It's actually happening...

Beyond excited, kind of stunned, I prepare the final stages before heading off to France in 2½ weeks ready for the transit leg to get down to the start of the Camino Frances, the beginning of the route I've chosen to take along the Camino de Santiago.

April and I are trying to overcome last minute colds, become comfortable with the weight of our packs and organise all the last minute details. My passport is still winging its way in from somewhere as I had to have a new one done, my last one trashed from a stamp on the face c/o a Kunming immigration officer in China, mistakenly(?) putting the big red chop on my face instead of the passport page. My old passport photo was a shocker anyway, with my first big beard, shoulder length hair and a tan coloured corduroy jacket. I looked like a coke dealer from somewhere deep in the Americas. Lol.

It's been an interesting ride up til now. This year has been huge. I look forward with anticipation and a twinge of sadness as it all becomes reality.

Getting into backpacking/hiking

As funny as it sounds, getting into the next part of hiking is like a cross between internet dating and high level instances in World of Warcraft. Haha. Believe me! It is! I feel like I'm at the point where I have to just get out there and meet people who are interested in it too, so I can get in some practice and learn some really great tips before heading out. And it's like an instance (dungeon which requires 10-20 players to complete) in World of Warcraft because I was either waiting for friends to get to that level or getting frustrated cos we couldn't make the numbers. Yes, I am weird.

So I'm gonna have to take the plunge I think and get involved with a club, or maybe there are some people at church who'd be keen? Could you imagine them making an announcement at the end of the service "oh, and if anyone's into hiking, please talk to Simon.. he'll be up the back". I'm sure there are groups out there. Might even get involved in some forums - a gold mine for information and sharing ideas. I've heard of a group in Adelaide who do bushwalks but have been warned that the majority of them are over 50. At least it might make me feel fitter than I am!?

Also been having a look at gear guides, reviews, articles, tips on foot care, and the problematic situation re: water. I also bought a compass and tomorrow will be practicing getting proper bearings to walk in a triangle. Should be handy if I ever need to navigate my way around any treacherous triangle shaped areas. Haha.

I did find this short video on Youtube which shows the smaller version of the tent I just bought. It shows how it sits when set up (pretty much the same) the outer and inner walls and that little bit of ventilation I was talking about - you can see a bit of the outside ground area at the end of the clip. Will be interesting to see how that performs when it's pissing down with rain.

Reading list

Talk about a more lukewarm approach. What a crack up. Well I tried! I've now engrossed myself in all sorts of books about walking, hiking, backpacking, camping, orienteering, hillwalking, destinations and bushcraft. I'm striking up conversations and getting to know the salespeople in several camping shops on a first name basis. I've enquired about courses regarding bushcraft which have only led to Scout leading - a whole different kettle of fish. And every break I can conceive of I desperately long to get away from the city and walk over the windy slopes of some picturesque landscape.

If I break a leg and can't ever do it, at least I'm to be taken seriously! Hehe.

Here's the current reading list, complete with sample dewey numbers if you're interested in looking in these sections yourself (that's the librarian in me):

Beyond Backpacking - Ray Jardine
Ray Jardine's Guide to Lightweight Hiking
796.51 JAR

The Ultimate Hillwalking Skills Handbook
796.522 ULT

Bushcraft - Ray Mears
An inspirational guide to surviving the wilderness
613.69 MEA

The Complete Hiker - John Long and Michael Hodgson
Everything you'll need for a day or a month on the trail
796.51 LON

Walking and Orienteering - Peter G. Drake
How to cross hills, back country and rough terrain in safety and confidence
796.51 DRA

A Place to Walk - Eloise Napier
Unforgettable walking holidays from around the world
910.202 NAP

Fieldbook for Australian Scouting
The guide to outdoor adventure, challenge, resourcefulness and fun
369.4 FIE

Ancient Tracks - Des Hannigan
Walking through Historic Britain
914.1/210

Thru Hiker's Guide to America - E. Schlimmer
25 incredible trails you can hike in one to eight weeks
917.3 SCH

Classic Walks in Western Europe - Gillian & John Souter
914 SOU

Walking France - Gillian & John Souter
Exploring France's great towns and finest landscapes on foot
914.4 SOU

Walking in Italy (Lonely Planet)
914.5 WAL

Tramping in New Zealand - Jim DuFresne (Lonely Planet)
919.3 DUF

The Inca Trail - Richard Danbury
Cusco & Machu Picchu
918.537 DAN

369s - social sciences (associations)
613s - personal health and safety
796s - athletics and outdoor sports
910s - geography & travel
914s - geography of & travel in Europe
917s - geography of & travel in North America
918s - geography of & travel in South America
919s - geography of & travel in other places

There have been other books besides. The more I read over things the better the ideas become and it helps with the elimination process. I mean, it's hard to think otherwise, trying to weigh something up before even getting there. I'd hate for so much emphasis to be put on something only to find it was way out of my league or a complete cake walk.

