The start

This week (off) will be a sort of challenge, full of scheduled appointments (multiple doctors, accountant, etc.) and a to-do list which begins the preliminary Australia prep. I got a starter list of things I will be needing (goretex coat and pants, scuba booties, one-person tent (camping, yay!)) and things I will want (waterproof camera, or a decent waterproof case for one I have, snorkel, fins and a good mask)...optimistically setting a budget at $100. This means much haunting of eBay, especially looking for military surplus. The US stuff is all camo, which I don't care for, but I have my eye on a nice RAF jacket with zip-out liner...the seller has a ton of them and they are always up, I just have to not be outbid. Pants are harder, but there are plenty of lightweight ski/snowboard pants. I imagine a lot of daily wear clothes will be left there...my PhD candidate says shark slime doesn't really come out, and I don't want to look like an extra from a horror movie.

Been looking at maps, too. Not the area, but more global maps with time zones. I know I cross the dateline and gain an entire day going west, and get it back coming east. I won't worry about it overly much, just change my watch when told to. Might be good to get a water resistant watch too...already have my optometrist appointment for updated glasses and contacts (but will bring any leftovers of the old set just in case).

Another nice, incidental thing to know - I did get an email from the team there, so there is some (limited I would guess) computer access. Not sure how much I will be able to post or blog but I plan to journal just about everything...sort of a written version of a Japanese camera tourist. Then, if all else fails, I can post somewhere a daily journal once I get back, annotated with pictures. A lofty goal.