Camping trip to Stradbroke Island

Hammock at Stradbroke Island

Yesterday the other half, my dog and I got home from an amazing 6 days up at the beach, camping at Stradbroke Island. I won’t lie, while I had a great time I was beyond stoked to get home. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a flushing toilet, a shower, a comfortable bed, hard … Read more

Lombok Day 2

We rose early, as our body clocks had kicked in. Typically we get up around 5am back at home, and it was no different here. We chilled out for a bit, as I explained to Mario that when I travelled to Bali the previous year I made the mistake of thinking that everyone else would be awake early. Not the case, and I ended up wandering the streets for 2 hours before I found anywhere that was open.

Once it got to about 7am and the sun was well and truly up, we thought that was late enough. We got dressed, put our walking shoes on, and headed out the door.

It was an overcast day, so everything looked a little dull. It was still a really lovely temperature though, and I relished the warmth compared to the winter we had just left behind back in Australia.

We walked down the “main road” by the beach, which resembled a back road of a hinterland town in Australia. There was enough asphalt for one car to drive on there comfortably, but with enough dirt on either side that two cars could pass each other side-by-side if needed. The most popular form of transport, scooters, had no problems at all.

We found that along the main road there weren’t really many shops. There was some other accommodation spots overlooking the beach, including what we would later discover to be where most of our friends were staying, Sekar Kuning Yellow Flower. There were a few restaurant style places, but other than that not much else. Days later the locals would explain to us that there used to be cafes lining the beach, but due to the pollution and various other reasons, the government forced them to pull them all down. It was a shame, as one of our friends told us that it was so great when they had them there the year earlier, and had a great vibe.

Lombok Day 1 – Travelling

The day started early, rising and driving to the airport just on 6am. Mario’s mother was kind enough to drive us to the airport, and as we had so much stuff we had to take Mario’s car for the roof racks. There was only two of us, but in total we were taking: A checked … Read more

Malaysia Day 4 – Kicking back and cocktails

Today we left our humble abode and headed out for our next hotel, Lone Pine, at Batu Ferringhi. The place really is as beautiful as the photos on their website, which can sometimes be quite rare in the travel industry.

The old hotel compared to this one is like chalk and cheese, there really is no comparison. While 23 Love Lane was all about history, culture and being in the middle of things, Lone Pine is all about tucking yourself away from the world and just enjoying your immediate surroundings.

We arrived a little early, so they took our bags and we changed into our swimwear to rest up poolside. The pool area was amazing, and the cocktails even more so. We had free wifi, so I used the time to check in with my boyfriend back home, and told him of my dilemma with the cocktail menu.

Me: I don't know which cocktail to have?!

Him: You should have Sex On The Beach…..

Him: Uh…to clarify that, I mean the drink. Not actually go have sex on the beach.

Me: LOL!

I did have sex on the beach (the drink) and it was incredible. I also then followed that up with some decadent chocolate number, and a ridiculously huge pool side burger and chips.

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Malaysia Day 3 – starting to take it easier

This morning started late – we didn't have anything major planned so we figured we would take it easy compared to previous days.

After breakfast, we walked for about 5-10mins (I was an expert in walking on the side of the street and not getting run over by this stage) to arrive at a mansion open to tourists. It used to belong to the wealthy, and had many items on display to demonstrate how things were in the past. Items like table settings in the dining rooms, and various bedrooms etc.

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