We first thought about China after seeing an ad in the Weekend Age which offered a 28 day trip, half in China and half aboard a liner cruising through South East Asia. We had never been to China and we had never been on a cruise. So after some deliberation and asking Barbara’s sister Sheelah if she’d be interested, the three of us decided to go. That was back in early 2013. The adventure wouldn’t begin until January 2014. So for the following months we planned and organised visas and insurance and travel accounts. We had to supply the tour company with a letter from our GP’s stating that we were fit to travel and able to walk at least three kilometres. Then at one point the company emailed us to say that they’d had some cancellations and there were only five people doing the tour, Barbara and I and Sheelah and another couple. Did we still want to go? Of course we did. The smaller the group the better as far as we were concerned. So that was how, in early January we flew first to ...