Tag Archives: preparation

Day 0.1 Ready to leave

Having the weekend to prepare things was a good idea…if it just means I’m less frantic then we have already gained a lot. 😉

blue george
Blue George waiting for us to get going

With the increased family size and our choice to increase the vehicle size, the packing list had to be re-written. Our last packing list was really honed down and tested multiple times so this was a bit of a challenge. Also, it will be re-written once we’re back to get a better grasp on what we actually needed and used instead of what I now *think* we absolutely have to have.

This morning then we finished packing. Almost. A last load of emergency washing still had to be done to insure our hiking gear is clean. It’s now drying in the sunshine and will be packed away tonight. Check.

Our kitchen was raided to pack the mobile “pantry”…which already feels like a luxury item coming from the limited space on the bike. We will not starve for the first two weeks. 😉 Check.

Flo had already started sorting out media to take on the trip. There is now time to make a playlist of music (which I thought there wouldn’t) and to sort out the charging situation in the car. The computer has been backed up, important documents still need to be store in the dropbox. So half check.

A couple of hours to relax and to anticipate. 🙂 Tomorrow, we’re off!

Day 83 – The shortest post

Rocinante and feet

Chilling before the hike

Well, this post is actually written ‘tomorrow’, sitting on the porch of our Pousada and written on our phone instead of the surface.

Today’s motto was rest and prepare. Late night rugby meant that we were keen to sleep in and take it slow. A vague plan to go up the hill to Dare to visit the cafe and museum but never eventuated.

Most of the activity today was about investigating how we could go about climbing Tatamailau (Mount Ramelau) and then preparing for it. It is pretty remote, so we wanted to take some things with us just in case. Most importantly, we needed to break down some of our fresh $20 notes. Even if you can buy stuff, most places will not have more than $1-3 in change to hand out. Plus, Rocinante needed to be fueled up for the 120km journey.

The rest was sleeping, blogging, watching “Monster University” and reading. I picked up some public domain works for the Kindle in Darwin and am now enjoying Mark Twain’s “The Innocents Abroad” about his pilgramage boat trip to the Holy Land. Apart from being hilariously funny, I am blown away how relevant and current the book still is for the serious traveller. Go check it out if you are looking for some light reading, it is out there for free!

That is it for today, really 😉