Post 34: Packing List and more...

(Jamaica / 2010 / Only 5 days!)

Fellow adventurers,

Time is slipping away faster and faster it seems, but my confidence is only building at this point. Several points on our list have been checked off and money continues to be no issue, so this is only more of an assurance to us. It also makes me, by the second, more anxious to purchase some plane tickets.

I have started to put some thought into the weight of my bad and which items I may need to purchase to alleviate some of that weight. 5 months and many climates will make for a challenge in terms of saving on space in my pack. The more I take, the more I will be troubled, I keep telling myself...

After the break, the items list:

Post 33: Pra mim

Fellow adventurers,

I decided to take the day off, originally I had planned to take tomorrow to buy our first set of plane tickets, but we have decided to postpone that for the time being. We want to take the safe route and buy them when we have established renters for our homes. Better safe than sorry, and hopefully the price will not be much of a differing factor.

In other good news, we officially have a ride to Miami from Orlando on November 12th (which will save us nearly $400!) thanks to my best buddy from back home, Derek, and his misses Steph. I look forward to them joining on the first official leg of our journey...to the airport in Miami, where we will say goodbye to the Soviet States of America for a few good months.

Strides have been made regarding catching up on my budget, and I've already reached my goal for the month of August, with only about $500 left to save within just under 3 months until we leave. Feeling pretty confident I can make up the difference, and maybe even more, which would benefit us of course.

Nothing else to report for now, hopefully soon we will start checking more items of the list. Work is yet to be done before the journey begins.

$8500 saved
$7500ish to go

G

Post 32: Checklist!

Fellow adventurers,

Its about time we compiled a checklist of all things we need to do in the next 95 87ish 80 60ish 40ish days or so, this post will be used to chart our progress:

Preparation:

• Yellow Fever vaccination and certificate (need in Venezuela, Bolivia)
• Rosetta Stone install

Supplies:

• Bolivia passport documentation and photos
• Camera
• SD Cards
• Color copies of passport x4
• Pack for J 
• collapsible water bottle
• flashlight(s)
• clothes

Financial:

• Connect J's bank account with ING
• Get spare ATM cards for each account

Plane tickets to purchase:

• Philadelphia to Orlando tickets for Nov. 6th
• Orlando to Miami/Caracas tickets for Nov. 12th 
• Flight between Venezuela and Colombia (Nov. 17thish)
• Ushuaia to Buenos Aires tickets for Feb 1st or 2nd

Personal (G):

• 2 weeks notice at work on Friday, Oct. 21st.
• settle water bill!
• Find November 1st to April 1st sublease for room
• Suspend DirecTv for 6 month
• Suspend phone plan
• 4-5 months worth of supplies for Little Man (G's cat)
• Sell TV in late October (Sara is buying it!)
• Store belongings

Personal (J):

• Find October to April 1st sublease for room
• Find part time work.
• Store belongings 

(8/14/11 update) - categorized these into more manageable headings, more to come soon.

Post 31: double digit days!

 

Fellow adventurers,

We are now just under 100 days until we depart for South America. I have been working hard to get the itineraries up in the past few days and have finally completed them. They will be used as a reference point for the planning of each individual country. We can each add to them from our own homes and on our own time, which is a great benefit. You can find them on the right side of the main blog under, you guessed it, Itineraries.

Money is going good and I am keeping resilient in terms of spending the little of it I have left over each paycheck. I'm Feeling very confident at this point and have been trying to bide my time as best as possible. I admit that my lack of patience has had the best of me some days in the past few month, but I think it has to do with the anxiousness surrounding quitting my job and severing my ties. I should apologize to my partner in crime, as she has been on the receiving end of some of my frustration. I know the adventure we seek should not be forged through stress and frustration.

2 weeks til plane tickets.

G

Post 30: Plan Brazil

Fellow adventurers,

Brazil will most likely be the biggest challenge of all, from its different language to its huge geography, but I can imagine it will be one of the most rewarding of all.

As mentioned in the Uruguay post, we will be entering via Chuy on our way to Porto Alegre. We will catch a flight from there to Igaucu Falls. Then by bus to Curitiba, for a train ride through some of the last Atlantic region coastal rainforests left on earth. Rio comes next before heading to Belem on a very long distance flight for the hopefully much needed reprieve of a boat ride down the Amazon to the city of Manaus, the last stop on our four plus month trip.

We should be arriving in Brazil around Carnivale time, which will most definitely be a hindrance in terms of transportation (of which there will be none), time, and money. Crime seems to be an issue and we will make our best attempt to avoid places that are statistically more risky, but for the most part, I think we will be alright. There is a possibility that we may end up in Brazil with more time or money than had previously thought we would have. If this is the case we will definitely explore our options and see more of this vast country. We have also discussed the possibility of departing the continent via one of the Guyanas. Very tempting...more on that later.

Map and details after the break:

Post 29: Plan Uruguay

Fellow adventurers,

I have a feeling Uruguay is going to be one of the highlights of this long trip.

We will be crossing from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento on the other side of the River Plate by ferry. Colonia is an old, as you guessed it, colonial town founded by the Portuguese. After a few days there, we will head to the capital, Montevideo, for about a weeks stay. We plan to rent a car for the last part of our time in Uruguay, to travel from Montevideo along the coast into Brazil. Pinapolis, Punta del Este, La Paloma, Punta del Diablo and Chuy will all be explored along that route.

Map and details after the break:

Post 28: Plan Chile and Argentina

Fellow adventurers,

We have combined these two nations, plans wise, due to us crossing the border several times between each of these Patagonian nations.

We will be starting this leg of our journey in the north of either country, depending on time, and where we decide to exit Solar di Uyuni, Bolivia. If we decide to see Solar di Attacama, we will head through to the Chilean border in the desert. If we decide to go the way of Argentina, we will travel to the famous border city of La Quiaca (the furthest northern city in Argentina). We will have to travel south to the city of Salta and then onto Mendoza/Santiago from there.

Santiago de Chile is our starting point, from there we will cross the Andes into Mendoza. The bus ride is apparently very scenic. We plan on spending a good bit of time in Mendoza because of all the good things we have heard about the region. After Mendoza we will travel through Patagonia, spending a good amount of our time in Bariloche before heading to Puerto Moreno and Tierra Del Fuego. We will have to cross the border back into Chile to see Punta Arenas and Torres Del Paine National Park. Our last stop at the bottom of the world will be the furthest most southern city in the world, Ushuaia. Our last stop is the River Plate, and Buenos Aires. We plan to rent an apartment in the city and spend atleast a week there before departing for the cities of Colonia and Montevideo on the other side of the river.

Overall this should be the longest leg of our trip and hopefully one of the best.

More after the break, plus details to come:

Post 27: Plan Bolivia

Fellow adventurers,

J and myself have seen Bolivia once before, from the shores of Isla Amantani on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. The bedroom of the local home we stayed at that night had a window framed on a view of the  Andes towering across the worlds highest navigable lake. Since then, I think its safe to say, we have had an itch to return.

So we will return this way via Peru and this time stay on the Bolivian side of the lake at Isla del Sol. It will hopefully be to our advantage this time that we have acclimate to the elevation. I look forward to chewing on some coca leaves to help me alleviate any of my ails.

We should be spending Christmas in La Paz. The Yungas Road will have to be accomplished as soon as we get to that region so we dont miss it before the probable delay around Christmas. After La Paz is Cochabamba, Sucre for New Years, and then the gold mining city of Potosi,. We will take the first trip through Uyuni we can after the New Years. Our goal is to make it into Chile or Argentina by January 5th.

Map and other details after the break: