives you is distilled water and is O.K. There are bottled drinks in the refrigerator in your hotel room, but this will cost you much more than it would cost you from a store down the street.

Shots: Getting a flu shot is a good idea to make sure that your tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations are up-to-date. A gamma globulin shot will help you boost your immune system. If you plan on making other trips overseas, getting vaccinated for Hepatitis A/B and making sure your polio vaccination is up-to-date is a good idea. See your physician.

No illegal drugs: Do not have anything to do with illegal drugs. If you are caught with illegal drugs in Thailand, you could face a severe penalty. It is forbidden to bring firearms or pornographic material (a playboy magazine is considered pornographic material.)

Luggage: You may take luggage (carried in the plane's cargo bay) checked through to Bangkok consisting of two bags each no bigger than 62 inches linear dimensions (length x height x width) with each bag weighing no more than 70 pounds each. You may carry on the plane one bag with maximum linear dimensions of 45 inches. You must be able to store your bag under your feet or in the overhead rack (that is why it is important not to be the last one on the plane when all the overhead rack space is full). You may also carry onto the plane a camera bag, an umbrella and a coat. Depending on the airlines we go on, the above dimensions and weights could vary -- call the airlines to check.

Banquet attire: Team members should wear the team uniform to the Welcome Reception Dinner Friday night. The Farewell Celebration Dinner Sunday night is semi-formal. However, suggest you not wear the team uniform on the airplane, there some people from other countries who are not fans of the United States.

Paddling shorts: The manager is bringing a racing shirt and a nylon track-suit for each team member. You must bring your own racing shorts. Bring a pair of blue or black shorts. Note: Cotton, polyester, or canvas shorts will slip less on the Swan Boat seats than lycra or nylon.

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Bring "High Energy Sports Bars": These sprints are strenuous and they are back-to-back. We must keep our energy up, and we also need energy for quality practices. Saturday and Sunday are all day affairs at the race venue. The chicken and fried rice lunches boxes furnished at the race site are tasty, but aren't enough. Sports bars are high in complex carbohydrates and calories and low in fat.

Bring a paper face mask: You can buy a paper respirator mask in a drug store or hardware store. It will come in handy on the overseas portion of your flight. To save energy and heat the airlines usually just re-circulate the air throughout the plane via the air-conditioning system with very little fresh air in-take. Studies have shown that germs and viruses from everyone on the plane are circulated throughout the plane. You then become inoculated and get the flu exactly three to five days after arriving in Thailand. Also, when you get stuck (and you will get stuck!) in the traffic jams in Bangkok, and if you are not in an air conditioned bus or taxi, the paper respirators will filter out a lot of the soot from the smog. The filter will turn black from the lead and carbon emissions. Never mind how it looks, it works -- the police directing traffic in Bangkok wear paper masks to cover their mouth and nose.

Bring sunblock, sunglasses and a light jacket: You should carry a light jacket because the buses, airplanes, restaurants and hotels run their air conditioners full blast.

Safe Deposit Box: Sign up for a safe deposit box at the hotel. Do this the first thing after you get your hotel key. You might have to leave a deposit for the safe deposit box key, which you get back when you return the key. Like any safe deposit box, if you lose the key the only way you can get into the box is to pay to have the lock drilled out which will cost you $40. Leave in the safe deposit box your passport, your airline ticket and most of the cash you've brought from the United States. If you purchase any jewelry in Thailand, put that in the safety box.

Phone calls back to the United States: Calling from the United States on AT&T, Sprint or MCI to Thailand, if you pick the right time, will cost you less than $1.00 per minute. Calling from Thailand to the United States will run you more than $3.00 per minute. This is partly because the operator in Thailand must assist you when you call out (there is no direct dial), also the hotel will charge you a fee to reach the operator. Prearrange a time and a phone number (e.g. your hotel phone number) for a family member to call you when you are in Thailand. October 31 through April 23 Thailand is 12 hours ahead of U.S.A. eastern standard time.

Bring your photo camera: This is a once in a lifetime trip -- take plenty of pictures. Film is cheaper in the United States, but developing costs in Thailand are quite a bit cheaper than in the United States. Most places develop them within an hour. Kodachrome slide film is sold in Thailand, but not developed in Thailand. Ektachrome slide film is developed in Thailand. If you bring film with you (or returning with video tape), either carry it in an X-ray proof bag or pass it around the X-ray machine at the airport. Also pass your camera around the X-ray machine if your camera has film in it. The X-ray machines at overseas terminals are more powerful that the ones in the United States -- do not believe the signs or the security personnel if they say that the X-rays won't hurt the film. Security personnel make you take a sample picture of the floor to make sure you have a real camera.

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Bring your video camera: If you have a video camera, be sure to bring it. Besides taking great shots of the boat races it is perfect for situations like riding through the crowded streets of Bangkok in a Tuk-Tuk (open air half motorcycle half taxi). Bring a couple of charged batteries, a blank video tape, and a voltage converter to plug the charger into.

Light weight clothes: It is a good idea to bring light weight wrinkle-free clothes, because of Thailand's warm humid weather. When entering a Buddhist temple or visiting the Grand Palace, your shirt (blouse) must cover your shoulders. Tee-shirts, polo-shirts, shorts and sandals are not allowed. Bring a pair of walking shoes in case they do not allow you into the Grand Palace with tennis shoes. You must remove your shoes if you go into any temples or visit anyone's house.

Voltage converter: Thailand uses a 220-Volt 50 Hz AC electrical system, not the 110 Volts used in the United States. If you bring an electric razor, hair dryer or video camera battery charger, you should bring a voltage converter.

Laundry: Recommend you bring a little soap powder and plastic clothes hangers. Wash your own clothes in the hotel bathroom sink and then hang them on the plastic clothes hangers in the air-conditioned room, or dry on a cord stretched across the bathtub. If you send your laundry out it may come back smaller, a different color and have lost their perm-a-press. Suggest you bring light cotton or nylon underwear and light socks that dry quickly.

Face Mask, Snorkel, Fins, Footwear, Gloves, Swim Suit: If you are going to the beaches in the south of Thailand after the races you need to bring these things with you from the United States, it is almost impossible to get masks, snorkels and fins in Thailand that fit you. You need gloves and reef runners, the fish are gorgeous but they nip and the coral is beautiful, but it is as sharp as a razor -- one team member in 1994 seriously cut his foot on coral.

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Crossing streets: In Thailand they drive on the left-hand side of the road (opposite of that in the United States.) This was learned from the British at the turn of this century. You must look both ways before you cross the street. Do not run across the street, but walk. This will give them time to drive around you.

Taxis and tuk-tuks: Recommend that you travel as a group when taking a taxi. Riding in a tuk-tuk is an experience, but it is noisy and you are exposed to smog from automobiles, buses and trucks -- be sure to wear your paper mask! Traffic in Bangkok -- figure on average, 30 minutes to go a mile.

Reconfirm your airline tickets: Reconfirm your return ticket with the airlines at least 36 hours before your flight is scheduled to depart Thailand -- if you do not confirm your tickets there is a possibility that your seat will be taken by someone else. Be sure that you save enough money to pay the 300 Baht Bangkok airport departure tax.

Traditional Thai Massage: After a hard paddle there is nothing better than going to one of the large reputable massage parlors and get a famous two-hour traditional deep muscle Thai-massages from one, two or three ladies all working on you at the same time on different parts of your body (back, hands, feet, arms, and legs) with hot incensed towels and oil (a relaxing time for anyone of either sex -- male or female). Husbands and wives can be in the same room together.