There’s a widespread belief that however you celebrate the new year is how you’ll spend the year. I believe there is some truth in this as I spent quite a bit of time this year travelling within Asia after spending New Year’s Eve in Sanur, Bali, while comedic legend Bill Bailey played with some dogs on the beach. I don’t have a selfie to prove this, as I didn’t want to interrupt his holiday, so you’ll have to take my word for it.
I’ll be seeing in 2025 in Perth and already have a trip planned to Broome in January, so maybe there really is some truth in this theory.
Welcome to the third issue of Fluffy Towel Travels, where I’ll be recapping my travels from 2024 and what an epic year of travelling it has been. I visited Jakarta for the first time, revealing the Indonesian capital’s cosmopolitan side. From there, I flew to Phnom Penh and met with everyone else who was joining the CF Mekong cruise with Croisi Europe Cruises. After spending a couple of days exploring the Cambodian capital, we headed to Siem Reap, where we boarded the Toum Tiou II for an eight-night cruise to Ho Chi Minh City.
My next trip was a flying visit to Kuala Lumpur where I sampled business class with Malaysia Airlines – and I’m still raving about the satays served onboard months later.
In May, I returned to Bali to celebrate my birthday in the most unexpected way by waking up with a cockroach on my face, followed by a very mild earthquake – I don’t believe the two incidents were related, but after the amount of screaming, I’m not so sure.
The adventures continued in July when I returned to Borneo’s Sarawak to attend the Rainforest World Music Festival. While there weren’t any encounters with creepy crawlies this time (unlike the great scorpion fiasco of 2023), I missed out on visiting the orangutans after falling over and spraining my ankle. I blame the storm that delayed the concert, forcing me to wait for it out in the bar. I’d like to point out that I fell over before any alcohol had passed my lips.
I returned to Bali for the third time (that myth is ringing true) to attend the Suara Festival, which coincided with the opening of Nuanu, a new city about 10 kilometres east of Canguu. It didn’t take much convincing for my husband to join me a few days later in Uluwatu, where we found an affordable beach club at Melasti Beach called Tropical Temptation.
In late October, I explored the Ehime and Hiroshima prefectures in Japan amidst an impending typhoon that had already made landfall in Taiwan. Not to brag, but the upgrade on the overnight flight with All Nippon Airways (ANA) was the icing on this incredible trip. After this week-long trip to Japan, I was only home for a few days before I was back on another plane, this time for my maiden voyage to Laos, followed by a few days in Bangkok.
I hope you enjoy reading more about these travels; plus, I have plenty of deals for you, so you, too, can make the most of your travels in 2025.
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Thank you for your support and may your travels be fluffy.
Fluffy travels,
Carmen.
