After one cargo ship voyage, I thought that was enough for me. It was fun and a good experience but it was a long time to be aboard and anyway for no other reason ‘once is enough’ …. I thought…..I had lots of exciting dreams for my return journey but sadly due to various restraints they were not all possible. Going back through India and meeting Ben and Tabs and travelling on a camel and then through the Middle East sounded like a challenge but was unrealistic and unsafe it seemed. (more…)

The final ‘challenge’ was to get from the earthquake zone to Pekenbaru, only a 4 hour bus ride away, get a boat ticket to Pulau Batam and then a quick hop on a ferry to Singapore….easy peasy…on paper at least! In Bukuttinggi (sorry spelling awful) we discovered the es krem goreng (deep fried – like everything in this country I am surprised they are not all obese – icecream.) and also the weird pancake which was like chewy cake with sweetcorn, cheese and condensed milk – wierdly nice but filling and also bad for the waistline. (more…)

There are many rational and irrational ways to look at my decision and I can tell you I have been through them all. I am sure any of you who are bothered enough to read this will have your own opinion on my decision and also know what you would have done yourself. There is so much to say regarding this decision and for those who want to know, this is how I decided.
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