Leaving is such a hard thing to do.

The day has finally arrived, I am off to Malaysia for six to seven months. I leave the house after saying goodbye to Catherine, my wife, Sam my 14 year old son, and Zoe my 11 year old daughter.

It is a one and a half hour drive to Heathrow where I join up with Jono who is also off to Malaysia for the same time. We sat and waited for our plane only to find it was delayed. It arrived 30 minutes late, it had just arrived from the workshop. We then sat on the plane for over an hour while they loaded it with bags, food, and fuel. Just when we thought there was nothing else to delay us, Afghan airspace was closed, so a detour was required.

The flight itself was good, with very little turbulence. The biggest problem I had was the person sitting next to me, no it was not Jono. This bloke was on his way to the Commonwealth Games, and slept nearly all the way making it very hard to get out and have a pee.

When we reached Malaysia, 2 hours late, we flew down the west coast. Even from 33,000 feet, the beaches look good. There was a great sunset, though most people missed it, hey had the blinds shut! We landed in Singapore to 30 plus degree C heat. It had snowed that morning in Brinkworth. In to a taxi, and then the long trip across the causeway. I will leave that for another time.....