Tickets bought - Kristen and I are leaving on Tuesday 29th November, and returning 9 month later. Emirates both ways - now that is a comfortable ride. We searched through a travel agent, then found a cheaper deal online, then bought our tickets from the Emirates office. I guess that's cheating a bit, but it worked out well.
Visas sorted (kinda) - We applied for our visas, and after 2 weeks of waiting, and 3 pick-up attempts by DHL, an envelope finally arrived back in Cape Town. Inside we found Kristen's passport, and a letter saying that mine was still pending. A long story short, we now have them, but Kristen's comes with a special stamp:
Upon leaving, may not return without 2 months delay. Joy. So there goes our plan for Nepal for Christmas. So we're tentatively planning 6 months in India, followed by 3 months travelling in Nepal, Cambodia & Thailand.
Vaccinations completed - I just got my 2nd round of Hep B (the vaccination, not the disease), and I'll need to get my 3rd jab in India, in 5 months time. Something about a 3-round vaccination cycle. Otherwise, Kristen and I are fully loaded with a full range of antibodies floating around our bodies. Still, we've bough packs of antibiotic pills for the inevitable dehli-belly :(
Accommodation sorted - Kristen also manages to hook up up a place to live the day we arrive. We found it via a wonderful website called
http://www.couchsurfing.org/. It's a peer-reviewed host & traveler portal, where travelers can find local families to stay with for a few days. In return for a bed (or couch) to sleep in, the families get to learn about the travelers. The idea is that the relationship is reciprocal, and that ever traveler in turn will offer their spare bed to future travelers searching for a place to crash for a few days. Thanks for organizing darling!
Bags packed - well if you count a room full of clothes and boxes everywhere, then yes. So actually no. We're really stretching ourselves, selling everything that either weighs more than 500g, or takes up more space than a tube of tooth paste. We're leaving one or two boxes, taking a light backpack each, and leaving most of our previously-valued possessions with friends, family, and as donations to people who can wear them.
Reading books - we've recently bought a Nook each [
link], a digital, touch screen, light weight, electronic reading tablet, a bit like the Kindle. So you may wonder why we spent an hour in a book shop yesterday? Well, Kristen had her
Excited - sometimes that looks more like nervousness . But as a famous person once said "
Nervousness is just excitement over-thought". So we're trying not to over-think!
Thanks for the update, Leen - I will check your blog regularly (just to make sure you are still alive!) Here are some Indian proverbs, that will give you some insight into the rich culture that you are about to embrace:
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• A penny saved is ... not much.
• An idle mind is ... the best way to relax.
• Half of the people in the world are below average.
• If your parents never had children, chances are you won't either.
• It's a great satisfaction knowing that for a brief point in time you made a difference.
• Man who sneezes without hanky takes matters into his own hands.
• When the blind lead the blind ... get out of the way.
• Where there is smoke, there's ... pollution.
• You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom.
Hope that gives you a head start. Paps
So excited for you two having the opportunity to do this, what a great adventure. looking forward to following your posts.
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