Well d-day minus one and I have now arrived at the worst part of the schedule. Alarm has just gone off and Fright Day begins…Packing day. I hate packing. It is at times like this that you have empathy with naturists who decide that a toothbrush and floss is all they need and head out wearing nothing but a smile. My challenge however is the opposite. I seem to have everything except the kitchen sink. I’m writing this blog as it delays the packing for 10 minutes and gives me a self-reasoned legitimate case to stay in bed. I will further delay this by getting breakfast.

I have packed one thing. My swimming shorts. The fact that I probably won’t be swimming for 2 months yet really doesn’t come into it. It is a hangover from my childhood holidays which meant that if you were going on holiday that means you will swim! I think I even packed them first when I went to the Ice Hotel in Sweden exactly 12 months ago.

“Less is more” they say? Yeh, right. No, more is more.

Just had a flashing thought. Dunmoanin! I shouldn’t be writing like this. If I continue I will have to buy a new web address.

Back to packing. I was sorting through my books and note pads yesterday. I can’t get out of the habit of business books. I have 3 on strategy and business models. Not quite John Grisham but they do keep me amused. Dilbert may also make it in the editors final cut.

Finally, and I promise to start packing as soon as I have taken my daily porridge and a couple of cups of coffee, let me share a chuckle moment. I picked up an old note book which I have used to scribble a few of my infamous poems. As you get into your 50’s you do tend to forget what you have written so some of the ditty’s were new to me even though I had scribed them. Let me share one that shows how my mind and humour works.

When I was in Padstow
I moaned about the Fillet
And was chased out of his restaurant
by Rick Stein with a skillet

Sorry they don’t get any better and you are bound to see one in the next 3 months that starts, “There once was a man from Bombay…”

Stop there. Porridge calling, sorry Packing calling!

Arctic Roll in Solihull

Well yesterday did not disappoint me.  Sun, sun sun, then the snow came and it was freezing. Made for a nice picture, with the flakes dancing around in the icy winds and another pause moment.  I do seem to be getting used to ‘pauses’ which is a symptom of not working.  You can actually see that the grass is green and as yesterday provided, when it’s white.  I promise to try hard to get a job when I return.

Finally cracked the Indian Rail Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) application.  I think their title is awesome.  They sell rail tickets, they provide food on them, they differentiate tourists from ‘generals’, it is a massive organisation and of course it is Indian.  It took me 5 days and a huge amount of pleasant email exchanges to register.  At one point I thought they were going to refer me to talk to someone in a call centre.  If the Call Centre had been in the UK that would have been funny.  Well I am registered.  My long awaited ticket to Agra is however…. ‘waitlisted’.  I am privileged to have a waitlist number of WL1, the next in line, which at a deli counter in Sainsbury’s means that you are probably going to get the last piece of Game Pie.  Whatever, I digress, being WL1 means that someone needs to cancel before I can get on the train, so a waiting game, literally.  I guess my Sainsbury’s analogy was well thought through after all?  I probably need the Phileas Fogg travel logic of …”there must be another way to…”  Self note to checklist, how fast do Elephants travel?

So, India is now all arranged, hotels, flights and a return ticket from Agra, as long as I can get there.

The last days for packing have now arrived and the collation of all the paperwork and receipts that I have been randomly sending to my printer.  One final glance at the checklist is expected this morning to see whose birthdays are coming up in the next 3 months (family Dugdale and Beardmore’s, I do try but I am useless at the task, we all know that Sue was my social secretary as well as everything else) and to pick up those final essentials.

On essentials though one that I should mention.  My Bose Noise Cancellation Headphones are awesome.  Even without music you can cut out noise around you.  Essential? maybe not, but cool all the same.

I must admit to be looking forward to sitting on the tarmac at Heathrow sipping a bit of sinful nectar, as there will be no more that I can do that can’t or will have to be done from somewhere South East of Europe.

Well didn’t I get the Spring forecast all wrong.  I was sitting having a Coffee in York’s today looking out at the rain washing down Newhall Street into the roadworks that signalled that the real March is still here.

From the sun on my back on Tuesday, I had not a clue where it was today as the rain mist was so thick and grey.  I guess I am not going to be missing much after all.  I hear there is snow planned for Sunday too.  Bring out the gritters!, let’s have another snow day!, bring it all on!

