Claire van den Heever spent the last ten years of her life abroad. She wrote about her overland travels through the Middle and Far East, spent four years getting to grips with Mandarin in China, and researched a book on Chinese contemporary art’s rollercoaster-like history – when she wasn’t planning her next escape. Having recently returned to Cape Town, she enjoys feeling like a traveller in her own city, and having the opportunity to explore it with fresh eyes.