Five and a half weeks on….

The travels might have ended but I still feel compelled to write, particularly as now that we are back, a common question seems to be "So how is it being back?" Which made me want to conclude the blog with some earlier thoughts when we knew we were coming home, and what it feels like to be home now that we are actually here!

I think my main thought is just how goddamn lucky we are, to have had the last 14 months, full of such amazing experiences…when I think of everything we've done, or look back at our pictures, it's almost difficult to comprehend. It really was the most epic trip, in so many ways.

I am almost amazed (and thanking our guardian angels) that we had so little mishaps…barely even a stomach bug. We had some close calls, no doubt - between extremely stormy waters on boat trips, charging hippos, visa mistakes, a too-close-to-comfort fire in Russia - and there are places we have been to that we would possibly not venture into now (northern Iraq, Xinjiang province in western China) …even on our last day there was a terrorism threat directed at Entebbe airport, where we were flying back to the UK from, which made me feel quite edgy but of course everything was fine in the end, and none else looked particularly worried!

One question frequently asked is: "will you struggle to adapt to life back home in the UK"? Possibly…on our penultimate night away, I suddenly felt a whole mixed bag of emotions about returning, and what life would be like. After 14 months away, leading such a different life to what we were used to, I suddenly panicked that maybe I was too 'institutionalised', this was all I knew now, how on earth would I cope with normal (real) life? But then the UK is our home and as difficult as we thought it might be to 'readjust', being back and around family and friends again is so wonderful, and I wouldn't change what we are doing now (enjoying the UK summer, spending precious time with loved ones) for anything in the world. It's actually strange how 'normal' it feels, and how easily you slip into a different routine. So for now we are loving being home, even trips to London are more pleasurable than expected - it's great not being a tourist in a big city for once! - and we are both excited about the next stage / job opportunities ahead…this excitement of course may change once the realities of work and travelling on the Underground kick in! Whatever happens, nothing can change the things we learnt about ourselves, each other and the world while we were away, and the memories we have will last a lifetime.

Thank you to everyone that has read/commented/left messages on our blog…we've loved every one, and was always lovely to know there was a bit of an audience (not just our parents) and people following our travels with us, well done to those that made it to the end of some of the lengthier blog posts! For those that missed any, the reason I chose this particular blogging platform was due its function of being able to print out the blog and photos into a book, so, you have been warned, you can't escape that easily.

And my final thanks (anyone would think this as my Oscar acceptance speech) goes to my darling husband - absolutely the best travelling companion and partner-in-fun anyone could wish for, who lifted me up when there were travel-lows, and who always managed to make molehills out of mountains. With Simon it was always fun, always exciting, and I cannot imagine spending 24/7 with anyone else…(just as well, seeing as we are married).

Thank you darling, I loved every minute of sharing these adventures with you…bring on the next Hartley road trip Xxx

And now, I will leave you, with some of our favourite soundbites from Africa:

"Excuse me Sir, your chickens are escaping from your bag."

"Trust me, I'm a Christian."

"Can I have some Doom [insect killer] please, the geckos are eating my f*&king bag."

"The journey was only delayed by 12 hours? You were lucky!"

"Yes this bottle of wine is newly opened…I opened it 1-2 weeks ago."

"Are you brother and sister?"

"MZUNGU!" ("HEY, WHITE PERSON!")

"Yes boss."