Although I haven't posted it here, I've spoken to a lot of you about my hope to circumnavigate the globe overland. The major bottleneck was always going to be the Middle East — I planned on taking the silk route through Iran and Pakistan.

For reasons I'll talk about at length in future posts, but in short because of the current political climate in the region, I decided to abandon this plan. I reached Turkey overland from France, traveling through the Balkans, and this felt like a nicely self contained trip.

Additionally I caught a Swine Flu travelling through the Greek islands, and in my typical cavalier fashion, didn't let that slow me down. Consequently I spent three days passed out exhausted in Istanbul. The thought of taking a flight back to Scotland to plan my next steps seemed the most logical plan.

So here I am, back in Edinburgh, sporting a rather nice tan, a lot thinner than when I left, and with absolutely no idea of what I'm doing next.

One thought is to fly to India and pick up the trail as if I'd managed the overland trail from Pakistan - I've always dreamed of trekking in Nepal, and the Himalayas beckon.

I do miss work though; I like the feeling of being productive, and the maelstrom of adventure that tends to accompany me when I travel through new regions doesn't leave much time for much else. So another thought is to work for a bit before continuing my journey - which naturally would mean a return to California.

I haven't made any firm plans, and hopefully after a few days rest things will be clearer. I do hope to update my website in the interim, so stay tuned for the rest of Part 1: Travels in Europe. And if you're in Edinburgh, drop me a line — I'm back in town.

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