Australia Zoo and Noosa

Day 33: Australia Zoo

Headed back to the bus station after the flying visit to Brisbane to head to Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's Zoo). What I didn't realise is that the 15th November is Steve Irwin day and there were lots of extra activities and events planned for the day. And they wanted everyone in Khaki to show their support for continuing wildlife conservation. Luckily I had my khaki shorts on!

Australia Zoo on Steve Irwin Day

It was a pretty good day out. Saw the famous crocodile show with the Irwin family feeding the crocodiles - the youngest child is 9 and had a (baby) croc take food out of his hands. Also saw the tiger show, the birds flying around the main arena, Kangaroos, lots of other wildlife (lots of crocs) and I stroked a Koala in the walk through enclosure. 

Stroking a koala

Had a real problem getting to the hostel in Noosa. First the greyhound was an hour and a half (nearly) late and then the hostel wouldn't pick up the phone. I was so annoyed by this point that I called a taxi and was ranting and raving to the driver. Felt so bad when I got there as there was an ambulance outside!

This hostel (Flashpackers) is amazing; free tea, free breakfast and free Internet! Also a free BBQ when I got there so I had 2 sausages and then joined in the party games as it was someone's birthday. Musical chairs definitely gets more competitive when you're older! Also got given free chocolate cake! How amazing.

Best thing in the world when you're missing home :)

Spent the evening playing cards with a couple I met (Nick and Nic!) and then Wii Mario kart. Never thought that Jack and James playing it would help me! Some of the races I did really well at as I already knew the map but the ones I never saw the boys play was terrible!!

Day 34: Noosa

Started the morning with my free breakfast and more tea and then headed down to the Eumundi market. It was a posh market so I just bought a bracelet, had Will's Christmas present ordered (they're posting it to the UK for free!) and then had some amazing warm scones with jam and cream!! 

Ended up getting the bus back for free as the driver said we'd be so late back to the bus stop and we were! Had to run down the street to flag down the shuttle bus like a crazy lady. 

After lunch I managed to book most of rest of my trip up the East coast. Reserved the hostels and a lot of the tours and in the process got my credit card blocked! 

Hanging chair by the Pool

Spent the afternoon (after the storm past) doing the coastal walk along through the national park. Amazing scenery and I saw  2 wild koalas napping in the trees! It was a pretty windy walk and so I got a full body exfoliation from the sand! 

Beach part of the coastal walk

Also saw loads of massive jelly fish that must have been washed up in the storm. 

Jelly fish! 

Didn't have to do the walk alone which was nice. There were some Germans people on the bus doing it also. They guys were great and spoke English the whole time but one of the girls only spoke in German (her English was perfect when she was chatting to me in the room last night) and then decided to climb down a cliff with the wind pushing towards the sea to get a good photo. How stupid! And on the whole language thing... I know I need to learn a language (Spanish course here I come when I'm home) but when you're meeting Swiss, French, German, Italian and all other languages you're never going to be able to speak them all so you speak your common language. An she told me last night she ha come to Australia to learn English! [rant over]

When I got back I had dinner with the couple I met yesterday. No instant noodles for me!! Spag Bol instead! Amazing! 

Spent the evening chilling out on the corner sofa catching up my diary and with the blog whilst watching a film. A lovely relaxed evening. :)

Day 35: Noosa (Everglades)

Today I went Kayaking through the Noosa Everglades. Went out on a self guided tour for 6 hours :) I had a map and instructions from the lady as where to go and a Swiss couple who were able to kayak far faster than me in a double kayak. 

Kayak/canoe. Not sure which one it was!

The route took me through 3 different scenerys; the open lake, the heart of the Everglades (think the boat scene in the Notebook with not quite as many birds but lots of flowers) and then through te narrow river channels. Part of it is called the 'mirror river' and I could completely understand why! When there were no ripples the second image was perfect. 

Stopped for lunch at the furthest point called Harry's hut. Had caught up with the couple and so the three of us wobbled all over the place as we tried to figure out how to get out of the kayak and onto the jetty. Eventually we managed it and we tied our kayaks up whilst we ate. 

The return journey was lovely until it came to crossing the lake. A storm was brewing and so it was really windy, there was thunder and lightning in the distance and my arms and back were aching. Turns out I paddled a 22km round trip! It was pretty scary and when you're on such a big lake the other side never feels any closer! 

