Two weeks in the UK - The start of the journey
- Louisa Gallie
- Jul 26, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 13, 2022
Tickets booked and passports still valid we arrived at Auckland airport (NZ) and spent the afternoon with our families, enjoy coffee and reminiscing on how we use to be kids (mothers getting empty nest syndrome!) Easy check ins and security checks, we felt a great excitement and easing of our minds knowing that our hard work was about to be worth it.
The first flight to Hong Kong đź‡đź‡° was relatively easy going, nice food and entertainment from the in-flight screens and friendly row neighbors made for an enjoyable experience. Though once we landed we had to go through another security check where they made us tip our water out before shoot us out the other end into the terminal with no working water fountains!
After preparing ourselves for the impeding dehydration, we got the notice our flight was boarding! The final long haul flight we would take for hopefully a long time to come! Heading to Heathrow, UK, we were met with hot temperatures inside the cabin, and little water on offer. We witnessed our own grumpiness and someone passing out from the conditions, what a relief when we got the beautiful 1hr to landing message!!
On our arrival London recorded it's hottest day ever (38 celcius), a 20 degree jump from our winter Temps in NZ.
Staying with Lou's family (19-25 July 2022)
After taking an Uber to Ardingly we lugged our baggage to the door, smiles all round Louisa excitingly knocked on the door to be welcomed by sweet 'hellos' and 'how good to see you all'. We struggled with jet lag for 4 days and helped Lou's grand parents move into their new home, feared for our lives being driven on the skinny lanes and Lou enjoyed reconnecting and I enjoyed meeting family and being on my best behavior... for the most part!! We had organized for some things to be sent to us when we arrived, and arrive they did :) we had go pro cases, chargers, cookers and all sorts which felt a lot like Christmas, though our personal favorite was definitely the MAVIC drone, we are both super excited to get used to it and dream of the possible shots it will make possible.
Staying with Joel's family (25 July - 4 August 2022)
After some heavy socializing we secured a hire vehicle, drove a few hours and dove straight into more business!! It was my turn to introduce Lou to family and reconnect. Aunty Mel (Debbie) and the extended family had all traveled to Cardigan, Wales. staying in a home of their friends, all eleven of us stayed while enjoying the area, sharing laughs, puzzles, views and some great food. Intermittent planning and resting was a great mix as we edged closer to being ready to step on the ferry and start are journey. We had a particularly good time listening and scheming with one of the youngest companions, who took great interest in our plans and fundraising, and she took joy in telling us how she would help and tell all her friends and school to try help raise money for the cause! kids truly are amazing. she even bought with her own money an ocean based mascot for our trip, which we look forward to attaching to our bikes and sending updates of how far they end up going with us.
LLANELLI
After all the excitement of holidaying with 11 members of Joels family, on the journey back to the UK we stopped by to stay with one of Louisa's good friends, Tirion, who lives in Llanelli, Wales her sister Seren in their newly bought and gorgeously renovated home!
Louisa had met Tirion at yoga teacher training in Kerala, India in 2020, and it was so incredibly lovely to have such an amazing catchup in person after 2 years.
Over 3 days, we had the joy of being shown around Wales a wee bit by the two girls and Tirions boyfriend Trystan. We had so much fun sharing stories, learning from each others cultures, having lots of laughs with beers on the beach and going for a surf at Gower Peninsula.
We went to Wales not knowing much at all, and have come away delighted by the beauty, hospitality and pride of the lovely people. We can't wait to be back and are so grateful for everyone who helped make our time there so epic!
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