Up very early and packed, had breakfast, and headed down to the jetty for our ferry trip to My Nature Resort. Again very fast and, at one point, we thought we were being kidnapped as we headed out to sea LOL.

We arrived at SIM SIM Water Village and was met by Tyson our driver who took us to the My Nature resort. We checked in and confirmed the activities for the day.

We then went to our spacious room to settle in. Again needing sticks for the monkeys! It was very very hot and felt like I was cooking from the inside out…completely melting…. Was very grateful for good air conditioning!

We had a lovely lunch in their open air restaurant – no menu selections this time – just a plate of food delivered which was excellent. All the lodges had been very careful to check for allergies and I had put down seafood (although prawns are OK) as Richard has an aversion to bottom feeding molluscs more generally….

After a very nice lunch – where we chatted to some fellow guests who were heading up the river taking the normal south to north route (which we had done in reverse) – and took off along with our companions (two older Dutch women) and first stop was the Sun Bear Conversation Centre. Very interesting but still felt like a bit of a zoo as the bears were fenced – although in huge natural areas – and saw one sitting in the tree near the boardwalk and one pacing below us. It is a relatively recently-introduced law that keeping sun bears for pets or the disgusting bile trade has been outlawed with huge fines and prison sentences. So this was where they were moved to when recovering from their previous captivity. Sun bears all have unique light coloured marks on their chests which is unique to them – so like a bear fingerprint.

There were a few macaques about – including the very aggressive pigtails – who snarled at us and showed us huge teeth as we swept by. One smaller one decided to come at me from behind….and was clearly after the flannel that I was carrying to wipe down as we walked along. Luckily Richard saw him coming from behind so was able to warn me…

Moving on we headed next to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Having seen many documentaries about this place we had very high expectations, particularly of seeing the babies. Well, the baby nursery (where they start their rehab journey) is not open to the public sadly. But never mind there is an outside nursery where they play and we were able to see some mucking around….from an air conditioned environment. Fabulous! In this slightly older aged group nursery they are paired on a buddy system so they learn how to be wild orangutans from each other with minimal human contact. Must be difficult for those who had been reared as pets…a common problem…but there is a lot of hope for the wild population to recover as a result of this intervention.

We then walked along the boardwalk to the feeding platform. We were told that they deliberately feed them boring food (same each day) as, at this point, they are living in an open environment and only come down if they are hungry….as there is lots of natural food for them to forage in the jungle. We saw a couple of them hanging around (literally) waiting for the food to arrive…very interesting how they interact with each other…and then the food was delivered and they headed straight to it. ANothing separating us and them this time apart from a few rangers to ensure they didn’t come into the viewing area. The older one (you can tell by his flattened face…) was very funny and the younger of the two was cheeky – he blocked the rope bridge and when the older one tried to pass above him, he grabbed him by his balls LOL Absolutely amazing…this was something on my bucket list ticked off!

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel and got showered…and had some canapes whilst we waited for the dark to descend. This was to watch the flying squirrels who had taken up residence in the trees near the main restaurant area. And, then suddenly, one leapt and another popped his/her little head out of it’s nest….

Afterwards….it was time for a night walk. After an exhausting day in the heat I declined and waited in the restaurant for Richard to come back. Not much to see apart from bugs etc again but he enjoyed the experience anyway although found the route relatively demanding.

Whilst waiting I enjoyed a lovely chilled glass of wine and on Richard’s return we had a great dinner – another buffet – and, as the chicken was cooked in oyster sauce (with their real concern over allergies), they brought a freshly grilled chicken breast to our table as an additional item….great service…and was delicious!

This lodge was very comfortable although the bed was a little low for my liking…and to compound that…on returning from the loo in the night I actually slipped and fell over as I totally misjudged the height. Oh well, nothing hurt or broken, so was very lucky!

Sunday morning we were up very early and packed our bags in readiness for our departure. Shame we didn’t stay here another night – as I would have liked to return to Sepilok for another orangutan fix!

Had a lovely breakfast – where the chef cooked my eggs perfectly – and then returned to our room and packed our hand luggage, emptying the safe of our valuables. Our cases were picked up and, stick in hand again just in case, we walked to reception. At some point – about 15 minutes after the scheduled collection/departure time – we were told that our driver had had a medical emergency so an alternative vehicle was on its way to us.

We arrived at Sandakan airport for our short domestic flight to Kota Kinabalu (the capital of Sabah state) and went to the check in desks. At this point we were redirected to the x-ray machines to get our luggage scanned….pushing them along I managed to get the wheel caught in the floor and promptly the bag was over with me on top of it! Richard was seriously not impressed by my clumsiness and, luckily, some locals saw what happened and helped me up. Again no injuries apart from some hurt pride LOL.

Luggage scanned and now checked in and dropped off we headed to the departure gate – and waited for our flight to board. Was only a 30 minute trip and on arrival we had to do the whole customs and immigration check which seemed a bit strange for a domestic flight within the state but at least we knew about it in advance…..

On arrival, having collected our bags, our driver was waiting for us and took us to our hotel the Shangri La Rasa Ria. We chose this hotel because they are next to the rainforest and have orangutan orphans – or they used to have at least! On their resort map it still shows them near the rainforest. Sadly they have all been relocated to Sepilok to continue their education…so no longer here. Was very disappointed when I found out as I had hoped to see the babies….

We headed to the Ocean Wing reception (there are two wings with separate receptions) and checked in and left our suitcases. Sadly our room was not ready so we were told to return at 3pm. We walked around and checked out the restaurants and facilities along the way. We returned as requested and were checked in, went to our room, and found a lovely surprise as they had decorated our bed with roses, supplied a cake and some wine – to celebrate our upcoming 29th wedding anniversary.

And finally we were staying somewhere more than one or two nights so unpacked – the first time properly in the whole trip so far – yay! We chilled out for a while before getting showed and ready for dinner. OMG what an amazing shower. Bliss!

At the beach bar we waited for the cultural show to start – singing / dancing and a fireshow.

Afterwards we headed to the buffet restaurant for dinner (an Indian-inspired menu this time). Huge selection of Indian foods and the mutton was the most tender meat I had ever tasted – made a real change from beef curry LOL. We even had poppadoms (although they were similar to prawn crackers) pus some naan bread. Delicious although it was pricey and we definitely didn’t make the most of the buffet selection with some families just gorging for hours.

Lots of kids were there too – staying in the Garden Wing thankfully – so screens and headphones were the order of the day to keep them quiet…. Although Japanese kids racing around on skate trainers were somewhat annoying LOL. We saw very little parental interaction, discipline or even straight forward attention being paid to many of the (largely western) kids.

Oh yes, and as we left the restaurant we were chased up the stairs by one of the waiters as we hadn’t paid….well we had pre-booked and the cost of the dinner was on our hotel bill… Luckily Richard kept the receipt for our wine so we were able to prove that we were not running off….. Still a bit annoying as it was embarrassing in front of other guests….

We headed to the bar in the Garden Wing lobby for a pontoonie before returning to our room for the night….had been a long day.

Monday morning we went to the al la carte restaurant for breakfast – lovely – and definitely quieter as this part of the hotel is relatively child free. Luckily we got a seat inside as the heavens opened and those enjoying their breakfast on the patio had to race for alternative tables.

After breakfast we went back to our room and sorted out some laundry. We told customer services and were told to put it outside the room…five minutes later it was collected. Great service! To avoid the rain we sat on our very spacious balcony (which came with a huge bath tub) and lazed around reading books (enjoying our complimentary mini bar contents) on our huge day bed which was very comfy. By lunchtime the rain had cleared so we walked the beach – it was still a little wet – and then went to Tepi Laut for a drink. Back to the room which had been serviced by now although the fridge had not been restocked. So made a call and, within 10 minutes, the guy turned up to restock. Fantastic – thank you!

We then headed to the Ocean Wing pool – some kids around but not really supposed to be in this pool – and it was very quiet. We enjoyed a nice bob in the pool and then into the jacuzzi (with wine LOL) before returning to our room.

By now the laundry was back OMG – in a lovely wicker basket – what fab presentation. Only 15 items for £15 which was a pleasant surprise for a five star hotel. We washed through our smalls and put them on the balcony airer to dry – having come armed with pegs from home!

We showered, relaxed and headed out again to Tepi Laut for dinner. It was on the schedule to be open but had been closed because of the rain (it is largely out in the open)… Very disappointed by this… So ended up in the fancy Japanese restaurant watching the Chefs do their thing. Food was great but some explanation could have helped on the menu – I ordered garlic chips expecting fries and received roasted garlic chips. Not for me thanks! And because everything is cooked in front of you courses are delivered when ready – so our dinner was not delivered at the same time. A bit strange but we accepted this although got some strange looks that we weren’t tucking in straight away as we were waiting on the outstanding dishes……

After dinner we headed to the Garden Wing lobby for a drink in the bar and had a couple of pontoonies…and then walked back to our room and turned in. Had been a great day!

That finishes this part of our Malaysian adventure – come back soon to read more. Bye for now.

Jan

We chatted to the manager on arrival whilst we had a cold drink to recover. He explained that we would be introduced to our guide around 2.45 pm. So we made ourselves comfortable and enjoyed the views up and down the river. Later on Abdul turned up and explained the itinerary for the day….4pm time for tea and then 4.30 pm boat trip followed by 7.30 pm dinner and an after dinner night walk. In the meantime he took us to check out the vipers which were sitting in the bushes we had just walked past. Eek…hadn’t spotted them at all!

All went to plan until we got down the river to see the fireflies – they had just started sparkling when thunder clouds built and the lightning started. So back to the lodge and we had a couple of Tiger beers while waiting for dinner to be served.

