Inside Nijo-jo Castle

Last trip we spent the longest amount of time here and we are doing the same again this time with a total of 6 nights. Kyoto is a great base in the Kansai region, as you can do some great day trips from there. Osaka is a quick 30mins on the JR Line, 90 mins to Nara, and another 90 mins on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima.

If Tokyo is the modern-in-your-face bustling city, Kyoto is her calm and relaxed sister! I honestly love Kyoto and its more relaxed atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong, Tokyo is super fun! But sometimes you just need a break from being in the fast lane!

Kyoto is full to the brim with beautiful Temples and Shrines, two of my favourites are the:

Of course, you can’t go to Kyoto without heading to Gion and trying your luck at spotting some Geisha or Maiko (trainee geisha). We didn’t get a glimpse of one, however we went out to dinner to a very very nice (and expensive) restaurant for my birthday, and we ran into a Geisha as we were leaving, and she was very kind to let us take a photo.

It was my birthday while we were in Kyoto, and my boyfriend James organised for us to do a Japanese cooking class! I am so glad he thought to surprise me with it, as he know how much I love to cook! It was a Bento Box themed class, and we made 4 dishes (Teriyaki Chicken, Tempura, Spinach with Sesame Dressing and some rolled Sushi) which you can see below. You then get to enjoy them after slaving away in the kitchen all morning!




So there you have a very small snippet of my trip last year! I was actually pretty slack with taking photos, but this year, I am going to step it up, and come back with a updated post later on!!

Let me know if you enjoyed this photo diary and if you would like to see more from my last trip or my upcoming trip!

I fly out next Thursday, and if you would like to see what I get unto whilst I am over there, don't forget to add me on Snapchat (@loadsoflifestyl)

So I have some pretty exciting news I've been keeping quiet for quite a bit! As you all may know my blog is relatively new, (and hopefully I can get my shit together and post more frequently!) but after my 4-Part series about my time with Busabout last year, I was approached by Busabout to be featured in their NEW 2015-2016 Brochure! 

Being so new to blogging, I was astounded that they wanted to use MY blog! So for the last 3 months I have been dealing with the lovely David from Busabout and going back and forth about which parts of my posts they were going to use! Originally it was to be a 1 page, 300 word feature, but they came back with a 2 page, 600 word feature article about my posts!

I was so excited for all this to happen! And still am! 

So here it is my awesome 2 (A4) page spread in the 2015/2016 Brochure! 

You can get your hands on the brochure by dropping into your nearest travel agent or online here!

So back to the title of my post...

Are you thinking of travelling to Europe or Asia next year?

Busabout currently have upto 20% off their Europe & Asian trips! 

All you have to do is use the code: EB1

(valid until 19/12/2014)

Hopefully this helps you get to Europe next year!

If you haven't checked out my Busabout posts you can find them:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4

As always between posts you can find me:

Instagram: @loadsoflifestyle

Twitter: @loadsoflifestyl

Sorry I have been a little MIA these past few weeks! I've been on holidays!

(edit: I have just realised this is going to be one massive post so I have spilt it into 2!)

My boyfriend and I have been road-tipping around Queensland (QLD) for the last 2 weeks! We have had the best time, I love travelling overseas but sometimes its just as awesome to check out your own backyard! 

We covered 3500kms in our 2 weeks away! And my little VW Golf (2012 TDi Model) handled it brilliantly! 

The plan for the trip was as follows:

Goondiwindi - Toowoomba - 230kms (1 night - for a wedding)

Toowoomba - Emerald - 750kms (1 night)

Emerald - Townsville - 620kms (5 nights)

Townsville - Airlie Beach -280kms (3 nights)

Airlie Beach - Yeppoon - 500kms (1 night)

Yeppoon - Goondiwindi - 710kms (home)

We were travelling to Townsville to visit my grandparents & for my grandfathers 80th birthday! So we decided to make a good trip out of it and add Airlie Beach to the itinerary. 

