And Finally…

It seems that Shanghai airport has become my Limbo; I seem to spend a lot of time here doing absolutely nothing. I can watch a movie, maybe read a book, but in the end I’m just killing time until I move on. One thing I am doing is thinking, thinking about my trip, the people I have met and the things that I have seen. I’m also thinking about home. After seven and a half months I’m going home. I am 2 hours away from boarding, 13 hours away from Sydney and 16 hours away from seeing my family.

Home. It’s a deceptively big word isn’t it? Four little letter have so much responsibility. What is home? I have seen miserable people in mansions and deliriously happy people in shacks. Is home where you find your family? Is home where you feel most comfortable? Is home where you find love? Home is up to you! You make it what it is, you make a home. Unfortunately with seeing my family and friends and going home, I also have to come back to reality! Damn it! Work, Bills, you know what I mean. But hey as long as I’m home.  Think home is addictive, and you never really know how important it is until your away. That’s why we travel! To have that feeling of coming home…

As I sit here in Shanghai Airport (again) and think about my journey (again), I can’t help but flicker through the amazing places I have been and people I have met; the Deverzy fire craters; the top of the world at Jungfrau, the Pamirs and Denver; snorkeling in 2 degree waters in Iceland and seeing the midnight (almost) sun; the beaches and jungles in the Philippines; the mayhem of driving in Tehran; Mohammad’s family taking us in for dinner; the Kurdish Generals insisting we stay the night; building a road to make it through an impassable river bed; the plains in Mongolia; rain in the Gobi; Camels, many, many camels; the many mates on the Rally (for a time the best friends a man can have); the happy, smiling faces in faraway places. There’s so much I didn’t see, but to tell you the truth I have seen so much, it’s going to take a while to take it all in and work it all out.

I came into China late last night, after saying goodbye to Emma, made it to my hotel, and had my first hot shower in 6 weeks. It’s funny how a couple of hours in a big, flying bus can make so many changes: language is different, temperature went from 30 degrees to 2 degrees and back to 30 once I get home, you look like everyone else, and everything is familiar, where it should be. It’ll take me months to not have to think about which side of the road I need to be on, weeks to bore my friends and family with stories (even though they could’ve just read this! You know who you are), a while to get back into the rhythm of work, and quite some time to get everything back into some sort of order. The biggest change is that I will be home. There’s a feeling yo0u get when you land back in Australia, a cuddly warmth that all is going to be Ok. There’s another thing too; a voice screaming in your head “WHY! Why did you come home?” I’m obviously a bit twisted.

Thank you so very much for coming along and taking my hand on this world trip, I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks to those who read my story and left comments. What did I take away from this trip? You don’t need much to be happy; family, humility, food and somewhere to sleep. Poor people can do it, so why can’t I?

It’s been a blast.

Thankyou!

Thank you for your time...

A Mongolian Adventure with James