Time to Fill in Some Trip Details!

When having a bad day, I find that it helps to try to focus on something you have to look forward to, something positive, something you're excited for.  That's what I tried to do today.

I got an email today from G Adventures with a link where I had to input some personal details including signing a waiver (basically saying I can't sue them for being an irresponsible adult - LOL if you know me, you know I'm super ultra personally responsible so that shouldn't be an issue), input flight information (yes, I have my flights booked!), brief medical history and dietary restrictions, passport info, emergency contact, etc.  

I completed filling out 6 of 8 items, some of which weren't due until August, September, and/or October so I'm doing ok.

Made an appointment with Passport Health in Englewood, NJ.  Has anyone been there?  I looked on my employer healthcare provider website and I'm not convinced they're In-Network so I may have to cancel that appointment and find another doctor that specializes in travel medicine/vaccines and international yellow cards.  That inquiry has been made; I will fill you in on what I find out.  Any suggestions are welcome (and it would be nice to get one single comment)!   :)

I think tomorrow I'll go put a chunk of the G Adventures tour on my credit card to get that paid down.

Progress/Timeline so far:
Received previous vaccination records: check.
Make appointment to see travel doctor: in progress - timeframe to complete is mid-late May to first/second week of June.
Get my yellow card: June
Buy STA travel insurance for 1 year: sometime in June
Apply for Indonesian visa and Vietnam visa: mid-late June/early July.

Fortunately, there are consulates for both countries that I need visas for in Manhattan.  I've never visited a consulate to obtain a visa before so I'm not sure how that works exactly.  Can you just walk in during business hours?  I was thinking to visit ahead of applying for a visa just to obtain paperwork, ask about the timeframe of receiving a visa, etc.  Doing my due diligence and trying to be prepared to make obtaining a visa as smooth as possible.  Any suggestions on this topic are appreciated.

Short but sweet post this evening.  Time for bed... tomorrow will be an earlier morning that what I've been managing lately.   The city is wearing me down.

12 weeks, 3 days.

Have a good night.

Couple items left to fill in... it's ok; I've got a little time. 

Ragnar 2.0 - Richmond, VA (RVA)

Evening readers.  :)  

Work has been super busy.  The project I'm working on is beginning to wrap up which is going to be very fast.  But last weekend, and this weekend as well, I've been able to get away from the rush and madness that is NYC.  

Last weekend some colleagues and friends ran another Ragnar Trail Relay in Richmond, Virginia.  In contrast with our first Ragnar Trail in Wawayanda State Park last October which was cold and rainy, this Ragnar was HOT and HUMID.  But regardless, we had a great team put together and that makes or breaks the atmosphere of it all.  Thankfully, this one was also a blast!  Each person finishing a leg of the race was pretty much soaked in sweat.  

The state park didn't have any shower facilities open and so by the end of the 28 hour relay, each person was so completely sticky and stinky and...well, you get the picture.  Wowza!  I had to shower so I used a waist high faucet and cold water to wash some of the smell off of my so I could stand myself.  

I ran my three loops from about 12:00-1:30, then 10:00pm to about 11:30, and the last loop from about 6:30am to about 8:00am.  The first loop was super humid and hot; had to run in just my shorts and sport bra.  I fought cramping for the first couple miles and the heat in the end.  I poured cold water from the water stations on my head and down my back.  Second loop at ~10pm was cooler but still humid.   Last loop was again hot and humid and my knees hurt, my shins hurt, my feet hurt... at least my hips didn't hurt.  

Anyway, 13 weeks left till I'm done with work and head out to experience some serious adventure and world travel.   Super excited.  

Going to try to keep up with work over the next few weeks.  Wish me luck.  

I decided to not attempt my first triathlon; final deliverables for my project somehow managed to be due the week before the triathlon meaning long hours, possibly weekend work, and less than adequate preparation for such a challenge.  It's slightly aggravating.  So, I live to do another triathlon another day.  In the meantime, I'll start going back to the gym this week and keep myself in some sort of shape for the Tough Mudder Half that I'll be doing in later July.  But that will be better since I will have time to do a good amount of cycling which always builds up my leg strength and endurance.   So, now I just have to squeeze in a ride now and then.  

Counting down the weeks...  Until next time.  

