A father's hug will be the start of many firsts awaiting separated twins Nima and Dawa when they arrive home in Bhutan after life-changing surgery in Australia.
Twenty-month-olds Nima and Dawa have taken off from Melbourne Airport on their 22-hour-journey to their Himalayan home on Wednesday with mum Bhumchu Zangmo.
It's been five months since the sisters arrived joined at the torso, but they leave as individual tots with their own bodies, with Nima walking and Dawa not far behind.
Their father and siblings are due to celebrate with family and friends on their return.
Wiping away tears as Ms Zangmo said farewell to their Australian supporters, and giving big hugs, she turned to reporters to give thanks for the community's kindness.
"Nima, Dawa and Mum so happy, thank you," she said in very soft voice.
"To the doctors, to the Children First Foundation ... I am very happy."
As the girls sat in their donated pram with chocolate in hand, foundation retreat manager Deb Pickering said mixed emotions flowed for the trip going home.
"It is the best, from Bhumchu's perspective, it's the best outcome of all. That's what she came here for and I think it has gone way over and above all expectations," Ms Pickering told reporters on behalf of Ms Zangmo.
"She is just so, so happy to be taking home two healthy, normal little girls.
"She is excited to be going home but also a little bit sad to be leaving everyone behind - her new family."
While the girls will keep undergoing physiotherapy, no other problems are expected to crop up with the cheeky duo to "make their milestones", Ms Pickering said.
"Nima is outgoing, and Dawa is the more placid (girl). They are just developing into little girls, they are delightful in every way," she said, noting they can live normal lives.
Despite being separated for months, the girls still share the same bed and will keep up the tradition in the same aircraft seat during the trip home.
A team of up to 25 surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne separated the conjoined twins in a lengthy procedure in early November.
The girls had been joined at the torso and shared a liver.
The girls left the hospital weeks after surgery, to recover at the foundation's retreat in a regional Victoria after it has worked for more than a year to bring the girls over.
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