lost in translations

well, my little sesame seeds, the time has come. i have come to the end of the line, ont he eastern edge of the middle kingdom. what has there been to learn from this little pasadito al mundo? the universal truths it seems, are called that for a reason, and i knew very soon after i bought my first backpack 7 years ago, that they are true. this time, along with others, it is with the finest pleasure and the warmest heart that i have re-learned about the morning sun on your face, the smell of good coffee as you walk by a shop, the cameraderie of two o clock in the morning bleary eyed and exhausted, the hidden smiles and cheeky winks of locals, who are, i am convinced of it, exactly the same as us.

it is testimony of the power of fear and propaganda that 7 years down the line i still doubt that fact that things and people will be the same wherever i go in the world, and i am always, and completely and utterly, wrong.

here i walk around with my head in the stars, dizzy from the height of the buildings and the goodness of the people, just as i have done in cairo, caracas, and cracow.i guess it is a reason to not stop having a look around the next corner wherever it may be.

i will continue to post here- although perhaps not as frequently- i move onto the next page of the book, put on a different hat, and will try to convince people that i am, contrary to first impressions, not a raving lunatic.

hasta pronto
rx