T Minus 24 Hours and Counting

You would think that after so many trips to so many places, I would be quite relaxed in the days leading up to a yet another distant land, but then again, there is a reason I have so much fun and so many adventures: preparation.

I got my shots, my visa, my drugs, and all the other things I need that I can’t get there or don’t want to hassle about getting there. Then there are the fun things, like a digital camera, a print camera, a laptop computer, and all the wires, film, and batteries needed for them.

Next comes the clothes and specialty gear, like technical socks and good hiking boots, that I usually don’t carry. Last but not least are the everyday clothes. All these I roll, scrunch, and press into my pack, several times, until AI think that everything is in the proper place. The order will last all of twenty minutes, as I’ll realize my passport is in the jeans at the very bottom, or that I might want a pair of jeans in my pack to begin with.

Then there is all the rest; credit card bills, rent, fish, checks, mail, and last minute emails that I have to assign, clear, and reply to. Once I think I have everything, I do one last walk-through of the drug store, just to make sure I buy one too many of things I don’t need. Now its time for the books, which weigh the most but help all those airport waits pass so much quicker.

Hmm… is that everything? Wait, I forgot diskettes, a good pen, and a hat. Or maybe it was postcards, postage, and paper? Ooo, I could always use anther t-shirt!

This is why I always buy the smallest backpack, because no matter how big or small it is, you always pack it full. And the bigger it is the higher the probability you will over pack.

Now I should have everything, which means its time to really relax, the best way I know how before a long flight: party time!

See ya in Kenya!