This is the gamelan orchestra in the Sultan's Palace in Yogyakarta; I never worked out whether I loved gamelan music or whether it was just too much for me to grasp, and I found the same difficulty with Indonesia as a whole
So, that was Indonesia: I'm now in Singapore, getting over my dose of food poisoning (which has proved more obstinate to move than anticipated) and marvelling at the sights. And what do I think of my first real Asian experience? I wish I knew.
I can't decide whether I love or hate Indonesia, which probably means I feel neither, instead opting for indecision. It's certainly been infuriating, but it's also been satisfying. It's been hard work, but uplifting. It's been boring, but also exciting. It's a paradise, but ruined. I've had easy travelling logistically speaking, very hard travelling physically speaking. Indonesia is a contradiction. If I think about the bad times, I have hated Indonesia with a passion, for its annoyingly friendly people, its terrible buses, its unceasing heat, its cultural destruction and its repetitive food. But the high times have been great: Gunung Rinjani, the Bada Valley, the Togian Islands, Tana Toraja, Java's temples... the list goes on. And will I go back one day? Probably.
For now, though, I have a more pressing problem. Where do I go now?
Planning for Southeast Asia
Just as I have very little physical baggage left over from the good old days of London smog, I have precious little emotional baggage too. If you'd asked me two years ago would I like to visit Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, India and Tibet, I'd have jumped up, kissed you and screamed, 'What do you think?' Now, faced with the glorious choice of where to spend the next eight months – anywhere, as long as I end up in Delhi – I'm stumped.
Why? One reason, and one I can't ignore, is the health aspect. Travelling's not a lot of fun when you're passing out in restaurants, rushing off to the toilet at every opportunity and burning a temperature; and, possibly worse, any illness brings you down psychologically, and that lasts a lot longer than the physical effect. An awful lot of Indonesia was spent under a cloud of illness and lack of energy, which can't have helped the experience. Is the rest of Southeast Asia going to be the same?
I have met plenty of people who have come through Asia the other way. The impression I get1 is that Singapore has no soul, Malaysia is too Muslim, Thailand is touristy, Laos is lovely, Vietnam is very easy travelling, Cambodia is carnage, Myanmar is magnificent... but Nepal, Tibet and India are in a different league, especially if you're into trekking. So do I spend time in countries that might disappoint, or go straight for the jugular in the Indian subcontinent? Or do I search the rest of Southeast Asia first, possibly finding some wonderful places and experiences, but gambling away time in a guaranteed hotspot such as the Himalayas?
One thing's for sure: after this long on the road, very little surprises me, very little makes my jaw hit the ground, and that's a concern. A third possibility would be to go home, save the cash, work for a while, and then go back into the travelling, fresh and keen. But this assumes two things: that I want to travel again after I get back home, and that I want to go home this early. I don't think either of these things is particularly applicable.
So here's my plan2. In total accordance with the Asian inability to make decisions, I'll play it by ear. I'll float into Malaysia and check it out, then I'll make my way up to Bangkok somehow – either by flying from Singapore, or going overland – and make a decision there. I have to buy a ticket from Bangkok to Kathmandu anyway, and Bangkok's the best place for that, so maybe I'll make my decision then. Maybe. Most likely I'll be casting around for ideas in Thailand, too.
Having the world at your fingertips has never been so bloody confusing. Still, it could be worse. I could be working for a living!
1 Impressions that were not that accurate: Singapore does have a soul and Malaysia is a delight, but Thailand was too touristy. I didn't make it to the rest of Southeast Asia, but India and Nepal were definitely in a different league.
2 You can find out which route I eventually took in the My Travels section.
