Following months and months of planning and preparation and, after an emotional few days prior to the start of our journey, we left the UK during the early hours of Thursday, 13th September 2012, and headed for the first stop on our around the world trip!

We arrived in Doha, Qatar at teatime on 13/09/2012 and were greeted by an excitable nephew AKA Richard Shaw. An airport Limo was the means of transport to the Shaw Household where we were greeted by the lovely Laura and their two gorgeous boys Cooper and Zach and a heartwarming home cooked chilli NOM NOM.

Friday, 14/9 – RELAXATION was the order of the day and we spent the morning at the Villa by the pool. This was a welcome treat as we just had not stopped still for the previous months! A speedboat trip around the coast at Katara Beach with Richard and Cooper provided the excitement for the afternoon followed by take out BBQ Chicken from Al Tazaj.