Took a two-hour train to Trieste, Italy (a city I would have liked to explore further) and then caught a three-hour bus to Ljubljana. It was raining when we arrived but luckily we were able to contact the hostel owner who picked us up so as to avoid the three-mile walk. Nice place except the mattresses had springs poking through which made sleeping a bit tough. Walked to a local market and bought some frozen vegetarian lasagna dinners that were pretty bad and went to bed.

Next day we explored Preseren Square (most happening part of the old city), Triple Bridge (over the Ljubljanica River), Old Town, Dragon Bridge (four dragon statues guard this bridge), Butchers Bridge (bridge that once linked the animal skinners part of town to the butchers part of town), Ljubljana Castle built in the 12th century (hiked through a beautiful forest to get to the top and saved ourselves 16 Euro by not taking the lift), Cathedral of St. Nicholas, and Franciscan Church. Shopping was fantastic with every high end store imagineable, lots of cute boutiques, and touristy places for postcards. There was a farmer's market in progress so we wandered through and checked out a wide array of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Had a few local beers (Lasko-nice) at a pub on the Ljubljanica and waited out an afternoon rain shower.

Next day we took a two-hour bus to Lake Bohinj. The trip along the curving roads of the Julian Alps was beautiful. Went through some quaint villages dotted with cute chalets sporting colorful flowers in window boxes. The hotel was at the end of a steep road about half a mile from the bus stop. We were exhausted upon arrival but the place was perfect. Perched high atop a hill in Triglav National Park overlooking Lake Bohinj, Hotel Bellevue, built in 1935, was quiet and serene. Our room had double wood doors that opened onto a large balcony overlooking the lake. It was next door to the room that Agatha Christie stayed in when she visited in 1967. The hotel has kept the room (204) exactly the same as when she was there and guests can stay in it for a slightly higher rate.

We spent the next day hiking around the lake (7.5 miles) and biking half way around. We tried to bike the entire way but the going was too rough. The water was crystal clear, cold (due to being fed from snow pack), and loaded with trout. Sandy beaches lined the lake and a few brave souls were swimming, but we couldn't handle even a few seconds with just our feet in! The hotel offered different homeade dinners every night for only 7 Euros per person and the food was pure heaven. One night we had a giant tureen of soup (white beans, ham, shredded cabbage, carrots, peas - I must get this recipe), bread, salad with garden-fresh vegetables, mashed potatoes, chicken with a tangy, local cheese melted on top, boiled cabbage, local beer, and ice cream with fresh berries on top. The meals definitely had a German flavor to them. Could have stayed much longer than two days here.

Slovenia was such a surprise! I pictured a dreary, former-communist country with eastern-bloc buildings everywhere and sullen citizens. Not so! The people were wonderful and friendly, the place is pristine, modern, green, environmentally-conscious, slow-paced (Slovenians leisurly enjoy life), and jam-packed with beautiful Baroque architecture.

Lessons learned the hard way (of course)

Look for libraries to use the internet instead of paying anywhere from $1-4 per hour at internet cafes and having to sit next to really weird people, suffer power outtages, or listen to annoying people skype (i.e. dorky Brit telling his dad about all the "super-hot Swedish girls" he's met...uh huh...key word here "met"!)

When going sightseeing alone with a private driver, always leave a note in your hostel/hotel room or with someone who works there explaining where you are going, with whom, and when you'll return. Forgot to do this and it only occurred to me as I was out in the countryside with two men I had met the day before (a driver and tour guide) and thinking "no one will ever know what happened to me..."

If you're getting near the end of a book, make sure you get another one before staying in a small town with limited choices or you'll end up hitting every bookstore in town at 9:00 p.m. desperately looking for a decent read.

Don't bring heavy guidebooks on your travels but DO bring torn out pages from them for every country you plan to visit. Meant to but forgot. I've had to either invest in new guidebooks or used ones (dated and surprisingly expensive in SEA), trade for them in hostel book exchanges (not bad), or research online which is time-consuming and costly.

Pick travel partners carefully and preferably get to know them a bit before you take off on the road together! Otherwise, you may end up wasting valuable time with someone who should be at home getting their head shrunk instead of being on the road.

Always pick a landmark near the place you're staying if you don't have a map with you so you can find your way back! I usually do but I went out one night to a street fair leaving my map at the hostel thinking I knew the city well enough. Not! Got disoriented with the darkess and thousands of people and could not find my way back! Finally found the juice stand where I had bought a juice when I first arrived but it took 45 minutes of sweating it first.

Don't procrastinate on booking your next mode of transport or applying for visas or you will be stuck somewhere longer than anticipated or desired.

Don't put locks on a pack. Carry valuables in your daypack. Started thinking (dangerous pastime and hurt myself) about how much i liked my new 3-season sleeping bag and decided, since it was out of the way in the bottom compartment of my pack that I rarely opened, I would put a small lock on the compartment to keep it safe. A month later I decided to rearrange the pack and add more stuff to the compartment. The lock had been tampered with and was hopelessly jammed. Had to hire a locksmith for $4.85 to pick the lock.

Try to buy your next bus/train ticket when you arrive at your destination (hard to do as you just want to get the hell away from there and to your hostel) as it will save you a trip back to buy it later.

When someone (a hostel employee for example) hails you a cab, make sure it's the right one! Bought a ticket from a travel agency. Paid for the bus and a cab to the station. The agent said my cab driver would have my bus ticket when he picked me up. Next morning the hostel manager yells "cab's here" and me and another traveller jump in and take off. I was thinking to myself that it was a bit early for the pickup. About halfway to the bus station I asked the cab driver for my bus ticket. He said he didn't have it. Found out that he had just been driving by the hostel and wasn't my scheduled driver. Went on to the bus terminal and bought another bus ticket plus had to pay half of the additional cab fare. The mistake cost me an extra $10.00! Ouch!

Upon looking at a city map of Singapore (after I arrived in Kuala Lumpur), I realized that I had somehow missed a big chunk of the city. Maybe the best part. Even if you feel "done" with a city and ready to move on right now, slow down, maybe change hostels, take another look at your map, revaluate your itinearary, do some more research. Yes, you can always come back...but you probably won't. So...relax, regroup, and maybe stay another day or two.