Packing and preparations !!! And, why do I need a walk-in closet anyway?

What an initial mess.... ;-) Way too much stuff, too many clothes.... but after downsizing it all to the minimum and by still having a good feeling about our travel gear .....

... we are finally fully packed up ! 'Still enough space in our backpacks for souvenirs and other Kjell treasures !!!

Now, I will only have to wash the clothes to get the back-at-home feeling when unpacking at the almost-other-side of the World and to update my first-aid-kit.
Oh, yes, and to get the final vaccination for HepA.... (Cheers to Kjell)

Yesterday, I -again- spent hours on travelfish, loneyplanet and tripadvisor to catch up on the latest topics, advice and for the first time got concerned about some perturbing news on terror warnings in Bangkok. But I will just dismiss this as normal fear of not wandering around on fussily organized and well-structured German grounds! ;-)

One thing, I really prepared is making sure that if I ever lost my innocent, wild but starry-eyed little boy in a 11-million-metropolis or somewhere on the wild countryside, I would have a slight chance to get him back immediately. First of all, I got a metal casing, really small, to wear as a necklace where mine and Jens' phone numbers are noted as well as the number of my friend in Germany for worst case (THANKS Dani !). Secondly, Kjell will always carry with him the current hostel card and I will note my phone number on his arm as well. As he does not speak any English yet, I hope, I made him clear enough that being shy in those moments won't help him much. I suppose, being prepared for the worst will avoid anything serious to happen.
Travel insurances have been taken out as well. Travel documents are copied and also stored as .pdf in my email accounts.
Strange, in former times while traveling as a backpacker, I never cared about such topics but becoming a Mom prompted me to see things differently....

So far, that is about it !
Besides, I am not leaving for the Jungle (not for the main part at least) and will be able to get whatever I need in common stores.

Aaaargh, and still 3 more weeks to go...

One more month to go.... Packing problems ??!!??

Well, here I am, having packed for the 3rd time now and still... I am not happy with the pack of clothes, stuff we will take with us for the first 3 weeks.... ;-(
Initially, Kjell was to carry a small 18 l Deuter Daypack and I got myself a new OCK 55 + 10 l backpack (and a small daypack). After the first packing check, mine was FULL with clothes lasting exactly for a week and Kjell's was half packed with games, tissues and other small things.
I was unsatisfied as the rule always is: NEVER EVER go on a trip with a full backpack.... Ok, what to do?
I got Kjell a new backpack with 30 l space, so now his backpack will be half - filled on departure and serve as "souvenir bag" until we meet Jens after three weeks and can split up our stuff anew. I feel better now. ;-) Relieved that he is already such a strong kid who won't have much trouble carrying a larger backpack for a short period of time. As we don't plan long trekking trips with the main backpacks, we will get along from Tuktuk to Hostel to Train to .... and besides, he will get a rough feeling for what it is like to be actually "backpacking" Asia and not having a Mommy mule around. ;-)

I still have not decided which medicine to take along. Vaccinations are done (normal checks and HepA will do). As we only travel the major cities in Laos, I don't worry much. In addition, I got some syringes, needles, plaster and aspirine (Kjell will pretty soon loose his front teeth and is really suffering tooth aches at the moment) as well as medicine against diarrhea and travel sickness. Anything else to add?

What else to pack besides clothes?
* Technical equipment: plugs for iPad, iPod, Camera and Mobile Phone
* Other helpfull stuff: Swiss Knife, pegs, clothline, plastic bags, tissues, disinfectant spray, ....
* Travel games to kill time
* a scratch pad for Kjell to illustrate his daily experiences
* light cotton sleeping bags
* suntan lotion and mosquito repellent
*.... I should say and so on so on but in fact: That really is about it !

I will continue to pack and repack and in 4 weeks's time, I will be sitting here with the final result !!! ;-)

A year ago, I decided to start off with planning this trip and I cannot believe that time flew by so fast... ;-)

The route is fixed now....

Ok, I have to admit.. it took some time to post again but being Mummy, wife and fulltime employee in a pressureful job can sometimes be extremely exhausting.
'looking forward so much to leaving this life behind for 6 weeks and concentrate on only being a Mom, Wife and relaxed travel mate ! ;-))

The itinerary is fixed !!!!! It took me eves after eves.... hours on Tripadvisor, LonelyPlanet and Travelfish. Agoda became my best friend ! ;-) Great to be able to book, feel save and cancel again... ;-)

2 am in the morning going to bed after having checked on billions of comments on "horrible beaches vs. best place ever": "Honey, it won't be Koh Yao Noi anymore... now it will be Koh Tao. Cool, hum?" "Yes dear, whatsoever.... Koh WHAT?"   ;-)

So, there we go from 5th of Feb to 17th of March ...

 * Bangkok - 2 nights
* Off to Laos by night train
* Vientiane - 3 nights
* Vang Vieng - 4 nights
* Luang Prabang - 4 nights
* Back to Thailand by air to Chiang Mai
* Chiang Mai - 6 nights
* Flight to BKK and landing 30 minutes before hubby sets his foot on Asia for the first time (what a great timing!)
* BKK - 2 nights
* Khao Sok by air to Surat - 4 nights
* Phuket - one night
* Koh Lanta - 5 nights
* Koh Yao Noi - 5 nights
* night train back to BKK - 2 nights

All 12 hotels are booked and half of it paid already to split the costs.

I even booked some tours such as Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai ("Be an Elephant Owner for a day" with a German speaking Mahout and a reservation of a baby Elephant for Kjell) as well as a tour with Green Mango out of BKK to see the Swimming Monkeys that Kjell saw the other day at German Kids TV.

We are already so excited and I am more than ready to just leave....

Next update will be on expenses, vaccinations and packing stuff !!

Turkish Airlines !!!! Yieeehaaa !

Alright then ! The tickets are bought ! We will now head for Bangkok on February, 5th 2012 and be back in Germany on the 17th of March. The tickets were comparibly inexpensive and I am glad that Kerstin took the time to check in her travel agency. Wow, I cannot believe, we are actually doing this.. well, to be honest I CAN believe it. I am so excited and looking forward so much to planning, organizing and re-planning and re-organizing the route.
Know what? I am the most excited about not having to wear any make-up, lipstick, hairspray for 6 long-weeks !!
So much things come into mind.... what about all that technical stuff? In former times when I used to travel with my ex, there have been some few internet cafes but no skype, no Facebook,.... one call during the trips to our parents. We also survived and did not feel tracked.
I suppose, this time it will be all different ! I am planning on taking an Ipad with me. Not only for I-access but also to keep Kjell busy during the trips or whenever it is needed to relax !
Well, I will come to that later in a couple of months. ;-)

My first blog.... ;-) We have arrived !!

Ok, so this is my first try to work with blogs.... kind of like writing in a diary - as I used to do when I was in my teenie years.

What will this be about? Well, I suppose this is for us, for our son.... something to remember later.

A couple of weeks ago I started with the planning of our first bigger trip to Asia.
The moment Kjell stepped into our life, I decided: The year he will start school, I will do a longer vacation trip with him.
And suddenly I realized: Whoops, that is next year already. So, here I am ....
No idea, how this will work and turn out but at least I give it a try !