Well, the bags have been packed, re-packed, weighed, and re-weighed. I’m now at my maximum allowable size and weight for pretty much everything. It’s after 11pm the night before I fly out for Fiji, and it still hasn’t sunk in. What am I embarking on? What will I discover? How will this change me? How will this bring me closer to my own realities? I have no idea, but I also have absolutely no fear. My life thus far has been as rewarding as anyone could possibly hope for. You could say that I have everything I need right here. And yet, this idea to get away and undertake an adventure on my own has been germinating within me for as long as I can remember. I already wish that I was going for longer, even though this is the longest trip I’ve ever taken, and I will be doing it all on my own, while Jody minds the ranch.
My hope is that I’ll drag as many people as I can along with me on my journey through this website. I hope to be able to fill you all in with my exciting, or boring tales, as well as share some of the sights from my trip, and show maps of where I’ve been going. With today’s technology, staying in touch has never (in theory) been easier. Jody and I played around with Skype Video today trying out our ‘lifeline’. Whenever I’m connected, I should be able to video-conference with her. The miles apart will seem to disappear, if only for a few minutes, hopefully helping me get through the tough times on the road.
It’s been a long year of anticipation, and the time is finally here for me. I purposefully didn’t map out a route of any sort, and hope to pretty much fly by the seat of my pants the whole way. As the saying goes “The journey is the destination.” I have no appointments, no pressing engagements, just me, my bike, and time. Taking the bike should prove interesting. As I’ve mentioned, the bike and trailer pretty much forces me to get everywhere on my own. Backpacking in many ways is much easier for travel. I’m wholly dependent on my own power to get places. There will no doubt be days where I regret it, but I know the sum of the parts will be greater than the whole.
I’m feeling pretty philosophical at the moment about all this, but I really need to get some sleep. It was a little weird celebrating Christmas today, but also pretty fun. One of my gifts was a DVD Jody got for me called “Asiemut”. It’s a film shot by two Quebecers who biked 8000km from Mongolia to India. Very fitting film to watch before I embark on this trip, and a film that has definitely sparked my excitement. Thanks Jody!
Also, thanks for all you folks that made it out last weekend to my Bon Voyage party. You can have a look at some of the pictures at flickr. It was great to see everyone that I could before heading out. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentine’s Day, Groundhog’s Day, and Easter! I’ll see you all in April 2008!!!!
