Almost exactly three months before the off we have finally secured our very first step.

On 5th March 2012, we're bundling our rucksacks into a National Express coach down to Heathrow, spending the evening in a hotel near to the airport before getting going early on 6th to Heathrow with our flight leaving at 06.40. For those interested in the fine details, although our destination is Moscow, we're actually flying to Copenhagen before changing flights for Moscow, arriving at 14.45 Moscow time.

We have also booked our next appointment with David, our travel agent. We shall be nipping in to see him during the festive season. Topics under discussion include flights from Cape Town to Ecuador's capital of Quito (via London), flights from São Paulo to Panama City and the Inca Trail / Machu Picchu trek. We will also be talking about visas for Russia, Mongolia and China so plenty to chat about!

In the meantime we have also been to our GP's surgery to learn that, despite all the travelling, I only need one additional vaccination. The smile on my face as I type this tells you all you need to know about how I feel about that! We're still waiting to hear on Kirsty's results (as her GP is only part-time). If she didn't have lots of other things to think about, I'm sure the wait would be an even more nervous one!

Next up is cementing Spanish lessons in Quito together with long-term accommodation.