20. Final days, feeling Blue

Well, I'm writing this entry a week after returning home and the trip is now a distant memory! Did it really happen? I take it as a massive positive that I'm not looking back, there's so much for me to look forward to here in the UK. Nevertheless, for a few minutes, let me wrap up the trip with a few words of description and reflection.

Reunited with Bertha! As I journeyed from the airport to my Warm Showers host's house (where she was stored) I genuinely became excited about seeing Bertha again! My hosts were away when I picked Betha up but, such is the security of the suburb in which they live, they had left Bertha outside their house, safe in the knowledge that she would not be stolen. As I cycled to my hostel, I'd planned to pass a few bike shops in the hope of finding a bike box ready for the flight home. I got one from the first shop I tried, result!

Bertha, her box and a new friend. Last time I was in Bangkok I stayed in Sukhumvit, this time I was in the Old Town, not far from Khao San Road. I much prefer Old Town. It's an area I'm familiar with from my old backpacking days. Nice to be in a district surrounded by good services - cool cafes, cheap restaurants and to be able to walk around places that trigger memories from past times. Nostalgia-fest! The longer I've stayed in Bangkok, the more it's grown on me. There is no doubt that Chiang Mai is an easier place to be; quieter, less traffic, slower-paced, but these last days in Bangkok were a laid-back delight. The trip was complete, no more planning to be done, just slow down and relax. A huge contrast to the first days here when I was wondering "What the hell am I doing?!?".

My hostel was next to one of Bangkok's khlongs - canals.

Just a few minutes walk from Khao San but, honestly, I could quite happily never go there again! I took a walk through the Khao San circus, early on a Saturday evening and was overwhelmed by the sensory bombardment. Loud music blasting from bars, their staff trying to entice you in with special offers, hawkers shoving goods in your face, crowds of young backpackers filling the street. Not for me anymore!

Bertha, dismantled and ready for the flight. Even with a seized-up seatpost, she fitted into the box OK. Took less than an hour to take her apart and box her up.

Instead of bar-hopping on Khao San Road, I found entertainment and stimulation in photographing cats in the Old Town! 

Besides cat photos, I also made a couple of trips to the cinema to see Flow (cat-themed) and The Brutalist. For the love of films but also to escape the heat and humidity of the Bangkok streets. Always good to have long sleeves/trousers in cinemas though, the air-con makes it a bit chilly!

Hot street, cool cat.

I found this really nice cafe in Chinatown, cat-themed! The owner is a big alternative music fan, lots of 'dream pop' playing when I've visited. When I visited in February I gave her the recommendation of Nabihah Iqbal. This time, lots of 80s pop was playing so I wrote her out a list of songs - Cocteau Twins, The Pixies, The Stone Roses etc. She was really pleased to receive the list! I was really pleased that she was really pleased to receive it!

Honestly, the heat and humidity this day. I nearly joined them. 

Back in the UK, I am looking forward but I will miss eating on the street, casual noodle stores in every nook and cranny or street corner. 

Poser. 

Before I knew it, I'd arrived back in the UK and was on my way to Oxford. I inadvertently bought a coach ticket for a National Express service to Oxford. Their bike policy is for foldable bikes only. Whoops! I was desperate to get going though and pleaded with the driver "Yes. It's a bike. But it's in a box. Please let me on." With an air of resignation and massive goodwill, he let me on and we were soon on our way. 

From Oxford it was a 50 mile bike ride back to Wiltshire (where I'm currently living). 

Mercifully, it was a beautiful spring day - warm and sunny - and this really cushioned the blow of returning. To reconnect with the UK's natural history was just fantastic. Lots of rookeries on the ride to Wiltshire.

I saw four species of butterfly on my ride home, including this Comma in Swindon.

As I rolled into the driveway at home in Draycot Cerne my mileage for the trip reached a nice round figure of 4000 miles (6437 km).  

