Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Next Stop Africa

T- minus 18 hours or so… Yep we are finally down to hours not days!!! As of about 11 or so this morning, we finished with the house. Dragged the garbage to the curb and did the final load of laundry. We had to stop at the bank again… on our way up toward O’Hare… the banks have turned out to be the largest problem. Of course you have to prove who you are 9 ways from Sunday and an affidavit too. But we think that was the last of the stuff.

We have sold my car. I will miss my Jeep, but we have a Hyundai Tucson waiting for us in South Africa. We bought it sight un seen… The guy that bought my Jeep, let us keep it through today, so we didn’t have to rent a car… He will be coming up later to pick it up at the hotel.

The other good news front was that we may have the house rented; which is a huge relief. Yesterday, all the small remaining things all fell into place easily. We had the final walk through the house with the Agent as to the condition we have left it in. All the crap is either heading to Africa by ‘Air or Sea’ or long term storage by ‘Land’, which we won’t be seeing for a long while.

Our packing team was all male. I know I will be having a very fun treasure hunt when the stuff arrives in South Africa… If it fit in a box… it was packed in a box, not necessarily like items with like items and the sewing/quilting supplies…. HA!!!

I am guessing that Axel and Spaz got off alright. (Actually I just checked their flight and they take off soon), I stayed away, so I wouldn’t over excite them and I am going on the assumption that “no news is good news”. They will fly from Chicago O’Hare to Amsterdam and stay overnight there. They will be moved from the flying crate to a kennel, fed and walked before getting a good rest. And then on Friday morning, they will then fly from Amsterdam to Johannesburg South Africa, where they will be met by a kennel and cleared through customs. We will try and get out to see them on Saturday. The kennel has a vet on staff, so they will be checked out physically and bathed if needed.

I am hoping our house will be ready for us soon, as it’s already been more than a week without the pets and I miss having a furry friend, and one week of hotels is already enough, even if it is a suite. Our pile of luggage is formidable… Since the airlines have instituted weight limits, it takes more bags to take less stuff. We each have 2 carry-ons and 3 checked bags… a total of 10 bags .

Once again not pictures… as always more LATER!

5 comments:

  1. So happy that you sold your car and rented your house -- now waiting for the happy news that you, DH, and the furkids are all safely there.

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  2. I can't believe everything fell into place for you. You are so lucky!

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  3. Best wishes as you set off on this exciting journey. I will be reading your updates. I just cannot imagine the details and planning that you have had to manage. So impressive. Be safe on your travels.

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  4. good bye and have a good flight

    I'm glad we have your blog to keep up since it will be a few years before we see you again!

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  5. Save journey Beth, or are you already there? Such an adventure for Axel and Spaz too, hope they're not too stressed out by it all.

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