Working that beach body.

We gave ourself a lie in after the exertions of the previous day, walking round Sydney. We hadn't gone for the breakfast option in the Travellodge so went out to discover the brekkie delights of the local area.

Not having to walk far we came across a little cafe attached to another hotel. Caffe Molinari provided us with just what we needed, a light breakfast with orange juice and decent coffee. Fully sustained we walked the short distance to the mainline station.

The area around the station is full of backpacker hostels and small hotels, ideal if you are on an absolute tight budget. Our first mission was to buy and top up what nearly all the locals use, Opal Cards. Similar to London's Oyster Card it's all you need to use the great public transport system in this bustling city. We found our line and platform and were soon on our way to Bondi Junction and not a surf board between us.

To be honest I'd never given it a thought about this iconic location being so close to the city. We were alighting our train and hopping onto a waiting bus to the beach in no time at all, the sea came into view and all of a sudden I had an urge to go swimming.

Every thing you have seen on the TV about this place is true. Golden sands, tick. Rolling waves and blue sea, tick. Add to those must have's: hot weather, surfers, lifeguards and bikini clad blondes and you've got Bondi on a plate - now for a swim.

You see, I was the only one who was prepared. I had my trunks on under my shorts, what the hell, you don't get a chance to dive into the Pacific Ocean at Bondi Beach every day, the water was lovely and you know what? That sun would dry me off in no time. Now for a date with a pie shop!

Taking the bus and train back to Kings Cross, a slightly notorious part of town, we navigated via Jim's map app to the Woolomoloo area of town for lunch. Many TV chefs have travelled to Australia and many have filmed at Harry's Cafe De Wheels, a pie stall that has been in business since 1945, it just had to be done.

I ordered the Tiger; meat pie, mash, peas and gravy, that also had to be done and only cost me £4. Not bad but to be honest, I'd tasted better at Christie Park whilst watching Morecambe FC. I'm sure business is good however, seeing as the Naval Dockyard backs onto the jetty the cafe is located on.

Fully sustained (again) we made our way to the Woolomoloo Bay Hotel for a lunchtime swifty before walking up to the Botanical Gardens via the filthy rich waterside houses and boats of the elite citizens of Sydney. It's rumoured Russell Crowe has a place round this district.

All walked out we went back to the hotel to freshen up before getting back on the metro, destination Pier 3 at Circular Quay and the boat across the harbour to the seaside suburb of Manley. We took what is billed as the Famous Manley Ferry across the harbour just as the sun was setting behind the bridge, you couldn't have planned it better. In about half an hour we were docking at Manley where we strolled through the pier side eateries and onwards into town towards the beach. Jim and Clare were taking us to a place they have been to many times, a BBQ extravagansia called Rump and Ribs. Believe me, it served exactly what is says on the sign, plus, you get to wear a fetching bib! It's also a shrine to Rugby Union, many international signed shirts are on the wall, including that of England.

Fully stuffed, we paid as our treat, our group managed to get back to the boat for the return to Circular Quay. What another fantastic view we had as the boat turned into the sheltered harbour, the high rise forming a perfect backdrop to the bridge and opera house, illuminated against the inky blackness - cue camera going into overdrive again.

Another day in Sydney, another weary group of travellers. Still, Lynn and me had space enough for a goodnight tipple over the road from the hotel in a crazily named bar called Harpoon Harry's where most of the staff seemed to be English. Well, all the Aussies are over in London working in the bars of Earls Court.

Finally we dragged ourselves across the road and got our heads down, well, tomorrow they would be in the clouds.

Bondi Beack ticks all the boxes.

Harry's

Two happy customers

The Tiger

Another spectacular view - this time from the Botanical Gardens

Almost a full moon...

... definitely a stunning sunset.

Rump and Ribs...

...wear a bib!

Two great night views...

...and Harpoon Harry's

An underwater adventure and a trip to Sydney.

