Day 177: The End

Day 177

We run off the plane and power walk ourselves through the Mumbai airport to the transfer desk which feels about a mile away from the gate. Once there, its a bit chaotic and we get rushed through a queue and get given our boarding pass. Then we have to go through the most thorough security we've had in ages, with our bags being searched as well as ourselves. We power walk through duty free and through the airport where we find our gate after about a 20 minute walk, and after a quick wee we board, phew.

Our tickets are checked loads more times (Mumbai is so thorough) before we sit down on our last flight of the trip!!! This is very exciting. This one is about 9 hours and man, it drags. I get a little sleep but I'm too excited and uncomfortable to stay snoozing for too long. I watch a couple of films and wolf down my breakfast. We are meant to land at 6am but we circle Heathrow for half an hour which kills me, and I even get a little grumpy (well very grumpy). But finally we land and my excitement builds even more, we go through security, grab our bags and then we are here! Home. England. Oh man this feels good.

We are getting picked up by a driver so we can surprise everyone and he's standing at the arrivals with a little sign, yay! We get in is snazzy BMW for the hour and a bit drive to Ben's mums. Oh my kittens, its so good to be back on UK soil, with all the pretty fields and tiny houses and then suddenly, we arrive at Helen's drive, let the surprising begin!

Helen screams, my mum cried, Amy can't believe it, Dad's watching tennis and the nephews seem a little shocked but luckily they aren't too grumpy, man I've missed them!! It takes 2 days to get round everyone and it was such a nice way to do it, we didn't feel rushed as no one knew or guilty if we spent to long with anyone. It's not the cheapest way to do but I would definitely recommend it, even just for the faces :D

And so it ends...

I've written up the last few blogs now I'm home and it hard to believe sometimes it even happened, normal life has hit hard and quick. But I get daily flash back to these past 6 months and each and every one is utterly incredible. Granted there were several times I ached badly for home with it's safe houses and easy foods and every single day tested me and pushed me to do, eat, see something new but you know what? It was the best 6 months of my life. I've see some just amazing things that I never would have been able to on a holiday, I tried so many new foods and aventures I never would have bother to at home and I've come home with a fiancé, my best friend, there really isn't anyone in the world I would have rather done this trip with. I would do it all again in an instant :)

And so to end, I just want to say a big thank you for reading, its been really fun writing this blog and a brilliant way to make sure I remember every detail. Below I've quickly answered the questions I've been asked most since I've been home. If you've got any more just comment and I'll write back :)

Best Place

Hard one, but as an overall country Sri Lanka, it was so beautiful and the people are very friendly. If you can get past the hot food (or you love it) its insanely amazing.

Worst Place

For me, it is a toss up between Hanoi (we were sick and it rained, a lot) and obviously Otres in Cambodia (Think rats) but that last one is unfair as it's a beautiful stretch of beach, unspoilt with warm waters and delicious food. I've just got too many bad memories.

Best Historical Sight

Another hard one, I loved the Angkor complex, I literally burst into tears when I first saw it but it was trumped by Borodubur in Indonesia. That at sun rise is a must see for everyone.

Favourite Food

Amok in Otres and Shrimps in general, I've become a bit of a fiend.

Best Animals

The Gibbons in Thailand were just so cute and hearing them call across the forest around us was amazing, and then the leopard in Sri Lanka, that was just, Wow.

Day 175 and 176: Our Last Day and Starting Our Way Home

Day 175

Today is our last full day before we go home and its so weird to write that! We are going to do what we do best today...sunbathe! Breakfast this morning has some delicious avocados and eggs, I'm going to miss having it made for me. With a full tummy, I spend the whole day sunbathing. Ben and Lee go off down the beach and Angela goes into Galle, and I'm still here, flipping, rolling and reading, bliss. I catch up with Mum and Aunty Margaret on Facetime and carry on the trickery, as they think we won't be back for a month but really its only 2 days time!!

Tonight we are eating in and its a Hatty special, full of lots of salads, fresh fish and new potatoes. Oh my its utterly delicious, not spicey and not noodles. As you can tell me palette is ready to go home. We finish the night polishing off rum and wander back for our last night.

