Nothing to do with my trip...

I thought I'd add a new post about the barge weekend I've just got back from - it was awesome. Spent a long weekend floating from Bingley to Skipton and back.

Here's some pics:


It has nothing to do with my trip - but it was fun - water pistol fights - and a late night treasure hunt - just wanted to capture the memory :>)

Sore Arms

I went to the travel clinic (MASTA Travel Clinics) last night to get the vaccination program going. The good news is I only need to be covered for three things. The bad news is that I need six separate injections to cover off Rabies and Hep B.

The really bad news is I need to get a Yellow Fever jab - last time I had one I felt pretty bad for a few days.

£84 and two sore arms later, I've had the first course of the Hep B and Rabies jabs.

General Update

I went with Paul to the storage unit and cleared out a load of stuff. Most of it's gone now - with the exception of a few bits and the remaining items which I'm going to give to charity.

Here's a picture of Paul at the now almost empty unit:


I think I might have got a route together. Based on the measurements in Google Maps, the "as the crow flies" route is about 42,000 miles. I'm going to run through it a few times this week, and will publish details as soon as I've got something workable together.

I Wonder What's Next...Nothing

I think most people now know that I'm going away, and I've noticed an interesting trend: it seems that over the last few weeks I've had more than a few conversations about what I'll be doing when I get back.

From my own perspective, I've decided not to think about anything beyond the end of 2009, as I want to live life for the moment - at least for the moment anyway. There are so many options out there, and so many things I could do - I've always been a "what's next" type of person, always thinking about the "next thing" even before the "new thing" has run it's course.

This does make things rather interesting, because I feel almost like an outside observer to someone else's life when these conversations are taking place.

The theories all seem to have a common thread. Either I won't be coming back at all, or I'll be coming back and settling down in the Skipton area. More than a few people think I'll end up working for a charity as relief worker or project manager in some far flung corner of the globe. One person (who shall remain nameless - but you know who you are) thinks I'll meet a rich woman and live a life of luxury traveling around the world :>)

The only person who doesn't have any ideas about what'll happen is me. In the words of one of my favorite songs by Chevelle: I wonder what's next...nothing.

It's My Birthday...

...and I thought I better add a post.

Had a good day today - golf with Paul (sorry - forgot to take photo's), and then a meal in from Goa Spice in Skipton. Had a fantastic bottle of wine - thanks to the team at work for the kind gift.

Saw the Blue Oyster Cult in Holmfirth last night which was awesome (thanks to Kevin and Julie and family for the ticket), and will be off to the Blues Bar in Harrogate tomorrow.

Today has been one of those "thinking about all the things I'm going to miss while I'm away" days. I'm actually having a great time living here with Paul and Ruth and the two dudes, and have some great friends - I may even miss work :>)

Vaccinations

I got a call today from the local health center telling me that my journey is too complicated for them to be able to provide any assistance. They've given me a phone number of a private clinic which specializes in extended trips.

I was a little surprised by this, given that most of the books and quite a few Internet sites provide lists of what's needed - including malaria information. Any way - I'll just have to add it to the list things to do :>)

Rucksacks...and Trampolines

I went with Lindon today to Allan Austin's at Salt's Mill today to look at their range of rucksacks. While they didn't have the range of items I was looking for, they did have a number of travel packs - basically a cross between a suitcase and a rucksack. The range they had in stock had hidden shoulder straps, and a zip off day sack. It also had wheels and a pull out handle!

We came to the conclusion that the weight and bulk of fold out shoulder straps (which didn't look that comfortable), wheels, and a handle, was way too much for the small amount of space available to actually put stuff in. Here's Lindon (discreetly) giving the travel packs a thumbs down.

On a slightly different note - I am starting to think about all the things I'm going to miss while I'm away. And while no one likes to think about leaving good friends behind, I do find I'm appreciating the small moments more. Like the "who can get the highest on the trampoline competition" this evening. Here's my attempt at flight:


By the way - Salt's Mill is a World Heritage Site, and is definitely worth a visit. More details can be found here: Salt's Mill entry on Wikipedia

Clearing The Decks

One of the challenges I've got before I go away is what to do with all my "stuff". While I've already had several good clear outs (many thanks to those who took things of my hands), I still have a fair amount of "stuff" that needs to go.

The general plan is to set off in mid-November, with just the absolute minimum of stuff left to come back to (plus I need to store it while I'm away, so the smaller the collection the easier it will be).

This means clearing out the storage container (see the pic below) where the vast majority of the things I own currently reside. It's costing me £27 a week to store said stuff which is money I could spend next year, so I plan to have the mother of all clear outs in the next two or three weeks.

There's something very liberating about getting rid of "stuff". It's certainly easier when its junk - some of the personal stuff is quite hard to part with. It's only after its gone that it's true value comes to light - which in most cases is zero.

I went today to start the process of clearing out, carting off a pile of boxes to unpack back at the ranch. I'm going to try and give as much stuff away as I can, either to friends or charity. And anything which can't go to either will go to the dump. The things I really want to keep will be kept in my room until I go.

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I bought two more travel books today - both were from the "First Read This" series by Lonely Planet. They cover Africa and South America, adding to my now growing collection which includes "First Read This: Asia", and "First Time Around The World" by The Rough Guide.

Back To The Drawing Board.

I went to Leeds this afternoon to visit STA Travel, specifically to talk through my plans and work out how much a RTW plane ticket would cost.

The guy I spoke to was very helpful, and had been to quite a few of the places I plan (or planned!) to visit. But it did highlight that there is one major problem with the route as it stands: Sudan.

I knew that things were problematic (think Darfur) but I didn't know that they had deteriorated in the last four weeks. In fact, one of the cities right next to Khartoum was the scene of fighting back in May. A quick search on the Beeb website shows that things are not great - with the possibility of civil war breaking out across the country. The UN warned just the other day that the situation was getting worse.

On this basis, I've decided against making this section of the trip, which is going to mean some major re-thinking on the African section of the trip as it rules out Ethiopia. So back to the drawing board, or should that be Map?

Here's some pictures from Leeds - which has some incredible architecture.

The Corn Exchange:

Classic Victorian architecture:

150 Days To Go...

...not that I'm counting or anything :>)

I've been spending a fair bit of time researching - trying to work out what the minimum amount of planning actually is, while making sure I'll get the most out of my time. I want to book a RTW plane ticket fairly soon, so I'm trying to read up on as many places as I can.

I do keep getting these weird moments where everything stops for a split second, and I realize that in not much time at all I'll be setting off to go round the world. Like just now - it's pretty weird.

Anyway - I've dropped off the form at the Doctor's to get the vaccination program going. I think I'm going to need Yellow Fever - and the last time I had it I was in agony for two days and could hardly walk.

I've added a map to the blog to track progress, and provide updates. Thanks to L1ndon for the suggestion.