Ubiquitous internet access really has made our planet into a global village.

I remember when my aunt and uncle travelled around the world 20-odd years ago, that upon the joyous event of a postcard being received by anyone, the entire family network would be activated, and the four paltry lines of travel writing would be read, dissected, analysed and read again. A reverse-charges phone call would provoke a celebration of indescribable proportions.

When I carried on the family tradition of throwing in the towel and heading for South America (with a four-month detour to South-East Asia), I was prepared for things to be a little different. We are, after all, now living in a global village and it seemed likely that I would stumble across one or two internet cafés on my trip around the world.