"What is your best price?"

So far, Asia has been a world away from Australia. From dead dogs (sadly frozen to death in the Cameron Highlands) to pig carcasses on the back of mopeds, we’ve seen the lot. 

Arriving late on at Singapore’s rather luxurious airport from Perth we decided to hop in a taxi to our hostel in Clarke’s Quay.

A Swanky Singapore Street Sweeper

The next day we went for a rather lengthy walk to

Orchard Road

before jumping onto a bus which gave a tour of the city. Having stopped in China Town for a bite to eat we were offered to try fish head soup by a couple of locals which we reluctantly accepted and it wasn’t too bad (although we only actually had the tofu part). Afterwards we fell into a trap and purchased our first goods – a new camera lens for $185 rather than $495 he had originally started at. The rest of the day was spent visiting the botanic gardens before heading on a river cruise both in the day and at night (following Chicken bhuriyani and naan for dinner, £7.50 between us).

Singapore Night Scene

Since our bus ticket lasted two days and included transport to Sentosa, a beach Island on the South of the Peninsula, we headed there for the day the next day. A visit to Waterworld followed by a trip around Fort Siloso – Singapore’s only remaining war camp from the Second World War.

Soph Having Been Splashed by a Sting Ray

Finding out our hostel was fully booked for our final night in Singapore, we moved next door where even though the day before we were promised a room, they had no space. Following much persuasion as well as them trying to transfer us to the Red Light District instead, a room miraculously came available…Having wasted a couple of hours at the hostel we set off for Chinatown for a walk around the various stalls before the heavens opened and thus were ‘forced’ to stop for a beer. In the evening we set off to Singapore’s Night Safari which successfully attempts to recreate natural living conditions for the animals including a pack of lions as well as tigers and elephants amongst others.

Soph's Malaysian Hair Cut

Waking up early in order to get to the airport in time for our flight to Kuala Lumpur we boarded the underground during rush hour with our huge bags where following a couple of changeovers we eventually arrived. That afternoon the heavens mightily opened and we were forced to seek refuge in our hostel before heading out into the infamous Chinatown markets in search of a new backpack as mine had split during the flight. The remainder of the evening was spent pampering as we both treated ourselves to £5 and £7 hair cuts which lasted for at least 75 minutes and included a head massage, followed by foot reflexology which cost £5 for 40 minutes – talk about value for money!

Our Foot Reflexology

Our hostel, by the way, was in the Chinatown district of KL, and since we had booked a 12 bed dorm, we really didn’t know what to expect. On arrival earlier in the day it didn’t take long to realise that infact the 12 bed dorm had been transformed into a 16 bed. It was not until the next day however we noticed them moving a bed from another room, and yes, it was being moved into ours – much to the annoyance of one lad, whose single bed was transformed into a bunk bed, thus turning it into a 17 bed dorm.

The Petronas Towers at Night

The remainder of our time in KL was spent looking at a number of sights including the Petronas towers as well as the Skytower before heading to the Cameron Highlands the following day.

Arriving in the Cameron Highlands following a 5 hour VIP bus journey (a business class type coach for an extra £1) and we felt that we had arrived in the real Malaysia – away from the hustle and bustle of the city atmosphere. That night was spent in the main town trying some of the local delicacies including some glorious Chicken Satays.

Satays Being Cooked in the Street

Having booked a tour on arrival the previous night we headed out to see the infamous ‘Boh’ Tea plantations – and admittedly the scenery was fascinating. With tea fields stretching for miles across the hills we went on to the factory where we got to see how it was made and try it – yum, tea always a favourite of mine…not!

'Boh' Tea Fields

At this point I mention that I say we booked a tour, however there were only 4 of us, of which the other two – mother and son were only doing a half day, thus it was us and our guide Bobby for the remainder of the day as we went to numerous different stops along the way, including a Mossy Forest, a Strawberry Farm and a Chinese Temple. A whole days entertainment for just £16 each; it’s staggering when we think back to what such a trip like that would have cost in Aus or NZ.   

The Mossy Forest

Heading to Penang the next day on another 5 hour bus journey, we arrived around lunchtime. Not forgetting that on our departure from the Cameron Highlands we sadly saw a dog which had literally frozen to death as since it was 6,000 metres above sea level, temperatures would plummet to below freezing at night.

