Batu Caves - a cheap and cheerful half day excursion by train

Forget the coach tours, take the air-conditioned commuter train (Line 1) for about $US 2 return from KL Central. You buy train tickets (tokens) at a ticket window, not ticket machines.
The station is at the entrance to Batu Caves. Admission to Main Cathedral Cave and main temple (the one with 272 steps) is free. This is about 5-10 minutes walk from the station.
Wear long pants/sarong so you don't have to rent a sarong. Allow 1-2 hours at the caves. Trains leave hourly from Batu Caves Station. Feed monkeys at your peril. The main temple is a 10 minute walk from the station.

The nearly painted steps

If you have the time, there are other caves and temples near the station.

10 euros bargain - Ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn

Book on Eckero Line website. 10 euros one -way for 9:00 a.m. departure. Return trip is cheaper!
Print out ticket - no queuing at terminal, just register barcode at turnstile.

A tram (No 7) drops you off at the terminal door.
The morning ferry seemed to be full of 55+ year olds ready to shop, party and buy cheap booze. Nice crowd, though. There was a convivial atmosphere onboard.

Tourist tip: wait near the gates pre-boarding, when ferry is docked (you enter on Level 6), dash upstairs, head for the huge bar area at the bow (Level 8) so you can relax in a comfortable booth (enough room under table for luggage). Free entertainment.

Eckero Line's "Finlandia"

Live band and dancing . Note: the seating booths have plenty of room for you and your luggage.

TV style game show with host celebrity

The bar opens straight after departure (9.00 am.). Cheap booze.

Britrail Passes are a rip-off. Save $100's by booking online direct

My wife and I were going to buy Britrail passes from a third-party (the only way non-UK citizens can buy them). A flexible 8 day pass (Senior, Standard Class) was going to be $539 AUD each.
We had our itinerary worked out, so we decided to try booking individual journeys online.

NationalRail website

Choose your time and fare

• Go to nationalrail.co.uk  
• You can book up to 12 weeks in advance.
• You can get an overview of the cheapest tickets possible. 
• After you select the cheapest, you will be redirected to the local rail company's booking website (e.g. Virgin Trains, CrossCountry Trains)
• Prices can be as low as 5 pounds (e.g. Inverness to Edinburgh). Sometimes First Class is the same price.
• When you choose your journey, you can select seats as well. You are emailed a booking reference number with your itinerary. You simply take this number, as well as the credit card you used to pay for the trip to a ticket machine at the station. 

Tallying up the 9 journeys around England and Scotland, we saved over $400 by booking directly. 

The train guru website: seat61.com has a similar topic.

Plan ahead and save heaps. Avoid Travel Agents.

Another tip. Accommodation on a Saturday night can be ridiculously expensive. Either travel on a night sleeper or check out B&B's for a fraction of the price.

Is Jetstar Business Class worth the money?

This post covers Jetstar flights on Dreamliner 787, ex Melbourne, Australia. Flights to Denpasar, Singapore, Bangkok, Osaka (Business Class ex Cairns) and Tokyo (Business Class ex Gold Coast).

Pros 

• Cost - Jetstar frequently have International Business sales (e.g. one way MEL-DPS, MEL-SIN, MELB-Bangkok for around $499). This compares favourably to 'cattle-class' for around $199.
• Small business cabin (3 rows of 7 seats) means speedy service from crew and better ratio toilet to passenger (1:21) than Qantas Dreamliner.
• Usual perks - priority boarding, express card for immigration (in Australia), handy amenity pack with skin care products, socks, toothpaste, etc.
• Surprisingly tasty and varied meals (see below). Plunger coffee with cabin attendant circulating with giant selection box of premium chocolates (weird?).
• Help yourself to snacks in the forward galley.
• Copious bottles of water.
• Champagne (Piper-Heidsieck or Henri Laurent) served in tumblers rather than flutes throughout flight - but, hey I ain't complaining - or choice of wines, beers and spirits.
• Baggage (checked) 30 kg included and generous carry-on. When travelling in Asia for 1-2 weeks, we prefer to just use carry-on only, avoiding that dreaded wait at the carousel.
• Seating perfect for medium haul/day flights. No need for lie-flat beds.
• It's "old school" business class seating, so you can chat with your partner over lunch, unlike some newer seating configurations that box you in for privacy.
• Less kids
• Champagne/water/juice served before take-off.

Cons

• "Business-lite" and more like Premium Economy on some airlines.
• Row 1 has the most legroom but you have to use in-flight entertainment stored in armrest.
• Limited but adequate range of IFE, if you don't mind U.S. television series rather than U.K.
• Avoid middle seats unless you are want to travel as a trio. Hard to exit middle seat, limited wriggle-room.
• No guarantee your baggage will come out first.

Starters for Lunch menu

Salmon steak with salsa (tastes better than it looks)

Choice of cheese platter or dessert (or both if you are lucky)

Starters on Melb-Singapore (Lunch)

Holloways Beach, Cairn's best kept secret

Paradise on a budget.

Just 11 km from Cairns CBD, $3.10 on a public bus (Translink, Route 120), you could be in the middle of nowhere, but this is 10 minutes from an international airport. Free electric barbecues line the foreshore with shelters, drinking water and seating. The bus stop (Oleander Street) is 2 minutes walk from the beach. Stinger (e.g. poisonous Box Jellyfish) nets are installed for bathers from Nov-April.

