BubblesandBugs.com - Travel and Scuba

Pack it Up! Pack it In!

Ok -

First off…Want to thank some people for their recent donations! So…thanks to Denise Atkins, Steve and Mary Wesa, and Ree Sherriffe. We really appreciate your support…The cash will come in handy!

We are leaving tomorrow morning at 5:45 am. Wanted to provide some input on the last minute errands and also a packing list.

Cindi’s Packing List - damn that’s a lot of sh*t

All in a Vaude pack…

Ahnu Red Mary Jane Tennis Shoes
Mary Jane Crocs
Chaco Sandals
Rainbow FlipFlops
9 pair underwear
2 bras
3 pair socks
2 bathing suits
1 Patagonia Skirt
3 pair Shorts (Northface and Columbia)
1 long sleeve shirt (Columbia)
3 tank tops
5 Tshirts
2 pair jogging shorts
1 pair yoga pants
make up and hair product…and yes even a travel blowdrier
First Aid Kit -lots of assorted bandaids, malaria meds, over the counter meds, bug repellant
Zune
2 books
1 journal
Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoestring
Lonely Planet Latin America Phrasebook
Thermarest Travel Pillow
Cocoon Silk Sleep Sack
REI Travel Towel
Black Diamond LED Headlamp
SwissArmy pocket knife
Mask, Fins, Snorkel
Rain Poncho
4 GB thumbdrive

Jason’s Packing List

All in an Arc’Teryx Bora 80…

10 Tshirts
4 pair shorts
3 swim trunks
2 UnderArmour Rash Gaurds (size fat)
9 pair underwear (Exofficio Hanes)
9 pair socks
Nike running shoes
Rainbow sandals
Chaco sandals
Patagonia Rain Jacket
Plastic Mess Kit - sporks, and bowls
Spyderco Knife
Mask, Fins, Snorkel
Cocoon Sleep Sack
Tempurpedic Travel Pillow
2 travel towels
Assorted Bathroom and Hygene Crap
Bag of Jolly Ranchers
nuts and snacks from Mom - love ya!
Assorted chargers and Adapters
Pacsafe Mesh security net
copies of travel docs like passports etc
Iron Key - this thing is awesome - I will write a post about it soon.
2.5 USB 40 GB harddrive
4 GB thumbdrive

Camera Gear

All packed in a Crumpler Shrinkler (or Whickey and Cox) bag…

Canon 40d
Canon 28-135 IS (kit lens)
Canon 70-200L IS 2.8
Canon Powershot SD950
Canon WP-DC19 Underwater housing for the SD950
2 4GB CF cards
16 GB SD card
2 GB SD card

Errands we ran

bought travel insurance through World Nomads and Divers Alert Network (DAN)
insured camera gear
changed all addresses to parents
scanned and uploaded travel docs (passports etc)
notified bank and credit card companies of our leaving the country
activated iron key
cancelled cell phones
cancelled gym memberships - we never went anyways
bought a bunch of crap (cindi’s words)

We probably forgot some stuff…but my mom is cooking Spagetti and Hawaiian Wedding cake.  

Next time you hear from us…we will be in Utila.

Later Jason

T-minus 5 days!!!

I finally arrived in Platte City, Missouri after a 21 hour drive.  Yes, that’s right.  What should have taken 15 hours took 21!!!  But I arrived right after 3 AM and Jason’s mom let me in and I went straight to bed and slept for 12 hours. 

Now we are down to crunch time. 

We have a list about a mile long of things to get done between now and Sunday - and Jason also wants to fit in a day at “Oceans of Fun” to work on our tans.  As you can see, we have our priorities straight. 

We are turning off our cell phones Saturday - so after that, it’s only email.  Our cell phones don’t work at Jason’s parents house and they only have dial up - so if you are trying to contact us, sorry for the delay! 

