After India and Qatar, I wanted to go further, so my next trip was China.
I flew in and travelled from city to city: Shanghai with its towering skyline, Beijing steeped in history, Shenyang in the north, and Xiamen on the coast, along with a few others along the way. From China I hopped across to South Korea, then on to Japan, before heading back to China to finish the journey.
Each place felt like a different world. The food, the language, the pace of life and the way people go about their day were nothing like home, and often nothing like the country I’d just left. It was overwhelming at times, but in the best way.
That trip opened my eyes to what travel can really be. It isn’t about ticking off sights. It’s about stepping into other cultures, getting a little lost, and coming home seeing things differently.
