My Name is Not Konnichiwa. The Misadventures of a Globe-Trotting Singaporean

Be they good or bad, my adventures have been one hell of a rollercoaster ride, and I’m still hanging on for dear life and screaming at the top of my lungs!

Us creatures of the land have been able to overcome our physical limitations, our impractical bone structure (for flying, that is) and our featherless bodies to conquer the skies.

The volcano took on a persona of a great tribal warrior, striking fear in his enemies and demanding to be respected.

For most of us, Vanuatu remains a destination quite far off the beaten path, but the intrepid traveller will most certainly reap its abundant rewards.

The clouds had rolled in and the vegetation and soil gradually changed from that of a temperate rainforest to a more barren moonscape punctuated by clusters of hardy-looking shrubs.

Small orange molten rocks were being forced out of the crater, like popcorn jumping out of the pan, only they sounded more like semi-automatic gunfire.

As night fell, the centre of the square transformed into a giant dinner space, with about a hundred or more makeshift stalls springing up under large canopies of greasy-looking canvas sheets. Large wafts of smoke were soon billowing from under the sheets, blanketing and choking the square

Each corner of the crowded alleyways revealed new sights, smells and sounds.

When I think of romance, I imagine frolicking on the pristine white powdery beaches of the Maldives, with crystal clear waters lapping the shores; walking on paths fringed by hundreds of blooming Yoshino cherry blossoms in Kyoto; watching the faithful in Thailand’s Maehongson light hundreds of paper lanterns that take flight in the night sky over the glittering Lake Jong Kum; riding a gondola with your loved one in your arms through the myriad of canals in Venice, and watching the Santorini sunset paint the whitewashed houses of Oia a glorious hue of red and orange as the cool Mediterranean breeze caresses your face.

Thus began my unwitting introduction to the funny game named after a hopping insect… or so I thought.