Preparation...

So,

Its less than two weeks before our trip begins, we being me, Jim Powell, you'll learn more about me as we go, and my good pals Ricky Gudgeon and Ross, who's surname I don't actually know. We're at the stage now where we're working through our last days at work, meaning the last days in this particular job for Ricky and me as we're leaving the company for good. There are several things left to do on our prep lists, but these are small things like buying proper travelling equipment (i.e. a rucksack, sleeping bag, water canteen...er, other stuff you might need to go on a holiday of this sort) sorting out travel insurance and doing last bits of research on places we may want to visit.

The main things are done, I've bought my ticket, its sitting on my mantlepiece as we speak, right next to my passport; I've had my jabs so I'm all ready to tackle the Thai wilderness without too much fear of flesh eating diseases, and I've saved up enough money to live like royalty while I'm out there. Actually, I'd best be careful with the royal references, apparently they don't take kindly to mockery of the monarchy out there.

Now I've sorted out this here blog site where, if I remember and am sober enough to do so coherently, I'll be writing my thoughts and regaling tales of my experiences throughout the 26 days I will be travelling the great nation of Thailand. If you're already part of the clan, then this will no doubt prove a valuable resource in tracking my ability to stay alive and out of jail whilst in a foreign country. It may also prove entertaining for those who want to see how much of an idiot I'm being. Hopefully I won't disappoint anyone.

So here it is, we're pretty much set to go, we've got our Lonely Planet guides, we've looked at Google Earth to see how cool the beaches look and we've been whacking our shins with glass bottles to prepare for our first Muay Thai onslought. Bring it on...