We have arrived at the island of Penang, described as 'The Pearl of the Orient', as it is steeped in history and tradition, with many churches, temples and mosques. We have berthed close to the old colonial town of Georgetown, the capital of Penang off the north west coast of Malaysia. No shuttle bus today, we were able to step straight off the ship into the heart of this World Heritage Site, passing magnificent buildings, full of colonial charm, and many clan...

We did a quick sightseeing trip to Kuala Lumpur. Our scenic drive took us first to the National Monument. This huge bronze monument was built to pay tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in the war against the communist insurgency in the 1950's. Then on to the National Mosque with its 240ft high minaret and multi-folded , umbrella like roof. Nearby was the Old Railway Station, inspired by Mughal architecture and features seven minarets.  Our next stop wa...

Kota Kinabalu is the capital of the East Malaysian state of Sabah in North Borneo. It used to be called Jesselton but was completely destroyed by American bombing toward the end of the second world war. It was named after the highest mountain in South East Asia in 1968. We arrived at 8.00am and tied up at the Port. Later we took a shuttle bus into town and walked along the seafront through the Central Market and Bazaar and onto the waterfront esplanade where man...

We left Port Douglas and continued our journey up through the Great Barrier Reef passing the Mouth of the Endeavour river, where James Cook beached his ship for repairs after hitting the reef. Then onto the northern tip of Australia, Cape York, and turning north west into the Torres Strait. Here our Great Barrier Reef pilot, who had given us very interesting information on the islands etc. of the reef, disembarked off Booby Island. The following day was spent sa...