Goodbyes...Part 4

Last night I went to the last of the three leaving parties this week. This time it was Tatts - who is leaving with his family in a week or so to go to Oz. In fact - they are going to the exact same place in Oz as Jenny and Dave.

I know Tatts through work - and he and I went to NZ the first time I traveled over to Christchurch. We managed to see loads of stuff while we were out there - including a memorable weekend in Queenstown.

Best wishes to everyone whose left this week - it'll be me soon. I got the official "countdown timer" from Tatts on Friday as he left the office. I've got 9 weeks left to go.

Well - I've got a busy day today - got to buy insurance, open a new bank account, and get stuff for tea tonight - I'm cooking...

Goodbyes...Part 3

Last night was the second of the three goodbye outings this week.

On my way to Leeds I stopped off at Masta to get my final Hep B and the dreaded Yellow Fever injection. Last time I had a Yellow Fever jab I was really ill - so I wasn't looking forward to having to do it again.

The injections were not that bad, and I feel OK today. The nurse said that the Yellow Fever vaccine is different now to when I had it back in 1990, and people didn't tend to react as badly. I feel pretty good today - unlike when I've had the Rabies jabs - so I figure that I must have had a reaction to that one.

That means that I've had all the jabs I need, and am covered for the next ten years.

Bekki is leaving for Chester on Friday, and so this was the last chance I had to catch up with her before then. A few of us went to Nando's in Leeds (home of the best vege burger anywhere in the world) for final goodbyes. Bekki is going to work for a Christian project in Chester, working as a youth worker, while doing a foundation degree - which is pretty exciting. It's great that this has worked out, and I know that Bekki is going to make an impact wherever she ends up.

It's Joshua's birthday today - he's three. His main present - which I'm contributing to - hasn't arrived yet. Paul and Ruth decided to get him a three quarter size drum kit given his huge enthusiasm for drums. It'll be noisy - but worth it - as he's already really interested in music and instruments and stuff. Hardly surprising since he's surrounded by so many people who love listening to and playing music.

I'm off to get him a card now, and some codots (Joshua code word for chocolate!)...

R.E.M.

Had a fantastic day out in Manchester yesterday.

I had a look around the outdoor shops at travel footwear and clothes, but everywhere just seems to stock the same stuff. So I got fed up of shopping and had a meal at a Turkish place called Topkapi Palace on Deansgate: Fried Spinach with yogurt and pita for starter, followed by roasted aubergine in a tomato sauce, and a plate of rice and salad. The food was excellent - and it only cost £7.50 with a free coke.

I caught the tram to Old Trafford to see R.E.M. and waited for the doors to open and the massive queue to go down - but after 30 mins, I got bored and the queue wasn't any shorter, so I walked around to one of the side entrances and walked straight in!

Guillemots and Editors were supporting - both good - although I preferred Guillemots. Here's a great pic of Editors:


R.E.M. were awesome - they played a good mix of stuff, and the light and multi-media was really impressive. From a sound perspective this was one of the best concerts I've been to. Outdoors is always good because there's no back wall or surfaces for the sound to come off. The bass response was really good (sometimes sadly lacking because of the amount of power required to produce it) and you could feel every bass kick.

The weather was good - pretty warm until it got dark, but still not cold - and a beutiful clear sky. I couldn't have asked for better.

It was dark when R.E.M. came on, so I didn't get a good picture - but there's plenty on Flickr if anyone's interested.


It topped off a great weekend - not that it's over - but I'm having a quiet day to day.

10 Weeks To Go

I thought I'd give a quick update now that I've only ten weeks until I finish work.

There's something about reaching the ten week mark, because while twelve weeks felt like a long time, ten weeks doesn't feel like much time at all.

To add to this, in the next week I'll be saying good bye to three different friends who are all going on an adventure of their own.

I went out with Dave tonight to Ilkley, for a fantastic meal and a few drinks. I really value Jenny and Dave's friendship and wish them all the best in their move to Oz. I'm really looking forward to getting to Brisbane to see them. I'm hoping to catch them both before they go - but if not - it's strange to think that the next time I'll see them we'll all be on the other side of the world.

_________

On a different note - I spent five hours today looking into travel insurance. I think I've found a policy that will do what I need, but need to check a few details first. The main problem is that most policies don't cover pre-existing conditions - and while my asthma is well controlled and has been for the last five years - I want to have everything covered so I know that if the worst happens I'll be OK.

The best (and most cost effective policy) appears to be with Direct Line - with the travel companies failing to provide anything is you've anything out of the ordinary to cover.

I've also found some trousers that look OK - although I want to try them on again before deciding whether to take them or not. The next challenge will be trying to find footwear...

Goodbyes...Part 2

After having a great time last night - today was totally different. It's a long story....but....

I decided to take Nell's ashes to Gisburn Forest. Nell was a stray dog Lorraine and I found on Bonfire Night of 2006. She was in a really bad state, and after trying to find an owner, decided to give her a home. Sadly, she had a tumor which spread, and a year later (almost to the day) I had to take her to the vets to be put down.

I walked along some of the paths where we'd taken her, and found a really nice spot away from the path, with an oak tree and a stream, and scattered her ashes.

It was sad - but that's life - things change, and we change with them.

I'd forgotten how nice Gisburn Forest is. They flooded the valley to make a reservoir, and the area around it is (as the name suggestions) a large forest.

