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So the flight went well. I didn't feel the full on relief I thought I would once we took off. Just seemed to revert to the old flight mode. But getting in to Brussels felt good. I went to the spiritual center and did some chi gung, was nice. I grabbed some cheese and such and took a little nap.

Getting on the flight to New York was more of the same. But I specifically picked Jet Airways because I, A, love Indian food, and B, because they have a great entertainment set up. I knew I'd be drained after the time and really wanted to just have some good food and relax. :p I love it when a plan comes together!! When they delivered my food and took my first bight was when I finally said, ok, now I feel good.

The plane was only half full and I got to lay across the four middle seats and watch 3 1/2 movies. The attendants were great, they gave me extra food and water and just generally were were too nice. So much so that as we were getting ready to arrive they brought me to the back and gave me a bottle of wine and a couple beers!! Funny that I always make friends like that. And you all poke fun at me because I'm too friendly and talk too much!! Lol!! That's the way the world should be!!

The evening was not quite so nice though. The second meal I ate on the plane didn't sit well with me. And once I got home, it all came right back up. I spent the evening vomiting. Not fun. I still feel pretty much like rubbish here at 3am, but a bit better. Worst little bout of that I've had in a long time. My mother thinks its nerves and my body finally letting go of all its been through. My bro was saying the change of food. Three continents worth of airline food!! Who knows, whatever it was, I'd rather not go through it again!! Lol.

But I'm home, never really hit me much, but I also didn't have the chance to take it all in (as it was all trying to get out!!) but we'll see today. Gonna go watch the Giants game from Sunday...

An Itinerary (of sorts...)

I have been spending a bit of time over the last week looking over the map and thinking of an itinerary for this trip.  Yet, I am a bit more of a free spirit than the concrete planning type.   So might be that I've got more of an "agenda", actually maybe even more of a "list" of places or things worth aiming to see/get done.  I've found that the most is learned, when the least is done...

So my flight is going to drop me off across the bay from Freetown in the evening on October 18th.  I have been communicating with several non-profits in country and one that I have been working with (Child Help) has offered to meet me at the airport and help me get situated.  My itinerary is pretty flexible from there though.  I would like to spend the first couple days in one place so that I can acclimate to the time change/rest up a bit prior to getting down to hiking.  I'm trying to find the cheapest place to stay in all of Freetown, but there is also a decent chance that I'll head straight for Makeni to meet up with Kaps and take a look at the Gamechangers site.  I would be fine really wherever, but will need a good two nights sleep before starting the walk.  The issue with possibly heading to Makeni right away is that I really want see the whole country on foot - vehicles only in emergency!!  This goes along with my desire to do everything as cheaply as possible and as locals would.  Again, to learn without learning...

After the couple of days acclimating (probably in Freetown) I plan to start walking towards Makeni.  Which way is yet to be determined, again I am wholly flexible.  There are some things that I would like to do around Makeni.  From there I would like to head northeast towards Bumbuna and Kabala.  Then Along the road that loops around and goes back south through Falaba and Kamaron along the Guinea border.  I then plan to climb Mount Bintumani and Sankanbiaiwa on my way to Koidu.  A little time in the east, learning a bit about the mining industry... and then head south and back west. 

I have a list of cities and sites/projects worth seeing, but I would hardly call it a plan, more of an idea.  There are also some US Peace Crops volunteers that I will be stopping to see, but everything is subject to change.  I will go wherever the days/weeks take me.  This to me is the best way to come away with a slid and profound understanding of how it is that the country 'works' - economically, socially, culturally, politically, what have you...

 

When to start reading this blog...

So the tickets have been bought!!  I will leave October 17th at 18:35 from Newark, arrive in Brussels at 7:50 in the morning their time on the 18th, then I will leave Brussels at 11:25 and get into Freetown at 18:05 local time after a stopover in Dakar, Senegal (19.5 hours).  Coming back its the same itinerary backwards but into JFK instead of Newark, leaving on January 17th and getting in on the 18th at 12:40 in the afternoon (21.5 hours).  This is a great set up as well.  I had been budgeting $2000 for the flight and the visa, but got this flight for $1497, giddy up!!  Then on top of that, I spent $65 for $1 million worth of travel insurance - for three months in post-conflict West Africa!!!  What!?!?  Talk about a steal, I think the website's marketing strategy was figuring more like people doing one or two week european vacations rather than three months in Africa!!  But even with the insurance I'm at $1562.33.  The visa is $140, thats $1702, $300 under budget.  I can get my backpack now and even still be a bit under budget!!

The big plus for the trip as well is that there won't be any American carriers!!  Now before you start calling names...  no baggage limits and better food!!  I will be flying on Jet Airways, which is Indian, which means CURRY!! A favorite of mine... and then Air Brussels which at least means real food - not chemicals flavored to taste like food like the American carries have!!  :p

And who of course who do I have to blame for this horrible scenario!?!?  Well Mr. C. Gregory Fehrmann, travel agent extraordinaire!!  Of course  after we got past Greg's incessant desire to plan flights around getting to as many airports as humanly possible, we were fine.  He did come up with one from Westchester County, NY, to Washington D.C, to Montreal, to Munich (big plus for him), then Brussels, and then to Freetown with the stop in Dakar.  !?!?  Yeah, I didn't take that one...

But anyway, the dates are set, its time to start moving forward...  :)

Not going to be my seat...