Once in Penang we spent most of our time wandering the tiny streets, as well as sampling some of the infamous local cuisine as Soph had sting-ray. As we only had a couple of days before we were off to Singapore we didn’t have chance to see or do a lot however on the second day we did go to Batu Ferringhi – more of a Spain type area with big hotels along the beach etc. That evening we roamed the markets where I bought myself an Emporio Armani wallet – real of course, whilst Soph bought a few little bits of pieces along the way – these are the points at which we were constantly asked, “What is your best price?” At which time we both threw any number way below the asking price.

Me and Soph

Leaving Penang and arriving in Singapore just over an hour later, we headed back to the hostel we had previously stayed at before heading to the zoo in the afternoon. On arrival we were forced by the over-exuberant staff to make various poses for photos they wanted us to buy – “now thumbs up…now huggies, you two have huggies.” Although the night safari had been impressive, the day zoo offered a lot more; our personal favourites being the incredible white tigers. Aside from the animals themselves, there were also a number of animal shows, which to be honest, were not as good as they dragged on…and on…and on. Eventually we headed to Little India where we recreated our first night in Singapore with a Buriyani and Naan bread, of course cheap as chips!

The next morning was another one of those mornings, 5.30am wake up in preparation for our 8.30 flight. Once at the airport, I opted for a Burger King, and not the breakfast choice (a fully fledged burger and fries – instant regret), whilst Soph went for the healthier banana bread and an iced latté – how blasé! Aside from Soph nearly forgetting our passports we arrived in Borneo a couple of hours later!

Australia in a Nutshell - Part II

February 6^th – Arriving in Airlie Beach at 7am following a ten-hour coach journey an ever larger group of us headed to our hostel in search of a comfy bed to catch up on some of the sleep we had missed out on, on the coach – this was not helped by the fact that the only person on the whole coach to have a reading light on for the majority of the journey of course was sat in front of us. The remainder of the day was spent rebooking our Whitsundays trip (cancelled due to Cyclone Yasi) before heading out for a few drinks in the evening with Steph and Mark.

February 7^th – McDonalds breakfast…lush followed by watching the Superbowl with Mark – a Green Bay Packers fan (who happened to win!). The afternoon was spent by the lagoon since swimming in the sea was prohibited due to deadly jellyfish! In the evening we hit the town for a girl’s birthday in our dorm – Rachel.

February 8^th – Day 100 – Moved our bags into storage before setting off on the Atlantic Clipper for 2 Days and 2 Nights of fun and frolics. Following a brief safety talk (where Soph modelled the life jacket). The views over the Whitsundays were incredible as the sun set before the drinking games began. Following various types of games our team eventually won (winning us a chocolate bar each…wooo!). The remainder of the evening was spent drinking goon with “the three Danes” before nipping in the ‘hot’ tub - which was actually a cold, saltwater tub.

February 9^th – 6-30am wake up call, always one of the nicest following a late finish, however by 9 we were looking over Whitehaven Beach – one of the only pure silica sand beaches in the world. In the afternoon we went snorkelling before having a go at diving which was absolutely incredible. With such clear waters, both the coral and thousands of fish was an incredible site. The evening was again awash with various games, however this time the lads had to dress in ladies clothes, kindly provided by the tour guides.

February 10^th – Another early wake up call and me and Soph were off diving again. This time both the coral and types of fish were different from our previous and we were introduced to Elvis the Napoleon Rasp fish. At about 3 foot long, he was the tamest fish we’d ever seen. The remainder of the morning was spent jumping into the sea in our rather funky Stinger Suits (due to the nasty killers in the water) before heading back to land for the evening return party.

February 11^th – Took the bus from Airlie Beach to Cairns…the small matter of 10 hours, however we did see some of the devastation from Cyclone Yasi – especially present in Cardwell. Arriving so late, we checked into our grotty hostel before meeting up with Mark, Steph, Troels, Bjorn and Mikael (the 3 danes). That evening we ended up sleeping in their hostel room as it was far above what ours had to offer.

February 12^th – Waking up at 11.30 – our first lye in for months – we set off on trying to arrange a few activities with Mark and Steph and eventually booked a day trip to Cape Tribulation followed by a day on the Great Barrier Reef. After lounging around Cairns Lagoon for the remainder of the afternoon we headed to the Casino in the evening. As Troels was a big Man Utd fan, we spent a couple of hours watching the Utd – City game, and what a goal I have to add. With us and the Canadians not wanting to spend too much me and Soph came back $30 up, unlike the Danes who between two of the three lost $500 – citing the reason that it was their last night in Aus and there was nothing to lose – except for the matter of $500.

