The science of planning a large budget trip ...

When planning a long six week trip to a continent or country you've never been to it's a lot harder then planning a 10 day trip to Europe. For myself my South America trip will have taken over a year and a half of dreaming, scheming, and planning. I first announced my South America trip in the summer of 2006. It was a hard decision to make it official since I had just bought a house and I wasn't sure that finances and time could justify such a large trip. I guess my new philosophy is to go on a large six week trip every other year if not sooner. There's just so much out there that I want to see and experience.

The development of my south-a trip took all sorts of twists and turns in it's development. At first it was just going to be a three week trip to climb Aconcagua. Then my cousin wanted to join me and wanted to also do the Inca Trail while we were down there. I was also trying to use my frequent flier miles to get down there and back. As a result of that I had to fly back through Rio, which actually suited me just fine, but also added a few days onto the trip. Somehow when it was all said and done the trip ended up being six weeks. I booked my frequent flier tickets into Lima and out of Rio nearly a year go. Once you've got your tickets in hand there is really no backing down and it makes the trip feel so more real. Over the last couple months I'd buy a domestic ticket here and there. Which made me slowly figure out exactly what it was I was going to be doing each day and what really my priorities were while being down there. My cousin and her friends also backed out of going on the trip, which tweeked the schedule a little, but not a lot. Along the way the possibility of visiting Uruguay and Bolivia were also very real possibilities and I would have loved to have added more countries onto the list. However at risk of being stressed and running around like it was the Amazing Race I decided to simplify and cut a few things out and not go to those two countries. So the final list of countries I'll be visiting are Peru, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. The list of countries I'll be visiting isn't to shabby especially for someone that has never been to South America before.

Today I need to get to the bank and do a wire transfer for my deposit for the Inca Trail. So there are still a few things to be worked out. I've been already made fun of for packing my pack two months in advance. However it was quite necessary to determine whether or not I'll need to hire a mule service for Aconcagua. I don't have a scale at home, but I would guess my pack would weigh around 70lbs, which doesn't feel to bad because I bought the best pack they make. However, after much consideration it may be best to save my strength for the mountain, so I will hire a mule to carry part of my gear to base camp. I'll also be attempting to film a documentary while on my Aconcagua expedition, kind of like Survivor Man ... ha ha. It will be easier to do the filming with a lighter pack. I'm also now a part of the South American Explorers Club, which will benefit me through out the trip.

There's just endless stuff to be planned out to have a successful trip. It's not like I'm just doing one activity. It feels like endless activities, multiple permits, multiple visas, vaccinations, etc. I also need to make sure that all my photo and film gear is good to go and make any upgrades or adjustments necessary. I've had to buy so much random gear and upgrades to my kit for this trip. My housemate was reminding me last night that nearly every day when he gets home there is a new package on our porch. So it almost feels like Christmas all the time.

I've got this massive excel table with all the details of my trip. I just did a rough cost estimate of the trip and it looks like it will cost me about $3,300. It makes me all the more glad that I was able to save $1,500 with the frequent flier miles. This trip is definitely ending up costing more then I imagined, but I forget that I'm going to five different countries and doing amazingly exciting things like the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and climbing one of the seven summits.

What else am I doing to get ready? I've been trying to get to the gym more often. I'll run about three miles to get my heart rate up and then hit some machines. Mostly trying to strengthen my back and shoulders. My back and shoulder blade area has been in constant pain now for a month and I'm not sure why. So finally I bust down and got a massage yesterday, but I'm not sure just one will cut it. So I'm a little worried about that and want to get that all figured out before I go. I'll be up at 23,000 feet, which is quite the endeavour so I've just been doing so very much to get ready. Like doctor's appointments, dentist appointment, getting special insurance, etc.

So I'm sorry if I've bored my friends and family to death talking about my upcoming trip. I'm just so very excited for one of the largest trips of my life!

Triumph!

Late last night after much persistence Dicky and I beat the Wharf. The Wharf is a mission on Ghost Recon Advanced War fighter or GRAW for short. We've been playing this mission since about January and were unable to master the skills to beat it. Earlier this week we learned how to control the Drone, which is an aerial surveillance scout. This helped our chances greatly. I also switched from being a marksman to a machine gunner. It was about 11:30pm last night with 3 seconds to spare (the missions are 30 minutes long) and in comes the helicopter at the LZ to swoop us up to safety. The moment was surrounded by applause, smiles, and glee. Not only had we beaten the mission, neither of us died ... we were able to finish it together. At this point are blood pressure was so high that we hand to celebrate and wind down by watching the latest episode of the office. Woohoo for nerds!

God's Will

Lately all these things have been going on in my life and I don't really understand it all, but I have such a reassurance to just believe ... it's God's will. Things in the past, things in the present, things in the future. Everything is God's will and there is no point of me worrying about things. A couple of big things lingering in my head are my South America trip and my Everest trip. I thought I had people going to South A with me and now it doesn't look that way so I'm pretty bummed. The last few trips I took alone and I was so looking to travel with people. So I must believe that it's God's will and that he is going to use every experience to grow me into a better person. Same for relationships, I don't know the future and I don't know why past relationships haven't worked with females, but I know that it must all be God's will and he has something better for me and I just need to be patient and not rush into things. I really do enjoy the freedoms of being single. When the timing is right it will all happen the way it's supposed to be.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you Hope and a Future."

Caffeine - My Bittersweet Drug

Dearest Caffeine,

I can't stop thinking of you. When I wake up in the morning you are the first thing I think of. By the afternoon your powerful effects on me start to dwindle and I need more of you. I just can't seem to get enough. You are never more then a few feet away and you posses a stronghold on me. I'm sorry I'm not doing this in person, but I'm breaking up with you. Caffeine please don't call me. It's over ....

Ha, but seriously. I didn't think I was addicted, but now I'm starting to have second thoughts. I don't know if it's a true addiction or I just like the taste. I'm not going to cut cold turkey, but I'm going to try to cut down on my caffeine intake. First off, no more Mt Dew at work. Today is my first day trying it and so far I've been able to hold on strong. It's been very tempting though. I'm trying to look at this long term. I'm sure there will be plenty of health benefits. Plus it should give me that extra boost I'll need for Aconcagua and Everest. We'll see how long this lasts .... Hopefully I can stay strong.

Your fellow caffeine addict,
Jason