After four days at sea our party of four have settled into a comfortable routine; sleep until we are ready to face the day, Zumba for the girls, cricket for the boys and long lazy afternoons by the pool thanks to the weather. Tomorrow we arrive in Jordan and will spend a full day traveling to and from The Lost City of Petra, a highly anticipated visit for many on board Arcadia. We have been warned to anticipate a significantly lower daily temperature than we ha...

To be honest I was not looking forward to another day in Dubai, but after our excursion today I leave with a positive impression of United Arab Emirates. There is more to Dubai and the Emirates than the milestones and memorials; 231 nationalities according to the last census, buildings designed to reflect the heat using glass, household water produced in the local desalination plant, and pride, respect and reverence for the Emiratie people and what has been ach...

With memories of Mumbai still fresh in my mind even after two days at sea, I have to admit I was not prepared for the stark contrast of landscape and lifestyle that is UAE. Absolutely staggering displays of wealth and success are everywhere. From the Worlds Largest Indoor Theme Park, Ferrari World, to the Worlds Largest Shopping Mall here in Dubai, luxurious cars sprinkled with sand speeding through the city streets, and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with 24-car...

Before embarking on this journey I was somewhat apprehensive about our stop in Mumbai, a city with a population equivalent to the whole of Australia. So many stories about the heat and traffic and beggars, dead bodies and cows ... Well my brief story is all about the positives I experienced. A tour guide full of passion and enthusiasm for his home, being politely greeted by the schoolchildren also visiting The Hanging Gardens when we were there, the respect for ...

We left our temporary home away from home, The Arcadia, just after 9.30 this morning to join the cruise tour 'A glimpse of Kuala Lumpar.' Our tour guide Caryn was full of enthusiasm, stories and facts throughout the one hour drive from Port Klang to KL, even helping us learn some key local phrases: Terima Kasih = Thankyou Sama Sama = You are welcome Tandas = Toilet Our stops included the kings palace and Twin towers where Caryn insisted on this picture of us...