Six days till departure and 10 till we hit the Antarctic...OMG it really is real

Well, finished work this arvo for approx 6 weeks, that is a pretty amazing feeling.

The last few months have been hectic one way or another. One of the major stresses has been getting everything organised for the trip away. Now with 6 days to go till we leave home, I have only one stress left. I need to reduce the weight of the baggage. I have been throwing things in since the end of winter and am now procrastinating about opening the bag, unpacking everything and being EXTREMELY BRUTAL about what goes back in and what doesn't.

I am heartened (slightly) by the fact that Mary reckons she has packed (using my list) and her bags come in at 15kgs...which leaves room for purchases etc.  So I must be doing something wrong.

In the last little while, we have been waiting and recieving back my passport including Brazil Visa. the photo looks like a mug shot, but who cares, I have the passport back in my hot little hands.

Finally a week or so ago we recieved the ship tickets, baggage tags etc and vouchers for much of our accommodation, things were starting to seem very real.

Here's the package from Aurora. The company who we are doing the Antarctic with.

I have arranged credit cards, travel cards, US cash, booster shots for hep b etc, arranging for an overseas SIM card. All the while finalising the Christmas lists and shopping and wrapping.  Now it's all pretty much done...except for that dreaded travel bag...

Here is what it looks like currently...

Hopefully by this time tomorrow, it will be all sorted.


Have  Christmas coming next week of course, with a Moe Christmas with the Baths, Caldows, Davis's and Zajacs on Sunday and Christmas day with the family at Aunty Sue's in Melbourne.

Then it will be out of here before we know it.