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I have cleared out most of the clutter in my life in preparation of this trip. Cancelled all unnecessary expenses, that sort of thing. My meager room has been nearly emptied, the rest will stay with me till I leave. My bag is packed, though I keep reshuffling the contents for the most efficient packing. There are only a couple things I am on the fence about: should I, for example, bring a long sleeve tee shirt? It may be cold that first month and I have brought little in the way of warmth, seeing how most of my trip will be damned hot. Secondly, I find I am more than a little self-conscious of the tattoo on my arm, being in Japanese, going into China and Japan.

I experimented with eye-fi technology to see if that was what I was looking for but have pretty much concluded that it is not. So pictures taken on my phone are likely to stay right there on my phone for the duration of the trip, while pics taken on my iphone will be uploaded and shared as I go. The complication is that I have limited room on the iphone and have not yet decided on the best way to upload pics en mass while on the road. A couple here and there to Facebook or here is fine, but not all of them.

One of the big anxiety areas is the question of what have I forgotten? Did I remember everything? Fly into Hong Kong, buy a rail pass, take the airport train to the central station, then the blue line to…   There’s a line between being careless and over-planning. Its a subjective, personal thing, and I think I’m right right where I need to be. I have a general idea how to get from the airports to the hostels and back, a general idea of some of the things I’d like to see. I have some stuff reserved and pre-paid, other things I’ll just have to wing it on site.  The other big anxiety is cash: have I miscalculated or misunderstood how much cash would be needed? again, that’s a bridge I’ll just have to cross then. Hopefully, I won’t be flying home in 3 weeks out of funds.

Not really sure what else to say, everything feels incomplete to me just now.  Thirty days and counting down.

At Seatac. Having an extended weekend with some old friends down in San Diego. I was able to get an hour’s nap after work, then on my way to here. Truth told, I’m probably a little too early and perhaps as much as a second hour of sleep could have been had, but I’ve learned a little basic prep goes a long way toward disaster prevention. Chugged down a large mocha when I got here and my poor body just isn’t accustomed to coffee drinking. Still, better awake and alert.

I’m sitting at the gate now, looking out into the fog. Very few electrical outlets around, and I’m choosing the open view over a full battery just now. My phone’s battery was at near full upon arrival, and that will suffice. I am looking forward to seeing old friends and am hoping for some time to just relax. Been pushing hard to get needed travel funds for my coming journey and feeling a little burnt out. Last thing I need is to head to my first stop a frazzled mess.
I’m using this trip as a dry run for my travel gear and pack. I had some doubts to some of the items in my pack, namely my titanium spork, but got through no worries. Last check, the bag, an Osprey Porter 46, weighed in at 24lb with full load including my coat and day pack. I’d like to drop that by perhaps 2 or 3lb and weigh in at an even 10kg to keep things simpler overseas. I have a lot of room to cut back right now.

I’m loaded up with no less than 4 bars of soap, 30 feet of cord, odds and ends, even a small sized can opener. All of this and more is up for review. I will review item by item when I return. For now, I shall enjoy watching the planes taxi by, waiting for my flight. More later.
Ciao.

I do not look for awe, like a kid with a chip on his shoulder. I come open eyed, welcoming whatever experience comes.

I bought my final fight tickets today. It was quite a feeling. Everything else is ferry or train or bus. The trains I can buy online, but only within the 90 day window, if I have my facts straight. The buses and ferries will have to be bought on site.

The next step will be securing visas. Like the train tickets, these must be bought at the right time, not too early. China, Cambodia, India, Jordan I think, Egypt, and perhaps Turkey. Not sure about Thailand, but it’s easy to check.

Travel insurance done. Travel vaccines done. Air tickets done. 104 days and counting. 2 more weeks and I can start looking at those visas and train tickets. In the meantime, I should continue my process of reserving hostel beds.

This is my first 12 hour shift of 7 in a row. Not fun, but this is what I need to do. I shall try to keep posting during downtime, but I may be gone for a bit.
Ciao

So I’m at my Mom’s for an early thanksgiving. Work schedule kinda corners me into now or never. Perhaps an inch of snow on the ground.

Flow chart could be a while off, but I have the next couple steps clear in mind. That’s enough.

So now is the question: what’s next? Nothing small, mind you. Only an impossible challenge will do. So here it is, sufficiently challenging, I believe, but with time enough to make it happen.
Ready:

By the end of May 2022, the fiftieth anniversary of my birth, I shall reach the summit of Mount Everest, or perish in the attempt.

Nothing like a nice modest goal, something easy to build confidence ;)
Now pardon me, I have an entire life to rearrange.

Time’s up, I must be off to work.
Ciao