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Back Walking on Sunshine Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. By the same author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. Three Months Later
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. Epilogue – Five Years Later
  44. Acknowledgements
  45. An extra note from me …
  46. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Tomorrow we’re starting with a trip to the Sacred Valley and to meet some locals. Although I’ve been laughing off Zaza’s desire to not socialize with anyone other than our team, I do wonder how much of a tourist I’m going to feel when we’re travelling around in the bigger group and jumping off a coach to take in a site. Tourist and traveller are two very different experiences. Guess I’m used to exploring local cultures in a slightly more intimate way. Smaller, more personal and at a slower pace. Being here and seeing how busy it is, I’m so glad we went for the Lares and not the Inca. I would’ve been doing peace signs in front of cathedrals before I knew it. This is much better for us. I just want to get on with the trekking now and immerse myself.

‘What’s up?’ asks Vicky, giving me a gentle nudge with her elbow.

‘Nothing,’ I shrug, taking a gulp of beer.

‘We wish she was here too,’ she says kindly, squeezing my hand.

I can’t tell her I wasn’t thinking of Pia because the truth is I usually am, but any time I’m not consumed by dark and tragic grief I feel guilty, like I’m somehow forgetting her by daring not to think about her every single second, or for attempting to carry on without her … I feel like I’m cheating on her with life and the living.

I put down my beer and pat the back of Vic’s hand, wondering when I’ll be free to think of anything beyond what has passed and land in the present – never mind the future, I just want the now.

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19

Zaza

I shouldn’t have drunk so much last night. Any fool would’ve known it was a bad idea but I was excited to be out of my normal routine and somewhere new. Now, as I sit on the bus, Vicky tucked in next to me and Mike behind, I can hear the relentless nattering of the girls in front. From my seat I’ve been able to overhear their conversations with others and have learnt that Claire and Sammi are in the middle of a gap year where they’re trying to travel as much as they can in a purse-friendly fashion, with loads of sofa-surfing with ‘safe’ online friends thrown in to keep costs down.