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Brisbane to Manchester

February - June 2024
The journey to Manchester via Asia and Eastern Europe Read more
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  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 18–19

    Ninh Binh

    March 16 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    - Early morning train to ninh binh at 6am, this was a nice little taste of local life as there weren't many white people on here. The train chugged along for 2 hours and included sales of random things from Banh mi to Pho.

    - we arrived in Ninh Binh to a cloudy foggy landscape of dotted mountains, where we got a grab to the accommodation which was quite remote. The accommodation was great, early check in and time to hire bikes for a ride around.

    - we hired bikes and went out to Mua caves, good 7km ride through rice fields and random little pathways through local areas that Google took us on, even short cutting through a cemetary. The Vietnamese love to try and trick you and ofcourse as you arrive at the destination on your bike, they try and make it look like you need to go into their parking lot and almost stand Infront of your bike yelling at you in Vietnamese to stop. They are sky dogs. Overall, the viewpoint was cloudy but it was still nice to go for an exploration, we also ran into the Dutch couple from the Halong cruise.

    - We were starving and had a great falafel sandwich and a margarita/goats cheese pizza (in a woodfire oven!), this was elite, particularly in the foggy weather with damp clothes. We almost rode the 7km back when we realised we didn't have Chloe's bottle, so back we went in the rain and by now the section that required you to ride on the side of a road was very busy with trucks which was super stressful. Long story short, no bottle and no sign of the bike that had the bottle, so not sure if someone stole the bottle or the bottle and the bike.

    - We ended up having a quiet and peaceful dinner with a early night in the comfortable bungalow which was very beautiful. I quite liked the outdoor shower/bathroom but Chloe didn't because of the bugs 😂    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 19–21

    Hanoi

    March 17 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    - We made our way back to Hanoi via a limousine bus which was pretty interesting, purely because the communication is always lacking

    - Ofcourse food was on the agenda once checked in and we made our way to a restaurant on the list to go to, a cafe where the owner has built everything from recycled materials and is trying to fight the uphill battle of sustainability in Vietnam. This was another little adventure in itself as we ordered a few things and the fresh spring rolls hadn't come. We grab a waiter and he sort of goes to check and then comes back 15 mins later and he uses google translate to apologise and says they accidentally went to another table. So we translate back and forth with confusion and eventually I ask if we can get a new batch, basically he says okay so you'll have to pay again. Hilarious, not sure how he got to this logic even with the language barrier. We find someone who speaks english better and the issue is resolved, but still unsure what he was thinking 🤔

    - We wander around Hanoi aimlessly and find an antique shop, the perfect place to collect an obscure souvenir.

    - the afternoon/evening involves a visit to train street where they are extremely intense with hassling you to sit at their cafe, evidently social media has made this place a crazy capitalist location. Anyway we sit down, have a few 2$ beers and watch a few trains go by, if this was in any western country, it would not be a thing.

    - A visit to a local brewery and then some Bun Cha for dinner, which is kind of like Pho but has bbq meats in the soup instead, so it's rather smokey.

    - The last day is just hanging out, we sleep in, we eat another banh Mi from another stall and then a delicious authentic Beef Pho (Pho Bo) for lunch. Ticked off all the essentials before treating ourselves to a nicer vegetarian restaurant for dinner, one because why not and two because we have no cash and need a place that takes EFTPOS not annoying cash only ☺️

    - Vietnam and Cambodia segment done, overall a good experience with Cambodia being the clear winner of the two. We most likely won't be back to Vietnam for a while, perhaps China, Phillipines or Japan/Korea next    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 21–25

    Istanbul

    March 19 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    - We arrived in Istanbul after a stop in Dubai, somehow managing to get a whole row on both flights 👌

    - Istanbul is super well connected by metro, trains and ferries so we got to our hotel pretty easy, this hotel was a nice change compared to Vietnam, well kept, clean, no mould and no loud motorbikes tooting. We were staying on the European side. First impressions were kebabs everywhere, cats and dogs everywhere and not a lot of English.

    - on the first full day we did a walking tour where we visited the old city/ or former constantinople with the mosques from 500 AD and a cistern from the Roman Empire. The Romans also stole a 3000 YO obelisk from Egypt which sits in Istanbul. This area was super touristy but the history was cool.
    We finished the tour and were pointed in the direction of a local kebab shop, the menus and the people don't speak a whole lot of English so it was a bit of a guessing game/translation on phone situation. We finished the day visiting the mosque built by some famous sultan and the grand bazaar/spice bazaar. Dinner involved a small restaurant in Karakoy where we had Mezze (little share plates) of dip and cheese filled filo pastry. We then found a wine bar nearby with local wines from all over Turkiye.

