5wks to go - but the journey starts now

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(Bronia typing) Ok, so it sounds corny, but it's true - The one thing that Dave and I keep saying to one another at the moment is:

This time a year ago who would have thought we'd be doing this?"

This trip; across Asia, down through North and South America is one of those realities that you just think won't happen. The kind of thing you talk about amongst your friends but you just never get around to doing because jobs, mortgage, well life really, gets in the way.

So it was a normal conversation that started one day between Dave and I .... a sort of "wouldn't it be great to.....?" and "imagine if we quit our jobs and just took off.... ?" - You know the kind. A bit like what you’d do if you won the Lottery…

Thing is though: here we are mid-December 2005 are we ARE actually doing it.

* We’ve rented our house in Noak Bridge to a lovely couple Ricki & Sarah
* We’ve quit our jobs (alot of dancing at that one!)
* We’ve sold our cars
* We’ve moved all our worldly possessions into Dave's parents garage & loft (with rafters creaking under the weight of our books)
* We’ve found cat-sitters (also Dave's parents - and yes, without them this trip would NOT be possible)
* We’ve booked Round-the-World flight tickets
* We’ve had every vaccine known to man - Tetanus, Diptheria, Polio, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B (x3), Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephelitis (x3), Rabies (x3)
* We’ve consulted lawyers, banks, Inland Revenue (UK’s tax office), insurance companies, Lonely Planet guides, Volunteer organisations, and the advice of friends who have done similar/same on what to do and how to do it.
*…And we’ve bought knapsacks the size of suitcases to strap on our backs and fill with every known item that we might possibly need over the space of a year and 19+ countries.

Dec 21 - today - we finished our jobs and left Billericay, Essex (East of London) to drive the 2.5hrs north to Dave’s parents in Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands (North-East of Birmingham) where we will stay under their extreme generosity until our departure date.

So… I guess that pretty much settles it. No going back now - Round the World here we come !

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Photos

Our House, Noak Bridge - Billericay
We're the far right, end-terrace.

Noak Bridge - Our cul-de-sac
The view from our front door to our neighbours