"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."

MARK TWAIN

I've spent something like £300 getting all my visas and travel documents in order and have at last acquired the most difficult of all visas... the Iranian Visa. Oddly enough this was supposed to be the hardest of all the visas to obtain and yet it was one of the quickest ones I got! Admittedly the letter of invitation took time, but once that came through the visa was processed in just one day! I'm assuming the myths of the Iranian visa taking weeks to process and often ending in rejection are for British passport holders, but as a Swiss passport holder I have not, so far, had any problems! That is one good thing about being Swiss I suppose! (Well the chocolate and cheese arent too bad either).

So, all is pretty much set now in terms of travel arrangements. It's taken me the best part of three months to arrange and it's a tremendous relief to have not wasted money on failed applications. Indeed with two weeks until I set off it's getting down to the final preparations. The most striking problem so far being that I actually have no idea what on earth to pack! I usually travel light in the theory that you can buy most of your important things out on the road. But this journey is somewhat different to those I have made before. It doesn't take a genius to work out that I will be travelling through some pretty hot deserts and then some chilly high mountains and with the extremes of climates and terrains this poses something of a dilemma as to what to bring. Added to this I have numerous books and guidebooks thta I'd like to bring at least until they are no longer neccessary and their weight will not be inconsequential! Nevertheless I supose I have two weeks to figure out what's important and what's not!