The end of one adventure, the start of another

Homeward bound - soaking up the beautiful views of vineyards while I still can

As I write this, I'm about to head home and it's made me reflect on all that's happened in these 5 crazy months we've been away. They've been eventful, up and down,amazing and unforgettable. So much has happened that I could yabber on for eternity,so instead a top 10 would be a better idea:

10. Dinner with the over 50's and a local mayor at a Buddhist         temple in My Tho, Vietnam

9. Bodyboarding on Kuta beach, Bali

8. Laying eyes upon Hoi An for the first time and feeling like we'd stepped back in time

7. Getting down with the monkeys at the Monkey temple in Ubud, Bali

6. Seeing the ruins of Pompeii

5. Stepping out into the San Siro - a legendary stadium I've always wanted to see

4. The first couple of weeks in Piedmont soaking up everything that life in northern Italy had to offer

3. Cruising on a junkboat, kayaking, climbing hills and caving in Ha long bay, Vietnam

2. The giant water fight that is Songkran

1. Watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat

There's so much more that could go in the list too - it's been that kind of journey.

Thanks

Claire posing with Virginia, Davide and Corrado - Adelaide was running around somewhere!

Firstly thanks go to the amazing Scarsi/Di Bilio family that have taken us in these last couple of months. They've been so accommodating, so understanding, so kind and so much fun to be around. They've really made us feel like we couldn't have got luckier this summer.

Claire with Evanne during the week long Canale festival

Thanks go to the friends we've met along the way - whether they're the many nationalities we met in south east Asia or a friend we've known for longer and were lucky enough to catch up with on the road. Thanks also go to the other au pair we've met this summer in Piedmont, Evanne - I feel we've all got quite close these last 9 weeks and it's been great getting to know you.

Final thoughts

A couple of months back, I considered the words from my first blog and whether I'd changed as a person. At that time I couldn't answer the question - which said to me that I hadn't. Now, as I stand on the precipice of going home I realise that I'm farther removed from that person who left England in March than I'd realised. I used to wait until my colleagues would leave their desks at work just so I could go up to the window unseen, lay my hand against the glass and get lost in thought about what was out there, where my life was truly headed and what I really wanted from it all.

Landing in Ho Chi Minh city was a real step into the unknown..

I know now that I've been there, to the real unknown. I've seen the things I didn't know existed and I've felt things I never knew I could. I've learnt more about the world, about life, I've learnt more about my own way of living and myself than I ever could at home and I'm eternally grateful for that.

When you see so much of the world, you start to think about what "wonderment" remains in the parts that you haven't seen. In that moment you soon begin to see that it's in the every day things that make up your life.  It's a feeling I doubt many people can fully appreciate unless they step outside that comfort zone into the brave new world, but when you do experience it for real - and I mean REALLY feel it - you know it's a feeling you A) can never forget and B) never allow to diminish again, as you know that now you have that feeling, that your life is more complete, more full of purpose than it's ever been.

So yes, I have changed, I've changed for the better. I've memories that I'll feast upon in my mind for a lifetime and that's more real, more precious than anything you can buy/be given in this life.
I know that my life from now on will be forever richer in spirit than it's ever been thanks to the things I've seen and experienced and that I've stepped right outside that comfort zone, I've travelled to the other side of the world, I've lived off the beaten track, I've done things not every person you'll meet will've done, I've memories that are unique to me, and above all else.... I'm happy with all of it, the good, the bad, even the strange, because no-one will ever take what I've been through from me.

I'm happy to go home and start over again with my amazing wife, to build a new home, a better home and to see all of the people I hold dear and to do the things I truly love to do. I can't wait to get started, just like I couldn't wait to go on this adventure, because I realise it's just another type of adventure I'm heading out on and I can't wait to figure out the rest of it out for myself along the way because I'll never stop staring at the horizon, wondering what's next.

Life is always ahead of you, in front of you, behind you. Life is good, so long as you have the right attitude and I'm never going to stop living it the way I want now that I've started.

Here's to the next adventure....