An Indiot Abroad

"You'll soon realise that this place is pretty Idiot proof" -those were the words to which I entered Singapore. Words from my friend, Dhwani Desai, who has lived in Singapore most of her life.

"Something tells me i'm about to disprove that..." I thought to myself.

But sure enough, Dhwani was right. Singapore was so easy! everything was so clean and efficient. a place that just works. no complaining about pollution, traffic, litter. in lots of ways, singapore is perfect. but too perfect maybe？

a fine city, as they call it. you get fined for chewing gum. fined for drinking water on the metro. fined for just about anything you can think of!

My walk through Macritchie Resevoir was fun. i met an old lady from Beijing. discussing British accents, she asked me to do a scottish accent. So, there I was, in the middle of a Singapore rainforest, doing a terrible Scottish accent for a Chinese pensioner. as you do.

I enjoyed Singapore because I was staying with Dhwani and her wonderful family. but if I wasn't, 3 days may have been too many. I imagine it'd be a great place to live and work - easy to just get on with things. but for a traveller? not so sure....

I set off from Bali and jumped on a boat to Gili Trawangan. Gili T is one of the 3 Gili Islands, east of Bali.

As the boat pulled away from Bali, I was sad to have left. Convinced nothing could top it.

And then, Gili T appeared. Simply stunning. As we neared the island, it could have been the opening scene from T4's Shipwrecked - a boat full of people, unbelievably excited at the sheer site of their new home. Except this time, I was there - I was one of the ones actually on the boat! And not sat in my pyjamas hungover on a Sunday morning, having already sat through a Hollyoaks omnibus and only watching Shipwrecked because there was nothing on.

I spent 5 days on Gili T and the only word that comes close to describing the place is "perfect." Beautiful white sands and the clearest water.

I went snorkelling and met turtles - even shook a few hands. Other than that, days were spent on the beach simply enjoying the sunshine. Life's tough.

It's ironic that one of my shortest posts is about one of the places I have loved the most so far. But I guess that's because it's hard to find words to describe Gili T. No amount of superlatives could do the place justice. You just have to experience it.

New Years Eve, 1933. I arrive in Bali and make my way to a family home stay in Ubud. 2 statues of Hanuman guard my door.

Tomorrow is Nyepi, Balinese Hindu New Year and we're about to enter the year 1934. New Year's Eve here is a far cry from the west. No huge night out. No being sardined into a club with thousands of others. No queuing at the bar for an hour only to be told that a vodka/cranberry is a million pounds (for a single?!). No leaving the club complaining about how crap a night it was and cursing that there's no way we'll go back again next year.

New Year's eve here is much more important that that. Before entering a sacred New Year, one must rid all evil. So we spend the evening watching a procession of huge papermachaed demons paraded around the town. They come in all shapes and sizes each representing a different evil, a different temptation, a different vice. First the demons are worshipped - a strategy of appeasement. Then they are destroyed - beaten, brokened, burned.

The day of Nyepi arrives. Today is a silent day. Everything shuts down - shops, offices, even the airport. No one is allowed on to the streets. lights and electricity? only if you're a liberal family. today is a day of reflection. a day for contemplation. a chance to clear the mind for the year ahead. No room for a hangover and a Nando's.

I spend a week in Ubud, discovering the sheer magic of Bali - the sights, the sounds. I meet amazing people - painter, writers, yoga teachers, sculptors. Talent beyond my imagination. People from all walks of life.

One day, I take a tour cycling through the Balinese countryside. We start at Mount Bakur and have breakfast overlooking this beautiful volcano. We begin our journey, passing through miles and miles of lush green forest and padi fields. The scene is like a fairytale. Eat, Pray, Love. But without Xavier Bardem. Then again, I've not been to Italy on this trip either. Um, so just Pray then?

The next day, I white water raft through the Balinese jungle. As the water crashes around us, it's difficult not be in awe at the natural beauty that surrounds me. Rubber dingy rapids, bro.

The next morning, I'm up at 3am and we drive to Lovina and take a boat out to try and spot dolphins. After hours at sea, our guide gives up. "It just comes down to luck," he says. Tired and disappointed, we turn back.

Then, all of a sudden, he slows the boat. He's spotted something. A glorious, grey, glistening fin glides through the water. And then another. And another. And another. Our boat is surrounded by them. A breathtaking moment.

