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| Heritance Hotel Sri Lanka |
I always had an innate desire
to travel the world even from a very young age. My father had an extensive
collection of National Geographic magazines which I used to take into my
den and sat entranced over the colourful images. Even though my pet squirrel
Sputnik decided to make a nest out of the pages did nothing to deter me from
wanting to wander off to far off lands. At this point you are wondering how I
ended up with a pet squirrel. That my friend is because I rescued him after he
was abandoned by his mother at a young age.
Like many young people I decided that I would travel once I had finished my studies. The working holiday visa for young people to visit Australia was just the encouragement I needed to pack my bags and trot half way around the world and encounter koalas and kangaroos. In between working and seeing it's beautiful scenery, the time went quickly before it was time to come home to England.
Then came all the commitments of life and my carefree days of solo travel were a dim and distant memory. My passport gathered dust in a corner. Sputnik had departed into squirrel heaven or else he would have no doubt made more bedding for his nest with it. The years passed by and I got established in my career within the prison service where I worked.
In 2013, I decided to do the unthinkable. I knew I needed to have a career change but I also wanted to do something adventurous. Coupled with the fact a few friends had been diagnosed with serious illnesses, the fragility of life really struck me. It was now or never, so I handed in my notice to the amazement of my colleagues. Some I guess thought I had embarked on career suicide never mind career break.
The following blogs are highlights of my travels of just under six months where I met with strangers who became friends, dined on food that captivated my senses and encountered animals that would not look out of place in any National Geographic magazine.
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| Beach in Sri Lanka |
Mark Twain once wrote, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover."
