I believe that a well organised expedition will have invested copius amounts of time and effort into researching and rigorously testing the equipment that will ensure the success of the venture. My expedition, however, is about as organised as a bowl of porridge being throw across the room by a 2 year old toddler.
With 20 days to go before I fly out I finally found a pair of boots that I'm happy with ( a very comfortable pair of Salewa Mountain Hikers). I intend to wear them 24/7 over the next 3 weeks to hopefully have them semi worn in before I start pummelling my feet into oblivion. The cart has yet to be constructed, the delay due to my indecision on the final measurements and design. How I intend to document the trip is still in question as I furiously search the net for a video camera that will serve my purpose and consider my options for photography. My solar power source is on its way from the USA, but this too could have been left too late and may end up arriving after I fly out. Accomodation for UB is yet to be booked and all my crap in the garage has yet to be sold. Application for Chinese visa is going in tomorrow. Throw in contemplating replacing my 4kg laptop for a lighter one for the trip and I have a lovely recipe to turn my brain into soup! I should have stuck with the original more reliable plan of kidnapping a chimpanzee from Wellington Zoo and bribing him with bananas to plan and organise this mad endeavour. Maybe next time...
On the upside, all these distractions have kept my mind busy - no time to sit and ponder how big the Gobi actually is, nor feel the sadness in my heart for leaving my friends and family in New Zealand. All that will come in time.
With 20 days to go before I fly out I finally found a pair of boots that I'm happy with ( a very comfortable pair of Salewa Mountain Hikers). I intend to wear them 24/7 over the next 3 weeks to hopefully have them semi worn in before I start pummelling my feet into oblivion. The cart has yet to be constructed, the delay due to my indecision on the final measurements and design. How I intend to document the trip is still in question as I furiously search the net for a video camera that will serve my purpose and consider my options for photography. My solar power source is on its way from the USA, but this too could have been left too late and may end up arriving after I fly out. Accomodation for UB is yet to be booked and all my crap in the garage has yet to be sold. Application for Chinese visa is going in tomorrow. Throw in contemplating replacing my 4kg laptop for a lighter one for the trip and I have a lovely recipe to turn my brain into soup! I should have stuck with the original more reliable plan of kidnapping a chimpanzee from Wellington Zoo and bribing him with bananas to plan and organise this mad endeavour. Maybe next time...
On the upside, all these distractions have kept my mind busy - no time to sit and ponder how big the Gobi actually is, nor feel the sadness in my heart for leaving my friends and family in New Zealand. All that will come in time.