Read The 2C2K Travel Diary
| Friday 6th April - Scotland - Cape Wrath | | | Our journey officially started today from Cape Wrath. Our trip to Cape Wrath was quite… |
| Tuesday 10th April - Scotland - Rosyth | | | After a few more days relaxing with family at our parents houses, we set off… |
| Wednesday 11th April - France - North of Paris | | | Ann Mawdsley gave us a gift of a Camping Guide for Europe before we left… |
| Thursday 12th April - France - Langres | | | We drove south towards Dijon, planning to stop somewhere north of the city. We stopped… |
| Friday 13th April - France - Lyon | | | We spent the morning at Lac de Liez. The girls loved the swimming pool and… |
| Saturday 14th April - France - Valloire | | | We left Lyon quite early and headed towards the Alps. We made our way to… |
| Sunday 15th April - Italy - Mondovi | | | We are finding that we are slipping into a new routine which is a… |
| Monday 16th April - Italy - Lerici | | | We left Mondovi in good time this morning and drove into Italy. The girls still… |
| Tuesday 17th April - Italy - Florence | | | After some fun at the playpark this morning we hit the road again, heading to… |
| Wednesday 18th April - Italy - Florence | | | Today we got an open-top bus from Fiesole into Florence. The bus trip was interesting… |
| Thursday 19th April - Italy - Bolsena | | | Today we left Florence and drove towards Rome. At Orvieto we turned off to Lago… |
| Friday 20th April - Italy - Fregene | | | Today we had a relaxing morning at the campsite. The girls enjoyed the playpark, throwing… |
| Saturday 21st April - Italy - Rome | | | We went to Fregene today and had a day at the beach. Tarquinias beach was… |
| Sunday 22nd April - Italy - Rome (Day 2) | | | A day exploring Rome. There is a shuttle bus from the campsite to the train… |
| Monday 23rd April - Italy - Rome (Day 3) | | | Shuttle bus, train, taxi to St Peters Square this morning. The square itself is amazing… |
| Tuesday 24th April - Italy - Paestum | | | We drove quite a long way today from Rome to south of Salerno. We… |
| Wednesday 25th April - Italy - Paestum (Day 2) | | | The sky was cloudy when we woke up today and it remained a mixture of… |
| Thursday 26th April - Italy - Paestum (Day 3) | | | It rained today! In fact it was a very showery day with thunder clumps rumbling… |
| Friday 27th April - Italy - Bari | | | We woke to blue skies today, although since the thunder the temperature has dropped quite… |
| Saturday 28th April - Italy - Bari to Greece - Patras | | | The hotel had an indoor swimming pool so that was where we spent the… |
| Sunday 29th April - Greece - Patras to Korinth | | | We arrived in Patras in the late morning and set off to Korinth. Here are… |
| Monday 30th April - Greece - Athens | | | Monday 30th April - We had planned to drive to Athens today and spend today… |
| Tuesday 1st May - Greece - Rhodes (1st - 11th May) | | | Im just putting a single diary entry in for this section of our holiday. We… |
| Friday 11th May - Greece - Rhodes to Turkey - Marmaris | | | 10 days in Rhodes went past very quickly and it was soon time to pack… |
| Saturday 12th May - Turkey - Kas | | | A couple of observations about Turkey so far: The people love children and are very… |
| Sunday 13th May - Turkey - Beldibi | | | We had a good nights sleep despite a very loud call to prayer at 4.30am.… |
| Monday 14th May - Turkey - Kizilot | | | We are getting an idea of just how vast Turkey is. We are only seeing… |
| Tuesday 15th May - Turkey - Anamur | | | This morning we dragged ourselves away from Nostalgie Camping and set off for Anamur. For… |
| Wednesday 16th May - Turkey - Silifke | | | The road was a lot better today and we made good progress to Silifke. The… |
| Thursday 17th May - Turkey - Antakya | | | We had planned to go to Adana today, but were told that the road was… |
| Friday 18th May - Turkey - Antakya to Syria - Aleppo | | | We spent the morning in Antakya, also known as Antioch. We visited St Peters Church… |
| Saturday 19th May - Syria - Hama | | | This morning we visited Aleppos famous souks a huge maze of indoor markets selling… |
| Sunday 20th May - Syria - Crac des Chevaliers | | | After a drive of about an hour we arrived at one of Syrias biggest sites… |
| Monday 21st May - Syria - Palmyra | | | Today we woke to beautiful clear skies again and headed off via the city of… |
| Tuesday 22nd May - Syria - Damascus | | A couple of frustrations to start the day.
