For me, a journey to Damascus is an amazing hunt from beginning to end, a slice through layers of history in search of treasure.

Lured by the wilderness, and by the chance of spotting rare desert elephants, a few intrepid tourists make their way to the Skeleton Coast each year. It's just about as remote as any tourist destination on earth, but one that pays fabulous dividends.

The desert was bad, but nothing could compare with the horrors of a tropical rain forest.

A journey, I reflected, is of no merit unless it has tested you.

Most journeys have a clear beginning, but on some the ending is less well-defined. The question is, at what point do you bite your lip and head for home?

For me, a journey to Damascus is an amazing hunt from beginning to end, a slice through layers of history in search of treasure.

Usually, there is nothing more pleasing that returning to a place where you have endured hardship.