So much time. So much bloody time to think, contemplate and give deep rooted reflection of life. I am constantly faced with the reality of living, and yet at the same time living the reality. Every cause and concern, thought and manifestation of why?

To say I underestimated pretty much everything about this ridiculous adventure I’m on, would be something of an understatement. The heat, the distance, the terrain and the toll it would take on me physically and mentally has far surpassed anything I could have ever possibly imagined.

The honeymoon period is well and truly over. My Indian adventure started well, but I warn you now, I hold nothing back. So, if you’re squeamish you might want to stop reading at this point!

The alarm went off at 6am and as I reached over to turn it off, the pain hit me. Every part of my body ached, the tips of my fingers numb from gripping the climbing machine. And, yet again, I slept like shit - Happy Fucking Friday. 

I have been getting such conflicting information as to how safe it would be for me, as a foreigner with no support, to walk through the valleys and highways in the Jammu and Kashmir region, that it would have been a complete gamble for me to take. It’s with deep regret that I’ve had to cancel…

Can you Adam and Eve it? I have done stuff in life that sounds unimaginable, almost impossible. But trust me, my friends, my stories of travel and adventure are true. Step foot into the world of exploration and expeditions and my feats seem somewhat less impressive compared to others. 

If truth be told, if someone had mentioned a trip to India, I would have been the first in the line. I could go on for hours about why I love the country so much. That said, it would take me just as long to list the things I hate about the country. India will forever be the country that so many non-Indians hold in their heart and yet equally as many fail to see the attraction.

As an intrepid traveller for many years, I’ve always been amazed at how the most forthright advice comes from those who have...how can I put it?... never actually done, been, seen or experienced the very thing they are giving YOU advice on. I'm sure they mean well, for the best part anyhow. But you should certainly let their two-bobs worth go in one ear and out the other. While smiling and nodding your head obviously. 

The initial excitement of my trip to India still burns strong. But, as the new year proceeds and the date of my departure draws closer, I have to say the enormity of this adventure has started to feel very real. The realisation that, as the UK winter brings colder temperatures our way, they won’t be a patch on the cold harshness and subzero temperatures I'll face when trekking alongside the mountains of Kashmir.

I knew it had to happen sooner or later; when you’re on the journey of exploration and self-discovery time waits for no man. I knew that I had reached a point in my life where I needed to create a new adventure. Create new opportunities that will pave the way, on the untrodden path that we call our future.

I can’t believe I got it so wrong. As many of you will know, I have been stressing like hell at the thought of turning 40. So much so, that I cancelled all birthday celebrations and wanted to let it pass without acknowledgement.

I can still remember the feeling when I packed the last of my belongings into The Big Yellow storage facility I had rented. I felt a slight apprehension and nervousness but also a feeling of freedom, knowing that for the next 12 months I didn't have a care in the world, at least from a work perspective anyhow. 

Are you fucking crazy? Those were the very words spoken by my boss when I handed in my notice. A month later I dropped off the keys to my company car, said goodbye to my colleagues and hopped onto the tube to Heathrow.