or signup to continue reading The flames leap into the air, curling over the side of the wok to lick the flat noodles sizzling within. Expertly, the cook scrapes and slaps with his steel spatula to ensure the prawns, the egg and bean shoots all get their share of dragon's breath. After just a couple of minutes, he lifts the wok and deposits its contents onto a plate.
Delicious char kway teow. Malaysian fast food. Served with finely chopped green and red chillies in soy sauce.
I'm hungry just thinking about it. Hungry and restless. Asia's tractor beam is pulling me back, as it does at least a couple of times a year.
The food. The people. The warm bath of tropical heat and humidity.
And the fares. It's been this way since the arrival of budget airline AirAsia, which can get you to Kuala Lumpur and back often for less than it would cost you to fly from Sydney to many other domestic drawcards. And from KL to Asia's other great destinations, the fares can be cheaper than the bus fare from Sydney to Canberra, even less costly than the cab from Kingsford-Smith Airport to the city I'm often asked why I don't explore my own backyard first.
Because it's too expensive. It's not only the fares. The cost of accommodation is another hurdle.
For the price of a basic regional motel room, with its scratchy towels, mean cakes of soap and institutional salmon-coloured furnishings, I can spend a night in relative luxury in Asia. Not only that, I can find a delicious meal for half the price of a .