Monday 18th April

It was an early start for the four of us this morning as we were going for a drive south of Mandurah to a small seaside town called Bustleton. The reason for the early dart was the fact it would take us over 90 minutes to drive there. Remember, I mentioned in a previous post that Western Australia is a big place - we were going to find out.

Not too long into the journey we noticed many of the trees at the side of the road were blackened or completely destroyed. Our hosts explained the summers bush fires had closed off great swathes of the countryside as flora and fauna had suffered as a result. Not connected but the first bit of road kill we saw was a kangaroo!

Eventually we arrived at our destination, a tidy, practical looking town sitting on the edge of the Indian Ocean with one stand out feature - the longest wooden framed traditional pier in the Southern Hemisphere. Not an accolade the town takes lightly. A community led project resurrected the rotting structure a few years ago to give the town back not only a pier but an educational and scientific marvel.

You take the train and ride the kilometre and a half out to almost the end. A guide meets you and you're taken down a circular staircase to an observation gallery under the sea, the sight that greets you is quite surreal and spectacular.

The project has opened up a vast knowledge of information both for the casual visitor like us and schools, universities and marine biologists. Indeed, as we watched, a researcher was swimming around below us, we got a thumbs up from her. It had truly been worthwhile: the long drive to get there.

Later we visited a couple of wineries, now we're talking. The great thing about wineries in Oz is they give you a sample of their whole range, great for us but frustrating for our driver Jim. Most of them are truly wonderful places where you can not only sample the goods but can have a meal as well, so civilised.

On our return, and we cut our day short, we all got an early night, not until however we'd visited the local drive-through bottle shop. Now that is the future! The reason for the early light out was our impending early morning drive to Perth Airport, we'd booked ourselves on a three day break to Sydney, I know, a bit extravagant for backpacking on a pension, but what the hell! We'd never probably get the chance to be this near to Sydney again without chronic jet lag so when Jim put the seed of an idea into our heads we let it grow into reality.

Arriving at Perth at four in the morning, in the rain suddenly didn't seem such a good idea. Once in the terminal though and with a very smooth self booking on system via our carrier Virgin Australia we were soon in departures getting that first caffeine fix.

Our flight was just over four hours long, made quicker by the inflight entertainment and even though there were clouds over Sydney the heart jumped as the bridge and the opera house, in fact the whole harbour came into view, and what a view it was. A short taxi ride into town took us to the Travel Lodge just a stone throw away from the main station, we could have taken the metro if we'd known. Bags were quickly dropped and after a navigation malfunction we were heading into the tourist areas.

Sydney is in fact quite an easy city to navigate, it's also not as densely populated as let's say London - you can get around fairly easy. It did help that our hosts had been here before, soon we were turning the corner into Circular Quay and that view we all remember from the 2004 Olympic Games opening ceremony and every New Years Eve. Ok, there weren't any fireworks, or cheering revellers but the impact was just as impressive - my camera went into overdrive.

That view alone had made the journey worthwhile and there was still more to come. In the meantime we ended up walking back to the hotel for a quick freshen up before Jim booked us a taxi to Darling Harbour (the other one) and we made happy hour in one of the many eateries that flank the waterside. The place positively shimmered with light, the illuminated high rise of the business sector making a great backdrop as we walked round, with ease I might add, once again a relaxing time.

Bed was now calling all four of us, stuff walking anymore, we'd already covered over 10 miles on foot that day and Jim used his new Uber app to hail us a taxi. It had been a long day, tiring just with the flight, never mind the adrenalin rush of being in Sydney - what wonders would tomorrow bring? What indeed!

Bustleton Pier - just the start of it!

1.8km out sea, so isolated from the rest of the world.

"Who are you looking at?"

Close up to the coral

I've seen the future - drive - in off licences!

Guess where we're going?

This is what we came for...

...and this!

One of the locals enjoying the sunshine on Circular Quay

Locked up in Freemantle

Sunday 17th April

Some were more delicate than others after our night out down the pub but undeterred we all had a bit of brekkie and James drove us to Mandurah station - exploring was the name of the game today.

