Preparations are proceeding
November 16, 2011 in Travel preparations
Whilst the date of departure is drawing closer – we are currently planning to leave April 1, 2012 –, our travel preparations are slowly but steadily progressing. This is a short update on what has happened during the last weeks of preparation.
Vaccinations
Once more, we have discussed and pondered about vaccinations and health issues in general. We both still need a few vaccinations before we leave – but we should manage to sort them out until then. More information on this page.
Luggage
Heike has finally found an almost perfect luggage system for her F650GS – and at the same time we can proudly announce that we have found our first sponsor!
Thank you very much to Roger from RMS-Rennsporttechnik for building such great and strong luggage systems (a detailed report is following once we have mounted it), and for giving us a small discount!
Get rid of glasses
Heike has a big project lying ahead this week: an eye surgery to correct her vision. Being myopic since her childhood, Heike has been thinking about this step for quite some time. Our travel plans have now pushed towards this decision – riding a motorcycle with glasses is simply not practicable in many situations, and wearing contact lenses every day is too expensive and not comfortable as well. Report to come!
Website – Facebook – Twitter – and new: Google+
Our website is also developing. We have added new content and improved some things… however, there is still a lot to optimize. The statistics show that we have quite a number of visitors on our website, and our fan community on Facebook (36 likes) and Twitter is growing (308 followers). And since last week we also have a Google+ page and already 17 people following us.
Quit job
A big step is quitting the job. Heike has talked to her employer this week, and told them that she will leave by the end of February. This step is also a kind of relieve. The departure is drawing closer and is sharpening, which is exciting and scaring at the same time.
Contracts, subscriptions, etc.
We have started to quit contracts, to cancel subscriptions, etc. This is important in order to stay within certain deadlines. But the to-do list remains long, and there still is a lot on it.
A throwback…
Unfortunately there was also a throwback in our plans. We didn’t manage to sell Hugo for a reasonable price. Hugo is Filippo’s beloved old travel truck, which we simply cannot keep. It would only cost money, and he won’t become better by just standing around.
We will try again. So, if anybody out there is interested in the truck, please let us know. We will soon advertise him on ebay once more, and post it then.
Get rid of glasses? That was a thought I had as well. My optician (who also wears glasses) told me I would end up on drops (several times a day) for the rest of my life – I decided against it (as did he and his wife – also an optician). Be very sure before you do it as even Ewan McGregor was noted clutching his little bottle after he had the surgery as well………………
Thanks Bernard – of course there are some risks. But I have talked to a lot of people that have already done the surgery – and none of them had problems afterwards… I hope I will also be amongst them. I will keep you updated!
Cheers, Heike
Good luck with the eye surgery. I have many friends and colleagues who have had corrective surgery, and the results have only ever been good. Glasses can be a real pain and to get rid of them would be fantastic. I have to wear glasses for reading, but luckily for now, i don’t have to wear them on the bike, although reading the smaller text on the GPS is sometimes difficult. Best wishes for the big ‘eye surgery’ day, we’ll be thinking of you, and hope your recovery time is swift. Bionic eyes eh, brilliant!!