Our exit from Cambodia was dramatic. On the road to the airport the car in front of us burst into flames (no one was hurt) and as we arrived at the departure terminal a tremendous thunderstorm broke over our heads, leading to the only delayed flight of the whole trip.

By contrast on landing at Heathrow we are greeted with grey, leaden skies - weather more suited to February than May. Inside Terminal 5 the countenances of the immigration and customs staff are equally gloomy. Their surly, not to say rude, attitude, a shock. One of the most noticeable differences with all the places we visited has been the attitude to visitors. Walk into a New Zealand supermarket and the staff will ask if you're having a good day and mean it. In Cambodia and Vietnam nothing is too much trouble for people. It's depressing to think that for many visitors to the Olympics later this year their first experience of Britain will be the staff in Terminal 5. (Not that it gets much better outside in my experience.)

By the time we get to Newcastle the weather has improved. At least the sun is shining even if the temperature struggles to get into double figures. People ask us what was our favourite place. The answer could be anywhere where it is warmer!

But I don't want to end this blog on a sour note. We've had a fantastic trip (and, unlike the Grateful Dead whose song 'Truckin' supplies today's title, we didn't have to take any mind altering drugs to make it so). Everything has gone smoothly and as planned. We've been to some amazing places. Some were expected to be so whilst others have been a very pleasant surprise. We've seen some of the most beautiful and stunning scenery in the world. met lots of lovely people, eaten and drunk lots of good food and wine. In short we've had a fabulous time.

Hopefully this blog has given people a flavour of this so thank you for reading it and we hope you enjoyed this account of our travels.

Goodbye - until the next trip!