We had a lovely beef curry – definitely the softest meat so far – along with veggies and jasmine rice. Delicious! Then the heavens opened…and the torrential rain meant that our night walk was cancelled. Oh well, never mind. We were back in our room by 9pm but as we had a 6.30 am start in the morning we weren’t bothered…

After a reasonable night’s sleep we were up early Friday and headed down to the jetty to pick up our boat for the next river trip. There were lots of probiscus monkeys again and a few spectacles. Oh and much bigger crocodiles here!!!

We also came across a rope bridge which had been strung between two islets. This is for the orangutans…the other monkeys can all swim and the probiscus make huge leaps across and, if they fall in, they hope not to become dinner for the crocs as they swim to the shore!

During the trip we asked Abdul about the negative publicity re palm oil plantations endangering the orangutan habitat as the primary forest has been cut down. He had a different view…. He confirmed that this area used to be rainforest but had actually been felled after WW2 to supply the timber for rebuilding the towns which had been completely flattened by bombing raids. Malaysia suffered significantly at the hands of the Japanese invasion. So yes it was sad that palm oil had taken over but he said for hard workers it was a reasonable crop to make a living. And it wasn’t all big plantations and large businesses – many were smallholders. However, he was very supportive of the Government’s push to preserve the rainforest and that, now after a number of years, there were miles of the river edged by forest rather than plantations (which resided behind). An interesting perspective from someone who makes their living out of tourism and the animals that inhabit the area.

We went back to the resort and headed around the boardwalk into the jungle for our breakfast which was cooked and served. There was a guy manning the toaster and he offered me some white sliced warm bread…so I asked for it to be put through again…and he was shocked. When he saw that we liked it quite brown he said that was burnt and ruined LOL.

After lunch we rested up for a while and then reconvened at 12.30 pm – again we were going to a local village for lunch. So we piled into the boat to head over there…we met the old lady (who was the grandmother of one of the lodge’s waiters)…and settled down to eat. Again another buffet…and again I chose beef curry…can’t get too much of a good thing LOL. Funnily enough this village was clearly more Islamic than the previous one we had visited. This was a Friday so the call to prayers was very loud and actually not that melodious! Guess you can’t always guarantee that your Iman has a good voice?!?

This particular village was very boggy underfoot so we had to balance on planks that had been laid down to get around. Abdul explained that this village was at threat of becoming an island as the water levels continue to rise. But everything is built on stilts so they weren’t overly worried although I had some concerns over crocodiles invading the village green LOL and eating the kids!

Back at the lodge we rested up as we were going to reconvene at 3.30 pm – an hour earlier than usual – as we were heading back up the river towards Sukau as there had been some pygmy elephants seen in the area. We boarded our boat and took off very fast – full of anticipation about seeing the elephants. They are small because of the area they reside in – full-sized elephants would not be able to get through the dense forest…

En route my stomach started rebelling…all that beef curry LOL…and I asked Abdul if he could find a place for me to go to the toilet. Hopefully not in the bush with the monkeys and critters! As we continued we spotted a site on the river where guys were working on their boats – this river is the main road in the area and lots of barges etc move things around between areas….

Luckily there was a dunny on the pier…we pulled alongside…and Abdul got permission for me to use the facility. Well, a shack over the river with a hole in the floor is better than nothing, so I was very grateful to him…. Whilst I was in the dunny the heavens opened and, when I came out, everyone was soaked through! Luckily we had ponchos with us – first time of using – so were suitably kitted out for this…. Very sweaty but at least they kept the rain out….

We then headed into a small river stream and there were lots of boats around – from every lodge and camp along the river – so lots of tourists too. Abdul got the information from the others and, yes, elephants were around. Sadly they were not on the river but they were in a plantation which was being felled…they clear old trees and let the elephants play in the area…

Sadly this meant climbing out of the boat – up a steep muddy slope – and onto the flat land above. And, of course, this has to be the day we had travelled in sandals rather than our hiking boots! Suddenly, we saw them – OMG – a far distance away but at least we had glimpsed them, along with every other tourist visiting the area it would seem! This was a real treat! Everyone was pretty excited at this point….

On the way back – much slower than on the way – and enjoyed more monkey antics. Back at the lodge we had showers and changed for dinner. After dinner we headed along the boardwalk for a night walk – the humidity in the forest was a killer – and we were sopping wet in seconds! We saw lots of little beasties / critters and a slow lorus. Back to the bar – we had a beer – and then to bed.

Saturday we were up very early, packed, had breakfast in the jungle again – alone this time as all our fellow guests had gone off for their early morning boat safari – and we were back on the dock for the 9am small ferry departure.

Next stop was My Nature Resort in Sandakan. Come back to read all about it soon – bye for now.

Jan

We arrived at Sukau, checked in and were shown to our wooden chalet on stilts (we were luckily to get AC at the time of booking, most of them don’t). We were surprised by the size – we reckon you could have housed six beds at least LOL – with two bathrooms. Fantastic! We were also given sticks to carry with us at all times – to threaten the macaques if they come close – but not to hit them as they are family groups and a physical confrontation would encourage the whole group to attack. Richard was not too keen to carry this stick around….but I persuaded him….why give it to us if not needed?!?

At lunch we met our allocated guide and the rest of the group who would make up the passengers in our boat. This was the same group throughout our stay. He also explained that the sarongs we had found on our bed were to be worn at dinner by everybody and then demonstrated 50 ways how to wear it LOL!

This particular lodge is all about boat trips to see the wildlife that reside near or on the Kinabatangan River….so at 4.30 pm we headed to the jetty and climbed on board. We motored off into the brown muddy coloured water with binoculars and cameras at the ready. Hopes were very high…

Very quickly we came across a group of probiscus monkeys…OMG they could have been designed by a comic book artist…such funny looking things. Apparently the bigger the nose the more attractive they are to the females…. They leap from branch to branch and, although they seem to be ultra brave and jump high into the air, we did see some retreat back onto the branch having clearly decided that particular jump just wasn’t for them at that moment in time LOL. They seemed completely unbothered by our close proximity to them and some of them just sat and posed for us… One did try to show off and did this huge leap onto a branch which promptly broke and he ended up tumbling onto the floor. Luckily he appeared unhurt as he quickly climbed the tree again….looking very nervously around for predators…of which there are two – the crocodiles and the clouded leopard (which are a pretty rare sight). Fantastic first experience – what a treat!

On our way back to the lodge we saw some baby crocodiles, about six hornbills and a wild orangutan building a nest on top of a tree. We didn’t know why we had stopped to watch a tree until the guide explained that she was up there building and, once settled into her new home for a couple of days, she would have a quick look around… And she did! Wow… Too far away for really good photos but so excited – I borrowed this image from Sukau’s online photo album. Oh yes and we heard lots of birdsong – being played through speakers to attract Swiftlets into a concrete housing where they will build nests (which are then harvested and used for bird nest soup – a very valuable commodity in this part of the world).

Back at the lodge we collected our stick and, luckily we did, as there were a couple of macaques waiting for us on the walkway. Another guest – who had also decided against carrying the stick – quickly ran up to us and asked for protection LOL. The monkeys didn’t seem that bothered or threatening and lovely to see them up close and personal.

At dinner we all wore our traditional sarongs and enjoyed a lovely meal. And so to bed…

Wednesday morning we were up early for a 6.30 am boat excursion to Oxbow Lake. But it was too shallow for us to get into and the tide was retreating…so after running aground a couple of times….the captain decided to abort. Again we saw lots of different types of monkeys and a diverse range of birds including a gorgeous kingfisher, more Hornbills and an eagle soaring high above us.

On return we had our breakfast on the dock which had been set up specially before chilling in our room for a while.

At 12.30 pm we were back on the dock and were taken across the river to the local village where we were having lunch. On arrival after a couple of minutes crossing the river we got off the boat and wandered into the village where all the kids were shouting ‘hello’ at us from the local school. Surprisingly there were security guards at the school – not quite sure why they were needed – but the kids were definitely not encouraged to visit with us.

At the local house – adorned by plants galore – we enjoyed lunch on the owner’s outside balcony which sat just above the river in the breeze. I had beef curry, rice, spring rolls and a variety of vegetables. Was absolutely delicious.

After lunch we returned to the lodge and had a cold beer on the dock before returning to our room again. There was a pool at this lodge and some nice beds / seats on the dock so we could have relaxed outside – but the humidity was an absolute killer…

At 4pm we headed back to the dock and took off up the river – again lots of monkeys and different birds and probably the largest crocodile we had seen so far. Not on the scale of the Australian ones but pretty threatening, particularly in a low-sided small boat. Our favourites? Difficult to say but would have to be the probiscus (despite my lifelong love of orangutans) followed closely by the spectacle monkeys (more on them in later blogs). The most aggressive was the pig tailed macaque although there were some real posers amongst them. There was also some evidence of inter breeding between species with the variety of colours from grey to orange tints and even some albinos.

Back at the lodge we got cleaned up and headed to dinner – we spent the evening with Alessandro and Irene from Italy. It was Alessandro’s birthday so we even got to eat some cake! At the end of the evening we settled our bill as we were checking out in the morning so were in bed by 10pm. Had been a great part of the trip and we thoroughly enjoyed Sukau.

Thursday we were up early, packed and headed down to breakfast on the jetty at 7am. By 7.30 am we were on the small ferry boat to travel down to the river to our next lodge, Abai Jungle Lodge. The boat ride was fast and furious – spinning around all over the place watching out for shallow spots (which is an assumption) and large logs floating down the river. Was pretty exciting although I did think he got a bit carried away at times, maybe frightening tourists is his favourite part of the job LOL. Other guests on board were in an established tour group so there was little interaction with us. It all felt a bit awkward….

