It seemed fitting that we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, on New Year's Eve 2013. After all, January 1st would mark the beginning of 'Visit Malaysia Year' 2014. I had explored this diverse city before, in 2010 with my Dad when we visited for 6 days. I had caught the Malaysia travel bug for sure, with all the locals telling us places we 'should' visit in the rest of the country. My fiancé and I wanted to escape the inflated summer prices of Australia and take an end of year holiday overseas. Requirements were - must have great food, great snorkeling, offer us a unique experience and be great value. When Air Asia were offering return flights to KL for $600 per person we decided to take the trip to Malaysia. The really ... read more

The MV Cristal sailed into the port of Ashdod on the coast of Israel early on Tuesday and the tour boarded a coach bound for the city of Jerusalem. During the hour, we drove through the very traditional Jewish quarter where they follow each and every custom. It was quite weird seeing men in full black pantsuits with white shirts, big black hats and long curls beside their ears…but with iPods poking out the sides. Modern culture certainly hasn’t been forgotten in Israel. Next on the tour was a stop at the picturesque Mount of Olives. This spot gives you a beautiful view of Jerusalem and all allows you to see how close all the main religious sites are to one another. There was a little bit of a breeze but the sun was beating down ... read more

Despite hearing reports that the weather is getting pretty chilly back home in Australia, Athens has turned on the balmy weather for the last five days, reaching around thirty-four degrees each day. The night after Ed’s departure, it was deathly hot. Katie, who I’m staying with here, had to basically sleep out on her verandah to keep cool. I have since become addicted to delicious Greek desserts, visiting the local bakery every day to select a new afternoon treat. Today’s delight has the name Blueberry Panna Cotta. Katie took me to the local supermarket on our first afternoon and we stocked up on basics like milk and bread, fruit and snacks. We’ve eaten in almost every night, taking solace in a break from all the rich foreign food. After a day of relaxing, us girls headed ... read more

Greetings from Greece! The capital city Athens has hosted us for the last two and a half days and tomorrow morning we are off to the beautiful island of Santorini. Literally cannot wait! On our last day in Amsterdam, Ed and I spent the morning browsing around the central shopping district, amazed at the number of shoes stores here. They are Sex and the City 2 mad. Most of the shops are advertising ‘look-a-like’ outfits and style ideas. Also, it is impossible to find guys singlets that are low like they are in Australia. They are all high neck, like T-Shirts that have their arms cut off. Very European! All of the stores are also in the swing of the Soccer World Cup. You can’t go anywhere in Amsterdam without seeing bright splashes of Dutch Orange. ... read more

After some last minute morning shopping in a still wet Rome we jumped on a short one hour flight to France! We arrived to beautiful sunny weather, although with a little chill in the wind, to the very glamourous town of Nice. In the middle of the Cote d' Azur, the waters are crystal clear and there is wealth everywhere. Unfortunately, the first thing we noticed was the skinny lanes and terrible drivers! They literally do not know what indicators are. We're burning around in a cute little convertible hire Peurgot and within Nice it's quite difficult to get around. Driving on the open highways twenty-minutes down the coast to Cannes was much better. Ed really enjoyed driving a car properly for the first time in a while! The film festival was everywhere you went in ... read more