I find that occasionally when I am planning something, be it a trip, event or a new project, I start with great enthusiasm and confidence. Then at the 3/4 stage the wheels start to wobble and look like they are about to fall off the proverbial cart. This is feeling pretty true at the moment. With 35 days to go before I fly out to Mongolia, I still have a lot to do - but I often find myself sitting down with a book or glass wine after work saying to myself " Ah, sure I'll do that tomorrow". This I think is part laziness with a large dollop of fear ( and subsequent avoidance) added for good measure. I really have to shake myself out of this lethargic pattern and soon!
In other news, the prototype got a hammering last weekend along the Wellington coast - so much so that it came back 3ft shorter than it started out as! This was due to one of the wooden arms snapping 13km from the start point and 500 meters before arriving at the final campsite of the day. I managed to limp the cart to a nice little spot by the Mukamuka river. 2 hrs and 2 cups of coffee the next morning ( along with my old swiss army knife and a bow drill) saw the cart back up and running again. Another point to note was my spectacular speed wobble on a river bed that saw me and the cart topple over to one side. Being connected to the harness meant it was a bit tricky to get free of the upturned rickshaw but a scraped elbow and my ego was the only casualty. Valuable lessons learned there I tell you!
My tickets are now all booked and in my possession so next plan is to confirm the final cart size allowed on the Air Malaysia plane and get it under construction. Another job I can do is sort out the Chinese visa. Getting close now! Better keep at it! :)
In other news, the prototype got a hammering last weekend along the Wellington coast - so much so that it came back 3ft shorter than it started out as! This was due to one of the wooden arms snapping 13km from the start point and 500 meters before arriving at the final campsite of the day. I managed to limp the cart to a nice little spot by the Mukamuka river. 2 hrs and 2 cups of coffee the next morning ( along with my old swiss army knife and a bow drill) saw the cart back up and running again. Another point to note was my spectacular speed wobble on a river bed that saw me and the cart topple over to one side. Being connected to the harness meant it was a bit tricky to get free of the upturned rickshaw but a scraped elbow and my ego was the only casualty. Valuable lessons learned there I tell you!
My tickets are now all booked and in my possession so next plan is to confirm the final cart size allowed on the Air Malaysia plane and get it under construction. Another job I can do is sort out the Chinese visa. Getting close now! Better keep at it! :)