A couple of days after returning home it was my birthday.

One of the best birthday presents was seeing this Small Tortoiseshell. Once a common butterfly, recent population trends have been disastrous...

You can take the boy out of the bike tour but you can't take the bike tour out of the boy! (?)

Four days after returning, I was touring again with a ride up to Matlock for a conference related to a job I'll be starting in June. 

150 miles there, 150 miles back, mostly sunny weather, what a great way to return to the UK!

Chipping Camden. Quintessential Cotswold town.

Many thanks to the National Trust for letting me camp in their car park. I mean, I think they'd have been OK with it if they'd known?!? To be honest, the UK is one of the countries where I'm least comfortable with wild camping but, pitch late, leave early and you're generally OK. I staked out the car park and waited for the last car to leave before I pitched. 

One swallow does not make a spring but I did see one swallow overhead during the stake-out. 

This is something I missed while in Asia, campfire cooking. With the abundance of food and warmer climate you really don't need a stove when cycle touring in Thailand, Taiwan etc but there's something about the ritual of making your own tea, heating your beans that is so enjoyable and completes the camping experience. My mini-Trangia is nearly 20 years old and seemingly indestructible!

Thanks again National Trust, the picnic bench was perfect for making breakfast! It was great to bring my Aeropress and espresso coffee for a proper caffeine hit at the start of the day (thanks Liz Bailey, for both the Aeropress and coffee!). 

Ridiculous really, but I was carrying more kit for this 4-day trip than I did for my 4-month tour. Needed extra layers for the chilly nights but, man, I was so snug in the tent with my padded jacket, woolly hat and sleeping bag liner! And then, to be woken up by the dawn chorus, bliss!

Passing Coventry, stopped at the WWII-bombed cathedral. 

The Derbyshire Dales. A couple of steep climbs to contend with but, having done the Mae-Hong Son loop (Thailand) and crossed Northern Laos, I was ready. 

A camp spot on the way home after the conference. I'm interested in finding out more about the 'Right to Roam' movement in England. For me, riding out in the English countryside and then pitching up to wildcamp at the end of the day feels like such a natural thing to do. Yet it is contentious. As long as you 'leave no trace', what harm is done? 

Many thanks to Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for the wildcamp in their shelter at Hayles Abbey Halt, I'm sure they would have had no objections to my staying had they known! With the wind blowing from behind, it was perfectly sheltered and beautifully set me up for the next day's ride, once more sunny and breezy, across the Cotswolds back home to Wiltshire. 

The heavy bit, sorry for the text, humour me! 

Just before leaving for this trip I read "The Place of Tides" by James Rebanks and it resonated with me hugely, voicing some of the reasons why I found myself on this trip. Two years ago, my life was seemingly on rails - secure teaching job, settled life in Oxford, regular routine of hobbies and interests, I was contented in many ways. Then, after Dad unexpectedly passed away, I focused my energy and attention elsewhere. My job and Oxford life inadvertently slipped through my fingers. For a long time, to see my accepted life disappear was painful. But, for better or worse, I have 'twisted', struck out and made a change and I've needed this trip to make peace with this decision. 

I recognise that to be able to take four months to travel is a huge privilege and I don't take it lightly. 

Like James, I've strived to lay down baggage, it wasn't helping me to move forwards. I feel that baggage is still there but the influence it has on my life is smaller and smaller. This trip has helped me to reconnect to a more optimistic and positive version of myself, open-minded and embracing of the future. I've committed to working for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust for the foreseeable future and will be running a water-based project for disadvantaged young people, giving me the best job title ever - "Blue Mentor"! Who knows where this role might lead and, more years down the line, I would be very tempted to teach English in Taiwan. If nothing else, I have some good drinking buddies there to return to!

That's it dear readers, I've said all I need to say! Thanks for joining me on the ride and a special thanks to everyone I met on the journey, you've helped me in so many ways and I've had a blast!