I saw one of the weirdest things at the reservoir - there was a guy in an inflatable chair fishing - sitting with his legs in the water. Here's a not very good picture:


I also had a look around the church at Dalehead, and then went to the Marton Arms in Thornton In Lonsdale for lunch. Here's a picture of the church - with modern wind mill in the grounds:

Goodbyes...Part 1

Saturday was Jenny and Dave's leaving party, who will be leaving in a few weeks to live in Australia. I'll definitely miss them when they go - but have already booked in to see them when I get to Oz - which I'm really looking forward to. It'll be like a holiday in the middle of the trip. I couldn't ask for better friends than Jenny and Dave.

Here's a picture from the party:

Shopping

Just been to Harrogate to try on some clothes at the Cotswold's outdoor shop. Bought a few bits and pieces like Iodine tablets, a clothes line, and a 1 liter platypus.

My Project Goes Live!

Despite not feeling that great this weekend (I've had a really bad cold), it's been a pretty good weekend. We put the software for the project I've been managing live, and everything worked first time.

This is the culmination of eighteen months work, involving a core team of around 25 people. I won't bore anyone with the details, but this was a major achievement - particularly as we put the software in a week ahead of schedule.

We now have six weeks to get everything ready for the switch on and first use of the features, but so far everything is running smoothly.

Thanks go to the team of people I work with for the hard work they put in to make this happen.

It also means I'm now a very significant step closer to leaving - I'd committed to stay until it was done.

I've updated my to do list and plan to take some days off in the next three of four weeks to try and shorten the list!

The New, New, Plan!

I went to STA again tonight to confirm my flight details having worked everything out, and done just enough planning to be able to confirm dates...

...only to have to change the plan again.

My intention was to try and make it through from Pakistan to Moscow and then fly home from there. But having read how hard it is, I thought I'd just change the flight if getting visas and train tickets got too hard.

Having discussed this with STA, it turns out that once the flights are booked and paid for - it costs £85 to change them, and I'd have to pay any difference in the flight costs or taxes. Given that taxes are now rising at between £5 and £10 per day, it would seriously add to the cost.

So I've decided that my last flight will be from Islamabad, on the basis that I can explore around that area and get to Islamabad pretty easily, and if I do decide to "go for it" and catch the train home, a ticket from Moscow currently costs £150 if you book it in Russia. Which is a lot less than a ticket from Pakistan or India.

It did cost me a bit more - but I do get more options this way.

So - here is - and fingers crossed it won't change before I go away - is my route:

• From London UK to Lima in Peru.
  
• Overland to Santiago in Chile.
• A flight to Sydney, and then overland to Brisbane.
  
• A flight to Melbourne, and then overland to Adelaide.
  
• A flight to Perth.
  
• A flight to Singapore to catch another flight to Bangkok.
  
• Then overland, through Cambodia, Vietnam, and into China.
  
• Through China, into Nepal, and then on to India.
  
• Through India to Pakistan, up the Karakorum Highway.
  
• Back to Pakistan for a flight home.

It'll be interesting to see how it compares to the actual route.

For those interested in comparing it with the ever changing route, you can find updates by clicking the following links:

• The original plan.
  
• The next revised plan.

And here's a map of the current planned route - which is 35468 miles:


View Larger Map

More Shopping...

I went to Boundary Mills in Colne on Sunday hoping that I'd be able to get some trousers.

For my backpacking and walking outings I've usually bought Lowe Alpine equipment, and I knew they stocked Lowe Alpine stuff so thought I'd check out what was available. I tried on a pair of trousers but was a bit disappointed - they might have been functional - but they weren't fashionable - unlike several old pairs of LA trousers that have since been retired.

I did buy another long sleeved shirt, and tried out the Dry Test last night on the one short sleeve shirt, and the two long sleeve shirt that I've bought so far. I also tried out the test on the Billabong board shorts.

The shorts were dry this morning, and the shirts were more or less dry. I did hang them over the balcony rail and it was pretty cold last night. If they'd have been free hanging I think they would have definitely been dry - but even if they hadn't they were dry enough to wear.

The search for trousers continues...

Shopping

I went to Manchester yesterday with Lindon, Sam, Bekki, and Amy, specifically to buy some clothes for my trip. I'd have to say, I was fairly disappointed by the two Outdoor "super stores" I visited - although at The North Face the staff were particularly friendly.

I was expecting to return with bags laden with goodies from The North Face shop - but despite having a huge store, they didn't seem to have that much stuff in it. I tried on some great trousers, which were too tight in a 32 and too big in a 34 - I'm either going to have to eat more or less to make them fit :>)

Having made a decision to buy two pairs, and I asked for them in my size (32 short - I decided the diet would work best) only to be told they didn't stock them in that size. Which is a bit odd - given that I remember reading somewhere that my size is the western world average! I've just checked the web site and found that they do in fact make them in my size.

Any way - I did check out the Back Track 50 travel pack I'm thinking of getting and it looks great, and has just about everything you'd need - and may be more - which adds a little to the weight. But if I can get the packing down to a suitable size, I think that's what I'll get.

I also tried Black's - but they had nothing of interest.

So I ended up at T K Max, and bought a short sleeve Craghoppers shirt, and a long sleeve shirt that I'm going to try the dry test on. I also bought some shorts and a T Shirt from the Billabong shop.

We also went for Nando's - and as we were leaving we spotted some great signs on a shop window - all great advice: