Trip preparation, T minus 6 days and counting
I've started to reread the expedition briefing. Here, let me share some of this with you:
The trip [from Nairobi to Tsavo East] will take up to
seven hours. Although the road is paved, it is bumpy and
prone to jams. Once at Buchuma Gate, the team will be
transferred to four-wheel-drive vehicles to travel to
Campi ya Neka. The remainder of the drive will take another
hour or so over unpaved roads, which will be bumpy and
likely dusty.... You may want to pack water and snacks for
the road.
I suspect that somewhere between hours 6 and 8 I'll be asking myself what the hell I was thinking getting myself into this.
I've already purchased my oat-and-honey bran bars. Must remember to pack one of my water bottles. I've toyed with the idea of M&Ms, but I seem to be doing fairly well without chocolate lately. And, really, how long would they last? I'd probably gobble them all up my first night there in a fit of "I'm in a foreign country and I'm freaking out!"
Potentially dangerous animals in the research area
include scorpions, centipedes, spiders, ticks, mosquitoes,
cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, baboons, numerous venomous
snake species, buffalo and elephants.... Snakes are
rarely seen, but spitting cobras, mambas and puff adders
are all present.
I've already dealt with all the inoculations and medications I'll need. The meds are sitting in my "To Be Packed" stack, looking all medication-like. What should two weeks worth of bug repellent look like? And why can't I have a shot of anti-deadly-animal serum while we're at it? ::grin::
On another subject, it seems that by being a good citizen and a person who wishes to clean out her closet, I've divested myself of clothes that might have worked very well on this trip, clothes that I would not otherwise wear, like long-sleeved tee shirts.
They recommend that if we're traveling before or after the expedition, we should pack clothes for that part of the trip in a separate bag and check it at the hotel for the duration of the expedition. This idea, while practical, makes me deeply uncomfortable. It shouldn't. The hotel I'll be staying in for my only night in Kenya is a pretty upscale place. Still, I don't like the idea of just leaving my stuff somewhere I can't check on it for a full two weeks. I've purchased compression bags and Ziploc bags for packing. I'll be pressing the hell out of everything and stuffing it all together. The bag may be heavy, but I've dealt with that before.
I have too much to do; I shouldn't be journaling, but I need to vent a little. Is this really happening? This time next week, I'll be sleeping in a tent in a cot across from a stranger, listening to the sounds of an entirely different world. Part of me can't wait. Part of me is terrified.
The trip [from Nairobi to Tsavo East] will take up to
seven hours. Although the road is paved, it is bumpy and
prone to jams. Once at Buchuma Gate, the team will be
transferred to four-wheel-drive vehicles to travel to
Campi ya Neka. The remainder of the drive will take another
hour or so over unpaved roads, which will be bumpy and
likely dusty.... You may want to pack water and snacks for
the road.
I suspect that somewhere between hours 6 and 8 I'll be asking myself what the hell I was thinking getting myself into this.
I've already purchased my oat-and-honey bran bars. Must remember to pack one of my water bottles. I've toyed with the idea of M&Ms, but I seem to be doing fairly well without chocolate lately. And, really, how long would they last? I'd probably gobble them all up my first night there in a fit of "I'm in a foreign country and I'm freaking out!"
Potentially dangerous animals in the research area
include scorpions, centipedes, spiders, ticks, mosquitoes,
cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, baboons, numerous venomous
snake species, buffalo and elephants.... Snakes are
rarely seen, but spitting cobras, mambas and puff adders
are all present.
I've already dealt with all the inoculations and medications I'll need. The meds are sitting in my "To Be Packed" stack, looking all medication-like. What should two weeks worth of bug repellent look like? And why can't I have a shot of anti-deadly-animal serum while we're at it? ::grin::
On another subject, it seems that by being a good citizen and a person who wishes to clean out her closet, I've divested myself of clothes that might have worked very well on this trip, clothes that I would not otherwise wear, like long-sleeved tee shirts.
They recommend that if we're traveling before or after the expedition, we should pack clothes for that part of the trip in a separate bag and check it at the hotel for the duration of the expedition. This idea, while practical, makes me deeply uncomfortable. It shouldn't. The hotel I'll be staying in for my only night in Kenya is a pretty upscale place. Still, I don't like the idea of just leaving my stuff somewhere I can't check on it for a full two weeks. I've purchased compression bags and Ziploc bags for packing. I'll be pressing the hell out of everything and stuffing it all together. The bag may be heavy, but I've dealt with that before.
I have too much to do; I shouldn't be journaling, but I need to vent a little. Is this really happening? This time next week, I'll be sleeping in a tent in a cot across from a stranger, listening to the sounds of an entirely different world. Part of me can't wait. Part of me is terrified.