Status Report: 30 days to go
We’ve a month left. It seems like forever since we decided to stop putting off our “some day” trip and just go. I hated the waiting, but it’s meant we’ve been able to plan well and get stuff done.
In the past couple of weeks, we’ve managed to tick a good few things off the list.
1. Learning to swim
This was something we’ve always wanted to do, and it became even more important to us since we’re going to be seeing a lot of beaches and islands on this trip. I’ve tried to teach myself so many times and failed miserably. We’ve finished our 10 lessons now, and both made big improvements (thanks Cassie!).
2. Packing
We needed to get Rongi’s backpack, and our timeframe meant we were able to check every so often and wait for sales and discounts.
We finally got a 30-litre pack. We didn’t think it would be big enough, but when we took it home we found that everything fits in comfortably. It looks small, but we want to travel light anyway. So she’s carrying her stuff, and I’m carrying mine plus the stuff that we both use.
3. Work
I told my boss I’m going, and it’s filtering through to my workmates — although a few have known for some time I wanted to do this kind of trip. Just two more weeks of work, and then I bail out just before the budget, when the government gets the ordinary Irish taxpayer to stump up for the mistakes of the well-heeled politicians, bankers and developers.
4. Visas
We’ll be getting most of these along the way, but the circuit around Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia means our onward flight from Bangkok is more than 30 days after our original entry. That means I need to get a tourist visa in advance. At the moment, the Thai government is trying to kick-start tourism, so they’ve waived visa fees until June 4, and my passport is in the Thai Consulate as I write this.
Rongi, being South Korean, can get a 90-day tourist visa on arrival in Thailand. We’ve also got our Australian visas. You can do it almost instantly online.* Once you’ve got it, it’s recorded electronically and when Australian Immigration enter your passport number it comes up on the computer. It’s a three-month multiple-entry visa, valid for entry up to a year from the date of issue.
* The Australian eVisitor service costs AUS$20.00 and is available to Europeans as well as nationals of Brunei, Canada , Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the USA.5. Reading
We’ve been ploughing through books on our destinations. I always enjoy travel more if I know as much as possible ahead of time. You know the significance of what you’re seeing, and it also makes for far more interesting conversations with local people.
6. Bogworms.com
The blog’s up and running. We’re still tweaking and deciding what goes in and what stays out. A few plug-ins look useful, while others were tried and dropped. It’s still a work in progress, and there are bound to be a few more changes, but what you’re seeing now is the bones of Bogworms.com.
March 15, 2009 8:47 pm 