Bought chocolate on the way home which made me feel better and a warm shower. Spent the whole evening on the sofa watching movies.. I chose a girly one so the boys picked Armageddon for the next one. To shattered from paddling to do anything else but drink tea and watch TV!

All the B's: Byron Bay and Brisbane

Day 29: Byron Bay

So the overnight bus wasn't actually that bad! I woke up and got out the bus at the 2am stop and at the 7am stop but other than that I slept across the two seats in the fetal position! Felt surprisingly refreshed when I got to Byron.

Tried to book something to do in the afternoon but all the kayaking and snorkelling tours weren't running as there was a massive storm last night and the winds were still high which was a shame. Ended up wandering aimlessly around into town and 2 of the girls I met on the bus recognised me an said hi. Took me so long to realise who they were, was wandering in my own little world.  

Ended up spent the day hanging with them. It made what would have been a dull boring day much better. We had an amazing lunch at Barger, got our hair braided with the coloured cotton (haven't had that done since I was really little), chilled out on the really windy beach and then had a hot chocolate with mashmellows to warm up. I did exactly what I would have done alone but it's far nicer having people to chat too. 

Got back to the arts factory and really wasnt a fan of it (don't worry my opinion changed). Just seemed pretty loud, I had no clue how to break into any of the groups of people and none of my room mates were there so I couldn't start there. 

Ended up going back out with the girls and to a bar called Cheeky Monkeys. I was far too tired and a bit homesick to be there and pretty much everyone seemed to be on a mission to get with someone. Not fun although I did meet a guy from Warwick who I have mutual friends with which I guess just shows how much of a small world it is! 

Day 30: Bryon Bay - surf lesson 1

So the weather for my first ever surf lesson wasnt exactly ideal! It was chucking it down and so by the time we'd been for a run and done all the stretches and explanation on the beach we were already soaked through. Thank goodness for the wetsuit keeping us warm. 

Surfing was pretty intimidating to begin with, being knocked about by all the waves and I kept loosing the board so having to drag it back to me with the me strap. One of the instructor taught me how to get pass the waves with board still in hand and they helped me stand up. Took most of the lesson (and quiet a few attempts with the instructor holding my board swimming behind me kicking) but I stood up and surfed waves in :) Totally a surfer dude in the making. 

Had the longest warmest shower since I've been here then met up with 2 of the people from my lesson also on the surf and stay camp. We went into town and chilled out in a Turkish cafe whilst the last of the rain past. We all started wandering down the beach but the Swedish girl didn't want to walk as far as us so the Canadian guy and I walked all the way to the viewing point at the corner of the bay. 

Such great views of the bay and the island in the middle kept appearing to change position which was pretty wierd. It would have been really picturesque expect the whole shore line was littered with hundreds of dead seabirds! Meant the walk involved dodging them the whole time. 

Looking towards 'The Pass' in Byron bay

Byron Bay

Had an ice cream on the way home as a treat and we met back up with the Swedish girl and went for a Bush walk that the Arts Factory organise. We didn't actually leave the main area but he showed us all the different uses for the plants, how to find water, how to light a fire, how to throw a spear and we got to eat some flowers. Pretty interesting hour and we were given a free beer for our troubles!! 

Bush walk

Managed to end up spending the whole day with the canadian guy without actually finding out his name (got too awkward to ask!). Eventually found out his name as we went for dinner in the brewery (yay proper food not anything instant) when he admitted he didn't know mine! 

Had a chilled out night sitting on the floor in the common room of the arts factory listening to live music in the talent show. 

Slept in a teepee which was really cool! Not a creaky bunk bed in sight and it was like camping in a bell tent with guides but more comfortable. 

Forgot to get a picture so stole this from their website 

Day 31: Bryon Bay - surf lesson 2

Much nicer day for surfing as the sun was out! Started the lesson feeling pretty frustrated as I couldn't get up but once I stopped rushing and the instructor helped me up the first time I started catching my own waves and riding them in! I really wanted to do a third lesson but the whole of tomorrow was booked out :( 

The 3 of us hired bikes from the hostel and then went for a cycle around town to the lighthouse. Who would have thought I would willingly go cycling. I looked pretty cool with my basket and flame helmet and once I figure out the pedals (had to put so much force to get them to turn around) we were off! 

It only had one gear, pushing backwards on the pedal was the back break and the break on the handle bar did the front breaks. 

