After Matt and Camilla left us for Bangkok we stayed on Koh Phi Phi for a couple more nights before moving on to our final Thai island; Koh Lanta. Koh Lanta served its purpose brilliantly as a quiet chilled island where we were able to relax and spend very little money! We stayed in a lovely guest house on the beach and the owner let us choose movies to watch every night. I actually managed to live on 5 quid a night (including food and accommodation).

When our Thai visas ran out for the 3rd time we decided to head to Palau Penang in Malaysia. Penang was an island but had more of a city feel to it. It was made up of sky rise buildings and shopping malls!!The population of Malaysia are descendants from several countries (India, China and Thailand) due to its disturbed political history. There are also several religions in Malaysia even though it is officially a Muslim country.

We stayed in a hostel in between china town and little India. It was a melting pot of different cultures, religions and traditions. There were very few sights to see in Penang but we did see an interesting brawl in a convenience store between about 15 middle aged Indian men. It was hard to work out why they were arguing but Steven thinks it was about who had the best moustache!!! We'll never know but it was funny to watch! Seeing as the fight between the old Indian men was the highlight of Penang we decided to make tracks and left for Palau Pengkor after 3 nights.

At this point Steven and I decided to take off for a week on our own for a mini holiday. Pengkor was such a stark contrast to the dirty crowded streets of Penang. We relaxed on a gorgeous deserted beach and went fishing during the days (well I was allowed to watch!) Steven caught seven fish (which we put back) and was feeling very proud of himself. The beach was called Emerald beach because the limestone turned the sea a beautiful green colour. It was my favourite place we have been to so far and perfect for a few days alone together. We were up early every morning because our guesthouse owner gave us free tea and banana fritters! Being up early meant we were able to see all ofthe wildlife that usually disappears as the village gets busier…like the monkeys raiding the bins or the HUGE komodo dragon that crossed the road about 2 ft in front of us. I thought it was a dinosaur. Unfortunately by this point I had broken my camera!! I was playing with it on the beach and left it out on my bag and it overheated. The next time I switched it on it was unable to focus and all the pictures were blurred! I was devastated but thankfully I have a wonderful family who donated money to me for my birthday and I was bale to buy a new one in Kuala Lumpur!

So we had to leave our gorgeous beach haven for Kuala Lumpur early in order to replace the camera. Kuala Lumpur was a frustratingly difficult to get around. It was like one giant bus station! One morning Steven and I packed a picnic and tried to get out of the city to some famous lake gardens just out of the city but it took us 2 hours just to find the bus stop to get there. Everyone told us different places and bus numbers so we ended up eating the picnic at a bus stop in the city centre and didn't bother going because we would have only been there an hour before having to come back!! We did, however manage to get up the KL tower which is the worlds 6th largest telecommunications tower in the world. It was a great view of KL from the top! We also spent an afternoon travelling to the Batu Caves, a sacred Hindu site comprised of 3 caves. It was a nice place to visit, even though some the statues were rather disturbing!!

We left KL for Singapore a day early because KL was so busy and dirty. We were pleased when we arrived at Singapore's main bus station to see clean streets and quiet roads! It took us a long time to find somewhere to sleep for the night because it was the night before Chinese New Year. After 2 and a half long hours of wandering the streets we finally found a random hotel in little India who would let us stay for 26 bloody quid a night! After the 3 quid a night steal in Malaysia we were not happy!!

On our last night before our flight to Australia the celebrations for Chinese New Year were in full swing by about 7 o'clock. The streets of little India were full of Indian men, not sure where all the women were? We took the underground to Chinatown to join in the countdown and watch the fire work display at midnight! It reminded me of the firework display we saw in Hong Kong on one of our first nights and I remember thinking it was a great way to 'book end' our time in Asia!

So after 122 days, 7 countries, 4 different time zones, approximately 40 different hostels/guesthouses and an infinite amount of memories we said goodbye to South East Asia….

…and hello to Australia! After less than 24 hours here we were in love. Its soooo clean and the roads are soooo quiet and the people are soooo nice!!! I am unsure if our judgement was biased because Asia was really rough at times and the culture was so different. But I am ready and wiling to find out.

We are staying in a fantastic hostel in dorm rooms (the cheapest option in Oz). It's like Biker Grove but hotter, and next to the sea and not full of Geordies!! We went on a catamaran to the Great Barrier Reef yesterday in a sailing and snorkelling trip! IT was amazing. We hired an underwater camera between the four of us and had the most fun we've ever had off 6 quid each!!

Our plans from here involve heading to the Whit Sunday Island for my Birthday on Tuesday, but the rain has grounded the bus services at the moment so we may have to suspend it till the following week. We also have a 4 wheel drive and camping trip on Fraser Island booked for a couple of weeks time!! Good times……………….

Beth and Steven x x