Celtic Rover
Nelson has made it home after 30844 miles or 50k kms we crossed 30 countries in just 168days – three days ahead of plan as I did not need to stop for work in Germany. Amazingly despite some dramas I got all the visas and crossed all the countries successfully and hit every planned rendezvous (7 of them) on time. I am super proud and more than a little relieved that the 22 year old truck made it all the way with only minor problems!
I am not a nomad, some of my friend in the Overlanding world are, leaving all behind and travelling as a life choice and that is fine for them. That is not my choice.
I have learned many things from this trip, and probably with time and reflection I have more to learn still. One thing I do know is that I am lucky enough to have a good life, friends, family and home base and if anything I appreciate these things even more having seen so much on my trip and lived among people who are less fortunate, and yet often very happy, a lesson in itself…
I still hope to travel, South America and Southern Africa beckon over the next two years, but my travelling is an expedition from a home base which I love, it is the icing on the cake, not the cake. So for now I will enjoy meeting with family and catching up on their stories, sorting out our garden (you can see it needs it), getting my old car running (took new plugs and a fuel pump to get it moving) and running with my buddies – I even stopped at B&Q on the way home to pick up light bulbs and a power washer as I know no one else in the family will have reached the high lights (literally).
I intend to move all these posts onto the website and tidy things up over the next few weeks, after that I will update future plans repairs and upgrades to the truck on the Celtic Rover facebook page and keep this page for more happily mundane stuff for the next six months.
Thanks to all of you who have followed and posted and liked, in the grasslands of Kazakstan or the deserts of Iran, when I felt a long way from everything, posts and likes kept me connected and reminded me of all the great things waiting for me at home – off to dinner with Lee at our favourite restaurant in half an hour we have a lot to catch up on
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