If you know of any other really good books, let me know. At the moment I'm hunting for decent walking holidays in other parts of the world, incorporating in either history, something on the World Heritage List (could even be the trail/track itself) or an unforgettable journey.

Hubba Hubba

I didn't think I'd be this excited but I can barely contain myself. I'm only a post office visit away from picking up my new tent, ordered from the States and just arrived today. I'm never around to get to the post office during opening hours so it'll have to wait til this weekend.

The MSR Hubba Hubba (aka reh-reuowh, humma-na-humma-na, mmmmmm-MMMMMM - lol). This tent is a 2-person, 3-season job. A nice 2.1kg (including fly and footprint) it looks like something from some sort of lunar discovery mission. For me and my gear it'll be perfect and I can't wait to give it a test run.

I'm going to head down to a nearby caravan park and spend a night during an upcoming weekend, maybe even a couple of Easter! Thought it'd be best to try somewhere away from the inquisitive claws of my cat Cheyenne. Nothing like zipping yourself up into a tent on a chilly night. The smell of the tarp, the fresh air, an adventure full of possibilities. Well, perhaps not in the local caravan park. It's a start.

Brisbane airport

I've been in the Brisbane airport now for a few hours and already I feel like I've traveled somewhere new. lol, perhaps deprived for new locations at the moment. The muggy trip on the train from the international terminal to the domestic was far more exciting than the bumpy ride in the 767 from HK.

Here in Brisbane, knackered with only 2 hours sleep, I feel about as pale as some of these people are tanned. Classic. There's a sort of resort vibe and the feeling hit me like landing in Auckland last year. The international terminal is almost a carbon copy of Auckland, and I'm glad to have found the more intensely air-conditioned domestic. A bit of a shock from the 14-17deg maximums in HK these last few days.

The cool thing about airports is that you're allowed to look knackered, bedraggled and a bit lost. While I sip my $5 water and wait for my bowels to catch up with this time zone it gets me mighty excited to be somewhere completely new. In fact, less overwhelming than going somewhere new in an already familiar place, if you get my meaning.

Dare I try the airport snooze with hand luggage clutched to my gut as I get in an awkward 20 mins?

Genuine nerd

"I'm a genuine party nerd" as Toby calls himself in American Splendor. I am the owner of a Casio G-Shock watch - chunky, black, digital.

That's another pitfall of HK, spending money. I've been carefully researching things that will make my travel life easier and one was getting a less flashy watch (other than my Rolexy looking one) which also had a vibrating alarm. So scouring through websites, reading reviews (if you ever want to buy a watch, check out http://www.watchreport.com/) and then taking the plunge.

It's a flashback to primary school when so and so's dad went to Singapore and brought him/her back a digital watch with calculator on it. Seemed the ultimate to me at the time and when I finally bought one little did I know I was inching one step closer to social suicide. lol

But if you're thinking of sleeping with earplugs and wanting to wake up at some stage (other than have a sonic boom alarm) a vibration setting seemed most obvious. We have them on our phones, why not on watches. And when I'm on hikes I can loosen the strap, or count how long we've taken so far, or have silent alerts to myself for whatever justifiable reason I can muster.

I actually tried it out last night. Set the vibration alert to 3:50am (not eccentric at all) and woke up with a start. I used the illumination function, "Ah yes, 3:50". It was like someone invisible had shook me awake. I smiled a big Cheshire grin to myself and went back to my self-congratulatory dreams.

Go the Japanese! G-Shock, you rock.

"That's not a knife..."

This is a knife! My new friend. It is also my very first Swiss Army knife and I am smitten. The 'Climber' seems to have everything I could have wanted, without going too far. Some of these knives even have USB sticks! Talk about keeping with the times. One was seriously 2 inches deep with every type of blade and mini multi-tool under the sun. Bet it doesn't have a backscratcher... oh wait... also doubles as a cliff clinger-on-erer.

