Goodness! Golly! Gee! Christmas time again, when I delight in my daughter setting up the nativity set around the Christmas tree, and we all laugh at the time she so innocently asked: 'Where do the three WIDE men go?'

So 2007 is all but done and dusted ...

* My mission to find the centre of Australia was a fascinating one. There is no such thing. Or rather there are at least FIVE such things according to GeoScience Australia. The trip story ran as a multi-page spread in NRMA's Open Road magazine, and in Tiger Tales, the inflight for Tiger Airways, Singapore. Key memories: Dinky the Singing Dingo at Stuart's Well, and St Andy's five hole golf course at Kulgera (make sure you don't hit the police station on the 3rd).

* My other big story recently was to set out on the trail of Thai silk king Jim Thompson (click), who disappeared 40 years ago in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. While the Camerons have developed out of sight ('a mish-mash of mock Tudor monstrosities'), there is still much to enjoy about the high-altitude misty ambience there. Thanks to the Smokehouse (click) who put me up for a few nights in colonial splendour. A highlight was an eco-walk in the jungle that Thompson loved so much. And interviewing Ruby Maniam, possibly the last person to see him alive in 1967, was a lucky thing ... especially when he agreed to return with me to the Lutheran Mission to re-enact the events of that fateful day. And entering Moonlight Cottage was spine-chilling, for it was here that Thompson was last seen by his friends. The old house is a little creepy for some reason ...

My Jim Thompson story was picked up by the South China Morning Post, Etihad Airlines inflight, Malaysian Expat Lifestyle, and others yet to come.

* Another big story for me this year was the REAL story of the Bridge on the River Kwai. I was lucky enough to visit Kanchanaburi three times this year (leading the POW tours for NRMA Travel). This year was the 50th anniversary since the largely fictional movie came out, bearing scant reality to the events that happened there, so I did a bit of mythbusting for The Weekend Australian (cover story) and the South China Morning Post (click) magazine.

* What I've been reading: a mixed bag of late ... Peter FitzSimon's 'Great Australian Sporting Heroes' about, well, I think you can figure it out. But I really enjoy his conversational writing style. Next I'll read his 'Kokoda' in preparation for my trek next August. Thoroughly enjoyed 'Eastern Windows', the musings of an expat in Singapore in the 50s and 60s, as well as 'Indiscreet Memories' about Singapore in 1901. My publisher Phil Tatham kindly gave me the latter, as well as 'The Boat; Singapore Escape', a ripping yarn -- all true! -- of escape from the Japs in 1942.

* Music on high rotation on my iPod: The Frames (celtic folk), Fela Kuti (soaring African jazz/blues), and the new John Fogarty album (which sounds like everything CCR ever did ... not a bad thing.)

* Travel highlight of the past six months: the inauguration of the memorial at Parit Sulong, Johore, Malaysia, to commemorate the victims of the Parit Sulong massacre of Jan 1942 in which 145 walking wounded were slaughtered in the ungodliest fashion. Malaysian Expat Lifestyle picked up this gory story. Thanks to Doug Ogden and the 2/29 Batallion Association for asking me to accompany their bus and tell a few stories along the way from Singapore.

* From there it was on to Malacca, where I recced the place for a possible future tour. The multiculturalism of the place is summed up by Eurasian guide Bernard's ability to say thank you and goodbye in about 56 languages, including Botswanan. Yes, really. I especially recced the Mrs Jones and Me bar exhaustively! If you're ever there, do drop in and have a drink with Joan and Hawk, who play piano and sing lovely songs (you can even jump in and have a go yourself if you've had enough grog!).

* In between, there's been plenty of motorcycle riding this year, capped off with the 2000 kms we covered doing the Snowy Ride for charity down in Thredbo. What a blast!(By the way, don't try contact me on Thursdays ... that's official motorcycling day when I go bush.)

* Next year promises to be even busier ... starting with a month in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, then leading an ANZAC day tour to Singapore/ Malaysia and Thailand for NRMA, leading three tours to China (plus one to Burma and one to Mongolia) for Helen Wong's Tours (click), and doing the Kokoda Track in August.

* In between there's been concerts and rehearsals with the Steaming Latrines and the other band, whatever we're called these days. Rocking good fun. Oh, and I nearly forgot ...

* I'm up to chapter 6 of Tales from the Tiger's Den (click) . I'm loving transporting myself back to the Asia of old, a place almost physically unrecognisable a mere few decades back. But much of the same spirit and sensory attack pervades.

* Best personal wishes to Stephen McCarty, the very supportive travel editor at South China Morning Post, who now moved to book editor at same. Hopefully he's just as supportive of my books as he was of my features.

* Then there was the 3,500-word feature on the Trans-Mongolian Railway (click), commissioned by National Geographic Traveler magazine (China edition). And you thought I couldn't write Chinese, eh?

As no-one pays me to write this newsletter, I'll wrap it up here. All the best for a very safe, very happy festive season. May your God protect you. See you in 2008.

Cheers, Stu.