Well.....
it's now ten minutes to midnight and after a day of cleaning our apartment, packing our packs to the brim (i would like to pretend that i am a light packer but... I'm not!), trying the packs on and then of course drinking 2 bottles of champagne!! (thanks to ilja, pascalle and andrea) it is slowly sinking in that we are leaving for this life changing adventure tomorrow morning.
Well sort of.......
Think it will take me a while to realise that i am on 6 months holiday, maybe when i'm somwhere in the middle of Russia or Mongolia. Who knows?
No doubt i will share my thoughts when that time comes......
well.... i'm off to sleep in my new sleeping bag......
for the last sleep in Dutch country for a while......
Nighty night xxx
kAz
Friday, August 31, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Counting Down.....
Last post i promised to include our packing list. Then after starting to type it... i realised it was such ULTRA boring reading material ... socks... undies you know what i mean..... so i'd rather be just a little bit more useful/entertaining and instead just include the "clever items" that are included in our packing list. Things that you really appreciate when you're away and are glad that you remembered to bring.
This list is hopefully helpful to anyone embarking on a similar trip to ours in the future, and for those that are "armchair travelling" with us (thanks Anita for the term) for the 6 months, just bear with me :)
Insulated Mug with Lid (and spoon) (Great for noodles and surprise broths which can be bought at stations along the Trans-Mongolian route)
Instant Coffee/Tea bags (unlimited boiling water available on the train)
Noodle Cup a soups
Instant Hot Choc
Small squeegee for cleaning dirty train windows (Makes for better viewing and photos!)
Wet Ones (cleansing wipes)
Toilet paper (for use in an emergency)
Journal (and Pen!)
Activator (Chiropractic Adjusting Instrument)
Torch
Alarm Clock
Calculaor
Photos of friends and family (to show people you meet)
Ipod (can store photos for extra back up) and help on long train journeys
Vegemite (now it comes in handy travel squeezy tubes)
What's Vegemite you ask?!?!? I'm very aware that my Dutch friends have not grown up with it, so i have included the links below. Growing up in Australia, we all ate it on sandwiches at school or on toast for brekkie.
Actually, i like Vegemite, and admittedly we did put in an order in for 4 tubes (thanks mum for the package) , but i have to say... Do absolutely loves the stuff. Not bad for a Frenchie who grew up with brie and/or camembert on toast or croissants/pain au chocolat for breakfast. I sure know which one i would choose. lol
Wikipedia Vegemite
or
Official Vegemite Site
Anyway..... i digress.....
We are now on the countdown big time! In less than 2 weeks we will already been on our first choo choo (train) heading East. I have already been saying goodbyes at work for 4 weeks now and surprisingly it still hasn't really hit me that much that we are leaving for 6 months. I think it will after next week after we move our things into storage and live very minimally for our last few days in Amsterdam. Good way to test out the new sleeping bags i say!
We have been spending our time lately running around getting the last of essential items, researching where we want to go, saying goodbyes to friends and having dinner/drinks etc and also by finishing off the last details on our Discover Connection website. (see link on the right) Do has done an amazing job and although i have helped with the content, english text and photos, she has done all the programming and design herself. So now with the maps online you can really follow us whilst we are away and learn a bit more about our destinations when we do. Technology really is amazing. Let's hope i can find internet cafe's in the majority of the towns/villages we visit. Well at least with computers that have english letters on the typewriter. Typing in Chinese, or Russian for that matter, is not my forte.
So...we have our tickets (until mongolia), visas (until china), passports, travel insurance, guide books and my heart is beginning to beat a little bit faster and well.... i'm smiling from ear to ear with an extra bounce in my step.
Goodbye Amsterdam.... Hello Asia!
Or should i say .... Hallo Berlin.......Zdrastvuytie Moscow...... Sain bai-na uu Mongolia..... or Ni hao China?
Ok ok, you get my point. Now then, i guess i am getting a bit excited then aren't I?!?
This list is hopefully helpful to anyone embarking on a similar trip to ours in the future, and for those that are "armchair travelling" with us (thanks Anita for the term) for the 6 months, just bear with me :)
Insulated Mug with Lid (and spoon) (Great for noodles and surprise broths which can be bought at stations along the Trans-Mongolian route)
Instant Coffee/Tea bags (unlimited boiling water available on the train)
Noodle Cup a soups
Instant Hot Choc
Small squeegee for cleaning dirty train windows (Makes for better viewing and photos!)
Wet Ones (cleansing wipes)
Toilet paper (for use in an emergency)
Journal (and Pen!)
Activator (Chiropractic Adjusting Instrument)
Torch
Alarm Clock
Calculaor
Photos of friends and family (to show people you meet)
Ipod (can store photos for extra back up) and help on long train journeys
Vegemite (now it comes in handy travel squeezy tubes)
What's Vegemite you ask?!?!? I'm very aware that my Dutch friends have not grown up with it, so i have included the links below. Growing up in Australia, we all ate it on sandwiches at school or on toast for brekkie.
Actually, i like Vegemite, and admittedly we did put in an order in for 4 tubes (thanks mum for the package) , but i have to say... Do absolutely loves the stuff. Not bad for a Frenchie who grew up with brie and/or camembert on toast or croissants/pain au chocolat for breakfast. I sure know which one i would choose. lolWikipedia Vegemite
or
Official Vegemite Site
Anyway..... i digress.....
We are now on the countdown big time! In less than 2 weeks we will already been on our first choo choo (train) heading East. I have already been saying goodbyes at work for 4 weeks now and surprisingly it still hasn't really hit me that much that we are leaving for 6 months. I think it will after next week after we move our things into storage and live very minimally for our last few days in Amsterdam. Good way to test out the new sleeping bags i say!
We have been spending our time lately running around getting the last of essential items, researching where we want to go, saying goodbyes to friends and having dinner/drinks etc and also by finishing off the last details on our Discover Connection website. (see link on the right) Do has done an amazing job and although i have helped with the content, english text and photos, she has done all the programming and design herself. So now with the maps online you can really follow us whilst we are away and learn a bit more about our destinations when we do. Technology really is amazing. Let's hope i can find internet cafe's in the majority of the towns/villages we visit. Well at least with computers that have english letters on the typewriter. Typing in Chinese, or Russian for that matter, is not my forte.
So...we have our tickets (until mongolia), visas (until china), passports, travel insurance, guide books and my heart is beginning to beat a little bit faster and well.... i'm smiling from ear to ear with an extra bounce in my step.
Goodbye Amsterdam.... Hello Asia!
Or should i say .... Hallo Berlin.......Zdrastvuytie Moscow...... Sain bai-na uu Mongolia..... or Ni hao China?
Ok ok, you get my point. Now then, i guess i am getting a bit excited then aren't I?!?
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