Pre-Departure Preparations

---

Just thought I would make an effort in keeping something resembling a journal while on my travels. Not sure how much time I'll have, but will certainly have a bit more time after Lima on 5 October.

At the moment, the pre-departure preparations are well underway. Have photocopied everything except my bottom, put out tonnes of clothes, 99%!o(MISSING)f which will have to stay behind and ensured I have the indispensible Lonely Planet guide for each country I'll be visiting, so the books take priority! Have double and triple checked my passport (it has another 5 years to run) and re-checked the visa requirements - there are none for stays of up to 90 days in each country. Yay!

I'm also hoping I won't require any drug tests over the next 6 months or so as I'm planning on drinking some mate de coca in Bolivia, unfortunately it's illegal in 95%!o(MISSING)f the world however it's said to really help with altitude sickness, so it's on my list of things to try before gasping for breath! My normally law-abiding brother in law has said coca tea tastes grim, and recommended I stuff my cheeks a la hamster mode with coca leaves "which makes your mouth go numb and you go all lightheaded" or words to that effect. Hmmmm....

Well, hopefully, my next entry will come from La Paz as I have every intention of taking things very easy for the first couple days. Not sure about Rob as I can see him wanting to rush about to see various things before bedtime. We land at La Paz El Alto International Airport, altitude, 4,061m (13,325ft) at 0530 - eek!

Luckily, the city centre is a mere 3,650metres above sea level. Useless fact number #45802: The full name for La Paz is Nuestra Señora de La Paz which translates as Our Lady of Peace. Just thought you might like to know that...

Cheers for now!

---