Perspiration, Preparation and Perspiration Again

Life in South Sudan is currently 0% inspiration and 100% perspiration as we hit March and the temperature sky rockets into the 40’s! I’ve implemented a self-imposed movement restriction to only go to places with air-con so it’s given me a bit of time to write an update on our preparation.  It’s the 4th of March and a lot of deadlines are coming up very quickly now:

1. I’m leaving South Sudan in 3 and a half weeks.
2. Charlie is leaving  her job in 6 weeks.
3. We’re taking our first pedal in the direction of Hong Kong in exactly 57 days.

So here’s what we’ve been working on:
 
Lou –        Writing sponsorship letters to companies.
Charlie – Updating and tweaking our blog.
Lou –         Searching on ebay for a bike.
Charlie –  Training.
Lou –         Trying to convince Charlie to stop training.
Charlie –  Posting photos of her training.
Lou –         Researching visa requirements to make a comprehensive visa tracker.
Charlie -   Making a kit list and geeking on gear reviews.
Lou –         Thought about going for a run, decided against it.
Charlie –  Plotting a route through Europe on the Eurovelo cycle paths from Rotterdam to Istanbul.
Lou –          Researching the transport in Turkmenistan for the notorious “Dash”
Charlie –  Arranging for friends to stop by and join us for a section – Germany and Austria are looking popular at the moment. If you’re interested get in touch, the more the merrier!
Lou –          Did a purely professional reconnaissance mission to the Austrian Alps to assess snow conditions, mountain incline and gravity-to-gradient ratio to reaffirm our decision to go around the Alps rather than over them.
 
Lou xxx