Having travelled to Townsville so many times throughout my childhood, visiting all of my relatives, I knew what to expect, however my boyfriend had only previously been as far north as Fraser Island (about 4hrs north of Brisbane) he assumed Townsville to be a small sized city of around 80,000 people. He was pleasantly shocked when we arrived, and when I took him for a drive around the whole city. (Townsville has roughly 180,000 people & is the 13th largest city in Australia.)

Winter is the best time to travel to Townsville, its still nice and warm (depending on where you come from) with an average of about 25 degrees during the day (about 15 degrees at night), its warm enough you can go swimming, but not have to worry about those "killer jellyfish" that show up from November to May each year.

If you have never been to Townsville, I suggest you go to your nearest airport & jump on a plane right now! It is such a lovely city and has changed so much in the past 10 years! There is an amazing array of restaurants and cafes, bars, pubs and of course Jupiter's Casino! 

One thing you cannot miss on your trip to Townsville is a day (or overnight) trip to Magnetic Island, just off the coast of Townsville. Its a short 25min ferry trip across the bay. There are several ways to get around Magnetic Island - Hiring a car/mini moke/scooter/bike, walking or taking the buses that run frequently around the island!

We hired a Mini Moke - they are the finest way to get around the island! They are old, door-less and rough as guts, but oh so much fun! We drove all over the island! There are a few secluded bays that you can't reach by car or bus, most of them are about a 1km hike from a main bay. We hiked over to Balding Bay - which turned out to be a nudist beach! But the nudists were hiding amongst the trees lining the beach, so we kinda had the beach to ourselves (well except for when they went from a stroll to the water!)

We also visited Reef HQ - the Townsville Aquarium, which is also a research centre and turtle hospital for the north QLD area. Reef HQ has the largest display reef in the world, and it is not one to be missed! It holds over 130 coral species & over 120 fish species, along with star fishes, sea cucumbers, urchins & sponges. Twice a day Reef HQ run a "Turtle Talk" where they talk about the species of turtles found around the world, most of which reside in Australian waters, dangers the turtles face both naturally and caused by humans, and what we can do to help. They then take you through to the Turtle Hospital which is located just behind the aquarium, to visit some of the patients currently under treatment at the hospital. 

Thats the end of part 1, part 2 will be about our time in Airlie Beach!

As always, between blog posts you can find me on:

Instagram: @loadsoflifestyle

Twitter: @loadsoflifestyl

Mel x

10 European Countries, 59 days, 4 flights, 15 bus trips, 3 long distance train rides & 1 overnight ferry

Welcome to the final part of my four part series, looking back at my time with Busabout in 2013. It was one of the best things I have ever done! 

In my last post I left you in the amazing region of Cinque Terre in the Italian Riviera. I really wished I had stayed longer than my 4 days, but then I wouldn't of had the chance to visit the rest of the destinations on the loops!

Cinque Terre to Nice, France (1 nights)

I cut my time short in Nice so I could have longer in Cinque Terre, and I honestly don't regret it. Nice was beautiful, and we had arrived on the day of France's most amazing national holiday, Bastille Day! A celebration of the beginning of the French Revolution. We checked into our hostel, and went for a walk down to the Promenade des Anglais, where a massive parade was happening down the boardwalk! There were marching bands and people dressed up walking on stilts, a giant dragon float and many other crazy things! The Nice coast line (Baie des Anges) is just like you see it pictures! Azure blue waters as far as the eye can see! I kind of wish I had a little longer here, but hey, you can't do everything right?

It was a little overcast when we got to Nice

Nice to Barcelona, Spain (via Avignon) (3 nights)

Amazing offers at La Boqueria

Barcelona.. You were pretty cool! It was hot & balmy just like I thought it would be, it reminded me of being at home in the summer! I felt so comfortable! It was a short walk from our drop point to the hostel, once we got checked in, it was time for dinner! Luckily the European sun doesn't set until about 10pm in the summer (which is great whilst travelling!) We set of in search of a restaurant for some Paella & Sangria! Yum!

I love food!

