And so it begins...

"I'm getting too old for this shit", I can't help but think, as I realize how stressed out I've been about choosing between potential destinations, creating the optimal flight itinerary, arranging insurance for myself and my stuff, packing everything I need without overdoing it...

Somehow I miss the carefree style of the Interrail trip I did with my brother back in the day. Buy the rail pass, throw some stuff (flip flops, shorts, couple of T-shirts, maybe a towel) in a pack about two hours before departure, and hit the road. Of course, back then I didn't need to worry about packing a bulky yet fragile SLR camera and lenses, getting immunitized against everything the Amazon jungle might care to throw at me, dressing for the Swiss Alps, Rio beaches*, the Sydney Opera and everything between, shipping a car across the Atlantic, or co-ordinating flights across seven different airlines - the beauty of the Interrail pass is you can literally make up your itinerary as you go. So yeah, it's four months on the road, it's frigging complicated to plan, and it's been driving me nuts for the last couple of weeks.

But with all the preparations taken care of, after watching my car and most of my earthly possessions disappear on the back of a transport truck bound for LA, and as I myself head to the airport with just my pack and the clothes on my back, all that stress finally melts away. I'm in a travel mindset. Relaxed. Excited. The die has been cast, and I've done the best I could with the preparations. Now it's just a question of enjoying the ride; I'll deal with any problems if/when they arise.

I'm writing this at Miami airport, after a surprisingly well-slept 5 hour red-eye from San Francisco (melatonin is great stuff, and doesn't require a prescription in the US). I have some 6 hours to kill before my flight to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands; I'd thought about spending them in some Miami Beach seaside cafe/bar, but given the rainy weather, may opt for the airport lounge and catching up on a backlog of e-mails instead. It's kind of early for a Mojito, but I might just order one anyway :-)

Let the adventure begin...



* Ok, admittedly dressing for Rio beaches doesn't require much planning, or indeed, take up much space in my luggage, "less is more" being the dominant philosophy.