It's been great getting ready for the Camino Portuguese. Lisbon is a wonderful city with so much to see and do. Together with my 'Camino amiga' Margita, I have been doing lots of walking along cobbled streets and hills to gain a little exercise in readiness for the walk ahead. i am staying in the Alfama district which is one of the oldest parts of the city. Fado music is sung in cafes and bars along the narrow streets and there is a strong sense of community her...

We set off in the early morning sunshine in St Jean to retrace those first steps which I had taken only a few short months ago when embarking on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. This time I was with Alan, Martyn, Richard, Phil, Mike and Chris as we headed out up into the Pyrenees.The first leg is fairly gradual and steep and our first stop was Orisson. From here it was upwards and onwards with spectacular views of the surrounding snow capped mountains. St Jea...

I went online the day before my flight from Kathmandu to change my seat number. The reason is that from the right hand side of the aircraft, you get the most stupendous views of the mighty Himalaya. Up at 38,000 feet, you can see the white mountains and the brown valleys for mile after mile. I sit next to a middle aged Tibetan Buddhist monk in his crimson and saffron robes who stares in silence and a young man dressed in an orange gilet and bright yellow Addidas ...

The journey over to the Thamel area of Kathmandu from Patan, on the other side of the river on Rup's motorbike was fun. There is a multi million pound project under way to provide proper sanitation and refuse disposal for the city and I saw the way it is done currently. Unbelievable ! Past the football stadium, horse race track, old Royal Palace.and into the bendy narrow streets of Thamel. I like the energy of this place and weaving through these street on a bike...

This afternoon, Rup took me to see two very old towns in the Kathmandu valley called Bungawati and Khokana. They are well over 600 years old and provide a fascinating insight into life back then because in many ways, little has changed. The old narrow streets have houses with small doors and ornate carved windows and the washing is set out to dry. Goats, cockerels, and other animals wander freely along the streets. In Bungawati, there is a 'village square' with a...