Park Guell

After waking up, with a sore head from too much sangria the night before, I headed to somewhere I knew would make me feel instantly better. La Boqueria! Oh my.. I could and did spend so much time in there! I am the BIGGEST foodie and this was a bit highlight for me. Sure its touristy and the first rows of stalls are a bit expensive & really pretty looking, but if you go past the amazing fruit, vegetable & juice displays, you get to the heart of the market. The butchers, fish mongers, spice merchants, bakers, cheese & charcuterie delicatessens. Its just excites me so much and makes me wish I had any form of market nearby at home. I grabbed some fruit & a juice to soothe my sore head, and headed out for a day of exploring! Park Guell & Sagrada Familia were on the agenda for the day. Both amazing examples of Gaudi Architecture. I actually visited both of these place twice! Once by myself and once with a friend from home who happened to be in Barcelona at the same time! 

Sagrada Familia

I really enjoyed Barcelona, and didnt have a problem with pick-pockets or anything like that, however when we were getting back on to the bus to head to Madrid, we had a girl who was just starting her busabout trip from Barcelona, she had left her bag unattended for all of a minute whilst she registered with the busabout guide, and had her whole bag stolen (within that minute)and the accused ran off down the metro and was never seen again. So it is something to keep in mind when travelling. Always keep your belongings with you!

Gotta love a selfie! (excuse my crazy hair)

Barcelona to Madrid, Spain (via Valencia) (1 night)

I was originally suppose to stay in Madrid for 5 days and stay with a friend who lives there, however she decided to go home to Norway for the summer. So I made a last minute decision to just do one night and head up to San Sebastian for 4 nights.

So Madrid, when we arrived, there was protesting and mild rioting in the streets surrounding our hostel. A little scary, but once inside the hostel, you couldn't hear anything. The hostel & drop point for Madrid is really cool and modern, with cool little chill-out spots on each floor. We went downstairs to the bar and played drinking games (with cheap yucky bottled sangria) with other guest and staff of the hostel and then visited a local tapas bar, which had unlimited tapas for about 5 euro and 2 euro cocktails.. A lethal combination!! 

Madrid to San Sebastian, Spain (via Pamplona) (4 nights)

From the top of Urgull

Baised beef cheeks & a glass of Kalimotxo!

San Seb was the perfect place to finish of my Busabout experience! It was so laid back and just a great place to unwind after travelling non-stop for the last 2 months. The food was some of the best of the trip! The Pintxos (the basque regions' tapas) were amazing! My favourite was the braised beef cheeks in a tomato red wine reduction served with whipped potato, so simple but so so delicious! Another Basque Region specialty is a drink called Kalimotxo, its basically a half-half mixture of red wine & cola served with plenty of ice and sometimes a twist of lime or orange. It sounds so wrong, and I thought so to start with, but once you taste it.. Oh my.. It is so refreshing and tasty! 
I had a really awesome group of people to hang out with in San Seb, every morning we would walk up to the top of the Urgull (the hill on which a 12m statue of Jesus Christ stands), then have breakfast and do some shopping, and then head to La Concha beach and just relax! About 100m from the shore are a few floating pontoons with slippery slides and diving boards attached and we had a great afternoon on one of them taking photos with my underwater camera! 

Jumping of the Pontoon

I really enjoyed my time with Busabout (if you can't tell) and would  highly recommend travelling with them! I hope to get back to Europe in a few years and travel throughout more of Eastern Europe and maybe even sneak in a Busabout trek or sailing adventure!


If you have any questions regarding my time with Busabout, please just leave a comment and ill get back to you!




As always you can find me on:
Instagram: @loadsoflifestyle
Twitter: @loadsoflifestyl

Mel x

10 European Countries, 59 days, 4 flights, 15 bus trips, 3 long distance train rides & 1 overnight ferry

Welcome to Part 3 of my review of my fantastic time with Busabout 2013!