Dad came to support and cheer us on!

Finishing my first lap - super sweaty.

Our Awesome Ragnar Team!

Few of the good pictures put together.  

Ragnar 2.0 Collage

  

Just an Update

Good evening folks. 

Not too much to report since my last post regarding travel stuff.  Personally, it's been an eventful month.  

I ended up moving out of my last place on extremely short turn-around.  I'm going to leave it at that.  I'm done going over it.  

I'm very happy where I live now though.  It all works out.  

Count down is currently: 18 weeks and 2 days.  

With travel stuff, you know that I booked my airfare and a 30-day tour of southeast Asia.  The update right now is that I've collected the records for my previous vaccinations.  Now, I have to find a doctor who can consult and grant an international "yellow card" which indicates my vaccinations.  Hoping I don't have to get too many additional vaccinations, but we'll see.  

I knew I didn't have much to post, but I didn't really expect it to be this short.  

Ragnar 2.0 is a month away; Triathlon 1.0 is 2 months away; I ended up signing up with a couple friends for a Tough Mudder Half which will be at the end of July.  It's going to be a blast.  

That's pretty much it for now.  One more thing; it sounds so cliche to me when folks say you meet people for a reason.  I mean, yea I've believed them, but it never really seemed to happen to me.   Well, I'm starting to believe that.  Seems like within the last year and a half that I've met people who have given me some bit of wisdom or guidance or practical knowledge or direction or just working together with colleagues which I have ended up using my knowledge from that experience to manage my way through subsequent experiences.  

The latest experience?  Well, my new roommate is a personal trainer.  The trainers I've been working with at the gym I go to don't really talk about preparing for my triathlon in the aspects of nutrition and pre- and post-exercise stretching.   My roommate looks on aghast as I tell her this!  So now, I'm learning about preparing my body even better for this triathlon.  

Things keep coming to me!  Lately, I am constantly (ok, not constantly, but more than usual) hungry for very substantial meals - I'm talking serious carbohydrates with gluten.  For a while (probably about 2 years ago maybe - that's a guess) I completely cut gluten out of my diet and it helped manage my weight and taught me how to cook without it.  I gradually began eating gluten but pretty limited.  Up until beginning of March, I'd say I was probably 70-80% gluten free.  Cutting something out of your diet teaches you new things... it's all a learning experience!   

Anyway - so lately I've been eating bagels for breakfast instead of just some fresh fruit and maybe yogurt with granola.  Gosh it has been hitting the spot!  Oh, I've also noticed that I'm scarfing down my food - not good.  I have to consciously slow myself down while I'm eating.  Also not the best, but I expect that August 5th, I'll eat a little more slowly.  Hahaha...  

Ok, that's really it for now.  

Have a great night. 

Slight Change of Plans ("Fiscally Sound")

So, slightly unexpected but... I set the date I'm leaving the US (for an extended temporary period) in stone yesterday! So now, the first two months of my world travel is all set!  Paid for?...well, I'm getting there. 

I learned that Global Nomadic partners with Student Travel Association.  So I thought why not go visit them and see what I can find out.  I went to their storefront downtown.  I visited a couple times; first time was either last week or beginning of this week.  He gave me a couple books (Europe, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand) to look at and said I should try to nail down some dates for when I'll be where.... pretty hard to do if you're trying to keep an open schedule. 

So I printed out a 2018 calender and started strategizing.  I thought I was ready to go back to STA travel to put something on hold or put a deposit down.   So yesterday, after work, I headed down to STA again.   There was a promotion going on with G Adventures.  The fine print was that it had to be for a trip departing in 2017, not 2018.  My initial conceptual plans were falling slightly apart in front of my eyes!  How to work around this??  

Here's how it turned out.   Instead of jumping straight into the deep end of adventure travel by trekking in Nepal, I adjusted my trip so that I start with a 30-day guided small group tour of up to 18 people.   This tour, called IndoChina Discovery, starts and ends in Bangkok, Thailand but tours through Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.  Cambodia wasn't on my list of places to visit, but that's fine.   I'm good with adding a country to my list of places visited.   

