It’s a race!

I am in a race with 3 other travel bugs. Our goal is to get back to the West Midlands, UK. The first one to do so wins the race!

But there’s a catch. The winner must have been dropped off in and picked up from Geocaches in at least 5 other countries before returning home.

We will keep this page up-to-date with the progress of the race. Please upload photos if you wish, and feel free to add souvenirs of your journey to the TB’s chain.

And they're off!

16th February 2013:
The travel bugs have been dropped off in Ao Nang in Thailand. Their task is simple - be the first back to the West Midlands, UK! But there's a catch. The TBs must be dropped off in and picked up from 5 other countries between Thailand and the UK. What will their journey bring?

26th February 2013:
10 days after reaching his starting point, and John is on the move! He's taking an early lead in this race to the UK thanks to tuptim, and he leaves his companions to eat his dust.

1st March 2013:
Simon, Laura and Mel have been picked up by ditikra; a Geocacher from the Netherlands with almost 1200 finds to his name. The race is on - John may have taken an early lead but the others are right back in it now!

11th March 2013:
It's neck-and-neck! All 4 TBs have left Thailand. Whilst Simon, Laura and Mel have crossed the border into neighbouring Cambodia (courtesy of ditikra), John has travelled thousands of miles to Europe and finds himself in Portugal. A special mention to a Portuguese legend of the Geocaching world. Portokeil, who picked John up from Thailand, has found over 8000 caches in 36 countries in just 4 years. Highly commendable!

18th March 2013: DROPOFF 1 - Simon, Laura and Mel
Despite John's thousands of miles travelled across the globe, the lead in this race is taken by Simon, Laura and Mel, as they have achieved their first dropoff in Siem Reap, Cambodia. John may be taking advantage of his proximity to the finish line though - is he planning a quick succession of dropoffs and pickups in continental Europe before making his way to the finish? No-one knows, but Simon, Laura and Mel can relax for now and enjoy the bragging rights at this early stage.

The Contenders:

John – The Golfer. TB code: TB54NDE
Mel – The Smiley. TB code: TB54ND2
Simon – The St. George’s Flag. TB code: TB54ND9
Laura – The Panda. TB Code: TB54NDA