I wanted to give a “Holler!” to my friends in Charlotte.  They are all amazing and gave me a great send off.  Ashley was kind enough to let me stay with she and Jeff for 10 nights, I stayed with Tracie for 2 nights, Amy got me a car cell phone charger so I could chat with everyone as I drove across the country, Jenn arranged a lunch for 15 of my closest work friends and then showed up around 3 PM with 2 coolers of beer and tons of snacks!  Ashley, Jessi and I managed to go see ‘Sex and the City’  and then Amy joined us at Zapata’s for dinner.  Aden got me $25 for my Zune to keep me updated on the latest and greatest tunes, Amy got me some calling cards for Latin America, and Ashley got me a fabulous journal to organize my thoughts in (much unlike this rambling post).  Anyway, THANK YOU!  I am lucky to have such amazing friends in Charlotte and Fort Mill (love the GNO crew!  We’ll always have myspace!) - and I look forward to seeing you all again. 

Now it’s time for us to get back to work!!!

Thanks again…

…for an amazing send off - Randy and Jill!!

After Randy’s famous burgers, opdycke beers, a few mojitos, Pete’s homemade moonshine, and 17 hours in a U-haul truck, I have finally recovered and reconnected to the world.  All of our belongings are now safe in Platte City, Missouri stored in Grandma’s basement as we are drawing closer to our leave date.

To all my friends in Charlotte, I will miss you enormously and hope to be back soon.  The last 6 years have been amazing. 

Here are some pictures from the party:
 

I just had to add this one shot of Charlotte.  Cindi and I took this during our last month in town.  I will surely miss the queen city. 

I am now off to scuba dive at the Boy Scouts Sea Base high adventure camp.  This will be my 3rd time visiting and I love the waters of Islamorada, Florida.  I will be going with my brother Ben, and will also hopefully get to see my brother Sawyer as he is working on an 80 foot schooner all summer at SeaBase.

Later-jason

Would You?

While I put together a post on the how’s and why’s of this trip - I wanted to post this video I came across today.  It’s inspiring.

Brought to you by Erik Trinidad @ http://www.theglobaltrip.com/

Very Rough Itinerary

So we’ve got this website set up, got most of our gear (which we’ll list on a future post), got our shots (well, I’m getting mine Tuesday) - but we’ve left out one not so minor detail……..where are we going?

*  June 8 - July 31:  Utila, Honduras
I spent 3 weeks on Utila back in 2003 and fell in love with this island, it’s attitude, and most importantly - scuba diving!  Jason and I will begin our PADI Divemaster training on June 11th and finish our IDC on July 24th.  Then we’ll spend another week or 2 there to enjoy diving on the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world, eating Baleadas and drinking some Salva Vida - and hopefully I can brush up on my Spanish speaking skills!

*  August 1 - 30:  Costa Rica (and Panama?)
Another place I visited in 2003, but have been dying to return and take Jason to.  While we’re there, we’ll visit the beaches, rainforests, cloudforest, do a canopy tour, white water raft, hike the Volcano Arenal, sit in the natural hot springs, visit national parks (Manuel Antonio and Corcovado) and hopefully have some time to head down to Panama.   

 *  August 31 - September 20:  Home
We’re taking a couple weeks to go home to regroup and get a couple VISA’s in order.  We’ll mostly be spending time with Jason’s family - however, I will be going to Salt Lake for a week or so to see my family too.

*  September 21 - October 11:  India
This time Jason will be showing me the ropes as he was fortunate to be sent there for work in 2003 (although, sorry babe, I am NOT swimming in the Ganges like your dumbass!).  I’ve always dreamed of seeing the Taj Mahal, so we’ll definitely be visiting Agra, Delhi, Japur, and surrounding areas, then heading south to the beaches of Goa.  I’d like to avoid big cities as much as possible, but we’ll probably stop in Bangalore and Mumbai, just to check them out as well.

 *  October 12 - 18:  Nepal
Our main goal here is to see the Himalayas and perhaps visit the base camp at Mount Everest.  

