Follow the Journey ☩𓀙𓃦☉
Egypt, like so many thousands before me, has captured a piece of my soul. I would travel here a hundred years if life gave me time. Gold, dust, shattered statues, pillars of light in shaded halls, ribbons of fading paint cling to grooves in chiselled walls; so remote, so close. Old colonial buildings slowly falling into ruin, bustling streets, cacophony of noise, cogs of human industry grinding against the ephemeral glitter of life.
What if you saw your life flash before your eyes? In a blink, every scene, every moment, winking by in a flip-book of memory. Would you be happy? What would you see?
Recent times have given me the chance to swim a little in that great wide pool of remembrance, and, especially, to move a little through my time in India ~ a strange, wonderful, and wholly mysterious land.
'Alone' in the Judaean Desert, Year 29, The Dead Sea, Being Chased by Armed Israeli Soldiers, Tea with a Bedouin and Finding Wadi Qelt... "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."And so I came to this place... brought [...]
Morocco. North Africa. We've been here before. This time we will see it through new eyes.Since my first trip back in 2017 I haven't quite been able to stay away. So vivid, alive - its landscapes, winding cities and warm-hearted people. The place is crazy! In the heat, the bustling medina; weaving in and out of [...]
Welcome to 2019 one and all! I am so happy to write those words. What a privilege to be alive and well and still moving forward in my journey.Each new day and each new step up the tall ladder of my dreams is a day well spent, and I regret not. To celebrate the New [...]
My time in the Gambia, West Africa, was met by different energies. Some dark, some bright. A chiaroscuro crosshatch of contrasting light. I was helped across the border by a self-professed prophet, crossed the mighty river, was harassed by local scammers, kissed an adult crocodile, got caught-up with a python, danced naked in tropical rains, [...]
As the taxi turned the corner, heavy and slow (as somehow we'd managed to squeeze in about eight passengers into a five-seater (of course, this is Africa)) the Adaklu Mountain first came into view. The air was hazy, heavy and humid, swirling vultures and black eagles the only thing breaking up the patchy white and blue [...]
Behold! My global pilgrimage has thus far brought me to some truly extraordinary places, and for the first time brought me on safari in Masinagudi, Tamil Nadu, and the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve - in southern India. Here, cut off from all main roads, noise and chaos, the stampede of big towns and bleaching light pollution, you are surrounded by [...]
Dodamarg. Maharashtra. India. Alone. Free. Alive. You are deep in the jungle in South India, wading gently downstream, on the very edge of a river: fast-flowing, powerful, and swollen with fresh monsoon waters. You are in the safest, shallowest waters, under the thick canopy of tropical trees. You are alone, and you have never felt more [...]
Oh, the colour, the spirit, of India! Honestly, the sort of things I got away with in India would be impossible in Europe; and trust me, I've tried to crash weddings in England... and failed. Bangalore is a city of colours and flavours, and I was keen to taste as much as I could. I made [...]
...through the streets of India. After a twelve-hour journey on the oddest sleeper bus on the sub-continent, cramped-up next to some stranger who kept calling me "James Bond" every time the bus turned a corner and he rolled into me, I arrived in Bangalore, Karnataka... thankful to get away. After quick negotiations, I made my way to Shanthi [...]
Leave your troubles behind... and GO! God knows how much I love packing my little rucksack, jumping on a plane, taxi, boat or train, watching the land I've lived in trail swiftly behind... letting go of all those troubles, loves, losses and gains, having only the bare necessities on my back, on my mind light, [...]
A little story from the road. Everybody knows Venice is my favourite city in the world, and this little story is one I'll never forget. Let me tell you about the time I got perfectly lost in Venice... So I was wandering around, as usual, right off the heavily-beaten tourist trails in Venice, no bag, [...]
"Goliard - any of the wandering students and clerics in medieval England, France, and Germany, remembered for their satirical verses and poems in praise of drinking and debauchery." Okay, so whilst I enjoy the idea of being a wandering student poet, I generally do my best to avoid drunken debauchery... although it has this terrible habit [...]