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“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” –Mark Jenkins

Sunday 27 January 2013

3 weeks to go



Eric sent the final hotel bookings and a kit list this week and thankfully I already have everything he has suggested. I went through my camera gear and decided on taking two shorter zooms and a wide angle, leaving the long zoom and the macro at home. Eric is also saying we won't need a tripod but I'm still undecided as to whether I will take mine or not (sods law and all). Also checked all polarising filters and thankfully they fit so that's good news, - although whilst I was out  with Keith yesterday walking round the mill ponds, I discovered the "Reversal Film" settings on my camera which appear to do the same thing... turning dull mosses a gorgeous vivid green. So I will have to revisit the K7 manual again before we go, to check I'm not missing other settings which might be worth playing around with.
Bought travel insurance, dug out a second bag to fill with all the gifts and charity donations which I will leave there and I put together a small first aid kit. I am off to Barcelona tomorrow for work and starting my new book - "Survival in the Killing Fields" by Haing Ngor, which is cited as being "the greatest book on Cambodia that has ever been published". It's written by the supporting actor who played the Cambodian journalist, Dith Pran, in the film "The Killing Fields" and is his memoir of life in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. I know it sounds a bit morbid and not really a good way to get in the mood for a trip like this, but it fascinates me how countries that suffer these kinds of atrocities cope. It makes me think twice before complaining about certain things and reminds me to be content with what I have; which compared to many is immense. The sad thing is that much of it is either unnecessary or wasted.

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