"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do."

"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasant sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure. You have no idea of what is in store for you, but you will, if you are wise and know the art of travel, let yourself go on the stream of the unknown and accept whatever comes in the spirit in which the gods may offer it."

This is a passage by Freya Stark, who travelled all her life in the 1920s through the Middle East and Arabia when women just didn't do that. She captures in that paragraph, something that inspires and excited me about travel. For a control freak, this sort of lack of control is somewhat intoxicating.

Whilst I wanted to travel entirely alone at first on this trip, I am also excited to share it with a friend now who wanted to come along. There will still be moments for me alone, as there were when I travelled with someone in the USA. Those moments are the stuff life is supposed to be. I am excited to experience this feeling again. It really is addictive.