Nicholas Quirke was full of sadness and consumed by a sense of loss on 10th March. He was flying to Los Angeles to be part of an amazing opportunity to work closely for a week with a world renowned playwright but as this experience opened up he realised that the journey he began on 2nd December was coming to its close. While messaging with his friend Terry he was reminded of the promise he had made to himself in 2003, when he had been severely ill with Fibro-Myalgia and reached the lowest point in his life, that he travel. He had now been fortunate enough to give himself this gift and he became acutely aware that the world would never be the same for him again. Dreams had been fulfilled, he had been touched In unexpected ways by the people and places he had let into his life but he had somehow made this rich, beautiful and wonderful planet smaller for himself and he now had to find a new future. Of course there were other journeys to make and discoveries to open himself to but the significance of the Odyssey was reaching completion.  It had been his intention to honour this stage and mood by committing an act of self immolation and remove the beard he had nurtured to his journeys fruition. It was a new phase and would mark mark his entry back into the world. Naturally his plans went awry as his flight to LA was via a 20 hour stopover in Doha, in the luxurious surroundings of the Marriott hotel, however he could not collect his suitcase from the airport with all his accoutrements and that particular ritual would have to wait. The flight gave him the opportunity to watch the strange Suburbicon and Victoria and Abdul, the latter as a nod to the land he was departing. The hotel Kate had organised was marvellous and after a freshen up he took to the streets of Doha to explore another city in another land. The highlight of his walk was the Museum of Islamic Art, of which the building was as much a work of art as the collection it housed. He explored the pool and beach of the hotel and enjoyed watching the sunset from a particularly comfortable hanging chair. He ironed and freshened up the clothes he would have to wear for yet another day and decided to give himself a once in his lifetime treat and order room service. He was ridiculously excited when a table bearing lentil soup and fries arrived and were set up for him to eat at. The full 5 star experience. Once again it was an morning flight and he was having to get up early so he enjoyed a bath and an early night and went to sleep feeling satisfied that the day had gone well