Thanks, Graham.  Yes, cycling with a Rohloff does change the way you see bike components.  I had thought that I was pretty much done with derailleurs, having paid my dues, etc., etc., and now I find myself volunteering in a bike-recycling organization once a week, and--as dictated by some obscure corollary of Murphy's Law (two-wheeled section)--I find now myself fixing/tweaking/shaking my head at derailleurs nearly every week.

As for the planning fetish (my work, as I'm rather afflicted by it too), I heard a good interview last week on CBC with Ringo Starr.  He was describing how he's been meditating pretty much every day since 1992. He said in his soft Scouse accent, "I find it protects me from myself."

Seems that your mate Alex has you properly sorted and set up for your Taiwanese safari, at any rate.  If memory serves, he assembled your red Audax, no?

John yes Alex assembled my Thorn Audax, which has now covered approx 40,000 km faultlessly. He also did a major rebuild of my Thorn Sherpa (inc lighter wheels) which greatly improved the ride feel. 

Other than being an outstanding mechanic, Alex also plans and helps run major recreational cycling events; and does amazing things like being the expedition mechanic for a group of 80 Australian MTBers who rode across Mongolia. 
He contributes a lot to cycling in many ways. Alex’s current cycle commuting bike is a bamboo framed model fitted with a Shimano Nexus internal geared hub. 

I've seen pictures of bamboo-framed bikes--intriguing machine.  Alex' endorsement of that would count for a lot if I were in the market.

A very good guy to know, and to have in your cycling community :-)