This tour goes from October 15 through November 13.   This works out perfectly; the price of the 30-day tour was less at this date than in January 2018, and the airfare for JFK -> Bangkok -> Bali was $1,500 less than JFK to Kathmandu to Bali.  It also works out with my Global Nomadic volunteer internship start date of November 17th in Ubud, Bali.  The next thing I need to do is buy airfare from Bali to Taiwan so that I can apply for the Indonesian visa which you need a departing ticket to get.  

I'm not sure when I'll do trekking in Nepal; it is still on the list for sure.  Possibly in February between hopping from New Zealand to Europe.  I really don't know where it will fit in now, but it's ok.  I have months to figure that out.  

So, I'm set!  I fly out of JFK on October 12th in the evening and probably won't come back to March!  Wohooo!!  Oh yea!  I'm so stinking excited now.  

Gearing Up - Part 2

Today has been quite a productive day...  

Headed to the gym at 10:30, swam my 35 laps (~half mile) in about 40-45 minutes.  After that, I was in a group class for some conditioning with one of the trainers.  Wow, that class kicked my tush!  I always thought my legs were strong, which they are to a point until I try doing fast, coordinated moves that I've never thought of doing before, and then my body turns into this weak-feeling, uncoordinated bag of lead.  Hahahah!  Learning curves are so brutal!

Ok, moving on.  

It was so beautiful out for most of the day.  It was hard to decide whether to cram in the first bike ride of the season into the day, but it was supposed to start raining early afternoon.  My bike was due for proper tune-up and maintenance so it was in the shop and I had to pick it up.   It had a broken spoke, back brakes that needed adjustments, and apparently, I needed a new chain.  And they cleaned everything.  Haven't really done it since I bought the bike in 2012.  So, I can' complain.  

Next stop: REI.  
I ended up returning the backpack I got last time.  It was a great backpack, but I felt like I needed a bit more space.  It filled up so quickly. Partly because the sleeping bag wasn't as compressed as it could have been with a more compressive stuff-sack.  Note to self: practice packing extremely light.  :-/  

Ok, so today I went back to REI to get the things I left behind last time I went.  I bought silverware, cold-weather pants, a second, bright blue base layer shirt.  Super comfy.  I came home and changed into them immediately.  :-p  

I bought two backpacks, a smaller day pack, and a rainforest green Osprey Aura (with Anti-gravity back mesh) 65L pack.  So, together, 85L, that will just have to be enough.  I'm going to have to learn how to pack the bare minimum essentials.  The store didn't have the Aura 65L pack in the store so I tried on the tan one, such a boring color so I ordered the rainforest green.  It should get to the REI store this week and I'll go pick it up in time for my camping essentials class next Sunday.  

I got my REI World MasterCard this week.  Super pumped about that.  I was able to use the gift card my Dad gave me for my birthday on my stuff today which helped with the total....ouchy.  But I keep reminding myself, this is an investment just like my road bike; it's a big one-time expense, and then you're set for YEARS of fun and adventure.  So, it's an investment, I've saved for this investment, and it will be worth it!  

Pillow, silverware, bear bell (for Ragnar), carabiners, tick remover, first aid kit, compression stuff-sack, cup, trekking poles, mosquito net that surrounds my hammock, camp suds. 

Broader view of my sweet camping air mattress.  

REI Activator Soft-Shell pants - super comfy; and Mammut base layer long-sleeve=cozy!

Osprey Tempest 20L daypack.  

That's it for today.  I didn't really eat breakfast so I was starving by the time I got home from REI and I was in the mood for my favorite Thai food place in Upper Montclair.  So I took myself out to dinner and loved it.  Best pad thai ever!  

Last thing for the day... 23 weeks left as of yesterday.  And after Glacier National Park, we're going to Banff National Park... hopefully we can get back in the US by then (no thanks Trump).  Hahaha... well, we are US citizens so I think we're ok.  

Training for the triathlon - I'm nervous that I've bitten off more than I can chew.  I need to start biking ASAP as this really helps my running ability.  Swimming is in ok condition.  I'm reluctant to even look at a triathlon training schedule because if I'm super off track or super unprepared, I'm afraid I'll chicken out.  I did my first Ragnar essentially off of my miles and miles of biking and adrenaline.  My Rugged Maniac obstacle course, also possible thanks to miles and miles of biking and the energy and adrenaline from the crowd and the friends I was with.  But with this triathlon, it's going to be just me against the hundreds of other contestants; no one I know will be going through this with me.  A few friends may be there to cheer me on, but it will be just me.  

