Friday, September 20, 2013

End of Leg One: Please Insert Leg 2 Side A to Continue

Craig says the only thing that could have improved Casablanca is "more Star Wipes!"

This concludes the first leg of our trip. At this point it's starting to sink in that this is more than just a long vacation. We've been away longer than Erin ever has, and longer than either of us would be able to from our normal jobs. With September beginning, Erin knows her friends are back at school, and it is frequently in her thoughts. Our supplies of 'western comfort' items are nearly extinct, and we are starting what will arguably be the most difficult leg of our trip. We feel well-researched, prepared, and extremely excited about the section ahead: Madagascar, Reunion, and Mauritus, then Nepal, India, and Borneo to close out 2013.

Africa set us into a good routine. We know how long we can go back-to-back-to-back in new places before feeling drained, we know exactly how much (or how very little!) we need to unpack depending on how many nights we're staying in a place, and we're in tune with each others' desires to stay longer or shorter in towns without really needing to say anything. We've begun to measure time passing not through a calendar, but by how many malaria pills we have left in our small stash or how many pairs of clean underwear are in our bags. We always know the phase of the moon, but the date or day of the week takes some work to remember.

We've appreciated everyone's positive feedback on the blog. It's going to be a great keepsake for us, so we're happy others are enjoying it as well. We'll do our best to keep it up, but entries might come more sporatically now. And it seems fitting that we spend less time on electronics as we delve into the remote untouched areas of beautiful Madagascar.

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