Getting Ready to Go to Ethiopia Jan.10-26,2014

I signed up for this tour of Ethiopia (Blue Nile & Lalibela) with Explore blindly, because my Aussie friend was going.  https://www.explore.co.uk/holidays/ethiopia-historic-tour

I have the guide books, culture and history books, and maps ready to read and get up to speed.  They remain on the coffee table untouched, in stark rebuke when I do my morning stretches on the rug in the living room.

No matter, I am a fast reader and it's a 22-hour flight from Vancouver via Istanbul to Addis Ababa.  

Logistics -- Medical, Flights

I've travelled a lot, but this trip will be very different --- both hot and cold weather (mountains), more complex than usual visa and money requirements.  

Yellow fever shot required.  Many others recommended but I don't bother.   Expensive.   I go to the Travel Clinic --- they have all my records.  travelclinic.vch.ca/‎

I have retirement medical benefits which cover me for everything up to 60 days.  That saves me a lot of money getting medical insurance for all my travel.

I flew Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, the cheapest and the shortest.  I considered a stop in Istanbul on the way back, but adding on to each trip is expensive, and it's another airport hassle (get luggage, get transport to hotel, transport back to airport, security, check-in, etc.).   The other option is UAE airlines via Dubai, but it takes longer and I didn't care to add a stopover.

The Tour Company

Many changes to the itinerary and much confusion with Explore staff contradicting themselves over and over, only to issue a "final" clarifying communique (different again for my friend and for me), which contradicts itself within the message, and then is immediately changed again.  Don't get me started on the Tour Notes.  Oh well, we are there two nights in advance so we an sort everything out I am sure.   I always have a good time, and my friend is also a very resilient traveller.

Why Africa and Ethiopia

It will be only my second Africa trip.  The first one to Egypt was years ago (coincidentally with Explore and that time half the group was stranded in Zagreb when our onward flight was cancelled and the next one was a week later).  I guess I am working my way down the continent.  I am not as curious about Africa as many people I know, who call Africa "their continent", but I am hoping that it will catch me.  I went to India for educational reasons --- I thought I "should" see what other people live like  (not expecting to like it) and fell in love with it, so you never know.   

Anyway, I want to "know" Africa, make it my own, recognize places on the news, visualize places mentioned in books or conversations, know the food and the people, pick up some Swahili.  I do work hard to make each trip personal and not the normal tourist track.

This tour takes place during the Timkat Festival, which is very special time to go I understand.  It is a very ancient Christian country and I believe this is Epiphany.  Although I went to church all through childhood, somehow the meaning of Epiphany did not stick.  Another learning experience to come.  I wonder if there are Mennonites there.  Where there is famine, refugees, or disaster, the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) is there, first on the ground.  I don't expect to encounter any Mennonites however as the refugee camps are usually not near the tourist attractions.

Packing

Packing is always as easy or as stressful as I make it.  I am going to try to go with the small Briggs and Riley Transcend 20" wide body (not my usual Briggs 26" upright), even though I will check it through.  We take a lot of internal flights so it might be easier.  But, there are no restrictions other than being able to carry your own luggage.  I have seriously considered Briggs & Riley BRX or a Thule rolling duffle but as always, the small is too small, the medium too big.   The BRX has very cute matching day knapsacks but I hate knapsacks (another post on this).

Travelling with carry-on only requires some serious changes.  I usually take a lot of reading material for example.  I have a Kindle now so that's a big step.  Toiletry bottles and tubes are usually too big for carry-on.  I prefer not to have to decant toiletries into 100 ml. containers --- it's never enough or it's too much and it's wasted.   Plus you have to pull the case around the airport with you.

I take only Keen walking shoes and Keen sandals (to the horror of my fashionista hair stylist).   I can walk forever in these so there's no matter what they look like or what I am wearing, the shoes are the shoes.  I can reduce clothing and just wash underwear and tops often.  I am inspired by Save Spend Splurge (she wears only Birkenstocks and travels with only carry-on) to try.

The Budget

The cost estimate and actual for this trip is as follows: (I must learn how to make tables):

Tour - land costs   $3,000. (there's a premium because of the higher costs during Timkat)

Flight  $1,556. (Turkish airline came out the cheapest, with best times, and shortest travel time). 

