Daintree Day 4

April 2009

While I loved our trip, this was the absolute highlight of our trip, and should be one of the things you do in your life time. I'm talking about a trip out to The Great Barrier Reef.

We left Cairns early in the morning on Reef Magic Cruises, and due to it being the end of the stinger season we decided to don the stunning (no pun intended) stinger suit. There are many optional extras you can choose, but we were quite happy to spend our day snorkeling and going in the underwater boat (where we got to see sea turtles).

So don't put it off any longer, book your trip to the Great Barrier Reef today, you won't regret it.

Daintree Day 3

April 2009

We jumped in the car and drove down to Cairns to spend time in Kuranda. Most people use the Skyrail or the Scenic Train, but we decided just to take the car. This allowed us to visit the Barron Falls, via the boardwalk.

We then visited the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary to see the gorgeous and vibrant Ulysses Butterfly.

Kuranda emptied out pretty quickly in the afternoon, so just be aware when planning your trip.

Daintree Day 2

April 2009

We spent the next morning in the Daintree Gorge, where it was great just to take some time out strolling through the streams and the valley.

We then spent the afternoon exploring the boutique stores and cafes at Port Douglas, driving up to take in the view across Four Mile Beach.

Daintree Day 1

April 2009

The Daintree and Great Barrier Reef had always been one of my "to do" trips, but you know how it is when somethings in your backyard, it seems like you have plenty of time to do it. Well, we decided with a four day long weekend to extend that time and finally get me to one of the most spectacular places in the world (DH had been previously, but didn't need much encouragement to go again!).

We hired a car, so that we had flexibility and we stayed at The Silky Oaks Lodge in one of their Treehouses, which were gorgeous and perfect for what we wanted/needed.

One our first day we took a cruise on the Daintree River, and got to see a bit of wildlife along the way.

From there we went across on the car ferry to see the Daintree Rainforest Discovery Centre. Where you got some stunning views from the suspended walkways. We continued in our car til we got to the Cape Tribulation tip, where you can take a short stroll to the lookout for views up and down the deserted beach (or it was at the time).



Hong Kong and Eastern Europe: The Good, the Bad and (thankfully) no Ugly!

I hope you've enjoyed following our 31 day trip through Hong Kong and parts of Eastern Europe as much as I have posting and reliving the moments. I wanted to post a summary page for those of you who may be interested in what we thought were the highlights of our trip and those which were just ok.

Rebecca
Favourite photo:

This one's a hard one and I know I'll change my mind once I post, but I'll have to go with us on the Danube River outside the Budapest Parliament, we didn't get one of us together so I did have to choose 2!

Highlights:

• Budapest rocked, I was so glad we went and spent some time there as it was the place where we got the most mixed reviews before hand, in particular the walking tour was a great way to see the city.
• Sarajevo, I had no idea what to expect from this beautiful city where east meets west, I hope it's wounds heal sooner rather than later.
• Plitvice Lakes, we were not disappointed by choosing the tour that had this location in their itinerary, just a gorgeous spot.

Would miss next time:

• Belgrade was just meh for me, it was a old, tired city and didn't really add much to the overall trip.
• Terror Museum Budapest, the museums and books based during or around that era of Hungary's past taught me more than the museum did.

Recommendation:

• Don't waste time sitting around the airport in between flights, if you can get out and about, you never know what you might see.
• If you're short on time join a tour, Intrepid Travel and GAP Adventures are great for small groups where you do not have to spend every waking minute with a group.

DH
Favourite photo:

Us at Mostar

Highlights:

• Dubrovnik, the old town with it's cobbled streets and the depth of the walls astounded me.
• Plitvice Lakes, the walk through the picture perfect scenery.

Would miss next time:

• Nothing, I loved everything!

Recommendation:

• Never travel without insurance, we haven't had to use it but I don't want to be without it if the time comes.

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 31

October 2009

Day 31

So while waiting from our flight from Hong Kong to home, we decided to take advantage of having no luggage (already checked through) and the MTR system that we had used so much on our trip over to go into Hong Kong Island for dinner and a quick look around. Tip here is that you can buy a return ticket (for return same day only) from the customer counter just outside the MTR station in the airport.

Once we arrived in Hong Kong Island we took the travellator walkway upwards and enjoyed the people watching and the intricate smells that are so Asia. We dropped by Wellington St where we had found our Yum Cha on the stop over and grabbed some awesome noodle soup from Tsim Chai Kee Noodle, not quite satisfied with just the noodles we dropped into the dumpling store to pick up a couple while we had the chance.

This was a pure quick stop to refuel and get out of the airport, so it wasn't long before we were back on the train and on our plane heading home.

What a trip, it enabled me to cross Croatia off my Top 10 travel destination list and added to my hunger and desire to travel, it's always the way and I wouldn't change it for the world.

As the quotes state:

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine


“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 30

October 2009

Day 30

Our third and final day in Zagreb. We sought out the Archaeological museum and spent the morning looking through the displays and the special exhibit on the Myan Ruins (like I needed another location to add to my "to see" list). We then went to see the Botanical Gardens that had been closed the previous day and spotted these cute owl statues on top of one of the surrounding building.

We enjoyed a lunch of hamburger for DH and Cevapcici for me, before grabbing our bags from the hotel and making our way back to the bus station to get the bus to the airport.

Who knew that 30 days and 5 countries could go by so quick? And still 1 stop to go!

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 29

October 2009

Day 29

After breakfast we headed off for "upper" Zagreb. We took in the action at the markets, visited the local Cathedral, visited the "bloody" bridge, saw St George statue, visited the stone gate with the Virgin Mary picture and Dora Krupic, saw the Fisherman's Statue (in which there is an exact copy of in Belgrade), visited but did not ride on the Funicular, spent some time on the Strossmayer promenade and visited the Lotrsak Tower, where the cannon goes off with a boom every day at noon.

