I have visited Bali several times since 1998, however this was to be my first visit to what I had started to think of as the "real" Indonesia. With 255 million people and 88% of the population Muslim, it has the largest Muslim population in the world. Yet although it has been an Islamic country for the last 500 years, it also has a strong history of both Hinduism and Buddhism, making it a fascinating country to visit. While obviously Islamic, with most of the women wearing hajibs and with bacon nowhere to be found in the breakfast buffets, the history of Hindu and Buddhism seemed to be integrated into the culture. I liked Yogyakarta. Despite the manic motorcycles and scooters and the cacophony of horns it has a laid back feel to it. The city ... read more

Melbourne is famous for its variable weather - one minute it is blistering hot and within minutes the temperature has dropped by 15 degrees and you're left shivering in the summery clothes that you had optimistically thought might last the whole day. Invariably when I see glimpses of the Melbourne Open, held in late January, I see some poor tennis players melting with heat and the debate is focussed on at what temperature should the games be stopped. However despite having visited Melbourne dozens of times, no matter what month I have been, I've been cold. My friends in Melbourne have noticed my luck with the weather rather gloomily in the past and when I visit it's not uncommon for them to say, "Well Rachael's coming, the weather is bound to be terrible". Well friends, the ... read more

Australia is sometimes called the lucky country - I’ve been lucky that in my time in Australia, I have been able to explore a lot of the country. The Wilsons Promontory National Park (or more affectionately known as plain old “Wilsons Prom”) in Victoria was still on my wishlist. I had read of the spectacular scenery, stunning coastlines and pristine beaches and I had a real hankering to visit. So when some good friends in Melbourne mentioned they had a holiday house in Sandy Point for a week and they had a spare room, I leapt at their invitation and the chance to visit. As well as the natural beauty I had read about, I thought it might also be a good spot to see a wombat in the wild. Yes, there's been snakes, kangaroos, koalas ... read more

It's not often I get to visit somewhere and do absolutely no planning or research in advance whatsoever. Faithful readers will know that my research is often a bit haphazard, but even so, there is a desultory effort at some point. However recently I had the good luck to be visiting friends, Lisa and Duncan who have recently relocated to Singapore, on my way to and from Cambodia. So on this occasion, I simply landed ready to meet Lisa at the airport. I realised how little planning I had actually done when I couldn’t find Lisa at the airport, my phone didn’t seem to be working, and it dawned on me I didn’t know her address. However any moment of concern was fleeting. Lisa had my itinerary well under control, and I couldn’t have hoped for ... read more

I had planned a brief stay in one of Cambodia's five star resorts on the coast, thinking I might need a bit of R&R after Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It seemed a bad omen when I boarded the bus in Phnom Penh and realised that my seat was home to my luggage as well as my butt. The bus itself was packed, as people headed home for the Pchum Ben festivities. Pchum Ben is a fifteen day religious festival which culminates in a national celebration, and this year it's 22-24 September. Cambodians return to their province for the holidays to pay their respects to seven generations of ancestors, visiting temples, and making food offerings. There I was squished into the seat my legs all at odd angles, trying not to impinge too much on the ... read more