We were in good hands as James is a train driver on the very line we were travelling on towards a station in suburbs of Freemantle. It only cost Lynn and me £6 for a day rider ticket that would give us access to the train, bus and ferry if required, that's for both of us. Public transport is very cheap here.

We alighted at Murdoch and a circular service bus was waiting to pick up passengers. It gave us a chance to nosey into people's houses and businesses on the way into town. Our destination Freemantle Convict Prison.

The prison complex is part of the original convict infrastructure that was introduced into Western Australia in 1850 and is a monument to the engineers that built them and their workforce - the convicts! Yes, you were forced to sail to a far off foreign land for committing a crime in Britan, hauled up a jetty in chains through the local population, told you are going to serve your sentence in a jail then forced to build it. It was a facinating tour round an establishment that had changed little in all those years. The guides are knowledgeable, candid and humerous - that made the tour for us.

After the tour the ladies needed some retail therapy, Freemantle Market was just a stones throw away from the prison. Built in 1897 this is one of those places you could get immersed in for hours either buying things or eating. It was packed with shoppers but we managed to purchase some gifts and sample some of the food, it would have been rude not to.

Freemantle is a great place to walk around as you stroll through the covered walkways that give a colonial feel to the place. We were heading for the harbour and a trip down the Swan River and despite the rain (yes, it does rain in Oz) we were in good spirits as we walked down the gangplank, well, there was a free wine tasting on board to attend to!

We slowly made our way towards Perth, Lynn and me marvelling at the properties and boats and obviously the free wine. In a booth behind us a young lady got into conversation with us and she asked where we were from. I answered Lancashire. She wanted more info than that and I answered Morecambe, thinking she wouldn't know where that was. The gentleman that I had down for her dad (he was), looked up as she said - "my dad's from Morecambe", what a coincidence. 

Leonard Wild left Morecambe 48 years ago to set up home in Adelaide in S Australia, he lived in Higher Heysham where I did as a young boy and even more spookily, his wedding reception had been in the York Hotel - you couldn't make this sort of a chance meeting up.

Needless to say the rest of the journey into Elizabeth Quay in Perth was one of catch up and reminiscing. I made Facebook contact with his daughter, Tracey so he would be able to be informed of this blog entry then we departed, new friends, and you never know, destined to meet again in the future.

Our first port of call for a beer and a bite to eat was the innuendo riddled riverside pub The Lucky Shag. (Don't get all hot and bothered under the collar folks, a Shag is a bird out here). What a great place to spend a dull Sunday teatime it turned out to be. Great beer, good food, excellent company. What more would you want?

Elizabeth Quay was all lit up when we ventured out towards the train station, a project that had been finished this January. The skyscrapers that were its backdrop are a testemant to the success of the mining industry, gold and iron ore, not coal.

We got back to Mandurah in time to watch the Leicester v West Ham game on the Aussie satellite network - half eight kick off - in the evening. Perfect end to the day in my book!

A modern, clean train service

The walk up to the prison

One prison, hand built by convicts

Freemantle market

Colonial architecture 

Two Sandgrown Uns together

Backpacking to another continent - Oz here we come!

Friday 15th April

The pilot of Air Asia flight D7263 announced we were approaching Perth International and flying over Freemantle. The temperature was 17 degrees and it should be a sunny day ahead, it was 5.30 in the morning. We landed faultlessly - good morning Perth - good morning Australia!

Flight time from Kuala Lumpur had been roughly five and a half hours, we were met by our genial host and ex-work colleague of mine, Jim Webb, Cockney Millwall fan. He remarked we weren't bedraggled and jet lagged as many he meets here, that short hop from Asia with no time difference makes all the difference.

The first thing to hit Lynn and me was the temperature, our should I say, lack of. In mainland SE Asia the night time temperatures hardly ever waivered from the day but here we were at the start of the Aussie Autumn positively cold. Don't think I packed the thermals.

We spent an hour on the freeway south from the airport to Jim's home in Mandurah (pop 81,000) where he basically gave us a historical and geographical commentary on Western Australia.