I got a blue one instead of the red. Very nice.

Telling a friend about it I've already made it work for me:

1. Trimmed my fingernails - shot around like ricochet nail nunchucks

2. Tweezers - not strong enough for nose hairs, at least now I know

3. Hole punch - put a new notch in dad's belt, real handyman stuff that

... and just waiting to be in an accident so I can cut my own limb off!

Already almost paid for itself, specially with the punishment I have in store when I set about carving up my toenails. May need goggles.

Focus

I don't think I've ever had this much focus. Maybe not since I was a kid. I'm so happy that when I was feeling so depressed and unmotivated at work that mum suggested to me that I go and visit some places in the world. The subconscious thought has always been there, it's just a matter of shaking off fear and comfort.

So these last 2 months I have been planning, reading through guide books, making notes, wishlists and trying to map out my adventure. Planning a trip has helped me in other areas too. I'm doing the dishes every day now (sometimes morning ones too after breakfast) whereas I used to leave them all til I was making coffees with forks and drinking them out of tupperware lids. I'm eating right, chopping out lollies, fizzy drink, juice and biscuits. Most of all McDonalds. Man, that sly company had me in with their new look meals and before I knew it I had justified it as being normal to roll into a drive-thru.

Eating right is almost asking yourself "what can't I do without?" and then getting rid of it. For me it was Coke and chips.

The exercise regime has been fantastic. The regular walks I go on each week with my friend Kath have recommenced and I'm going solo if times aren't suitable. It's a nice 4.8km walk we take an hour to do, through the suburbs and then a small reserve with some nice scrub. Together with the weekend hikes (see reviews when I get the photos!) it keeps me remembering what all of this is for.

The focus goes through other areas of my life, even finances. Major saving mode has kicked in and everything is under the microscope. So no wasted $$ on fast food, more meals at home, making lunch each day. Some of this may sound like commonsense, and it is! I'm still getting over poor man syndrome, having been studying and unemployed for chunks of my life after school so having money is still a buzz.

And it's overcoming fears. I have been facing anxiety problems for a few years now since my body/mind freaked out when I wasn't treating my body/self so well. So to get out there and do all this it's swallowing that massive lump in my throat (and any upchuck), ignoring my swollen hands and sensations, harnessing the hyper-reality of panic and trying to maintain an even focus throughout the day.

I would encourage everyone to get out their and take something up, get rid of a bad habit or give yourself some goals. It's a fantastic experience so far.

Spanish, here we come..

Earth TV

This is a great website. I first saw this in Hong Kong as a segment they show with each news broadcast just before the weather. Nice little snapshot of each city. Gives you the feeling of being all part of the same planet.

Earth TV is a must for international enthusiasts.

New Year 07

What a way to start a new year. Hiking.

It's a far cry from the old days when I would have woken up on someone's porch, or risen to see the aftermath of a backyard in the daylight. Ushering in a new year with a physical challenge is what this year will be all about for me. I'm setting a personal training regime for myself (as so many other NYE pledges are made!) and hopefully it will be what helps me power through.

My sister, April, and I went up Mount Parker on Hong Kong Island, approx. 500m above sea level. It was a great day, a winters' 23deg C, and there were plenty of people out on the public holiday. After only 10 mins of the initial climb (a country park track with reinforced earth stairs) I was completely out of breath and the coffee I'd sculled for breakfast earlier on was requesting an immediate evac. Felt much better in the shade and with a few buttons undone on my shirt it was easier to push on, now concreting in my mind that I am not Superman.

It was cool to see what they've done to dismantle the old HK airport at Chep Lap Kok (seen behind in photo of me about to die). Man, it brought back some memories seeing that ol beauty, the way the planes used to come in between the buildings and the one time a China airlines plane didn't make it... It sat in the harbour for ages and they were thinking of making a kitsch restaurant out of it; the semi-submerged fear factor dining area.

The view over the other side gave some sort of scope as to the more natural surrounds. Imagine this area untouched by mass civilisation. Weather worn junks sweeping into the deep harbour. Would have been an amazing sight.

Another point of interest re: the old airport. During the Japanese occupation during World War 2, stones were removed from the old wall surround the Walled City to extend the runway.

A solid start to the year I must say. My legs are completely pummeled though. I was willing each knee to work just to get up some steps in a shopping centre. Watch this Norm Be In It.