From the metropolis of Singapore we landed, late in the evening and very tired, in Kota Kinabalu. It is not a sight for sore eyes, having been largely destroyed during WWII and then rebuilt in unsympathetic 60's concrete 4 storey blocks. Our hostel (Akinabalu hostel) was housed on several floors of one such block but thankfully most of the inside was more appealing than the outside suggested with plants, open planning and a zen water feature! This was one of s...

We had a pleasant 7 hour flight to Singapore on the new airbus A380 where we watched endless movies with endless drinks from Qantas. Once through the airport we had to negotiate the MTR (underground). After a mad dash around the airport to find an ATM we then found the notes were too large to buy a ticket which is only available from the machine. We persuaded a man at the ticket desk to give us some change and then jumped onto the train. As we got off the other e...

For once we didn't have to drag our heavy bags around trains and buses from the airport as we were lucky enough to be picked up by Brenda's cousin Erica, who we were staying with. We went straight from the airport to the Eureka tower, where you can take the elevator from ground level to 88th floor in about 30 seconds, with only a slight stomach churning feeling. At the top are panoramic views of the city. Of course we managed to leave both cameras in the car! ...

We started our trip to Alice Springs weaving through the Sydney traffic in a taxi driven erratically by our talkative Lebanese driver. Hostel to airport in 12 minutes flat, crazy b*****! In case you're wondering why we brave backpackers are forking out for a taxi instead of investigating all the varied forms of public transport, it is actually cheaper than the train because that section of the line is owned by a private company. A journey that would normally c...

Ever heard of a place called Katoomba? Nor had we, but it is the main town in the Blue Mountains where we headed for a two day trip to the famous national park. Now, I know you are desperate to know why they are called the 'Blue' mountains, so let me tell you right off. It is nothing to do with the colour of the stone or anything at all to do with sale of adult material but mostly because the mountains appear blue due to the refraction of sunlight through the o...