The first thing we needed to know was Perth and its surrounding districts are in the bottom left corner of the country the most remote capital city in the world. The next thing to realise is Adelaide, Perth's nearest city is over three hours away - by plane! It appeared nowhere is really near to anywhere in Australia. Another superlative he gave us was a cruise to explore just the north of Western Australia would be a nine day round trip, this was one big state, one massive country.

His house just outside the town is a sprawling five bedroomed bungalow with five acres of land, a swimming pool and a barbie! As we weren't jet lagged we dropped off the bags and were on our way into town for a spot of breakfast. Little did we realise we would be discovering more wildlife as well as the kangaroos we'd just spotted on the way in.

Think Home and Away, think Summer Bay. Okay, you've got that in your head now imagine it being even better - you've got Mandurah. We had a pleasant walk round the foreshore and amazingly spotted dolphins out in the estuary. You don't see too many of those out in Morecambe Bay. The sands along the sea front were golden and clean and we worked it out that the next land due west across the Indian Ocean would be Port Elizabeth - South Africa, very remote indeed.

After breakfast, eaten outside we took a leisurely drive to the small town of Peel where we visited a small zoo to get to know even more of the wildlife. Emu, kangaroo, koala bears, possums, you name it they had it as well as a whole range of parrots; these being tame, many others could be seen flying all over the countryside.

On our way back we took a detour through "the bush" and came across an unwanted guest in the middle of the road. The Dugite is a poisonous, deadly gray or brown coloured snake, native to Western Australia and one slithered out of the bushes at the side of the road to warm up on the Tarmac. I naively asked if I could photograph it but was told under no circumstances - get out! I snapped it through the windscreen then we were off on our way. I was told they are quite a rare sight, we were lucky to have seen one on our first day.

The remainder of the day was spent round the pool although we didn't go in. To ease the load on our hostess Clare, James's wife, we plumped for fish and chips from the aptly named Flip Flops in town. Very nice they were too.

The next day was to be a lazy one as we geared up for a night out to watch a live band. Lynn and Clare went shopping in nearby Rockingham and I tagged along with James to watch the local football team Mandurah City (West Lancs League standard) play the Western Knights. I don't think I heard an Aussie accent all afternoon as the predominant Scouse brogue was in evidence, not only from the bar staff but also the mix of Liverpool and Everton supporters in the crowd. (All getting their Saturday afternoon football fix) 2-0 to Mandurah, by the way.

That evening we met up with Jim and Clare's ex-pat mates in the Peel Ale House, had a great meal and watched a cracking band called Mod Squad. They played what it said on the tin and once again it was Brit heavy on the accents - it was like home from home.

So, after two days in Oz I reckon we were now well acclimatised. The weather so far had been kind to us, I'd come across some great Aussie beers and Lynn was finally sampling good wine. We'd seen plenty of wildlife not only in the bush but in the bars as well!

Next day we were going to sample the delights of Perth and Freemantle plus, a chance meeting with a difference.

"G'day Cobber". "Leave it out geezer".

Better than Summer Bay

Next stop west - South Africa

Getting to meet the natives

Safest place to photograph this feller - behind the windscreen

All aboard - back on the railway again!

There was an unreal silence as we walked up the foot passenger ramp to await the arrival of the 7am ferry from Georgetown to Butterworth, we were the first to the gate.

Dawn was just breaking and the huge freight cranes were silhouetted against a rising sun, the sea calm, Georgetown waking up silently, it's white buildings appearing from the gloom - more people arriving.

School girls taking the ubiquitous selfies, elderly folk (they had their own area to sit and wait), workers, other travellers & backpackers - monks; all waiting patiently to cross that small stretch of water.

It was only a ten minute sail across the straits, the Komtar tower clashing culturally with the colonial waterfront buildings - travellers like me photographing the disappearing frontage whilst the ugly industrial vista of Butterworth got closer.

