Nothing warned me there would be no maps. I would have to depend on the kindness of strangers. There would be long cold nights with only the stars for company. Deserts would unroll like carpets at every turn. Too often I would glimpse the abyss a bare footstep away. But always, always, there would be a haven, a sarai to shelter for the night, to wait out the storm, to share a meal, to exchange a story.