....and the planning and packing begin.

Well, it didn't take me long to realize that I was not equipped to go on this trip. It had been ages since I had been on any sort of a trekking/hiking/camping trip so I really needed to get outfitted. The tour company had provided a fairly detailed list of what I needed to bring along so armed with that I decided I would spend a Saturday afternoon at REI picking up all the bits and pieces of gear, clothing and other necessities.

It all started with a photo on the cover of a travel magazine.

It all started one afternoon when I picked up a travel magazine while waiting for my car to be serviced at Jiffy Lube.

There it was, on the cover ...... a full page, color photo of an ancient monument that I had always dreamed of someday being able to visit. As I read the accompanying article, I found myself mesmerized by photos of faces, landmarks, and wildlife of a place that had always seemed so foreign, beautiful and exotic to me and that I've always been inexplicably drawn to.