Stripped back to basics

So the time for me to leave is ever nearing. In this last month, I have been running around like a headless chicken trying to get everything sorted out. The challenge of thinking of so many things, along with working my notice, moving out, and being injected with small doses of various different tropical diseases, it is not surprising that in my final week, I crashed and was knocked out with pure exhaustion. This set me back in my planning process, but in true lastminute.com style, I think I have managed to pull it off and pretty sure I haven’t forgotten anything or anyone.

I have finally managed to pull together all the kit I need to take with me. And it ain’t much considering the length of my tour. So, with the horrific excess baggage costs of the airlines and the fact that everything I take, I have to pull along on my bike means that travelling light has been taken to the extreme. I have packed, and repacked, weighed and reweighed everything over and over again.

In September two years ago, I was packing to go on a week long beach holiday to Spain with 8 other girls. I was struggling to get my suitcase under 20kg. This week, when I stopped and looked around my tip of a room after the fourth time of repacking, I sighed and had to remind myself why I am doing this. I literally can only take the basics.

It is both luxuries and the things we take for granted that I will be leaving behind. Thus, no more: hairdryer, straightners, electric toothbrush (this I am really sad to leave, my dental regime is seriously hardcore), epilator, laptop, picking up the phone to call home or friends, make up, outrageous high heels, king-size bed, power shower and a clean carpet under my feet, as well as Nutella. I need to learn to do without. A challenge in itself, but every now and then I feel it is crucial to be reminded of the things that really matter in life, and actually none of the above do (apart from Nutella – severe withdrawal symptoms may result).

So, as a result of leaving all this stuff behind, I decided I needed to make things as easy for myself as possible. Off with my hair then! It takes years to grow, yet my hairdresser rather enjoyed chopping off at least a foot of my hair and gave me a cute pixie crop in under 45 minutes.

I am expecting that there will be times when I will need to learn how to do without some of the basic things in life. A tap to turn when I am thirsty, a shop to just pop to when I am hungry, a bed to lay my tired head on may all be in doubt. It is these things that really bring home to me that this is a pretty big adventure.

For those of you who question my madness you are right to do so but some things are worth more than just dreaming about. Just being is not me. Next stop Heathrow Terminal 3, brief stopover in Singapore then onto Hanoi and the real journey begins.