After about an hour we arrived, checked in, and got organised. This was another lodge on stilts…surrounded by a boardwalk… We heard that orangutans had been spotted in the grounds so we followed the map and went for a walk – the elevated boardwalk was a bit slippery in places but felt quite safe and sturdy. Again we walked armed with sticks…

And that brings this part of the blog to a close…and will tell you more about Abai Jungle Lodge in the next part. Come back to read all about it soon. Bye for now

Jan

Sunday 24 August, we were down to reception by 6am to check out and collect our pre-ordered breakfast boxes. By 6.15 am we had been picked up and were on our way to Kuala Lumpur airport. On arrival at the airport (around 7am) we used the self-service machines, printed our boarding passes (x4) and bag tags (which were checked through to our final destination thankfully) and then dropped off the tagged luggage at the automatic machines. Moving more easily without the luggage we found somewhere quiet to sit and to eat our breakfast box contents…. half a plastic cheese sandwich each, a chocolate muffin and some juice. The reason why we ate this so early on was because we weren’t sure what would be allowed through security as we were moving state to state within Malaysia. Our next destination – Sabah, Borneo – has its own administration so operates under different regulations.

Afterwards we headed through security – which was incredibly fast (and felt very rushed) although pretty strict – and then walked to the departure gate. The flight was called and we got on board our Air Malaysia flight to Kota Kinabalu (the capital of Sabah). This short direct flight of 2 hours 45 minutes was on time and within 20 minutes of taking off we were served our meal (which was ordered online as part of the check-in process). Wish other airlines would follow their model…. And fantastic it was too!

By lunchtime we had landed in Kota Kinabalu and we had to clear immigration again (although having already checked into Malaysia more generally). Having navigated this administrative hurdle, we walked through the airport (still airside) and located the gate for our next flight (to Lahad Datu) and waited to be called to board. This time we were getting on a small prop plane and very comfy it was too…. This flight was only an hour long and we were served water and a bag of peanuts each. Bizarrely the hostess then came through the plane offering to sell us more bags of peanuts…. Hmmm…no thanks….very kind and all that LOL.

On arrival we picked up our bags and were met by our driver in a minibus all to ourselves which was a surprise. This transfer had been organised for us by our tour operator – the first part of the trip was managed by Hayes and Jarvis with a 24-hour concierge service – the second half was organised by us independently.

We were taken to the swanky office that Borneo Rainforest Lodge have in town where we completed our check in procedures before meeting our driver Frendo who was going to drive us into the rainforest. Frendo actually works for the Lodge as outsiders are not allowed to drive into the rainforest reserve – hence why we had to change vehicle. So now armed with very smart complimentary stainless water bottles we climbed into a Helux 4WD truck making sure our bags had also been transferred. We then drove on a bumpy but tarmac road for about half an hour before entering the private security-guarded acreage. Was surprised to see security guards controlling the traffic but we had an inclining when our guide in Kuala Lumpur had told us that the Dannum Valley was very private and exclusive and he wasn’t allowed to go there!

The scenery wasn’t particularly special to start with but then we entered secondary rainforest before coming to primary rainforest. Absolutely spectacular!

We continued off road and then came across some diggers. A significant amount of rainfall had washed out the only bridge and they were working on fixing it – but this is the only road in/out of this area and this was it!

The river was raging pretty fast and we were stuck on the south (wrong!) side of it…. A truck approached the river from the other side and started to ford the river – he lost control momentarily with water across the top of his bonnet – but thankfully he had a ‘snorkel’ so there was no risk of water getting into the exhaust. We were horrified and had visions of him floating off down the river – but luckily he found some solid ground, put his foot down, and made it across. At this point our driver decided it was too dangerous and we would wait for the river to drop (as it’s tidal)….

By now we had a procession of vehicles on both sides and the workmen were all standing around watching and discussing what should happen next. Then the digger driver drove down into the river….clearly to provide protection for the vehicles. We were next….drove gingerly into the water…sat alongside the digger for a little while then pushed across to the other side. Hurrah we made it! The start of a proper Borneo adventure LOL.

We carried on driving for another hour or so and arrived at the lodge. We were very late by now and had missed the scheduled evening activity so settled into our room, had a briefing about the property, and headed to dinner. And here’s our beautiful room and views….not too shoddy!

Oh yes, in Borneo you are not allowed to wear shoes in the dining area – bare or stockinged feet only – so you need to work out which entry / exit you are planning to use to make sure your shoes are in the right place at the end LOL.

Dinner was buffet style and I admit to being a little disappointed by the selection – although thoroughly enjoyed the lamb from the BBQ station. This is allegedly the best lodge they have in the whole of Borneo so had higher expectations especially after all the amazing street food in Kuala Lumpur. The dining area is open to the forest (with a roof thankfully) and overlooks the swimming pool.

After dinner it was still early so we took ourselves off to Hornbill Corner for a pontoonie. Hornbill Corner is a little platform set in the rainforest which is an outside bar and most of the people in there were employees (who because of the remote location largely live on-site). We met some honeymooners from Wales and played UNO with them before retiring back to our room. Was a fun night especially having some company!

Monday morning we were up very early for breakfast – the morning activity was a mountain hike to a waterfall which was classified as muddy and strenuous! So we declined…. Instead we opted for the alternative – a canopy walk – and our guide went off to organise it for us. We had breakfast and a female macaque monkey climbed down and stole my toast! Outrageous behaviour LOL. She was pretty aggressive too. Looks pretty cute and innocent here though….

Anyway we were told what to do by the staff to avoid this happening in future…basically although Borneo does not have tigers they did have many years before and monkeys have an inherent fear of them. (Borneo’s biggest predator is actually a clouded leopard but they are pretty rare to see). So…around the lodge you will find a variety of stuffed toy tigers…so we put one on our breakfast table and when another monkey came by we picked it up and roared in his face. I am not sure who was more shocked – the other guests or the monkey – but it certainly worked a treat and he was out of there in record-breaking speed LOL.

Our canopy walk was scheduled for 9am so we returned to our room for a chill in the air conditioning before returning to meet our guide. We started the walk which was a hike up hill to the start of the path. OMG the humidity was a killer…so here’s a picture of the intrepid explorers dressed to impress…. Despite working hard on our fitness pre-holiday in the gym I struggled a bit – especially with the circular steps up to the top of the canopy. We walked along and enjoyed the sights but sadly not much to see apart from a few birds and lots of bugs….

After returning to the lodge we got cleaned up (again!) had a chill out back in the room then went off for lunch.

The afternoon activity was a hike along the river which was muddy but not too difficult – although I had to be helped up and down some pretty uneven ground LOL! We were wearing our leech socks at this point as we knew this was the area where they were most prevalent. We did come across a few but thankfully we didn’t get any on us (or so we thought). Not too long into this walk we heard thunder and then some lightning…at which point our guide was radioed by the lodge to return…to dangerous for us all to be in the rainforest in a thunderstorm. So we headed back – getting wet from the increasing rainfall – and got cleaned up in our room. As Richard came out of the shower I noticed something on his back and realised that he had actually picked up a tiny leech….yuck….managed to remove and despatch it down the toilet and tried to stop the tiny pin prick wound from bleeding. This is pretty impossible…..but thankful I had brought a first-aid kit with us so able to disinfect etc. The biggest risk is infection so we were now ready to keep an eye on this wound going forward. Interestingly I found a bleeding cut on my ankle which was unexplained – after all I was wearing long sock, trousers and leech socks over the top – so didn’t understand how that had happened and know it was not a leech! Assuming it was my new trekking shoes but hey, who cares, it was very minor and cleaned up easily.

After all this excitement we headed for an early dinner as the evening activity was a golf buggy evening safari – but it was by now absolutely pouring down! So we had dinner and then our guide came and found us and said that the safari had been cancelled because of the (by now torrential) rain. Was very disappointed as I’d particularly been looking forward to this part of our trip.. But we were royally entertained by some staff putting on a traditional dance show…. We even got our photos taken with them at the end! A very nice last night here in the Dannum Valley after all. With hindsight we would have extended this element of the trip – two nights wasn’t long enough especially as we hadn’t allowed for any travel or weather delays curtailing some of the activities.

After dinner we returned to our room with a bottle of wine and sat and watched the weather from the safety of our room. Very nice it was too…despite the gloom outside.

Tuesday morning up early again – disappointed to be leaving having not really seen anything of note – so we had breakfast at 7am and by 7.30 am we were checked out and with our driver heading back to Lahad Datu, a two and a half hour drive. This time, thankfully, the river was lower so the crossing wasn’t quite so dramatic but the rain had caused further problems on the exit road….

In Lahad Datu we had a comfort break in the swanky office and was then picked up by our next driver who was taking us another two and a half hours to Sukau Rainforest Lodge which is located on the Kinatabangan River. So it was a long travel day…. This time we had a minibus all to ourselves again and the driver was very friendly and spoke good English.

