Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:33 am
by The Boss
Just back from Malaysia, Singapore, and Bali.
Highlights:
Malaysia:
- Butterfly Park and Bird Park in Kuala Lumpur
- Jetskiing around tropical islands around Langkawi
- Climbing up to Batu Caves - the massive golden statue and doing a tour of a huge cave with lots of unique species
- Being face to face with a pig-nosed turtle - easily the ugliest creature in the world
- Walking around Melaka, a UNESCO World Heritage City
- Swimming in a pool caused by a waterfall in the jungle in Langkawi (a tropical island off the north-west coast of Malaysia)
- Seeing monkeys fuck with dumb tourists who can't follow simple instructions
- Seeing a flying lemur during a jungle trek
- The Langkawi sunset
- Getting bombed on Blue Hawaiians while listening to chill acoustic reggae and dub at a beach club in Langkawi. Also seeing blue poop the next morning. That was hilarious.
Singapore:
- The Orchid Park
Bali:
- Ubud. All of it.
- The Monkey Temple
- Climbing Mt Batur
- Hugging an elephant
- Chillin' by the pool in the resort while sippin' beer. ALL DAY.
Lowlights:
Malaysia:
- The constant development all around Kuala Lumpur
- The Chinese
- Getting intimidated by both a monkey and a stray dog in the space of 20 seconds. Seriously, you don't realise how much of a girl you are until a monkey with bared fangs starts bolting toward you
Singapore:
- Almost everything. What a fucking boring place.
Bali:
- Violent drunk Australians out on the street of Kuta at 9:00am. Seriously, dickheads, just go get some sleep.
- The mosquitoes. Dear Lord, it looks like I have chicken pox on my legs.
- Kuta Beach. I am less than a 120 second walk from a beach right now that is MUCH more beautiful with better surf. Kuta Beach is very over-rated.
- The pushiness and seediness of the Balinese hawkers. Worst I've ever experienced in a dozen countries. Pure scum.
Overall highlights:
- Just enjoying not working and seeing and doing new stuff. I'm very nearly always 100% happy when I'm travelling, as long as it's new and/or relaxing.
- The weather stayed pretty good everywhere.
- The resort in Bali
- The relative low cost of just about everything. Except Singapore.
Overall lowlights:
- My constantly nagging, bitching girlfriend. She's going back to NZ tomorrow. Thank fuck for that.
- The Chinese. Everywhere. They are the worst people in the fucking world. They manage to fuck up everything, everywhere they go.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:54 am
by hellboy
I spent about 20 minutes in Kuta the 9 days I was in Bali. That was enough for me to realise I didn't want to be there. The bogan level in Kuta and the beaches not far north is pretty high, but thankfully I have a relatively high tolerance level. There were plenty of eye-rolling moments though.
The rest of the time spent in Canggu, Ubud and Seminyak were great. Not sure I'd rush back to Bali (though it is a cheap trip for me since I have free accommodation there) but it was a nice enough place to visit. Much more laid back than expected.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:55 am
by The Boss
Need advice for Snowy Mountains/Mount Kosciuszko:
Is it easy getting to there/around while backpacking/without a car?
What clothing would be recommended for December? I'm thinking a fleece and a warm shell/outer jacket would be the extent to combat the night air. Otherwise I'm thinkin' just tops, flannelette shirts and trousers.
Overall cost for about a week? VERY rough estimate appreciated.
Thanks.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:56 am
by The Boss
hellboy wrote:I spent about 20 minutes in Kuta the 9 days I was in Bali. That was enough for me to realise I didn't want to be there. The bogan level in Kuta and the beaches not far north is pretty high, but thankfully I have a relatively high tolerance level. There were plenty of eye-rolling moments though.
The rest of the time spent in Canggu, Ubud and Seminyak were great. Not sure I'd rush back to Bali (though it is a cheap trip for me since I have free accommodation there) but it was a nice enough place to visit. Much more laid back than expected.
I heard Seminyak was just a more ritzy version of Kuta. Not my kind of thing. I actually learned to appreciate the scuzziness and sleaziness of Kuta. All during schoolies week, too.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 3:58 am
by hellboy
The Boss wrote:
I heard Seminyak was just a more ritzy version of Kuta. Not my kind of thing. I actually learned to appreciate the scuzziness and sleaziness of Kuta. All during schoolies week, too.
The main difference is that it doesn't have a bunch of sleazy nightclubs.
The Boss wrote:Need advice for Snowy Mountains/Mount Kosciuszko:
Is it easy getting to there/around while backpacking/without a car?
What clothing would be recommended for December? I'm thinking a fleece and a warm shell/outer jacket would be the extent to combat the night air. Otherwise I'm thinkin' just tops, flannelette shirts and trousers.
Overall cost for about a week? VERY rough estimate appreciated.
let me start by saying that the Snowy Mountains are great to visit during the summer. I can't comment too much on the back packing aspect as I drove when I was there, but I did note there seemed to be a bunch of backpacker lodges at Lake Jindabyne. From there, more of the main tourist areas (inc. Mt Kosciuszko) I imagine have some kind of tourist bus service running. I would suggest the area is best enjoyed by car though if that's an option at all.
Mt K is a great walk - I did the walk from Charlottes Pass. From memory it was about a 6 hour round trip, and not especially challenging. If you're after more of a challenge then there's a bunch of other loops in the area that are longer and steeper.
