When you visit the Orient, leave your preconceptions behind. If you expect everything to feel 'foreign', you'll be surprised at how widely English is spoken or at least understood.
Expect the food to be similar everywhere? Forget that! Singapore cuisine is a dashing blend of European and Oriental flavours, Chinese cuisine ranges from hot and spicy to mild and tangy, and Japan will charm you with its subtle flavours and elaborate food and tea rituals.
If you're expecting crowds, you'll be struck by the quiet solitude to be had in many Japanese temples or the hills and islands around Hong Kong.
Think dusty roads and rice paddies when you think of Asia? Wait till you experience the million watt charge that hits you on Shibuya, Tokyo - perhaps the only place in the world that 'out-Times Squares' New York's Times Square.
Exotic? You bet! Strange? That too - but only fleetingly. The Orient envelops the visitor like a warm bath, and before you know it you're feeling right at home.
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