I should really have a countdown on here.

Ah, done.

86 days ’til I board the plane to Colombo, 87 days ’til I board the plane to Japan, 88 days ’til I actually arrive. How very exciting. I discovered this somewhat random video of a A340 touching down in Colombo, and I realised that flying is, actually, kinda scary, considering I’ve only flown twice in my life (once in a tiny Piper, once in a helicopter, for a total of about 45 minutes). I know it’s highly unlikely that anything will happen, and that the time when 14 terrorists attacked Colombo airport with rocket launchers, explosive charges, and assault rifles, destroying eight military planes and two airliners in 2001 was just a one-off, but still…

I’ve been thinking about whether I’ll get homesick in Japan. Maybe I will, but to be honest I’m probably just saying that whereas in reality I’ll be having too much fun to miss home at all. Sorry, home. You are quite good.

So, the planning, eh? I bought a load of electrical gear off Uxcell, including a fantastic 5-in-1 cable that syncs your iPod and camera and charges your DS, a USB phone charger, and a cheap digital watch with a compass built-in. Which all came in at a £23 plus P&P. Hooray for cheap Hong Kong electronics.

Found a fantastic site called Gapyear.com, which has some great stuff like guides and checklists and the like which should hopefully make the frantic last few weeks a matter of merely ticking off boxes. Which is reassuring.

On Thursday, I headed down to NORWICH CAMPING SPORTS AND LEISURE! and browsed the backpacks. It was a decision between a £91 Berghaus, a £35 Gelert and a £30 Vango. The Berghaus was nice, the Gelert was recommended by Gapyear.com, but the Vango felt good, looked good, and was cheap. So I got that one, and I’m pleased with it.

So, all that’s left for now is: to find more income (either by getting a second job at B&Q, or merely working more hours at my current job, which I can sort out soon) and to pick up my visa (which I guess I might get done this week or t’next). After that… it’s just a matter of slogging through until September, at which point I buy all the stuff I need that’s on the checklists, stick it all in my pack, triple-check it, and… go? It all seems deceptively simple…

I’ve just remembered that the name on my tickets is “Mrmatthew Durrant”. I’m wondering if this is a problem. Better phone my travel agent.