Challenged by a friend of our son Geoffrey we set about gaining the confidence needed to explore the world by backpacking without firm plans, nothing pre-booked except long haul flights. This was 1989 and our first destination was Nepal. We never looked back it was exciting, revealing and one was always meeting interesting people from the target country as well as travelers of all nationalities. Above all enthralled by the chance to get an in depth feel for other countries and other ways of life.
On early retirement in 1996 we set out to travel the world aiming at countries with different life styles to our own. The first year went well with a 60 day trip to Sumatra, followed by a month revisiting our favourite haunts in France and another 60 days in north western India. Then all was upset by the sudden development of severe rheumatoid arthritis in Joan's left knee, a brief respite then replacement of her other knee. It was not until 1999 that we were fully ready to renew our travel challenges with another wonderful trip this time to the south of Thailand, a visit so successful that we determined to repeat the track with our whole family backpacking during the summer school holidays in 2000.
As a prelude we spent 28 nights in spring of 2000 on our first ever visit to Sicily. This travelogue pre-dates my discovery of on-line blogging or digital photography has been produced by transcription from my written notebook and converting analog film negatives to digital.
On early retirement in 1996 we set out to travel the world aiming at countries with different life styles to our own. The first year went well with a 60 day trip to Sumatra, followed by a month revisiting our favourite haunts in France and another 60 days in north western India. Then all was upset by the sudden development of severe rheumatoid arthritis in Joan's left knee, a brief respite then replacement of her other knee. It was not until 1999 that we were fully ready to renew our travel challenges with another wonderful trip this time to the south of Thailand, a visit so successful that we determined to repeat the track with our whole family backpacking during the summer school holidays in 2000.
As a prelude we spent 28 nights in spring of 2000 on our first ever visit to Sicily. This travelogue pre-dates my discovery of on-line blogging or digital photography has been produced by transcription from my written notebook and converting analog film negatives to digital.
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