Things to Take If Traveling to China for the Olympics

1. Antibiotics, Immodium, Tylenol, Neosporin, eye drops, Benadryl

2. Cash, an ATM card and a credit card

3. Small compact camera that takes video and stills, with extra SD memory cards

4. Money and passport pouch that can be worn under your shirt

5. Map, backpack and walking shoes

6. Personal-care goods such as hair gel, shampoo and a razor

7. Hand sanitizer and wet wipes

8. Gifts for Chinese people who help you

9. Small bags of to-go snacks

10. A good book and mini-MP3 player with loads of music and family photos

SOURCE: Gary KIellmann, author of White Ghost in China

TRAVEL TALK

"A traveler without observation is a bird without wings."

Moslih Eddin Saadi

ON THE WEB

If you plan to visit the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C., visit www.georgetowndc.com. It is an online concierge with information on shopping, restaurants, hotel packages and attractions.

TRAVEL GEAR

A product called Mighty Mendit, available for $10 at www.mightymendit.com, is a flexible bonding agent that comes in a small package making it ideal to do an emergency fix on travel gear such as flip-flops or bathing-suit tops. It grabs, adheres and interlocks the fibers of virtually any fabric.

TRAVEL READING

The Grand Canyon With Zion and Bryce National Parks Second Edition, Constance Roos, 288-page paperback, $22.95, Cicerone Press

First off, this book deserves praise for its smaller size, which makes easy to tote, especially in a day-pack, if you need hiking directions. It covers the basics well with information on services. At its heart, it is a hiking guide that covers 80 trails within the three national parks, including 40 trails in the Grand Canyon that range from half-day walks to multiday trips. Information on permits, water stops, campgrounds and dangers is important. It is an excellent base resource with good maps and trail information as well as a few color photos. Sadly, Roos, the original author, was killed in Corsica after the book was published. Sian Pritchard-Jones and Bob Gibbons updated the second edition.

World Currency

What your dollar buys

Rates paid domestically for each dollar changed. These figures are intended only as a guide. Rates may be more favorable abroad. (As of Tuesday)

Argentina (peso) 3.0

Australia (dollar) 1.1

Brazil (real) 1.6

Canada (dollar) 1.0

Chile (peso) 506

China (yuan) ... 6.8

Denmark (krone) 4.8

Egypt (pound) 5.3

European (euro) 0.64

(Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain)

Great Britain (pound) 0.50

Hong Kong (dollar) 7.8

India (rupee) 42.4

Indonesia (rupiah) 9,118

Israel (shekel) 3.5

Japan (yen) 108.2

Mexico (peso) 10.1

New Zealand (dollar) 1.4

Norway (krone) 5.2

Philippines (peso) 44.1

Poland (zloty) 2.1

Russia (ruble) 23.5

Singapore (dollar) 1.4

South Africa (rand) 7.4

South Korea (won) 1,013

Sweden (krona) 6.1

Switzerland (franc) 1

Taiwan (dollar) 31

Thailand (baht) 34

Venezuela (bolivar) 2,147.5

Source: Yahoo! Finance