The trip is really starting to take shape – and Mario and I feel like we’re back in school waiting for the summer holiday that just goes on and on and on… So close, but yet so far away Also, being computer nerds, we are being way too interested in the technicalities of our blog, having long discussions about how to best present our travel information, and going overboard with linking to all sorts of external stuff… We’ve also spurned the WYSIWYG editor and embraced good old HTML markup, but that goes without saying We totally need that holiday.

Going in and out

The flights for leaving and returning to the cold north has been in place for some time now, and features an interesting direct flight from London to Sydney, before we continue to New Caledonia. That is a 22- hour flight, folks. I have bought the special flight socks, so we are prepared to battle the Deep Vein Thrombosis. With the flight from Oslo to London, the Sydney-Noumea stretch and all the hanging around on airports, it will take us a grand total of 36.5 hours to reach our final destination: the Paris of the South Pacific. As Mario put it, that will be the ultimate test of both our relationship and the battery life on our iPods. Also probably want to buy a travel-kit toothbrush set. There will be a whole forest growing on our teeth at the end of all that, not to mention morning breath from hell. The going back home will probably be less strenuous, since we will have 10 hours in L.A. Maybe we’ll get to climb on the Hollywood sign?

Getting around the islands

Talked to our friendly (neighbourhood) travel-agent Bent on Friday, and the inner workings of our trip are slowly taking shape too. It is taking some time, since the carriers between the islands in the South Pacific are a bit more into Island Time and spontaneity than British Airways… And before we have the flights in place, there really is no point in booking hotels. Originally we were to be on a direct flight from New Caledonia to the Solomons, but one of the two weekly flights were cancelled, which was really unhelpful as it would mean that we’d miss the engagement party on the 15th. Miss our excuse for going to the South Pacific? I think not! So instead we’re going via Vanuatu – yet another island state we’d never heard about We’ll have most of one afternoon and one day to explore it though, so we can tell you all about it later.

Once we do get to the Solomons I will have to waive goodbye to my bikini and Mario to his Speedo’s, and don the t-shirt and surfer shorts. That much skin isn’t considered decent, except for some special decadent tourist beaches. Probably good for my sun rash anyway. I saw some surprisingly cool surfer shorts for girls made by Helly Hansen(!) yesterday, so I’ll get me some of those. I really thought H&H was all about rain gear and boots, but see? You can be wrong about these things.

We’re booked on a flight from the Solomons to Brisbane on the 22nd of December, but since this is the second time we’ve had seats confirmed on that flight, it will be interesting to see if we still have tickets when the time comes. The first time Bent booked seats for us, they were cancelled a couple of days later. Apparently the carrier decided that they wanted to use a smaller aircraft, and promptly informed several passengers that there was no seat for them after all. Out you go! And then they decided to change their minds once more and use the big plane after all, so now we’re in. Again. We’ll cross our fingers for things working out, since the hotel in Brisbane is booked and paid for from the 22nd

…and notes on shopping activities

Also, my shopping instincts have hit the fan, so I’ve been buying all sorts of useful stuff. We’re going to be away for 43 days, and I have therefore bought things like mosquito repellent (roll-on), malaria pills, coloured bags for keeping our ruck sacks organized, emergency sowing kit, a little first aid kit, money belt (made of silk) and a wire lock so people won’t run of with our luggage, light-weight travel towels for bringing to the beach, and suntan lotion (for Erica). On the list of things that will need to be bought are mini-ponchos, hiking shoes that will not cause your feet to be a puddle of sweat, more insect repellent spray, and a mosquito net.