Trust me when I say that I think I've outdone myself this time by city-hopping on every weekend for the past 3 out of 4 weeks while based in London for work. For some reason, I get a real kick out of booking really good ticket and hotel deals off the web, without real consideration of how I would actually manage waking up for work after the frequent jaunts.

Mallorca was one of those cities which could be reached with flights from the London Gatwick airport. Taking flights on 2 separate carriers (FlyThomasCook and Thomsonfly both had unbeatable one-way offers) meant that I saved quite a bundle from the visit, but at the same time having only 1.5 days to spend in the city itself. That's a classic example of false economy when choosing budget travel.

Mallorca itself is part of the Balearic islands and is apparently dubbed the "Honeymoon Island". With several parts of the island to explore but so little time, I settled for a short visit to Palma city based on earlier recommendations from superhumsubwoman. A 15-minute taxi-ride took me straight into the heart of town where I stayed for 2 nights at the very centrally located Hotel Almudaina.

Most parts of Palma were highly walkable but taking the Open Bus Tour helped make the sightseeing more convenient and especially pleasant on a balmy Sunday, when there was zero activity since all the shops were closed (yet another example of false economy. sob!). The city is an interesting blend of cobbled streets, Spanish men serenades and a seaside esplanade. Parts of it reminded me of Prague, parts of it seemed to draw inspiration from Florida or Cairns. Colourful flowers lined the parks and walkways and the general vibe was of a relaxed and casual one.

The only incident that killed off my enthusiasm was towards the end of the trip, when I was questioned at the departure gate by the airline personnel which created a slight stir amongst the other tourists. The lady tried her cordial best to explain that I had to produce my passport to a plain-clothes policeman who had rushed over to the gate anticipating the 'escape of a suspected illegal Chinese immigrant". Although it wasn't explicitly described as such, the tone of the 10-minute interrogation was rather unnerving. Understandably, it was rather dodgey for a single Chinese female traveller to be 'mingling with the other visitors' on a flight back to London. Apparently, airlines get slapped with hefty fines for failing to prevent illegal immigrants with fake Singaporean passports (this currently being the most common document) from entering London.

It was at that very moment that I realised the perils of travelling alone in a foreign country and not being able to prove your nationality or citizenship due to the rampant occurence of identity forgery. I was consequently allowed onto the plane after apologies were rendered for the embarassment and by the time I landed in Gatwick, I had already been psyching myself up for yet another possible questioning session. Thankfully, that didn't transpire and I was half-relieved that the following weekend would just involve a couple of train rides within the confines of the country.

To sum up the incident, I've come to realise how important it is not to lose one's identification documents while international travel gets easier by the day.