I depart from Bali, sad to leave the great people I have met in this perfect place. Beautiful, gracious and inspiring, there is something truly magical about Bali. I will look back on 1934 with the fondest of memories

I confess that before I got there, I knew very little about Cambodia. I knew of Angkor Wat and had read a little about the Khmer Rouge. Apart from that, all I knew was that Brangelina had adopted from Cambodia and that a friend of a friend worked in a bar there.

So armed with nothing but my ignorance, I headed south for some beach time.

Otres beach in Sihanoukville was gorgeous. Quiet, relaxed and peaceful. I met a couple of great German guys and the days were basically spent on the beach reading, eating and drinking, occasionally mustering up the energy to go for a swim. Life's tough.

But more than the actual beach, it was on Otres that I quickly discovered that the best thing about Cambodia is the people. Cambodians are without a shadow of a doubt, the most friendly, helpful and smiley people I've met the world. Their warmth and laughter is infectious. Chatting to locals on the beach, it was hard not to fall in love with their great character.

And so captivated by the charm of the people, we headed for the capital Phnom Penh.

We visited one of the killing fields/memorials, where thousands of Cambodians were killed under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Mass graves and the remains of human skeletons - it was tough to hold back the tears in this factory of death.

It's bizarre to think that anyone over the age of 35 in Cambodia is a survivor of genocide. I was shocked to learn that between 1975-79, 3 out of the 8m population were killed. Can you imagine living in a country where more than one in every four people that you knew was brutally slaughtered?

Yet despite such recent tragedy, every single local we met was smiling. Genuinely happy and friendly, always willing to have a chat and help out in any way they could.

For me, Cambodia was a lesson in human spirit. Maybe it's not despite but because of what they've been through, that people there are so incredibly humble. Somehow having the resolve to rebuild their lives, people in Cambodia are the epitome of incredible.

I think I may well have to make another trip back here soon...

After a 28 hour bus journey from Laos (with no book and no ipod battery :s) , I finally arrived in Hanoi late on a Saturday evening. I always hate arriving after dark anywhere new - it just makes things more difficult. But Hanoi was different because at the bus station I was received by a Vietnamese friend, Hang, who I had met when in India.

And boy was it nice to stay with Hang and her family in their home. An actual home! As much as I've stayed in some awesome hostels over the last few months, there's no place like home (even if it is somebody else's!)

The family were SO welcoming and lovely. I couldn't quite stomach the locally brewed rice wine (think very strong vodka) that they were drinking neat with dinner but was grateful for the Heineken that they'd bought in!

Hang was an incredible tour guide, bursting with pride showing me around her city. And doing it the proper way, on local buses which cost 6p a journey!! As I was to discover later on, the Vietnamese don't just blare karaoke-type music on local buses - they do it on long distance, "sleeper" buses too! Oh the joy (!)

Though manic, I loved the feeling in Hanoi. In a country with such a tumultuous past, it was awesome to witness a population that is so young and optimistic.

In amongst exploring the city, the highlight of my few days in Hanoi was attending the wedding engagement of one of Hang's friends. I couldn't really join in the huge wedding feast as it was mostly meat, but drinking red wine at 10am on a Monday morning was definitely a new experience!

Lots of people have been asking me about food in Vietnam. Just to answer all the questions, no I wasn't forced to eat dog/rabbit/pigeon! It was actually pretty easy to find good veggie food!

From Hanoi, I spent a couple of very cold nights on Halong Bay. The place was mystical - Like a scene from Jurrasic Park. As we kayaked through a small fishing village past tiny floating houses, it was fascinating to witness life in such a remote community.

Continuing South, I found more and more to love about Vietnam. Having met some great people in Hue, we travelled to Hoi An - one of my favourite places yet. A beautiful old town, still retaining its French influence, where life is extremely laid back. We spent most of our time at the beach and despite the regular hassle from street vendors selling drinks/peanuts/cards/sun cream/fruit/fans/insert-practically-anything-else-you-want, had a fab time enjoying the sunshine.

From Hoi An, on to Saigon. Now, lots of people I've met along the way hate Saigon but I loved it. Huge, hot and congested but man, what a vibe!

One evening, I got chatting to the father of my hostel owner. He was about 70yrs old and was telling me how he had been an air traffic controller in the Vietnam war, working alongside the Americans. It was incredible to hear his stories. I was surprised by his overwhelming respect and admiration for America, to the extent that he even said that America was where he wanted to die. He told me that he could never really feel free in Vietnam - that people there were still hugely constrained politically. A stark contrast to the energy of the young people I'd met in Hanoi.

As a visitor, Vietnam was awesome. But talking to locals, I left Vietnam feeling somewhat ambivalent...