The railway station is conjoined to the ferry terminal, a new state of the art one in the process of being built, soon there will be a seamless travel system, so says the advertising blurb. Finally we were in the station concourse and waiting to be called forward by the white jacketed ticket inspector. He would also be on the train, no fare dodging with him around?

We set off on time, got to the first station and stopped. There was no explanation why we had been at a standstill for 45 minutes, then we were off. This was the 0800 from Butterworth to Johore Baru, the last stop in Malaysia before Singapore, we would be getting off at Kuala Lumpur Sentral, journey time five hours ten minutes.

The inside of the carriages were immaculate. Clean, air conditioned and with reclining seats it was a bargain price at £6 per person. There was a buffet car that most locals seemed to be visiting - every five minutes and there were two types of toilet - sitting or squatting!

Our Subway rolls and bag of crisps did not last until eleven o clock, as planned but we resisted the noodles from the buffet.I tried to sleep but failed and spent most of the journey staring at Malaysia out of the window.

Most of the rail side was covered in palm plantations, growing what, I didn't know but there were acres and acres of it along with lots of other produce growing in the perfect conditions. I have to hand one thing to them. They have plenty of pedestrian walkways across the line and also a ramp to allow motorcycles to cross safely. The track itself was well maintained as we saw many gangs of workers busily tending to the track and ballast, this is no third world railway.

We stopped and passed through well kept stations, so modern, white and clean looking, a clash against the the beautiful green agricultural and natural vista. This pattern of moderninity was halted at Ipoh, nevertheless its old colonial station building was immaculately clean and white, befitting the tittle the town has - gateway to the Cameron Highlands. 

After here we began to see more livestock in the fields. Cattle, water buffalo and ducks, well, those little fellows are on the menu everywhere! 

Gathering momentum we started to hit commuter belt as station after station was jammed with cars of those working in KL, we began to gather our things and prepare to get off.

Travelling slowly into the station I spotted two things. The hotel I'd booked and the massive Petronas Towers building, it seemed a taxi would be in order to the lodgings.

We got the taxi from the pre-booking kiosk and were soon on our way through the very modern and clean inner city roads to the Seri Pacific Hotel adjacent to the Putra World Trade Centre. It was one of those moments again when on arriving and being shown into the elegant reception hall we both thought we were in the wrong place. Plush is not the word to use and yet it probably wasn't one of the plushest in town, to us though, it was.

There was no trouble at reception, they were expecting us and we didn't get thrown out onto the streets. The room was immaculately laid out with a view of the pool, eleven floors below. A quick change then it was downstairs to the shopping centre across the footbridge, a swift look around and then back to the hotel for a light snack. The prices, believe it or not, very reasonable for such an opulent place.

It was now time to hit the town as we attempted to buy a ticket for the subway transport railway.(immediately adjacent to the hotel) We must have looked right Charlie's as we faffed around in the ticket hall. Eventually, thanks to a kind local and a surly official we had a token (50p each) in our possession - destination: those two towers we'd seen on the way in.

Although the rail system was packed, possibly because of rush hour, and we had to make a change, we actually made it in one piece and to the correct station. What took our breath away outside was amazing. The Petronas Towers are over 84 floors tall, you can't even get yourself in the photo from the ground and, well, we weren't going to get Lynn up there either.

At ground level and added to the towers is the Suria KLCC shopping centre. Not a Home Bargains or Poundland in sight. I informed Lynn there was nothing in there she wanted, or I could afford. Although, I did part with RM2 - about 36p, so she could use the premier loos.

We did have a drink in Mamasans. It's in the park and lake area, accessible from the centre. It was a nice way to start the evening as people drifted into the park to see the water ballet performed by hundreds of multi coloured fountains expertly moving to a computer program with music blaring in the background. What was even more spectacular was the sight of the towers, lit up at night and a quarter moon nestling between them. We didn't want to leave.

We caved in and got a taxi back to the hotel, £3, the towers were omnipresent, you couldn't turn a corner without seeing them. Even from the elevator going back to the room they were there in the distance but never far away - they are the city, the city is them.

Dawn breaks at the jetty

Selfie Queens

Immaculate carriages

Two types of toilet!

