PLANNING - WHAT A HEADACHE

                                            
Seven weeks before I depart and I'm in panic mode over the planning details.  I have worked for a week on acquiring visas for China and Russia.  I am using a company in D.C. to get them for me and they have been helpful.  But the process for getting the Russian visa is extremely complicated.  You have to use the on-line application that the Russians have created, and while it is complicated, it also is humorous in some ways.  For example, it asks for employment data: Where employed.  "Who was your chief?"  Date of employment.Date of termination.  (I thought, is termination the only way to end a job?)  There is also magic involved.  The on-line application is about six pages long, but at the end you do something (for the life of me I don't know what) and the six page form is magically and miraculously transformed into a TWO page formal application.  I sorta think it has to do with Adobe Reader and pdf files.  But who knows?  I am dealing with Irina in the Washington office.  She has been very helpful and patient...so far.

I have been reading a blog by Lori and John who are traveling in SE Asia for three months (see www.loriandjohnskiptown.com).  A very good blog and extremely helpful.  I ordered the backpack (Osprey Porter 46) which they recommended.  When it came I was floored at how small it is.  I don't know if I can go around the world with such a small pack.  Guess I'll find out.

I am taking a small camera, not the two ton Nikon.  Its a Sony Nex 7.  There are a couple of technical problems I am trying to figure out, though.  One is how to download and store images.  The obvious answer is to use a computer, which brings up another problem.  Which computer?  My PC desktop?  I don't think so.  I have a small HP laptop but its so slow I could go to Moscow from Beijing quicker than it boots up.
I need a small storage device on which I can also view images.  I will go back through my photography magazines to try to find such a device.

I made an appointment at the Vanderbilt Travel Clinic today.  They will tell me which shots I need and what medications I should take.  Another item checked off the list.

There are still many things to do and my mind is in a constant spin.  I have lists of lists. I think I need to get better organized.  Working on that.

Any suggestions from you experienced travelers out there would be appreciated.

WHERE IS MACK?

WHERE IS MACK?

December 23, 2012

Today I am in Nashville, Tennessee.  I plan to be here for the next five months planning a trip I call, "Around the World at 80" (ATW@80).  I will be 80 years old on January 20 (or 21).  Only two members of my immediate family have lived this long. The others died in their fifties or before.  Attaining this age, therefore, calls for a special celebration, not just on the birthday itself, but a celebration of the year, 2013.  The major event will be the trip I am planning.  I figured that if Phileas Fogg could do it in 80 days, I could do it at 80.  I will, of course, be on my own since I do not have Passepartout to assist me. While it will be a journey for me into the unknown, geographically, it will also be a journey metaphorically into an unknown stage of life, my 80's, middle old age. Now that is really scary.  What dragons and monsters and caves and rivers and lakes and ogres and trolls will I encounter?  I don't know, but I'm ready to find out!

I have had a taste of foreign travel, but only a taste.  The photo below was taken by Ray Johnson in 2009 when we were in Ireland together.  I like it because it shows me on the road.  Now I look forward to being on the road across America, China, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, France, England, Ireland,  Canada and back home again.  For now, its the planning stage. Figuring out how to get visas and reservations for planes, trains, ferries, hotels, B&B's and couches will take a lot of time and attention to details.  But what fun. I plan to fly only when necessary (across oceans).  The rest will be on trains, buses and ferries.  One of the great web sites I have found for train and ferry schedules around the world is "The Man in Seat Sixty-One" (www.seat61.com).  It contains an amazing amount of information.  I highly recommend it to anyone planning a trip that includes train travel.  While I can afford to pay for the trip myself, I would not refuse contributions from friends (I have two committed already), grants, foundations, or other sources I should consider. Any help in this area would be appreciated.

                                     Photo by Ray Johnson 2009

A project which is an adjunct to my travels will be a book of photographs and biographies of people who were born in 1933.  A working title is, EIGHTY AT 80.  My plan is to locate people who will be 80 years old next year, photograph them and write a brief biography.  The book will include some famous people, like David McCullough and Willie Nelson (if I can contact them and they agree), non-famous people, men and women, Americans and people in the countries where I travel.  Now I must come up with a plan for finding these people.  I am open to suggestions and will be grateful for ideas from anyone.

Since I am in the planning stage, please send me any ideas, suggestions, contacts, experiences or any related information you think would be helpful. Send email to: clipsey3@comcast.net