Cycled all around the head land (we took a lot of wrong turnings!) up and down lots of hills (all the wrong turnings did not help this) all the way to the lighthouse. It's meant to be beautiful for sunset but only being able to rent out the bikes until 6 and with no car to get us back up we had to make do with it during the day. 

Lighthouse

Walked along the paths around the lighthouse (with burning legs from all the uphill pedalling) to the most Easterly point on mainland Australia. 

Cycled back and then Sean and I headed to a pretty much deserted beach to chill out. It was so windy and after lying down my ears, eyebrows and hair was full of sand (and I didn't even manage to remove it all in the shower there was so much!) 

Less dead birds at this beach! 

Met up with the people in charge of Mojo surf school for dinner in the brewery. Had the best veg and ham pizza ever! With lots of sweet chilli sauce to dip the crusts in! Entered the trivia quiz at the hostel and we did alright. Only 3 points off the winning score and my knowledge of the risk board helped us confirm what someone had guesse the previous name of Thailand to be! 

Hid out in the common room whilst the storm past and when we made it back to the brewery when it was dry (across the car park) the live music there had just finished. 

Had a really interesting chat about how the Canadian political system works compared to the British. This is what I'm really enjoying about travelling-learning about different cultures and systems from people! 

Went into town to Woodys to party. Didn't manage to win the custom designed surf board they were giving away :( although I'm not sure how I would have got that home......

Day 32: Brisbane 

Had an amazing banana and chocolate pancake for breakfast before getting on the bus to Brisbane. Obviously the moment I crossed the state boarder (tr moment is not an exaggeration) the heavens opened up! The clocks went back an hour as well so had an extra hour on the bus I wasn't expecting. 

Got to Brisbane, checked into the Base hostel okay (although annoyingly I didn't book the one opposite the transit centre!) and did a bit of food shopping. There is a free river ferry that's meant to be for commuters around the CBD of Brisbane that I ended up using as a way to see the city. 

It started out a lovely day

but it went from that to this 

to this 

and then finally this

My luck with the weather strikes again! 

Headed back to the hostel to cook dinner and shower and although its 7pm (which is 8pm for me!) I'm in bed in my pjs to chill out for the evening. Getting up super early to go to the Zoo so it's aloud.  And I have been having super early starts and being super active for a very long time now! 

Turns out this dorm is far more friendly than Sydney so sitting chatting to people relaxing :)

Sydney

Day 23: city tours

Had a pretty awesome flight. No one was sitting on the 3 seats next to me so I had a flat bed in economy and slept the entire flight :)

Landed refreshed in Sydney and made it through immigration pretty swiftly! Got a shuttle bus to the hostel (Base), stored my bags and spent ages talking to the travel advisor there. He's been pretty helpful booking and sorting out the rest of the East coast for me. 

Went on a city tour with the hostel. It wasn't that informative but I got to wander around the city, have a free lunch in the park, and meet people which was basically what I was using it for. But it was much colder than I was expecting! Real wind chill factor :(

Sydney opera house

Harbour bridge 

One of the girls I met on the city tour decide to come with me to do an "I'm free" tour of the rocks. Couldn't find the meeting point for ages and everyone we stopped was an american tourist! Luckily we spotted a large group of people and the bright green top of our tour guide just in time before try set off. It was really cool as we were able to see all these little lane ways and places that you would never have found by yourself and find out loads about the history. We were told to turn left at the next alley and we walked straight past it. That's how small some of these entrances were!

Evening time over the bridge with our guide Russ

Had some 'food' (2 minute noodles) when we got back and used the free drinks vouchers I've been given in Scary canaries next door and then I crashed in bed to get over the jet lag. 

Day 24: whale watching and more city tours

Charlie, the girl I met on the tour yesterday and I went whale watching in the morning. We chose to go on the speed boat trip which was really cool. Once we were out of the harbour we picked up speed and flew over the waves! We saw a mummy humpback whale and her calf. Usually the whales are really playful splashing their tails but the weather had been bad recently so they were using the calm day as a chance to feed the baby. Not that most people in our boat thought it was a calm day! Because we were such a small boat we were tossed with every wave and I think half the boat ended up with a sickbag or leaning over the edge! Luckily I had been warned so had taken anti-sickness tablets in the morning and so felt fine :)

In the afternoon we went for the daytime I'm free tour. The meeting point was much easier to find! We wandered all around Sydney hearing about the history and seeing some really cool spots. We both really fancied some proper English tea so sat by the harbour drinking out tea, eating out muffins and watching a cruise ship leaving the harbour. It was pulled out by a tiny little tug boat. How it managed to pull the massive ship I'll never understand. 

