After leaving Brisbane's superb shopping and dining, we sail to Airlie Beach, the jump-off point for the Great Barrier Reef and the wilds of Conway National Park. Next, we spend a night in Cairns, a gateway to reef and rainforest - there's an option to take to the skies for an overview of both. Now we cross to Papua New Guinea to visit Alotau, with its bustling market and harbor brimming with colorful boats, and Port Moresby, the capital, where ancient traditions still pepper everyday life. You've three days at sea now, so relax and reflect on what you've seen and what's to come in Indonesia. First, we visit Waingapu island on Sumba, to see the megalithic tombstones and learn about the indigenous culture. Next Komodo, an island prized by UNESCO for its biodiversity, which includes the famed "dragon'. We stay overnight in Benoa, Bali - enough time to explore the Chinese Caow Eng Bio Temple, one of the oldest in Bali. We then spend a day sailing to Semarang in Java, where you can uncover the legacy of the Dutch at Gereja Blenduk church and the Chinese influence at the 16th-century Sam Poo Kong temple. Another day at sea brings us to Singapore, where we stay the night. Sample spicy delights at the hawker stalls and admire some of the 1.5 million plants gathered from almost every continent at Gardens By The Bay - despite the futuristic skyline, this is the greenest city in Asia. Kick back as we make our way to lively Ko Samui, Thailand's second-biggest island. Kayak around the karsts in Ang Thong National Marine Park - or just find a spot on the beach and lie back. Laem Chabang is our port for exploring dynamic Bangkok, and then we make for the Thai island of Ko Kut and the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc, before a day at sea transports us from these sandy idylls to the bright lights of Ho Chi Minh City, where we overnight. All the enticing pleasures of a fast-growing city can be found here - museums, galleries, a culinary feast of street stalls and fine-dining restaurants, and poignant stories of wartime. Back to the ocean we go, sailing for a day to Muara in Brunei, home of the Omarch Ali Saifuddien Mosque. Kota Kinabalu on Borneo adds plenty of market life as well as rainforest action to the mix, and, after a day at sea, we cross to the Philippines to the sandy beaches of Boracay before hitting the irrepressible capital of this island state, Manila. Savor your final day at sea before arriving in one of the world's most exciting cities, Hong Kong.