From the far

It really is about time we face the fact that, for now at least, our travelling is finished. So, to wrap things up for the blog (for now) we just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone for reading, to Lucy for all her amazing help and kindness with the BA flights everywhere (we literally couldn’t have done this without you!), Eve and Thomas for letting Eeyore come on such a huge adventure with us for such a long time, to everyone who has joined us on our travels including Ian Z (particularly for introducing us to ma pao’s and for being such a beautiful ray of sunshine), Tip and all of Neil’s friends for being so amazing and for sharing so much, Heng for sharing his insights into his beautiful country with us, Mandi & Dave (thanks for letting us crash your honeymoon – I’d like to say let’s do it again some time, but that would mean you getting divorced to get remarried, which is probably best left – it’s very expensive), Katrine & Arnaud for also sharing their honeymoon with us (eeks, we truly are honeymoon crashers) and their drunken card-shark nakedness, Jess & Sean (you’re such brilliant travelling companions and your expertise in pretty much everything is awesome and totally inspiring), Reuben & Jo (we are so happy to have met you, such an awesome couple and we can’t wait to see you in a couple of weeks! And Jo, thank you for saving my foot wound from the horrors of the Marlboro fag woman!), Joachim (for many things, but mainly that night in Hampi which makes us smile ridiculously every time we think about it – especially you chatting to the cow – and for your ongoing book recommendations), Arek for Indian hilarity and for your impressive love of smelly stray dogs, Amy for staying sane in a bang lassi world, Adam and Billy and all our Om Beach friends, our fellow dancing buddies in Bollywood, Adie and his beautiful sister for sharing the delights of cold goat’s brain with us in Albania, Stephan for your company and mind on the Camino, Libby and Lucy and dad and Sergio and their rucksacks, Tris and Em and Clary and Rupert for happy walking times and a brilliant villa getaway en Espagne, mum and dad and Sue and Paul for fun and frolics in NZ and Oz, Dave and Bev and baby Zac and Sam for fun times in Bondi, Louisa and Nick and all the Chapmans for giving us a home from home in Gisborne and for all that delicious NZ grub, Judy for her yoga ankles, Alison and Kevin for the random meetings on the South Island, and for the delicious and memorable fish and chips and vino tinto meal, Paul and Naomi and Jett who was a bump for putting up with us so many times (thank you SO much for all your help with everything but especially with the van – getting it, selling it, cleaning it, fixing it, bedding it up, sorting it out, storing it… you are amazing!), and everyone else we met along the way – all the smiling people everywhere. The world is truly a beautiful place.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” – St Augustine, 354-430.