That brings part 2 to a close – come back soon for another edition – bye for now

Jan

Wednesday 20 August we made our final preparations before heading off – we washed and waxed the car before garaging it – then at 4pm we were picked up for the trip to the airport. This was a pretty smooth uneventful ride around the M25 to Heathrow and we arrived at Terminal 5 by 6pm. We utilised the self-service terminals, printed our boarding passes and tagged our bags before dropping them off. Now unhindered by our luggage we cleared customs and headed to the pub for a quick bite to eat before ending up in a nice (but shockingly expensive) wine bar. By the time we had finished our wine the gate was showing on the indicator boards so we headed off on the train to the satellite gate. On arrival we were surprised to see that the plane was already boarding so no hanging around, we got straight on and claimed our economy bulk-head exit seats. I’m sure that British Airways have removed all padding from their economy seats but as we had a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal I shouldn’t really complain. Anyway, all hand luggage stowed in the upper lockers we settled in for our direct 14 hour flight. Lots of leg room but a shame about the numb bum and aching coccyx LOL.

Once we were in the air, the meal service started. It was pretty late by now (almost 11pm London time) and we got the usual food option of chicken or pasta – the chicken and rice was actually quite nice. I watched a movie, had a couple of drinks, then settled down to sleep….well, snoozed really…as there was a constant queue for the loo and the toilet flushed noisily all night… Never mind – 14 hours later we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, our first stop in Malaysia, and we were able to use the auto gates for immigration as I’d previously registered us online. Then we headed off to find the luggage. We waited and waited and waited….very annoying…but our Apple tags gave us comfort knowing that our bags had made the plane with us and had also arrived in Kuala Lumpur! Finally we got the cases and went through customs – which was really just putting them through an x-ray machine – and then out to the arrival hall.

We had been told that a driver would be waiting for us. As we were so late getting through we thought it was possible he may have given up. And, of course, as anticipated no-one was waiting. We spotted a tour company which had lists and lists of names and thankfully ours was on it! So we identified ourselves and they called the driver – we stood over to one side and, eventually after a bit of a wait, he turned up and whisked us off to our hotel in the City..

We checked in and took ourselves to our room – which was very nice – shame about the view of the traffic below LOL. We got ourselves cleaned up and went to the rooftop bar for a night cap. Well, it was hardly a bar, it was a waiter with a trolleyload of drinks waiting to serve us on an outside terrace. The views were nice though and it was lovely to be sitting in the warmth.

Afterwards we headed down to the bar located at the front of the hotel – almost in the foyer – and shared a pretty average pizza but thankfully they had some very nice wine! And so to bed absolutely shattered. We slept well but, because of the time difference, we awoke after only five hours which really wasn’t enough. Never mind….

Friday morning we headed down to breakfast and the buffet was great with lots of options – largely Asian – and, of course all Halal as Malaysia is an Islamic country. So we looked at the anaemic ‘steamed’ chicken sausages – yuck – and decided that the egg station, the toast machine, the fresh fruit and the pastries was our ‘go to’ option – surprisingly they did have baked beans LOL.

After a pretty good breakfast we headed out to the mall as Richard wanted to buy a new hat – we hadn’t brought our Australian ones with us as they don’t fold up and carrying them around when travelling is a bit of a pain. Anyway, there were no hats available, but we did manage to get some new batteries for our Apple air tags which had warned us they were running low….

Afterwards we walked up the road and got on the tourist Hop On, Hop Off city bus and followed the ‘green route’ for a couple of hours. We sat upstairs in the air but it was boiling hot and without hats we soon had to scarper inside for some air conditioned relief.

We got off at another mall and picked up some cold drinks as we were gasping by now (bad preparation on our part – don’t know what we were thinking to be out and about without at least one bottle of water between us!)….. Be warned – we found and used the facilities but there was no toilet paper available (they all have bidet hoses instead) – and only 50% of them were western style. Definitely wasn’t going to attempt the squatting type at this stage of our trip as my stiff legs hadn’t recovered from the travelling yet… Also all the toilet cubicles we came across (irrespective of style) were always soaking wet – the floors were often awash and all cubicles were built down a little step to avoid flooding – think people just spray around the whole thing to clean after using the facilities and, of course, no option for drying / mopping.

Having had a welcome air conditioned and comfort break we got back on the bus for another two hours – this time we followed the City route. We stayed under cover this time and were a little irritated by a loud group of American tourists who were clearly well out of their comfort zone and seemed to think that the driver would stop on demand. The funniest comment was that they were late for an appointment to go somewhere so they decided to get off and to get a taxi back to their hotel. As we spent the whole two hours navigating serious nose to bumper traffic not sure why they thought a taxi would be quicker as they would just end up in the same traffic jam LOL. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city as we drove around. Lots of contrasts – from modern high rise buildings to mosques, temples, green spaces and lots of hotels / restaurants etc.

Two hours later we got off the bus at the main terminal again – with pretty numb backsides – and walked back to our hotel. We had a glass of wine whilst we sorted out the Grab app (think Malaysian Uber) as we had tickets to visit the Petronas Towers in the evening. So we grabbed a sandwich which we shared while we activated the (data only) e-SIM which we had purchased.

Having ticked all the boxes – jobs done – we headed back to our room and sorted out some clothes / had another shower. The temperature was 39 degrees centigrade but the humidity was 88% and I, personally, found it difficult to walk too far in these conditions… Never mind….anyway, all cleaned up and dressed suitably modestly we headed back down to reception and booked a Grab to take us to the Towers. On arrival we exchanged our tickets for blue stickers and headed to the connecting bridge. Sadly we missed the sunset (we should have made it but the queues to get into the Towers – even though we had pre-purchased tickets) made it just a little too late. We then went to the 83rd floor for stunning city views and the light show on the neighbouring City buildings. Then we moved back down to the 81st floor where there is a whole area dedicated to the construction of the buildings and the project – it is a fascinating bit of architecture. The marine grade stainless steel (our assumption) cladding didn’t have a bit of rust on it…would love to know how they achieved that LOL. We thought that there would be rust at least at the rivetted points but none to be found.

Too soon it was time to return to ground level (all the timings are very carefully monitored by the staff to ensure that everyone gets a good experience and the lifts are not overloaded) and as usual ended up in the gift shop….and, of course, it would be rude not to purchase our ‘official’ photo LOL.

We then wandered into the up-market and modern KLCC Mall – which resides beneath – and found a Columbia stockist so Richard finally got his hat! So he was a very happy bunny. After making our important purchase we headed to the extensive food court and enjoyed a nice meal – Pakistani in origin but was more Turkish in it’s influence. Very nice too and very inexpensively priced… With soft drinks only as it was a strictly Halal experience.

We managed to get another Grab back to our hotel and purchased a bottle of wine for an in-room pontoonie before retiring after a pretty tiring day. But we had to do some admin – we were flying out of KL to Borneo (Sabah state) on Sunday – so checked in online in preparation for the next two flights. We also started taking our malaria tablets as we were going straight into the rainforest on arrival.

Saturday we were up early and met our driver / guide at 9am in reception after breakfast. We hopped into the car – very nice too.

We started off at the City Mosque which was sadly closed for refurbishment

then moved onto the National Monument where we came across this adorable local boy all dressed up in national costume in preparation for Malaysia Day….

Flags were flying everywhere and it all felt very festive. The main statue was commissioned by an American where they depicted Malaysians slaying the Japanese. Interestingly the faces of the Malaysia soldiers were all Western as the American who carved it had never seen a Malaysian in the flesh so the features were all wrong….but made for an interesting story!

We then headed to the Federal Court followed by the Railway Station and then to the Palace. The King was in residence (indicated by the flag being flown) and, another interesting fact here, there are a number of royal families in Malaysia and, to avoid conflict, they rotate every five years.

Then onto the Chinese Temple which was beautiful before heading to the Selangor Pewter factory. Interesting place and some beautiful items to purchase but, on a restricted luggage allowance, that wasn’t going to happen LOL. But we did enjoy seeing the Giant Tankard and some of the Formula 1 trophies that they manufacture. Afterwards we headed to the Batik Centre and enjoyed watching the artists designing by eye some fantastic materials….absolutely beautiful!

Then it was time to visit the Batu Caves – Hindu Temples carved into the rock at the top of a 272 step staircase which was tough. Then we went down 39 steps and up another 52 to the final temple where we had a blessing from the priest and got the marks on our foreheads which didn’t last long with all the significant sweating!! We enjoyed checking out the temples and watching one family carry a new born up the steps to be blessed – apparently this indicated that the couple had waited a long time before they were successful in their bid to have a family – so the precious cargo was very carefully carried up by the family swinging from a hammock until two large bamboo poles. Amazing!

Leaving the Caves behind we headed to the central market, wandered around the stalls, and then had a local lunch at a stall recommended by our guide. The food was OK but nothing to write home about – could have been hotter (in heat not spice) – but we enjoyed it nevertheless. After this we continued driving back to our hotel and had a coupe of hours rest…having organised a takeout breakfast for the Sunday morning as we were leaving very early.

Having rested up, got cleaned up and changed again, we then walked down the road to Jalan Alor which is a famous street food area – we chose a licensed place and sat down. The food was great, the beer was nice and cold, although there was a lot of Durian on sale which stinks the place out!

Leaving the street food area behind – having paid a handsome £30 for six beers and two meals (including Richard having an expensive tiger prawn dish) – we headed back towards the hotel. We stopped into another hostelry on the way – primarily to use the toilet facilities as I wanted a Western loo LOL.

Back to the hotel we packed and organised ourselves for the very early start in the morning on our journey to Borneo.

So that brings part 1 to a close, more to follow soon, bye for now.

