When adventurers Dean and Anna Walters-Holliday won a round-the-world ticket they didn't bank on eating rats for dinner.

The surprise came in Malaysia, on the Far Eastern leg of their tour.

The couple, from Acomb, York, told the Evening Press via e-mail of their experience when rafting in Thailand. Eagerly tucking in to a strange-looking dish they were told was sweet-tasting chicken, fellow travellers later informed them it was honey-glazed rat.

Anna said: "At the time we thought it looked like a rat but were told to stop being silly. To be honest we would recommend it because it was beaut!"

The couple, who won the prize on Gaby Roslin's TV show, Whatever You Want, are three months into their dream trip.

Dean and Anna have so far visited India, Nepal and Thailand among other countries and had many wonderful experiences.

Apart from a damaged ear caused by Dean doing too much snorkelling and a few sticky moments in India, the couple have been safe and happy.

Dean said: "We reached the Thai/Malay border and the first thing we read at Customs in huge red writing was 'drug trafficking is punishable with death under Malay law' which was enough to frighten the life out of us - even though all we were carrying was a couple of paracetamols and some malaria tablets!"

The adventurers are heading to Australia on the next leg of their tour.

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