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June 15, 2002

We're takin' a three-month hiatus from the rat-race! We're looking at going to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with maybe a detour to South Africa to visit a friend. At first we thought we'd go Nov-Dec-Jan, but now we're thinking, stay home for Christmas and go away during the coldest months here, Jan-Feb-March. That'll give us some more time to save up some money, plan the trip, and tie up any loose ends pre-trip. I have travelled for three consecutive months before, and I can't wait to do it again. I know that in three months, not much changes back home, so I'm not expecting friends and family to be too phased by our absence. But on the road, when you are discovering new places and when you wake up in the morning and feel complete and absolute freedom as to how you will spend that day, three-months is like a lifetime (and yet, still not enough time!).

Our plan now involves going to S. Africa first, in January, then taking a freighter from there up to Spain/Morocco. We've talked to a friend about house-sitting while we are away, and have been in touch with our friend in South Africa, who is looking forward to our visit. We've informed our employers of our intention to take a leave of absence, so that makes it official! We've also beefed up our monthly deposits into our Travel Fund (we always have a Travel Fund a.k.a Emergency Fund).

Got a hold of some detailed, current info on freighters from Cape Town to Lisbon, and also discovered a cheap overland tour from Vic Falls, Zimbabwe to Nairobi, Kenya. Now we are looking at 3 or 4 different scenarios of how we can do this trip and trying to decide which one we should go with.

Okay, everything I've said until now, just forget it. Except for the "3 months" and "S. Africa". Everything else has gone right out the window. Isn't planning fun!?

Basically, we looked at a map, looked at a calendar, and said "possible, but barely". We're trying to put something together now that involves using the Baz Bus to go from Pretoria to Cape Town, joining a tour that starts in Cape Town, goes through Namibia, and ends in Vic Falls, finding our own way back through Botswana to Pretoria, and then going into Kruger either on our own or with a tour. Sounds great, no?

Booked flights. Check. Received vaccinations. Check. Asked neighbour to shovel in front of house while away. Check. 'Kay, we're all set! 6 weeks and counting...