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July 2000:
The last month! Only 3 weeks to go now, almost all gear is
complete and ready to be packed. Started preparing things at the house, and focusing on the last bits of paperwork, like getting a Visa for the UAE. It feels like we've come a long way, but still not there. We hoped
things got less hectic during this month, but the opposite is so incredibly true. The list of things to do still grows :-) Anyway, august is almost within reach! We need a vacation now :-)
June 2000:
A big milestone has passed in our preparation struggle :-). The
120 liter diesel tank and heavy duty leaf springs are finally installed. A real close fitting, specially in combination with the air suspension. See the provision section for details.
Further this month we'll prepare employers on 6 month absence. No more new work, finishing things as promised. But still it looks like an incredible pile of work still to be done.
The test-drive during the Whit
sun weekend produces good feedback, the car behaves well, fuel consumption is as expected (7 Km per liter) and we got a few good idea's about packing our stuff.
May 2000:
Logistics !! Traction pads from Amsterdam, Bulbar in Rotterdam,
Hi-Lift Jack in France, a small stair in Almelo, Cycloon filter from Eindhoven, roof rack in Schijndel. Our legal situation while abroad is finally pieced together, lot's of calls to different insurance companies
were necessary to get this done.
Experiments with GPS and PC laptop are promising, position identification and tracking go pretty well. The only problem so far is finding reasonable detailed maps with grid of
the Middle-East.
The situation in Yemen and Iran is settling again, hope it stays that way.
April 2000:
Pieces of the preparation jigg-saw puzzle are slowly getting
together. It felt like ages to get things going and start making decisions about what to get, when and where. The 4WD & overland safari equipment market in the Netherlands is relatively small, many shops are
selling bits and pieces. Next to this the 4WD equipment branch is dominated by loud advertisements of trendy fake stuff, only made for fun2show, not for real use.
March 2000:
The situation in Yemen causes some concern, we're considering our
options to get through Yemen. The region close to the Oman border (Al-Mahra governorate) and the Saudi Arabia border (Hajja & Sa'da governorates) seem unstable for private safari tours.
And well, only 5
months to go and still a incredible heap of preparing to do. Getting things done next to a full-time job is not particularly easy.
February 2000:
What is planning for such a trip like? First thing coming to mind
is a LOT of work to get things prepared. Next a great deal of reading. But most of all thinking about questions like: what will it be like? 6 months off, 6 months no work ? How will I cope with being away from home
for 6 months? Will I want to get back home after all ?
In general the experience is quite refreshing since it makes us think about which things really matter to us right now, on the road and beyond.
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