Just making note of my pre-trip weight: 220.4 lbs.

Received a message from Moin Khan, my host in Pakistan. He has made arrangements for me in Islamabad for the two days that I will be there before he arrives to start the scooter ride.

Here is what the message said:
“I booked 2 rooms for you guys for 5th and 6th night. 7th around noonish I will come get you. These rooms are $75 + 16% tax a night. For 2 nights it’ll be $150 + tax each If you share the room then obviously it’ll be half of that. There will be separate beds of course. so if you guys still want separate rooms and cost wise it’s alright then I’ll leave the booking like it is. If you want to save and share then let me know and I’ll make the changes. Altaf will be picking you up from the airport. And he will bring you to the guest house. The guest house is walking distance to a few eateries and market area so you can easily walk around.”

Now that I’m back in San Jose, California after a week in Florida, I have less than a week until I leave for Pakistan! A fun note about the GoGo Gear riding pants that I bought for this trip is that when I went to wash them for the first time. I noticed on the tag that they were made in Pakistan. It’s like my pants are going home.

I’m on a plane back to San Jose after one week in Florida to deliver Hunter Dain to her freshman year at the University of Tampa. I’m so happy for her to take this big step into her future. It was difficult to say goodbye, knowing that the part of our lives where I have daily interaction with Hunter is over. Eighteen years to raise a child goes by in the blink of a eye. The last thing she said to me was “don’t die in Pakistan” we’ve been joking about my demise in Pakistan for a couple of months now. But this really brought it to heart that she is harboring real concern about the trip I’m about to take.

One of the most difficult parts of planning this trip has been deciding what kind of clothing to bring. I’m expecting a great variation of weather from 90 degree temperatures in Islamabad to 20 degrees up at elevation in the Himalayas. Today I bought a pair of glove liners which I hope will be enough to keep my hands warm inside my motorcycle gloves.

There was a terrorist bombing in Quetta, Pakistan today. I’m not sure how I feel about it. These are the kinds of things that a sheltered American can ignore and go about their safe daily existence. But can I? With a few Google clicks I learn that Quetta is about 900 Kilometers (600 miles) from where I will be in Islamabad. About the same distance I am in San Jose to Los Angeles. If a bomb were to go off in LA would I feel the same fear that I am feeling now or would I shrug it of and feel insulated by the distance.

Failure… They are still wet.

I wore my new merino wool socks all day today. They were very comfortable. It’s hard to believe that wool socks can breathe enough to make your feet comfortable on a hot summer day but it’s true my feet sweat but the wool socks moved moisture away from my feet and I was totally comfortable.

I’ve read that wool socks are also better than cotton socks for travelers because you can wash them out in a sink and hang them up overnight. In the morning they are supposed to be dry and ready to wear again while cotton socks will not dry overnight.