We enjoyed a lunch in the square and took a walk along to the old stock market (now a bank), followed by a trip to Ilica Street to British Square where they have more fresh produce on sale. We tired our luck at the Botanical Gardens only to find they were closed, so stopped in Railway Square for a refreshing afternoon beverage.

That nigh we met up with a girl from our GAP tour for dinner at Nokturno, a local backpackers hangout, where I had the mushroom risotto and DH enjoyed chicken with a cheese and tomato sauce.




It was definitely a day where we walked and saw allot, I think we definitely earned our ice cream that night!

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 28

October 2009


Day 28

After a late breakfast we took the local bus to Zagreb, about a 3.5 hour trip. We walked from the bus station to the Best Western Astoria, before setting off for a self exploratory walk of "lower" Zagreb. We visited The well of life, Jelacica Square and Tomislavovi Square.

We finished the day with finner at Piccalo, which was ok, but a bit too touristy for us, before stopping at Millennium for ice cream on the way back to the hotel.

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 27

October 2009

Day 27

We enjoyed breakfast in the hotel, surrounded by chandeliers before walking into town to get our bus tickets for Zagreb, which we would need in a few days.

We then joined our group on the mini bus and drove into the tiny town of Hum. We then got back onto the bus and made our second stop at Motovun, which is Mario Andriette's hometown (at the time when her was born it was under Italian rule for those of you who are wondering). We got on the bus again and made our third and final stop at Rovinj. We had a Burek of cheese and meat in the park before grabbing an ice cream and walking along the promenade. We joined back up with our tour group and enjoyed a short walk through the old town.

We had our final group dinner that night back in Opijati at Roko, once again having my favourite of grilled squid, while DH had a Calzone.

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 26

October 2009

Day 26

We got on another mini bus and drove to Rijika. We stopped here for a guided walk, which included the markets, the concert halls, churches, roman arches and an old monastery. We broke from the group at the end of the tour for lunch and to find a restroom, it would have to be the hardest place ever to find a restroom, we spent around 30 minutes searching for one that was open or we were allowed access to.

We then met up with our group again to visit the upper part of the town, which included the Trasat Castle and yet another church with monastery (the church fatigue had definitely kicked in by this stage).

We drove to Opatija, and checked into the Hotel Bristol with it's gorgeous sea views. We took a walk around town and finished up having a delightful dinner of sausage minestrone and cheese ravioli at Gostiona Istranka.

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 25

October 2009


Day 25

Our group boarded the mini bus for our 4 hour trip to the Plitvice Lakes National Park, one of those locations that had always been on top of our list and the main attraction for this trip.

We caught the "train" (really a bus) to a walking point and then spent time winding our way down through the beauty to the boat point. We then spent 10 minutes on the boat before continuing our walk to our dinner point, 4 hours in total.

We had dinner at Lika Kuca, where we enjoyed the mixed platter of lamb from the spit and veal and potatoes cooked in "the bell".

Now I know I may have overdone the pictures in this post, but can you really blame me? Neither DH nor I are great photographers, but these pictures all give you a glimpse into the beauty of the area.

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 24

September 2009

Day 24

In the morning we caught a cab to the bus rank, with a driver who kept on playing a catching song over and over (I thought it was titled Moski Voui, but could not find it on itunes or online when I returned, if you know what I might be talking about I would love to know what it is and where I can download it).

We arrived in Trogir and spent some time walking through the old town, viewing the cathedral, the walks and the promenade. We had Cevapcici and hamburger for lunch ( it had been a while since I'd enjoyed Cevapcici), before catching the bus to Siberik.

In Siberik, we settled into our hotel on the harbour before going on a guided tour with our group, where we saw St Michael's Cathedral with it's beautiful stained glass, the old town and the cat & dog bowl built into the wall! DH and I decided to walk up to the fortress and enjoyed watching the sun set.

We had dinner of scampi in crepes and local mussels at Vijecnica in the old city hall, which while enjoyable was a bit over rated for the price, before enjoying ice cream for our walk back to the hotel.

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 23

September 2009

Day 23

Up early for a 4.5 hour bus ride to split. We dropped our things off at the Art Hotel, before grabbing lunch at a local bakery and walking through the markets.

We joined our tour group and were given a guided walking tour of the old town. We wondered into one section, to find four men singing and selling their CDs, it was a wonderful atmosphere.

We had dinner at U Fife, in which I tired the Black Risotto (way too salty for me) and the Veal in wine sauce.

While not as well known or visited as Dubrovnik I actually preferred Split and in the summer months it is a great spot to base yourself to explore the Islands of Hvar and Brac.

Hong Kong and Eastern Europe Day 22

September 2009

Day 22

We caught the local bus with our new tour group to the old town, to re-do the walking tour we did with our first group, it was great seeing it all again and there was a lot less people making it easier to stop and just look. Going through our pictures at home I can't believe how many we took from the city walls!

We grabbed a quick lunch of sandwiches from a local bakery and enjoyed lunch down by the harbour with all the cats! We enjoyed a nice drink at Pizzareia Dommanica, just enjoying the view and the wonderful weather, before heading back to the hotel.

We enjoyed our final dinner in Dubrovnik at Kampas, where I strayed from my usual of squid to enjoy the salmon pasta, while DH enjoyed the seafood pasta.







I have to say Dubrovnik definitely lived up to the hype and I was glad we got to enjoy some downtime here. But it is expensive, and we found this out more so as we headed up the coast of Croatia and the prices just seemed to drop, I guess the downside of being such a big tourist and cruise destination.