another plan change...

okay, so I've changed my mind again... and I've also come to realize that if I continue to contribute to this blog as I have been (posting about what my future plans are,) that it's really pointless. I almost never actually stick to my plans, and so by the time you read something I have posted, I will have probably already changed my mind twice. I consittered just scrapping the blog, but instead I'm going to try doing things a little differently. From now on, I'm going to write mostly about the things that I have already done. I think I will like this new way of blogging a little better, and it will probably be a whole lot more interesting for all of you reading it. I guess that means I need to actually do something before I can update again. Maybe this will be the motivation I require to actually get everything done that needs to be done before I leave!!

Anybody wanna buy a portugese phrase book?

no seriously... I've changed my mind again. (but isnt that the joy of solo travel? being able to change your mind at any moment?) Due to bad timing, procrastination and a whole list of other things, It has become apparent that my chances of getting my visa in time for my departure to Brazil are slim to none, so rather than simply delay my flight until I can secure a visa, I've decided to change my destination altogether (in addition to delaying it.) I'm now flying into Bolivia on October 12th. I'm not disappointed or regretful that I wasnt organized in time, in fact, I'm excited about this change! I'm still leaving Grand Forks on October 1st as planned, but in addition to allowing me to skip over the general expensiveness of Brazil, I will also have an extra 6 days to spend with my family in Alberta before I leave Canada. Oh yes, and did I meansion that my new flight (or at least the one I plan to book!!!) stops in Miami for 24 hours? I could think of worse places to get stuck for that long (Midway anybody?) only kidding...

oh yes, and I'm not entirely sure about the proper punctuation for using parenthesis (or even how to spell "par-en-the-sis") so if my inconsistent punctuation placement makes you want to scream and throw your computer accross the room, please feel free to correct me, lol

the EXTREMELY vague plan... (so far...)

Alright, so I literally JUST booked my flight from Edmonton to Rio de Janeiro Brazil for the 6th of October. I still have tons to do before I leave (credit card, insurance, gear, Australian taxes, Canadian taxes, get Mbike "N", clean my basement, return bike, find my passport... etc) but the plan (and if you know me, you know nothing is ever set in stone) is to finish work September 30th, then have a quick brunch with my fam and friends on October 1st before saying my farewells and hitchhiking to Kelowna to spend the night with my friend Becki in her dorm at UBCO. I will then be spending the next few days hitchhiking to Grande Prairie to visit my sister, before hitching back down to Edmonton to visit more family and to finally to catch my flight to Brazil. Rio Gay Pride is on the 9th, so the plan (again... could change) is to connect with a group of couchsurfers before I leave or at the very least, book into a central hostel and meet people to go to pride with there. After Rio, my plan is to get the hell out of (extremely expensive) Brazil and head on to (much more budget friendly) Paraguay! Currently, the plan is to bus out of Rio to the nearest smaller town or village and hitchhike to Paraguay from there stopping wherever I feel like along the way. (Although... I still havent completely scoped out the hitching situation in Brazil, so I still could end up on a bus instead. I'm currently in the process of contacting a young Brazilian girl through couchsurfing that has hitchhiked in Brazil, so hopefully she will be able to give me some advice.) And yeah, thats the plan to date, but who knows, anything could happen and thats whats exciting about travelling!