you asked for it.....

yes you did - you know who you are - you wanted a run down on the full itinerary so here it is:

• thursday 22 march - fly from brisbane to auckland and overnight in auckland
• friday 23 march - fly from auckland to new york via tahiti (one hour stop-over in tahiti to stretch my legs saved me about $1000 on the cost of the trip), arrive in new york 2 hours and 10 minutes after leaving auckland??????????????? *boy does that international date line have some explaining to do......*
• friday 23 march - fly from new york to ottawa
• next 4.5 days sleepless in ottawa while i try to keep up with ray and lily......
• wednesday 28 march - fly ottawa to boston and then get to harvard
• next 4 days in harvard - thursday free, friday and saturday meet with the research crowd who are the whole impetus for the trip, sunday free
  
• monday 2 april - travel from boston to new york (not quite sure how yet....possibly bus)
• tuesday 3 april - seeing new york with help from al (lookin forward to it al - its going to be a blast....)
• wednesday 4 april - time to come home.......

and then - sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

just in time to start work again after easter. it will be good to be home just in time to spend easter with my kids. i'm going to find something really special to bring them. i wonder if frozen snowballs travel well?????????????????

new york here i come....

well, the planning for new york is now coming together nicely too.

hi to Al, a local new yorker who is going to show me round his town. he has grown up in manhattan and is going to show me what he loves about new york.....lots of walking i gather so i will be sure to pack the comfy shoes....(and i might just have to do some training for all this exercise i am going to be doing - any 'rapid fitness' tips anyone??????)

it also seems that i am going to be in new york on one of the regular biker 'hang' nights (i gather the equivalent of our coffee nights at milton - where ppl gather and drool over everyone else's bikes).

the news from the wima vice president is that there is a regular night on a tuesday night at a place called the Ear Inn. Or maybe the Sidewalk Cafe - she's sent me links to check out.....


http://www.magpie.com/nycmoto/hang.html

http://www.nypress.com/19/21/summerguiderecreation/jasonkerrigan.cfm

i'm goin to have to get the manhattan maps out to work out where these places are in relation to where i'm staying.

and there's a chance that something might be arranged for boston / harvard too....

looks like i'll be carrying international good wishes from the qld bike community!

plans coming together...

well, ray has confirmed that i didn't misread the email. but it was warming up again. but as he pointed out - things can change.

what an exciting schedule he's organised for me:
-professional hockey game
-downhill skiing
-sleigh ride
-museum of civilization[native exhibit]
-national art gallery[native artist]
-lunch with Elizabeth Richard
-meal of Canadian wildlife [you won't have to kill anything]

and all in only 4.5 days.......i'm going to boston to SLEEP!!!!!

yes, my mind is now turning to the remaining 11 days of my trip. i will be in boston for about 5 days - 2 of them in a meeting - with 3 free days.

then off to new york for 2 nights.

plans in new york todate include a 3 hour (approx) tour of the city courtesy of the 'big apple greeters' scheme. they have matched me with a volunteer who will show me the local's city rather than the tourist's city.

i have also been in contact with the USA president of WIMA (women's international motorcycle association) and she is trying to organise for some of their members to meet up with me in boston and new york.

so it is all coming together. all i have to do is remember to be awake by 4am on thursday 22 march to get to the airport to catch my plane!!!!!

oh and get some more spending money........

btw ray - don't forget to add bike gear shopping time to the schedule.......