So after behaving ourselves in Muslim Indonesia during the high holidays, we were ready for some hedonism, and Thailand is the place for that. I was overjoyed when I crossed the border. Gorgeous, cheeky, light-hearted people. Mixed groups of men and women who seemed to respect each other. The food!! The pad thai I had on the street my first night, at the port, was heavenly.

Thailand is a great place to take a week or two vacation after you've been doing some tough travelling. It's sooo cheap, and the beaches are excellent (they blow away any of the Indonesian or South Pacific beaches I saw), and it is a pleasure-oriented place.