We docked before breakfast this morning. I was woken during the night by a strong smell of smoke - apparently they like to burn their forests in Malaysia. The port area was covered in smoke and haze all day. We had a lovely brekkie down in the dining room on the buffet level, and continued on to trivia in the schooner bar. The trivia girl is 18 and from Newcastle. After trivia we decided to go ashore to check out the cruise centre (miles from nowhere). The free w...

Today was very uneventful, but that's good, right? Chari dropped us off at the station on her way to work and her journey was made much more interesting when some tailgating tool spun out behind her going down Mitchell's Pass in the rain. But I digress. We checked in the baggage, had lunch and then went through security and immigration and the GST refund office. Bought some Dior fragrances, always beautiful. While we were in the check-in line a man came along che...

Well, we arrived here last night in a land that is incredibly humid (and we both hate humidity). A local porter found us at the Sentral Station and took us through a maze or arcades and corridors to a direct entry into the Hilton. We must've looked like something the cat had dragged in by this time - covered in slimy sweat and feeling absolutely awful. The receptionist was incredibly welcoming, despite the vision before her eyes, and offered us fresh facecloths t...

Jessie drove us in to the airport with Sophie and Char - we were so early we were the first in line at check-in!!! Exciting purchases - the next Sookie Stackhouse to read on the plane, then a nice earrings & necklace set, and some Ralph Lauren "Romance" fragrance from the inflight duty-free. Unfortunately the flight steward wrecked the chip in my credit card - what a way to start the trip!! This was a short flight, staying overnight at the Pan Pacific a...