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Hong Kong and hub cities

Written by James Clark on September 29, 2009 · Leave a Comment

The Kangaroo Route from Australia to the UK is a tedious 24 hour trip if you can’t sleep on planes (which would be me). One benefit of such a long flight is that the ticket will usually permit a stop-over for no extra cost. It is with this option that I find myself in Hong Kong for two days.

Nathan Rd, Kowloon - Hong Kong

I’ve been to Hong Kong a few times now using this option. it’s a great place to stretch your legs between flights. I have now got a few favourite restaurants and cafes, and can – for the most part – get around without a map.

My flight to London is with Qantas, which use Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok as the stop-over city. Singapore is good for a one day stop because it is so easy to get in and around. Bangkok is my favourite city for longer stops as this gives me the chance to explore some more of Thailand.

I have previously been able to do a stop-over in Tokyo and Shanghai, but fares to those cities are always more than the traditional hubs of Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

Airlines from the Middle East are now prominent on the Kangaroo Route, so Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are now viable stop-over cities as well. I got a great deal one year with Emirates which took me to Dubai, a city I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to visit, but a worthy city for a stop-over. If Etihad and Qatar offer a good deal in the future I’m sure I’ll one day find myself in Abu Dhabi and Doha as well.

India is the missing link on the Kangaroo Route. Qantas has a flight from Sydney to Mumbai and that’s it. There are no airlines from India that fly to Australia (though there is talk of Air India returning, and Kingfisher Airlines are looking into starting flights).

For me Mumbai or Delhi would make a great stop-over city. There are so many places I want to see in India that having a few weeks there on the way back from Europe would be a good way to do it. Visas, terrible airports and extreme culture shock would discourage any Australian airline from using an Indian city as a stop-over hub, so I don’t think that will happen any time soon.

What is your favourite stop-over city on the Kangaroo Route?

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: airlines, airport, hong kong, kangaroo route

Airport Guide: Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT)

Written by James Clark on September 23, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) is the budget airline terminal for Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

LCCT is on the other side of the runway of KLIA, so you can’t walk between the two terminals. There is a shuttle bus that connects KLIA and LCCT if you intend to transfer to a low cost airline.

[LCCT to KLIA shuttle]

LCCT Airlines
The biggest airline at the LCCT is the AirAsia group, with AirAsia, AirAsia X, Indonesia AirAsia and Thai AirAsia operating flights from here. Cebu Pacific and Tiger Airways also fly here.

[AirAsiaX on display]

Internet
The LCC Terminal has free wifi.

[Free wifi]

Eating
The terminal might be basic but there is plenty of eating options. There are restaurants, cafes and a basic supermarket inside the terminal, and another food court outside the terminal near the bus stop.

[Food Garden food court]

[LCCT Supermarket]

Getting There
The cheapest and easiest way to and from Kuala Lumpur is with the Skybus or Aerobus, which departs from the bus stop outside the terminal.

Categories: Travel Tips - Tags: airport, kuala lumpur, malaysia

Public Art: China Express Mural

Written by James Clark on September 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment

China Express Mural by drewfunk.com, corner Little Lonsdale and Swanston St Melbourne.

China Express Mural

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: australia, melbourne, public art

Where I Stayed: Tune Hotels – Kuala Lumpur (the low-cost airline of budget hotels)

Written by James Clark on September 17, 2009 · 3 Comments

Tune Hotels.com is a budget hotel chain from Malaysia. This hotel group is connected to AirAsia, so it has a similar pay for what you use pricing system like a low cost airline. It is similar to easyHotel, which is related to easyJet.

[Tune Hotel - Kuala Lumpur]

Just like a low cost airline, the price you pay depends on when you book the room. The earlier you book the cheaper the room will be. There are also the occasional crazy special offers such as rooms for 1 MYR. The best chance to get such a deal is by registering for the email newsletter.

I stayed at the Downtown KL. It’s close to the Tuanku Monorail station, which terminates at KL Sentral LRT station for airport connections.

