Thanks

A simple, short (that is rare!) word to reiterate a big thank you to those who prepared a surprise for me in preparation for my departure.

I'll bring a little part of each and everyone of you, I promise. I will tell you every story as I go, somewhere between those lines, and I'll keep talking about it for years when I'll come back. I won't be shy to remind you that time I got lost in the desert or that time where the Earth shook in Hiroshima. Oh, or that time I almost missed my train. No, not that one. The other one. And don't worry about me. I'll be more than happy to start each and every sentence with "Me, when I was in Cambodia..." or "Me, when I was in Australia..."

Thanks again.

Thousands of questions

A baptism. Funerals. Lot of work to do. There is a long list of tasks I have to take care of before I can do my check-in in Burlington Airport.

But yet, I spend my time asking myself stupid questions. Will I get a haircut somewhere on the road or do I shave it all? (Stupid questions, I told you) Where do I find a map to find my way in Osaka? Is there an ATM in Petra's airpot? Will I encounter a place cold enough so I need to bring a warm jacket in my luggage? Should I bring my sleeping bag? Should I cancel my cell phone plan? Should I buy a bus pass in New Zealand or should I find my way as I go? Where is Jean Charest's forest in Adelaide? Will Olivier stay one more week on Star Académie? How can I find my way around if I was told not to talk to strangers? 

And there is all those people who wish to see me before I go, while I have so much to do. Maybe I'll need to use Skype to satisfy everybody.

Luckily, there are those nice people coming to me with suggestions. Vicky and Daniel told me about the JR pass in Japan, which is made especially for strangers. Marie Eve reminds me I should buy it fast before I leave. Louise, who tells me it is totally possible to get the chinese visa in Hong Kong.

Oh! And another thing. I need to review my itinerary, already, to limit the problems. And I need to make sure the plane tickets will stay as cheap as possible, even if I improvise on the way. Plan A, to link Sydney and Osaka, becomes Plan B : Sydney Hong-Kong. But I still want to go to Japan. We'll see how often it'll change before I get there.

Tip
This one is very simple. But still. It seems impossible to get anywhere without making a list. List of things to do. List of stuff I need to put in my luggage. List of the credit cards, bank accounts and other financial resources. But the most important is the list of things to buy before the departure date. Be smarter than I was. Put that stuff immediately on the list of things to bring too. I took notes left and right and I'm now very afraid of forgetting something because I didn't put it on the list. Probably for nothing.

Health is expensive

About one month away from the departure time, bills continue to come in. Looks like nothing, but making sure you stay healthy, when you leave for a long time, is expensive.

First big "kaching!" : insurances. You need to shop them around. Really! The prices varie so much it can double from one place to the other for the exact same thing. Obviously, the longest the trip is, the highest the price rises.

Good idea, when looking for an offer, to see how much more it'll cost to take a cancellation/interruption policy or to be covered for lost luggages. In my case, it was only five dollars more.

Each time, I was told my trip would last 183 days and that I wouldn't be covered anymore by the public insurance. The RAMQ website is on the other hand very clear that you shouldn't count the first and the last day as part of your trip outside the province of Quebec. Need to validate. To be continued...

Also, if you plan to visit countries where you can get sick of malaria, it is advised you get prepared for another big "kaching!" for the cost of the medicine. In some cases, each pill cost 5-6 $. And you might need to take one a day for multiple weeks. Still have to see if my insurances cover those.

Another surprise is to figure out all the room that medicine will take in my bags, since they need to remain in their original wrapping, inside the hand luggage. Happy!

Budget wise, I made sure the money I am planning on spending will be available when I need to. In Quebec, with Desjardins, Acces D makes it easy to organize. Think of getting a procuration too. Easy, fast, that can save headaches if you need someone to take care of your money for you at some point.

Finally, in the emergencies department, I still have to fin someone to rent my appartement. And find a way to get that chinese visa. That's a challenge.

The countdown accelerates

I'

I'm moving forward. Fast, but not too fast. I'm now done with the details for the beggining of my trip. I'll leave from Burlignton, Vermont, mid-February, for San Diego. After that, I'll take a train that goes along the Pacific coast to reach Los Angeles. I was told I would get bored in that big grey city. I have one project or two to keep myself busy in Hollywood or Beverly Hills.

For this first stop, I chose to go for the the obvious choice : hostels. Couchsurfing and other flats adventures should begin the next week.

I know, you think I won't be able to leave Hollywood once I get there. The american most jet set city will probably see all my potential and will refuse to see me go. But my flight is booked for Auckland, New Zealand, with a stopover in Nadi Fidji. Stay calm, jealous crowd! I will only see the airport in Fidji. Nothing to be excited about. 

I will now try to get my visa for Mao's country at some point. But it is not that easy. They want to know the name and the occupation of your family members, all the countries visited in the last 12 months, with the dates and explanations, who pays for the trip, where you'll stay, who invited you, the number of your health insurance...

Two new links :
The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. 
You can also resign your car immatriculation on the SAAQ website.