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No dramas in the Bahamas – About Me

About Me | TravelMermaid.com

Hi! I’m Travel Mermaid, a serial expat and international school teacher who left London in 2011 with my Sailor in tow.

I’m now based in Malaysia, after 6 years living in Czech Republic, Australia and Thailand. I write about expat living in Kuala Lumpur and travel in Asia Pacific.

Find out more about me here, or follow my social media channels below.

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This beautifully restored back alley in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown has recently opened to the public. I was lucky enough to stumble upon it last weekend whilst taking a self guided tour of the area. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kwai Chai Hong is named after the locals who lived there more than 50 years ago (there’s a a couple of legends in circulation) which translates to ‘Prankster Lane’ or ‘Ghost Lane’. The lane features six murals that capture the daily activities of early Chinese settlers in the area during the 1960s, including a calligrapher, a prostitute and children playing with marbles. There are QR codes on the murals for further explanations in Mandarin, but I’m sure English speakers can find a willing translator! ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Chinatown is one of my favourite heritage walks in the city and there’s lots of old architecture and food to keep you busy, (plus a few cocktail bars!) Check the blog soon for a self guided tour of the area, as well as the KL Heritage Trail. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⚓️ ⚓️ ⚓️ ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #kwaichaihong #chinatownkl #chinatownkualalumpur #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #SouthEastAsia #tourismkl #visitkl #visitkualalumpur #igkl #igerskl #discoverkualalumpur #CultureTrip #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #asiavacations #travel #instatravel #travelgram #travelmermaid #travel_mermaid
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This beautifully restored ...

Australia’s best coastal drive: The Great Ocean Road, Victoria. ………………………………………………………… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Two years ago, just before I emigrated to Kuala Lumpur (exactly today!), I got to experience an epic coastal drive in the south-east coast of Australia. The Great Ocean Road is frequently ranked in the world’s top 10 best road trips and it’s easy to see why. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It offers cracking scenery along it’s 240km stretch of rugged coastline and includes famous surf strips like Bells Beach, as well as migrating whales, impressive limestone cliffs and it’s most famous formation ‘The 12 Apostles’. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And as an added bonus, you’re on koala turf. If, like me, seeing a koala in the wild is one of your dream things to do in Australia, then the Great Ocean Road will take you to them 🤟 (link in bio for more info.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Massively looking forward to some more awesome road trips soon in sunny Queensland! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🐨 🐨 🐨 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #GreatOceanRoad #Victoria #Australia #roadtrip2019 #hittheroad #roadlife #australiatrip #seeaustralia #seeaustralia_vic #discovervictoria #amazingvictoria #travelaustralia #exploreaustralia #australiagram #ig_australia #thisisaustralia #travel #travelgram #travelstoke #travelmermaid #travel_mermaid
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Australia’s best coastal ...

Happy Long Easter Weekend 🎉 How are you celebrating? 🐰.. If you’re KL based and sticking around for the next few days, then why not try out a new secret bar? There are many awesome ones to be found! (link in bio for a list of my faves.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🍸 🍸 🍸 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #speakeasy #secretbar #cocktails #TGIF #CocktailBar #nightlife #kualalumpur #malaysia #SoutheastAsia #malaysiatrulyasia #eatdrinkkl #klcocktails #igkl #igerskl #visitkl #discoverkualalumpur #asiavacations #ThePawnRoom #tprttdi @thepawnroom
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Happy Long Easter ...

At long last, we made it to the Easter holidays! 🐽 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s been a busy, long ass term at school so I’m a little happy [read: ecstatic] for some time off. As all us teachers are.🙌 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There’s heaps of awesome trips to be had at this time of year in Asia. From water-soaking fun during Songkran in Thailand, to watching the sakura (cherry blossoms) bloom in Japan, or catching the start of the kitesurfing season in Rameswaram, India. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So guess what exciting things I’ve been doing on my final holiday here in Malaysia? …absolutely nothing! 🙈 But it’s exactly what I needed. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Apart from putting off the ever growing to-do list of things I need to crack on with before leaving KL, I’ve been a massive digital hermit (and not left the house for 3 days) so I can spend some time on the blog. But there’s one wee trip booked this weekend which should get me out the house. 🤟 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This pic was taken last Easter when I was in Kampot, a charming riverside town in Cambodia. Specifically, it was taken up Bokor Mountain which had some old, eery ruins from the French colonial days. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Fun fact: The region also cultivates world-class peppercorns (it’s a big export!). Visiting the pepper plantations, kayaking, caving or kitesurfing (if there’s wind!) are a few other things to do in town. Or it’s just a great place off-the-beaten track to unwind and soak up local culture. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⚓️ ⚓️ ⚓️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #ruins #bokormountain #Kampot #Cambodia #southeastasia #conscioustravel #travel #instago #traveldeeper #instatravel #roadtrip #whenincambodia #kingdomofwonder #khmer #cambodiatravelguide #getlostincambodia #travelmermaid #travel_mermaid
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At long last, ...

Sunday vibes 🤟 Can you guess where my favourite place in Malaysia is? .. Like Tarzan baby, it’s the jungle! ⁣ ✨⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m so lucky to have a pocket of it just in front of my condo and I’ve always dreamed of heading in, setting up a camp and staying for the night. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A few weeks ago I got to do just that. Just a 1.5hr drive south of KL is an awesome nature resort in Seremban called The Dusun. It has undisturbed views of the Berembun Forest Reserve and everything we needed for a homely stay. ⁣ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ During the day, we chilled alone by the infinity pool which boasted the same panoramic views, before retreating back to our house for a sunset BBQ. The only sounds were the gentle buzzing of life amongst the trees…it was utterly therapeutic. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you’re looking for a relaxing getaway from KL, I’d highly recommend a trip here. (Link in bio with more info.) ⁣ Thanks for having us guys 🙏 @thedusun ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🌳 🌳 🌳⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ #sustainabletourism #conscioustravel #thedusun #ecotravel #weekendgetaway #jungleretreat #Seremban #Malaysia #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #asiatravelgoals #SoutheastAsia #ThisisAsia #ExploreAsia #AmazingAsia #travelstoke #instago #travelmermaid #travel_mermaid
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Sunday vibes 🤟 ...

After months of deliberating where to return in Australia this year, in the end, the answer was really easy. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Our plan was to head back in July, buy a house, begin other exciting ventures and finally stay long enough to gain citizenship. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But with less than 4 months to go and no concrete itinerary, we felt pressured to decide where to settle and didn’t want to rush into anything without fully considering our options. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Yesterday I booked our one way ticket to Cairns and we’re so stoked to return to Port Douglas after 5 years away. It’s where we got married, fell in love with beautiful Queensland and had one of the best years of our lives. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Hopefully round two will give us a few months to reflect, rejuvenate and plan our next steps…and finally try to nail kitesurfing 🙌 ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🇦🇺 🇦🇺 🇦🇺 ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #saltylife #barefootluxury #portdouglas #queensland #australia #travel #australiatravel #expatlife #tropicalnorthqueensland #seeaustralia #travelgram #exploretnq #beautifuldestinations #discoverqueensland #igtravel #travel_mermaid #travelmermaid
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After months of ...

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