Having finally finished work, Giving in those four weeks notice was rather difficult, the real task of packing the household up and selling off the majority of our possessions entered full swing. Really the selling of furniture has been going for a while with the last of the "main" furniture auctions ending the day after completing work. Both my and Ellen's workplaces where wonderful in support and encouragement for our trip, with promises of places when we return (how that could be arranged is a problem for another day).
We now have obtained a much smaller backpack for Ellen to carry, a mere 40L, unfortunately the first pack we did afterwards showed that there is no chance of me carrying Ellen's old backpack, and even with my 70L backpack we will be taking the zip on bag so we can carry some consumables such as food as we travel.
With the pack up in full swing and our furniture disappearing out the door, panic and excitement compete continuously as dominant emotions. Checking, rewriting and rethinking packing lists is one pastime that is becoming more frequent as we try to trim down the amounts of gear we try taking, but the lists end up longer each time rather than shorter. The Internet is getting a workout as we look at what others have done before, but our real gain in bulk is due to our plans to camp in Africa, and possibly continue camping at times till we reach Asia on the second part of our trip. The tent, and the sleeping bag account for nearly a third of the storage space of my larger bag, with the majority of the remainder taken up by shoes. Fortunately two pairs of those shoes will be on our feet at all times.
As we deplete the fridge, and our home, I think our nerves will continue to increase, but I can't wait to start the trip in earnest.
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