I took on the might of the Indian Rail Catering and Tourism Corporation today.  All I need is a return ticket to Agra, but not being Indian or living in India creates a bit of a burden.  Nice people though and trying to be helpful, so restored my faith in bureaucracy.  Reading up on trying to get a SIM card for my iPhone in India will be an equal if not harder experience.

So it’s time to start packing and ticking off the checklist…I’ll be posting soon.

Well the last week has been more of the same planning, shopping, coffee, wine, planning, but it is all getting very close now. I always thought I would get the first few weeks arranged and then on the road plan and book on the fly, so I am feeling comfortable with where I am at. I think I have surprised a few people who thought I wouldn’t do it. I was one of them! India is in touching distance now and I must admit to being rather excited. In my normal low key style I am trying not to let any of my emotions bubble as it will make me forget the important things. There would be nothing worse than forgetting your smalls or your tooth brush. One disappointment I do have is that Spring has finally arrived in the UK and it’s a great time. Lighter mornings, sun on your back and later dusk times. Blue skies are great for the sole.

I’m sure Jon and Tom will be glad to get me on the plane as I am a bit myopic in my conversation.

VIsa’s are all in place and flights around the world are all confirmed, so I guess it is really on. Working on Hotels and stuff now and all the travel bits like insurance. Had a bit of luck and I don’t know why I enquired. Last Friday I woke up with a question in my head about all the air miles that I had collected with the airlines when I was travelling for business. Turns out one of them still has 185,000 miles that I can use, so that should clear my flights around the USA. Every now and then you need a bit a luck. I hope you all have a lucky day today.

Down in London today to get the Chinese visa sorted. Lots of documents but a very pleasant experience. I am feeling rather strange today. I think for the first time, I came to London, not for Business, not as a tourist, but to just get something fixed. Sometimes when you are a tourist you are just as anxious as a business day as you do not want to waste a second. Today though, I am absolutely horizontally relaxed. Paperwork with the Chinese, I am supping a nice pint in the Swan Inn, next to the Globe Theatre overlooking the Thames. I’m just watching people.

I had my booster jabs today and the nurse set me some homework on Rabies.

I have been into Birmingham to assess the travel bags and shoes. I now know why it can take women an eternity to select the right accessories. Bullring was heaving with kids on half term, that was pleasant. I must admit to looking forward to other bustling streets around Asia to see if they are any better. Help and cute staff in North Face and Cotswold’s but the bag detail still has to be worked out. Favoured bag, 88 litres and 4.4 kilos (with Cuban heels). They said I could take it home to test but I was thinking, if I fill it up with water, what does that prove?

Did my usual shopping trick. Paused for thought in the middle of town, because that allows you to have absolute clarity of what you need to do next, then made the decision that a Latte and a piece of Lemon Drizzle Cake at Yorks Bakery would help me get what I need. Thank you York’s. Rail man at Widney Manor recommended two hotels in Agra and Delhi. I am getting the sense that this is a team effort…or am I the lead in a Truman Show.

I’m now just 4 weeks away from my planned date of travel, so need to get my finger out and finalise the starting itinerary.  There is also plenty to do on everything else too, so my ‘do list’ is getting bigger by the day.  Camera stuff, clothes, travel bag, hotels, in-country air and rail etc etc.  My inoculation jabs are set for this week.

They (the Chinese Visa Centre) seem organised. I guess with over a billion people you need to be. So, my visas in the system and I am going down to London next week to formalise it. Hopefully back in 10 days, but shouldn’t be a problem.

At the Indian centre I was collecting my Visa and got talking to a nice girl from Liverpool collecting a pile for the school she work at. She was late for the train, so I gave her a lift. She did talk a lot, which I think impaired my thinking, she was cute too, but I am not sure if she noticed that I drove down the ‘IN’ spiral lane to exit the car park.

Tell me what you’d like to hear about and I’ll try to oblige.

So far the plan is to go to:
India
Hong Kong
Japan
China
Singapore
Australia
Rarotonga
And the USA

Then back to blighty!

I didn’t expect it to be such a challenge to get away. Indian visa is now in my mitts and I’ve moved on to tackling China. Still on course for March!