back home...

So I have come to my final destination: home. Here I am, full circle completed, contemplating a return to work and musing about the trip.


After five months’ travel I am looking forward to some familiar home comforts. I’ve never felt I’ve missed London up to now. But now that I'm back, I’m glad to be returning.
I had a walk through the central London parks today, full of spring blossom and flowers, with the full warmth of a good spring day, and it was great to be back.

Thanks for reading this blog over the last few months. Thanks too for many encouraging comments. I may have a few follow up entries, and maybe my next trip will be blogged here too.

So, how to summarise this disparate trip?
· 150 days (includes 2 April 1sts). The other 30 days of the 180 to be spent in quiet contemplation (I doubt it!)
· 40 different modes of travel (I will update the list…)
· 24 air flights (I’ll be paying off my carbon debt for a long time!)
· 37 different hotels and guest houses (some more than once; longest stay, 6 days; shortest, 12 minutes); plus one villa; 3 overnight flights; stays in three private homes; and one night in the open desert.

Well, of course it’s more than the statistics.
Have I learnt anything? I can be self sufficient – I can deal with foreign places even if I don’t understand the languages; but ultimately there are many places that are more enjoyable as shared experiences. I’ve really enjoyed the companionship of old friends and new along the way.

Best experiences? Culturally: Bhutan. Geographically: Rio. Party mode: New Year with friends in Bangkok and Bali. But there have been so many different types of things happening, it’s been very rich and varied, and hard to single things out.

Worst experiences? Remarkably trouble-free. I suppose the night at the (closed) national park in India with the all night wedding party going on next door, followed by a suicidal drive back to Delhi, was the worst 24 hours.

New things I’ve enjoyed doing: this blog; a more serious approach to photography thanks to my great new camera. [My little Vaio notebook, though now a little battle-scarred, has been excellent and performed perfectly, downloading form the camera and uploading to the blog]

Old things I haven’t missed: doing the laundry. English winter.

Lost: a nice pair of slip on sandals I bought on the way. My first aid kit. Not much else, amazingly.

Gained: some lovely art and handiwork, especially from Nepal, Bhutan and Rio. A tan. Possibly a few new friends. And perhaps a better perspective on life.

Best wishes, Keith