William Wordsworth can rest easy

I had a poetic moment flying between Ho Chi Minh City and Pleiku in Vietnam's Central Highlands.

'I wandered lonely as a cloud' seemed very apt at the time.

It's amazing to me how much my outlook on life has changed over the last few years. I have become much more susceptible to bouts of acute loneliness, whereas I previously used to bask in the delights of being a relative hermit. Arriving at my destination jolted me from my reverie as my colleague Liem whisked me for dinner, and life can never be anything other than high energy where Liem is concerned.

Whilst sometimes lonely, I am constantly reminded that life is a continuous journey of exploration and seeking to understand people and places, which was a thought I'd also had whilst stood at the urinal at Ho Chi Minh City airport and a female toilet attendant kept licking my feet with her mop.