number one

Well here it is, my home page. I'm not really sure where to go with it just yet so I'll keep it newsy until something grips me. Obviously there will be highs and lows along the way, drama and boredom. After 10 months in the planning I'm at the edge about to step off.

I seem to have explained the plan so many times I'm sure I got to rattling it off so fast people weren't able to take it in so here's a quick reminder;

13 Sep 05 finish work- quite a nice feeling- try it sometime.

23 Sep- 08 Oct TA (Army Reserves) training. This will earn a much needed £2200.

16 Oct-13 Nov South Africa. Head for Cape Town then plan a trip South to Durban and Natal.

15 Nov-20 Dec Chamonix, France 2 weeks training to be resort manager in Lech, Austria further 2 weeks training and selecting staff (skitotal.com).

20 Dec-01 May Skiing and working in Lech


01 May-19 May 06 Travel to Borneo Malaysia via somewhere interesting.

May-23 Sep 06 Logistics manager for Raleigh International Expedition to Borneo.

24 Sep-whenever Travel New Zealand and Australia- aim to be in Sydney for New Years Eve 2006/07.

After that- maybe ski in US on the way back, return home and work, get a fatastic new job somewhere interesting, get a Thai bride and become mayor of her village- these are all suggestions I have had since 'coming out' with my plan- if you have any more POST THEM HERE.

The planning stage is probably worthy of a few paragraphs as it took me to some interesting places where I learnt a lot about myself and the World. Visiting the International Red Cross and UNHCR in Geneva, and speaking to UNICEF and the War Crimes Commission in the early days helped me decide what the career break needed to have in it and also what would be too much if I hoped to return to 'normal' life in any way. The selections for Raleigh and the ski job were tougher than I expected and strangely I found the tests I expected to do well at went less well than those I didn't- which must mean something. Either way they both turned out as well as I could have wished and if nothing else getting accepted for both at the first attempt saved time and money without the need for finding alternatives.

Getting money together was daunting but the biggest problem was not knowing how much I would need while I was away while at the same time not knowing how much I would need when I came back to pick up life again. I had some savings, sold the car (for a song-Tim) but not the motorbike which is something I planned to do as £3500 invested in a motorbike in my garage will not be much use when I need to raise bail in SE Asia. However, nobody else thought it was a good idea so it's not that bad after all. I got two lodgers to stay with Dave (the lodger)- Becky and Guy, who will contribute to my mortgage and house costs but by no means cover them- and I have yet to find out what expensive catastrophies will befall them. At the end of the day I should have just short of £20,000 which given I will spend 9 months being fed and watered by somebody else is not so bad. There is still a faint chance the Army will give me something towards the £2,000 I have to pay for the Raleigh trip (inc flights), and an even fainter one that they will actually pay me a daily rate while I'm there as regular soldiers get special leave to go- watch this space.

If there is any aspect that you want to know more about, either so far or in the future- then bloody tell me!

Thanks for visiting- keep in touch (unless you are from Inland Revenue), you can always drop me a line at crevasse@fsmail.net or post something here.

Chris