Our writer draws a blank in attempting to justify her argument that there are still people in this world who put love before money -

I used to cringe whenever my friends - to get a rise out of me - would say; "Everything is for sale and everything has a price."

I'd get into heated arguments and cite examples of folks such as Mother Theresa or the Dalai Lama who surely must be above monetary considerations, and so there.

You see, I'd rather believe in a world where there are some things that just can't be bought, no matter the price.

But I fear, as I grow older and less naïve, I am beginning to believe it's true – everything has a price and everything can be bought.

In Singapore last week, they busted an organ-for-sale racket – poor Indonesians selling their kidneys to rich Singaporeans who cut the queue for transplants because they could.

In the US, they arrested the leader of the body-snatching ring, Michael Mastromarino, who made £2.3 million from stealing body parts of hundreds of corpses, including that of BBC broadcaster, Alistair Cooke. Even body parts of diseased corpses fetch a price. I wonder what Cooke would have made of this in his famous "Letter from America" missives.

In Malaysia, where the politics have gotten downright nasty and sleazy, surely money is the root of all that mess. Power equals ability to milk money for all it's worth and no one wants to give that up so in the process, they are prepared to drag everyone and everything down. If I go, you go.

In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe says the only person who can make him go is God. I wish God would do something.

In Thailand, money buys votes. Smiles are getting strained in this kingdom. I was there last week and for the first time, I heard my Thai friends being pretty pessimistic about their country's immediate future. Stalemate means exactly that – everything gets stale while you wait.

And each year, I wait with bated breath to find out who's paid the most for lunch with the world's cleverest investor, Warren Buffett. I use this as a indicator to see which way the world's economy is going.

This year, it was a Chinese businessman, Zhao Danyang, who paid US$2.1 million in the lunch auction on eBay. Last year, it was an Indian, Mohnish Pabrai, who paid $650,000. I suppose with hyper inflation the way it is today, it's a reasonable increase.

Even Buffett, who has more money than he could possibly use in several lifetimes, does things for money but at least it's for a good cause – he has raised $4 million in charitable donations through selling lunch invitations since 2000.

In Perth, Australia, a man put his whole life on the block in eBay. He dreamt of getting millions but ended up with A$399,000, the highest bid in the seven-day auction. He wanted to start a new life after his wife left him.

"I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, nothing else at all, and get on the train, with no idea where I am going or what the future holds for me," Ian Usher writes on his website.

I often dream about that. Starting anew on a blank sheet of paper. Go somewhere, get lost and restart.

In a sense, that's why we travel – each trip gives each of us a tiny chance to be someone different for a few days, doing different things in a different environment where no one knows you by name or by role.

I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad, said George Bernard Shaw.

That attitude, I believe, is priceless.

Yeoh Siew Hoon, one of Asia's most respected travel editors and commentators, writes a regular column on news, trends and issues in the hospitality industry for 4Hoteliers.com.

Siew Hoon, who has covered the tourism industry in Asia/Pacific for the past 20 years, runs SHY Ventures Pte Ltd. Her other writings can be found at www.thetransitcafe.com

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