Off We Go!

 On November 27 we left our home and pets in the care of our friend Pauline and took the ferry to Vancouver for an early holiday feast with family and friends.

On the 28th we saw Josh and Laura off on the next leg of their journey and spent the rest of the day with final preparations and packing. In addition to our 2 small backpacks, we stocked a suitcase with summer clothes, work clothes etc. that we'll use during our 3 months in Tasmania. Once we head to South East Asia in February, we'll abandon much of that and reduce our luggage to a bare minimum of bulk and weight.

Finally the long-anticipated departure day arrived - Nov. 29. It sure felt good to swing on our backpacks and take to the open road once again. Because of our plan to return to Canada via South East Asia next spring, we opted to fly with China Southern Airlines. The route takes us via Guang Zhou in South East China, then a connection to Sydney and finally Hobart on December 4.