Leonard Family Around the World Adventure

I got this free VOIP code for Yahoo Voice – it is only worth a dollar but still feel free to use it! I made a few more online orders - we need a new battery for the Fuji Film Z1 camera – the original battery is not holding a charge – I just discovered it Monday and immediately ordered replacement batteries from a couple of sites using overnight delivery to make sure at least one arrives in time – fingers crossed! (I paid $35 in shipping for$ 20 worth of batteries- ouch) Finally – although I am mostly happy with my notebook – I think the Bluetooth drivers are unstable – I get occasional BSOD and my darn Bluetooth mouse becomes slooooowww to respond sometimes. I am actually considering bringing a USB wireless mouse in its stead(I have enough of them lol). Only …5 …MORE… DAYS!

Got a quick call this morning from Shonne (our travel agent) to make sure everything was in order – it was nice hearing from her – she knows how hard this has been to plan since she had to do a lot of the heavy lifting. It was comforting to speak with her for a few minutes. Thanks Shonne!

Last week Pam picked up a travel guide for Croatia – up till now we had been using DK Travel Guides – they were ok and had pretty pictures but lacked real meaty content and were very difficult to find information in. There was also a significant learning curve for their symbols and icons – and my final pet peeve all temperatures were in Celsius – I still cannot convert Celsius to Fahrenheit in my mind. For the Croatia guide she picked up a Lonely Planet guide and she loved it. I read it today in the Dr.s office and I too loved it. Yesterday she decided to try to exchange our DK guides for the Lonely planet series – all we had was the summary AMEX receipt – not the line item but how I love our local bookstore – the Bookshop Santa Cruz. Even through some of the books were less than pristine they exchanged each and every one – that is fantastic customer service in a day and age where that is fast becoming a low priority. Thanks Bookshop Santa Cruz! I will never shop at Border's...

Well – went to the Dr. today – I called this morning because I was in so much pain in both feet I can barely walk to the bathroom. I have been living in the downstairs sofa bed- the good news – getting lots of work done, the bad - duhhh - I can't walk – tremendous pain. So I was able to move my Friday appointment to today in between my conference calls and meetings – So the final diagnosis is …… Rheumatoid Arthritis ! I got a steroid shot in the rump – it should help with the pain for the next month – got a prescription for Prednisone for on the road if I have a bad flare up and am starting a new drug similar to methotrexate but not as strong – the advantage is the chance of side effects is lessened (but so is efficacy) and it does not require complete abstinence from alcohol which is not realistic after all I am visiting Italy! I will need to get blood work done every couple of weeks on the road to make sure the drug is not having disastrous side effects. I hope this works. I...

I spent quite a few hours figuring out how this will be achieved -for those that are interested here is how we are doing it. The Nokia N73 Phones were selected for their quality camera - and will be used for photographs by Aria and Allysha (as well as music and GSM unlocked phones) in addition to 2 Fuji cameras our trusty FinePix Z1 and a newly acquired FinePix Z10fd will be used to capture pictures. Nothing special needs to be done except for ensuring the clocks on all of these devices are synchronized to GPS time - the phones are but the cameras require some work. Next using a GPS receiver which is synced with one of the cell phones we will simply simply start tracking our movement in the morning using a free program from Nokia called Sports Tracker installed on the phones. This program uses the GPS to track speed and distance over time - it was designed as a work-out tracking device but fits our needs as well. At the end of the day we will export the track as GSX (it can also be ...

It is getting close - but still the impending trip feels surreal -I do not feel the excitement I expected of being this close to leaving on such an adventure - I do however feel the pressure. The TTD list grows as quickly as we can work items from it. Went to pay the car registration due in January and found a SMOG certificate was required. Tonight Pam and I started a regime of homeopathic organic treatments. A liver/kidney flush, cherry extract and an Oil Blend . I was in pain again this weekend knee and now my ankle -I am hoping there might be some relief here. I made another appointment - Friday at 3:10pm with my Rheumatologist - I am afraid he might take off early and I will not see him until next year - but that was the first available appointment. I got my lab results back - it is Rheumatoid Arthritis - he does not think it is gout even though my uric acid levels are high. One more week to get rid of this pain. It was strange working today - I felt like I should be doing so...

Here you can see even with our plan to pack lite - still piles of stuff.

We have most of Pam's family coming for dinner – this is usually a great event and I am looking forward to it – even though Pam is stressed as usual. We are making 2 turkeys one in the BBQ the other in the oven. It is a very chilly morning so eating on the deck is probably not likely. Maybe I will start the fire pit later. The high def feed of the morning game on Fox is not working – I called Comcast and left a message for a callback – it has been an hour no returned call. In the mail last night there was a post office notice for a signature required package – probably the new phones – I wish I had been here to receive them as I have a lot of configuration work to do to figure out the geo-location picture and GPS functions. I will pick them up in the tomorrow morning. I also started experimenting with a social networking tool called ning. I might actually use this tool for our trip in addition to the blog – just have to see. Pam's parents just arrived so I will close this for ...