February 13^th – Me and Soph spent the day at the Daintree River with Mark and Steph. Quite a relaxed day going along the river, seeing a few croc’s – very much baby crocs, although the pictures make them look somewhat larger. In the afternoon we went on a forest walk where the most excitement that came was licking an ant’s bottom – described by our wacky driver as similar to the shock of a battery but the taste of lime – different to say the least.

February 14^th – Valentines Day and it was again ourselves, Mark and Steph who opted for a day on the Great Barrier Reef snorkelling and scuba diving. This diving was different from the Whitsundays as there was a far more extensive coral, although due to the recent cyclone the water had become somewhat cloudy. On our return we went out for a meal before packing ahead of our flight to Perth.

February 15^th – The morning and early afternoon was spend in search of a kangaroo steak as we had realised it was our last opportunity to realistically do so. The reminder of the day was spent on a flight to Perth to visit my long lost family who I hadn’t seen since 1991! Typically was the case that my uncle (Dad’s only sibling) was at sea and not due to return until a week after we left.

February 16^th – 20^th – During our time in Perth we spent much of it with my various relatives as Soph enjoyed evening manicure sessions with my cousin Michelle’s daughters as well as time in the pool during the afternoons. It was noticeably hotter on the West Coast of Aus, and following a couple of days in Perth and a visit to Freemantle Prison, much of our time was spent shaded away from the intense rays!

We did have chance to see a couple of friends as one of Soph’s coursemates, Danny, had come over to work for a year, as well as Kevin Percy who moved over after Sixth Form. On our final evening we went out to the incredible Berswood Casino with Michelle and Claire (my cousins), where having come out even we went to an Irish pub to dance the night away.

Although only a brief stop in Perth, it was a strange feeling saying goodbye to those I didn’t really know beforehand. However, we did feel like we got to know everyone pretty well. My auntie Linda did a grand job whilst we were there, waited on hand and foot, even when we offered to help we were ejected. Overall a strange but satisfying feeling meeting those I knew little about before. 

And so, Australia ends with pastures new ahead, and first stop – Singapore.

So, overall we managed to:

• Meet an aussie with a proper accent
• Try goon
• See England retain the Ashes
• Surf
• Eat kangaroo meat
• Get caught up in Australia's worst ever floods and one of it's biggest cyclones...wooo!

Australia in a nutshell – Part I

Coming to the conclusion that I am too far behind on this blog in relation to our time in Australia I have decided to provide a summarised version of events. This has been brought on by the fact that we are now in Asia and have found our time here so far to be much more of a cultural change and have much more to write about compared to that of Aus. So here are weeks 5 and 6 from Aus:

Saturday January 22^nd – Woke up again with the stench of garlic…conclusion = the French couple. Headed up the coast to Noosa where having been drenched on short walk to hostel (although Soph stayed dry) we met up with Phil and Jude again for a few drinks.

Jan 23^rd – Went into the town in the morning before heading to the beach in the afternoon. In the evening we went to an Italian whilst England lost another ODI.

Soph with her attempted surfing

Jan 24^th – Our last full day in Noosa spent mostly learning how to surf - 3 hour morning surf lesson followed by a few more hours by ourselves. Unlike the wakeboarding we both managed to stand up although Soph preferred to use the ‘Surf Board’ to body/kneel board back in to shore!

Me riding a wave...sort of!

Jan 25^th – Set off to Rainbow beach where we went to the beach in the afternoon before having a few drinks in the evening with people at the hostel, after a short, steep walk to a sand dune where we failed to “sand board” but did get some decent photos.

Phot from the dunes

Jan 26^th – Australia Day, thus we again went to the beach for a few hours before a meeting to sort out arrangements for our Fraser Island trip the next day. With 30 people signed on to the 4x4 Tag-Along Tour (yes the lamest name a tour could ever have), we were split into 4 groups – me and Soph grouped with 5 Northern Irish and a Dutch girl (who over the next few days we found out to be a bit of an oddball). Amusingly the chap outlining the rules and regulations of the trip was somewhat reminiscent of a hobo - dirty yellow teeth, a dishevelled overgrown beard, and long sweaty hair. He kept on reminding us that each vehicle was equipped with a “Dick Stick” to hit anyone acting in such a way, whilst reiterating the “Peace and Love” we should have for one another as well as that his cars which were his “babies” – “You look after my babies, and they’ll look after you.”

