The journey to the journey

You may know by now that I don’t like to make things easy on myself The story of the Next DONE4 Planning thread can be found here . On a day to day basis almost the routing changed as things intersected and shaped the journey. I had initially envisioned SOB as in fact a longer journey than BEHEMOTH. The initial routing was:

syd-nrt-hkg-sin-nrt-dfw-lax-jfk-bgi-lgw-pfo,lca-lhr-hkg-syd-mel-syd

And before the naysayers jump in and critique the routing for being dim and unnecessary – I know. There is an element of extravagance and mileage running and just doing it because I could. If you don’t like it – go and close down the Mileage Running forum (sorry for being a bit tetchy but during the BEHEMOTH Trip Report a few people jumped in and criticised the routing – thanks to all who stepped in a defended me on that ).

Anyway after the debacle in BGI last time I decided to cut BGI from the trip and also try to get the trip to 16 segments so it could be an Eticket. A few refinements later and then the bigger spanner is thrown into the works as I am asked at relatively short notice to go to PVG for “some days”. At the same time I am leaning against routing to HKG via NRT but unfortunately that first flight can’t be changed without reworking the whole thing. At the same time mrssimongr suggests that we go to DRW for a weekend after I get back from the trip so I add that to the ticket instead of BNE (although due to SWP restrictions I still actually have to fly via BNE). So a final routing is decided

syd-nrt-hkg-pvg-hkg-nrt-dfw-lga,jfk-lhr-lca-lhr-hkg-syd-bne-drw-syd

What stuns me most is that I now class this as a simple trip – but when I look at it – how on earth can one consider this simple?????

For personal reasons as well it becomes more important than ever for me to take my diversion to Cyprus. I am not a person to regret my prior actions. When I left the UK in 2000 I turned to go through security knowing that part of my life was over but have never regretted it – regrets serve no person other than to make you question the decisions that you make – you make the decisions and you have to live with the outcomes – I choose not to use the word consequences as that would imply only bad comes from the decisions you make. As such I have not regretted being so far from my family in the UK as I have made a positive decision with my wife that Oz is the place that we will live. However this is one time that I am very grateful that I can be there with my family.

Anyhoo – a little less melancholy – I haven’t even mentioned a G&T yet – you must be wondering if this is truly me writing this! In parallel to my journey (I will try and not to overuse that – I sort of promise) planning, as a result of the baggage trauma of BEHEMOTH I have started “The Great Hand Luggage Challenge” and intend to travel this entire 3½ week trip with just hand luggage – a garment bag and a rollaboard! Now to give you some context to this on the BEHEMOTH I travelled (theoretically only of course given the luggage delays ) with a large Samsonite case (weighted in at 31.9KG at LGW), large leather garment bag (with 4 suits after purchases in LON), laptop bag and 20in rollaboard. Now one might consider this unnecessary on a normal trip and perhaps I might accept some criticism in that regard – perhaps I didn’t need the 4 plug multi bar adapater, corkscrew, two pairs of black oxfords, casual shoes, second casual shoes, running shoes, speaker system for the iPod, 5 kg of lead soldiers that I brought back from the UK that belonged to me when I was young and a 6 casual shirts, four pairs of casual trousers, three oompa loompas and a Xenoperdix obscuratus in a Pyrus amygdaliformis – my mother was an Akela and I have been indoctrinated that one should always be prepared – perhaps being prepared for The Day After Tomorrow is a trifle excessive.

As I prepare for this trip we really cut to the bone – imagine if you will this great episode of the Simpsons with Homer as the football coach slowly cutting garments and accessories from the trip – I look longingly at the pile of other Polo Ralph Lauren polo shirts that I am leaving behind and wonder if I will be able to cope with just three… The hardest part of the preparation and planning for the trip is knowing that I wont be buying some of the gifts that I would normally purchase. I know that hard core travellers don’t buy gifts for people (well perhaps other than Jonnie Walker as bribes for Chinese government officials and the Horn Rimmed Glasses Guy in Heroes who used to buy a teddy bear every time he “went overseas” which was in fact a euphemism for disappearing on some job for the Company… I am digressing again aren’t I?)

So finally after a hint of traverse within the route to the journey (see not overusing the [ b ] tags on journey this time we are set SOB can begin and with it a new chapter in the Journeyer’s travels.