I had an early Dr. Appointment Monday with a Rheumatologist – a Dr. Culver. I was very impressed by him - for the first time in a long time I felt that someone might actually be able to help me and his manner was very assuring and calming. He drained my knee of 12oz's of fluid, gave me a cortisone injection and ordered numerous labs and I had a lot of blood drawn. His initial inspection of the fluid showed no crystals that would be apparent if indeed this was gout. He is leaning towards a diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis of type Spondylitis. He changed my medication and assured me we would know more next Monday. I am anxiously awaiting the results – but for the last 2 days I have actually been able to sleep and walk again. I am much relieved with the thought that at least I will be ambulatory on out trip and still might undertake more rigorous activities like surfing, swimming, etc.

I made it back to town from Philly late Friday night. My body was still on EST but stayed up late to try, still up early Saturday. Allysha had a soccer game and Aria had a surf contest. Allysha's team played well and won 3-1 what a difference from the last game they played – good passing, aggressive play – it was fun to watch. Aria originally was slated for the short board but ended up surfing long board also. She advanced to finals in both events – the only Scotts Valley girl and only one boy – Nathan, advanced to finals. It was a long day and Aria was cold and tired by the time she surfed in her long-board heat at 4pm – conditions were great most of the day but started falling apart. She was a real trooper and fought her way out – gave it a good try – had some bad wipeouts, emerged with a bloody foot and still decided to surf in the short board heat at 4:45. I was very proud of her – the coach actually gave her the option of pulling out of one of the finals but she surfed both. ...

  Not much to report – all of our tickets and vouchers are in the overnight mail from our travel agent. No update on the phone fiasco – hopefully tomorrow I will have more information. My knee is in constant pain and swollen and I am very worried! I have a Dr. Appointment next Tuesday – I guess I am hoping for a miracle. I will not be able to surf, scuba, snorkel or even walk very far if this pain continues. I travel home tomorrow – my final business travel – the next time I board a plane it will be bound for New Zealand. Brian

Well, last night I called to see of the phones arrived – Allysha said they had – I asked her to open the package and check – thank goodness. One of the phone packages had everything in the box…. except for the handset. This morning I called the outfit I ordered it from www.gsmhotdeals.com in NY. I was less than impressed with their response – they asked me to file a claim with UPS and not to cancel payment with VISA. Pam was a great help – she called VISA and the company and hopefully tomorrow there will be some resolution. I am very concerned that I will not have the phone in time for the trip – just have to keep my fingers crossed. UPS is picking up the package tomorrow. Worst case scenario I dispute the charge and order the phones from another provider – the problem is it is very hard to find these phones at a US provider. Having a good work trip this week -wrapping up loose ends – saying my goodbyes. I am going to miss the people I work with but I expect there will be a lot...

  Well, yesterday we completed our test pack. No major issues other than I think Pam is trying to bring too much and my pack was defective. I am glad we did this test pack now – hopefully we will have enough time to get the pack exchanged. We are using the xxx pack and the Eagle Creek packing system – except for Aria – she thinks her packing methodology of rolling all of her clothes is more effective. I am traveling for work this week actually on a plane for Philadelphia as I write this. This should be my last travel before our departure December 4 th .   I am strangely calm except for the nagging thought that I am overlooking something – still waiting for the cell phones and the new Visa card. Pam called Comcast and moved us to a discounted low usage plan or the next 6 months. I have to call Verizon and turn off my air card -also call AT&T – I am not sure if I am bringing my iPhone yet.   Need to configure the new phones and finish researching SIM chips. I need to order a...

Last night we spent some time predicting our costs on the rod and determining how close to budget we are - that was scary - it looks like we are going to be 50% over our original estimate. A little disconcerting but we are committed. Today noticed that an online hotel booking service http://www.smartstays.com/ billed our Visa 3 times. Another item we need to follow-up on. Another trip to REI scheduled today - to exchange some shoes for Allysha, change the color of Pam's shoes and for me to return a pair of pants. Also need to look for a belt. Also headed to pick up our Passport and Indian Visa's and a Croatia travel guide. Aria returns from her holiday in Hawaii in 2 days and I travel to Philadelphia on Sunday so this Saturday we will do a practice pack of our luggage to see how things will fit - what we might be missing etc.

Quantity Item Number Description 1 222-9693 XPS M1330, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800MhzFSB, 4M L2 Cache) 1 310-9240 Matte Black Casing XPS M1330 1 311-7311 4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm, for XPS M1330 1 320-5583 13.3 Inch Wide Screen WXGA TL WLED Backlit LCD with Camera, XPS M1330 1 320-5603 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS, for XPS M1330 1 341-5106 200GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive 1 420-6813 Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, English 1 420-7098 Media Direct 3.3 1 420-6995 DELL SUPPORT 3.4,DIM/INSP 1 420-5769 Internet Search and Portal 1 420-5924 Icon Consolidation Application 1 420-6436 Vista, PC-Restore, Dim/Insp 1 463-2282 Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access 1 420-7387 DELL RESOURCE DVD,BACK-UP XPS-M1330 1 412-0946 Dell Travel ExpressCard Remote Control, IR 1 310-9246 Creative Earbud EP630 1 420-7244 Dell Support Center 1.0 1 420-7468 ADOBE ACROBAT READER 8.1 DIM/INSP 1 313-5361 8X DVD+...

