Packing Up Is Hard To Do

Today I resurrected my green rucksack out of the retirement it’s been enjoying underneath my bed for the past ten years. (It’s not just been under the bed gathering dust all that time; it has been used for the odd holiday in case I’m painting a bad picture of the state of our bedroom). It’s still holding up, although one of the zips needs a bit of repair and the oil stains on the front are a souvenir of a truck ride in Northern Thailand in 1998 where it battled for space on the roof with 6 men, 10 chickens, a couple of machetes and a toaster. (The battle me and my friend had for a seat inside the truck is a story for another blog; lets just say the backpack ended up a little oily, we were a little bruised and we all got to where we needed to be many hours later.)
The world has changed since I went around the world a decade ago – there were no mobiles, no Internet banking or Trip Advisor. I wrote real letters and gave people actual gifts as opposed to ones through Face book. It’s a miracle anyone went travelling at all. In 2008 the Internet has facilitated all my plans but also fuelled some of my paranoia. In 1998 the map of the world held no fears just opportunities. I’m excited but also wary about South America, the volunteering, and all the things that could go wrong. Not only do I have Plan B in case of mishap, but Plan C and D as well. I’m not sure when it happened but I seem to haven grown older and more cautious without realising it. I suppose it had to happen one day.
Regardless of my caution, I’m very excited. This travel plan has been cooking since this time last year, started to come together in the New Year and been polished and finalised the past 6 weeks while I’ve enjoyed being workless. Despite all this time, a day before I fly, I still find myself in a small frenzy and tired from a busy week finalising things and saying goodbyes. I can’t wait to get on the plane tomorrow to stop anticipating and start experiencing. I wonder what lies ahead?