We had sent out a big bag… |
| Wednesday 23rd May - Syria - Damascus | | We had a couple of things on our to-do list for today:
1. See some… |
| Thursday 24th May - Stria - Damascus to Jordan - Amman | | Our final morning in Syria. Today we left Damascus and headed towards the Jordanian border.
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| Friday 25th May - Jordan - Madaba | | Today we visited two places Bethany and the Dead Sea.
Bethany is… |
| Saturday 26th May - Jordan - Madaba (Day 2) | | | On previous trips abroad Andrew and I have thoroughly enjoyed hot springs. Lazing about in… |
| Sunday 27th May - Jordan - Karak | | | When we visited Bethany, we met a Christian couple who were living in Jordan and… |
| Monday 28th May - Jordan - Dana | | | This morning we visited Karak castle. Its not Crac de Chevaliers, but it is pretty… |
| Tuesday 29th May - Jordan - Wadi Musa | | | We all slept well and after breakfast we went on another short hike around the… |
| Wednesday 30th May - Jordan - Wadi Rum | | | What an absolutely wonderful day! Petra is unbelievably beautiful. I think the wonder of it… |
| Thursday 31st May - Jordan - Aqaba | | | In Wadi Rum there are large Bedouin tents dotted about. People can camp in these… |
| Friday 1st June - Jordan - Aqaba to Egypt - Dahab | | Today was very trying.
We wanted to get on the ferry to Nuweiba,… |
| Saturday 2nd June - Egypt - Dahab (2nd to 9th June) | | | We like Dahab. You could easily lose weeks of your life lying on cushions here.… |
| Sunday 10th June - Egypt - St Katherine's | | | Weve had a wonderful time in Dahab. It is a resort, but the independent traveller… |
| Monday 11th June - Egypt - Cairo | | | Today we went up to St Katherines monastery. The area around the monastery is very… |
| Tuesday 12th June - Egypt - Cairo (Day 2) | | | Andrew is getting a little irritated by officious Egyptians. There are many examples, but let… |
| Wednesday 13th June - Egypt - Cairo (Day 3) | | | Andrews tummy seems a lot better and none of the rest of us have been… |
| Thursday 14th June - Egypt - Cairo (Day 4) | | | Cairo is huge. Steven informs us that it is 60 miles across and has a… |
| Friday 15th June - Egypt - Cairo (Day 5) | | | Egypt is an Islamic country and Cairo is an Islamic city. We have been in… |
| Saturday 16th June - Egypt - Cairo (Day 6) | | | We contacted the Egypt Desert 4x4 people and arranged to take the car to them… |
| Sunday 17th June - Egypt - Cairo (Day 7) | | | Last night I waited with the kids while Andrew drove through Cairo, first to Heliopolis… |
| Monday 18th June - Egypt - Cairo (Day 8) | | | Our final day in Cairo. We wouldnt recommend spending 8 days in Cairo. For… |
| Tuesday 19th June - Egypt - Minya | | | Today I took the girls off to a play area in the morning, while Andrew… |
| Wednesday 20th June - Egypt - Luxor | | | Upstairs on the Dahabiyya was a restaurant deck which was set up for a childs… |
| Thursday 21st June - Egypt - Luxor (Day 2) | | | Last night was the first night that we had 5 people sleeping in the rooftent.… |
| Friday 22nd June - Egypt - Aswan | | | For the drive to Aswan tourists must join a tourist convoy there are 3… |
| Saturday 23rd June - Egypt - Aswan (Day 2) | | | Willie was completely out of action today with a dodgy tummy. He spent the whole… |
| Sunday 24th June - Egypt - Aswan (Day 3) | | Both Willie and I woke up feeling a bit better today, thankfully.
