The Plan B Adventure

Our passports have arrived!!! For those of you who have spoken with us recently you’ve heard us bemoaning the Visa process and worrying that we might have to postpone our trip. Well, the passports came via FedEx this morning. THANK YOU UZBEK CONSULATE!!! They even covered the extra cost of Priority Overnight. This should reduce our stress levels tremendously. Now all we have to do is find our way to the airport.

Jeff’s parents threw a little Going-Away party at their place….We had a blast celebrating our upcoming adventure with a small group of friends and family. Thanks Mom and Dad and to everyone who joined us!!

Alright…back to the trip. We are leaving for Hong Kong on Thursday and 99.9% prepared (although only 50% mentally prepared..HAHA). Many of you have asked about our supplies, clothes, etc. so we laid everything out for you to see what we have for the next eight months. Yea, we know not a lot of stuff, but it’s not like you can plan an outfit-per-day for eight months. Instead we found three shirts, three or four pants, and a few tshirts that we really like. As we continue our journey we will let you know how this philosophy is working out. We (especially picky Jeff) can imagine there are going to be some items we love and others we wish we left at home.

Well, we have quite a few little things to wrap up, so wish us luck and stay tuned for last minute freaking out!!!

One week ’til Bon Voyage and things are a little hectic. Nothing like some last minute franticness to get us ready for the Indian train depot or the streets of Ho Chi Minh. If you are wondering what we’re talking about let me summarize:

– Tuesday – Jeff has root canal for recently (around Xmas) cracked tooth. Still is aching and two more dentist visits still left
– Thursday – No passports. Sent to Uzbek embassy before New Year’s and still not back. Not the smartest move but we needed the Visa prior to arrival. Can’t get a hold of anyone!!!! AAAAHHH!
– Last 28 days – Nonstop down pouring of Chicago-like rain in Seattle. Driving everywhere to obtain last minute items is seriously getting on our nerves. If you are one of the people we told that Seattle is great, the rain always burns off by 2PM, we apologize. We were wrong. It is miserable here yet might help us acclimate to the rainy season in SE Asia.

What are we doing to calm our nerves (besides Jeff grinding his teeth) ???? We are having a great time hanging out with friends and family whom we haven’t been able to spend this type of time with since 2000. We are attempting to connect with our Chicago friends and chat with them which offers some semblence of normalcy to which we have been use to for the past five years. But the most exciting was our guest appearance to the K-1 and 2nd graders at McAuliffe Elementary. We had a captive audience of 20-30 youngsters who blistered us with Dateline NBC-like questions (and stories) for over a half hour. Remember when you were six and all you wanted to do was tell big people everything you knew……..here are a few of the highlights of their comments (pics to post later)….

– Why did you decide to travel around the world? (Great question)
– Once when we were in British Columbia I saw a ghost in my hotel room (Good story, thank you)
– How much is it going to cost? (Good Question) (Student guesses: $400, $600, $1,245.21….hilarious)
– My dad has the same pants as you (Thanks)
– (My question to the kids) How many of your speak a foreign language? Everyone raised their hands!!! Very funny!

So I’m sure you all are wondering how the packing and planning is going. Well, everything has been purchased and I expect to provide a snapshot of our pack contents in the next few days. It’s amazing how it all adds up. The planning is done and we are ready to get on the road and see what the world brings……….once our passports show up!!!

Well....Xmas is over and we are in the final stretch. Guess it might be a good time to get started on some of our gear!!! Thank you to all of our loved friends and relatives who kindly provided us ... [Continue reading this entry]

Ok. Finally, we have found a map that will allow us to post all the countries or at least a snapshot of the countries we will be travelling to on our fascinating trip. Sorry about the lack of detail but ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Well, reality is finally sinking in!! Becca ended her very successful tenure with Alpha Phi on Thursday and Jeff said "Goodbye" at Harris on Friday. We are so thankful to have met so many great friends and colleagues ... [Continue reading this entry]

When do you leave? What is your first destination? Which way do you go? These are a few of the questions that Jeff and I have heard everytime we mention our adventure. So.......how do you determine these answers and what ... [Continue reading this entry]

Okay so we've got a framework for the countries we are going to visit. This allows us to get started on our much-needed immunizations. As we discovered we are fortunate to still live in a city like Chicago where Northwestern ... [Continue reading this entry]