It has been a flurry of activity these past months booking flights, hotels, ground transportation and deciding on our routing for our 2 months in Asia, India and Nepal. Applying for visas, getting all our shots, buying insurance, preparing a school work program for the kids and learning how to use my new 8 inch tablet and very mini keyboard (and blogging from Apps, I have just learnt will have its limitations). Sim cards, adaptors and sky drives. Sleep sheets and clear bottles for liquids. Bach flower and motion sickness remedies. Probiotics to prepare the gut. Searching for NGOs to visit and finding the perfect sights to see. Choosing between a car and driver, taking the train, bus or flying? Hotel, Guest House or Homestay? Seat allocations on flights (would it be delinquent of me to "accidentally" choose my seat several rows back from the kids? After all most planes only have a two/two seating plan.) Movies, music, games and books to download for long journeys. Vitamins and toilet seat covers… This list could fill a page, but you get the idea. LOTS to think about!
challenging task except that because we have chosen to do this with “Carry On” only - this has proven to be more daunting than one would think. “Carry-On” is this: 23cm x 40cm x 55 cm - and with a weight of between 5 and 10 kg – depending on the airline. When travelling with checked baggage the max weight is up to 25kg ... in a pretty large suitcase or pack. Throw in what you want - an extra pair of pants, a sweater that you may need, shoes to go with this outfit and that. Lots of "just in case stuff". Not here. No room for any of that ...
So are the children jumping out of bed each morning crossing days off the calendar until the 14th? Well – no. Did I expect them to be? Perhaps. Are they excited? It is hard to tell with kids. As much as we talk about what it may be like, they have no frame of reference to how spending almost 5 months on the road will feel. And what spending all this time without Dad will be like. This will be hard for them - and me.
I do know that right now, they are only mildly excited about Asia – and I think that the unknowns are making them both a little anxious. And understandably so. I feel the same. I do know that they ARE super excited to go down-under, to my homes of NZ and Australia, as they know that this is the “easy” part of our adventure and they get to be with family! But today, they remain firmly rooted in their lives here, as children are so good at – just being in the moment. Come the 14th – whoosh … they are gone! And on that day they will be in the moment too, and the next day and the day after that... I believe that this is the beauty of travelling with kids and I intend to live the same way, to learn from them. So, I leave it at this. I have done my best to set the skeleton of this experience. May each new day fill in it's flesh and may each challenge build it's muscle. May there be room for spontaneity and surprises. May our hearts be open, our intuition be sharp and our tummies be strong.
See you from the road! First stop (over) ... Tokyo for Sushi!