Andrew, the… |
| Monday 25th June - Egypt - Aswan to Sudan - Wadi Halfa | | | This morning Andrew set off to the Traffic Police for 8am for the first of… |
| Tuesday 26th June - Sudan - Wadi Halfa | | | I rose early this morning and went up on deck in time to see Abu… |
| Wednesday 27th June - Sudan - Kosha | | | We had fans in our rooms last night but the power to Wadi Halfa switches… |
| Thursday 28th June - Sudan - Argo (nearly) | | | We woke up today feeling great because wed all had a wonderful sleep in the… |
| Friday 29th June - Sudan - Korti | | | The last couple of nights in the tent have been very comfortable for all of… |
| Saturday 30th June - Sudan - Khartoum | | | Last night and then again this morning we had a visit from a family who… |
| Sunday 1st July - Sudan - Khartoum (Day 2) | | A day of frustrating searches!
Searching for anything in Khartoum is a difficult business.… |
| Monday 2nd July - Sudan - Khartoum (Day 3) | | | Willie and Andrew set off first thing today to the Byblos Bank and got money… |
| Tuesday 3rd July - Sudan - Khartoum (Day 4) | | | One of the main tourist sights in Sudan are the pyramids at Meroe. It takes… |
| Wednesday 4th July - Sudan - Wad Medani | | | Today was our last day in Khartoum, so we had to do a few chores… |
| Thursday 5th July - Sudan - Alam | | | This morning Abbas came to see us on his way off to school, looking very… |
| Friday 6th July - Sudan - Alam to Ethiopia - Gonder | | | We packed up camp quickly this morning because, from the moment we got up, we… |
| Saturday 7th July - Ethiopia - Gonder (Day 2) | | | We have decided to stay an extra night in Gonder, as were not really in… |
| Sunday 8th July - Ethiopia - Simien Mountains | | | Today we took the car to the garage for the suspension repair. Whilst that was… |
| Monday 9th July - Ethiopia - Simien Mountains (Day 2) | | | Andrew left the lodge early this morning with our helper from last night so they… |
| Tuesday 10th July - Ethiopia - Bahir Dar | | | It was still pouring rain when we woke this morning, so we decided to pack… |
| Wednesday 11th July - Ethiopia - Bahir Dar (Day 2) | | | Today we took a packed lunch and went for a boat-trip on Lake Tana, visiting… |
| Thursday 12th July - Ethiopia - Bahir Dar (Day 3) | | | Yesterday we went to the Ethiopian Airlines office in Bahir Dar to try and arrange… |
| Friday 13th July - Ethiopia - Addis Ababa | | | Today we left Bahir Dar to drive south. We werent sure how far we would… |
| Saturday 14th July - Ethiopia - Addis Ababa (Day 2) | | | Much to the girls excitement, the Ghion Hotel has a playpark. It also has an… |
| Sunday 15th July - Ethiopia - Addis Ababa (Day 3) | | | Today we found the International Evangelical Church and went along for one of its two… |
| Monday 16th July - Ethiopia - Addis Ababa (Day 4) | | | Anne Wilma writes the travel diary simply because she is undisputedly more talented at such… |
| Tuesday 17th July - Ethiopia - Addis Ababa (Day 5) | | | Andrew set off on a few more errands today collecting our passports from the… |
| Wednesday 18th July - Ethiopia - Addis Ababa (Day 6) | | | We have enjoyed some good meals in Addis Ababa including a couple of Chinese meals… |
| Thursday 19th July - Ethiopia - Awasa | | | Jane arrived in Addis Ababa at about 3am. Andrew collected her from the airport and… |
| Friday 20th July - Ethiopia - Arba Minch | | | We were in no hurry to leave Awasa this morning, so we lingered for a… |
| Saturday 21st July - Ethiopia - Konso | | | This mornings excursion into Nechisar National Park made us all feel that we really were… |
| Sunday 22nd July - Ethiopia - Turmi | | | Konso is a small town with very little to recommend it. We stayed at the… |
| Monday 23rd July - Ethiopia - Turmi to Kenya - Koobi Fora | | | Monday is market day in Turmi. The Hamer are the predominant tribe in the area… |
| Tuesday 24th July - Kenya - Lyongalani | | | It just so happens that the American students were all leaving Koobi Fora this morning,… |
| Wednesday 25th July - Kenya - Maralal | | | This morning we had hot showers! This was a very welcome luxury for us all.… |
| Thursday 26th July - Kenya - Samburu NP | | | After getting the car washed in Maralal, we set off at about 1.30pm. Today was… |
