And finally...

Saturday 2nd March

We have been back in Durban for  a week now. Although not quite home yet, arriving at Kirsty’s marked the end of our trip because this is where it all started. So when we drove into her yard and had an emotional re-union it was a special moment. I gave little Kei (aged three) a big hug and then another one saying ‘this one is from your granny Heather’. He squeezed me as hard as a three year old can for a good thirty seconds then stepped back and said in a very grown up way: ‘ I really really can’t wait to see them again’! Ahhh, hope you are reading this Granny Heather.

This last week was mostly about post-trip logistics, having the car serviced as well as being checked up ourselves. Doctors here know what to look for when it comes to all things ‘tropical’ so it made sense to do it here. We spent most of the week staying with Ed and Sandy and were once again treated to their amazing hospitality.

We had to extend our getting back to the UK by one week, partly because there is more that needs doing here than there is at home. Sorting through all our belongings is like moving house. Some things will stay in the truck, others will come back to the UK and some (mostly 'worn, torn and faded' clothes) will need to get thrown away. The truck will be stored on Ed sister’s farm, at least until Heather and Ian get back at the end of May when they will take it up to their home in Ingogo.

So as you can see I am scratching around for things to tell you now and I guess the time has come to ‘sign off’. There always was going to be the last blog so this is it. I have enjoyed writing it probably more than you have enjoyed reading it (at least that is what you keep telling me!). It has felt very indulgent sharing this experience with you as has getting your comments and emails. 

It really has been a great experience! We managed to see all the places we set out to see and a whole lot more. Africa is so beautiful, so varied, so raw and so dramatic.  There are landscapes that are totally untouched by time and human civilisation and you get a real sense of how things must have been once, a long time ago. 

We have been incredibly lucky. Almost all the people we have met in the various countries have been friendly and welcoming, we certainly never felt in any way threatened, despite the fact that more often than not we went off the beaten track; perhaps it was because of that. We also had nothing stolen nor did we lose anything (apart from my hair brush). But most important of all, we have remained healthy and not picked up any of the many diseases which are a big threat and could ruin a trip like this.

Our best moments? Well, although that was one of our main topics of discussion throughout the trip, looking back now we both feel that it wasn’t any one single moment but the sum of many small ones; the night sky in Sudan,  driving along Lake Turkana in the dust and extreme heat, the old Turkana woman welcoming us into the church on Christmas morning, and one of my favourite moments: sitting in our roof top tent and looking  out on to an African landscape,  feeling a huge sense of connection with everything around.   

Our low points? Of course we had those too but actually not many. These are easier to define into single events: losing Ian and Heather in Malawi with no phone reception and no plan B for re-establishing contact, visiting the Gikongoro college in Rwanda where 50,000 people were massacred.

One of the recurring comments from a lot of you has been the question of how do we end a trip like this and get back into ‘normal’ life.  Of course we have thought about this and in fact it was one of my main concerns before we set out. 

Well there is only one answer to this question and that is you plan the next one, so watch this space!

                                                           

Gabi (and Don of course) xxx

South Island, Lake Turkana

Central Island, Lake Turkana

Ian fishing, Lake Turkana

Scaffolding, Ethiopia

Camping in the desert, Sudan

Children selling handmade toys, Sudan

Ian walking in the sand dunes, Sudan

children playing music with home made instruments, Ethiopia

Wash day

Vegetable stew, Ethiopia

Ancient scripture, Axum Ethiopia

Freezing cold, Siemien mountains, Ethiopia

Coffins for sale, Lesotho

Ian with Gabriel, Lake Turkana

Heather taking notes of bird sightings

still undecided which way to go, Zimbabwe 

planning the journey home, Tanzania

fixing and mending day, Zambia

Sudan

Nyungwe National Park

Sunrise in the desert, Sudan

Best part of the day, Ian and Don making coffee