It’s not quite stupid o’clock yet but it’s getting on that way. Certainly it’s later than I had hoped. Not that I imagine I would have slept well tonight anyway. By 7am tomorrow we want to be by the motorway on the first stage of our trip, looking for a ride to Warsaw. My bag’s almost packed now. I think I’ve spent most of the evening just moving things around, from one small pile to a slightly larger pile and back again. I feel woefully under-equipped, under-skilled and under-prepared. I’ve realised as I’ve been going through all my clothes that I have no idea what I really need to cross the Himalayas. I also don’t own any shirts which are long sleeved (to keep out the mosquitos) and yet cool (to be worn in hot whether). And all the long sleeved t-shirts I own are dark coloured. Apparently mosquitos love dark colours. I do have a passport with all the right visas in though, so hopefully that’s all I really need.
I guess I’ll probably look back on this in a few months time and think myself quite frightfully naive. I’m trying not to set my expectations for a life-transforming experience too high, but everyone I speak to seems to think that’s what it’ll be. I figure if I just hope to enjoy the trip for what it is then I can’t be disappointed. If I gain marvellous insights about myself or the world then that can only be a bonus.
I’ll be aiming to cross-post everything both here at my personal blog, and at Wanderers, a joint blog that Ben has set up for all four of us to use. Anything I write on Spherical Bowl will also be automatically imported into Facebook as a note, so if you know me on there, check my profile now and again for updates. And, of course, comments can left in any one of those locations.
See you in 2009!
Go for it James – all the best for your trip!!!