Countdown to Bananas, Backpacks and Bus Rides

I have been planning to take this trip since mid-June, bought my ticket halfway through August, and now in less than 24 hours I'll be landing in Lima. It's a little surreal, it came up awfully quick. I suspect that chest tightening surge of excitement to kick in about the time we take off - the one where you finally realize what you're about to do.

I'm finishing up securing the last items for my bag and planning a route suitable for 6 weeks of travel, although I never set too much in stone. I have a feeling we'll find good advice of where to spend our time from other travelers we meet along the way. Liora has been busy booking our first hostels and locating tasty, local cuisine once we get there, that way both of us keep busy and add our own flavor to the trip.

Dinner at Chimu, a Peruvian restaurant in Williamsburg. Delicious, but we'll see how it stacks up to the real thing.

A few things I wouldn't travel without:

1. New pair of shoes - in this case hiking/trail shoes;
2. Corkscrew - nothing worse than having a bottle of wine to share and no way to open it;
3. Headlamp for hands-free trekking and packing in the dark;
4. Deck of cards...rummy anyone?;
5. Scarf - also serves as a light blanket, pillow cover, headband, bag, and picnic towel;
6. Multi-tool with a knife;
7. Camera;
8. Two good books;
9. Compass and map (make sure to get a compass calibrated for the southern hemisphere) and;
10. Music. Lots and lots of music.

My hacky sack will have to suffice for a soccer ball until I find a local with one who'll teach me some tricks.

Now all there's left to do is wait.

...hmm...

...bananas...

...oh yeah...

I'll be taking a picture of my face everyday in order to track the growth of facial hair for Mustaches vs. Cancer. Although I don't officially qualify because I will technically be growing a beard, if you want to donate, I promise to sport only man'stache for a week when I return, show you each picture from every day of my trip and prove how hard I worked to stay focused and grow the best chops on the block.

The stubble starting to take over....

¡Vamos a Peru!

---------------

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain