People talk about the pain of writing, but very few people talk about the pleasure and satisfaction.

The conversation, like many others I had with people on trains, derived an easy candour from the shared journey, the comfort of the dining car, and the certain knowledge that neither of us would see each other again.

Sightseeing was ... based on imaginative invention, like rehearsing your own play in stage sets from which all the actors had fled.

It's only when you're alone that you realize where you are. You have nothing to fall back on except your own resources.

People talk about the pain of writing, but very few people talk about the pleasure and satisfaction.

It might be said that a great unstated reason for travel is to find places that exemplify where one has been happiest. Looking for idealised versions of home-indeed, looking for the perfect memory.

I always found myself in the company of Australians, who were like a reminder that I'd touched bottom.