Off the Ice on 9 October

[Alan]

In USAP lingo, my "redeployment date" (departure date) is 9 October, though that could change due to weather or other factors. I expect to be kicking around New Zealand through most of October, then maybe hitting Australia for a week or two in November (I'm thinking Sydney and Perth - Sydney because it's one of my favorite cities, and Perth because I haven't been to West Australia yet).

I'm thinking of getting a round-the-world ticket and visiting a number of places, and want to include some low-cost countries where I can relax for a while. Thailand is a popular choice, and I think I'd like to see Indonesia, and I've long been fascinated by Nepal because of the Gurkhas and Paraguay because of both the Jesuit War and the War of the Triple Alliance (I like history, especially military history, but I'm not a fanatic about it).

But I'd also like to meet people and get a little beyond the tourist routes.

So I thought I would ask here: where do you think I should go? Anyone I should meet?