3 years ago today I bade farewell to home. It is not necessarily a time for celebration but reflection tied up with a massive dose of appreciation. This is the time when I look at the people who are still in my life, ones who are deserving of endless gratitude as they are available without question - even after so long apart - as if we had met just yesterday. To my family who share joyful stories, worry my illnesses away and on occasion know what is just across t...

Sometimes things do just work out... not saying that I yet own a Chinese visa or have my Mekong cargo vessel booked. However waking up early and making a slow start to a bus station that does not appear where the maps tell us, and sitting atop of a double decker just as it pulls out of the station feels pretty smooth. The road to Chang Mai is flat and calm and I suffered no palpitations throughout the journey, which is unusual in Asia. The landscape becomes more...