Ok, the one last things; I signed up for a Tough Mudder Half.  I'll be competing with my good friend and India study abroad roommate and her friend.  I'm so excited for it.  That's at the end of July... Ragnar is end of April, Triathlon in late May, and Tough Mudder end of July... the last hurrah before saying goodbye to NYC and heading out for who knows how long.  I can't wait.  

Good night folks.  

Gearing Up - Part 1

Hey Everyone!  It's been a while!  It feels like a lot but also like nothing has happened over the last several weeks since my last post.  

What's new... 

I spent a long weekend at home a few weeks ago.  I took a Monday and Friday off; went home Thursday night and got home late.  Crashed in my old room, now the spare bedroom, so that I didn't wake up my little sis who had to go to school on Friday.  That bed is super comfy and warm.  I always sleep like a baby when I go home; has something to do with the lack of background noise from cars, trucks, sirens, traffic, heating system fans, TVs, etc.   

Work has been stressful lately.  My senior project manager got back from vacation and it's been hard adjusting to taking directions again and not giving them.  Really, it's been a struggle, more than I thought it would be.  I was having an inner temper tantrum... it wasn't cool.  But as usual, some days are better than others.  

So, onto the bigger and more interesting news.  Gearing Up Part 1:

I spent my whole morning (9AM - 1:30PM) at the local REI shop.... shopping for appropriate gear (camping, clothing, personal hygiene, water purification, etc), with an REI personal shopper.  I got to the store an hour before they opened and I met with an awesome sales rep who gave the Backpacking Basics for Women class this past Tuesday evening.  She is amazing!  Got a lot of helpful and useful information about things I need.

Today I was hoping that I could just sign up for REI MasterCard and get pre-approved and use the card today.  However, that didn't happen because that's not how it works.  I have to apply for the card and it takes 10-14 days to get it... So, I ended up buying the things that were on sale/clearance because they probably wouldn't be there when I go back.  So, items I got today are:

- REI Joule sleeping bag

- Osprey Ariel Anti-Gravity - an REI exclusive backpack that is beautiful and amazing!  

- Prana pants that zip off above the knee, but also just roll up with snaps... awesome

- Some base layers - and they're so colorful!  

- A nice dark purple button up shirt that is awesome

I immediately fell in love with this backpack... the color, the design, the day pack and hydration bladder... oh yea!

What do you notice?  COLOR!  My travel clothes are going to be colorful!  My work clothes are so boring and dull... some of them at least. 

Shirts and base layers.

My backpack.... meet Lolita!  :D 

My beautiful sleeping bag that I got on sale for like half the original price.  Awesome!  

I tried a few pairs of serious hiking boots but nothing fit super comfortably... well, I found a great pair but they were too small and they didn't have the right size in stock.  I'll visit Eastern Mountain Sports when I go home next time.  Hopefully I can find a pair there.  

The other big news... Gearing up Part 1a:

You know the internship in Bali I've been talking about?  Well, I finally had sufficient funds to secure my place... I confirmed my place!  So in November of this year, I'll be spending at least 4 weeks in Bali.  If I love it and don't want to leave, well, I won't.  I'll just stay longer.  

I haven't confirmed a trip in Nepal yet... still want to look at guided tours a bit longer.  My cashier at REI (chance encounters again) told me about an American living in Nepal who does guided tours... so I want to get in touch with that guy before I confirm anything.  I might look at doing a little bit different tour other than Everest Base camp.  From what I've read, Mount Everest is a very popular touristy trek... Yea it would be cool to be able to say I've been there, but I don't really want to go to all the popular tourist places.  I want to stay off the beaten track, so to say.  So we'll see, not sure exactly what I'll see in Nepal, but regardless, the pictures I see are completely beautiful.  I can't wait.  

Can any women make suggestions/recommendations for good trekking/hiking boots?  Please?  The boots I found most comfortable today were La Sportiva boots (La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX Hiking Boots).  They're super comfy and I like how they look.  Need to find a 6.5 or 7 size pair to try on some where.  

