Touchdown!
Our plane lands in the great heat,
We collect two trolleys full of luggage,
Tired with not much sleep.

Everywhere the horns are honking
While the smog blurs the views away,
the Arabian Sea ripples while the red sun sets,
And it’s getting darker and darker today…

Some new and unpleasant smells
On the dangerous roads with no pavements,
Mumbai, we have arrived,
What surprises do you hide?

Nilay

As always its the people that make a place, and so leaving Ham, a place which we had made our home for the past 10 years, was more difficult, and I suspect we will only realise what we have left long after our lift off from Heathrow. As well as tying up a few lose ends, we were all able to see some of our friends in Ham one last time. Nilay also had the opportunity to visit his school class (now year 5) at the Russell School and share some of the highlights of our european trip.

For Milan and Nilay to leave Ham is to leave a place where they have lived practically all of their lives, and they will always remember their childhood friends and primary school days. But as I’ve said previously, we’re not looking at this as moving far away down under, but creating an opportunity for all those in the UK & Europe to visit a nice part of the world! It was great to have a final round at the Hand & Flower on Saturday evening as we remembered the good times in this great little part of the world. I also felt however that a departure wouldn’t be complete without a final burst in Richmond Park on a clear and crisp Sunday morning, which along with the River had been a rambling ground for the past 11 years. Thank you, we will miss you, and hope to see you again soon…

JR

After our arrival back in the UK last Wednesday, our immediate focus was to find Clifford a new owner. Despite our emotional connection with the van we had to of course approach the whole thing with a rational mind. With a good level of interest after posting on e-Bay a week earlier, we were hopeful. It must have been fate as the first person to come and look at Clifford gave us a good offer and the deal was done!

Friday would be our last excursion into London where we had planned one last drink to say goodbye to the city in which Maria & I met 21 years ago and one which I seem to never tire of. We also decided to mark the day with a trip on the London Eye as Maria had never had experienced this aerial view. The drizzle cleared for a few moments and we were able to reflect on our time here and capture some last images as we also contemplated what lies ahead. In the evening it was great to meet with a few friends whom we’ve known since our Tent City days all those years ago, as well as some whom we’ve got to know since. Thanks for a great time…adieu!

Tired of London, Tired of Life!

JR