Jan

Friday 14 March we packed up and drove towards Narabeen – four and a half hours drive away. Left our waterfront apartment feeling quite sad – it was a smashing place which we had really enjoyed – and the next place had been difficult to find because Narabeen (a Sydney suburb called Northern Beaches) did not have a lot of accommodation available in the price range we were willing to pay. Anyway….we finally arrived…to find no parking anywhere! The block itself had parking but not the apartment we were booked into (via Air BnB). We drove around and around the one way system and all the side roads were rammed….guess that was our own fault for arriving on a Friday afternoon by which time everyone was home from work LOL. We spotted that the bus lane (on the main road outside the apartment) had a time zone on it and would be not operational from 6pm. So, to get us up and running, I went on foot and found the apartment and a place where Richard could pull in so we could at least unpack before we schlepped the bags up the stairs.

We let ourselves in and the place was not very nice at all. The joining instructions were pitiful…..telling us how expensive it was to clean the rugs so please take off your shoes. Oh yes and please don’t tell my neighbours you are Air BnB guests – just say we are friends if they ask. Hmmm…didn’t augur too well for a particularly relaxing stay….. I did my usual check of the cooking facilities to find no toaster (had been stolen allegedly) and the fridge and freezer were full of out of date milk (by one month – yuck!), chicken nuggets, frozen chips and sweets…. The owner had charged us $60 for cleaning and this was terrible….the cooker itself was filthy and so was the grill tray with burnt on bits of food…. That was just the start – there were loads more things we were unhappy about – so I complained to the owner who said that he didn’t make a profit on the cleaning but would refund us the princely sum of $20 as a gesture of goodwill. Very disappointing response.

By now the bus lane was no longer operating so we moved the car into the main road under our balcony so we could keep an eye on it. We then headed across the road to the South Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club which hosts the Cabana Beach Kiosk. We were lucky that they actually open for dinner on a Friday night (only) so we were able to get a table and enjoyed a nice dinner and then sat on the beach for a little while checking out the lunar eclipse.

Afterwards we crossed the road back to our apartment and realised that the sofa was missing cushions and was damn uncomfortable. We went through the wardrobes and found them and had a glass of wine in front of the TV before retiring to bed. We were so unhappy we searched the internet for alternative accommodation nearby but couldn’t find anything. Well we could find some very expensive upmarket stuff but way beyond our price point. So we had to reconcile the fact that we were staying put despite our misgivings…. At this point the owner stopped answering my emails LOL. He was funny when he said that nobody had ever complained about the cleanliness….he was confident that his cleaners did a thorough job. Well maybe they did previously but we personally don’t think anyone had been into the apartment after the departure of the last guest – we even got fresh bedding / towels out of the wardrobe and remade the bed just in case….

Saturday morning Richard’s friend Kieron rang to cancel our arrangements as he had returned from the UK (having been home due to a family bereavement) and had gone down with the flu. Oh dear what to do?!? Was very disappointed but you can’t schedule illness… We decided to head down to Manly wharf on the bus and ended up on a bit of a pub crawl. The weather was nice and warm and we enjoyed being out and about without having to drive….

Returning to Narabeen (on the bus) we stopped off at the Beach Club (Collaroy) which was very nice and we could sit on the balcony overlooking the ocean.

By now we were getting the munchies so we asked for a recommendation for the best restaurant nearby – the answer was the Sunshine Eatery – an Italian restaurant. So we hopped back on the bus for a couple of stops and found it on the main road…. We were lucky and managed to get a table without a reservation and had the most fabulous artisan pizza. It was a shame about the Greek and Spanish music being played in the background though making it not quite so authentic LOL. Afterwards we walked back down the main road, checked on the car, and so to bed.

Sunday morning and sadly Kieron was still ill. So arrangements cancelled again. What a shame! The bus lane was re-opening on our side of the road but the other side was becoming inoperable so we moved the car across the road. Once we were happy we decided to get an Uber to the North Narabeen Life Saving and Surf Club and enjoyed sitting on the balcony overlooking the beaches. Lovely place and so friendly!

Leaving the LSSC behind we ended up in a pub on the corner and had a drink but it was way too hot inside and the air conditioning was not up to the job. So we didn’t linger and decided to walk back to our apartment – this was a fair distance and we just walked and walked. On the way we came across the Zest Thai Cuisine restaurant and decided to take a much needed comfort break. Having used their facilities we decided to get some takeout chicken and continued back on our trek. Eventually we reached our apartment and spent the night in front of the TV eating our surprisingly good chicken with a glass in hand.

Monday morning we checked out in relief – hurrah!!! We met Kieron and his wife Jackie at the North Narabeen Life Saving and Surf Club and were then joined by some other ex-pat friends of theirs. We were socially distanced on the balcony and it was pretty chilly with a strong wind blowing the germs away from us LOL. Had a really good breakfast roll and a cup of tea and enjoyed catching up. Was really lovely to see them – just sad that I failed miserably to take any photos of us together. Doh!!

Sadly, all too soon, it was time for us to be on our way to our next accommodation in Avoca one and a half hours away. We decided to pop into Erina Fair (a large shopping mall) en route and picked up some provisions as we wanted a night in…. We found the cottage although struggled to find the key box to get inside – but once we had overcome that small issue – we unpacked and checked the place out. Two bedrooms this time so plenty of room for our cases on the spare bed so we could leave them open.

We settled in and first job was to catch up with the laundry – everything hanging up outside in our small private courtyard – and we enjoyed sitting on the patio for a little while before heading inside for a basic steak and salad dinner. Absolutely lovely – spotlessly clean, very very comfortable and homely. And even better a proper dining table so we could sit up and eat….

Tuesday morning we headed to the beach – along the way we stopped at the bakery for some lunch and drinks to take with us. We set up our shade tent on the beach and enjoyed about four hours there….the surf was up and it was pretty busy…so we then headed back to our apartment for a quiet night in.

Wednesday morning I made a packed lunch and then we headed to the other end of the beach – the quiet end – and enjoyed the peace and solitude. We then returned to the cottage to get ready and met my nephew Jamie in Terrigal for a curry. Was lovely to spend time with him again.

Thursday we had another beach day – had lunch out at one of the cafes on the waterfront – and then returned to our cottage for a simple jacket potato dinner. We also did some more laundry….

Friday morning we were packing up and moving on to stay with Hayley and the boys in Green Point – so again we did some shopping on the way (having coordinated with Hayley what she would like for dinner)…. We let ourselves in and made ourselves comfortable – and then Budd came bounding through the door followed by Jamie, Jack and Adam. Budd was very keen to greet us both (and to play with his best friend Richard) – he clearly remembered us – but he was absolutely filthy having been playing in the mud at doggy day care all day LOL. So Jamie took him off for a good shower off and we got on with doing dinner – Hayley came home with pizzas for the boys and we had chicken kebabs and salad.

Saturday everyone was busy – and it was raining! Boo…. So I blogged while Richard relaxed…and we all came together for dinner in the evening when I introduced the family to homemade Japanese chicken katsu curry – which was a hit! Hurrah! Again on Sunday everyone was busy so I did a full roast lamb dinner and we enjoyed having lots of cuddles with Budd on the sofa. Velvet the cat even let me stroke her (which is pretty unusual) but it might have been the fact that I did actually feed her LOL. Those animals are definitely driven by cupboard love.

Monday morning we took the boys to school and dropped them off and enjoyed a quiet day alone with the animals….and sat by the pool which we enjoyed. But there was little shade and the sun was very fierce so we took ourselves under the shade on the patio and read books….at one point our solitude was interrupted by a guy who had come to clean the pool and change out all the filters etc. He worked hard and did a good job! Later on we picked up Adam from school and Jack found his own way home via the gym. They are definitely growing up – this is a critical time for Jack as he heads into his last 18 months or so of school before university. He wants to be a palaeontologist which is an interesting choice for sure! Adam is not focussed on anything in particular at the moment but he is a couple of years behind so guess this will develop…I can guarantee though it will not include maths LOL!

Tuesday was a strange one…the boys had decided they were not going to school. Apparently it was cross country day and the whole school just goes to the area to watch and, those who are not competing, are given a pass not to attend…. As it is a critical time in terms of exams for both of them Hayley and Jamie were happy for them to stay home…. We sat by the pool again – dodging the rain showers – and the boys were studying pretty much all day upstairs in their rooms.

Wednesday the sun came out again intermittently but we kept ourselves busy doing laundry and just sitting around the pool. After such a busy schedule this was our time for some R&R. Richard was determined to top up his tan but I found it too hot without the shade so stayed on the patio reading my kindle…. And, of course, the rain came and went throughout the day. Later on we picked Adam up from school and Jack made his own way via the gym again…. We had a lovely family dinner (lasagne this time) when Hayley returned from work and then Richard and I sat in the front room and caught up on some programmes we wanted to watch. This was our last night all together and we had a good one.

Thursday morning we were up at the crack of dawn to say goodbye to the boys before we dropped them off at school – there was no chance we were getting hugs in front of the High School gates LOL. Having dropped them off we headed over to Terrigal with Jamie for breakfast which was lovely – despite the usual problem of finding somewhere to park…

After breakfast we headed back to the house and packed up all our gear…having to squash everything into two suitcases with a maximum allowance of 23kgs per person. This meant that, yet again, we had to leave our beach shade tent at the house in the garage…. After we had packed Richard kept himself busy hoovering out the car! At around 2pm we headed off towards Sydney. I was driving this time and as there was no integral satnav in the car found it somewhat annoying when the google maps signal was lost in the underground toll tunnels to bypass the city traffic…but as we were heading towards the airport at least the signposts were pretty obvious LOL. We were going pretty early as the last shuttle from the off-airport site car rental company left at 4.30 pm. And you just never know what the traffic is going to be like…. Anyway we made it in good time, filled up with petrol, and dropped the car off and waited for the shuttle to take us to the airport. We arrived and had to wait for the check in kiosks to open so headed to the Vietnamese for a bite to eat. As we’d already checked in online our queue was significantly smaller than those who hadn’t done the online thing. Qatar Airways are very organised and they opened on time…. So finally made it to the front of the queue, dropped the bags, picked up our boarding passes (x2 each) and headed through security. This was pretty quiet considering it was a Thursday evening and we cleared quickly…. So we headed towards our allocated gate and settled down to read books until the plane arrived and we were called. As we were sitting upstairs again we were boarded in the first tranche so walked through the lower level of the plane, up the stairs, and then settled down into our economy seats. Love sitting upstairs on the A380 plane…so much more spacious and, because only about 20 rows of economy seating, you get a choice of food without them running out.

