What a difference a few hours makes...

Flew into Medan, with its flashy new airport, only opened two months ago, (obviously without my suitcase) and it appears that they have forgotten to join the airport to town with anything resembling a road! Medan, the capital of Sumatra and a city of 2million is everything you would expect from a frenetic Asian city but to be honest as there was not really much of cultural interest I was very happy to leave this morning.

4 hours driving through palm oil and rubber plantations and we have arrived in Bukit Lawang, a village north west of Medan. Four of us hired a guide to take us to The Bat Cave. A trek through the jungle, climbing up rocks, down rocks and across gullies and we entered the cave. Thankfully they were small bats and fairly sparse, which at least meant there was limited bat poo!

Our adventurous spirit was rewarded with  two different troupes of monkeys (macaque and Thomas Leaf Monkeys) having a few Tarzan moments. Must be such fun to swing from tree to tree!

Also passed a few building covered in murals and surrounded by gardens full of colourful objects, including huge clogs! Turns out to be the local orphanage. There was a massive flash flood in 2003 and a lot of the villagers died.

I am typing this at the rivers edge, and have just met Eddy (about 8) who was following his Dad up the river. His Dad was trying to catch fish, but Eddy wanted to know who I was and what I was doing!

Oops....

Just realised my last 3 posts all have photos of food and drink! Am sensing a theme!!!!

Up, up and away.....

Well here I am. D Day. 

Nervous and excited. Nervous about who I will meet, what I will encounter and how I will feel about it all. But excited about the exact same things, those unknowns. I keeping being told that it will be a life changing experience, and to be honest my only fear us that I will come home and not feel any different! 

But I am in that pre-journey " over thinking" mode, so I will listen to my lovely friend, Simon, and switch to relaxing and concentrating on the "now". 

Which means I have 90 minutes before I board the plane to decide....... Chocolate or peanut M&M's????!

Here we go.....

So a few sausage rolls this morning as a token gesture to all those at work that I am leaving behind, out-of-office message on and that's it, no more work for 11 weeks!

Lots of goodbye messages and I have to admit to being a tad emotional. I know that it is only 11 weeks, and I am coming back but I will miss everyone. You are all under strict instructions not to undertake anything that is fun, exciting or new until I return. Living vicariously through my blogs is your only option! 

Let the celebrations commence.......

Only 7 sleeps.......(squeal)! I am having to work hard to contain my inner need to skip!!!! But it seems only right and fitting that "bubbles" are enjoyed at this very moment, with the knowledge that this time next week I will be at the airport (squeal, again!), and, ready or not, will be off around the world! 

Single digits......

The time has come,' the walrus said, 'to talk of many things: of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings.'

I appreciate that I am mixing my Lewis Carroll-isms, and I am not quite an "Alice", but only 9 big sleeps until I head out in search of my very own Wonderland….

13 sleeps......

A quick trip to M&S in Farnborough and I am hoping I now have enough beer vouchers to get me through at least the first few weeks in Indonesia, with enough left over for a few oriental souvenirs and some massages!