That's it for now.  Can't wait to test out some of my camping gear at Ragnar 2.0 in April.  

Chance Encounters

The day started out sort of slow.  I went to sleep late and got up late.  I had planned to go rock climbing but plans needed to be adjusted.  No big deal.

Off to the gym for some exercise.  I ran for 17 minutes, talked with a personal trainer I want to start working with, and then went and changed to swim some laps.  My shoulders and arms were a bit worn out from Thursday's session so getting those muscles warmed up wasn't much fun.  I swam six (or seven) warm up laps then stopped for a minute or two to stretch.  Then I swam again, and I just kept swimming...total of about 24 or 25 laps.  Felt good by the time I was done.

Oh! So, the triathlon suit I got for Christmas was too small...as in my youngest sister probably couldn't fit in it-small.   So we returned that and ordered two different sizes of a different suit..but still cool looking of course!  So, one of them worked!! I squiggled my way into it lol... goodness those things are snug!

After the gym, I was going to head to work for a little while because there was some invoicing stuff needing attention (if I'm ever going to accomplish my branch manager's challenge to get three invoices done and submitted in 2 weeks).  I accepted the challenge; however, getting three invoices out when you have 10 subs invoices to collect, review, and then have mailed to you all on time is no small task.  I'm not sure I can do it but with branch managers and financial managers leaning on me (and encouraging me) to get these invoices prepped and out the door, I may have to exceed my expectations again....it's happened a few times lately.  Anyway, got some invoice cover letters laid out, progress reports drafted, etc.

After work, I decided I would try a new Thai restaurant.  I have a thing going where if I work on a weekend, I take myself out to dinner afterwards.   I usually go to a place on 56th St up near central park.  Mistake.  This new place on 28th and 3rd didnt compare.  :-(  

Anyway, on my way to the restaurant, I was walking and just happy to be... to be present, I guess.  I was passing a few Women's march ladies with signs and whatever.  I was walking and a girl asked me as I was passing by if I would buyy her demo CD.  Initally I said no thanks and breezed on by.  But immediately after I physically passed her, I turned around and said "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said no automatically."  She seemed happy that I said this.  We ended up chatting for a minute.  She's trying to get a record deal as a hip-hip artist.  She's on Youtube and the photo on the CD showed: Young Atlantic - Grind It Out ft. Prada.  So you should go check it out!!

I turned around and talked to her because I would have wanted someone to do that for me if I had been handing out copies of my dad's EP called "Tomorrow's Yesterday" (currently available on iTunes and Amazon).   The thought has crossed my mind to have some CDs made and spend some time handing them out/selling them to people on the street.

On another note, I have plans in the works that will be set into something a bit more flexible than concrete but less flexible than a maybe!! I'll be putting deposits down on the start of my international adventures with my first paycheck in February!  Want to know what these things are!?! Of course you do!

So, I am going to trek in to the Mount Everest base camp with a Sherpa tour guide!  That'll be a 2 week trek in and out.  After that, I'm going to do a volunteer internship in Bali working on a micro-renewable energy project as well as sustainable farming without pesticides.  Super exciting, right???  I have other concepts of what I want to do and places I want to go, as previously written in another blog post, but the order of those, beyond these two things, is yet to be determined.

I feel like there was something else I wanted to tell you all but it's escaping me...

The weekend train into the city usually stops at every single station between Denville and Penn Station.  It did on the way to the city... but did it stop at my station on the way home?  No... so my car was only about one mile away, so instead of paying for an Uber, it was in a nice part of town, so I decided to hoof it to my car.  Was on the phone with my dad the whole time.  Probably worried him sick... I'm sorry.  It's just that after running, alone, in the dark for Ragnar in October, well, I gained some confidence.  

Plans change.  Not really better or worse, just different.  Going with the flow and it'll all be great.  

Oh, the last thing I wanted to say... considering doing crowd funding for the micro-renewable energy volunteer internship project.  I'm not sure I want to, but I'm thinking about it.  It would definitely help prolong the internship and enable me to do perhaps another internship in a different place... I saw one I wanted to do in Nicaragua.   But a savings can only last so long with even with the best budget... so, I don't know.  You might see a crowd funding page from me, or you might not.  I haven't decided.  

Good night folks.