Homeward bound

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Well well. Who'd have thought it. 96 days down, or thereby...kinda lost count along the way..and now here we are at Bangkok airport waiting for our return flight to old Blighty. Treated ourselves Last night to 5 star Eastin Grand in Sathorn district. Also final meal of trip in World famous Blue Elephant Royal Thai restaurant which just happened to be right next door. Well it also happened to be Valentines day! And she says im not a romantic...the jury is surely out on that one? We now feel ready to face the frozen, flooded wastes of northern Britainshire, Auld claes an porridge.....though will undoubtedly miss our warmer southern sojourns. We have had great times, seen many wonderful sights, met many lovely people, and marveled at the wonders of nature, the marvels of evolution, the ingenuity of man, and unfortunately also recoiled and wept at the horrors of mankind's savagery and seemingly never ending thirst for conflict and power. Are we any better people for going through all this? I doubt it, but it has been a wonderful journey, an experience we know we are privileged to have enjoyed, and we will face our own future with a wealth of happy memories and also a deeper appreciation of our own lives and lifestyle. We wish that we could change the fortunes of the many many poverty stricken communities that we have met, but will never be able to do so other than for very temporary periods. Only governments, and ultimately good politicians can do that, and we have seen so much corruption amongst those supposed to serve to feel very optimistic about that. Still, it has been good to peek behind the thin veneer of the tourist interface to witness some of the real world. G adventures have been excellent for that and we would definitely use them again if given the chance.

Was 14 weeks too long? We think probably about right, though would probably go for less in future, as we will possibly get older as the years go by, although that's maybe just an assumption.

Realistically it will depend on so many different things, mainly our health and that of our nearest and dearest. So much to see and do, so little time...which just about sums up my life philosophy...aka, there will be plenty time to sleep when your dead. Still, it would be great to think we could repeat the experience again sometime, visiting other places...the Galapagos islands, Borneo, Myanmar, India, Namibia, and Antarctica to name but a few! We can dream, but even if not, we are so grateful to have done this trip, and with so little complication..everything virtually, went so smoothly. We have been so fortunate. But now thoughts turn to home, family, friends and, of course, the cold and damp. Time for the silver surfers to board the silver bird and wistfully wing westwards...into the sunset!

Tempus fugit. Nil carborundum illigitimi. Etc

Bugger!

For every high there is a low. For every summer there is a winter and for every day there is a night. A sunset for each sunrise...Just when you think that all is well, life has a habit of jumping up and biting you in the bum. Ying and yang, Ouch!

Minutes after setting foot on British soil my mobile leapt into life and smacked me right in the proverbial pus. A message from my good friend Brian. Another very good friend, Graham Robertson had just collapsed and died about 3 hours before whilst closing up his business for the night. Suddenly, all the excitement, stories and memories of the last few months become insignificant, and are replaced by excruciating sadness and empathy for Moyra, Ross and Kaye. Again, the thinness of that line between life and death, the frailness of our existence, seen so often over my career, comes sharply back into focus. And the pain of losing another close friend, Peter, just 3 years previously in very similar circumstances, leaps back out of the cerebral closet with renewed vigour. We have shared many happy times with Graham and Moyra over the last 35 years or so, and the thought of never doing so again is very painful. Graham has been a big presence in our lives for decades, keeping us smiling with his cryptic take on life, and his refreshingly honest opinions. You knew where you stood with Graham! And if our lives will be poorer without him, what must Moyra, Ross and Kaye be going through?

We are to stay in Edinburgh for a few days yet as we promised to look after the kids whilst Louise has her chemo midweek. We hope to get back home to Edzell on Thursday, and hope to see Moyra then. We need to then head north to collect Rolo and catch up with Emma and the rest of the family. But first we will pay our respects and bid farewell to a very dear friend.

Then our journey will have come to its end..or at least this chapter. What lies ahead? Who knows? Whatever it is, we should be able to look back and say 'I didn't waste life, I lived it to the full, I wouldn't change anything' Been there, done that, ate the t shirt. Sure we all want just one more shot of the swings before we have to go in for our tea, but at least we've both had our tea and been on the swings.....and the pistes, the greens, the rinks, the batter, the tables and just about everything else. So whose complaining? Maybe just one more shot though....

To paraphrase both Peter and Graham....'They're takin them frae oor pen noo'

Over and out.

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Photos

Infinity pool 14th floor
Bangkok skyline in background

Blue Elephant restaurant
100 yr old mansion house among the skyscrapers. Bangkok

Cheers
Here's to past 14 weeks and return home

Bye bye bangkok
Easton Grand and full moon

New life. New hope
Freya Duff. The circle of life.