They called it escaping - and maybe they were right.

And I'm going to talk about myself but all I have thought about for the last few days is other people. I suppose that in a way, all of us who go travelling alone are looking to temporarily get out of relationships that add complications to life. No matter how similar and agreeable your friends are, you have to compromise on plans and wont get to do all you want to. There's also something very very cool about the independance you feel navigating new cities all alone. It's not all about isolation, but also having friendships that don't put many demands on you. You meet people just for a day or a week, and you each have your own reasons for being there. It's only a shared experience if you think it will enhance things. There's really no commitment to somebody that you meet in a Budapest hostel one day- unless you want to follow them up. If you decide that you'd rather not hang out with somebody, then its fine, who says that you should. Living in the Big Brother house (locally known as Katary Villa) has created intense creative and inspiring relationships very quickly, for all of us. There's a very talented bunch of people here- a lot of music, writing and relating. But I was talking to a friend of mine t'other night, who came alone for similar reasons and we realised that there's no way to escape the emotions and occasional tangly mess that come with being around people. And that we probably wouldn't want to because it makes us feel alive. I am not a sight-seeing orphan-feeding machine, I am a person. And I hope that's okay with you.