Ancona is an optional stop because its a Port town, they have ferries that depart & return from Croatia & Greece (so you can connect with Busabout's optional adventure tours - Sail Croatia & Greek Islands). We caught an overnight ferry to Zadar from Ancona to make our way to Pag Isle. We were heading to a 3 day music festival called "Hideout" which is run by a UK events company. We had an absolute blast at the festival ran from 10pm to 7am every night plus afternoon pool parties from 2pm to 8pm (not that we attended them - too busy resting by the beach/pool!) After the festival we caught a bus to the capital of Croatia - Zagreb, for our final night in Croatia. We stayed at the Hotel Zagreb Esplanade (the top rated hotel in Zagreb) and boy was it fancy! Marble bathroom, massive king size bed, fluffy bathrobe, it was what we needed after a weekend of partying! I booked this hotel as it was my Boyfriend's last night in Europe with me as he was flying home the next day! 

Of the VERY small amount I saw of Croatia, I loved it, beautiful pristine (rocky) beaches, friendly people & great food! I really wished I could have squeezed in a Sail Croatia week with Busabout, but time & money are unfortunate factors of travelling! I will be definitely returning one day!

Zagreb to Rome, Italy (flight via Split) - 2 nights

Ahh Roma.. You were a little bit of a pain! I enjoyed you but getting around was a tough gig! From the Airport to the Hostel it took me around 3 & ½ hours via public transport & a lot of walking with a heavy backpack! I also may have been a little emotional after saying goodbye to my boyfriend earlier that day, so that could have added to my negativity.. Once I got to the hostel (at 7pm) - Plus Camping Roma (and Busabout pick-up point) it was just a relief to take off my backpack, check in to my private cabin (with A/C - highly recommend paying the extra and getting A/C!) and just relax. I had 2 nights in Rome, with one full day for sight-seeing. So I went off and ventured Rome by myself, on the list for the day was; The Trevi Fountain & The Colosseum, with plenty of Gelato in-between! I'm not a religious person, so the Vatican really didn't interest me that much, so I decided to skip it and just wander around Rome and find some hidden gems. 

Florence to La Spezia, Italy (for Cinque Terre) (via Pisa - optional stop) - 4 nights

On the trip to La Spezia, we make a quick hour stop at Pisa for a essential photo stop!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS YOU CAN IN CINQUE TERRE!!!!!! I knew the Cinque Terre was going to be my most favourite destination on my trip, I had been researching it for months, pinned plenty of picture of it on my Pinterest boards, it was just going to be the greatest. And it was! 

Cinque Terre translates to "The Five Lands", its located along the Italian Riviera in northern Italy. The five towns are: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza & Monterosso al Mare. I chose to stay in the first town, Riomaggiore. It was absolutely breathtaking! Located on the side of a cliff, sloping all the way down to the harbour waterline and around the cliff face. I felt I had picked the best town to stay in. Four out of five of the towns are only accessible by train. My hostel was roomy, full of light, it had big windows that opened up to a small balcony overlooking the lower parts of the town & the tiniest bit of the ocean. It had a bar downstairs (where you check in) & had wifi! I had made a friend on the bus trip to La Spezia, and we hung out the whole time. We hired a kayak one morning and paddled past the 2nd town (Manarola) to a deserted beach (roughly 5kms) and snorkelled the crystal clear blue waters. The next day we bought a pass for the ferry that connects four of towns and hopped on & off each town.

I had heard about a optional activity that was organised through Busabout, it was called "Voluntourism" where we went up into the hillside of Vernazza & helped local farmers, wine growers, anyone who was affected by the torrential rains, flooding and mudslides that left the town buried in over 4 metres of mud and debris, causing over 100 million euro worth of damage in October of 2011. We payed 25 Euro to help cover costs of buying equipment & keep the Save Vernazza foundation running. It was a great experience and we got fed a wonderful lunch by some local men. We had local mussels steamed with local white wine, garlic & parsley, more mussels tossed through pasta, Local Red & White Wine, Homemade Lemoncello & sweets.

As always you can find me on:

Instagram: @loadsoflifestyle

Twitter: @loadsoflifestyl