MONDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2009

Pre Departure Preparation

I'll be leaving in a week and a half on my plane to Sydney, Australia.  The ticket is booked.  I just need to make it there.

It's come down to a sprint to get to the finish line, as I attempt to finish handoffs at work, move all my stuff back to my parent's place, and finish painting the walls in the house for rental.  All should have gone as planned until my damn coworker (JIM SUAREZ!) decided to contaminate my work area and I got sick.  I've been bedridden all weekend and barely made it to work today.

At this point, I can't even begin to look forward to the journey until I finish all that's needed here.  Each time I pack to leave, I find that there are more loose-ends to tie up.  It's not so easy to leave now compared to back in the 19 year old days.

In terms of countries to travel to, I may have added Tibet to my list.  My coworker traveled to Tibet from Kathmandu on a 4day overland tour and found it to be an extraordinary trip.  After seeing pictures of her trip and being reminded that I've always wanted to go to Tibet, I just may and do it.  I've reached out to some tour groups but in the end, I think I'll just wait to see how things go when I get to Kathmandu.

Another random sign from the Universe -- I was at Borders and chatted up with a stranger in the Travel section.  He and his wife had stopped through Jordan while on their way to Saudi Arabia on a journey to Mecca -- both assured me that Jordan is very modern and said it felt even more safe than the US.  It always helps for me to meet people who have traveled internationally -- it reminds me that many of the preconceptions we have are due to the media and may not necessarily be true. I find that the longer I stay here, the more I am susceptible to such media influence.  I can't wait to get back out in the world to see how the world truly is.

TUESDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2008

Initial Plans for my Around the World Trip

Planning an Around the World trip can be daunting in that there are simply too many places in the world that I'd like to visit!  I've changed my itinerary several times, added and dropped entire countries on a whim, and still don't have iron-clad plans.  That's the beauty of these trips -- things can be changed as one pleases.  As a solo traveller, if I decided that I want to visit Bali to smell the sweet flowers found only on the South Eastern region of the island, I can do exactly that.  There is no obligation and no restrictions (aside from a few things such as budget, wars, etc).  The world is at my feet and I intend to take a walkabout it.

My current itinerary is set at:

Sydney, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Vietnam, Motorcycle Tour down the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Laos, Pass through to Thailand
Thailand, Bangkok and the Islands
Jordan, the Petra, Dead Sea, and Wadi Rum
Egypt, Dahab, climb Mt. Sinai, and see the Pyramids
Peru, Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

As things generally go, the itinerary might change as soon as I step onto the plane.  With a bit of dedication and perseverance though, I hope to make it to all the places on the list.

Wish me luck.