NB.

You cannot swim in central Cairns due to the tidal nature of the area. There is a huge artificial lagoon (free) on the foreshore, Cairns Esplanade.

Looking north

Looking south, toward Cairns

The cheap bastard's guide to cycling. Cycling on the cheap

Unlike the MAMILS (middle age men in lycra) who fly past me, I cycle on a shoestring.

• Bike $50 (garage sale)
• Backpack (freebie)
• Helmet ($20)
• Media player/e-reader ($19 at K-Mart). Stored in old pencil case, elegantly worn around my neck. I might look like a dick, but it's convenient.
• Lights, front and rear ($8 K-Mart)
• Clothing  Summer: shorts and tee shirt/ Winter: trackie dacks, in case of rain: plastic poncho (freebie from long past Teachers' Union Stop Work rally)

A cheap bastard's household tips

1. After a shower, immediately squeegee excess water/soap scum from glass and tiles (it will save time cleaning the shower later, plus you dry off in the shower as you squeegee!).
2. Old toothbrushes are great at cleaning hard-to-get-at places (e.g. between taps, cooktop knobs, faucets, grouting).
3. Clean your fridge seals yearly with warm soapy water and a sponge (preventative maintenance, seals are expensive).
4. Bicarb soda is the cheapest and most effective cleaner for toilet stains (urine), bathtubs and shower recesses.
5. Use old waxy plastic bags (e.g.cereal bags like Weetbix) to store vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower (keeps for 1-2 fresh in fridge).
6. Bicarb soda is also great for removing fridge odours.

Cooking for one, random tips from a hopeless cook

• Broken up dry biscuits/crackers improves the taste and texture of all these dishes: soup (as cheap croutons), green salad, noodles, left over microwaved vegies
• Tomato sauce/barbecue sauce can tart up any stew, a cup of orange juice is also good instead of just water
• Satay for the lazy: fresh bread (toast, if stale), spread crunchy peanut butter,  a big dob of sweet chilli sauce and a dessertspoon of natural yoghurt. Eat as a sandwich. Watch the drips or eat alone.
• Use hand held blender with cut bananas, milk, yoghurt, a sprinkling of raw oats, makes a quick and balanced breakfast (it's a banana lassi, but you could use whatever fruit is looking a bit tired around the place)
• Broccoli stalks - too healthy to chuck. Dice them, put them in soup or stews. Julienne cut with a stir fry. 
• Last and most importantly.....use wine when cooking (have a glass on hand while in the kitchen, don't waste it in the food!).

This will be my only cooking post, as my wife is the cook. My kitchen jobs are cleaning dishes, emptying the compost bin and keeping the wine cold. Good deal.

A cheap bastard's guide to travelling

Here are some random travelling tips:

• Travel agents are redundant. We have not used a travel agent for many years after several stuff ups - thanks, Flight Centre - and that grinning prat isn't even a pilot. They don't shop around for you and always want to sell you their "preferred" travel insurance. If something goes wrong with your flight booking once you have left the country, you are on your own. Deal with the airline direct. Airlines can beat all quotes on their websites. Cut out the middleman.
• Flights  Investigate round-the-world fares, travelling return to a destination is sometimes more expensive than a round-the-world fare with Star Alliance or One World, plus there are no seasonal surcharges.
• Travel Insurance  If you travel overseas more than once a year it will pay you to get a "gold" credit card that includes travel insurance cover (e.g. Amex). We have had two claims using this cover - both resolved beautifully. Do the maths - yearly card fee is around $200 - you can't buy much travel insurance for a family for $200. Plus you get perks like Qantas Club lounge access if you play your cards right. You also get frequent flyer points with your card.
• Accommodation Use trip advisor website hotel reviews. Check out best rooms, views, proximity to supermarkets, restaurants, train stations. Use google maps to ascertain walking distance. Ask to see the room on check-in - this eliminates moving rooms later because of crap view, smoky smell, dampness, etc. Don't unpack until you are happy with the room. Always bring a plastic bowl, knife, spoon - invaluable for self-catering. We took a small sandwich maker once to Europe - amazing range of hot dishes are possible, from mini pizzas to warming up stuff. Yes, I know I am a cheap bastard. Don't forget to open a window if you have sandwich maker on - in case of automatic fire alarms. Many hotel rooms include microwaves now, anyway.  Pack a powerboard/extension cord and international  plug adaptor. Invaluable for charging, watching movies on your device in airport lounges when there is a delay.
• Money  Download Oanda currency converter cheat sheet. Good to know best time for ATM withdrawals.
• Transport  Walking and taking public transport is the best way of getting a feel for a city. Plus it is cheap. You can travel the entire Beijing, Buenos Aires or Mexico City subway network for less than a dollar. NEVER pre-pay for airport transfers in your home country. Many airports have integrated train links to the city. Even Los Angeles, a city renowned for its reliance on motor cars, has a brilliant underground system. We have travelled with our daughter from the age of two - using everything from the Rio de Janeiro underground to the river ferries in Bangkok.

Images Copyright courier-mail.com; depositphotos.com

• One last point: Don't wait until you retire to do all your travelling overseas. Travelling with a kid, despite all the hassles, heightens the experience. But, let's face it, travelling before you have kids is even BETTER. Travelling as a couple, now your daughter is old enough to house-sit is the BEST.