Two days ago I finally joined those whom have received what we call a 'Care Package' from the homeland. Check out the photo, mine contained everything a red blooded Aussie requires to get them through life away from their motherland. They are the three things I've been looking for a supply of since my arrival and guess what....No can do in China!

1: Vegemite: need to ask any more than the country I'm from!
There is nothing like a thin spread on a fresh slice of bread, then covered by a freshly
poached egg or two. Breakfast is wonderful again!

2: Aerogard: once again, need you look further for an answer than the Aussie flag on my
Home page! Aerogard, it's the big Aussie 'Bugger Off Mate' to the mozzies.
I bought across two tubes of Bushman's 'bugger off'. They went rather quickly as summer
time here amongst the tomato and rice fields is a mozzies dream come true. The Chinese slap, swat, spit and jump around, but no one thinks of importing truck loads of Aerogard. They do their best with mozzie coils which are fine if there are maybe a hundred of the buggers and not 20 billion! They also have whats called 'Mozzie Toilet Water'. It's true!
This is a liquid you put on AFTER you have been bitten a billion times.
HHHmmm, makes sense to me too...NOT!

3: And lastly, Claratyne heyfever tablets: Add to the dirt and dust the humidity and
'growing' once the rains begin and you have a perfect combination that would drive any
heyfever sufferer INSANE! So much pollen and so much dust and wet air. For the last month my head has been one constant ACHE!

I guess what this entry is about is, if you plan to travel or stay away from a western country for a long period of time and not return even for a holiday, BRING any medication you really DO need with you. Don't think of medication as just life saving. Also think of things like heyfever tablets and vitamins. Prior to leaving you read this a million times and are reminded by so many people.

You really should listen!

I'm writing this on the 10th and took my first tablet on the 8th and ever since life inside my head with all the other 'mess' has been pretty much normal again. I've put away the needle point chop sticks and haven't sneezed or had a headache since.

Antihistamine is impossible to find here in China. I never considered that it would be until I began my adventure of trying to find it. That then turned in to an adventure trying to find someone, anyone who actually knew what not only heyfever but antihistamine was. I visited city after city showing both words to have doctors and pharmacy staff stare at me like I was asking them to read Arabic! It was in Chinese and they had no idea what it was. Strange really. For months I have been going to my local Chemist and trying their herbs and 'assorted things' that taste bloody terrible. Around me hundreds of people are sneezing each day. It's not from something different than me as they sneeze more when I do. Sadly they don't know about the wonderful 'powdery thing' called antihistamine.

Finally I gave in and fell on my knees before the phone about a month ago prior to calling my family. I was gonna beg and plead if I had to. I had never asked them to send across anything. All the Aussie girls last term were receiving continuous 'care packages' from family and friends. These 'care packages' were filled mostly with assorted chocolates and sweets and other homeland treats. You CAN buy Dove chocolate here in China. In fact you can buy most of the big names BUT it's not until you actually taste it that you fall on your knees before the next phone call home. That is if you are a Chocoholic!

Claratyne was an expensive choice but cheaper choices contain 'sudafed' (spelling I'm unsure) which in Australia right now is a dirty word. Most have been taken from the shelves to be repackaged and I think some restricted. Why? Sudafed is a great choice for the nutters whom create and cut all the 'stupid drugs' and other powdery things full of wonderful times, until...! So Claratyne was the only option to get them, believe it or not, out of Australia. It was anyones guess whether they made it through Chinese customs, but the problem was to first get them out of Australia. One of my parents best friends is Chinese so she kindly offered to write what each was in Chinese to help the package through.

It made it and I am a happy man.

NOTE: Most things you CAN get in most countries you will travel.

But please remember, it's usually those simple things that make life much more pleasant that you WILL NOT be able to find. I wouldn't die without either, but I couldn't promise that someone around me wouldn't! So, don't forget the Aerogard or heyfever tablets. Even if you don't suffer from heyfever antihistamine is great for other things like itchy rash, hives and allergic reactions to other 'things'. I'm not a doctor so I won't write anymore.

Whether you choose to leave the vegemite at home is your choice. I got the tubes. On the back are the words; 'Perfect for Aussies whom are adventuring overseas'.

Now that's real sweet mate!

PS: a big thanx to the Kettles and Eve for their care