isn't technology supposed to make our lives easier?

Instead, I am afraid that now in addition to a bag for drugs, trail mix and beef jerky, we will need another bag just for electronics.

 

We weren’t going to take a laptop, but yesterday Michael went to St Maarten to buy an Asus Eee PC netbook. It is very cool. Teeny tiny, with 150GB hardrive and 1.6GB ram…a nearly normal keyboard (for something so small) and a very clear screen. So last night I installed Office, configured Outlook for his two email accounts,  and installed Palm desktop software. Today, Blackberry desktop and then I figured out how to transfer photos. The only reason we are taking it to Africa is so that I can post photos on this blog. I was going to have to take pictures with the Blackberry just to be able to email them but now I can transfer images from the camera to the netbook and then transfer them from the netbook to the Blackberry and then attach them to emails and send…viola! Easy Peasy. I tested it and it works.  (Of course then I had to install image expert software so I can resize them first so I’m not trying to email massive, high detail photos to the blog.)

 

Some of you may wonder why I wouldn’t just email them using the now installed Outlook on the netbook….ah, because Blackberry international email service is only $19.99/month from anywhere. Can’t beat that.

 

Anyway, back to the whole electronics-dedicated luggage issue….Consider that we are now packing:

The fancy ass big Nikon camera, the little pocket camera Michael just bought for me (because I have to be able to take pictures of HIM with the gorillas) and the video camera…along with all of their USB and power cords/chargers. Then the Blackberry plus same. AND the ipod and the Bose Headset. And don’t forget my Kindle and its cords. Plus, of course, the voltage/plug converters. Thank heavens I’m not lugging a hairdryer!

 

Sigh. I remember when vacation packing consisted of throwing together a bathing suit, suntan lotion (and precious little of that back then), a small camera (running on regular batteries and we did need to carry  a bunch of those little canisters of actual film) plus a book to read.

 

Oh well, two weeks from right now I will be asleep (hopefully) on a transatlantic flight between JFK and Brussels…cords and all.

 

At least we won't starve

Or contract malaria or suffer from altitude sickness, blisters or the like. So starting to pack up and get ready.

Three weeks and we are in the Land of a Thousand Hills.

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New socks
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

this is a test

I have entered my quota of 10 folks to receive email notification of posts to our blog. Hopefully I have done this correctly and am posting this entry to test the process. (There are previous posts for you to see, but I’ve not “advertised” them.)

 

Now, in five weeks we will have completed our two treks to see the gorillas and will be in the air between Kigali and Johannesburg. But in real time, Michael is in Calgary and stopped in the Patagonia store yesterday to buy some quality trekking socks. The young guy who sold him the socks said they were the ones he wore gorilla trekking in the Congo. (So for all of you who thought we were being daring to go to Rwanda, at least we aren’t going to the Congo! In fact, I’m pretty sure some sort of intervention would have been organized had we even suggested that.) Anyway, this young man told Michael that his one day trekking was the greatest day of his life which seems to be a universal feeling among everyone we have found who has done it. It promises to be an absolutely, completely awesome experience. However, this guy went to hand his camera to a buddy of his and the next thing he knew a gorilla had a hold of his forearm. OMG!

 

 

Well, only FIVE WEEKS now and we'll be on our way. Of course there are always little headaches and challenges that have to be dealt with. Rwanda Airways has changed our flight time to Johannesburg TWICE already. Don't get me wrong...it started at a godawful 2:45AM on Thursday Sept 17th so we weren't entirely unhappy when they moved it up to 7PM on the 16th even though we had to happen upon the information ourselves. This time, though, they sent us an email. The flight is now (don't believe their website which still ists it at 7PM) at NOON on the 16th.

Luckily, our gorilla trekking days are Monday and Tuesday the 14th and 15th so we are still OK. We just had to (1) beg and plead via email, fax and phone calls for updated e-tickets (that error on the website still weighing on our minds), (2) cancel one night hotel in the mountains, (3) make a reservation for the night of the 15th in Kigali, (4) make a reservation for the night of the 16th in JNB.

On the upside, rather than arriving in JNB at 6AM after a 2AM departure from Kigali having been awake and traveling for 24 hours....we will arrive in JNB rested and be able to sleep in a bed and start the next day (driving with our friends, Jon and Melody, to their place 3 hours outside of JNB) rested and CLEAN. There is much to be said for CLEAN when four adults cram into a little Volkswagon.

Looking forward.