Homeward bound

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After 11 months and 14 countries we are about to board our 16th flight of the trip - back to the UK.

We began our journey sleeping in a tent in Africa and have ended it staying in luxury at the Park Plaza in Bangkok (one upside to the protests is there are some great hotel deals to be had). We have been shopping up a storm these past four days (leather bags are soooo cheap) and also ventured up the tallest building in Thailand - the Baiyoke Tower. The views from the revolving platform at the top were immense and we enjoyed messing about with the photo ops up there that include a replica of a shop, a tuk tuk and a hot air balloon(!). We also found time to meet up with Adam and Por, or rather they found time to meet up with us, which was great.

We can't quite believe we have come to the end of our massive adventure. There are a plethora of emotions going on at the moment ranging from sadness that it is over to excitement about seeing everyone we love. The past 11 months have been everything we hoped they would be. We have seen some breathtakingly beautiful places, taken part in activities way out of our comfort zones, met some lovely people and sampled lots of different cultures. Highlights have got to include swimming with dolphins (a childhood dream of mine), climbing a glacier, watching a cheetah kill and skydiving (with Simon's fear of heights this was a great achievement).

We have created enough memories to last a lifetime and I am pleased to say we managed not to kill each other (although it came close a couple of times). Spending 24 hours a day with someone is always going to be a challenge but we worked well together (it's best when Simon just does what I say) and managed to find our way around various countries without mishap. Apart from the stolen wallet and bag of course. Oh, and on the way to the airport just now our taxi reversed into a van but aside from that it's been perfect.

I would totally urge anyone even thinking just a tiny bit about doing a trip like this to just save up and go. It is truly the best thing I have ever done and the last 11 months have been the most exciting of my life.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Until next time...

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