Teatime: Crossing borders for 'me time'
This is part of a weekly column in which we talk about anything under the sun
The first time I travelled solo was in 1998 - and it was unplanned.
I had lost my patience with my travelling partner and bought a bus ticket to Chiang Mai while the Swede slept in our shared room in Bangkok.
Internet was at the time used mainly for sending e-mails and I did not even have a copy of Lonely Planet, the travelling bible for backpackers in pre-Google days.
But it did not stop me from setting out on my own and that decision got me hooked on solo travel.
Now that I am in my 40s, the travel bug has left me and when I do use my passport, it is to leave behind my responsibilities.
The joy in travel no longer lies exclusively in discovering new places but more in savouring a meal without having to cook and wash, having someone else clean the toilet and tidy up the bedroom, and enjoying "me time".
Work recently took me to Beijing and I gladly left for several days without having to care about the husband, the cats, the dogs, the home.
Friends who know me well simply said "have fun". The well-meaning ones but with a lesser understanding of my psyche rattled off a list of must-sees.
They want to share the joy they experienced in seeing those places, I get it. But unsolicited recommendations irritate me as much as TikTok videos of "things you must see/do in xxx".
I did not go to the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace.
I marvelled at the landscape, watched the locals, tasted amazing food, took sporadic naps.
The small collection of photos I shared on Facebook were of things that caught my attention. None of the images would qualify for a photography contest.
When I left Beijing, I felt richer in experience and knowledge, my being rejuvenated and ready to return to the daily grind.
I did not even feel battered by the five-hour wait in the plane when air travel in the area came to a standstill as Typhoon Gaemi wreaked havoc in the south-east.
I thought of blaming the weather for stopping me from seeing the wondrous attractions but I reminded myself that I am not answerable to anyone for what I do with my own free time.
The magic of travel is in making my own discoveries, free of obligations and expectations.