Packing

With two weeks to go, I'm all packed and ready to go, organising everything I needed which either looks like alot or not much depending on how you view it. Thankfully most things are very compact, in fact there are quite a lot of clothes super compressed into that blue bag on the right. The mountain gear in the upper half will  be finding its own way to Nepal for where its needed, leaving my backpack with room to spare...

All Packed! 

Zipped up and insanely secured. 

In other news Bangkok is beginning to dry out, transport is returning to normal and the clean up operation has begun. A great relief.  

So It Begins

It ended with the drop of a pen, a whole year building to this moment that did not seem quite real nor really felt like the monumental achievement it was. 12 months that seemed like an eternity and yet passed so quickly, 13 years of schooling now over. For most of my cohort, this day had already passed. Design and Technology was the very last exam of the HSC on friday afternoon. It ended at 2:13. The exam period was long, stretching over four weeks. I can't pretend it wasn't a hard time, an extra week and I think I would have imploded, but it wasn't the mind bending, gut wrenching painful ordeal I once envisioned it to be. It was just long and exhausting.

So what was my first post HSC act? Straight onto my gap year planing of course. Within an hour and a half I was being pumped full of vaccinations and discussing which Malaria medication to take with me. Once that was out of the way it was onto Luna Park to celebrate with friends. And now here I am on the first day of freedom at a loss as to what I should do or how I should feel, with 27 days until departure. There Is much that needs to be done before that date, to pack and ensure everything is in order before I depart.

I intend this blog to be an important communication tool for the next year, to write home to friends and family of my adventures and to express my thoughts and opinions on the places I visit. I will keep you all posted as the journey unfolds.

One Month To Go

One month until I depart. Bangkok is still flooded, the exams still are not over (two more to go) but the date of departure grows ever closer.

Bangkok Sinking

With impeccable timing, Thailands worst floods in 50years are casting a rain shadow over my plans. With my planned arrival in Bangkok just over a month away, it seems the flood waters are not subsiding, and may cause problems for my journey. Whilst the flood levies are still pushing back the water from Bangkok's CBD it is unclear if they will hold out as water continues to pour from the north. The situation one month from now is unpredictable. It's likely that even if the waters do subside, transport services may continue to be limited due to damage to infrastructure. An even greater worry is a potential for an increase in the incidence of waterborne disease, as is common after flooding. The very worst case scenario is for the international airport to become inundated, then ill really be screwed although I think thats unlikely. Whatever the situation when I arrive, I think it might be best to hop over to Cambodia and do my trip in reverse, leaving the waterlogged Thailand to dry out a bit in the interim. For now I will be watching the news closely, and to hoping that Bangkok will remain dry as the water dissipates over the next month.