Actually, this isn't the beginning at all. My story goes waaay back many years, too far and far too much to actually get into here. Suffice to say that I'll start this chapter here and now, at the point where I joined this site, bought this travel insurance and started typing in this box.
"Here" is Xi'an, a large city in the Shaanxi province of China. "Now" is August, 2007, about 7 months into my contract with GAP Adventures, the company which is funding my travel at the moment. The only drawback is that I actually have to work for them, which - as the work involves travelling - isn't much of a drawback at all.
I am about midway through leading a trip called "Roam China", which starts in Hong Kong and ends in a small town called Beijing. It's hot, sticky, muggy and energy-sapping, but I am currently ensconced in the air-conditioned atmosphere of the local Starbucks, so life is quite bearable thanks very much. My group has disappeared off to see the famous terracotta warriors, and I am about to embark on a bit of work-related money-type business, but for now I'm just enjoying the luxury of a fresh mug of coffee and a chocolate croissant.
If I can be bothered keeping this journal up-to-date I will probably be
scrapping my old blog, but we'll wait and see. I've been joining a few too many websites off late, and keeping track of everything is getting harder and harder, so it's entirely possible I'll be just as lazy with this one as any other. If another chapter in this story appears, then I guess I'll be committing to it for a wee bit longer!
