Three Days to Go!

You might notice that there was no "Four Days to Go" post.  For some reason, I didn't realize until this morning that I did not update the blog yesterday.  There wasn't much going on.

Today has been about making final preparations both at work and at home.  Been spending my days at work making sure things will continue in my absence.  I'm not worried about it since I work with great people (and I'm not just saying that because I know some of you are now reading the blog.. it's the truth!) and I've tried to make sure that as many people as possible participate in it.

After work has been a series of chores...

1. Got hair cut today.  Now I won't look 45 when the birthday comes next week.
2. Been doing laundry so that there are minimal dirty clothes left in the house and I have everything I wanted to pack
3. Checked through all my toiletries and OTC medications.  Purchased the stuff that was missing.
4. Bought a new mouse and noise cancelling ear buds as the first had died and I haven't been happy with the current version of the second.
5. Loaded and ran the dishwasher.  No dirty dishes in the sink awaiting my return.
6. Checked all my documents to make sure I had everything covered.  Nothing missing there.
7. Started packing the suitcases.  Looking good at this point.  Nothing's bulging.. yet...

I'm sure I'll forget something but preparations are well underway.

I've been asked if I'm excited.  I am but may not be showing it outwardly to folks.  I guess some it comes because I've traveled so much and seen some amazing things that another big trip doesn't seem like a big thing.  I'm sure it will when I get there.

I also cleaned up the background of the blog, realizing that the text was a bit difficult to read with the map of the trip on it.  Therefore, here's the map by itself...

Five Days to Go

Well, the trip is now entirely set.  All the arrangements have been made.  Copies of itineraries and contact information has been mailed out.  Guess I'm really going on this trip on Sunday.

I waited until today to take care of the changes I needed to make based on yesterday's itinerary change.  It was amazingly easy to get it all taken care of.  Called Hilton to try and cancel my non-refundable (pre-paid) reservation in Cairo because of the flight change.  They'll get back to me once the hotel's been asked.

With that flight change, I also wound up making a reservation at the Hilton in Addis Ababa.  I won't be there long but it will be another country on my list.  That will make 10 for this trip.  I will make sure to eat some Ethiopian food, which I've tried before and have found tasty.

I also booked my day room in Johannesburg.  I was searching for a place close to the airport and found a couple options.  As I had a bit more time, I looked at the Hilton which is in the suburb of Sandton and found they had a day rate so I booked it.  It's only a few blocks from the Gautrain station which runs from the airport so I can take public transportation!

Work is wrapping up nicely too so I feel like I can leave with a clear conscience.  I'm trying as best as I can to leave no loose ends but if there are any, my coworkers should be able to handle them with ease.

Now if packing would just automatically occur....

Six Days to Go

Well, after all the travel over the weekend and leading up to it last week (a few car rides for work), I thought today might be an easy day.  However, logging into my personal e-mail this morning changed that.

I received an e-mail from United that one of my itineraries changed.  Uh oh, what's gotten screwed up now was the thought running through my head when I clicked on it.  It was, of course, the itinerary that brought me to Cairo.  The first change resulted in a shorter trip due to a moved up departure time from a no longer operating Ethiopian Airlines flight from Cairo to Johannesburg.  This time, Ethiopian Airlines has decided not to operate the Addis Ababa to Cairo leg I had booked.  I'm now booked on an EgyptAir flight between Addis Ababa and Cairo.  Instead of arriving at 0130, I'm now arriving at 0725 (after departing Addis at 0425).

So, what does this all mean?  It means that I now have to cancel the pre-paid room at the Cairo Hilton because I won't be able to use it.  It also means I'll have to let my tour guide know that the schedule's changed again and we'll start the tour once he picks me up from the airport.

I will also have to figure out what to do in Addis Ababa as my connecting time has now gone to nine hours from three and a half.  I'm hoping Hilton will let me cancel Cairo with no penalty and book Addis Ababa.

Of course, like everything there is an upside to it.  Because I'll be leaving the airport in Addis Ababa, I'll have to go through customs and immigration.  This also means that I will now hit 10 countries on the trip with the unplanned stop.  Fortunately, I can get my Ethiopian visa on arrival.

Now just wondering what other changes are in store....

One Week to Go!

Well, the title's not exactly correct....

Sunday August 26th marked one week before the departure flight to South Africa.

How would you prepare for the departure on a trip of the magnitude I've planned?  If you're a "normal" person, you might be finalizing checklists, washing clothes, gathering guidebooks and information, etc.

However, I'm not (and friends and family will confirm) "normal" when travel is involved.  I spent the weekend before my departure with a good friend traveling around the Black Hills and Badlands.  750 miles were put on the rental car while visiting three states (giving me a total of 49 out of 50).

South Dakota and Wyoming were beautiful in their own ways.  Can't say that much for the northwest corner of Nebraska though.

I've included some photos from the trip to tantalize your tastebuds with the type of photos I take while traveling.

Less Than Two Weeks

It's been a very busy past few weeks since the last update especially since I'm not taking any work devices (mobile phone or laptop) with me on vacation.  I'm in the midst of a major project and the two week hole is going to be tough but I've got great people working with me who will be able to pick up the slack in my absence.

It's down to final details before departure.  Went and got my yellow fever shot a few weeks ago as I'll need it since I'm going to Zambia.  That was a quick $170 out the window for about 30 seconds of work.  Got it done in New Haven and was able to be back to work in less than 45 minutes.

I finally got the hotel arranged in Gaborone!  The Cresta President will be my home away from home.. for the one night I'm in Botswana.  It's centrally located and should be easy to see the "sights" from there.  However, I need to arrange a taxi from the airport as I understand that taxis aren't frequently seen at the Gaborone airport.

I was also able to arrange my Amtrak tickets to and from NYC.  I have decided to head down on September 1 to make sure that I'm not rushing around the day of departure.  In addition, I also didn't want to park my car at the airport for two weeks while I was gone.  Fortunately, the Amtrak station is only four blocks from my home so I'll leave my car elsewhere and get a ride home then walk down to the station with my luggage on the 1st.  I've got a train scheduled out of NYC with enough time after I touch down that any delays in Immigration (shouldn't happen due to having Global Entry) or Customs won't affect me.  I will hopefully be back home by 2 PM.

Yesterday was test pack day for the trip.  I wanted to test pack to see if there was any additional clothing that I needed to buy or a bigger suitcase to acquire.  I made a trip down to Innovation Luggage in Westport to pick up some travel items.  I found some packing system items that helped greatly when test packing yesterday.  Fortunately, I have plenty of room in my main suitcase and hadn't even packed the carry-on.  Looks like extra luggage won't be an issue.

All is proceeding well.  The last item left to do is to select a hotel room for the day in Johannesburg before flying home.  Oh... and the trip to Mt. Rushmore this weekend...