Red Christmas cups are here too!

As it was getting late, we walked up to observatory hill and were able to watch the sunset over the western suburbs of Sydney which was pretty beautiful! 

Sunset

In the evening we headed down to Side Bar to watch a live band play. It was pretty cool. They were playing some great tunes but when they stopped and the music came on it was so loud. You couldn't have a conversation without saying "what" about 100 times. I sound so old moaning about the loud noise.... 

Live band

Day 25: beaches

Today we got the bus to Coogee beach and walked the east coast coastal path to Bronte beach. I tried to go into the sea but the waves were bigger than I expexted so was knocked over completely! Decided to admit defet an spent te rest of the morning reading on the beach. 

We were meant to be meeting the tour from the hostel for luch but we didnt see them arrive so all we had when we got there was a sauage and some ketchup, and no bun :( The people who worked in the hostel then took us the rest of the way along the costal path to Bondi beach. Along the path there were lots of sculptures as its currently 'sculptures by the sea'. There was a really cool one that was a large sphere and in it you could see the view out over the bay but upside down. I'm sure if I thought about the physics and optics I could figure out how it worked but I didn't and I just thought it looked cool! 

Bondi beach

In the evening we went up to the Sky tower. I've now seen the night skyline in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpar, Singapore and Sudney. Unfortunately we missed the sunset as we didn't realise we had to see the 4D film before we went in. The 360 views of the skyline light up at night were amazing. 

Night skyline

Had an evening off and just chilled in bed booking buses and figuring out which hostels I still need to book before my early start the next day....

Day 26: Syndey harbour bridge climb

Got up super early and so was able to chat to mum and dad and then Catherine on the walk to the Bridge climb. 

When I got there there was lots to do to get ready... Had to sign consent forms, remove all loose items, inteoduce ourselves to everyone, get changed into the jump suit, get everything loose attached onto the suit and get harnessed and radio-ed up. We then had a practice set of ladders to climb up and down to get use to how the safety slider worked and to get a feel of what it was going to be like. 

Then the climb began... It was amazing!! We started out climbing inside the bridge and then had about 4 stories of really steep stairs to climb up and then we were on top of the main arch. It was only slightly windy and that was enough for me. They were climbing in 120mph gusts the other day :s

The view from the top over Sydney was stunning!! Couldn't quite believe I was up there, felt like a bit of a dream! 

Even once we had climbed down the other side, taken off all the gear and got the photos I still couldn't believe it. Ended up going to sit Observatory Hill having lunch looking back to the bridge to get into my head what I'd done. That allowed the adrenalin shakes I had in my legs to stop! (The shaky knees weren't fun on the ladder back down. It was so steep but at least it felt much safer than all the ones in Thailand - I was clipped on and there was a hand rail on both sides to hold!) 

"I climbed that!!!"

Visited the observatory whilst I was there, decided I couldn't really not. It was a pretty small museum and the planetarium show was good (I was the only person in there) to find out where the constellations, the Milky Way and the magalanic clouds were but he kept giving me some really basic info about space. Didn't have the heart to tell him that I'd studied physics so knew this stuff! 

Had a free ticket to the Bridge museum as I had done the climb so we up there and had a look at how the bridge was built. 

Wandered around the harbour for a bit then headed into the Botanical gardens. Didn't explore them much but instead just sat over looking the harbour and the opera house reading the Australian equivalent of the metro!

Came back and then Charlie and a couple of guys from her room who I'd met on the Bondi walked went to the Rocks night bizarre. It was really cool, full of these little stands, quirky shows and a silent disco. Went into possibly the coolest bar I will ever go to. It was a pop up bar and you had to wear a bird mask to get in and once inside it was like a house party. Downstairs was the dance floor and a dj and upstairs there was a chill out room with bean bags. And the whole place was white and covered in carpet. I loved it! 

Stopped at another pub on the way back that was showing chariot racing on one screen and the other was showing computerised dog and horse racing! So random!

Day 27: manly beach 

Had a lazy morning and then got the ferry across to Manly Beach. Went for a swim in the swim zone thats policed by lifeguards, slightly outside the flags and you get whistled backed by them. The waves were huge and great fun to dive under. 

