Catching Up

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So what's happening then?

I can't believe that it's been three days already since I last posted.

To be honest, there wasn't much to tell over the weekend (at least not regarding the trip). I did get down to Brixton to sample some Colombian cuisine. I went to Amazonica. The amount of food that came was enormous, but the quality was, sadly, a bit lacking. My friend Mónica assures me that the real deal is something altogether different. Still, it gave me a chance to cram up on some Spanish food words and listen to native Colombians chatting at 300 mph!

Any way, back to the planning. It's less than three weeks now until I leave and I'm, well not so much panicking, more really aware that there's still quite a lot that I need to get organised.

It pays to check the small print (sometimes)
I had a bit of a surprise today when I checked my travel insurance details. Some time ago, I bought a multi-trip, worldwide, annual insurance policy from Columbus which was still valid (until June). What I didn't realise is that it's only valid for trips up to 31 days. And I also didn't realise that it excluded any kind of sporting activities (maybe table football would be ok!) Now I'm not the most sporty person (as those who know me even vaguely well will testify), but I'd like to have the opportunity to do some new things while I'm away and I certainly don't want to be constrained by my insurance policy! Any way, the long and short of it is that I've had to get myself a new policy. Fortunately, I can claim back a pro-rated amount of my existing policy so it's not so bad. Anyway, I'm so pleased that I checked!

Equally, I'm pleased that it occurred to me that both my credit and debit card are due to expire before I get back from my trip. Since the general advice is to lean on VISA as much as possible whilst in South America, that could have been a nasty shock some time mid-trip! I've arranged for new cards to be sent ASAP.

You can't buy your health...except
Top of my agenda today was getting the insurance sorted and booking an appointment to get a Yellow Fever jab (which is now booked for Thursday morning). Fortunately there's a surgery just up the road that administers the jab...although it will cost £40. People always say that you can't put a price on your health but, at least in the case of Yellow Fever, it seems that you can.

On the point of health (and paying for it), it seems that the price that I was quoted at the doctor's for the anti-malaria tablets that I have to buy (£25 for a 12 days supply) is the cost price - not the retail price. I've never haggled in the chemist's before but, remarkably, I secured a discount since I was buying in bulk! Still I have to pay more than expected, though, so it's a bit disappointing.

Cheap and cheerful?
The other point that was top of my agenda today was organising my first few night's stay in Bogotá. In truth, I've been putting this off for a while simply because the array of choices in terms of where to stay is a bit bewildering. More than anywhere else there seem to be so many conflicting reports of which hostels are actually any good. I've also been debating with myself whether to go for a private room (just because I'll probably need to recover from the flight) or a dorm (to save money and, more importantly, get into the spirit of the trip from the get-go). Another consideration was how many nights to spend there. In the end I figured that I'm going to just have to make a decision. So I did a LOT of research today and finally found a hostel that seems to have consistently good reviews from a good number of travellers (enough to make it statistically significant).
So I'm pleased to announce that my first lodgings will be for 3 nights at The Cranky Croc Hostel in Bogotá. Well, at least I think that's where I'll be - I've yet to have confirmation of the reservation...will let you know.
And the princely sum to be proffered for 3 nights in one of the better hostels in Bogotá? About £6.50 a night. Love it! I'm guessing that breakfast won't be included!

...and finally
I'm an old-fashioned boy at heart. For all that I love tech-gadgetry, when I need to get organsied (and I mean really organised), I need paper and pen. So today I bought myself a Moleskin Notebook. I'm a sucker for the Moleskine range. I just love them. They're handy, pocket sized, hardback....aaaanyway. This will be my portable journal for the trip - a sketchbook, if you like, containing my handwritten musings and ideas for the trip which will then be condensed, reworked and generally tidied up to form the basis of this blog (I think). Already it's up-to-date with flight numbers and times, exchange rates, important telephone numbers, time zones and even a photocopy of my passport. Well, thought that I'd share that with you 😊
By the way, the amazon price for the moleskine is about HALF of what I paid in WH Smith. Worth noting, I thought!

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Comments

[John]

CC
If your dorming it I guess it might be worth taking a second VISA card with you and storing it elsewhere. Not suggesting fellow travellers are likely to swipe a card but I guess my motto is "plan for the worst and celebrate when it is easier". An IFA friend has the motto "We don't plan to fail but we do fail to plan". Sounds like you're well on track!