Dave, Tim and Sandrine walking in Norfolk…my moody David Lean ‘Great Expectations’ homage… to Magwitch out on the marshes.
So we got back from our 14 months wandering around the world….felt exhausted but happy, took a while to readjust to being back in the UK and started job hunting in London. The re-adjustment part has been hard; well as far as I’m concerned anyway….I enjoyed waking every day to new adventures, meeting new people, road trips, stunning sites and in general…pretty amazing weather, who wouldn’t and we were lucky we got the opportunity..….but landing back in London mid January possibly wasn’t the best time to come back….can’t really speak for Dave…..he’s been out lunching it daily with old work colleagues and business contacts…hopefully he will get a new job soon but this current calamitous economic market isn’t helping much. Jobs are thin on the ground and everyone has tightened their belts. I have got a new job working for our old friend Ian managing the daily running of his fab company Nippaz with Attitude http://www.nippaz.com/ Ian is heading off with wife Flavia to live in Brazil for a while.
We have been catching up on friends; met up with Hadley who’s now back from his world trip, we originally met him in Guatemala…we received a beautiful gift from our friend Hong in Dalat, Vietnam who took us on the Easy Riders tour….we email regularly, as does Van in Hoi An, Vietnam who made all of our tailormade clothes. Keep the pictures coming Van, we love seeing what you and the family are up to. We will come to visit you again one day. We meet up soon with Mark and Ella who we met in Tulum in Mexico…and although our Belgian friend Ian is still tripping around the world, we expect to see him when he drops by London sometime in the near future. We have just got back from a few days in Hunstanton in Norfolk for the Easter break…where we stayed with Tim and Sandrine in Tim’s dad’s holiday flat, overlooking the sea. The scenery in that area is fantastic, very flat….we went for long walks through the marshes and along the beach. Sandrine tried to win on the arcade games but to no avail unfortunately…it’s all a fix!
We ate handsomely on pub grub, one of the meals at the local Gin Trap Inn.
Tim and Sandrine. Tim won his first title fight boxing last month!
Colourful cliffs and boulders and an old boat wreck on the beach.
My Dad, Hatch, sent over some new photos from his place in Kampala..here he is eating Easter Sunday ice cream accompanied by his new pup Brooks.
And here’s Anna posing with an enormous Cycad plant that has recently flowered in their compound. Looks a bit too little shop of horros for my liking, if the locals start going missing, blame it on the man eating plant!
We’ve covered a fair few miles around the UK recently…making the most of not being back at work yet. Visited Jayne, Duncan and their kids Max and Jed in Bristol where we also went to a groovy graffiti exhibition.
Jed…8 months and very cute.
Caught up with my Dad who’s been over from Uganda for his canal boat tripping, around the Midlands….catching up on our gorgeous niece Sarah now 15 months old…and in to absolutely everything!
Sarah May, fresh back from her first trip to Uganada to see her Grandpa Hatch and now on his canal boat motoring the English canals. Baby world traveller already.
My sister Emma inside the boat ….contemplating making a bacon buttie.
Messing about on the river….on Hatch’s canal boat.
This swan started getting a bit too up close and personal and nearly took my finger off with his beak!
Hatch on his boat – showing off his specially cultivated beard for the Captain look.
Dave’s left holding the baby…but she looks pretty amused!
Security onboard a neighbouring canal boat.
Through the tunnel.
And so many friends we made along the way have had big changes in their lives since we first met. Roberto who owns Shambala Petit Hotel in Tulum, Mexico had a beautiful baby girl called Naia…we will definitely be back there someday…although we are in touch every week, we both really miss Roberto. We love you brother!
And though he seems to have disappeared recently…..a big shout out to Jorge wherever you are in Mexico you crazy ass Mexican! Hi to Adrianna – keeping rolling the sushi….we will be back to see you guys I promise. Day of the Dead November 1st in Mexico, it’s in our diaries for 2009 or 2010! We went to visit Zuzi and Peter in Taunton, our Slovakian friends who we met in Palenke in Mexico at the start of our travels; they have since had a baby…Olivia…she’s gorgeous of course.
And here’s Anna posing with an enormous Cycad plant that has recently flowered in their compound. Looks a bit too little shop of horros for my liking, if the locals start going missing, blame it on the man eating plant!
We’ve covered a fair few miles around the UK recently…making the most of not being back at work yet. Visited Jayne, Duncan and their kids Max and Jed in Bristol where we also went to a groovy graffiti exhibition.
Jed…8 months and very cute.
…and big brother Max…also cute albeit a LOT noisier!
Caught up with my Dad who’s been over from Uganda for his canal boat tripping, around the Midlands….catching up on our gorgeous niece Sarah now 15 months old…and in to absolutely everything!
Sarah May, fresh back from her first trip to Uganada to see her Grandpa Hatch and now on his canal boat motoring the English canals. Baby world traveller already.
My sister Emma inside the boat ….contemplating making a bacon buttie.
Messing about on the river….on Hatch’s canal boat.
This swan started getting a bit too up close and personal and nearly took my finger off with his beak!
Hatch on his boat – showing off his specially cultivated beard for the Captain look.
Hatch shows Dave’s Mum how to navigate British Waterways.
Dave’s left holding the baby…but she looks pretty amused!
Security onboard a neighbouring canal boat.
Through the tunnel.
And so many friends we made along the way have had big changes in their lives since we first met. Roberto who owns Shambala Petit Hotel in Tulum, Mexico had a beautiful baby girl called Naia…we will definitely be back there someday…although we are in touch every week, we both really miss Roberto. We love you brother!
And though he seems to have disappeared recently…..a big shout out to Jorge wherever you are in Mexico you crazy ass Mexican! Hi to Adrianna – keeping rolling the sushi….we will be back to see you guys I promise. Day of the Dead November 1st in Mexico, it’s in our diaries for 2009 or 2010! We went to visit Zuzi and Peter in Taunton, our Slovakian friends who we met in Palenke in Mexico at the start of our travels; they have since had a baby…Olivia…she’s gorgeous of course.
Daddy Peter contemplates dealing with Olivia’s future boyfriends.
Mum Zuzi.
And Georgie and Mike who we met in Thailand…..flew back to Oz where baby Jules was born. I hope we meet again one day guys because hanging out with you was hilarious!
Mum Zuzi.
And Georgie and Mike who we met in Thailand…..flew back to Oz where baby Jules was born. I hope we meet again one day guys because hanging out with you was hilarious!
We are still in touch with so many people we met along the way, people who really made a difference to our experiences; people who were fun, generous, kind, knowledgeable and often hilarious…..we remember them all and hope we meet again!
The Travel Diarist 