Hello, and thanks for stopping by.

This is the page where I try to tell you who I am and what this site is all about…

My name is Delia Monk and once upon a time I was a journalist at a daily UK paper. Today I can be found travelling around the world with my notepad instead.

I left my humble abode in Nottingham in April 2013 to travel the Silk Road from Turkey to China… that was just the beginning. Working as a travel consultant and freelance tour guide, I now spend my winters overseas travelling and am currently based in South America.

This blog bears the fruits of my notepad. It is my little attempt to document our world in words… and pictures. But there’s probably a few things you should know before reading any further:

1) I am a massive scaredy cat – things scare me that don’t scare everyone else.
2) I love gin, I adore wine and I worship cheese.
3) I love cows (but they scare me)

I’m told that in order to get anywhere in this blogging world you must have your mugshot available for all and sundry. So here’s mine. Yes, I am looking lovingly at a small glass of beer… That’s me. You should see how I look at gin.

You may also notice regular references to Matty, who has joined me on many adventures. He is a trained nurse, enthusiastic brandy drinker and describes himself as “young, hip and urban”. Ahem. Click here to read his version of events on the road.

If you are reading my old Silk Road posts you will also hear all about The Mongoose, aka Donagh, who joined us on the road. He earned his nickname after showing a ‘wild side’ on many a goon-fuelled session in Oz. He’s spent the last God-Knows-How-Many-Years living in Afghanistan, working in development, and his favourite colour is pink.

So please pour yourself a large gin, and explore the site. If you love pictures, take a look at my World in Pictures section, where I try to write less and let the snaps do the talking, if want to read by country just select the ‘countries’ tab, and if you’re into food – everything I’m quaffing and scoffing can be found under the ‘food and drink’ tab. All my top travel tips and posts can be found in the travel section, and everything else leftover is thrown into the ‘life’ section. See, there is method in my madness.

To receive blog updates you can “like” my Facebook page at #/worldinwords.net – I promise not to spam your newsfeed too often!

Please leave comments and don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions or thoughts.

Enjoy x

PS Mine’s a Hendrick’s with Fever-Tree tonic and a chunk of cucumber if you’re asking….