    - Turkish breakfast was served each morning to the room and included cheeses, cold meats, eggs, and bread which was quite tasty with Turkish tea. We visited the suburb of Balat where there are cafes, colourful houses and cool shops. The cats were friendly here and joined us for a coffee in a cool cafe. We browsed some vintage and antique shops, and found some lunch at this street slightly further out which was very local. They were hand rolling the dough (like a pizza chef) for our pides and pitas. We then stumbled on a tiny baklava shop which was super cheap and delicious. We ended the day with a boat tour which was underwhelming but had some interesting history. We ended up on the Asian/Anatolian continent/side of Istanbul where we went to the local fish market for a fresh fish sandwich and some cheap markets.

    - We started the last day with a highlight, buffalo cheese with honey and bread and baked eggs, it was so fresh and so delicious.

    - The Asian side was very local, more of a student area with bars and pubs and cheap replicas. We had an unreal doner kebab on this side and some traditional Turkish coffee brewed on coals. Our last highlight of the trip was dinner on the final night at no.19 which was a small restaurant where the woman cooked all the food and served it out of casseroles, she changed the meals each day and had no menu. It was like going to a friend's kitchen for a party. Ofcourse, we found a small baklava place on the way home before we get an early bus to Canakkale/Gallipoli the next morning.    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 25–27

    Canakkale

    March 23 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    📌 A bus trip to Canakkale, the closest city to Gallipoli started with a little difficulty getting to the main town from the bus terminal due to scammer taxis and being unsure how to buy local bus tickets.

    📌 We arrived at the small coastal town which has quite a charming waterfront. We found a small stall serving fresh fish sandwiches and tucked in.

    📌 A walk along the waterfront meant visiting the Trojan horse replica from the movie Troy, as Cannakale is quite close to the ancient ruins of Troy.

    📌 The full day we had in Canakkale involved visiting Gallipoli on a tour. The tour started and we knew we were in for a treat as there was an old boomer from Brisbane (a former barrister) on the tour who loved telling everyone about himself. The tour involved visiting Anzac Cove, the front lines and Lone pine. It was quite fascinating to hear the easy mistakes made that cost many Aus/NZ lives, such as landing at the wrong place or the Brits having a day off instead of supporting NZ once they'd taken the objective. It was also interesting to hear the significance of the win for Turkiye and how it led to the rise of Ataturk and therefore the Turkish revolution and independence.

    📌 We finished Canakkale with a small hidden woodfired pizza dinner and then a very authentic dessert shop with the friendliest staff. We didn't know what we ordered but found out later it was Halva (a cheese based sweet cake). A nice change from the Baklava.    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 27

    Cesme

    March 25 in Turkey ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    📌 This was a long day of travel, we started the day in Canakkale, we got the local bus to the main bus terminal which was no problem. We were then on a 6 hour bus to Izmir, one of Turkey's large city's which was a slow journey due to multiple stops. Once arriving at the Izmir bus terminal, we found the local bus to Cesme, approximately another hours drive to the coast.

    📌 Once arriving in Cesme it was such a relief to leave the bags behind and go and find dinner. Cesme is a small coastal town surrounded by a yacht filled harbour and some old fortress walls, the streets are narrow and cobble stoned.

    📌 We found a small bar who with the language barrier established we wanted some wine and they were very accommodating. We then moved on to find a place serving Mezze and tucked into dips, Halloumi like cheese, calamari and bread ofcourse. No dessert was needed after all this tasty food.    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 28–31

    Chios: a short stop in Greece

    March 26 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    📌 A short trip to Greece by ferry, we enjoyed a tasty breaky with delicious greek feta whilst waiting for the car and this was a good start to the Greek food to come. Impressions of Chios were that is was a large island with little tourists and mostly residents. The population is 50k.

    📌 We had a lovely host at an Airbnb type accommodation a few metres of the beach, it was nice to have freedom with a car and space.

    📌 The main attractions visited were the mastic museum and mastic villages. Mastic is a unique product of the trees growing on Chios, it was popular during the the last 500 years as medicinal and cooking products and was exported all over Europe. The museum also talked about how the island was often ruled by others such as the Romans, the Ottomans and the Genoans. Eventually it rejoined Greece in 1920. Pygri and Mesta villages were big stone walled village complexes with narrow lanes and unique buildings.

    📌 We drove around the island, taking about an hour where we visited some 11th century monastery and an abandoned village that was abandoned during the massacre of Chios by the ottomans in 1820.

    📌 The food was a highlight, the feta was delicious, particularly when in a stuffed capsicum. The gyros were brilliant of course and the seafood was also great. A couple of standout restaurants were an old stone building and a traditional Greek taverna. Overall it was a worthy stop over in Greece, and an island worth visiting if avoiding overrun tourist Greece.    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 31–33

    Selcuk

    March 29 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    📌 Getting to Selcuk was a little bit of a journey, a short walk to Chios bus station ➡️ A bus to Izmir Airport ➡️ pickup a rental car ➡️ drive to Selcuk. All in all, it was pretty smooth and easy despite not knowing the bus timetables.

    📌 We arrived in Selcuk around lunchtime and tucked into some local food, some shish kebabs. We wandered around and found Selcuk to be a small town, some nice green parks.