So settled in and we waited to push off and take off. This all happened on time and we landed in Doha, Qatar on time and then walked through the large terminal to our next gate to board the next plane. We only had a two and a half hour gap this time so plenty of time not to get stressed and enough time for the bags to follow us. But I tracked them with our Apple tags anyway LOL….

And just like that the fantastic three month Australian adventure was over!

So what next? Well, we are off to Malaysia in August for just over a month – with some city time in Kuala Lumpur, some rainforest and animal encounters (hopefully) in Borneo, some relaxation and beach time in Kota Kinabalu followed by a couple of weeks exploring Penang (which is known as The Pearl of the Orient). So very exciting and we are counting down the days already. I will blog the next trip on our return…

So thanks for travelling along with us. Would just like to take the opportunity to remember my mum who sadly left us seven years ago tomorrow. The time has gone so fast but the pain doesn’t diminish. Love you Mum and miss you so much.

Bye for now, Jan

Tuesday 11 March we drove away from Canberra towards Batemans Bay. We stopped along the way for a comfort break and explored a major tourist heritage town Bungendore en route. We had a snack and checked out the Main Street….before moving on…. Very quaint!

The weather had deteriorated on us and we drove away into the rain which made the mountain passes interesting to say the least along the route. Spectacular scenery!

We arrived in Batemans Bay which sits on the Clyde River Estuary, an open intermediate tide-dominated drowned valley estuary. The river flows into the Tasman Sea at Batemans Bay which is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales. Aided by photos the operator had sent us, we easily followed the instructions on how to enter the private apartment block and underground garage. We got ourselves settled and then took the lift to our apartment – which was absolutely stunning with amazing views out to the water, modern well-equipped kitchen and bathroom, and a really comfy king sized bed. Very very happy indeed!

So once we had unloaded the car into the apartment, we popped out to the shops for some provisions for dinner. We enjoyed dinner ‘at home’ and sitting on the balcony watching the world go by. There was a sail boat anchored in front of our apartment which we particularly enjoyed watching – surprised by how much tidal variation there was – and, at one point concerned that he would swing into rocks if the weather picked up. None of the boats we saw were occupied….. Felt quite nostalgic….

Wednesday morning we were up early and went for a drive visiting numerous secluded bays along the coast enjoying the lovely scenery. We ended up in the marina (where else?!?) and booked ourselves a boat trip up the river for Thursday. Whilst out and about we visited the Soldier’s Club and had a couple of drinks on their balcony having ‘joined’ the club. Was surprised by how busy (and noisy) it was…..but clearly some large groups of friends were on holiday together.

We rested up back at our apartment before we later returned to the Soldier’s Club on foot. Very nice place with great staff and well-priced libations. There was a Lindy Hop dancing class (for oldies) going on in the lounge LOL and, although we didn’t take part, we enjoyed watching them strut their stuff with some of them even dressed the part! We then retired to the restaurant and had a fantastic dinner…

Thursday morning we headed out on foot along the seafront. Was only a 45 minute walk or so but felt longer in the humidity….and I was relieved when we arrived at the jetty to confirm our seats on the boat trip. Driving wasn’t really an option as all the local parking was very time restricted and the only appropriate one was actually a fair walk from the jetty. So it made sense….

Interesting art work along the way and lots of pelicans to admire….

All confirmed, fish and chips ordered (lunch being included in the ticket) we went to a water-side cafe and enjoyed a cold restorative glass of water whilst we waited for the boat to be loaded up. While we were sitting there a minibus turned up and everyone headed down the jetty – and every single person was on a stroller! There was a tour guide with them looking after them and, coincidentally all the strollers were brand new and the same make. So not sure if that was part of their deal or not but a hell of a coincidence!. Anyway, we waited patiently while all these people were loaded on – some of them actually needing to be virtually carried onto the boat and gently placed into their seat. Some strollers were loaded on too but not the full compliment so all a bit confusing!

Finally it was our turn and we boarded and took our allocated seats. We then cast off and the boat took off towards the ocean – there is a dangerous bar here at Batemans Bay to the sea – and the sea was raging….so that was exciting for us anyway LOL.

The Captain’s commentary was both informative and entertaining – he had a bit of a naughty sense of humour – and the old dears seemed to enjoy his banter (and I’ll include myself in that description LOL). Back down the river we stopped again at the jetty and this time the food was loaded on and then we were off again. The lunch was piping hot and absolutely delicious – not sure how they manage that with mass catering – but they did so kudos to them. After lunch we went at sat outside on the bow of the boat and enjoyed being in the fresh air as we drove past oyster beds, passed houseboats and under low bridges.

At the end of the line – in that the river was no longer navigable for us because of very low bridges – we stopped and tied off. We got off to stretch our legs and Richard purchased an artisan ice cream in the village store before returning to our boat seats for the return journey. Oh yes and did I explain there was a full service bar on board??!!?? So we sat in the sun again enjoying a cold beverage or two….well until at least the tea / coffee / cake / biscuits were rolled out later LOL.

We finally returned to the jetty and walked back to the apartment – we rested up – and explored the rooftop pool before spending our last night in Batemans Bay at home, enjoying the balcony and the amazing views over the anchorage yet again. This property had definitely been a great find!

Friday morning we packed up, checked out, and drove towards Narrabeen where we were going to see another of Richard’s ex-colleagues Kieron and his family. So I’ll leave this blog here and please return soon for another episode. Bye for now.

Jan

On arrival at the War Memorial – quite late in the day having moved apartments – we went to the reception desk and they asked us if there was anything in particular we wanted to see. We explained that we particularly wanted to experience the Last Post ceremony which is held daily before the closure of the facility for the day. They asked if there was any significance to us wishing to witness the ceremony. I explained that I was a member of the UK Royal Naval Association and wherever we are in the world we visit a war memorial to pay our respects. I also told him about losing our oldest D-Day veteran Don Sheppard last year.

He then asked us if I would like to lay a wreath at the ceremony in his honour – both of us were completely blown away by this suggestion – as we know that each evening an Australian serviceman or servicewoman is honoured at this Last Post ceremony. So we said, yes please. They supplied the wreath and gave us a remembrance card to complete. We decided to honour Don Sheppard, who was a family friend, who passed away In September 2024 at the age of 104. He was a Royal Engineer who landed on Juno Beach, Normandy, in June 1944. After eventually passing through Nazi lines in August he moved onto Belgium, the Netherlands and eventually Germany where he was one of the soldiers who liberated the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. So very fitting that our wreath should be in his memory.

I was walked through the ceremony by one of the staff and was lucky enough to meet the relatives of Private Herbert James Rowland who died in Gallipoli. The family had been waiting two years for this special commemorative day and the reason why there was spare wreaths was because some family members were unable to attend as Brisbane airport had been shut because of Cyclone Alfred. Very humbling indeed. The ceremony was touching and emotional and is streamed to You Tube daily. If you want to watch it please visit You Tube and type in Private Herbert James Rowland or follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moUy_2sQ-jE. I can only apologise for my t-shirt and shorts – would never have worn that if I’d have known that I would be involved in such a momentous occasion.

Having shed a few tears we left the spectacular War Memorial behind and headed to Dairy Farmers Hill Lookout – great night shots but sadly no sunset.

We then headed to Commonwealth Park for an open-air concert. This was very uncomfortable as the plastic chairs were basic to say the least. We moved a couple of chairs from the eating area to the concert area to be more comfortable – a great family atmosphere with picnics and blankets everywhere. Sadly we were then told off for moving the chairs so had to return them to the food outlet area. But with nothing to sit on and having had a long day I wanted to leave as I my back was creaking badly.

So sadly we didn’t hear the music and returned home to have a snack and a glass of wine in front of the TV.

Monday morning (10 March) we headed back to the Australian War Memorial to have a proper look around and joined a tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and, as the only UK tourists on the tour, he enjoyed making fun of us…. Although overall they were obviously proud to be part of the Commonwealth family fighting for King and Country.

This whole place is absolutely amazing – beautiful grounds and fantastic exhibits – including a Spitfire and a Helicopter from the Vietnam conflict. The stories were humbling, moving and quite staggering – particularly the despicable way in which the Vietnam veterans were treated on their return home. Such a waste of life…

In the afternoon we drove to Vass to see Sandy and Nigel where they had camped up with their huge caravan. We enjoyed having a look around their van and then had a lovely dinner and a few glasses of wine…. And, of course, we were having so much fun we forgot to take any photos! Lots of laughs….thanks guys. Sadly we had to leave them for the final time and said our farewells….

Tuesday we packed up and headed back to the War Memorial as we really hadn’t finished viewing everything and this time we did it alone. We enjoyed walking around and admiring the place again this time focussing on some other conflicts and peace keeping efforts that the Australian services had been involved in. The War Memorial is being redeveloped right now and we were informed that only 10% of their artefacts are on display at any one time…so the expansion will enable them to have a wider range of things for the people to see. This development is not without its detractors though as some of the investors funding the works are arms manufacturers and that didn’t necessarily sit well with the wider population.

