Matty Somewhere

Review: Air Asia X – Adelaide to Kuala Lumpur – Economy Class

The Frugal Flyer – How little can I spend to get from Australia to Asia without going hungry? To celebrate low cost carrier Air Asia X announcing new services between Adelaide and Kuala Lumpur, they released a limited number of introductory fares between the two cities from AUD$99. I managed to purchase one of these…

Introducing Australia’s First Dreamliner – Jetstar’s Boeing 787-8

I was excited when I saw the first 787 Dreamliner on the ground at the Boeing factory in 2009 and equally delighted when I saw an Air India Dreamliner take off as the first commercial 787 in Australia, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to get up close, really close, and tour Australia’s newest aircraft before it…

Review: Jetstar Asia Singapore to Bangkok

There are many choices to fly direct between Singapore and Bangkok – low cost carriers such as Air Asia, Jetstar Asia and Tiger Air, full service airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Silk Air and Thai Airways, then theres airlines with one stop such as Malaysia Airlines, via Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok Airways via Koh Samui. While planning my recent…

Air India returns to Sydney with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

After years of speculation, the return of Air India after a 16 year hiatus AND the first scheduled, commercial service of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner happened recently. I’d only ever seen the Boeing 787 Dreamliner once, that was in 2009 at the Boeing factory near Seattle when the first few had just rolled off the…

Review: Air Asia – Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

Having never flown Air Asia before and the fares being so ridiculously cheap – I paid a total AUD$41.37 including 20kgs of baggage, seat selection and a meal – I was slightly suspicious of what I was in for – was there going to be more to pay for along the way? So I made…

Review: Swissôtel The Stamford, Singapore – King Grand Room

I wouldn’t normally review a hotel, to be honest I rarely stay in top notch, five star properties, but my stop at the Swissotel The Stamford was such a memorable one I had to tell you about my visit. Singapore hotels can be extremely pricey, however for a five star high rise property in one…

Review: Lufthansa German Airlines – Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur Business Class

Fifth Freedom rights – where an airline travels from its own country to another and onto a third having the right to sell tickets and transport passengers between the latter two ports. In this case Lufthansa flew from Frankfurt, Germany to Bangkok, Thailand, where I boarded, and onto Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – two countries completely…

Review: KLIA LCCT – Kuala Lumpur International Airport Low Cost Carrier Terminal & Plaza Premium Lounge

I’d planned to catch the KLIA Ekpres fast train (taking 28 minutes) to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and make my way over to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal – KLIA LCCT. However, KLIA LCCT is located around 20kms from the main airport terminal and my taxi driver, taking me to Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station,…

Review: Scoot Airlines Sydney to Singapore, ScootBiz

Fees. It can sometimes be all about fees and ancillary charges with low cost carriers, but only if you decide to pay them or if you’ve done something wrong, wrong as in not followed the conditions of the ticket you have purchased. I’ve flown low cost carriers and budget airlines, with their ‘user pays’ systems…

Monorail! Monorail! Monorail! – Farewell Sydney Monorail

“There’s nothing on this earth like a genuine, bona-fide, electrified, six car monorail!” “What’d I say?” “Monorail” “What’s it called?” “Monorail” “That’s right, monorail!” “Monorail! Monorail! Monorail!” Marge vs The Monorail. Episode 71 of The Simpsons, 1993 It would have to be my favourite Simpsons episode, Marge Vs The Monorail, it centres around a crook…

A Day Trip From Beijing – The Great Wall Of China – Juyongguan Pass

A few days prior to my departure for Beijing, I was on my way to work and I tripped on an uneven footpath. I was fine, no injuries – except my pride from the school kids behind me laughing – but upon picking myself up I suddenly had this huge grin on my face and…

Sydney to Wollongong via The Royal National Park and Sea Cliff Bridge

From central Sydney to the south coast city of Wollongong, approximately 85 kilometres south of the CBD, there are two main routes you could drive. The most direct being the F6 freeway taking around an hour and a half or there is the picturesque slower route via The Royal National Park (the second oldest in…

McDonald’s DC-3, Lake Taupo, New Zealand

Whenever I travel, although I love the excitement of new sights and tastes of exotic food, I sometimes use McDonalds as a comforting place of familiarity, a place where I don’t have to worry about what the food may taste like, a place where it is affordable – even in Sweden where a McHappy meal…

Fancy Sandcastles – Australian Sand Sculpting Championships 2013 – Part II

Continuing on from part 1, I was staying in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast during the weekend that the 2nd Annual Australian Sand Sculpting Competition was being held. This years theme was Sand Safari, and I swear some of that sand followed me back as weeks later I found sand on my balcony –…

Fancy Sandcastles – Australian Sand Sculpting Championships 2013 – Part I

I’ve never been a big fan of the beach, dumping crashing waves, eye-stinging saltwater and the sand – sand that would hide and follow you home then turn up months later in the uncanniest of places. In fact, not long ago, I found some on my balcony thinking it had followed me back from the Gold…

REVIEW: Virgin Australia VA543 Sydney to Gold Coast

Dashing straight from work, I arrived at Sydney Domestic Airports Terminal 2 for my 19:10 flight, with self printed boarding pass in hand, at 17:40 exactly an hour and a half prior to departure, half an hour earlier than the standard recommended time. With a silent sigh and roll of my eyes I could see the bag drop line for those…

Review: CountryLink – Sydney to Nyngan (via Dubbo) First Class

International first class air travel can sometimes be up to 15 times the price of a discounted economy class ticket and so is commonly reserved for the elite, heads of state, those with very deep pockets or the frequent traveller being savvy with their reward points. With limousine transfers, discreet check in areas (even exclusive…

REVIEW: Virgin Australia VA536 Gold Coast to Sydney – Economy Class

Phew! No lines to check in at either the check in kiosks or counter and no lines for the bag drop. Ok I was early, I’d checked out of my apartment at around 11am and with the clouds opening up and it pouring rain yet again during my stay in Surfers Paradise on the Gold…

REVIEW: St Tropez Apartments – Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD

Sometimes you just need to get away from it all and it doesn’t matter where you go or where you stay you just want to relax, put your feet up and do nothing. My trip to the Gold Coast was one of those weekends where I wanted to do just that, nothing, and booking my accommodation at the last…

Welcome to Nyngan – Bogan Shire – Central New South Wales

When I said to friends I was going to Nyngan for the long weekend, most said “you’re going all that way to smoke weed?”… “No, thats Nimbin on the NSW North Coast” I stated with a sigh. Nyngan is located in outback NSW on the Bogan River in the Bogan Shire. I was off to…

Sydney Harbour & Manly by Manly Ferry (Part I)

A few years ago, I worked in a backpacker travel agency with a girl who was on an overseas working holiday/gap year from Ireland. Chiara (pronounced ‘Kee-ra’ – I always got it wrong) had a slightly warped sense of humour… we got on well 🙂 Whenever students, backpackers or visitors to Sydney would come in…