Yellow Fever Vaccine $170.00

Visa (on arrival) $20 US

Medical Insurance $00 (I have coverage under my retirement benefits)

In country, food, tip for guide, kitty Est. $1,000. Actual $583 ($400 food, etc. $50 tip kitty, $80 guide tip)

Hotels Est. $100. US (my half of hotels for first two nights) Actual $105 US + $22 for WIFI = $151.
Total Est. $5,906. Actual $5,560.
.

Blogging Anxiety and Road Laundry Tips

I get my ideas for posts from reading other blogs.  My reaction is --- oh that's a great idea, but I have some better or alternative ideas.  

I am surmising that the really great bloggers have drafts of posts and a list of ideas and a detailed schedule for publishing them.  I am a helter skelter blogger.   I see something on a blog, which gives me the topic, and then I draft mine, edit it, and save it.  For some of my blogs I publish straight away, after polishing.  For others I save them and dither about publishing on this topic at all.   

Most of all, the amazing bloggers out there really intimidate me --- I'm embarrassed to publish my ideas and afraid I can't keep up the responses to comments and comments on other blogs.   Right now, my dilemma is the order of things.   Laundry tips --- really?  I should be publishing travelogues or tips on getting cheap flights.   I really should take more pictures.

But I am not.  So here goes, dunny's laundry tips inspired by Travelista.  

I pack enough underwear, socks, and tops to last 3 to 14 days.  Depending on the type of trip, and how I am travelling, I pack more or fewer clothing items.  If I am travelling by car or just need to transport my case on arrival and departure, or staying with friends, I pack more clothes and take a bigger suitcase.  It will depend on how far I and how often I have to  lug that suitcase.  Twice (airport to hotel/friend's house, and back again) in total, or twice a day (into hotel from car, back out to car), or pulling/lugging on/off trains, down gravel/cobble stones, up/down many steps.

I do laundry in my hotel bathroom every time I am in one place for more than one night. If I am staying with friends or in places with laundromats (e.g. on my friend's boat in a marina), I do a big machine laundry then.  Sending clothes to laundry service is chancy because it usually takes at least 24 hours.  Things seem to come back dirtier or a different colour (machines and soap in other countries are tough on clothes).  

In order to keep the laundry routine manageable and consider my roommate, I do some laundry every night.  If I am sharing with a roommate, I try to be considerate and ask if she will be needing the sink or shower if I am hanging in there, and also not take over the room with my laundry drying.

First, packing:
1. I pack dark colours, lightweight fabrics, and fast dry fabrics. 
2. The easiest fabrics to wash are first, linen and second, cotton. Thick materials can't be washed on the road, unless you happen to find a dryer on the premises.  In other countries dryers are not common. The standard is hanging up in fresh air.
3. I pack a laundry kit in a ziploc bag.  The pack includes a sink plug (the flat type), plastic clips with hanger hooks, and soap.   The sink plugs are available in travel stores and dollar stores.  The clips with hooks are available in dollar stores and are hard to find.  I've scour the stores for them, and never lend them to anybody. 
4. The best soap was Biosuds but it is not available any more.  It soaks out any dirt out of any fabric in 10 minutes.  You can take packets or soap powder or a ziploc of detergent from home, depending on how long you are away.  Remember, no liquids over 100 ml on the plane carry-on.  One of the many many reasons why I usually check a bag.  You can also use the hotel soap bar or pack a small bar.
5. Wringing out.  The best way to wring out the clothes is to roll them in a towel and squeeze very hard.   However, in many hotels you only get one towel and using it for laundry means you will not have a dry towel for your shower.   Sometimes, I lurk in the hotel hall way and grab extra towels off the cleaner's cart.  Travelista has a fabulous idea --- pack a travel towel to use to roll clothes in. These towels dry really fast.   I have not tried this, but I will now.
6. For hanging up, I use the clips with hooks and pack one or two plastic hangers.  I find there is seldom a place to attach a wash line.  The suction cups do not stick with the weight of wet clothes.  I use the clips to hang underwear and socks on any thing -- drawer knobs, door knobs, back of a chair, pretty much anywhere.  The hangers are good for blouses or you can just use two of the clips and hang shirts and blouses from the back of a chair or wardrobe door.

What are your blogging anxieties?  Do you plan your posts months in advance?  Do you alternate types of topics, e.g. financial topic, followed by a lighter topic?