We roll up to the pub on Steyning's high street at exactly the same time as Dino, who's come to meet us here. Before we know it we're drinking beer and having a pub lunch with Dino and Suzi's sister, Ness, and her family. Suzi is at work but Dino, who works in the North Sea, is a man of leisure. Sometimes.
We met Dino and Suzi in Tajikistan and cycled together in Kyrgyzstan from Osh to Bishkek. This was a small challenge for us, because they cycled faster than us and travelled lighter. But it worked out fine, because they're not hardcore speed cyclists and are incredibly laid back. Well, Dino is. Suzi enjoys getting the bit between her teeth and giving it a good ol' shake now and again. They are both very funny and lovely people and we're very happy to catch up with them three years on. They recently moved and Dino leads us down to the coast to their house. It feels a little like being in one of those property TV shows, when the host turns to the guest couple and says "take a look at this place, which is only thirty thousand over your budget" when Dino leads us down the road where many of the older houses are being demolished and replaced with modern alternatives. Some of the older houses look quite awful - pebble dash just doesn't do it I'm afraid. But there are also a couple of concrete bunkers - brutalist masterpieces. Dino points to a very swish and elegant house and says "this is us", but he's obviously pulling our legs. Except he isn't.
The house is brand new and finished, but the garden is almost bare and the house needs a few fixtures and fittings. Dino has a long list of jobs which we endeavour to keep him from over the weekend. Suzi returns from a hard day at 'the office' and still manages to rustle up a great meal. The reunion is completed when Hannah and Damian arrive from London. We first met Hannah and Damian in Dushanbe when we were stranded waiting for permits to cycle the Pamir Highway. We then met up again at a guesthouse in Khorog where there must have been over a dozen cyclists, most of us cycling east.
Needless to say we eat well (Suzi is a great cook) and drink well. Our hosts are supremely hospitable and quite frankly, we are shattered. Well, Gayle seems energized but I'm feeling quite exhausted after our ride southwards. So much for getting fit on the road. England has been extremely hilly so far. At the beginning, when we began wild camping again, Gayle did wonder if this was what she really wanted to do, but that doubt soon disappeared. We've been enjoying being back on the road again. The fact that the weather has been so good does undoubtedly help.
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| the Great British seaside |
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| breakfast |
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| lunch........etc. |
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| Suzi's cookbooks |
