Time Waits for Nomad

Much as time seems to speed up the older you become, so my departure date is galloping towards me. It doesn't look like I have time to do everything before I leave, but my intuition says it will all click together like a finely-crafted Swiss watch.

On Tuesday May 6, I will heave my backpack onto the 1625 from Cardiff Central to London Paddington. This is the first part of a journey that will cover some 8,500 miles, take 21 days to complete, cross eight time zones and pass through seven countries.

The end destination is Taiwan and I will get there without stepping onto an aeroplane. Instead, there will be six train journeys and two boat trips.

This is a huge step into the unknown. I have never been further east than Germany and although I can just about make myself understood in French and German, my linguistic skills are minimal.

But surprisingly, the language barrier is not my greatest concern. I am more worried about food. I love trying different foods but I try to avoid certain things. Wheat and dairy, for example, make me feel bllluurrrgh. I also need plenty of calories and I wonder if I will be able to get sufficient fuel on my travels without having to eat stuff that makes me feel crap. I could really do without being constipated in Siberia.

Anyway, there is only one way to find out and I am committed. The tickets are booked, my wallet is bulging with four currencies, the visas are sorted and my possessions are (almost) all boxed up and sitting in storage.

The standard question from friends over the last few weeks is: 'are you excited?' Well, I haven't really had time to be excited, or scared or anything other than busy. I guess the adrenaline will really start pumping on Tuesday when it is just me, my backpack, my tickets and my hopes getting on the train to London.

And I will certainly have plenty of time between then and May 27 (when I arrive in Taiwan) to decide whether this trip is the greatest adventure or the most foolish mistake I have ever made.

Either way, I am going. But now, time to do some more packing...