......Downunder mate!Again, apols for the delay with this one, have been marooned in the outback and plauged by slow internet connections so am rather�behind, and such a lot has happened since I last wrote!But first things first -�Darwin -�only a two hour flight from Bali and nearly as hot. It is actually changing from the wet to the dry season up here which is great for me as I had no idea how much the weather can affect visits t...

...... Rather lazy Blink and you missed it - there went Bali. Have got so behind with the blog that all the dates are a bit out of kilta, but I did have a week there and the majority of this was spent horizontally (sunbathing). As many of you have been keen to learn - the tan was not looking so hot after my first six weeks on the road. Through a combination of bad luck with the weather, bouts of sunburn and shaded sight seeing, I had not seen as much of the...

.... Heading for the shops yet again Well if Kuala Lumpur was an exciting brush with civilisation, Singapore was Utopia..... I loved it! So clean, so orderly, so many places to eat and shop (both of which activities are becoming the theme of my travels I think...) Lots of great hostels there too, and my pal from Melaka recommended a place too new to be in the Lonely Planet. It was really cool, very sociable, good dorms and communal areas, free internet access and...

… Just passing through Melaka is cited in many guide books, tourist info, etc as a must see on the Malaysia tour… It used to be a major port back in the day and has been owned by the Brits, the Dutch and the Portugese down the line so has lots of interesting colonial heritage blah blah blah. And it just happens to be halfway between KL and Singapore so is perfect as a stopover post. I ended up travelling and staying with a guy from the hoste...

…..Back in the city Gosh it was nice to hit a proper city. I know this is terrible, and you will all tut tut at reading it, but I am rather missing doing normal city-like activities and having civilization all around me… It would seem that my journey so far has not exactly released my inner hippy because my eyes lit up as the bus made its way into Kuala Lumpur, or KL as the locals call it, and I saw all the skyscrapers and coffee shops... ...