Next on the list was the home of Angkor Wat (one of the overlooked wonders of the world), the backdrop for the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge and the country which was the inspiration for a song by Kim Wilde...

Having "enjoyed" the excitement of SG and Malaysia, I raced to enter the country of fun, Thailand. In Thailand, if you desire it it is already available...with a cherry on top.

Welcome to my homeland... This is where my parents came from, by way of Pakistan, and where my extended family lives. I visited my relatives for first time in 18 years in May 2003 and will be wending my way there again for Dec 2004. So here are some pics of my time there in 2003 and now some new entries from my last visit there.

A country (or continent) of so much diversity in food, tradition, religion, culture and people. A place of confluence and influence which attracts so many visitors, old and new, every day. Intense sights, sounds, smells and aggravation...

The home of Everest... the tallest mountain in the world. I knew little about Nepal but was nonetheless intrigued to visit this small but vibrant land.

A country, a continent, a land of many myths, legends and for some questionable ethics. Upon entering China, I found it hard to believe that 10 years ago in the first summer break of my University days I had borrowed a book from the library on the epic history of China. A decade on and I was to experience all it had to offer first-hand. This journal is now finally complete!!!

Laos. Lah-ow. Where? I had barely heard of this country and had no idea what to expect. But in a place where you say "Kop Chai Lai-lai" for thank you very much it couldn't be all that bad! NB I would like to apologise now for any possible grammatical errors, lack of cohesive narrative or misaligned photos and missing captions. As with all writers, I had a deadline for this journal to be made public and that was a month ago (in late sept 04)! Like any bad workman I will blame my tools and lay any reason for a delay on the diabolical internet facilities in Asia!!!! So enjoy this rushed ramble as much as you can...

Vietnam... a country which most of us know through Hollywood war films and for some... Paul Hardcastle.

Totally on my own, apart from the 23 million Malays, after my brief 5 day stay with my Uncle and Auntie I was forced to fend for myself. Read how I learnt to buy food and drink using broken english. Sometimes the Malay people barely could understand the few words of english I could muster in between mouthfuls of heavenly food. Marvel at how I was "civilised" from my savage state. Be amazed at how I fared with John, Paul, George and Ringgit. Wonder at how I managed to get out of the Malays!

These are pictures of things which didn't really sit anywhere so they ended up here!!!

The first part of my epic-ish journey. From Singapore I will spend 6 months travelling, overland, to Bangladesh to see my family. A bit like the journey of Tripitaka but with a totally different start and finish point and I am Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy in one already! After spending a little "quality" time with them I will make my way back to Sinagpore for March 2005, in time to catch a flight to Brisbane, Australia for the next leg of my trip.

Pictures of where I come from and other such stuff...

Here are a couple of pictures of when I was in NY for New Year 2003/2004... and an idea of what it was like.

Here are some snaps and a bit of info from Holidays I took