Essy and Trooper locked in a box by their parents and sent to Korea

The start of the first Exploroz Members International Trip is drawing closer. The date for the crews to leave Sydney set at Wednesday 6 May, the Korea Air flight booked to leave Kingsford –Smith at 9.10am. Just a few more chores to be done. The crews are Alastair, Bron and Ann and Chris.


Some business remains. An application for a tourist visa for Mongolia is in the mail to the Embassy of Mongolia in Canberra. A multi-entry business visa for Russia still in the process; waiting for our Letter of Invitation from the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow. When it arrives we can lodge our application for visa to Russia with the Russia Consulate in Sydney. Then there are the final farewells to family and friends.

I must remember to put the cat out and cancel the milk deliveries, oh yes and the newspapers.


Last Tuesday was an exciting step. We took Essy (short for EsCargo) and Trooper down to General Cargo at Botany, to be put in a 40’ shipping container. Just to ensure no hanky panky between the young ones in the dark, the shipping agent was sure to tie them both down securely. What with Essy being only seven years old and Trooper just fifteen, what tongues will wag.


Over the last few weeks we spent considerable time and effort checking all of the items to be packed into the vehicles, including a good supply of tinned and packaged food. Now that the lad and the girl are safely in their box on the wharf we are remembering the things that should have also been included in the manifest, like the chest waders required to explore deep river crossings and the large scale maps that have been laminated and will be a pain to carry on the plane. Our carry on luggage will be rather lumpy.


There remain just a few serious items to be completed, like Power of Attorney for our daughter to sign documents on our behalf, and then there is the cat and the newsagent we need to address. We look forward to that first wonderful night camped out with a camp fire in the still crisp evening air heading north from Vladivostok towards to Arctic Circle. Kitty, kitty here kitty. I just hope kitty is not in that cointainer also.




Cheers for now.

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