After a very hot and stressful August last year, my family and I decided to escape a busy and very hot Estepona this August, and spend five weeks in Vietnam. Leaving just as the UK kids broke up, and returning just as they were going back, Estepona´s busiest time of the year.
We had never done such a long holiday before, our intention was to backpack around Vietnam and get a real favour of life there. It worked like a dream, Vietnam was really easy to travel around, stunningly beautiful and we left feeling like we knew, at least to a small degree, about the lifestyle and customs there.
We learnt a lot during our time there, and we loved all the excursions, exploring and taking ourselves out of our comfort zones and doing things that, especially me, would not usually do. But what we learnt more than anything is how much we love our home.
Before we lived in Estepona, the last days of our holidays were increasingly downbeat, returning to the cold of the UK with its dark nights would put a dampener on our return. But this time, we started to long for the beautiful blue skies of the Costa del Sol, for the laid back approach of the Spanish people and the amazing food that Spain, and particularly Estepona has to offer.
When we returned early last Friday, Estepona was just waking up, the sea was twinkling and there was the usual mix of young athletes and aged walkers using the paseo. The sun was rising, and the warmth was just lovely. It was a perfect September morning, a reminder why we live here. We dropped our bags and went to our local bar for toast and tomatoes, we were greeted like long lost friends, which probably shows that we eat out there too much! But it was so lovely, to feel so accepted by our adopted town.
The moral of the story for us is that as much as we love to travel, it is amazing to come back to Estepona. In my opinion, it is the best place to live in the world. So now that the washing is all done and put away, and the children are back into their school routine, we are looking forward to winter, my favourite time of the year. With the warm days and chilly evenings, it is the time of year which is just perfect for me, and a lovely reminder that in our case our adopted home really is where the heart is.