I leave in just a little over 5 days and I'm pretty much set to go.My final week of preparation began with packing my backpack this past weekend. I had to do it 3 times to get it packed the way I wanted to.
The good news is that I got all my stuff packed in crammed in and there was A LOT of stuff - more clothes, medicine and food than I've lugged along on my previous trips. Not to mention a winter weight sleeping bag, down vest and other "acoutrements" for trekking through Tibet.
The bad news is that I had to get an extra daypack to be able to fit everything in. Fortunately, my pack is relatively small so even with all the extra stuff, the weight is still manageable - the day/backpack unit fits very comfortably on my back and I can carry it with one hand if I need to. The other good news is that I have room to spare and can easily free up more along the way.....and I have an extra tote - I see a few shopping sprees in my future :-)
Today (two days late), I took the first of my Mefloquinine pills which are for malaria. You're suppose to take them one week before you enter the malaria "zone" which in my case is Delhi and then for four weeks after you leave the area. I have just enough pills to cover the trip.
Today, I also got my travel papers and money (for India and Tibet) in order and organized. This is the one task that definitely requires attention to detail so I check and doublecheck everything.
This past week, I also got my electronics organized. I had bought additional batteries for my camera and have fully charged them all. My MP3 player is fully loaded and ready to go. I've packed in the chargers and converters.
Next, I have to take care of some household matters, pay the bills for the month and leave instructions for my neighbors who have offered to look after my house while I'm away.
It's been almost 5 months since I started planning this trip and I can't believe it's just days away from happening!!
