travel
a bad case of wanderlust
A compulsive need to travel the globe , experience new things and seek adventures in faraway lands saw Albury-based writer Craig Sheather catch a serious case of the travel bug .
The travel bug infected me a long time ago . However , it wasn ’ t until I encountered some health issues in my late teens that the bug really started to take hold .
Born with a tethered spinal chord , at the age of 18 I underwent major back surgery to address the condition . Along the way I suffered muscle wastage in my right leg , nerve damage , ongoing back pain and bladder damage . At 25 I endured further surgery to reconstruct my bladder with a piece of my bowel . I have since developed ‘ ankle equinus ’ ( an ankle ailment ) so now walk with a considerable limp .
Before , the surgery I was a normal kid and teenager who played a fair bit of representative Aussie Rules football , soccer , cricket and basketball . I absolutely loved sport . However , the muscle weakness affected my running so I was no longer able to continue any intense or competitive sport .
Walking became part of my recovery and daily exercise routine . Over time I built up enough strength to go on longer hikes and before I knew it I was hooked . My focus and passion had changed from sport to travel . And my enthusiasm for trekking skyrocketed . Over the past 20 years I ’ ve travelled to over 50
MACHU PICCHU countries and completed extensive treks including Everest Base Camp ( Nepal ), Lares Trek ( Peru ) and the self-sufficient Overland Track ( Tasmania ).
I lived in the UK for two years , backpacked around parts of Europe , Asia and South America and spent three months travelling through Africa on an overland safari truck . Some favourite wilderness areas include the Amazon , Yosemite National Park , the Himalayas and the Serengeti . I ran with the bulls in Spain , drank copious amounts of beer at the German Beer-Fest and partied all night long in Las Vegas ( and then fell asleep on the helicopter ride over The Grand Canyon ).
Along the way , my love of sport has not faded . I ’ ve watched cricket and soccer in the UK , baseball , basketball and ice hockey in the USA and attended horse racing in Hong Kong and Argentina .
Greetings from Lake Titicaca
DELIVERY
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