Today I have to move in my capsule hotel. From one honeycomb to the other, because a booking in the same "room" was not possible for my stay extension. Now I even have a queen-size bed and a bit more space. But I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Today and overall. These capsule hotels are convenient and tailored to your needs for two or three night stays. But it's been a week for me now and I'm clawing my hooves to finally get back on the road.

Culture is on the agenda tonight. Real high culture, because I'll be hearing pieces by Mahler and Brahms at Singapore's Esplanade Concert Hall. I have acquaintances here in Singapore, one of whom is a professional musician and is a horn player with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Because I'm a guest in his hometown, he got me a free ticket for today's concert.

Today is the most important traditional Chinese holiday: the New Year's Festival. This means four days of public holiday in Singapore and most shops and restaurants are closed. That's why my plan was to travel on to Indonesia today. But just in time yesterday I remembered that that would have been a stupid mistake. Because I want to fly back home from Jakarta on February 21st. But I can only stay in Indonesia for 30 days with a tourist visa. So if I enter Indonesia on January 22, it doesn't exactly fit. Now I could have rebooked the flight and fly home a few days earlier. Or I'll just stay two more days (one to be safe) in Singapore.

When I land in Taipei, I'm a little nervous because I don't know what's going to happen next for me. Where do I have to go to get my onward flight to Bangkok organized. But it turns out that all the worries are unfounded. It feels like the entire staff that was missing at Frankfurt Airport for orderly passenger handling is here at Taipei Airport with a sign ready to catch me and let me fly on. I'm offered some apologies, bows, a Christmas present and a meal voucher. I invest the latter in a Chinese noodle soup in an airport restaurant. If I know myself, you will hear more about this dish on my tiger tour through Southeast Asia. Because I am an absolute noodle soup fan.

Yesterday evening on the way home from the concert I finally got clarity on how my Southeast Asia trip will continue and where it will end as planned. I'm glad it all sorted itself out in my head, otherwise I would have had to will the decision. Because there is a decision compulsion in the near future that I cannot avoid: The visa for Indonesia. I want to enter there on a basic tourist visa. This is only valid for 30 days. Actually, I wanted to take the ferry to the Indonesian island of Batam tomorrow. Now that won't happen until February 24th. Now if I move to Indonesia then the only sensible International Airport is Jakarta. On February 21, I'll leave there, I've decided. I even booked the flight with Emirates. It costs a little over 500 euros. That is cheap. I flew from Frankfurt am Main to Bangkok in December for 800 euros.

I have arrived on Malaysia's east coast. In the unlovable town of Kuantan, two waiters position themselves at the table next to me and click their pens incessantly, impatiently expecting that within a minute I'll know what I want to eat. I stare at the menu for a long time, because as a punishment for this audacity I recite Schiller's "Kraniche des Ibykus" (23 stanzas) three times in my head, and then order the green curry, which I had already decided on after ten seconds.