52 in 52: watch the World Cup final

“52 in 52″ is a list of things that I would like to complete throughout 2014. Click here to the whole list. And the winner is, ZE GERMANS! I can't help but look at that logo and imagine someone face palming themselves. I guess if it was blue and yellow you could almost say it … 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

52 in 52: Watch all of the James Bond movies

“52 in 52″ is a list of things that I would like to complete throughout 2014. Click here to the whole list.

 

I’m a huge fan of action movies, and anything that involves espionage and spying. Needless to say James Bond was right up my alley, and I’ve loved watching them since I was a kid (although I had some hatred for Pierce Brosnan that I can’t explain).

Finally this year, I thought it would be fun to watch all of them in the space of a year. Side note – I had planned on watching them in the correct order, but being on a plane and not remembering the order meant that I accidentally watched a couple of them in the wrong order.

As I have been watching them, it’s quite fun to read up on IMDB about the movies and find out some trivia. For example, Live and Let Die has love scenes with a black woman, which were stripped in South Africa due to the government at the time. Reading trivia on movies is a love of mine, although I’m sure it gets annoying for the people around me when I interrupt the movie with a “did you know…”.

Below is a running list of all the movies, and my status on where I’m up to (in the format of Title – Year). Some I have seen before (basically all of them from 1995 onwards) some I will have never seen before. Either way, I can’t wait to see all of them during 2014.

 

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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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