November 5th T-30 days. It seems we still have so much to do - the details for Italy,Croatia and France are still outstanding. I am starting to get very excited- a nervous. Have I thought of everything - my joins have really been hurting - I hope they get better on the trip. Trying to get all of the technology tools configured - email, IM, calendars, Google Earth, GPS, phones cameras, notebook. I purchased a Dell XPS 1330 and have been furiously configuring it - learning Vista - getting numerous accounts set up for the family and my various work activities.o far I am very happy with it. The configuration is here . So far I am very pleased. After meeting with another family that has undertaken a similar (albeit longer) venture, we decided to get GSM unlocked cell phones -more than one to allow us to separate and a digital camera for everyone. After shopping I actually decided to purchase 2 Nokia N73 Music editions which will act as mp3 players, cameras and cell phones. We decided...

January 04-11, 2008 Jan 04 Arr Delhi Evening arrive into the capital city of India, New Delhi. Fri Upon arrival and after clearing immigrations and customs you will be met and transferred to THE CLARIDGES Jan 05 Delhi Full day tour of Old and New Delhi. Sat Jan 06 Delhi/ Morning your private van with driver will drive you to Agra Sun Agra (5 hours). (B) Upon arrival transfer to TRIDENT HILTON Afternoon tour of Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Jan 07 Agra/ Morning your private van with driver will drive you to Mon Ranthambore Bharatpur rail station (1.5 hours) visiting en route Fatehpur (BLD) Sikri Dep: Bharatpur at 10:45am by Golden Temple Mail Arr : Sawai Madhopur at 01:05pm Upon arrival transfer to DEVVILAS Afternoon game drive into the Park by park vehicle. Jan 08 Ranthambore/ Morning game drive into the Park by Park vehicle. Tue Jaipur (B) Afternoon your private van with drive will drive you to Jaipur (4-5 hours) Upon arrival transfer to TRIDENT HILTON Overnight at the Hotel. Jan 09 Jaipur...

Leonard Egypt Tour Itinerary Jan 11-18, 2007 8 Day Egypt with 3 Day Nile River cruise Cairo, Luxor, Edfu, Aswan – * 1 night Novotel Heliopolis, Cairo * 3 nights King of Thebes, Nile cruise * 3 nights Sofitel Le Sphinx, Cairo * Services of an English-speaking Egyptologist escort/manager Special Features: * Aswan High Dam * Valley of the Kings & Queens, Luxor * Visit the Temples of Karnak & Luxor DAY 1, Fri Jan 11 Arrive and transfer to your hotel in the Heliopolis area. Balance of the day at leisure in Cairo: CAIRO DAY 2, Sat Jan 12 Transfer to the airport for your flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, transfer to board your Nile cruise ship and "hotel" for the next three nights. Sail to the West Bank of the Nile to visit the Necropolis of Thebes, the Colossi of Memnon, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Valley of the Kings, and the Valley of the Queens. Continue to visit Luxor Temple and the famous Avenue of Sphinxes. This evening, enjoy an optional Sound and Light Show (B,...

Dec 4 - Dec 12: New Zealand Dec 13- Dec 21: Australia Dec 22- Jan 4: Thailand Jan 4 - Jan 10: India http://leonardrtw.blogspot.com/2007/11/india-itinerary.html Jan 11 - Jan 18: Egypt http://leonardrtw.blogspot.com/2007/11/egypt-itinerary.html Jan 19 - Feb 14: Italy/Croatia Feb 14- Mar 1: France Mar 2 -Mar 10: New York/Washington DC Here is a link to the calendar: http://www.google.com/calendar/render?tab=wc&pli=1

How did we pick our itinerary? As a family we spent time reading atlases, talking about countries that interested us, we watched the news (I read the state Deprtment Travel Advisories ), we talked to people. We wanted to keep the number of destinations to a minimum while provideg an ecelectic smapleing of systems of government, religious beliefs and standards of living while also visiting as many of the historical sites of humanity. We eventually arrived at a long list which we narrowed to New Zealand Australia Thailand India Egypt Italy France New York Washington DC Some countries we removed from our long list: China - too cold during our scheduled travel. Japan - small and very expensive UAE - not a very good representative sample of Arab stests - it really is a tourist destination. Israel - Complicated by unrest, security. England - Too cold - on a future trip we will focus on Englnd, Ireland, and other Eurpoean destinations. Amsterdam - same as above. Spain - This was a tough one ...