I´ve been inwardly debating whether or not to resurrect my livejournal in the name of this summer´s adventures in Europe. While I remain unconvinced that it´s a good idea, I can´t resist the opportunity to try and reknidle my passion for documenting my experiences, so for now, I´ll go on ( Read more... )

It might seem that I've dropped off the face of the earth as of late, and in a way, it's true. I've entered a new world, a world with walls around it that ends abruptly as you slam the gate behind you and step out into the street. A world in which I feel instantly accepted, secure and stimulated. I'm immersed ( Read more... )

I'm going to try and describe the seemingly indescribable, if only for the sake of documenting a time in my life that I will surely look back on with a tenuous blend of bemusement and fondness in years to come. If this sounds like pretentious drivel to you, I would probably aim the mouse at the address bar and go elsewhere. If on the other hand, ( Read more... )

It's just gone three in the morning. I'm sat in my comfy black leather Dr Evil chair in my dressing gown. I have some comforting Chinese tea in my favourite mug (the one Lucy bought me, with the old-school Penguin paperback artwork from Wuthering Heights). Smashing Pumpkins just came on iTunes. I'm at home. Stonewalls House, The Green, Iron Acton, ( Read more... )

I write this from an internet cafe in the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. This is easily the most stunning art gallery I have ever seen and one of the biggest, too. It is totally overwhelming. I spent a few hours here yesterday and have returned today to see the third floor, which features an enormous collection of Matisse, Picasso, ( Read more... )

I have no intention of writing a sprawling entry right now. I have ohsomuch to say about everything that has happened in the past seven days but neither the energy nor the time to say it ( Read more... )

My ipod is charged. My legs are aching from two days of horseriding in a Russian saddle. My cardgame skills are finely honed from seven months of preparation. I think I'm ready to take the trans-Siberian.

Next stop: Moscow. In 5 days' time.

Over annnnnnnnnnnd...out :)

I have returned from the Gobi desert and am currently sat in an internet cafe in Ulaan Baatar. It has become noticeably colder since I was here last; I even found myself wandering down the street in a daze because it felt so much like England with my scarf wrapped snugly around my chin and my fingers dug deep into the pockets of my jeans. The wind ( Read more... )

I'm really putting in some time to Flickr at the moment, going through the painstaking process of rotating every photo individually. It's trying my patience but hopefully it will be worth it: there are some decent images of my last days in Beijing, including Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Some lack colour on account of the smog. But grey ( Read more... )

In less than three hours I'll be leaving Beijing train station for the Mongolian border. This morning I procured my Mongolian visa in a few hours, with very little hassle (and some extra expense). It seems that as usual, I was working myself into a stressful frenzy over nothing at all ( Read more... )