32 Days To Go

Thought I'd better do a quick update, since it's been a week since my last one. I've been working non-stop, just making sure everything goes smoothly for the project I've been working on. Which means I've done nothing on the trip.

It's not all been work - although it feels like it. I've had a meal cooked by an awesome chef, been out with the team for a great night out, met Lindon for food and a few drinks, and had a great night in last night with Ruth's brother and his wife - the company and wine were awesome. We also had lunch out as a break from work today and sat in the sun!

Can't believe how much I've packed in this week. Anyway - must go - I have to be up early in the morning. 

39 Days To Go

The implementation is over, and I've made it home and am about to crash. 

We ended up staying in the office until 3:40am, waiting for stuff to fininsh so we could check it. We ended up playing a cash game of poker meaning we played on and off for 11 hours straight. I lost - again :<(  Thankfully the buy in was small :>)

I got home at 4am and had to get up at 6:30am to go back in the office for 7:30am. I'd arranged with Paul D that we'd phone each other at 6:30 just to make sure we were awake.

We were only supposed to stay until 10 or 11am, but Jamie and I ended up leaving at just after 6:30pm. Which mean't I was there to see the countdown clock tick over to 39 days to go. 

The good news is - it worked. A few issues, but nothing that can't be solved tomorrow. Which means a significant step towards leaving work....

40 Days To Go - It's CCA Poker Night!!!

It's Saturday night - just - it's 11:52pm to be precise, and the countdown clock on my desk says that I have 40 days 17 hours and 8 minutes until I finish work.

It's the "Big Switch" weekend, and I'm in the office with some of the team from work watching the implementation go through. While I say watch - I actually mean a monster game of no limits poker that's been on the go since 3pm this afternoon (with breaks to check everything's gone through ok of course :>). I obviously haven't done that well, or I wouldn't be typing this now!!!!

We got some ice in and had cold beers, had a curry, and investigated a minor problem we found with one of the accounts. Mayhem may have broken out in the Financial Services sector - but thing's are going well for the project I've been working on.

Must go - we've something that needs to be be checked - and I don't mean the cards :>)

Last Weekend

I took some days off from work - although I seemed to have worked most of them!

The best day was Monday. I went to Manchester and bought a load of stuff from my pack list. The main item I was looking for was a pair of trainers. I tried on every pair I'd identified as possible options. I ended up buying these. Having tried on eight different pairs of shoes (visiting five different shops) I knew from the start (I.e. the first shop) that these shoes would be the best fit. But I tired on the rest just to make sure. 

Even better still I got 10% off just by asking :>)

I stayed in Manchester and met up with Lindon, Sam, Bekki, and Steve for a great night out Wagamama and then drinks at Sinclairs: http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/mancunian/expats/s/87/87111_the_great_survivors_.html

It was great to catch up with Bekki and Steve - who I don't see that much now :<(

They're trying to pursuade me to stay at work. Sure - I'll miss the place - but the offer they're making isn't that good. 

Bargain

Now that I've decided to go to London rather than travel back to Silsden before setting off, I decided that I was either going to sleep at the airport (my flight to Madrid leaves at 7:25am), or find somewhere cheap to stay. 

Most of the places near Heathrow cost about £85, which seems like a lot of money when I'll be checking about at about 4:30am! Having had a look at options, the Travelodge 15mins from the terminal came in at £50 - so I decided to book it so that I can get some sleep before I set off. 

I've just been to web site and the same room was £19 - which can only be described as a bargain. 

50 Days To Go!

I've now got just 50 days to go until I finish work. It's going to be fairly hectic given what's happening over the next month or so - and they keep giving me work - some of which it is now impossible to finish before I head off!

Anyway - it keeps me off the streets.

I've had a big push on getting things sorted - and have been focusing on buying everything on my pack list. I've even bought three pairs of trousers - and they all look OK!

The next thing I'll be trying to get is some trainers and a bag to put everything in. I'll be heading off to Manchester on Monday so hopefully I'll be able to get everything I need.

Travel Insurance and Barbers

Thought I'd add a quick update. I got my travel insurance through and had a quick look at the policy wording. I ended up getting the World Wide policy, which will cover me for a year. 

It covers two key things which I plan to do while I'm away - walking up mountains, and white water rafting. For anyone who knows me, I like to walk - urban or wilderness - it doesn't really matter. When I went to Italy I covered between 10 and 20 miles a day, and will probably do the same while I'm away.

When I'm sight seeing I particularly like to walk around cities, or wherever I happen to be. It's a great way to see lots, and engage with the culture - walking is slow enough that you get to see things you miss if you take transport. Because I can cover a fair amount of miles in a day, it usually means I can get off the beaten track a bit more. 

The policy covers everything up to 6,000 meters, which is better than most of the other policies that only cover to 5k or 5.5k (most policies don't cover white water rafting above grade 3 - which makes it a bit pointless for anyone whose actually rafted or kayaked a grade 3 river before - good for beginners - tame for anyone else).  

I plan to climb Kala Patthar while I'm in Nepal - which is 5,643 meters - probably the highest I'll ever get without taking up mountaineering :>) so the policy will definitely cover me. 

I went for a pizza the other night at Stephano's in Silsden, and decided to have a bit of a wander around - it's amazing how much I don't actually know about the village. While I was wandering around waiting for them to get it ready (I was having take out) I took the following photo:

It's not the best picture in the world - but it just seemed to sum up the quintessential Yorkshire village: a butcher's, barber's, and a shoe shop all crammed into a tiny row of terraces. Americans would call it quaint. But it's fairly remarkable that shops like this can still survive in today's world of super size me super stores.  

Visas

I got my Australian ETA Visa on the Internet last night. It was pretty straight forward and cost about a tenner. I've also done a lot of research on the current visa situation for the countries I'll be passing through, and apart from the Australian Visa, I'll only need to start sorting visas out once I get to Thailand.

I'd originally planned to get a load of visas in Bangkok and take a week running between the various embassays, but the easiest way appears to be to get them as you go along. So I'll just visit the two or three places I'd like to see again and then head off to places I've not been to. Makes it a bit easier that way, as I'll drop into the visa office when I arrive at each place where I'll be getting one, and then pick it up a few days later when I'm ready to leave.

I've been getting excited about setting off. The count down timer on my desk says 56 days, 8 hours, and thirteen minutes to go until I finish work. Can't wait...

Quick Update

Just thought I'd do a quick update - while I was thinking about it :>)

I've decided to change the start of my trip. The trip proper was going to start from Silsden, but I'm going to Barcelona for Ruth's brithday, and the original arrangements would have meant me coming home, and then spending one night at home before setting off. It meant a load of travel: from Barcelona to Leeds, and then to Heathrow the next day to fly to Madrid, and then straight onto a flight to Lima.

So I've decided to go to Barcelona, fly back to Gatwick, spend a few nights in London, and then catch the plane to Madrid. It'll be a bit more relaxing that way - and I'll be able to call in to the Tate Modern, and buy any last minute bits before I head off.

I checked my flights on the BA website the other day - and they showed up when I put in my booking reference.

I'm starting to get really excited about going away - but there's still loads to do.

In other news:

I got the insurance details through the post - although I've not had a chance to read them yet. I've also applied for a new Nationwide Current Account - they don't charge any fees on foreign transactions which is going to save me a pile of money. I've also applied for an Abbey Zero Credit Card, which is free to use abroad, and has great exchange rates.

I've also found some trousers, and have started researching trainers.

The to do list doesn't seem to be going down, but I've some vacation time coming up so should be able to crack through it then.