Day 176

We pack up for the last time today and I am so ready to go home. Living out of a rucksack definitely loses its appeal after a while. We waddle out way to L & A's cottage and dump our bags, which I hope is the last time I have to walk that far with it. We have a yummy breakfast and then spend the morning watching the rain and getting ourselves ready for off. Lunch is delicious garlic prawns, salad and garlic bread which is scrumptious and has the added pleasure of garlicking out anyone who is going to sit next to us on the plane. At 3 o'clock, a driver comes to pick us up and we wave goodbye to Lee and Angela and start the beginning of our journey home. 

It takes 3 1/2 hours to get to the airport and its a really cool drive. From forests of dead trees covered in ivy to the bustling streets of Colombo, it just cements my love for Sri Lanka. We arrive at the airport just as our check in opens so swan through security and fail miserably to get an upgrade with the engagement. We've got about 2 hours to kill before our first flight so Ben goes off to explore whilst I get accosted by a weird man who kept telling me how lovely English women are, eek. We board, seat and fly with it going without a hitch apart from taking ages to land and then for the doors to open, which makes our 1 1/2 transfer even tighter eek. 

Day 173 and 174: Journeys and Food

Day 173

Ben had to get up so many times in the night and I doubt that even when he did sleep it was a good one :( We are leaving earlyish so we can get to Galle in good time so we pack our bags and then slowly (and gingerly for Ben) walk down to the road to walk for L&A. Turns out Lee is sick too so it must be something they shared, my bet is the mystery meat, urg. The drive is beautiful and we stop a few times to get pictures of waterfalls which are out of this world stunning. As the drive continues, I take stock of the scenery and think about Sri Lanka. It is easily the most beautiful place we've been and I've fallen in love, even if the food isn't quite for me.

We arrive at Galle at about 2pm and go to our place first, as usual, to drop off our bags.

There's a bit of a mix up as we've only seemed to have paid for 1 person, but it's quickly resolved with a smile and more cash and we make our way to L&A place. Wow it's awesome, it's a cute little cottage, just next to the sea with a pretty decor inside with art and books filling each room. Outside there is a lovely garden with loads of chairs and a pool, and a little gate that takes you straight out onto the beach. The sea is as rough as I remember so I don't think I'll be paddling again. We sit on the sand whilst L&A sort out the drivers. Tonight we are going out for dinner so after a drink, we go back and change and then out for some delicious noms which isn't spicy, yay!!

Day 174

We have breakfast at the cottage this morning and its a yummy Sri Lankan spread which means some is a little hot for me but it's still delicious. We spend the morning sunbathing which is so so good as I've missed my new favourite past time. I slouch on a sun lounger, reading and sleeping. Ah bliss.

At lunch time, we get all dressed up and head into the town of Galle. Lee's never been on a tuk tuk and he's pretty excited. We first head to the office so they can pay the rest of their apartment, then to the bank to change some cash up and then off to explore. The tuk tuk has left us now so we walk off on foot. Galle was once owned by the Portuguese who made the fort and then the Dutch and its building reflect that.

The first place we got to is the Galle Fort Hotel which is where L&A were going to stay but we are all glad they decided on the pretty cottage. It's nice enough but a little soulless and obviously nowhere near the sea. We stop for lunch here though and it's pretty scrummy. I nom an apple and swiss cheese sandwich and tea, scrum. The real exploring starts now and we head towards the fort wall, checking out all the little shops and sweet buildings on the way. 

Sri Lanka has crows like we have sea gulls, you can't seem to go anywhere without spotting them and the locals seem to like them as much as we like the gulls. We spot one guy near the wall shooting then down with a catapult, well that's one way to do it. The old fort wall is quite cool to walk around but not in this mid day temperature, and it isn't long before the chap's sunbathing earlier starts turning into sun burn. They are getting redder and redder so we leave the sun lashed wall and head back to the town. We spot cute little churches and odd buildings.

After this L&A want to check out a hotel called the Sun Hotel, we just have to find it first and we wander for quite a while before we find a map, spotting some rare Langur monkeys as we do. We saw one section on the fort call Sun so we head there but after walking for a while and picking up a creepy guide, who the other Tuk Tuk drivers called dangerous, we give up. My tummy is rumbling again so we go back to the Galle Fort Hotel and I have the best Nicoise salad and everyone else's food is just as awesome. I think I might be falling into a food coma.