I fly out in just under 20 hours. Not that I'm counting... Actually, I am. Of course I am. What kind of numpty would I be if I wasn't?
The guts are trembling with excitement. This is my third attempt at a holiday this year - the first two attempts have both ended with me in hospital and no actual holidaying done at all. So, third time lucky! That's why this holiday is so acutely anticipated. I'm biting my knuckles. Figuratively, anyway. Hard to bite your knuckles and type. I'd get blood on the keyboard. Maybe drool too, if I was really chewing... I digress.
I've packed my bags. I've unpacked my bags. I've repacked my bags. I think I can get in one more unpack/repack cycle before I leave. Don't know why (maybe I'm crazy...) but I really enjoy that. Because you really have to think about your trip. Prior to actually leaving for the airport, it's the time when you have to focus absolutely on the things you're going to be doing. I have a goal. I need to be able to do a chin up carrying my full complement of luggage. I have achieved this goal. Hopefully the final repack won't stuff this up.
What else is there to say about anticipation? Is there anything I can tell you that you haven't experienced yourself? I guess not. Unless you're the world's most boring person. Which you're not. You wouldn't be on this website if you were. You'd be playing CandyCrush or some brain-waster like that... Life is too short to stuff around with those things. Get out there and be a World Nomad. Or at least pretend to be one - fake it 'til you make it!
I'm trying not to plan anything. I have all these grand ideas, but nothing is booked aside from the flights. I just want to get there and make it up as I go along. I'm sure I'll miss a bunch of stuff just because I'm not sweating every last minute out of my itinerary. But then, that kind of travel is for tourists. I have nothing again tourists, per se. However, people who are *only* tourists frustrate me. If you want to take a picture of every famous monument, your only memories of your holiday will be what the back of your camera looks like. And that, frankly, would be disappointing. Lots of people have been to Istanbul. But if you haven't spent a day down by the waterside, lounging in a cafe, smoking sheesha, drinking tea, playing backgammon and watching the locals do exactly the same thing, did you really see Istanbul? Or did you just take a bunch of pictures that aren't as good as ones you could have Googled for free? And yes, I know this makes me sound like an insufferable wanker. And to some extent, I am. Still, each city, each town, each country, each place has a feel, a rhythm, a pace. Finding that rhythm makes any place a pleasure to be in. Sinking into that rhythm can make any place feel like home, even if only for a few hours.
So excited! Why can't I be on the plane right now?!
I'll try and keep this updated every day or two - stay tuned for shenanigans!
