We’re Done… Sort Of

Alan Taylor • September 8, 2016 • 0 Comments

You could say that we have successfully driven around the world. And we have.

Its taken 18 months, litres of fuel, tears, giggles, belly laughs and stress.

It couldn’t have happened without Barry and Donna. While I like to think I could have done this, “alone”, it would not have been the same. They show you how good a friend they are, especially when the chips are down or there is danger in the air.

Traveling with just Lynn, since Istanbul, has been awesome, and I don’t think we’re sick of each other, yet.

The blog couldn’t have happened without Deb and Alan Stewart of Syntax Marketing, Brisbane. Heaven’s knows how many hours of work has gone into this wonderful creation. Our sincere thanks, deeply, to you both.

Again, the blog (on my part) couldn’t have been as clear, without Brother-in-Law, Jeff Brown, with his skill in deciphering my written scribbles.

Leeanne and Ben from CTC Accounting at Port Macquarie. Before I left we made the best decision in having CTC Accountants control all our accounts. This became a masterstoke when we could see the pain suffered by Barry trying to do his banking, ‘on the run’ in some dodgy wifi areas. A simply stunning decision.

A little known fact is the in-house, on the ground research, carried out, skillfully, by my cousin, Jim Black. Jim gave assistance and found solutions ranging from Bentonite in Kazakhstan, dirty fuel in Uzbekistan to Air Filters in China!! Wonderful.

Emily, Blair, Cliff, Poll and Vivian for, as our kids, their ongoing support and enthusiasm for the trip.

Greg Knight and the guys at work for not complaining about me going. Mind you, there’s a certain level of concern one should associate with their lack of concern!

Dave Pipes at East Coast Screw Piers, for quietly turning a quid in my absence.

To the workshops across Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They carried out maintenance work on the Land Cruiser as much for the spirit of our adventure as for making a dollar. Sometimes it became a virtual fist fight to give them money. I remember a tyre fixed in NW Mongolia, in very arid country, and the best I could do was give the son of the owner a Kangaroo Pin. They would take nothing more. (Except photo’s with their mobile phones!)

I’m buggered… I’ve done my job and now I’m ready to come home

To the trusty Toyota. A 1991 Land Cruiser, with now over 470,000 kms on the clock, and I think she is going better now than when we set off. She is part of the family. A few guys from a town in BC, Canada, called, Avora (pop’n 26), suggested we take her home and “MOUNT” her in one of the rooms in the house. (It was late afterall)! She has so many memories.

So many others to thank. So many connections along the way. We have carefully saved the details and, over a long period of time, can renew connections.

This won’t be the last you will hear from me. Just a time to reflect, after having packed the car for the container, ready to ship and now out of our hands, to the time we buy some plane tickets to get home. A time now to sit in the hotel bar, after a few beers and pizza nearby, and wonder what it was all about. Where did the time go? (Where did the money go)?

Great times, great memories, great thanks.