So why the title Staying Ahead? 

I always struggle for a meaningful title for my blog journeys. This one is no different. 

I enjoy reading about the life of the American cowboy humourist Will Rogers. He died in 1935 at the early age of 44 in an airplane accident, in Alaska I think. I love reading about his opinions on American life and politics, many of which have found their way into the American lexicon as short pithy quotes. That's where I've picked out the title for this ride: Staying Ahead.

Live your life so that whenever you lose it, you are ahead

As I age, I feel the increasing need to focus on living my life well and the need to address the fact that I don't feel ahead of the game at this point in time. Yes, I should eat well, get lots of exercise, be kind to children and small animals and donate to worthy causes. I would never ever think I could advise or proscribe how others should live their lives, but mine requires a certain amount of meaningful travel. And I've found that the most meaningful travel is had from the seat of a slow moving bicycle. I haven't been on a long ride since November of 2017 and haven't been for an Asian bike ride since November of 2016. 

It's time...

17/05/2019 PS - I changed the subtitle to "Not Pedalling Yunnan." You'll have to read on to see why...