Writers are almost always describing human endeavour, human interaction and the human condition. We write about culture, which means much, much more than cuisine, clothing and language. This is what engenders the most interest for me in travel: investigating and observing the way people solve their problems, live their lives and look after themselves and each other.

It’s a truism that we can’t really fully appreciate and understand another place until we are there, immersed in all the senses which make travel such a valuable experience. This has been true in every country visited.

Curious scanners of the site might wonder about the irregularity of the postings. The clumps of musings coincide exclusively to periods of travel. It’s travel that begets this inspiration. During those periods with no exposure to other worlds, the inspiration is not barren but it’s always the on-the-spot reckoning with other ways that gives birth to the ideas. These epistles – written then when inspired by travel – are about issues.

I’ve had the fortune of having companions on these big journeys. Companions help an open-minded traveller to observe things but interestingly, more than once, a fellow traveller has remarked that “we both witnessed everything together, but you saw things differently”. Perhaps that’s the theme of these epistles. Whereas each one stands on its own, there is a journey being undertaken: a journey towards understanding.

Even prospective travellers, scanning the world for future destinations might find the selection of photographs interesting and informative. They won’t find too many photographs of meals or tips for one accommodation over another. It’s not that type of site.

These issues expressed in these stories are not rhetorical questions. They invite (even provoke) discussion via comment. Civil exchanges are very welcome (understatement). I’m hoping that by floating ideas, readers might feel sufficiently encouraged to respond, or at the very least think.