“Excuse me, can we have a picture with you please?” It’s not something, as every day travellers we’d ever expect a stranger to ask us. In Indonesia though, as westerners we suddenly became celebrities. People of all ages were fascinated to see us and any white, traveller passing through and it gave school kids especially a chance to practice their English with giggling, embarrassed, yet eager tones.

A traveller is swarmed by students wanting their picture taken with a Westerner at Borobudur Temple, Indonesia. Photo taken by Steve Collier. Copyright, 2015.