*  October 19 - November 15:  China
Here is a country I have mixed emotions about visiting.  The current situation with China and Tibet breaks my heart - and I really had no interest in going here.  However, Jason insisted and after reading more about China and the history - I am really looking forward to it.  We’ll be flying into Beijing and visiting the Great Wall, Xi’an, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.  Again - I’m pretty anti-big city, so if anyone has suggestions on what to see between Beijing and Macau - we are definitely open!  We’d love to go to Tibet, but unfortunetly, I don’t see that happening. 

*  November 16 - December 13:  Thailand
This is going to be one of the highlights of our trip.  The culture, the people, the beauty, the food - it’s going to be Awe-SOME!  We will be spending time doing LOTS of scuba diving and also spend 14 days volunteering and working with the elephants.  We’ll visit temples, ancient cities, attend a full moon party (December 12th), and eat!

 *  December 13 - 20:  Laos
The jungle, waterfalls, archaeological site, and spiritual monuments - this is somewhere I don’t know much about (yet) but intrigues me.

 *  December 20 - January 10:  Vietnam
I hold a very tender place in my heart for Vietnam as my father was in the Air Force during the war.  It’s not a place I heard much about growing up, but I heard enough to make me want to go there and learn more about the people and the history.  We will definitely be visiting the Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and then heading north to do more diving, enjoy the breathtaking beaches, and take a boat tour of Halong Bay.  We’ll also have to find a fabulous spot to spend my 30th birthday!

 *  January 11 - 25:  Cambodia
Another highlight of the trip - two of my best friends just returned from Cambodia and said it was amazing.  I am looking forward to seeing the Temples of Angkor, the killing fields, the national parks, and beaches. 

 *  January 26 - February 9:  Indonesia
This is where we plan to take a little time out to relax on the beach.  I obviously haven’t read up enough about Indonesia, but I know it’s inexpensive and beautiful.  I’m sold!  Any suggestions out there of what we must do while in Indonesia?

 *  February 10 - March 9:  Australia
First stop, Cairns!  I am pretty sure after diving just once on the Great Barrier Reef, I may never want to return home.  Perhaps this is where I’ll find my calling in life to live and work as a dive instructor.  However, I’m sure after the shock of how expensive Australia is compared to where we’ve been - I may change my mind.  We also plan to visit Alice Springs, Brisbane, and Sydney. 

 *  March 10 - April 1:  New Zealand
An outdoor lovers paradise - we’ll be skiing, rafting, bungee jumping, hiking, and hanging with the Kiwi’s.  Perhaps we’ll be lucky and be there for the Golden Shears Sheep-Shearing Contest! 

 *  April 2 - 7:  Fiji
The last few days of our trip will be spent relaxing on Fiji - drinking Pina Coladas, scuba diving, and soaking it all in before we head back home.  Back home to a different frame of mind, a lot of amazing pictures and memories, and a new president! 

 So there it is - our extremely rough itinerary.  Basically - if we fall in love with a country, we’ll spend more time there, if we don’t love it - we’ll move on.  We don’t have a timeframe as much as a budget we’d like to stick to.  If you have been to any of those countries or have any ideas of where we should go - please let us know! 

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we plan to make the very most of it, because as Mark Twain says, “”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” 

Obviously…….

We are a little delayed on updates and our trip!  Plans have changed and we’ll be heading out in June.  Stay tuned.

Much Love

My dear, sweet grandfather passed away on November 10, 2007.  I am still in awe.  I am also completely devastated because I was very much looking forward to seeing him on Thanksgiving.  He went very peacefully at home with my lovely grandma and my parents by his side.  He was an amazing person and I am a much better person because I had him as my grandpa. 

