Brent, We will be down Mid-March and I'm sure your trip will be a blast. First off, I agree with Rick in that AmEx trav checks are mostly dead. Check with your US financial institution first however, what their international charge fees/rates are. Some can and will charge a hefty sum(%) per transaction for CC usage. I personally am a cash guy with a CC/DC as backup.
Cheers, and enjoy your trip!~