| Friday 27th July - Kenya - Samburu NP (Day 2) | | | We rose early this morning, packed the tent, took a few snacks along with us… |
| Saturday 28th July - Kenya - Isiolo | | | This morning we had a later breakfast and packed up to leave. Rather than driving… |
| Sunday 29th July - Kenya - Nyharuru | | | Isiolo is quite an Islamic town. I dont know the history of that but… |
| Monday 30th July - Kenya - Nairobi | | | Kenya has of-course got historic ties with Britain and it often feels strangely British. In… |
| Tuesday 31st July - Kenya - Nairobi (Day 2) | | | Keziah was sick last night, but she seems alright this morning. We have been very… |
| Wednesday 1st August - Kenya - Voi | | | Andrew went to collect a final insurance document this morning. Meanwhile Naomis teddy fell down… |
| Thursday 2nd August - Kenya - Diani Beach | | | What a hard life. We arent really being overlanders at the moment. We are being… |
| Friday 3rd August - Kenya - Diani (until Wednesday 8th) | | | Our Kenyan beach holiday started off with two disappointingly rainy days. Big, grey clouds… |
| Thursday 9th August - Kenya - Voi | | | For our final morning at Kusini cottages we played on the beach, swam in the… |
| Friday 10th August - Kenya - Nairobi | | | This morning we saw elephants up at the park fence, just beside the lodge again… |
| Saturday 11th August - Kenya - Nairobi (Day 2) | | | So far any time spent in Nairobi has been governed by to-do lists. Today we… |
| Sunday 12th August - Kenya - Nairobi (Day 3) | | | Today we went to Nairobi Baptist Church. The service started at 11am, so we arrived… |
| Monday 13th August - Kenya - Narok | | | Alasdair was meant to arrive in Nairobi at about 9pm yesterday. Unfortunately that didnt happen… |
| Tuesday 14th August - Kenya - Masai Mara | | | This morning we drove in convoy with Corinna and Joerg. From Narok the closest entry… |
| Wednesday 15th August - Kenya - Masai Mara to Tanzania - Musoma | | | This morning the Germans were ready earlier than we were and so they set off,… |
| Thursday 16th August - Tanzania - Musoma (Day 2) | | | Tembo Camp has a little beach on the lake and it would be a nice… |
| Friday 17th August - Tanzania - Serengeti | | | A few miles out of Musoma, we stopped to buy tomatoes, bananas and papaya at… |
| Saturday 18th August - Tanzania - Karatu | | | It took about 2 hours driving this morning to get to the Serengeti exit gate.… |
| Sunday 19th August - Tanzania - Moshi | | | Last night as we were setting up the tent, some kids ran in to the… |
| Monday 20th August - Tanzania - Maweni | | | In the middle of the night Alasdair woke to feel his whole bed moving back… |
| Tuesday 21st August - Tanzania - Peponi | | | Today we drove from Maweni to Tanga on the coast. Tanga is only about 250km… |
| Wednesday 22nd August - Tanzania - Peponi (Day 2) | | | Despite a promising start, todays weather was cloudy and showery. We did manage a swim… |
| Thursday 23rd August - Tanzania - Dar es Salaam | | | We drove a long way today leaving the camp at about 10.30 and arriving… |
| Friday 24th August - Tanzania - Dar es Salaam (Day 2) | | | Alasdair, Keziah, Naomi and I spent a very pleasant, lazy day around Mikadi Beach today.… |
| Saturday 25th August - Tanzania - Dar es Salaam (Day 3) | | | Today we moved on from Mikadi Beach to Kipepeo Beach a little further down the… |
| Sunday 26th August - Tanzania - Dar es Salaam (Day 4) | | | Kipepeo Beach is beautiful long, white sand, thatched beach huts, blue sea We spent… |
| Monday 27th August - Tanzania - Zanzibar - Stonetown | | | We had an early start today, leaving Kipepeo about 6.45. We left the car at… |
| Tuesday 28th August - Tanzania - Zanzibar - Jambiani | | | Today we met up with yesterdays taxi driver and drove across the island to the… |
| Wednesday 29th August - Tanzania - Zanzibar - Jambiani (Day 2) | | | This morning we went on a snorkel trip at the reef, perhaps a mile out… |
| Thursday 30th August - Tanzania - Zanzibar - Jambiani (until Sat. 1st September) | | | The Sau Inn is an attractive hotel in a beautiful location. Its clean, the food… |
