Like this:

Drunken wide smiles NYE

Six months, 483,000 units of alcohol, 300 gallons of coffee, 76 Starbucks muffins, 23 litres of ice cream, seven flights, four Australian states, three different countries, two camper vans, one Ford Focus and we are done.  I’ve thought for days about how I should finish what has become somewhat of a novel and to be honest I’m starting this without a clue what to really say.  We have laughed, we have cried, we have had times where we have simply wanted to give up and come home, we’ve also had time where we have wanted things to continue for longer.  Truth be told I did some sums as far back as Perth and worked out that at our rate of spending we’d be home by October.  So when October came round and we made it to Sydney, we looked at our bank account and £50 told us that fate amongst other things would decide whether or not we would do the whole six months and our prayers were answered after only three days when Martel was offered a job.  I call it fate, Martel calls it being very good at lots of jobs and easily employable.  Looking back in the beginning we did struggle, not with the money that was passing through our hands quicker than gambler on pay day.  At times either one of us had a day when we just wanted to give up and go home, you can be tired, the weather can be shit and your fed up with living an almost tramp like existence with people who choose to live like pigs when you’d prefer not too but you have no choice, you can’t afford a hotel and eating out would mean breaking your $20 a day budget.  In the grand scale of things that’s nothing to what some people endure but at times like that it feels like you’re the only person in the world who has a problem and the answer to yours would be to change your ticket and go home early.  We both considered going home a failure so to be honest it was the last thing we’d do and I’m bloody glad. 

So many sun sets

We have done so many cool things, and met so many cool people it’s simply impossible to pick one memory that stands out.  Your brain can only really think back a week or two so sitting here now it feels like we’re going home after only a few weeks away, then we look back at the pictures and recall all the stuff we’ve done and realise just how lucky we were.  This kind of trip is like a fairytale, you spend and earn funny money that doesn’t get eaten up by all the bills,  you socialise with people who you have only know a few hours and you do things everyday that if you’re lucky you do once a week back home.  What started out as alien suddenly becomes normal, so going back home to what was normal makes us a little nervous; will my brain still work when I walk back into work Monday morning, will I still know how to drive a manual gearbox, what does wine taste like out of a bottle and not a cardboard box, will we ever eat something again that comes from a free food shelf, and will my mum still recognise me now I have a beard and dreadlocks?!  We have mixed emotions about going home but what we’ve done is an achievement and something not everyone is lucky enough to do in their life and in that respect we go home with a big smile on our face and an empty bank account.  We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this but for now its thanks and good night. x