By now I was utterly deprogrammed. I walked along naked usually, clothes being not only putrid but unnecessary. My skin had been baked a deep terra-cotta brown and was the constituency of harness leather. The sun no longer penetrated it. I retained my hat.

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

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

I believe when you’re stuck in one spot for too long it’s best to throw a grenade where you stand, and jump…and pray.

When there is no one to remind you what society's rules are, and there is nothing to keep you linked to that society, you had better be prepared for some startling changes.

The good Lord in his ultimate wisdom gave us three things to make life bearable: hope, jokes, and dogs, but the greatest of these was dogs.

The most difficult part of any endeavour is taking the first step, making the first decision.