The rooms are clean and modern, and I was surprised at how much space was in the room. I had imagined it might have been a small box, like some kind of luxury flop house.

The beds are quality as well. The beds are advertised as:

High quality King Coil spring matress beds with pillows, pillowcases, bed sheets and 250-thread count duvets.

After sleeping on some soggy guesthouse matresses I really noticed the difference here.

[Tune Hotel Bed]

When booking your room you can select optional extras such as:

Air Conditioning
Towel Rental + Free Essentials toiletries kit
Wireless Internet Access
Breakfast
Hairdryers

and that old favourite of the low cost airlines: Travel insurance.

Each room has a ceiling fan, which I prefer over air conditioning anyway. I didn’t buy any extras when I booked, but I did end up buying internet credit when I was there.

[Tune Hotel Bathroom]

Categories: Where I Stayed - Tags: accommodation, hotels, kuala lumpur, malaysia

How to get from Johor Bahru airport to Singapore

Written by James Clark on September 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Johor Bahru is the Malaysian city on the other side of the causeway from Singapore. It may look close on the map but getting from Johor Bahru Senai Airport to Singapore is time consuming.

Singapore does not allow a direct bus service as the government view Senai Airport as competition to their own airport.

Air Asia have a hub at Johor Bahru so if you want to go to Singapore it may work out considerably cheaper to fly to JB. A saving of a couple of hundred dollars on a flight makes it worthwhile for the time it takes to transfer from JB to Singapore.

[Air Asia at Johor Bahru Airport]

How to get from Johor Bahru airport to Singapore
At Johor Bahru airport take the bus to Larkin Bus Station, which is the bus terminal in Johor Bahru. You can buy tickets for the bus in the arrivals hall. Tickets cost RM8 one-way and journey time is approximately 45 minutes.

At Larkin Bus Station get the Causeway Link Express Bus (look for the yellow bus). There are two services that run to Singapore:

1. CW1 Larkin Bus Terminal <--> Kranji MRT Station
2. CW2 Larkin Bus Terminal <--> Queen Street

[Causeway Link Bus]

The Queen Street service is the most useful bus for visitors but you can get on either service to start with.

The bus then takes you to Johor Bahru Customs where you will alight to clear Malaysia customs.

Once you have cleared customs return to the bus park and get the next Causeway Link bus using the same ticket. This will take you across the causeway to the Woodlands Custom terminal in Singapore.

Once you have cleared customs in Singapore exit to the bus stop and get on the Causeway Link bus. This time you will need to get on the correct bus number (CW1 for Kranji MRT Station or CW2 for Queen Street).

By now you have two more stamps in your passport and the bus will take you straight to Queen St bus terminal.

All up you will need to allow for around three hours from arriving at Johor Bahru Airport to arriving at Queen Street Terminal in Singapore.

[Causeway Link Express Bus]

Categories: Travel Tips - Tags: airport, bus, johor bahru, malaysia, singapore

More Australian birdlife

Written by James Clark on September 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment

It’s not just in the bush that you can see Australian birdlife. I see the occasional exotic parrot species in the inner city, such as these corella’s in Albert Park, Melbourne.

Corella's in Melbourne

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: animals, australia, birdlife, melbourne

Ubud Monkey Forest – Bali

Written by James Clark on September 6, 2009 · 1 Comment

The Sacred Monkey Forest Ubud Sanctuary is a great place to see monkeys in a natural environment. The sanctuary is south of the town at the end of the Monkey Forest Rd (Jl Wanara Wana).

[Monkeys At Steps]

The sanctuary is set in a lush forest with temples, stone statues and hundreds of monkeys (Long-tailed Macaque, or Crab-eating Macaque as they are properly known).

[Sitting Monkey]

The monkeys are so accustomed to humans thats they generally ignore you when you walk by. The best way to get up close to the monkeys is with bananas, which are sold at the entry gate.

[Monkey Huddle]

The monkeys are not shy in accepting bananas and they will go for your bag if they think you are hiding bananas from them. Make sure you are holding onto anything loose as they may take off with that as well.

[Monkey Forest Rules]