Christmas Australia Style

Chilled out on the beach all day with some sushi, a book and then a delicious caramel crunch and vanilla chip ice cream with sprinkles! Decided to spoil myself with that! 

Lifeguard

Had a quick Macy D's for dinner (at least it wasn't noodles) then headed to a bar, then to the fireworks show. It was strange as these were my 5th November fireworks and it was warm. 

Sydney fireworks

Spent the rest of the evening with Matt and Charlie at Scary Canaries (as seen on Geordie Shores apparently). Saying goodbye to Charlie was weird. It's crazy to think how much  you'll miss someone and how much they'll miss you even though you've only known them 4 days! 

Day 28: blue mountains

Got picked up super early so I think I managed to leave without waking up people. Not that I should have been quiet, the two groups in my room decided to have an argument in the small hours of the morning. No clue what it was about. I just pushed my ear plugs in further and went back to sleep. 

Drove up into the blue mountains and had a quick stop in a little cafe for a coffee. Strange to see how far Sydney actually spreads out compared to the tourist area. And got to see the Olympic Park. 

Went to a lovely view point and then went for a walk in to a waterfall. It was raining (of course!). Really think the rain is attracted to me when I'm out walking. We weren't able to actually see the blue mountains and ranges like you image but we did get to see it with cloud coming up the valley which is actually pretty cool. Our guide got us to sit by a smaller waterfall, close our eyes and just listen. He then tapped us and we walked back a way before we were aloud to talk again. It was so peaceful and your ear turned in to all these different sounds in the jungle. Could here a frog croaking. 

View point (a photo of my camera which is why it's blurry) 

Had lunch then we went for another walk down a bit into one of the valleys. Obviously all the other people had only converses on and no rain jacket and I in my waterproof and hiking boots was the one who slipped on a wet knee and crashed down some metal steps. Took most of the impact in my hand an I thought I was okay but I wasn't. Just started crying! The guide was really good a looking after me but no one else in the group asked if I was okay! Felt so lonely at that point. Just wanted a hug from someone I knew as I was in shock but there was no one :( don't remember much of the walk as I was just thinking about my wrist. 

We got the senic railway cart up which had different modes of sitting positions and we obviously went for "cliffhanger" which basically meant you were staring staring down the valley and had to hold on to stop yourself moving forwards. 

Thought I was doing better but the guide got first aid for me at the centre and as soon as the first aided (called Happy!) asked what happened I broke down again. Luckily having someone look after me made me feel so much better and he bandaged my wrist up as a precaution to stop any swelling. Think it may have been a bit of overkill but it was good to have someone look after me. 

My wrist! 

The guide chatted to me the whole way back and we played each other music we liked and just chatted :) think he was trying to keep my mind off my wrist. By the time we got back to Base although it was a big sore it was fine and I was no longer in shock so not crying. 

Just hanging around in the hostel now. Showered and eaten but still need to pack as I'm getting the overnight bus (fun times) to Byron Bay in 4 hours. 

 

Will let you all know how the surf lessons in Byron Bay go next weekend. Hopefully will stand up :) 

Malaysia and Singapore

Day 14 - Malaysian part of it

Boarder crossing

We were instantly pulled over by the police as soon as we crossed the boarder! They were asking us where we were going and we all just said Malaysia! Well obviously! Such a clever bunch we are! And then further down the road we were stopped for a second time but we kept our mouths shut so we didn't seem like idiots again!

Drive through the Malaysian countryside for hour. Couldn't fall asleep so I ended up reading an entire book from start to finish. Pretty impressive!

We crossed over the bridge to the Island Penang which, even though I had never heard of it before, was on the "yahoo top 10 islands to visit before you die" list. Can tick it off now! 

Food prices in Malaysia are noticeabley higher! I had to pay a whole £1.50 for dinner rather than £1! I know it's not a lot but I was converting into Thai Baht (not pound!) and was shocked at how pricey the food court was compared to the others I've been too! 

Had a nice little walk in the evening to Little India. Kept having to ask for directions as we were told "not far down that road" and a while later and having seen 10 prositutes we weren't sure we were right! Little Indian was very colourful though when we finally made it. 

Bought some drinks on the way home and had a lovely evening chatting and drinking in our room. I was on the real hard stuff... While everyone else had a tiger beer I had fizzy strawberry juice! 

