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If you're standing, remember to stand on the left - so said Ray when we attempting the first trip on the MRT in Singapore. The escalators in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are contrary to those in London, in that you are instructed to stand on the left: this takes some getting used to after almost a lifetime of standing on the right. I kept getting in wrong.

Immagine a huge metal shed, a bit like a B & Q Warehouse, with a high roof where there are a few fans, and all round the edge, steel stalls on wheel selling food. This is where we have just eaten. There are many of these food halls in this part of Malaysia. In this part of Penang, most of the people there tonight seemed to be Chinese families, with lots of little kids, plus of course a few Westerners. The beer is the most expensive thing you can order!

The young man who seems to be the manager of the Jewel of the North Tandoori Restaurant here, in Penang, at Feringghi (not sure of spelling), was explaining the tax system here, which really puts extras onto your bill. We first encountered this in Thailand, where the addition is 10% service charge plus 7% VAT.

After the fright in the boat from Ao Nang, the arrival at KL airport was a step into 2004.

Architecturally impressive and impersonal, with vast empty spaces, I was unable to fine an information booth or tourist help desk. Neither could I find a map of the city anywhere in the airport. I was told I had to buy one at a bookshop, but the bookshop did not have any either.

The memorable day our luggage, and us too, nearly ended in the drink! Sitting in the boat, engine cut off, absolutely soaking wet in the pouring rain, watching the boatman bailing like mad, I wondered if I should discard my neckpouch containing my passport, as well as my shoes of course, when we had to swim for it! But that was later in the day. In the morning we had a nicer boat trip.

On our final day in Ao Nang, near Krabi, we had time to go by longtail boat to Rai Lei beach. This was the third time we visited this lovely beach. The longtail boats throng the shoreline at Ao Nang, and each boatman touts for customers as you walk towards the Ao Nang beach - itself not very nice as beaches go. When boats have about six or eight passengers, the boatman pushes the boat off the sand, jumps in and starts the outboard motor. Maybe the long rod of the outboard motor contraption is the reason for the name longtail, because the very high prow, decorated with streamers of coloured cloth, is of course in the front and is not a tail at all. Some of the boatmen have mobile phones.

Left Ko Samui from the nice little airport,with its palm roof sheds and where I had the best food from any airport I have tried - Tom Yam soup.
There is a hefty departure tax of Baht 500 but the good thing is the flight left early - amazingly - and took only 45 minutes to Krabi.

Sitting near Da Nang beach, in Vietnam, which was completely deserted, a familiar tune blasted across from the hotel, which also seemed completely empty except for the staff. Unchained Melody - sung originally by Jimmy Young and countless others later. What was bizarre was that it was raining, and the Sandy Bay Resort, where the taxi driver in Hoi An had decided to drop us off for a swim, had been built to cater for the well-off, who do not come. So we were sitting on their sun loungers - costing $2 each - and I was sheltering under my spotted Marks and Spencers umbrella while the rain fell and Unchained Melody delighted us all - actually the waiters at the beach bar wanted to talk about Beckham.

Another day watched an excellent performance at the Hoi An Handicarft Workshop of traditional music, including a lady opera?ballet ? dancer miming turning into a fox. Musicians were in national costume but the boy drummer thought he was in a rock band and got very carried away At the end everyone lined up and sand Auld Lang Syne in Vietnamese, a popular tune there and heard several times before.

Weather was wet in Hoi An, Vietnam for the last two days and people cycled around in wide plastic capes or holding umbrellas over their heads on the bikes. Now here in Ko Samui the rain has followed us.

Tuan works in the hotel in Hoi An and has the most wonderful smile - a very slight young man, with the longest, most elegant fingernails.
I asked him about them.
He told me he had been growing them while he worked in the hotel, where he expects to be for six months.
Before that he worked on the family farm very hard and said he was very strong, from carrying heavy loads on his shoulders.