One foot out the door

Hello all--

Much has happened in the intervening weeks since my last post--I apologize for my tardiness.

Here's what I have accomplished thus far:

1. I've changed my travel destination
2. Purchased plane tickets
3. Purchased travel insurance
4. Finished all my inoculations

Whew! I still have to get rid of all my personal effects and sell my bike and boat--but here's hoping: someone is taking a look at The Yellow Dart (the Catalina 22) this morning. Sweet.

So. As far as where I am starting off on this quest, I've picked Costa Rica.

A week last month was spent surfing, and that was pretty spiritual. For those of you who surf, nothing more needs to be said. For the uninitiated, go surfing and check it out... And here's a tip: bring some gummy worms. After all that time sucking the salty bosom of mother ocean, those small, rubbery-textured confections tasted like ambrosia.

Like any drug addict I am now chasing that first high, and from what Ive heard there's juice in the water down there. I'll be arriving in San Jose on the 29th of October. From there, I will be flying to Peru on the 7th of January... so there will be much Costa Rica-ing going on until then.

For plane tickets, I went to lowes travel and got an amazing deal. My ticket from LAX to San Jose and from San Jose to Lima, Peru cost $520. Smokin' deal I know. The trick was calling the website., 1-800-638-7952, and talking to Max. If you are reading, thanks Max, your Hillshire Farms cheese and sausage basket is on its way. Go Meat!

For travel insurance I purchased a 6 month policy from world nomads for $240. They come highly recommended by Lonely Planet, and you know... I'm covered. Repatriation of my mortal remains is a comforting thought. I suppose.

Lastly, I finished up all my shots at the travel clinic on NW 23rd and Flanders. That was a process! I believe I spent almost $1500 on vaccines (good lord!), but I now have a decent chance at preventing my day from being ruined by yellow fever, typhoid, hep a & b, tetanus, and rabies. For my next trick I will be eating off of the floor in India. h'ok!

Ah yes! Soon my digital camera will arrive in the mail as well. It is a Canon Powershot A720IS. So soon I will have more pictures up, and videos too. Speaking of videos, you gotta check out this one by Make: Magazine -- DIY space!



Cheers!
~dave-san