Spectacular by day

Stunning by night 

A water ballet

"Honey, I turned the house upside down!"

Tuesday 12th April

No, I haven't flipped, keep reading.

After a manic Monday night in Naughty Nuri's after our last visit to Red Garden to eat we looked forward to our last day in Georgetown. We had secured another night at the discount rate from Booking.com and after another great brunch in our newly found, best ever coffee house (siTigun), we took a walk into town.

It was another hot and sultry day but we were getting used to it now and picked out all the shady spots to stroll; coming across new places and things to see along the way. Eventually we came across a quirky little attraction on Kimberly Street - The Upside Down House.

If you were on the other side of the street you wouldn't even know it was there, like quite a few of Georgetown's attractions. However, once inside (£4.80 each) you walk round a series of galleries where one of the staff takes your camera off you and positions you in various poses. No madam, it's not one of those places!

What you get for your money are some great and unusual pictures of you and whoever, looking like you've walked into a crazy upside down world - it is actually great fun. It's a fabulous concept, now, if only there was stuff to do similar to that where I come from!

After chilling down in one of the shopping centres around Komtar we got some Subway rolls made up for our train journey the following day, got back to the hotel and hit the pool for the rest of the afternoon.

That evening we decided to stick around the Nagore Square area, a couple of minutes stroll from our hotel. Remember our first night here when we couldn't tell if places were open or not. Well, we wanted to dispel that myth and try places out, Amy's Bistro and Pub was our first port of call. 

We walked into an empty, dark , long room. Three people sat at the bar, two of them staff, only one understood me. I ordered a Tiger beer, Lynn declined, they didn't do white wine! She wandered out to look for somewhere to eat, I remained, sat on my own watching Malaysian TV - riveting!

After the quickest slug of beer for a long time (army days), I joined Lynn outside. She had come across the place next door that showed promise. A quirkily named eatery called What the Duck. We checked out the menu, looked at each other and said. What the ... let's go in.

We were greeted by a long table full of women, all on a works night out, unlike in Britain though, they were well behaved. I'd eaten duck the night before so just to show willing I went for the Quack Chowder and the Lamb Shank. Lynn chose the Tomato & Basil soup and Plum Stew Duck. Without a doubt these were probably the best two meals we had eaten for a long while. Full of taste and beautifully presented. We forced ourselves to share a pudding and for sheer theatre we chose the perfect dish. Our chocolate and walnut brownie came with duck egg ice cream. It arrived at the table on a wooden block, the waiter then poured over some salted caramel cream and it sizzled in the hot metal dish that held the brownie: everyone in the place gasped - it came right out of the blue.

I congratulated Lynn on finding this place, it had helped to make our last night in town really memorable, all that remained was a quick stroll round the corner to Nuri's then back for an earlyish night in preparation for the ferry to the train in the morning.

The upside down house

What the Duck 

Stew Plum Duck

Our sizzling pudding

Excellent staff

Goodbye to the crazy guys in Naughty Nuri's

Lazing on a Sunday afternoon

Sunday 10th April

The thing about Sunday's in Britain is that you can usually spend the day doing almost absolutely nothing. On holiday, okay, this is now not officially a holiday as we approach our sixth week away; you expect to do the same frenzied tourist activities as any other day. Not so the Dennisons. We adopt a more holistic approach to our Sunday's, well we did to this particular one, we were going to do bugger all.

After a leisurely lie in after a slightly later night than usual... ahh, you're all getting it now, we stocked up with a few vital supplies from a shopping mall that was almost umbilically attached to our hotel. It was then just a short stroll round to a smaller Herritage site, the one we'd been to on our first night here, in search of brunch.

The Nagore Square area of town is probably one that is missed by the masses who hover round the central and pier areas of Georgetown but nonetheless one with an interesting selection of boutique shops, restaurants and bars. We stumbled across a little coffee house called siTigun. It is situated on a street corner on Jalan Nagore, across from a bakery and we were soon kicking ourselves for not discovering it earlier.