    📌 We were keen to see the ancient Roman sites. We booked a day trip visiting the house of Mary apparently, a place where she come after Jesus death. This was basically a small church which was underwhelming. We then moved onto the city of Ephesus which was the main attraction. Ephesus was excellent to see, it's very well preserved given its around 3000 years old and they are still finding things under the earth around the area, it would have been a huge Roman City. Seeing the toilets and the library were the highlight. We then were given PTSD from India where they took us to a carpet salesman but disguised it as them wanting to show the craft of women and we had only been just next door at lunch. The carpets were quite nice but we soon ran out of there, not wanting to drop a few grand on a whim.

    📌 We finished the tour off at the temple of Artemis which is just a small pillar, what is left of an ancient wonder of the world. There was also a short visit to an old greek town in the hills which turned out to be overrun with tourists shops and fake looking wineries. Overall Ephesus was the highlight and worth it.

    📌 We capped off Selcuk with a visit to the coastal town/port nearby known as kusadasi, this was pretty touristy as cruise ships stop here. We finished the trip/evening with ofcourse a baklava shop and a Kunefe (a baked cheese pastry type desert). The family owning the shop were super friendly.    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 33–34

    Pamukkale

    March 31 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    📌 A short stay in Pammukale, we road tripped 2.5 hours in order to go in city the natural wonder known as the travertines or cotton castle. The town was small and the hotel we were staying at was a very quiet (offseason strikes again) family run hotel.

    📌 We went for a wander and we were glad we were only staying one night as there wasn't a whole lot of appeal to the town. We had a doner kebab for lunch and headed back to the hotel, was this the beginning of Stevens downfall.

    📌 A few hours later fevers were coming on and body aches, I had no appetite and we just sat around the hotel restaurant whilst Chloe ate and I had some pieces of bread. It was a great night, a few vomits and minimal sleep had Chloe super happy.The morning was better but the thought of a kebab still feels gross at the time of writing this (7 days later), not sure if I'll have another in Turkey. It probably wasn't even the kebab but who knows.

    📌 We visited the pools and the ancient ruins of Hierapolis. Both were incredible to see! The pools were beautifully blue and white and we were there early enough to avoid large tour groups. It was a shame though that they are not as beautiful as they once were, hotels have been diverting water the past 10 years, meaning less in the pools. The ancient Roman City was impressive, there was barely anyone there and it was in great condition (so much better then the Coliseum), it was incredible to walk through history with so much freedom.    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 34–36

    Fethiye: Coastal Roadtrip

    April 1 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    📌 Time for some relaxation and not a whole lot of activities planned, the next few days were a couple of stops through various coastal towns of the Mediterranean.

    📌 Fethiye was quite large and we were staying a little bit out. It was a port town with a decent district of food and drinks but by this point Turkish food was not as appealing, we weren't feeling the meat and salad dishes as much, maybe the food poisoning didn't help that ☺️

    📌 We ofcourse found a happy hour, a beer for a few dollars and then decided on some vege burgers. We were both pretty cooked after a bad night sleep.

    📌 The next morning involved a 5km or so hike along the coastal Lycian way, one of the most scenic long walks in the world (500km) that follows an ancient group of people in this area. This walk was hot but it was well worth the views over the crystal blue waters and islands.

    📌 We then headed along the coast to the blue lagoon and beaches of Oludeniz, voted the best beach in the world in 2006 and often Turkey's best. This area was lovely but also made us realise how good Australian beaches are, the shops in abundance along the water for tourists (even a Starbucks on the sand) and the darts everywhere took away from the charm of a beautiful place. Big fan of beaches that are just beaches with a dirt path!

    📌 We finished the stay here with a great dinner as a restaurant that was dead quiet but we are glad we went in (after hesitation) as the food was great and even the chef came out to chat to us. The main worker even started showing us photos of all the places in Turkey he'd been, he loved a chat ☺️    Read more

  • TravelerBrisbane to Manchester
    Day 36–37

    Kas

    April 3 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    📌 We continued our coastal roadtrip onto Kas, this was an interesting drive through the windy roads and it really showed the questionable driving of the Turkish. They don't really use lanes very well and happily tailgate you, possibly the worst/ most aggressive driving I've seen outside of Asia.

    📌 Our first impressions of Kas were it was a smaller more wealthy town on a very steep hill. The houses and hotels were well kept, the port was lovely and the water was crystal blue.

    📌 We had a great accommodation with a great view, which was a nice change from some previous ones. We wandered up and down the steep hills and decided to get a few drinks from the local bottleo. It was a lovely view over the water watching the sunset, we even saw a sea turtle swimming around.

    📌 We had some Italian for dinner at a place making fresh pasta, it appears Italian is our go-to when we don't feel like Turkish meat and salad, which is getting a little tiring. We met a dog at the restaurant who Chloe named Mila 2, and she loved the pats. She started following us home when we left and we had to walk away fast so she would loose us, it was heartbreaking. The next thing would happen the next day with a German Shepherd, the street dogs really crave love 😔    Read more

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