Welcome!

Welcome folks!
I have finally succumbed and started a travel blog. As much as I enjoy scribbling in the more old fashioned version - my brown faded journal which has been to several continents - alas it is time to pack it in.
This is a direct consequence of my strictly imposed packing guidelines as I head off to Bangkok tomorrow for six weeks in south East Asia.
These guidelines are so rigid and militant that a small journal has no hope but to land on the hitlist of Things That Can Be Left Behind.
Oh packing - prob the most boring part of any trip, but so tricksy!
Finding the holy grail of the Perfectly Packed Suitcase has become a mild obsession, okay maybe fascination is the better word. That day I return from  holiday and can proudly say I needed and used everything in my backpack! Success!
My first six week trip to South America saw me lug a giant red suitcase (with wheels) AND carry on luggage. Hauling that thing up stairs at backpackers lodges and onto public transport was nothing short of dreadful, not to mention mortifying!
In Morocco, I ended up ditching my main bag for a small backpack containing two outfits and a few decorative scarves which kept me dressed for two weeks as I hitchhiked around the country while my luggage remained untouched in Marrakech.
So this time, I have narrowed it down even further, to hopefully guide those with the same dilemma to reach bag packing utopia! Although like most things in life u gotta hit your own head first *sigh*
Tip - you can buy it there! People live there after all. So taking all the little things you might need is not necessary.  When I went to hike the Inca Trail in Peru I spent a fortune at the local outdoor store (not to mention booking the trip so far ahead out of paranoia) only to find a million shops selling weird raincovers etc in the town itself to millions of laid back unprepared backpackers who just stumbled along.

So in my effort to be more of a lassez-faire stumbler.... I am really trimmming the luggage fat and will report back later on progress.

I have a book or two, a camera, minimal toiletries, a few items of clothing, torch, trainers and a basic first aid kit. (consisting mainly of things to avoid unpleasant travellers illnesses that involve spending too much time around a toilet).
I have not planned a damn thing other than that I am staying with a friend and colleague Richard in Bangkok, and will meet my Belgian friend Evy in a week to set off north to Laos, down to Cambodia.
It has been a year since my last trip to Morocco, and I am so excited to hit the road again, unknown adventures lying in wait, stories waiting to unfold, friends waiting to be made.
This is me - putting it here as a before shot to introduce myself (when I am not leading camels) before the grime settles in blissfully and I regain that temporarily relaxed and unkempt look.

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson





I just realised this picture looks like one of those in an obituary the way I edited it all fancy-like. But screw it it has taken me so long to figure out all these blogging tools and I am so chuffed at managing to insert anything at all I will keep it up there!