Sadly leaving the war memorial behind us – having left a donation of course – we drove off towards Batemans Bay. So that’s where I’ll leave this blog and hope you enjoyed it. Please come back soon for the next chapter. Bye for now.

Jan

Thursday 6 March we were up really early and at 6.30 am left the apartment and walked down the street to drop off the keys to the managing agent. We then waited for an Uber to arrive. Which came about five minutes after the expected arrival time so not too bad. At Melbourne airport we quickly navigated the bag drop off system (having checked in online) and then through security. Pretty empty this early in the morning. We had breakfast then went to our departure gate…by which time we found out that the plane was delayed.

Eventually, about 45 minutes later than scheduled, we boarded the plane and took off towards Sydney. Why Sydney rather than fly direct to Canberra? Canberra flights are much more expensive (business demand pushes the price up I guess) and hire car companies charge a one way drop off fee (and we were ultimately flying out of Sydney home). Taking these factors into consideration it was the better financial option to fly into Sydney although it meant we were now facing a three hour drive on arrival….

We landed, got our baggage quite quickly, and then headed out to the courtesy bus area. We waited and waited but no Ace minibus came along – although we had let them know our estimated time of arrival (and flight details) when booking the car. We tried to go online to resolve the situation but that didn’t work – there were ‘no drivers in the vicinity’. Great, not! Finally we resorted to the old fashioned methodology of calling them on the phone – and yes, they were on the way, but we had to move ourselves across the road to a different collection point.

A Hertz courtesy minibus turned up so we asked if they would take us (Ace are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hertz International, dealing predominantly in the off-airport car rental market in Australia) and the answer was no! Hmmmm…. Eventually Ace turned up – we were the only customers – and we were transported to the car rental office which is actually a shared facility with Hertz. Go figure!

Inside the office there were some Chinese customers who were fussing – their car was not ready and English was difficult for them – they even had to ask how to actually start the car! This request made me giggle but I was told off by Richard for my lack of empathy. There was also a guy who turned up with his dog and was told to tie it up outside. He did so and was then told he could not collect his booked hire car because dogs (other than service animals) were not allowed in rentals – the guy behind the desk was pretty harsh telling the guy dump the dog or no car! The guy was clearly distressed by this news…but I do remember reading it in their small print…so he left and sat outside the facility while he worked out what to do next. Felt very sorry for him. Sigh…

We eventually got dealt with and, already behind schedule by around 1 1/2 hours, we were upgraded to a slightly larger petrol CX-50 which is a compact crossover SUV produced by Mazda.

Delighted to finally be on our way we took off and drove towards the Australian Capital Territory. We stopped at a service station for some refreshments and a comfort break and, eventually, arrived at our apartment block in Canberra. Getting the keys to the apartment and the fob to enter the car park was easy enough but, despite driving around and around, we couldn’t actually find our allocated parking space. As this is a privately-owned block it was important that we only parked in the nominated place…. Eventually we got out of the car and walked up and down – I headed towards the apartment lift thinking there might be a map or something left in the apartment for us. And, lo and behold, right by the lift was our space! Phew…mystery solved LOL. We quickly parked the car and unpacked.

We were delighted with the accommodation – two bedroom unit on the top floor this time – and the facilities. So we set out on foot to the Canberra Central Mall which was a five minute walk away for some provisions. But afterwards ended up stopping in the Asian Food Court, had a Chinese meal and a couple of beers, before heading back for an early night.

Later on we contacted Nigel and Sandy who we had missed in Caloundra – we knew that their schedule would overlap with us at some point, and we couldn’t believe it when we realised that they were staying just outside Canberra…. What a lovely coincidence! So we quickly made arrangements to meet them in the morning as they were going to show us around as they had previously lived here.

Friday morning Nigel and Sandy picked us up at 11 o’clock – gosh it was so lovely to see them again – and we headed off to Mount Ainslie to see the views of the city from this elevated lookout.

Afterwards we visited Old Parliament House which was splendid….old leather seats, a ‘Speaker’s Chair’ and lots of Westminster-looking architecture…this is where the Federal Parliament sat from 1927 to 1988. We visited both the House of Representatives (the Commons) and the Senate (the Lords)…. after checking out some political satire first. No country was left untouched by the various artists….nor any topical subject ignored.

Moving on we headed to Nicholls which is a quaint English village including a traditional pub, of course! We went into the George Harcourt Inn for lunch and had a really good feed of traditional English favourites – from fish and chips, bangers and mash to a ploughman’s platter.

During lunch we told Sandy and Nigel of our plans for Saturday – which was to go to the Queanbeyan Rodeo. We had seen adverts for this en route to Canberra and it had always been something we had wanted to experience….they were of the same persuasion…so we all booked our tickets online there and then. Yay! Saturday sorted LOL.

After lunch and a great catch up we headed back to the City to visit the New Parliament House which was built ‘up the hill’ atop Capital Hill and was opened by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, in May 1988. This was very different with lots of marble…and vast amounts of seemingly unused space….

After exploring this modern building, again with visits to the Senate and the House of Representatives, we concluded our ‘tour’ at this point and Sandy and Nigel took us back to our apartment. We rested up and, despite earlier complaining that we couldn’t eat again for a week after our hearty lunch, we decided to go for a walk. We ended up in the West Civic Pub for supper where we shared a meal…. And lovely it was too.

Saturday morning we headed off to the rodeo in Queanbeyan – Nigel kindly offering to drive us again as they had to drive anyway, staying in a place called Vass about an hour outside Canberra CBD. En route we had breakfast on the Kingston foreshore before heading off to Queanbeyan.

We were very excited although not quite sure what to expect. We arrived…yeehah!…checked out the cowboy hats and boots before taking some seats in the stands for the first part of the show…. Well it was amazing! We saw bareback horses, bucking horses (specifically bred for this purpose), bulls (large and small), lassoing steers with many iterations from catch and tie down / team lasso (neck & leg) / lasso & tie / lasso only (neck). There were both cowboys and cowgirls involved in the competitions – and some pretty talented kids too. There were also some speed events with horses racing between bins on a circuit.

At lunchtime we headed over to get some drinks….and a bite to eat. Heading back to the arena and we realised that the crowds had filled in and there were no longer seats available in the stands. So we found some chairs and sat quite close to the railings keeping us safe from the rampaging horses and bulls…great view until the kids came and stood in front of us. Hey ho…. Everything appeared incredibly dangerous and a couple of people being thrown around by bulls / horses showed us very quickly how it could all go so badly wrong. The medics were on the scene immediately though and I have to say, the back-up staff at this event were splendid. The bull athletes who ‘encourage’ the bulls to depart the arena once they have got rid of their burdensome riders – they do this on foot – to the “rounder ups” on horseback who collect the loose horses once the riders have been despatched to the dirt and the (not so funny) clowns who entertain the crowd when the arena is being set up for the next competition.

Such an exciting day out – and will just leave you with a range of photos to give you a flavour….

Sunday we were supposed to be leaving Canberra but, as Cyclone Alfred was expected to hit Brisbane and the bad weather (heavy rain) was anticipated to come inland we decided to stay a couple of more days – especially as we now had friends to share it with! Sadly we couldn’t stay in our apartment as it was fully booked after our departure but we found another one about 10 minutes walk away online.

So on Sunday we checked out of one – headed to the Kingston foreshore for breakfast, then onto the National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery – where we particularly enjoyed the water features and the lake.

We then went shopping for some provisions before checking into our next apartment which we found easily….this was different in that it was a serviced apartment with a reception desk and everything. So checked in, got the keys, and a fob to access the car park. The car park had the narrowest entrance ever and the guy warned us it was very tight underground too having to negotiate a 90 degree turn immediately at the bottom of the slope…so as our car was a little larger he gave us permission to park in the disabled bay or the bays with the yellow striped lines as they were easier to access.

So with both of us breathing in (and turning the wing mirrors parallel with the car) we drove towards the car park entrance. We squeezed through with no problems and got parked up easily. The walls had huge chunks out of them so clearly this had caused previous guests some difficulty…. Good job Richard! We then unpacked the car again and used the lift to our apartment….and very nice it was too. We then took ourselves off to the Australian War Memorial…..and the rest will follow in the next blog. Come back soon.

Bye for now, Jan

Saturday 1 March we drove away from Torquay towards Geelong where we wandered the promenade and enjoyed the vibe of this popular seaside town.

En route we treated the car to a “no touch” laser car wash in the knowledge that our off road dusty driving times were behind us (hopefully LOL). Leaving Geelong behind we headed towards Melbourne. Because of the unnecessarily complicated way the hire car had set up the pricing this time we avoided the toll roads so it took a bit longer than anticipated. Finally we arrived in the City and picked up the keys to our apartment from the managing agent (whose office was nearby), found the secure underground car park, unburdened the car into the apartment and then drove towards Melbourne Airport. In the meantime we’d found out that the off-site car rental office was closed for the day – despite our contractual requirement to return it by 5pm. So we phoned to get confirmation as to what we should do and couldn’t get any sense out of anybody at the call centre so made our way there anyway..….

Nearing the office we filled up with petrol and arrived – Ace and Hertz offices were side by side in a desolated industrial area and both were indeed closed for the day. There was a sign posted on the door to say drop your keys in the secure drop box after hours….but not wanting to drop them in without any means of returning to our apartment (and the potential of getting stranded) we decided to book an Uber to return us to the city. We weren’t the only people who were there trying to return cars either – complete confusion reigned LOL. So when the Uber arrived and confirmed it was for us, feeling somewhat relieved, we posted the keys and enjoyed the ride back to our apartment.

