Global Perspectives

On the train to Gatwick, the sun splashes its light on a  golden valley - resplendent in autumn colours.  I’m guessing I’ll see some amazing vistas on my sourjourn across Asia but I know I’ll miss the quiet grandeur of this Blighty view.  I’m leaving for the Silk Road. I leave with a mixture of eager anticipation and anxious apprehension. It’s 20 years ago since I travelled and lived in northern Thailand - an experience that enriched and changed me. I feel the same excitement to explore for several weeks. Being able to let an adventure unfold is an extraordinary privilege.   But. Have my logistical skills wintered on the vine? Will Chinese immigration wonder why I only have a one way flight? Can I thread my way through Central Asia at a time of heightened conflict? More fundamentally, am I still capable of real independence?  On a recent dog walk last week, a weather beaten car had a sticker in the window.  It said ‘travel -always good.’ Travel is a me...