Favourite quotes: "They all look so much younger when you're sober" They sure do Hun

"Hi, my names Arron, but you can call me Utopia" No problem Uut

"If I was a man i'd definitely be a drag queen" - and a fine drag queen you would make my love.

Tunes mostly listened to: Lisa Hannigan, Santogold and XX

Days on holydays: 189 - yep, starting to get into the swing of things...

What injures more tourists in Indonesia than anything else - i'll give you a clue - I hired one and it's definitely the most fun you can have (with your clothes on - boom boom).My Iraqi driving instructor in London may have had busy hands and only a rudimentary grasp of the highway code, but he emphasised three things that have saved me on my motorbike: accelerate around the corners; never, ever make eye contact with any other road user; and focus on the gaps - overtaking a bus and coming face to face with an oncoming lorry all at 80 kmph down an unlit alley (particularly when you haven't figured out how to turn your lights on yet) you really do need to focus on the gap.A few observations from my experience: indicating in Indonesia is optional, likewise choice of lane; right of way is bestowed to the person with the biggest kahunas and the most important instrument on the vehicle is the horn - rather your accelerator jam, your clutch stick or your brakes fail because if you lose your horn you're a dead man riding - Bali chimes with the sound of bikes' communicating to each other in a beeping morse code, you're only ever one toot away from certain death.

Picked up Louise in Lombok and after giving her the full Kuta experience (lethal cocktails, karaoke on stage, cage dancing) we all went to Ubud - a respite for burnt out alpha personality types (go figure) in the middle of Bali.Ubud is a remarkable mix of antique temples, lush rice paddies, organic vegan restaurants and traffic gridlock.I spent a week here getting zenned out, drinking wheatgrass shots, practising yoga every day and generally feeling incredibly content - maybe there was something to the vegan diet Tam had me on (when you have no real decisions to make it's incredible how focused you become on what you eat - in restaurants which all come with their own philosophy, mission statement or plan for organic world domination).It was also good to regularly crash Tam's cousin's hotel's infinity pool overlooking the rice fields and meet their beautiful daughter Mia.

Louise left for her own East Indonesian experience and Tam and I headed to Seminyak, a (marginally) more upscale resort next to Kuta for a last week of Bali beaches and fantastic gay clubs, where the men did Tina Turner better than Tina Turner ever has.

My next journey, to Java didn't have the most auspicious of starts.In ascending order of trauma, not taking into account being utterly bereft at having lost Tam to Thailand, sob, (cue countdown music), in at number five: ten hour journey is in reality 18, not such a big deal as I have had my fair share of 20+ hour journeys on buses designed for schoolchildren, however it meant that I arrived at Malang at 2am - incredibly my Couchsurfing host was still happy to pick me up (I don't even know any members of my own family who would drive cross country at two in the morning to pick me up) at number 4: longest bus ride without toilet break on said journey - 8 hours, Indonesians it would appear have cast iron bladders and I have now implemented a nil by mouth policy the day before setting off on any trip; uncomfortably at number 3: getting ripped off on ticket prices, not such a big deal either except: a) considering myself to be a seasoned traveller (and from Yorkshire to boot) it hurts my ego; and b) it wasn't the kind of rip-off that is done with a smile and a wink, but one that occurred repeatedly and was of the angry, shouty, causing a scene variety, though I'll add not from me (that time - I was too exhausted); all over me at number 2: the poor small child I was sat beside projectile vomiting on me, my clothes and my bag - you've never really travelled until you've been vomited on by a stranger - children, bless 'em; finally taking the top spot; 18 hours of pretty much continuous harassment, me being single, white and female being ostensibly an open invitation to being jeered at, leered at and touched.Thankfully a kind woman took pity on me and moved her livestock so I could swap seats her having watched the ticket collector's relentless attempts to get my phone number for an hour or three.Gravely she warned me I wasn't safe which did nothing for my disposition for the remaining four hours of the journey by which point I was the only woman left on the bus: the fact that every time I looked around I had 20 solemn pairs of eyes staring unblinking at me did nothing for my nerves either - that was one long journey I never slept on. I guess you just have to take the rough with the smooth - keep calm and carry on, blah blah blah.

Just as I was ready to book the next flight to Bangkok I met Siddhartha, my CS host in Melang.An incredibly kind chap whose family along with hosting me was looking after nine Indo teenagers all studying to take their medical school entry exams.My only fright was finding a family of roaches in my rucksack having committed the schoolgirl error of leaving a packet of rice crackers overnight in my bag - doh!

Sidh and his wife (after a gastronomic city tour - local speciality: rabbit sate) helped me book my tour to Gunung Bromo - one of the most incredible landscapes I have ever seen.It was a sunrise tour which necessitated a 1am pick up (naturally), and a long sleepy wait to watch the dawn, but it was a magical Tolkienesque experience.

Next to get to Yogja I decided to take the train (having had my fill of Javanese buses).Here I couchsurfed with Adit, a student who was also hosting Karl, a Canadian haberdasher.Was great to get to know Yogja with a local and I got to see some interesting random sights including an outdoor French-Indo hip-hop concert, a tattoo exposition and a pinhole camera workshop (they're trickier to work than you imagine Vora - especially if you have the paper in back to front - doh).

On my last day in the city I decided to visit Borobodour, Indonesia's most famous Buddhist temple and most popular tourist destination. Against my better judgment I decided to travel by motorbike (In between what do you call a western woman on a motorbike in Yogja? Answer: Kerry).After a 90 minute drive through rain and total pandemonium I arrived at 17:10.At the gate, the customary group of men hanging around for no reason other than to harass lone female travellers wasted no time in telling me that the temple closed at 5pm.Undeterred (obviously) I entered the grounds, only to be told by a myriad of different vendors, again, that the temple was closed.On noticing the ominously locked gates I changed tactics, venturing instead through the exit.I got about 200 paces before I was accosted by a guard, who insisted I would have to come back the next day.My pleas landed on deaf ears until soon I was surrounded by a number of guards, each of whom I offered to bribe, to no effect (my first attempt to bribe an Indonesian official and I fail - how does that work?).Using all my powers of persuasion, one guard eventually shrugged with resigned defeat and took me on his bike to the temple giving me my own private sunset tour - remarkable!Sadly this meant I also had to drive back in the rain and dark to Yogja- probably the only time on the trip so far I have genuinely feared for my life. But all's well that ends well - hey?!

After Yogja I travelled to meet another couchsurfer in Paterheran - Kuri, who like a long lost sister took me to her grandparents' house.Another beautiful, heart-warming experience, how this couple (in their eighties but looking at least 20 years younger) with so little were so welcoming and generous towards me.I was also one of the first Bula (white face -big nose) in the village.When Kuri took me to the local school I thought some of the kids would spontaneously combust with excitement.

Finally hit the beach in Java: Pangandaren and had a wonderful time being taken to the national park, canyons and beaches.I also had a fine time flinging myself off rocks, waterfalls and 6 meter high vines with a bunch of awesome girls - very happy days - needless to say I declined the surf lesson.

I spent my last night CSing with Ben in Jakarta, who was staying at an incredible pad (where the glass window in the lounge made up one of the walls of the pool outside - definitely called for a late night swim) and I fell asleep on the couch to 16 candles after a few well poured gin and tonics, a lovely meal and good chat.

Salono bagus