Tuesday, September 7, 2004 (Train from Shoeburyness to London –
late for work)
Another milestone point-of-no-return reached -
starting with the anti-Malaria medication. Preparing our gear and what to take.
Winding down at work. Are we really about to leave already? Are we ready? A
plethora of things to organise.
Day T-7. We started our anti-malaria tablets
last night. Another ‘point of no return’ milestone reached. For
Africa, we only needed to take one Mefloquin (Larium) tablet once a week on
Sundays. We have a barrage of tablets that we need to take this time around.
Different parts of the world are afflicted by different strains of Malaria and
we need to be protected against those strains that are prevalent in India. We
are taking two tablets a week of the one kind and two tablets a day of the
second. I think they are Chloroquin and Proquanil. Taking tablets is not a
favourite past time of mine but at least these medications don’t have any
of the serious side affects of Larium that so many people complain about. We
were fortunate not to be afflicted by the Larium side effects in Africa,
although Sandy did complain of some sleep deprivation for the first couple of
days after taking each Larium tablet. We are supposed to start with the tablets
one week prior to entering the Malaria zone and for four weeks after leaving.
This means we will be taking these tablets all through India and China and into
Thailand – at which point we’ve been told we need to contact a
travel health clinic there to determine which, if any, anti-Malarials we need to
be taking for that country. I suspect we will need to carry on with these two
medications for Thailand as well. Because of the one week before and four weeks
after requirement, I suspect we will be on tablets for most of the trip since
there are parts of the South Pacific that are also Malaria hot spots. Australia
and New Zealand should provide us with a rest
bite.
We still have to sort out our
backpack contents. The idea is to lay everything out on the floor and to go
through everything to see exactly what we need and what we can leave behind.
I’ve already seen what Sandy is thinking of taking and I suspect she will
end up sending some stuff home at one point. Can’t tell her, of course
– more than my life’s
worth.
My backpack will contain very
few clothes for this trip. Most of the stuff I will be taking will be gear such
as the underwater camera housing and strobe, the kit bags, medical kit and so
on. The two kit bags are nothing more than a collection of all those
‘things’ that we will need from time to time. It includes things
like our dive computers and log books, a torch, electrical socket connectors,
universal sink plug, clothes line, duct tape, playing cards, cables and
chargers, etc. We’ve trimmed down the contents of our kit bags for this
trip compared to last, having learned what was really necessary and what
wasn’t.
Just four more days
left at work, including today. I’m supposed to start work at 09:00am but
it’s now 09:36am and I’ve not long started my two-hour commute into
the capital. Clearly, my mind is no longer on my work then. Luckily, they
tolerate this at the office. With two replacements already fairly up to speed,
my tardiness is not a major problem for them – if not a constant source of
jocularity.
In many respects, I still
don’t think I’ve fully taken in what it is that we are about to do.
Today still feels like just another trip to work. Should I be worried about
this? Am I being too complacent? Is everything ready? Are we prepared? Have I
forgotten anything? These last minute nerves are very typical of travellers
about to embark on a long trip. I spend a lot of time on the Internet in
traveller’s forums exchanging anecdotes with other travellers. The Lonely
Planet Thorn Tree is a particular favourite. Several times a week, someone will
post a message about how they are about to loose their mind trying to think what
could they have possibly neglected in the run up to their departure, scared of
what’s out there. Like others, I would typically tell them to relax, and
that everything will be fine, and that everything will work out once they are
under way. Now, it seems, the tables are reversed and I’m the one whose
anxious about what ‘might’ happen or what I’ve
‘forgotten’ to take care of. The truth is, of course, that
I’ve spent many months organising this trip and I’ve probably
crossed every ‘T’ and dotted every ‘I’ twice over
already. It’s easy to wonder what you might have forgotten to take care of
when you see the number of things that need addressing for a trip like this. In
the run up to this departure, I’ve had to research and/or deal with all of
the following issues:
International
drivers’ license; visas; inoculations; purchase of equipment and gear;
travel footwear; travel clothing; backpacks and daypacks; tickets and routing;
weather conditions around the planet; places of interest; surface transportation
options in each country; finances; arrangements with the banks (in England,
Holland and America); juggling work commitments, training new staff and my
resignation; arranging to meet people in other countries; selling the cars;
travel insurance; etc., etc., etc. The list goes on quite
considerably.
For each and every one
of these issues, I’ve spent days and sometimes weeks trying to sort things
out. Larger problems such as Mum & Dad’s moving into a new home,
Sandy’s Brother having a heart attack, Paul David’s divorce, the
sale of the campervan and the subsequent dealing with the lawyers, etc., have
all taken up considerable chunks of my resources in recent months also. I think
I need a holiday. Yes, perhaps I’ll go on a long trip somewhere
soon.
Posted: Tue - September 7, 2004 at 10:10 AM