Weather is a little unpredictable up there. I visited in January, and while it was never super hot, it varied between sunny and 30 and rainy but not especially cold. The clothing you have in mind sounds suitable to me. One word of warning - when I was their the flies (expecially the big bitey ones) were brutal. Long sleeved shirts and trousers are a must if you have low tolerance for insect bites. Just taking a piss can be an interesting challenge.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 4:02 am
by The Boss
hellboy wrote:
The Boss wrote:
I heard Seminyak was just a more ritzy version of Kuta. Not my kind of thing. I actually learned to appreciate the scuzziness and sleaziness of Kuta. All during schoolies week, too.
The main difference is that it doesn't have a bunch of sleazy nightclubs.
The Boss wrote:Need advice for Snowy Mountains/Mount Kosciuszko:
Is it easy getting to there/around while backpacking/without a car?
What clothing would be recommended for December? I'm thinking a fleece and a warm shell/outer jacket would be the extent to combat the night air. Otherwise I'm thinkin' just tops, flannelette shirts and trousers.
Overall cost for about a week? VERY rough estimate appreciated.
let me start by saying that the Snowy Mountains are great to visit during the summer. I can't comment too much on the back packing aspect as I drove when I was there, but I did note there seemed to be a bunch of backpacker lodges at Lake Jindabyne. From there, more of the main tourist areas (inc. Mt Kosciuszko) I imagine have some kind of tourist bus service running. I would suggest the area is best enjoyed by car though if that's an option at all.
Mt K is a great walk - I did the walk from Charlottes Pass. From memory it was about a 6 hour round trip, and not especially challenging. If you're after more of a challenge then there's a bunch of other loops in the area that are longer and steeper.
Weather is a little unpredictable up there. I visited in January, and while it was never super hot, it varied between sunny and 30 and rainy but not especially cold. The clothing you have in mind sounds suitable to me. One word of warning - when I was their the flies (expecially the big bitey ones) were brutal. Long sleeved shirts and trousers are a must if you have low tolerance for insect bites. Just taking a piss can be an interesting challenge.
I was waiting specifically for your input. Thanks a whole bunch, man.
Do you think I could do without the fleece and just take the semi-waterproof jacket? I'm trying to go as light as possible. The weather forecast at the moment for Charlotte's Pass is like fucking 1 degree C. I'm really not sure what to take now. Looks like I'll be doing the same walk as you did. Six hours sounds fine at this point. I plan on doing a handful of other day-treks during my brief time there, so overdoing it is not an option.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 4:06 am
by hellboy
The Boss wrote:
Do you think I could do without the fleece and just take the semi-waterproof jacket? I'm trying to go as light as possible. The weather forecast at the moment for Charlotte's Pass is like fucking 1 degree C. I'm really not sure what to take now. Looks like I'll be doing the same walk as you did. Six hours sounds fine at this point. I plan on doing a handful of other day-treks during my brief time there, so overdoing it is not an option.
The reality is you may need it. Certainly I found that a t-shirt and a windproof jacket (in my case my trusty goretex one) were just fine during the day. It can be quite cool at night though, so I think travelling without some kind of fleece/jumper is not a great idea. Alternatively, if weight really is an issue - Thermal Underwear + a wind proof jacket and or pants is a good combination.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 4:10 am
by The Boss
hellboy wrote:
The Boss wrote:
Do you think I could do without the fleece and just take the semi-waterproof jacket? I'm trying to go as light as possible. The weather forecast at the moment for Charlotte's Pass is like fucking 1 degree C. I'm really not sure what to take now. Looks like I'll be doing the same walk as you did. Six hours sounds fine at this point. I plan on doing a handful of other day-treks during my brief time there, so overdoing it is not an option.
The reality is you may need it. Certainly I found that a t-shirt and a windproof jacket (in my case my trusty goretex one) were just find during the day. It can be quite cool at night though, so I think travelling without some kind of fleece/jumper is not a great idea. Alternatively, if weight really is an issue - Thermal Underwear + a wind proof jacket and or pants is a good combination.
Good call. It's just that I'm packing for MELMET as well, so I'm trying to pack as smart as possible. I've got a 40L bag which is the biggest I'll go now, so I'll just pack how I usually pack - light as fuck.
Thanks again dude.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 10:52 pm
by not tyson
Almost $4000.00 with no beer.
I wonder if I'm allowed to bring back a wife?
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:18 pm
by N.Y.H.C.
advice on travel: if you're ever in the deep south (U.S.) and you're driving through a town with New York plates and see "KKK Barber Shop" that's not a good place to stop and ask for directions.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 3:43 am
by petemasterpete
N.Y.H.C. wrote:advice on travel: if you're ever in the deep south (U.S.) and you're driving through a town with New York plates and see "KKK Barber Shop" that's not a good place to stop and ask for directions unless your of African American descent, of course.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 4:39 am
by Ravenpig
If you're ever in Texas and someone starts fucking with you just tell them you know the ol' RP.
They'll say, "what the fuck is a Ravenpig?!" but still, say it anyway.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 4:46 am
by basejumper
Ravenpig wrote:If you're ever in Texas and someone starts fucking with you just tell them you know the ol' RP.
They'll say, "what the fuck is a Ravenpig?!" but still, say it anyway.
and this is the result... thanks dude
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 4:54 am
by Ravenpig
You're welcome, now you have a story you can tell.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:03 am
by The Boss
Well, as long as I can get to Thredbo and back from Sydney, I should be able to do three nights in a backpackers and do one or two days of decent hiking. Probably not much chance of anything else, due to not having a car.
Just getting there looks like a mission, though.
Re: Where are you going/Where have you been? Travel advice,
Thanks a whole bunch, man.
