19 goals left, 17 weeks to go!!
When I was in Rio for Carnival, I had no further flights booked, and plans were somewhat vague as to where I would go next, and in what order I would try to tackle my remaining goals. So I spent a day or so doing some research, comparing flight costs and possibilities, contacting people, and trying to factor in the last 21 goals not yet achieved.
The first thing I wanted to do was return to South Africa, where there was the offer of some bargain flying lessons.
At some point I also needed to return through Perth in Australia to sort out some personal issues, including at least one long-overdue tax return!
So after quite a bit of thought, research and planning, I booked a flight from Rio to Port Elizabeth, and a further flight a week later from there to Perth. I did my flying lessons, and managed a solo flight in South Africa, and back in Perth, I have managed to achieve goal #81 – a nude skydive. And so now my final few months look something like this:-
I plan to stay in Perth for a while, perhaps until the end of the month, or into early April. The goals I hope to address here include a night skydive, again back at my old skydive club in York if I can get things organised – full moon is on 30th March, so Sat 27th is looking like the best option. I have also managed to borrow a unicycle from a friend, and am trying to avoid hurting myself too badly with that!
Maybe there might be a chance to see a baby being born, and with some spare time on my hands, I hope to get back to working on my lucid dreaming. Also, at the end of March, if I can keep off the beer, wine and pizzas in Perth, I should be able to tick off my “maintain my weight at 70kg” goal.
At the end of March I plan to fly to India to see the Taj Mahal, seeing the only remaining “New 7 Wonder” that I haven’t yet seen, and from there I will move on to Nepal to see Everest.
Russia is next on the list, where I hope to fly in a MIG fighter jet, and go on a weightlessness flight.
From there a last stopover in the UK will hopefully allow me to finally gather 5 Ian Ushers in one place, and perhaps drive a car off a jetty, and then it’s over to the States again for the last month or two, where I plan to finish in style in New York on the 4th July.
Final goals still to be completed before end of the journey are:
- Sign a book deal
- Have a workplace romance
- Learn the harmonica
- Develop a 6-pack stomach
- Dive to see the Titanic
- Join the Mile High Club
- Set up the Blindsided Network website
- Complete my $50,000 fundraising goal
With most of these I have been making some progress, and if all goes well I can now see it being really possible to fulfill the whole list of 100 goals, which is quite incredible. Although quite a few things still have to work out just right for everything to fall into place.
For example, to have a workplace romance, I need to be working, and to do this I need to sign a book deal. If that happens, I can consider the remainder of my adventure to be work, and a workplace romance will become a real possibility – just need to find my romantic partner!
A willing partner, plus the opportunity, is also required for my Mile High Club goal!!
Seeing the Titanic may also depend on the book deal, as it is outrageously expensive! Without either some sponsorship, or a fantastic offer from a publisher, this one is a big challenge! This is also the case to a lesser degree with the MIG flight and weightlessness flight too.
I am progressing slowly with harmonica and 6-pack, and hope I have enough time left to get there with both of these! The BlindsidedNetwork.com website shouldn’t be too much trouble, I hope.
My biggest challenge will be to raise my $50,000 charity fundraising target, and I will have to put quite a bit of time and effort into this one. My full set of 50 photos from my travels will be complete by the end of week 90, and all will be printed and individually signed and numbered.
If I can receive a $20 (Australian $) donation for each one I will reach my target. I do have a couple of ideas on how I might progress with this, but any ideas, suggestions, or publicity about what I am trying to do is much appreciated.
Finally, as mentioned before, there is an open invite to come and join me in New York on the 4th July to celebrate the end of my journey.