Trip Preparation

I guess a post about trip preparation seems inappropriate once the trip has actually begun but let's get it out of the way so that we can get to the good stuff.

Trip prep huh? Well...basically it sucks.

Here are some things I had to do and their current status:

Get health insurance: Complete. I got 4 months of travelers insurance for $197 fromworldnomads.com. It's better than nothing but hopefully won't be needed. Their policy did state anything alcohol related or anything where I put myself in obvious danger isn't covered. In other words, I threw away $197 dollars to make my mom happy.

Move stuff to storage: Complete. The photos at the bottom say it all. (Well they would if they were working. Sorry. I'm still figuring out this mobile blogging thing.) Thanks to my former roommate Louis for modeling and helping somehow cram my stuff into a 5 x 10 space.

Fix Knee: Uhh. Not quite. I ran a half marathon on four weeks of training in March of 2009 and it's been messed up ever since. I saw a doctor again this week and he told me something different than the last doctor but they both said to rehab it with and flexibility training. I did get some good anti-inflammatory meds though. I filled 4 prescriptions at Walmart in two days. Yes, they let you do that.

Prevent credit card fraud: FAIL. The day before I went to DC, Capital One gave me a call saying my card has been compromised and that they'll need to issue me a new number. Fantastic. They express shipped it and I picked it two hours before my flight. This was an insanely hectic trip through DC.

Pack: There are two side to my packing, technology and everything else.

I've gotten pretty intense with the technology (and I'll outline it in more detail later) but basically here is how I'm operating:

Voice: Skype mobile on my iPhone. This really is amazing. For $3 a month I can call anyone in the states when I have wifi connection (which is almost always).

Data: iPhone 4 for the win

Camera: iPhone and a new awesome Sony Cybershot

Also, I have rechargeable portable charger for my iPhone. So, I can plug the charger in on the go without needing power. It's really convenient and charges my phone about halfway.

Like I said, I'll expand on the subject of backpacking technology later but suffice it to say, I'm set.

As for everything else I've packed, think lightweight and appropriate for hot and humid weather. I'll buy clothes along the way to account for climate changes (Nepal and Eastern Europe in particular).

Ok, writing about this subject is terrible so I'll leave you with some photos of packing. (Still need to get this to work.)

Sayonara!