I'm not in Kansas anymore...

Koh Phangan - the fantasy island where I lived. Photo courtesy of the gorgeously talented Clara Jansen In Cambodia I fell ill again. Very ill. In fact so ill that I was trapped in a hotel room for several days, unable even to clamber down the 4 flights of stairs to get fresh water. I paid a Khmer man in the corridor to go and fetch me some. He came back with a bottle half filled. I couldn't trust it. I didn't drink water for 2 days and I watched myself waste away in the mirror as ants crawled up the walls. Losing weight was supposed to be a good thing but my cheeks were sunken and even my (formerly rather buxom) chest began to wither and sag. I felt alone and scared. I had to get out of Cambodia but I was trapped on a border town without my passport (on a last minute whim I had paid someone to send it back to Phnom Penh to get a 2 month Thai visa stamped in). Yet again I had to trust that it would come back to me on a local bus. I had to hope that I would g...

Entertaining a village full of Khmer children in a Muslim settlement outside Battambang Khmer BBQ! Squid and chilly sauce at Phsar Thmey Central Market Stunning Khmer architecture at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh Beautiful Buildings in The Royal Palace of Cambodia The atmospheric indoor Russian market in Phnom Penh Tasty and cheap street food in Phnom Penh My lovely friend Tim Tim, professional clown, yoga buddy & street food dining companion The 'best iced coffee in Phnom Penh! in the Russian Market. They actually have their own  Facebook page And this is the reason why it's so good... It is full of sticky, sweet, condensed milk!   Half  a tin of the stuff!   Tuol Sleng Genocide Musuem or the S-21 prison, a former school where inmates where tortured to extract confessions. Over '17,000 'suspects' were 'processed' here, of which only 12 survived. Nightmare-inducing stuff but es...

Tegan, my little miss sunshine & Saigon roomie On my first night alone again in HCMC I sat and reflected on the previous fortnight. I had had a blast with my friend but I was determined to get back on the spiritual path and devote myself to moderation once more. That night as I settled into my bunk bed and listened to the sounds of the streets outside, I felt alone. In fact, I felt lonely. I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going next in the world and I felt the need to bounce ideas around. I logged into Thorntree - the Lonely Planet forum for travellers - and linked in with a lively online discussion group who were all bemoaning how 'touristy' HCMC was and 'full of chavvy backpackers'.  I suggested that, from time to time we all suffer from this particular malaise - thinking, mistakenly, that we long term backpackers are 'above' the traveller scene. I suggested to the guys online that we greet everyone with a broad smile and an open hear...