Singapore is a decent place; good food, friendly people, and reasonably priced. Quite a bit of crime takes places in lifts (honestly), so do be careful when you are alone. The Singaporean police are excellent, though. Have a good one, pal.
The Far East is fairly similar to the Middle East in that respect: some countries are more accepting of Westerners than others. I've personally encountered hostility in Thailand, parts of China, and Vietnam, yet never any hassle in Singapore, Japan and South Korea. I suppose each tourist has differing opinions. Syria is classed as a no-go for many people, and there is no surprise in that these days, but I still class the Syrian people as the finest hosts I've ever experienced.
Did you travel a lot because you were worldly and cultured, or because ye wanted tae get banjoed aw over the place, P?
The furthest East I've travelled is India, well Goa, which I would say is not India 'proper'. Excellent hosts. We were invited by a local family we got friendly with to eat in their home and it was fantastic. I made a couple of faux pas which I only realised later, however our hosts were gracious throughout.
. A bit of both, I'd say. And a lot of my travels are work-related - for my imaginary books, you see.
Quick question: what is your understanding of the word "banjoed" as so eloquently used by our mutual friend Susan?
I meant as in 'to get ****ed up', but I think I meant bingoed. Just realized 'banjoed' is getting booted about in the baws... "We were laying into him, when some guy came by and banjoed him."
Mainly for my (imaginary) medieval stories, but I have written for a few (imaginary) travel companies and guides. It's a good line of work.
Would you ever tell us the name of any of your books that have been published? I also review on trip advisor, mate. I think we have a lot more in common than you realize
Washing while eating wasn't a problem, we were offered bowls to clean our hands before and after each course. First faux pas was eating with a Western idea of politeness - that is, as you say, clear your plate. The more we ate, the more they gave us. I only found out later that my host's sons were somewhere else in the house waiting to be fed from what we didn't eat. Me and the missus were getting bloated as **** from delicious food because we didn't want to appear rude and meanwhile the sons were waiting on their dinner Second faux pas, I offered my host money at the end of the meal. That's more of an insult to him than a faux pas. But, as I said he was gracious about it. In fact, we returned to Goa the very next year and were again invited to eat so I think he forgave my Western ignorance.
