The Voyage from Start to Finish

Ok, I said I'd share it, so here it is, now that I've booked the final leg of the journey: The Itinerary.

May 24 - end of June: Eastern Europe - Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Greece
End of June - mid-July: Turkey, Egypt
Mid-July - mid-August: Ethiopia, Tanzania (meet up with Christine and Victor!!), South Africa (after which the Broseph goes home)
Mid- end of August: Madagascar, Mauritius (with the mom!)
September: India
October: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam (order and exact destinations TBD)
End of October - mid-November: Singapore, Indonesia
Mid-November - end of December: Australia, New Zealand

I get back to New York at 6pm on Christmas Eve. JFK probably won't be too busy then, right....?

Schmoozie Hughes

Feel free to refer to me as such! Here's the story: On April 11, the BF turned 31. We had a great night out with friends to celebrate, but on his actual birthday, a Sunday, it was totally rubbish weather - windy, rainy and cold. We had really wanted to go and do the Urban Zipline, a marketing stunt set up by the British Columbia tourist board or something. Basically it was a big zipline strung up down by the water on the Embarcadero. People were waiting hours in line to get on this thing (especially as it was free), but when we saw the weather on Sunday we decided not to bother. At around 6, the skies cleared so we thought, what the heck, let's go see if we can do this thing. We got there half an hour before it closed and the people running it said, Nope, no way, you should have been here at 8:30 this morning. I was having NONE of this. I turned it on, big time. I gushed about how it was my BF's birthday, I'm leaving soon, no no, you don't understand, we HAVE to do this, please? Please!...and so on. Aaaand, it worked! Twenty minutes later we were on, last zipliners of the day, and all it cost me was a few faux almost-tears and a biscotti for the guy in charge. It was totally brilliant and a fantastic end to the BF's birthday, even he says so. Hey, that's why they pay me the big bucks to do PR, right?! (Not that I beg and cry and bribe journalists with biscottis to get coverage...usually.)

In other birthday happenings, this past weekend it was my friend Natalie's birthday and she invited us all to go wine tasting at the winery where she's a member. It was fabulous and I totally recommend it, hence talking about it here! (That's what travel blogs are for, right?!) The winery is Ledson in Sonoma. A big castle-y type place with fountains and turrets and whatnot. It was a beautiful day and we had our own personal wine tasting dude (Kelsey) and special menu just for Natalie. Kelsey said weird stuff about how wine was made of crushed Smurfs and described everything as being "B.I.G.", but it was entertaining nonetheless and he did tell us good stories about some celebrities who've been up there. Harry Connick Jr. showed up with his mistress once, apparently. Ooh. La. La.

On the travel front, I have an accumulating "To Do" list that has little crossed off. Timing-wise, I have two more weeks of work and just under three weeks left in San Fran. More importantly, The Gargantuan Cloud of Ash has one month and four days to get the hell outta my way so I can get to my first destination. I'm obsessed with the ash cloud, by the way, and not just because it might throw a wrench in my plans. It just doesn't cease to amaze me that with everything human beings control in the world, we are completely, totally powerless against this thing. There's absolutely nothing anyone can do.

In other news, the vaccination count is up to eight. It now includes rabies, the most expensive one of all. At $600, I almost WANT something to bite me.

Japanese Encephawhatnow?

Fear not friends, thou shalt not catch an exotic disease from me! Last week I was vaccinated to within an inch of my life against all sorts of tropical illnesses, leaving me several hundred dollars poorer and with arms that felt as though they'd been used as punching bags - six shots in about five minutes. The cost does NOT include the prescriptions for malaria and whatnot, and then MORE prescriptions for the side effects you might get from the other prescriptions...I lost track, but I'm Japanese Encephalitis free for now!

I was glad to cross another major thing off the travel to-do list, but, speaking of lists, I'm starting to find myself hung up on the little things ("Quel surprise!", I hear you say) like (sorry gentlemen readers) but, you know, feminine products. I mean, I read that in some African countries these things are reserved for royalty, so I'm thinking I might want a few creature comforts handy! (Unless anyone thinks I could pass as a Duchess of some kind? Countess of Connecticut?)

Getting in a tizzy about Tampax leads to a general panic about the size of backpack I need, upon which a panic about purchasing said backpack ensues, which sets me off about packing in general, and then about whether or not I should have a party dress, which ultimately leaves me fretting about how many eyeliner pencils will last me seven months. (Yes, I'm taking eyeliner - I am committed to maintaining an air of femininity throughout this journey and no-one can stop me!)

I was thrilled to escape all this, though, this weekend when the BF and I went up to Napa for Easter. Aaaaah. Well, Calistoga actually. He (the BF) has some family friends up there who own a vineyard called Canard (http://www.canardvineyard.com/). They (the Czapleski family) live in an old farmhouse right in the middle of the vines. It's just fabulous (see pics below)- hot tub, pool, huge deck and outdoor kitchen for grillin', beautiful views and lots (and lots and lots) of vino! We spent much time at the kitchen table gabbing, drinking reds, whites, bubbles and eating our weight in food, but we did actually get out and do some wine-tasting. We visited Beaulieu Vineyard, my all-time number one winery of which I'm a member, and got the royal treatment (I'm a Countess, right?) with tastes of all sorts of reserve (read: much dollar) wines. We also did a tour of Clos Pegase and the wine caves, as the Czapleski's son works there. Learned a lot, drank more. It'll be a while 'til I'm up there again, but Candi and Rich (and Thor!) have NOT seen the last of me.