Miri was our next destination after leaving Kuching. It was a 14hr bus journey to get there. A company was recommended to us by our taxi driver and the bus we would be taking was pointed out to us. Of course when it was time to get on the bus it wasn’t the same one, and you could say, a little less comfortable looking. We could only get two separate seats as it is the end of Ramadan here and all buses to Miri were full. When we got on though, the kind bus conductor arranged two seats for us together without us asking. It was at the front and I had no seat in front of me which meant I could stretch my legs to my hearts content. The 14hrs turned out to be long ... read more

Our journey here wasn’t without its hassles. Our bus was over an hour late leaving and we had to wait beside 20 or 30 other buses in an underground bus park with all their engines running. It was hot, humid and the fumes were intoxicating. Add to that people staring at you the whole time and it becomes very uncomfortable. I know we’re different looking but surely we’re not as alien as some people make us out to be. You could stare back with full eye contact and this does not put them off. Eventually we got on the bus and we were on the road to Terengganu where we would get a connecting bus to Kuala Besut where we would get a boat to the island. It sounds like a long hall but it wasn’t ... read more

Michelle had warned me that we had to be out of the hostel and on the road for 9am. She had something planned for my 30th birthday at 10:30am that morning, somewhere on the outskirts of Singapore. I hadn’t a clue what she had planned so I just went with the flow. On the train I was pestering her as to what it was but she wouldn’t tell me. She had me baffled as it was well outside the city and she had to pay in cash. Eventually we came to the house of Roxanna, a women of Indian origins from Singapore with her own cookery school. Today I was going to learn how to make Springs rolls, Mee Goreng and Onde Onde. As I like to cook this was perfect present. Part of me thought ... read more

Three months and 16 days to go before we're home, for any of you that are interested in us when we return! With a massive adventure and the biggest cultural differences we will come across on our travels we're really excited about Asia. Our first stop for a few short days will be Singapore. A tiny little country at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. Its probably best we eased ourselves into South East Asia by coming here first. Its similar to any western city and has all the trappings to go with it. When we arrived in Changi Airport we took the bus to our hostel. As we were tired after a long days travel we just wanted something cheap and cheerful to eat. They have food markets here called Hawker markets and they are ... read more

You worry sometimes, about how many times you can get excited about seeing another beach, another mountain or even another town. Have we seen it all before but in a different shape? The whole east coast of Australia is full of amazing beaches but there is only so many times you can think a beach is the nicest one you have ever seen. You just think silently, well, it’s the same as the one down the road, stunningly beautiful, but, the same. We have often discussed about getting ‘sightseers overkill’. We have seen so much now we had hoped we wouldn’t become blasé (Michelle likes that word but I know it as Unmoved) about things. Then you go snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef and you get absolutely blown away. Blasé/Unmoved. What the hell do they ... read more