Well its now been ten days since I left Guerrieri Rizzardi in what was then an overcast and frequently wet Bardolino on the shores of Lake Garda. A lifestyle change has to start somewhere and what better way than by pulling on the old backpack. Well back in England its ten degrees cooler and much wetter - well what did I expect.

So with less than three weeks to go until I leave for Sri Lanka, I have been busy getting ready . This has involved sorting out the backpack, getting to grips with this (my new travel blog). Visiting the Quack for an enormous amount of jabs, not too mention all the stuff involved with my diabetes. Organising my remaining visas, travel insurance and my cameras. And finally getting ready for a sprint around Sussex, Surrey, London, Herts and Essex to say goodbye to as many people as possible.

I thought I would plot the last few weeks before I leave so people can see my preparation. I also wanted to write a little about my destinations and why I selected them. The decision on my destinations was made after the consideration of two factors. One factor was determined by where I have been in the past and the second factor was what was happening in these destinations at this moment of time. Previously I have had four big trips and many smaller time constrained trips usually whilst working.

The bigger trips have been, firstly 1989-90 Thailand, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Java & Bali) and Australia . The second in 1991 was Australia, Indonesia (Nusa Trenggara), China, Soviet Union, Poland, Germany. The third was again in China, Indonesia (Sumatra) and Australia & NZ then with a return to China and Canada. The fourth trip was starting in Cuba, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Ecuador and Columbia. Consequently I am happy with where I have been in China (most of the country in my 11 visits), Indonesia (just Sulawesi left), Australia (a lot) and western Europe (as I have lived there for eight years). Eastern Europe has been a recent draw, with several visits to Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria and Moldova. Mexico, Morocco, USA and Japan have also been seen, although I would love to return to these one day.

Initially for me the big draw was Africa and the Middle East. I have always been keen on visiting Syria, but the current troubles put paid to this idea. I was hoping originally to follow that with the Yemen and Mali, both again derailed, so I have settled on India instead, starting with a stint in Sri Lanka, followed by three weeks in Cambodia. I decided against Burma, due to my growing interest in the Eastern Indian states that are now open to travellers. This interest has led to a plan of four months in India.

My Africa trip in central and southern Africa remains - at this time of departure - roughly similar to what I originally envisaged. I enjoyed the three countries I have visited before, Morocco, Senegal and Gambia and can't wait to experience Cameroon, Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. These seem along way off now and this plan (like all my travels plans) is subject to change. In Africa I had to delete some countries due to the expense of travelling. Kenya and Tanzania unsurprisingly fell into this category, but I was not expecting Gabon to be in this category. However this will allow more time in Ethiopia, Madagascar and Namibia, three places I have long dreamed of visiting. I have also applied for more voluntary work this time in Cameroon, with primates and I will keep you abreast of this.

Of course the biggest change between this and my other trips will be my return to the UK after six months to see the doctor. This is something that is unavoidable, and also being January (brrr..) it will be a shock to the system. 

So I think that is enough for now, and next post will discuss my preparations further plus the sites I am most looking forward to seeing. Hope this has not put you off reading regularly.