Day 15 - Penang/ travelling to Cameroon Highlands 

Had a wirl wind tour of the city visiting a temple, botanic gardens batik painting work shop, town hall, a jetty and little Indian! All before lunch! 

The temple was dedicated to the Buddhist version of the Virgin Mary. In the botanic gardens there were monkeys and lizards that roamed free. The lizards weren't scary but those monkeys ran towards you screaming which was pretty scary! 

Temple 

Monkeys groaning 

Lunch in a local Indian cafe

After lunch we set off on the windy road to the Cameroon highlands. Here there are loads of tea plantations :)

Had an awesome dinner but it was the most expensive one I've had in ages. A whole £3 and we had to cook it ourselves. It's called a steamboat and you basically get given a massive pot of clear chicken soup on a gas stove on your table. Then we were given 22 different things to boil in it to eat. This included the standard leafy veg, chicken, beef and noodles and the slightly more unusual jelly fish! Compliments to the chef that night as mine was stunning! 

Steam boat. 

Day 16 - Cameroon highlands 

Had a morning tour around the highlands. We walked up to the observation tower at the highest point on the highlands. Obviously it was really cloudy and all you could see was white until we got the the bottom of the tour when the clouds cleared. Typical! 

Then we went for a jungle walk. It said trek on the brochure which I was super excited about, but it turned out to be a decked path that we followed! Not quite my idea of a trek. 

We then visited a tea plantation and were able to see a tea factory. None of the equipment was working as there was a power cut but the smell inside was amazing. 

Tea plantation 

Got I have the best cup of tea I've had in a while over looking the field the leaves grew in :) 

Tea!!!!!!

Didn't get up to much in the afternoon. We were all pretty grumpy by the time we had lunch at 3pm. Its so funny how the mood of a group change once they have food in their bellies. Just mooched around the town for the afternoon. Walked around but there wasn't that much to see. 

Day 17 - Kuala Lumpur 

Travelled all morning to get from the highlands to KL. The roads were very windy which isn't fun when you're squashed in the back corner seat of the bus which no air con on you! I was so glad to get out of that bus at the first service station. Could have been a real problem otherwise! 

Had a City tour once we got to KL. Being in a large group and having a car to drive you around definitely makes seeing everything far easier and quicker. You don't have to figure out the bus or the metro system and you never have to wait once you're done somewhere. You just get whisked off to the next place.  

Saw so much on our tour; the palace, the national monument, the national mosque, a scale model of the city at the city information centre and the Batu caves. The only problem with doing a tour like this is that you are never quiet able to join up all the places and how things relate to each other in the same way if you were walking. 

Changing of the guards at the palace 

Wearing modesty robes at the national mosque. 

The caves we pretty cool as they had lots of Hindu images and carvings there. And the temple was at the top of approximately 300 steps which were guarded by some rather grumpy monkeys!  

Batu caves. 

We were dropped at the Petronius towers and so we all got the tourist photo holding them apart and then had some dinner in the food court (where all the best meals come from) whilst it got dark. The towers are lit up at night and you can see there glow around the city! 

Petronius towers 

Was feeling a bit worn out so whilst some people went out I chilled in bed with my Kindle and some chocolate and had an early night. 

Day 18 - Kuala Lumpur 

We had a free day so some of us decided to walk (in the heat) to one of the squares. Turned out to be a patch of grass that we had seen the day before! 

We walked back to the hotel in a giant loop and then on the Times Square and the largest shopping centre in the world. So much nicer walking through KL than Bangkok! It's a much nicer capital city, even if crossing the road is still terrifying as red lights don't seem to mean anything to these drivers. 

Tried to get a new dress but all the shops wouldn't let you try anything on which seems a bit silly and left me rather grumpy! 

The shopping centre was so big it even had a indoor theme park. Went on the rollercoster twice before a tradition Malaysian MacDonalds lunch. Niklas managed to get stuck in the seat of one fof the rides and the ride operators had to call for back up to get him out!

Stuck!

Don't think we left it quite enough time before going on the rides post as I ended up feeling very unwell. Went completely white so rather than going to Chinatown shopping I had a lovely nap in the hotel! 

Was able to visit china town for some dinner before Skybar. 

Skybar

There were some amazing views from the skybar but the drinks were so expensive. Paid £8 for mine! It was like being back in the UK! Raved up the dance floor there then hit the KL strip where we found a bar with free cocktails for the ladies! Obviously we spent the night there dancing on the dance floor by ourselves! 