| Sunday 2nd September - Tanzania - Zanzibar - Stonetown | | | We had arranged with our Zanzibari taxi driver that this morning we would be collected… |
| Monday 3rd September - Tanzania - Dar es Salaam (Day 5) | | | Alasdair was looking forward to returning home as the only in-car-guest that has travelled with… |
| Tuesday 4th September - Tanzania - Dar es Salaam (Day 6) | | | Before we went to Zanzibar Andrew & Joerg found a garage in Dar es Salaam… |
| Wednesday 5th September - Tanzania - Mikumi | | | Its always good for children to run off some steam before being cooped up in… |
| Thursday 6th September - Tanzania - Iringa | | | This morning Andrew did some work on a few little things to do with the… |
| Friday 7th September - Tanzania - Ruaha National Park | | | Ruaha National Park is a large park on the edge of the Great Ruaha river.… |
| Saturday 8th September - Tanzania - Iringa (Day 2) | | | Today we had a picnic breakfast at the hippo pools in Ruaha park. Pretty cool… |
| Sunday 9th September - Tanzania - Iringa (Day 3) | | | We had planned to leave today, but then we decided not to. Apparently this happens… |
| Monday 10th September - Tanzania - Mbeya | | | I would like to dedicate this diary entry to Titch. Titch is a friend from… |
| Tuesday 11th September - Tanzania - Mbeya to Malawi - Chilimba | | | Utengule isnt really set up as a campsite. Its a good country house hotel that… |
| Wednesday 12th September - Malawi - Livingstonia | | | After a relaxed morning, paddling and swimming in the lake, we set off for Livingstonia.… |
| Thursday 13th September - Malawi - Chintcheche | | | I like to think that I am not a hen-pecking sort of wife, but Andrew… |
| Friday 14th September - Malawi - Nkhotakhota | | | Swimming in Lake Malawi is a bit strange, because the beaches, the size of the… |
| Saturday 15th September - Malawi - Cape MacLear | | | From the moment we woke today Keziah was eager to get back to her pot… |
| Sunday 16th September - Malawi - Blantyre | | | We had a very lazy morning today. The girls were in good form, happily entertaining… |
| Monday 17th September - Malawi - Blantyre (Day 2) | | | Today we met up with Nelson who runs a kids project in Blantyre called Chisomo.… |
| Tuesday 18th September - Malawi - Blantyre to Mozambique - Tete | | | This morning there was still no water. We were told that this was because Blantyre… |
| Wednesday 19th September - Mozambique - Chimoio | | | There are less people on the roads in Mozambique when compared with Malawi. The roads… |
| Thursday 20th September - Mozambique - Vilanculos | | | Chimoio is a little town, marked on our map in small, unimportant font. We didnt… |
| Friday 21st September - Mozambique - Vilanculos (Day 2) | | | Today we spent a happy and relaxing day at the beach and in the pool.… |
| Saturday 22nd September - Mozambique - Vilanculos (Day 3) | | | Back in the spring of this year Mozambique suffered a category 5 cyclone. To put… |
| Sunday 23rd September - Mozambique - Vilanculos (Day 4) | | | The Bazaruto archipelago lies off the coast of Vilanculos. Today we took a boat trip… |
| Monday 24th September - Mozambique - Tofo | | | Pat (the husband of Amanda who we met in Chimoio) came to our hotel today… |
| Tuesday 25th September - Mozambique - Tofo (Day 2) | | | Naomi has had a high temperature today and her tummy isnt right. Weve been giving… |
| Wednesday 26th September - Mozambique - Tofo (Day 3) | | | We had a rude awakening this morning. Naomi threw up in the tent at about… |
| Thursday 27th September - Mozambique - Xai Xai | | | Today Naomi woke bright and breezy and asking for snacks. Thats our girl! She seems… |
| Friday 28th September - Mozambique - Xai Xai (Day 2) | | | Another day, another beautiful beach! We whiled away today by chilling at the chalet, playing… |
| Saturday 29th September - Mozambique - Maputo | | | The road from Xai Xai was good, smooth tar. I think this is the way… |
| Sunday 30th September - Mozambique - Maputo (Day 2) | | | Mundos is a popular bar/restaurant in Maputo. It has satellite TV and a play area… |
| Monday 1st October - Mozambique - Maputo to South Africa - Kruger | | | Last Friday one of Andrews fillings fell out, so today we visited a dentist in… |
