Farewell Asia...

Goodbye 50c fresh mango shakes (2 a day at the moment...)

Farewell stray dogs and rubble dotting the streets

No more steeling for a fight as I approach a rickshaw or tuk tuk or taxi...no more rickshaws for that matter.

Gone will be the motorcycles by the side of the road, offering a lift for 2000 riel or 20 baht, or 10,000 dong, or 5,000 kip.

Rubbish or shrine? can't be played in Australia, or Iowa (That cold cup of tea on the table - is it offered to the ancestors or just waiting a willing dishwasher?)

Being appalled at $3 fried rice - $3! It should be $1 at most and even that's overcharging! - is a thing of the past.

Temple fatigue will no longer be a recognised illness, but then again I can (almost) cross malaria off the list of things that might kill me this year.

Goodbye roadside stalls with mysterious foil packets - Dshwashing detergent? Laundry powder? Tobacco? Breath mints? No...this one is shampoo.

Farewell bus journeys with shi*te Asian karaoke videos featuring 80s prom dresses, coordinated dancing, looks of longing, and screeching love songs lacking any rhythm pitch or intonation.

Baby monks don't walk barefoot down Western streets, collecting alms for good karma.

No longer will I need to spend an extra 15 minutes searching for toiletries in the chemist that do not have skin whitening agents.

Opportunities to bond with prostitutes at the bar will be limited as I leave this region.

And...oh....$7 sadistic Thai massages, how I will miss you too!