It calls itself a micro coffee roastery that is so evident from the aroma when you walk in. It also has a fine selection of cakes, pies and pastries. The apple pie (served with ice cream) caught Lynn's eye whilst the bread pudding interested me. None of those were sampled as we both had eyes for the smoked salmon, cream cheese, rocket and scrambled egg toasted sandwich, now, that would get the day off to a fine start. The coffee was strong and tasteful. Well it should be as they roast it themselves and the orange juice was freshly squeezed - a perfect Sunday Brunch (£6 a head with an extra cup of coffee). 

We investigated the bakery just to see if there would be anything we could buy in advance for our early start for the ferry when we were due to leave. The sights and smells from in there were sublime as a steady stream of customers kept their tills rattling.

At that point we decided to ditch any thoughts of melting as we walked round town in the oven like heat and made our way the short distance back to the hotel - time to hit the pool.

Situated on the 4th floor the pool was an adequate size and for most of the day was in the sun, thus it was like stepping into a bath. We bagsied the two loungers in the area of complete sunshine and settled in for the afternoon, fully expecting to be sharing the pool with other sun seekers. Amazingly that wasn't the case as this particular hotel is patronised in the main by Malaysians, or so it seems. They don't have a culture of sunbathing or lounging round the pool and only come out for a dip around five in the evening - we had our own private pool for nearly all afternoon - bliss.

What a great way to spend a Sunday, a delicious brunch followed by a session round the pool and a read of the online version of the Sunday Times, who said travelling had to be all about sightseeing?

It was during our lazy afternoon we decide to stay in Georgetown another day. I logged onto Booking.com and got the room at the same discounted rate as the past six, easy. Now we would only require one night in Kualar Lumpur before our flight to Perth.

That evening we ventured back to Naughty Nuri's (stopping off to photograph the lit up streets and artwork) for a bite to eat. The place was full so we were asked to sit at the bar. It gave us a chance to talk to the staff, most of them young Philipino's. We didn't want to ask if they were employed because they were cheaper labour but I think I worked it out. Perhaps they were employed because they could handle a lot of the pork and ham products on the menu, it's a theory! They were a very professional crew and we hung around until 10pm to watch the floor show as the waitresses performed their dance routine for us again.

The following morning (11th) we woke up to discover it had rained during the night; a great opportunity to walk into town then. Our first mission of the day was to head off to the Jetty. From there, I read on the web, we could book our train for KL on the Wednesday morning. I'd actually woke up filled with the idea of catching the ferry across to Butterworth to complete this task but we were saved that unessesary journey. It also gave us a chance to recce the jetty area and discover where foot passengers got on the ferry.

Remember that rain? It didn't make it any cooler and we were starting to flag after purchasing our tickets (£6 for a four and a half hour journey). Time to find a place for brunch.

We eventually found ourselves on the popular Lebuh Chulia which has the famous Love Lane as one of its side streets. The whole area is geared up for backpackers but we managed to stumble into a bohemian looking eatery called The Tavern (Where East meets West). It's part of a group of hotels and eateries owned by the YKH group one of which is a revolving restaurant on top of the Bayview Hotel. 

It was chilled, laid back and was playing a great soundtrack of smooth samba sounds over the PA system. There is a central round, wood panelled bar with two side rooms, one of which you can lounge around in on sofas. We chose the light and the hearty breakfast with chilled fresh orange. The coffee, like siTigun, was perfect as was the food when it arrived - another great find.

The weather was still hot but hazy as we ventured down Love Lane and further into town. It would have been a waste to get a taxi to the hotel so we walked it, hot as it was I'm sure we burned off the calories of our meal. As for the busses. We attempted to get on one earlier in the day to take us to the Jetty. As we didn't have the exact change the driver wouldn't let us on - what a cheek. Oh well, it proves now that Georgetown is definitely a walking town.

Our private pool.

siTigun - best coffee in town?

"What's a piece of art doing in a place like this."

You know you're a local when the staff carve you a strawberry.

The Tavern