December 2018

A nomad since inception, I seek the spotlight out of sight. Drawn to the allure of the partially obscured, I’m addicted to escape. I love to defy – let’s say – gravity. High in the Himalayas, under house arrest in a hotel embroiled in political turmoil, I fled to the rooftop to plan my break. Hijacked in a flooded pass on the Karakoram Highway with a convoy of trucks and truckers, I prayed to the snowy peaks. Trekking in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, I succumbed to hallucinations – not from the bite of a deadly mosquito but from drugs (now banned) intended to ward off the chills of malarial dreams. On a lonely road at sunset, somewhere in India, I uncovered monkey brains when I popped the trunk. And in a tent in Tanzania I slept with scorpions under my bed. In South Africa I sidled up to fever trees nestled deep in swamps and froze when a cobra slinked around my toes. Across the globe, I’ve juggled lovers and tried my luck. Now – all bets are off!  Read More »