If there is one thing that I have learnt over the years it is that people take things for granted or don't appreciate things as much as they should do. To me it always seemed rather off that I told people I was from London, yet I have never actually seen any of it. Yesterday I spent the entire day walking round London seeing the 'sights'. A sense of 'I must see it before I leave' took over, despite it being on my doorstep for my entire life.

I had a good time riding the open top bus and the river boat in the pouring rain with a close friend of mine. The two of us, looking like crazy women for sitting in it as lightning crackled over Big Ben. Not only did it tick the 'tourist of London' box with our giant fold out map but it reassured me on something I have always known...I have the best circle of friends. The evening fell no short of the same reassurance as my circle of friends wished me farewell over a mountain of Chinese food and the obligatory stitch up over Fire Water...(Fire water is Rice Liqueur which is bottled at 51% a shot - it is recommended that you don't have more than 3. Double that and you would have seen me last night sat at that dinner table...almost plastered.)

Tears held off till the following day when I soberly read their farewell messages (Ben excluded...I laughed my head off at that one!) in the memento created for me by one of my closest, Nichola. Close friends are hard to come by and harder to keep, I like to think that after 18 years of knowing some of my closest, that even the world is not going to keep us apart. We're all moving forward in the things we have chosen to do, whether it's buying a house, getting married, developing our careers or having a baby; travelling the world is no exception. It's on this note that I take forward their well wishes (oh and Hannah's gift of a Personal attack alarm! *smile*) and on return maybe...maybe follow suit!

Still...if someone had told me 5 years ago that I would be leaving my job, family/friends, home country and selling everything I own to travel round the world I would have simply laughed them out of the building. Yet here I am with just under 2 weeks to go before I take on the biggest adventure of my life. Whether this is a good idea or not I won't know till I get to my first destination...Bangkok.