So, that’s it. With just 6 weeks left in Edinburgh there’s still a lot to do before boarding the plane to Seattle on 7th July. In fact, the list seems to get longer as the time remaining reduces. While the panniers have been packed for a few weeks now it’s probably now time to start training with my gear and indeed working through what I don’t really need. With after effects of injections and a trial lariam tablet (not good!) training has suffered in the past week or so…. It needs to pick up again!
Insurance, VISAs, Africa flights (they are not on sale yet), making contacts in places we are going and the critical tasks of renting my flat and completing the sale of my house and associated packing all need to be done. Being ready to leave will be a full time job. In fact, it may now be time to prioritise tasks – while insurance is a must have, I could survive without putting all of my CDs onto i-tunes!
It’s fair to say the reality of the trip has yet to settle in – both in terms of nerves and excitement. At present my fear concerns much more the tasks I need to do before I leave than the trip itself. It is in fact much easier to quantify what I have no concerns about. Firstly, I feel like I have landed on my feet with my travel buddy; I have no major concerns about the biking and as someone who loves travel I am only excited about the prospect of meeting new people, cultures and environments. Of course, the first ride in any new country may always feel a little daunting but not renting my flat or getting a date through for completion will be critical. It’s coming to crunch time……
This adventure has already had its fair share of ups and downs – here’s crossing my fingers for the next week.