Off and away

July 1st 2011

We are on our way now.  It is hard to believe after the many months of planning and packing that we are going.  Currently we are on a five-hour flight to Seattle, WA and after a lay-over will be heading to Beijing.  We arrive late in the night at about 11pm if we remain on schedule.  Hopefully and as promised there will be someone from the hostel to pick us up from the airport. 

We are spending a few days in Beijing in part so I (and Allyson) can get acclimated before heading off to Mongolia.  We plan on touring the city’s essentials quickly, including the required side journey to the Great Wall (I hear it’s kind of a big deal).  So expect some pictures and video of the Forbidden Palace, Tiananmen Square and of me looking overwhelmed.

Last night we were able to meet up with some Atlantans before we left.  We had some burgers, craft beer (and a PBR for me) and a lot of laughs with some friends.  To all those people who could not come, we want to say we will miss you and sorry we didn’t connect.  Please stay in touch with one of many of the new technological marvels of our time.  I’ll quote myself from last night: (regarding the internet) “there is just so much information out there.”  That insightful message brought to you by Milwaukee's Pride: Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Tags: China,friends,beer,Tiananmen Square,Forbidden Palace

We had to check our main backpacks so here is to hoping they make it with us.  Allyson devised an ingenious packing system.  How does one pack for three months with backpacks?  Here is a little video of the packing system:

Test your engines

Hey everyone, Pearce here.  Up to this point I have had little to do with the blog and it has been the genius and determination of my wife.  As I get the last items packed and the last minute plans arranged I have to realize that this is happening.  I have been so busy for so long I have not had the time to process all that this trip will mean.  We are leaving for the far East for three months.  My wife is not only the experienced traveller but also the experienced international resident because of her two-year stint in Mongolia.  She lived in the “jenkin” way, getting water from the river and burning a coal fire in her tent most nights.  She is as hardcore as intimidated as I can be.  So you should get two different takes on how things are proceeding.

I wanted to use this post as a test of some of the new toys we got for the trip (HD camcorder, digital camera, and netbook).  And I am frantically going through my checklist so this is going to be short.

The above picture is from my graduation ceremony to commemorate my successful completion of neurology residency at Emory.  I am giving a toast to all my classmates who graduated with me and who suffered with me.  It was an emotional and surprising night.  I snuck in a bottle of 12-year-old Macallan Scotch Whiskey and shared it with my dad.

How Allyson feels about impromptu filming.

Our first video post… successful?
Back to packing!
Pearce

The countdown begins, or should I say continues?...

In case you were wondering...7 days until the big trip!

In addition to tackling our last minute preparations, we will also be celebrating a HUGE milestone this weekend-- Pearce's graduation from Neurology residency! We have family dinner tonight and then tomorrow will enjoy an Emory graduation dinner and Roast of the graduates by the rest of the department. Needless to say, it will be a fun(ny) time and the perfect opportunity to test out our new still/video cameras and then figure out how to upload them on to our new netbook! Stay tuned for the results....

A&P

New and Improved Blog Tracking

Greetings!

I have finally figured out how to give you the option of following us via e-mail. Take a look at the top right column of our blog and you will see "Subscribe via Email". Click on the link below, fill in the information and you should be set to go! Or at least that is the plan!

Pearce and I have been busy above and beyond trip planning. We just had a great week of friends and family visiting and now are taking off to celebrate Pearce's 30th birthday in Florida where we will be doing a triathlon with my mom! Perfect opportunity to use some of our travel gadgets that have come in! We'll post pictures!

Don't forget to sign up for the email!

A&P

Less than a month to go!

Hello everybody!

This week has been a great one for trip planning! As is stands Pearce and I have secured almost all of our travel items for our big trip. It has been really fun to scour the internet for tips from other travelers who have backpacking down to an art, or is it science? We were able to find great resources/ideas on Amazon's Listmania, Tripadvisor, Travelfish, and traveler's blogs. Based on their advice, here are some of the gadgets/accessories we have on our packing list:

• Telescoping stainless steel chopsticks with case - Good for those communal eating experiences
• Rick Steve's  Braided Clothes Line - You don't need clothes pins bc you can tuck your clothes right in   the braiding
• Ex-Offcio travel boxer briefs -  No sweating = no chafing!
• Buffs- I know it is a glorified gator, but I really like this thing. Not only do they have UV protection in order to protect Pearce's neck, but it will be critical to control my crazy hair!
• Keens - I debated back and forth about what shoes to bring and we landed on Keens and so far on our test walks (up to 4 1/2 miles) and one 3 mile hike, we have not been disappointed. They are actually more comfortable than my running shoes! The one drawback that they are prone to getting little pebbles in them when you are going down hill on a trail. I think this might be fixed if we were our socks while hiking.
• Cool Wrap Neckties - All you have to do is let it soak in water for 30 minutes and it activates cooling crystals for 2 hours. I was able to test it out when our air went out this past week and it worked great!
• Memory Cards - A small, and lightweight way to save our travel pictures and video and since we got them pre-used, they were cheap cheap!
• Monster 4 Outlet Travel Strip - Small, light and a great way to charge all of our electronics at once!
• Paracord bracelt - This one is more for fun- but who knows maybe I will need to rescue Pearce from a ravine!
• Netbook*- We are leaning heavily towards bringing a netbook now. In our research, travelers overwhelming say that they would not travel without one in SE Asia because of all the benefits. First, it actually helps you maximize your time in each country because you can pre-write your emails/blog entries when you have forced downtime on trains, planes, etc. Second, as many cafes, restaurants, hostels, and even internet cafes now provide free internet access, you save money! Third, it will allow us extra perks like using Skype to talk with friends and family, watching movies when trapped in bus stations, quick researching of local restaurants, activities, etc., and safe on-line banking. In order to minimize the risk of any sensitive data or our pictures being lost, we will make sure to backup it up onto a portable hard drive we will bring.

Let us know what your favorite travel items are!

A & P