Had the most disappointing KFC (8 wedges counted ad large apparently) on the way home and finally got to sleep around 430. The problem of having a room mate your really get on with is that you just carry on talking for ages and wake up shattered! 

Day 19 - travelling and Melaka 

Luckily we didn't have to meet until 11 today. Our tour guide gave us all a chance to relax and lie in which was much appreciated. 

Spent a lot of the day travelling. Got a bus to the bus terminal, then after lunch (which was only an hour after breakfast!) we took a bus to Melaka. The bus was one of the comfiest buses I've ever seen. The seats were comfortable and there was plenty of leg room and I got to have a little nap :) 

Got our 3rd bus of the day to the hotel. We've obviously been spoilt travelling in private minivans so far so I had forgotten how getting somewhere takes a whole day by the time you wait for the changes, even if direct it would only take 2 hours. Arrived at our hotel at 5pm, 6 hours after we had set off. 

Went for a lovely trikshaw ride around the city to see the sites. There were massive speakers so it was rather strange being ridden around a world Hertitage town listening to pop music!

Traveling in style!

For dinner we ended up spending 3 hours trapped in a restaurant with a leaking ceiling whilst outside the biggest and longest lightning and thunder storm I've ever seen took place. Every time the whole room was lit up and then the boom went straight through you! 

Day 20 - Singapore

We were up early to catch an early bus to Singapore. Nearly lost one of our group as he thought he was under the import limit but turned out had the equivalent of 1 cigarette too many and so was whisk away. He was very lucky as it was his first offence and so only got a warning and a $12 fine. Waiting around meant that we missed our bus so had to hang around for the next one. 

For a lot of the people today was the only day they were having in Singapore so we had a whistle stop walking tour, a quick change into dresses for a Singapore Sling in Raffles, another change for the night Safari and then another change back into dresses to go to Marina Bay Sands hotel. 

Slings

The night Safari was really cool seeing lions, tigers, bears, elephants, giraffes, rhino and a host of other animals. It was set in Singapore rainforest and you were able to see all the animals lit my lights that mimicked moonlight. No pictures though as all the ones I took just look black!

The marina sands club was really cool and we were so lucky that our running paid off and we were able to get the last MRT there. But we did get off at a stop too late so had a lovely 20 walk back! The club had a great view over the whole of Singapore!

Came home and had to say bye to the group which was really sad :(

Day 21 - Singapore

The three of us, Valerie, Matt and I had an explore of the city today. We looked around Little Indian and Fort Canning and basically just wandered until we had to dash into a cafe as the heavens opened up on us. 

The sun and humidity came back with a vengeance so to cool down we headed into a shopping centre. Got a few bits and some new tops to replace the rather off coloured (but brand new when I arrived) one I had. 

Chilled out in the tiny pool before Matt left and then Valerie and I got dressed back up to go to the Skybar at marina bay sands again. 

Amazing night and we were able to see the light show from the top of the building with our free drinks :) not quite sure how we blagged to free drinks each but I guess getting there early and well dressed helps! I think the first guy had forgotten our bill so when we called him back he just waived us away! Amazing :) made it taste so much better! 

Final night

Day 22 - Sinagapore

Valerie left this morning and so I had a free day to myself. Spent the morning hair dryer-ing all the clothes that I washed that hadn't dried yet and packing for the flight. 

Left the luggage with the hotel and visited the 'Gardens in the Bay'. Absolutely stunning gardens, flower domes, cloud forest domes and aeriel walkway. The whole place is Eco friendly and produces or collects all the energy and water from the park itself. 

There are huge futuristic looking trees that collect sunlight and all the domes help collecting and cooling the water. Inside the cloud forest dome there was a huge 30m waterfall that came as a bit of a shock! 

Bio trees

Waterfall

Flowers

Having wandered the park the clouds turned a shade of black I recognise all too well so I took that sign to head back to the hotel. 

Threatening clouds 

And I was right. When I came up out of the MRT it was chucking it down so I weathered it out in the food court with some lunch as I couldn't cross the road to the hotel because of the rain. It was raining so much some of the drain lids were spouting water out and rattling away. 

Got to the airport over 5 hours before my flight took off to miss carrying my bag on public transport in rush hour. Changi is meant to be the best airport in the world! It seems pretty nice but 5 hours is a long time to spend somewhere....

Off to Australia. Let's see what happens next.... :)