My scheduled departure is less than 2 weeks away so I think it's time I write a little bit about the preparations for the journey.

It has not been very long since I decided to do this, so preparations have a last-minute feel to them, but I think I will get through it all just fine. I tend to be good at last-minute things anyways.

Plane tickets: I don't have them in hand but I have reservations and my travel agent has my money so it should be a matter of a few short days before I can hold them in my hands. Departure date is Tuesday the 14th at night. I'll get to NZ on the 16th in the morning. I am flying into Auckland, and connecting to Christchurch. I decided to head straight to the South Island because the skiing is so much better down there. I'll work my way North over the 2 months and finally leave out of Auckland on 17 November and head for Thailand. I am scheduled to leave Thailand on December 21st.

Although the trip is planned for a duration of 3 months, it already feels like it is going to be too short. Maybe I will be able to stretch my budget and stay longer. We'll see.

Everything else: Gear. I bought some gear, but I didn't go overboard. I bought an ultralight tent, an iPod, four more quickdraws, a windshirt, a sunshirt. I'll also have to buy a ski box, a duffel bag and a few other minor things. Visas: No problem for New Zealand, Thailand is going to be a little more tricky. I am sorting through conflicting sources of info right now. If I have to send my passport in I will have to do that from NZ or I will not have a passport for the first part of the trip. Vaccinations: Once again NZ is a non-issue, but for Thailand it would be a good idea to get some shots. I am very lucky that my brother is a doctor: he gave me a long talk yesterday about all the shots I have to get. Now I just have to figure where and when to get them. There are needles in my future...

I got rid of my couches in my apartment so now I have a large area that I use to organize all the gear that I anticipate taking with me. It's a sort of staging area if you will. I am preparing myself to do 3 things on this trip: backcountry skiing, backpacking, and rock climbing. Each involves different specialized equipment and clothing. I am going to end up carrying a lot of stuff. Time will tell if this is an insane idea. Having said that it just turns out that the ski season is excellent in NZ and that my timing is good to enjoy the snow. So... I'll suffer a little during the travel but once I am settled in a ski lodge somewhere in the Craigieburn area I am going to be a happy camper.

It seems I could write endlessly about all the aspects of trip preparation but I also need to spend time... uh, preparing.