I went backpacking about Australia and South East Asia. It was super. Here’s the email I sent home on day 72.

To: <friends>, <family>
Subject: Singapore, Once More
Date: 09/05/2000 01:31 PM

Currently I am surrounded by the sounds of gunfire and men dying from horrific wounds. Sheltered from the bullets, I’m crouched in a corner trying to ignore it all and get on with this email. Not an easy task I tell you; the speakers on the computers are turned up far too loud and this bloke on my right screams like a girl whenever he gets killed.

It’s a net cafe with internet gaming and 10 odd of them are playing Quake Arena. The graphics are amazing and I may well have a go before I leave. Or maybe Diablo II…

I left KL yesterday. I waited for the pre-booked bus, turning up 20 minutes before hand with two girls I had met the night before who were making the same trip (and uncannily getting the same flight as me too). We waited beyond the alloted time and an hour later after being assurred that the bus was late I went back upstairs to ask the lady at the desk. She insisted I had missed the bus and gave me a ticket for the next one; an hour later. When I told her firmly that I had waited through it’s suppossed arrival time, she pretended not to understand me. So we waited for the next one. It arrived late and the driver told me that I wasn’t actually going on this one, but the one behind which was late too. So I waited another hour and the bus finally turned up, but drove into the wrong berth. I then found that someone else was in my seat and had the same ticket number as me! I couldn’t believe it. Luckily there turned out to be a spare seat.

Things I bought in KL:

1. ALL the nirvana albums on a single CD; in MP3 form! Price: 4 quid.
2. Pirated Devils Advocate on Video CD. Price: 2 quid and a bit.
3. American Pie 3, yes 3. Price : Same as above.

I just had to buy american pie 3. It features the innocent, virgin, student claire something or other who becomes not so innocent after meeting some pop star. I swear it must be a porno, but I’ll find out soon I guess. Unbelievable what you can find.

Singapore is as before. Clean, shiny, new, friendly and wealthy. I met some guy on Koh Phi Phi who told me he thought that Singapore was the dirtiest city he had ever seen, he obviously had never been to Croydon. Dunno what he was talking about.

Still I am eager to return to my nest, and shall spend my last few pennies tonight before retiring for a quick kip and then onto the airport for my last flight for a while. At least until I can scrape up the cash to go to Africa anyway..

Thanks to all who have mailed me on my travels, Today microsoft emailed me to explain that I have actually exceeded my hotmail account memory limit. I have had enough emails to take up 2 meg of space! The exact number of mails is near 200 and every one has been a joy to read.

See you all soon.

‹Max

That was my trip. The worst thing is I left my hotmail account alone for 90 days when I returned, and Microsoft deleted all the mail I received in reply I’ve never forgiven them. I switched to Linux almost immediately

I went backpacking about Australia and South East Asia. It was super. Here’s the email I sent home on day 5.

To: <friends>, <family>
Subject: No Subject
Date: 06/30/2000 01:48 PM

Well I dunno if I should still be using this mail list, as some people complain and others don’t care, but I can’t be bothered to fiddle with the settings now. Anyway they charge by the minute here.

I’ve met big beetles, ugly women, fine women (although they tend to disapear rapidly), and lots of odd Ozzie people.

Oz people are actually friendlier than Brits. So I really can’t see many reasons to go home yet. Not currently missing anything, no worries or stress..

Off to visit Fitzroy island tommorrow for three nights. You might call it a little desert island, coz that’s what I call it. the reef is a 50m swim away, so I’ll don the mask and snorkle and take a peek, and swim away quick from fish with spikey bits and sharks.

We are going down Oz in the magic bus, it stops where we want and comes when we call it. It doesn’t fly but other strange things happen like balls rolling uphill etc.. afterall it is magic. Only 60 odd pounds to travel 3500 km, which is not far from a bargain.

Oz is catching up with the rest of the world and tommorrow they are introducing VAT, or GST. Every Oz man is in uproar about it and nobody understands it. They should be happy as it only 10%! Hardly much really. Still it means the rest of my trip will cost 10% more, typical.

‹Max

I went backpacking about Australia and South East Asia. It was super. Here’s the email I sent home on day 3.

To: <friends>, <family>
Subject: No Subject
Date: 06/28/2000 04:56 AM

I got to Cairns, wicked!

There’s palm trees everwhere, as soon as I arrived it started to rain.

When I left Singapore there was a freak monsoon for four hours b4.

When I left England it was raining.

We’re off to find a vehicle now..so bye.

‹Max

I went backpacking about Australia and South East Asia. It was super. Here’s the email I sent home on day 2.

To: <friends>, <family>
Subject: No Subject
Date: 06/27/2000 03:41 AM

Wow Thirteen hours on a plane, never again..well apart from that other 13 hour flight to Cairns I have this evening. And the one home again. But that’s it!

Got to Singapore finally, although it almost killed me. I genuinely almost experienced air rage, bad seating, constant temperature variance, bad air, poor meals in short supply.. However when I finally got off the plane and stepped up the steps towards the “Cactus Garden” I was thrown backwards by the killer heat. Staggering and so humid, fantastic!

Well I thought it was anyway, now I’m trying to stay in Air con as much as poss and am wishing I hadn’t left my sun cream in my backpack.

First thing I did was jump in a cab and tell the man to “Take me someplace good.”

Which I regret, the bill was a tenner but at least he took me to the Oxford Street Equivalent of Singapore.

Except here there are trees and plants everywhere. It’s like a city built inside a jungle. Water seems to be a major statement too with all the expensive places having immensly impressive and huge water displays. The airport had drizzling water in a display that fell four floors.

The birds here are also better. The songs they chirp are more imaginative than most of those by S-Club 7. Not as catchy though.

I played spot the litter. So far, one pack of fags, one plastic bottle and a used tissue. Quite frankly I was surprised that there wasn’t a mat just outside the airport for people to wipe their feet on before entering Singapore!

On my immigrant form (I’m an immigrant for 12 hours) it warns me that drug smuggling is punishable by death. There are signs everywhere that say you can’t do this or that or else.

But at the same time the techno standard of this place is higher than back home, with automatic tolling systems that charge the taxi’s (and I presume everyone else’s) credit cards as you drive by the end of the highways (and many intercity roads, hmmm). There are internet ready booths at the end of streets, although they didn’t like me (I found an e-cafe, after 2 hours of asking) and I saw a bus with an advert for a new PC sound card blazended all over (like the Nescafe tram in Croydon).

The oddest thing is being the ethnic minority myself! Never actually experienced that one before.

3.5 hours down, 8 to go.

‹Max

I went backpacking about Australia and South East Asia. It was super. I sent a bunch of pretentious emails during my travels and here’s the first:

To: <friends>, <family>
Subject: I’m gone
Date: 06/25/2000 01:02 PM

Tomorrow I depart, so I’ll just say bye.

Yesterday I saw my Uncle get married to my new Aunt Joe.

Today I feel.. I think the best way of saying it is, incredible.

‹Max