The 70s were a wonderful time to be young. I think most young people at that time were pushing the boundaries, asking all sorts of questions of society, of life and of themselves. They were very politicised. It was part of the air that we breathed.

I experienced that sinking feeling you get when you know you have conned yourself into doing something difficult and there's no going back.

Real travel would be to see the world, for even an instant, with another's eyes

I just don't see myself as a travel writer. I can't. I don't.

I hate hats! Hats just give you really bad hair! I had a hat sometimes. Frankly, you get burnt so much anyway, it's beside the point. And when you're walking into the western sun, no hat in the world is going to save your face and neck from being sizzled.

Camel trips, as I suspected all along, and as I was about to have confirmed, do not being or end: they mere change form.

It is better to proceed with one's duty in the service of others than wallow in the pain attachments bring