| Tuesday 2nd October - South Africa - Kruger (Day 2) | | | We saw a rhino, we saw a rhino, we saw a rhino!!! Thats the big… |
| Wednesday 3rd October - South Africa - Kruger to Swaziland - Mbuluzi | | | We didnt see much leaving Kruger today, but we didnt have long in the park… |
| Thursday 4th October - Swaziland - Mbuluzi to South Africa - Hluhluwe | | | Mbuluzi doesnt have the big five, but the scenery is beautiful and there are walking… |
| Friday 5th October - South Africa - Hluhluwe National Park | | | Black Creek Pioneer Village is a tourist centre in Toronto which attempts to recreate pioneer… |
| Saturday 6th October - South Africa - Dundee (yes, really!) | | | The done thing on safari is to rise early and go for a game drive.… |
| Sunday 7th October - South Africa - Dundee (Day 2) | | | We decided to stay an extra night in Dundee. That allowed us to find a… |
| Monday 8th October - South Africa - Northern Drakensberg | | | This morning, like every morning, the girls padded through to our room in their bare… |
| Tuesday 9th October - South Africa - Central Drakensberg | | | Manys an hour Andrew and I have spent in tearooms, bars or tents looking out… |
| Wednesday 10th October - South Africa - Central Drakensberg (Day 2) | | | Today was a really lovely day. The weather was much improved on the last couple… |
| Thursday 11th October - South Africa - Ladybrand | | | Theres a man called Johnny who runs a garage in Winterton, the imaginatively named Johnnys… |
| Friday 12th October - South Africa - Queenstown | | | Today we drove from Ladybrand south to Zastron where our never-ending search for a playpark… |
| Saturday 13th October - South Africa - Port Elizabeth | | | The drive from Queenstown to Grahamstown took us through some more beautiful scenery, driving through… |
| Sunday 14th October - South Africa - Port Elizabeth (Day 2) | | | It was really windy today. Sunny, bright but very gusty. We spent most of today… |
| Monday 15th October - South Africa - Storms River Mouth | | | The main reason we stayed in Port Elizabeth for 2 nights was so that we… |
| Tuesday 16th October - South Africa - Oudsthoorn | | | In common with soooo many other places weve visited we should stay much longer than… |
| Wednesday 17th October - South Africa - Swellendam | | | Cango Caves are a huge complex of caves, 30km from Oudtshoorn and are the main… |
| Thursday 18th October - South Africa - Hermanus | | | A momentous day. Today we reached Cape Agulhas, the most southerly tip of Africa … |
| Friday 19th October - South Africa - Cape Town | | Well, we and the car survived the night fully intact.
Since leaving home… |
| Saturday 20th October - South Africa - Cape Town (Days 2 - 4) | | | Most people who visit Cape Town immediately go round the many impressive, typically Capetonian tourist… |
| Tuesday 23rd October - South Africa - Cape Town (Day 5-6) | | | On the Monday and Tuesday nights of this week we stayed at an excellent Backpackers… |
| Thursday 25th October - South Africa - Cape Town (Day 7) | | | From now until we return home we are staying in Camps Bay, a beautiful little… |
| Friday 26th October - South Africa - Cape Town (Day 8) | | | On our way to Cape Town we stopped to view whales at Hermanus and decided… |
| Saturday 27th October - South Africa - Cape Town (Day 9) | | | Manys a tasty wine is produced in the area around Cape Town. Today we drove… |
| Sunday 28th October - South Africa - Cape Town (Day 10) | | | Today we walked along the road to Camps Bay United Church and enjoyed worshipping with… |
| Monday 29th October - South Africa - Cape Town (Day 11) | | | Many overlanders become so attached to their cars that they lovingly christen them with a… |
| Tuesday 30th October - South Africa - Cape Town (Day 12) | | | This morning we woke to bright, clear, sunny skies and so we went straight to… |
| Wednesday 31st October - South Africa - Cape Town (Day 13) | | | Well, today was an uneventful day for our last day in Cape Town. We spent… |
| Sunday 4th November - Scotland - Aberdeen | | | Our journey home went very well and weve now been back for 4 whole days!… |
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