inconsistent news from southeast asia

So we leave in two weeks now and every time i think everything is taken care of something new turns up. Just trying to organize everything i'm leaving behind and make sure i'm taking everything i need to take seems to be quite the ordeal. (who'd have thought a six month trip to the other side of the world would involve extensive preparation?) The details here are none too exciting: vaccinations, passports, maps, books, clothing, shoes, mosquito nets etc.... Making an effort to take as little as humanly possible because my pack really isn't that big.

That's some as yet unknown proportion of what i'm actually bringing up there. It remains to be seen whether i can even fit everything i'm bringing in the bag because i still don't know what's coming and what isn't.

I'm optimistic, however.

I've booked a room at a hostel in Bangkok that doesn't seem to get any bad reviews: Suk 11 is expensive ($20 a night for a double room), but i'd rather be safe and comfortable for a few nights after we arrive.