Happy New Year

Ambassador Cab in Delhi



Tanja and I with Monks

Tripping Out Alone gave me a year of adventure through 2010, and as this year draws to a close I have both my daughters in Bali with me. Kepsibel, having graduated, took a five month adventure of her own that allowed her to spread her wings from New York, to London to California and back to Melbourne via a weekend with me in Bangkok and Severen who has come back to visit from Melbourne where she is succeeding in her University studies and enjoying her teaching placements. It is such a great feeling to know they are now on their own paths to their futures.

This past year I have had the great fortune and freedom to travel to diverse and beautiful locations and be in the company of wonderful people, some strangers, some friends, and some strangers who became friends.






The year started in Burma with Tanja and after spending three great weeks in Burma and three days in Phnom Phen together we saw each other again in Bali this past July.



In March I travelled to Hong Kong with a group of school students for the Global Issue Network Conference and while there met up with Aloisio, who is now married to my dear friend Lucienne and Toni, a girl I met in Yangon. I loved the city of Hong Kong very much.



After returning to Bali I then met up with my friend and colleague Matt Campbell who was based in Subic Bay. We met up in Manila and together traveled to the Visayas to see the Tarsier Monkeys and experience the magic of Siquior.






On that trip I visited Singapore and spent a great evening with Tara and also met up with Aurora.

I spent a weekend in Borobudur with KhandroLay a Tibetan lay preacher and learned about the Buddha's journey and had some great meditation sessions that were full of laughter.




For the summer break I visited Vietnam for the first time and spent three weeks traveling by train from the South to the North. It was on this trip I began my Tripping Out Alone blog.







Almost as soon as I returned I was on a plane to Padang for four amazing days in the countryside observing and participating a little in the work being done to help the earthquake survivors. West Sumatra was surprisingly beautiful and the food was incredible.




October saw me in Delhi, not for the Commonwealth Games but for a great trip with dear friend Cushla who took me out to the bazaars of Delhi and to Rajasthan and the village of Neemrama for three days.




In November I headed off to Bangkok, ostensibly for my yearly check up at Bumrungrad and was able to combine that with meeting Kepsibel and staying with Nima who is the best host in the hemisphere and provides me with such a great sense of belonging and 'coming home' in a city i have never actually lived.



During the same year I was able to participate in two very significant events, Rock for Quake Relief andRock Chic for Quake Relief, I enjoyed being a part of these events as much as I did traveling and their success was due to the dedication and generosity of so many very cool people not least the students of Bali International School.

That was thirty two flights in all I am off to Lombok next week for two days and then the New Year 2011 will begin...I have one airline ticket booked and another waiting for a special offer..who knows what the future will bring but for this year I just want to say thank you to everyone who made it possible, who made it enjoyable and who made it one of the most adventurous years of my life..

and I wish you, my travel companions, a very Happy New Year:
Severen and Kepsibel, Ian Crawshaw, Claire, Cushla, Christa, Robert, Geoff and Bee, Mr Win, Nima, Tanja, Peter and the students of the GIN Hong Kong, Matt Campbell, Kin Soe and Pan Yone, Aurora, Tara, Malika, Ben and Liz, Lily, Khan Dang,Kiwi and Robi.