Our 4x4

Jan 27^th – Our convoy of 4x4’s set off on our 3 day tour of Fraser Island – the largest sand island in the world…fact! Driving along the beach and along sandbanks we visited a few sights, including Lake McKenzie, before setting up camp for the night. A great night as a good group of us got rather banjaxed! As the night eventually came to an end – late on for some but not for others, as the beers sent me to sleep a few hours prematurely (as Dan – another Irish guy - continued to point out for the remainder of the trip).

The Crystal waters of Lake Mckenzie

Jan 28^th – With the much of the morning spent at Eli Creek playing volleyball we eventually set off to the champagne pools and Indian Head before arriving back at camp for another night of antics. Beforehand of course the ‘oddball’ Dutch girl asked our tour leader if she could move camps as she was the only one not drinking and moaned that we had been too noisy the night before (bear in mind she was in bed by 8). Having had our dinner cooked by Dino – our Indonesian Chef for the night (whose name we sang to the tune of Ruby – Kaiser Chiefs) we were inundated with dingo’s stealing bin bags with empty cans. Funny for most however, as warned by Merve (the hobo), it was nearly time for the use of the dick stick as one very annoying English lad thought it would be funny every time to chase after them. This may sound slightly harsh of me to indeed portray him as a dick, however over the few days on Fraser, he had become a constant annoyance for all, “I could drive better than any of you on sand” – yet he was under the age of 21 so unfortunately was too young to do so…shame.

Just a few of the dingo pack

Jan 29^th – The final morning in Fraser Island and the majority of the group nursing rather severe hangovers, therefore the Dutch girl put up her hand to offer to drive – and that was quite something in itself, to say we were worried for our lives would be an understatement. When we arrived back at Rainbow beach the majority of us had a barbecue cooked again by chef Dino before heading to our neighbouring hostel for a party!



After the barbecue

Jan 30^th – The dingo pack (named as Fraser is full of wild dingos) was broken up as most went separate ways – ourselves heading North to Agnes Water (Town of 1770).

Jan 31^st – Woke up to news Cyclone Yasi, this one expected to be Category 5 and thus all buses further north were cancelled. We had planned to do a Scooteroo tour in 1770 and then head north to Airlie Beach on an overnight bus however since the buses were cancelled, we rearranged our Scooteroo for the next day as a number of the dingo pack had called to say they were coming up.

February 1^st - Wes, Rochelle, Kieran, Ida and Fil arrived in 1770 the previous night so a few of us headed into town for another surf lesson – reported by the instructor to be their last for days as tides were expected to rise in anticipation of Yasi. Following the lesson we nipped to the booze shop and smuggled some goon into our non bring-your-own alcohol hostel. In the afternoon we all set off on our Scooteroo tour of the town where we rode on scooters which had been converted into Choppers – a great laugh and great sights as we saw wild kangaroos as well as an immaculate sunset.

Me and Soph looking rather cool!

February 2^nd – Wes and Rochelle left early in the morning heading south. In the evening we had hotdogs followed by poker…but not for money of course.

February 3^rd – As we had found out we couldn’t head North until the evening of the fifth, and by now realising how limited 1770 was, (hence the lack of events yesterday) we spent most of the day sorting through photos (exciting aye). Soph went to the beach with Ida and Fil before we played poker in the evening, however this time for money…and fortunately enough yours truly was the victor - $15!

February 4^th – Me and Kieran hired surf boards in the morning. In the evening our hostel presented a Scooteroo tattoo party for all the hostels in town and Soph won the competition for most tattoos on one arm, earning a free T-shirt.

And this girl won a trip to Fraser Island for having most tattoos on her body - over 350!

February 5^th – Finally our last day in Agnes Water, and what a relief it was, stuck in a town with a tiny supermarket, no bars and no fast-food was somewhat of a nightmare. As me, Soph (still scratching her tattoos off), Kieran and Ida set off North on the overnight bus to Airlie Beach along with Stephanie and Mark – the Canadian couple we first met in Surfers Paradise.