Our apartment had been very reasonably priced and we were surprised especially as it was in Docklands with river views from the balcony. When we got there we found out why – the whole area is being renovated and we were surrounded by cranes and building works. Not the best view from the ‘office’ window…. But, as it was the weekend, who cares, nobody was working! Anyway, overall, we were pretty happy. We popped out to go shopping for some provisions and enjoyed a dinner at home and a quiet night in. Here we are checking out the balcony.

Sunday morning we had a slow start and after a leisurely breakfast we decided to ride the (free) historical circle tram to help us work out the city layout. We were supposed to be able to get a network map on the tram but the driver had sadly run out of them….

The views from the tram were not great – and it was very busy – so we got off near to the Museum of Melbourne where we enjoyed the very varied exhibits. On the way we popped into a large hotel for a comfort break and reception staff (assuming we were guests) asked if we needed assistance. So I cheekily asked for a tram network map – and hurrah, all sorted!

The strangest exhibit was of a famous Australian racehorse – Phar Lap – who had won 37 races from 51 starts (including the 1930 Melbourne Cup). His final race in 1942 was videoed and watching this footage in the museum alongside his taxidermy body was quite surreal. Allegedly he was so good that he was poisoned (with arsenic) in the USA after his last race by competitor racehorse owners (alleged to have Mafia connections).

After the museum we returned to the trams having now worked out the system. The trams (within the City boundaries) are totally free so we enjoyed hopping on and hopping off. How amazing! We got off at Riverside and wandered to Federation Square where there was some sort of festival going on – we watched a bit of the break dancing competition – before bailing out as the music was somewhat monotonous and the standard of competition was not (in our inexperienced eyes) very good. At least no one recreated the Australian kangaroo dance from the Paris Olympics LOL.

We then headed towards the river, wandered the waterfront checking out the boats and art installations before deciding to go aboard the Afloat Bar and had a couple of drinks before returning to our apartment on the tram for another quiet night in.

Melbourne was actually pretty quiet on Sunday…although it also had the most eclectic mix of people that we had seen so far on our travels. Most memorable was the elderly short skinny bald man dressed in a mini pink dress with lots and lots of pearls and stilettos. No wig, no make up, just happy in his (her??) own skin…. All very odd. We also came across many strangely clothed locals and tourists alike. Most of the tourists were Chinese / Japanese and Korean – who annoyingly photo everything numerous times and are a little inconsiderate in terms of letting us in to get our photos…. I’m surprised they find time to explore as they are recording everything on their phones as they stroll around before checking the footage and repeating as they see fit!

Monday we took a tram to check out some old malls – Block Arcade and Royal Arcade. They were very familiar and reminded us a bit of Leadenhall Market in London.

Then we continued walking to China Town. We realised that the most popular eatery had a queue up the street before it had even opened at noon. So we continued exploring before finally popping into this establishment for a snack as it had now opened and the queue had been accommodated inside – which was actually like a tardis, surprisingly large. The servers didn’t really speak English and the ordering was not completely straightforward. But we had some lettuce wraps (with pork) and some vegetable spring rolls. The food was very good and tasty.

Afterwards we continued exploring – next stop AC/DC Lane – which is full of street art. This might have been something to see originally but, sadly, people had been tagging over the original paintings so it has became a bit messy and not particularly interesting. What a shame….

We then continued and ended up in the Love Museum – where some of the installations were a little risqué – before visiting the Art Gallery which had a lot of early Australian History depicted. Find it very interesting to see the European artists’ impression of life in Australia with the women wearing their traditional Western clothes from the period – bet a full length dress with bustle was very comfortable in the heat and ultimately practical for working the land!

Melbourne was actually started by free settlers – although there had been a convict settlement at Sorrento in Victoria for a short period – and, in fact, most of the early European settlers of the Melbourne area were ex-convicts who had been released after they had served their time but with no repatriations they had to start lives for themselves in the new territory.

Moving on we headed across the river to the Sky Deck which we had purchased tickets for online. We started off in the VR Theatre which took you around and across Melbourne visiting iconic things such as the Formula 1 race, the Open tennis, up and down the river, in a helicopter and riding pillion on a motorcycle. Best bit for me was the rollercoaster ride and the fairy penguin parade as they came ashore for the night in nearby Philip Island. All seats were individual with headsets and with surround sound and with the seats moving it felt like a pretty authentic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Then we headed up to the Sky Deck and enjoyed views across the City.

Then we went to the Edge which is a glass box which comes out of the side of the building horizontally on the 88th floor – so we had a bit of fun there mucking around for the photos! If you think I was a bit harsh on Richard then note I was just getting revenge for New Zealand….

We actually thought this may have been simulated too until afterwards when we went into the cage which looks over the side of the building and we could see people inside the Edge through the glass walls…. We had an American backpacker in the Edge with us and she was pretty frightened to start with – especially when the lift started making terrible noises – and the opaque glass went clear. Sadly phones were not allowed in the Edge so no photos of our own…

Then we went to the Sky Deck bar as we had money off vouchers and we thought it would be nice to sit up there and have a drink looking over the city. But it was really no more than a cafe and despite the amazing views it wasn’t a particularly comfortable environment.

Leaving the Sky Deck via the shop (of course) we walked across the river to the oldest pub in Melbourne (the Mitre Tavern) and sat in the courtyard with a cold glass in hand. Was very popular with the yuppie crowd as they came out of work…. Was also pretty loud.

Moving on we headed back towards Docklands on the tram stopping off for some supermarket shopping on the way. We popped into the local pub Tap 831 on the way home too…was surprisingly good. Back home we got on with the laundry, had dinner, and another early night.

Tuesday morning we were up very early and found we had an ant infestation coming in from outside throughout the apartment. Yuck! Anyway, no time to deal with it other than giving it a good spray around as we were going out for the morning. We had a 30 minute uphill walk to the pick up location for our Puffing Billy tour. The tram timetable was too late to wait for it (just in case) so we walked and got there around 7.30 am. At 7.40 am on the dot a Go West minibus turned up to pick us up. We had wanted to ride the Puffing Billy steam train but, unless you can book six months in advance, there is very little chance of getting tickets for it. Clearly the tour companies are allocated so many seats on each departure which reduces the ability to book independently. Anyway, we settled into the minibus, said hello to our fellow travellers (Asian of course) and then we were driven to Belgrave. We had a quick snack in the station cafe before boarding the train – all the same tour were allocated seats in the same carriage. There is a ‘right’ side and a ‘wrong’ side on the carriage in terms of photo opportunities – people sit on the rail and hang out…neither of us fancied that as it looked incredibly uncomfortable. So happy to sit on the ‘wrong’ side of the train and walk across to the door on the opposite side to take photos..

We stopped at Menzies Creek for a refuel before continuing on to Lakeside which was the end of the road for us. The train did continue further but, to be fair, old wooden benches on a rickety old steam train are not the most comfortable of rides, so we were happy to be leaving the train behind at this juncture. But had to get our photos done first of course LOL.

We had a drink before rejoining our minibus (which had driven the route to collect us) and we had a snooze on the way back to the city. Back in our apartment we complained to the management company on line about the ants and the air conditioning (which was not cooling, just recycling the air around). A young Japanese woman came quite soon and inspected the problem – air con was fixed immediately – was on the wrong setting – but without a manual how were we supposed to know??!!?? She also inspected the ants and, allegedly, she was going to deal later when we were out for the evening.

We went out as planned to Tap 831 and had some dinner there. Food was pretty good although they messed Richard’s order up – serving him grilled fish with vegetables rather than fish and chips LOL. Healthier option though…. Anyway, what we didn’t know, was that this was quiz night and we were lucky to get a table – there were some big (established) teams of friends and work colleagues in situ. We spotted one team who were cheating by looking up things on their phones but we played fair. Our general knowledge / geography and music was pretty good. But sports – Oz centric – was rubbish and, as a result, we came joint last. But as we were the only tourists and the only team of two we weren’t too disappointed. The funniest question of the night was “Where are Lanzarote (pronounced Lan-za-roti) and Tenerife (pronounced Ten-e-rif-e) located?” We told him how to pronounce them and it was pretty obvious we knew the answer LOL.

After a fun night we returned to our apartment and still had ants (reduced numbers though) and the air conditioning was still working. Fine and so to bed….making sure nothing was left on the floor to get infested….

Wednesday morning was our last day in Melbourne so we had a late start and breakfast before we headed on the tram outside of the free zone – meaning we had to purchase Myki tickets (which was easy at the tram station machine) and top them up to tap on and off for our journey. We got off at the Shrine of Rememberance and walked to the War Memorial, visiting first the information centre, followed by the crypt, and then up to the balcony. It was all very moving and beautifully done.

Afterwards – despite the high temperatures in the low 30s – we walked to the Botanic Gardens and enjoyed walking around. Especially seeing so many fruit bats nesting in the area – flying foxes are one of our favourites as their little faces look like cute dogs LOL. Then we headed to the Lake and sat on the terrace chatting to all the birds around. We also enjoyed watching the punts go out on the lake.

Afterwards we walked back to the main entrance, rejoined a tram and returned to the South Bank. We checked out a few bars on the South Bank but it was completely rammed with people coming out for an after-work drink and we couldn’t take the queues. So we crossed over the river and got a tram back to Docklands and returned to Tap 831, our new ‘local’ LOL.

We stayed there for dinner and then went back to the apartment to clean up and pack.

So that brings this part of our Australian adventure to a close. Come back soon for the next episode which takes us to Canberra.

Bye for now, Jan