It's your turn

A lot of people have gotten the link to my blog. I'd appreciate it if you would leave a comment, letting me know you visited, so I have some idea who's out there. I think I have it set up so that anyone can leave a comment without having to be a registered Google user. If that's not the case, email me at gwhockey@gmail.com and let me know.

Christmas has come

Well, not quite Christmas, but a gift delivery. The small rolling bag from TCS arrived yesterday. It was full of goodies. There was the expedition jacket with a zip-out lining, and a hood. It seems like quite a nice jacket, but the zipper zips on the left side instead of the right. That'll take some getting used to. There was also a backpack. It had the mini-maglite, some sunscreen, hand sanitizing gel, and bug spray. There was also a day planner sized book with a ton of useful information about the trip. It had the guest list, staff list, and crew list. It had a day-by-day itenerary with arrival and departure times. There was information about every destination with tips on etiquette, information on food, history of the area/country, customs, tour highlights, and what to bring home from that region. I have lots of reading to do.

At several stops, the small bag is the only luggage we're going to be allowed to take with us (and hopefully the backpack), and it doesn't seem to hold much. The tour coordinator said they would tell us what we should pack at those places. It may mean having to wear clothes that have gone longer between washings than I would like, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I guess everyone will be in the same condition.

The Trip, the Universe, and Everything

Forty-two days. Six weeks. That's all I've got left to get ready for the trip. A last package from the tour company is supposed to arrive soon with some goodies. A small bag or backpack (I'm not sure exactly), an expedition jacket with a zip-out lining, a flashlight, and some other assorted travel gear. When that gets here, we'll finalize our packing arrangements.

I was visiting my father this past weekend. A hurricane or tropical storm, whichever it was when it passed his area, went through the weekend before and left a bunch of limbs and debris in his yard. On Saturday I tried to help him clean it up. I was out there about an hour picking up branches and pine cones and was so drenched with sweat I looked like I had jumped into a pool with my clothes on. I was getting a headache and had to quit. My eighty year old father was still plugging away, but promised to come in soon. He did, but while my wife and son and I were at lunch, he went back out and continued working. I told him he really made me look bad, but he didn't seem too sympathetic. He may end up having to help me get around when we're hiking around some of the tour sites. That should make for some great pictures.

Seven Weeks

Seven more weeks to go (from yesterday). I went to the doctor and got the last two prescriptions I needed. One for malaria medicine and one for a general antibiotic. Hopefully, I won't need the antibiotic. My blood pressure was better than it's been for a long time. I'll credit the exercise with that. I'd like to think it's doing something besides making me tired and sweaty.

Passport's back

My wife's and my passports are back from the travel document service. The visas look kind of cool. The one for Tanzania has my picture on it. It feels reassuring to have it back in my hands. My father got his back last week, even though we sent his and ours from exactly the same FedEx store at exactly the same time, and the document service received them at exactly the same time. That worried me some. Whatever the delay, though, it's back home now and all primed and ready for the trip. It's just eight weeks from today that we leave. After a year and a half, that's nothing. I need to go check my bag again to be sure I have everything packed!