A long time ago, or so it feels, Johan started the next chapter of his life. He was widowed in 2006 and retired from his wonderful career at the University of British Columbia, where he had lectured for 23 years in the area of accounting. So, he just started out traveling, and what started out as a two month trip to South America and Africa in June 2007 ended up lasting 14 months! Johan eventually ended up living in Dubai in August 2008. Along the way (actually early on, in South Africa in August 2007) he met Jane, and over time and distance, and after many wonderful rendezvous, they married in August 2009. By then, Johan was out of Dubai and had landed a lecturing position in Hong Kong. Here, Jane and Johan have started a new life. So, why is this blog called "Johan's Pilgrimage"? A pilgrimage is defined as a long journey or search of great moral significance, and this is what he is on, and will likely be on for a very long time into the future. What he has discovered after over 1000 days is that life is beyond spectacular, and it is time to feast on its bounty.