We are en route to Heathrow and we can't believe we're handing over our last flight tickets, probably the last paper tickets we'll ever have.Is this really flight no. 20 of our trip? Unbelievable.

After a quick duty free fix to use up our last Reals (we were only left with 40 centavos (c10pence), result!), & a BA economy class chicken & rice with a small bottle of red wine or 2, we're in a happy snoozy state reflecting on our 14 months.

It truly has been a feast of the senses - the tastes, touches, smells, sounds, sights & emotions.They roll off the tongue from every country; but here are a few of my favourites…

• Tasting my first food in 10 days - OK it was Spanish hospital consume & Sunny Delight, but it was delicious
• Sipping dawa (Swahili for medicine!) cocktails as the Zanzibar sun set over our own tropical paradise
• Sitting lapping up the sun by an Argentine lake, breakfasting on hot bread, just out the oven, covered with delicious dulce de leche (liquid caramel - DIVINE)
• Running my fingers over a Zambian elephant's rough skin & feeling the coarseness of the hairs that cover their body
• Experiencing bruising of the bum like I've never known on a Kenyan bus trip - they should also advise women when they buy a ticket that sports bras are advisable to prevent the pain of pothole riding!
• Smelling India in all its glory, from the stench of the streets & the mould of hotel rooms to the wonderful smell of chai masala first thing in the morning & all the wonderful spices of the street stalls
• The stench of Australian fish in our campervan days after we'd cooked the most delicious camp stove fish dish ever!
• Listening to the stories that Mike told of Isandlwana & Rorkes Drift that brought alive the atrocities of those battles
• Waking up to hippos grunting on the opposite river bank from our tree house in Namibia, only a day or so after I was woken in the night by the roar of hunting lions (very close by) as we slept in out tent (safely above ground level!)
• Seeing a KPMG office standing tall by the motorway in the tiny capital of Swaziland - you can never escape the 'K'!
• Having my breath taken away as the Himalayas emerged all around us in all their glory as the sun rose
• Laughing at ourselves as we arrive at the wrong place in France on Day 1!Thanks go to the French guy who told us we were on the right train! B******
• Sharing the joy of the Ugandan deaf children as they partied hard - balloons have never been such fun, & you should have seen them enjoy the chocolate cake - they had the time of their lives, and so did we!
• The warmth & love of dear friends we spent time with; Carol, John, Poppy & Jack in Hong Kong, Sean & Dinah in Sydney, Ingrid, Rocky & Ian in Melbourne & Amanda who gets a prize (or medal) for spending a month of our travels with us, 3 countries in 2 trips (mad or lucky….you decide & ask her!)

Just 24 hours ago we were on top of Sugarloaf Mountain looking across Rio & Christ the Redeemer lit up on the hillside.It was a stunning place to end our trip (& not just because we could top up our tans on Copacabana beach).

As we left our hostel, Sandy pointed out the striking statue of Christ the Redeemer looking over the city, in the gap between 2 buildings that I hadn't noticed from there before.It was a poignant reminder that we've not been alone in our travels, but that God has truly been looking out for us, guiding us & blessing us on every step of our trip. And as I doze off into a mid-flight dreamland, it's with a real sense of gratitude for everything that seems impossible to put into words but flows throughout my senses.