While living in Indonesia, I have visited many parts of Asia. Being raised in a small place like Tasmania can make you insular and naive about the rest of the world. It is strange to think that the people who never ever leave Tasmania and travel have no idea or concept of how small and insignificant their home really is. The most significant realisation that visiting many places in Asia has given me is that most of Asia functions and exists as a complete universe, quite independent and unique from what we arrogantly refer to as western civilisation. It sort of hits you when you wander around Mumbai or Beijing among the massive swell of humanity, that these people neither know nor care about many things we hold dear - and neither they should. Most of them have never heard of Tasmania or know where it is.