When I was young and my mom had to return to working full-time, my grandpa was retired and would pick me up from school and take me to McDonalds or to his house and play with me until my parents were off work.  He was my buddy and I loved hanging out with him.  I always looked forward to the age where I could finally be the one to mow his lawn.  Each week I would go up to their house and mow and grandpa would watch me and hold the bag for me to empty the grass trimmings.  When the front lawn was done, we’d take a break and  make lunch, always bean soup and tuna fish sandwiches, and visit on the back porch - then I’d finish up the backyard.  My grandparents were at every single one of my piano recitals, dance competitions, and soccer games.  I’ve spent nearly every Sunday night of my life at his house visiting with my family.  I’ve spent nearly every summer going to our family cabin in Wyoming with my grandparents.  His life was devoted to his family and we all loved him and respected him so much.  These two wonderful people created such a large family!  3 children, 9 grandchildren and 28 (29 in January) great-grandchildren.  At the funeral, my uncle nailed it on the head when he said that my grandpa had unconditional love for us all and made us all feel like we were his favorite, although I’m sure I definitely was. 

I was lucky enough to find a reasonably priced flight and I headed home Wednesday for the viewing and funeral.  My sweet grandma hasn’t been away from grandpa in the 67 years of their marriage, so I spent the first night with her and the 2nd night she came down and spent the night at my parents house.  Last night was the first night she spent alone.  I know that having my family so close to her makes her feel better - but I know she is so lonely and heartbroken.  

The picture I posted is one from 2 summers ago at our cabin.  I thought it was precious that they squeezed into a big chair together and held hands while my nieces and nephews put in a skit.  How sweet is that?

I returned home late Friday night as I had already signed up and paid for my PADI Rescue Diver course with Lake Norman Scuba this past weekend.  But I passed and am now ready to begin my Divemaster training on January 8th.  Jason warned me that Rescue is the hardest class (he has already taken it).  After Sunday, I can see why.  I spent the day at a quarry in 60 degree water trying to search and rescue my instructor.  I couldn’t even see 2 feet in front of my face due to the water being so merky and muddy.  Thank goodness it’s over! 

Jason bought our tickets and we’re heading to Belize on January 7th.  I’ll let him update you all more about the rest of our itinerary later.  I am exhausted…is 7:30 pm too early to go to bed? 

Happy Halloween!

Just saw this Mastercard commercial.  I couldn’t agree with it more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bE8imsKy6Q

Tonight -we dine on Cindi’s tradition Chili dinner for Halloween. 

Have a good one!

Got Shot Today - 5 times

The trip is feeling more and more like a reality.  Cindi and I took care of the first few months of our trip last night.

We officially signed up and paid our deposit to Utila Dive Center. We are going to finally finish our PADI Divemaster and SCUBA Instructor training.  I can’t tell you how long I have wanting to do this…AND I am lucky enough to accomplish this goal with the GIRL FOR ME!!

One small hurdle still needs to be accomplished….get this: 

Cindi can’t go underwater without plugging her nose.  How the hell did she get certified to dive in the first place?  It is true that while diving, she has a mask that covers her eyes AND nose.  But what if that gets kicked off?  I have been trying to help her with this enigma all summer…and she will definately need to get it figured out.  It’s water…not crank, glue, or [insert favorite huffing substance here].

We are leaving for this part of our journey on January 6th.   Heading straight for Utila to knock out the training.  Dive training will take about 2 months…and we aren’t heading to Asia until sometime after April 16th.  Cindi is an old pro in this area of the world, so she has also promised to show me around Hounduras, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama - who knows.  More to come quickly on the entire journey and itenerary.

Today - I got shots.  Yes 5 of them.  Could have been 7 or 8…but luckily I stepped on a dirty heroin needle last year and had to update my tetanus.

I am now covered for everything the CDC says you should have:

1. Polio
2. MMR
3. Tetanus
4. Meningitis
5. Hepatitus A and B
6. Yellow Fever
7. Typhoid Fever

The lady scared me about Japanese Encephylitus…somthing about my junk falling off, but the shots are like 600$ - so I will just hope the DEET does its duty.

Later…Jason

New addition to the family

Jason’s new toy arrived today.  We are bummed because it’s rainy so we can’t go out and play with it.  Here it is:

It’s a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM.  Jason said we had to get the IS because I don’t know how to hold the camera still.  I think he just wants it for when he’s drunk.