Travel/Overseas destinations

[mk33]

hey i have zero minutes left at this net café in Phuket

thought i'd quickly pop in and say: lots of trannies, hookers and yeah, that's all i really wanted to say

i'll report with more when i get back i suppose, lol

pray for Otis.

Phuket popular holiday destinations for the US Navy when I was there , German and England older men with Thai boys, outside of that Phuket is pretty good.

 

[FightingFury]

I had an awesome time in Phuket,that bar district is huge.
The best beach was Kata Beach a few kms away,and an enjoyable motorbike ride too.
The trip to the Phi Phi islands was another major highlight.
Let us in on your trip when your back Otis Redding!

 

[outcast]

Thoughts on america and my first ever overseas trip..

Flight over wasn't that bad even though i couldn't sleep and my movie thing didn't work properly , didn;t seem to drag on as much
as i thought it would..

Getting through customs at LAX was ok , not the nightmare some people had led me to believe...
Though i was disappointed i didn't see any security guys with machine guns , that would have been cool..
Driving on the first day after 25 hours or so awake on LA's freeways was a fun experience.NOT..

LA even though it has some cool places by and large is a hole...Has a real old and decaying feel to it..
Way to ospread out and no real centre to it..Santa Monica beach and Arlington West cemetary were pretty cool and very sad...(look up arlington west on google)

Apart from big sur, hearst castleand a few other places the drive up the coast to SF wasn't anything special..A bit disappointing , though it didn't help we did it over two days instead of 3 or more you need to do it in..

San Francisco was uber cool , as good as everyone said it would be..Could spend a month there easily , or even better live there!
Helped that we got pretty clear weather too...

Yosemite was both wonderful and Horrid..
Wonderful for the place itself but horrid due to the labour day weekend crowds and traffic..Was quite bizarre to be in the middle of a national park and feel like you were standing next to the south eastern freeway...
Going over the sierra nevadas via tioga pass was cool , lot less people as well..Mammoth lakes was also cool would have liked to stay an extra night or two there to explore the area..Especially the volcanic related things..

Driving through nevada to Las Vegas was a strange experience , felt like being on a dead planet with no life then suddenly you hit las vegas..

Ever see a movie that was so bad it was good? Thats how las vegas felt , so over the top and tacky and full of greed but somehow it pulls it off..
Best part of vegas was last night seeing the cirque du soleil beatles show , not usually into that sort of stuff but this blew me away...
Anyone ever over there try and get tickets to it!!

Was also cool that on 3 nights there were storms around LV , in fact seemed to be storms all through my time in the desert/canyon areas which was good from a photographic point of view..

After las vegas it was the desert again  and canyon Country - Bryce , Zion , Grand Canyon , Page(horseshoe bend,lake powell) Monument valley.

All very cool especially Zion and Around Monument valley and north arizona/southern utah...Some of the more bizarre and amazing landscapes
that you could ever see..Was interesting spending a few days travelling through and staying in the navajo nation...
Lots of craft stalls on the side of the road , run down houses , fast food joints and green football fields in the middle of the desert..
Pity we didn't have enough time to do a jeep tour through monument valley with a navajo guide , would have been interesting to learen a bit about their way of life maybe next time...

Last but not least Colorado , was very lucky that a day before we got there some snow fell on the peaks plus the fall colors were starting to
get going..Very nice driving through the San Juan mountains..At times felt like driving in a postcard..

Stayed two nights in ouray and got up early to go on a jeep tour up in the mountains , don't think i have ever been so cold in my life going up there..Was an interesting drive at times , especially when the jeep starting sliding backwards on ice up a fairly steep hill...

Ouray , Silverton and even telluride all pretty cool , Aspen meh full of rich people..

The rockies were also pretty cool though not as nice as the San Juans especially as we got past twin lakes and on towards denver...
Though going up nearly to the summit of Mt Evans was pretty cool and a little scary coming down....

Will never bag victorian drivers again , americans are shyte..I think they make up road rules as they go along..


Would be interesting next time to play a drinking game , everytime i see an american flag....

From the first day struck us how many homeless people there were , pretty sad. Also seemed to hear police/ambulance sirens a hell of a lot..
No problems with crime or anything which was good , it was something i was worried about!!

All up a pretty good trip but next time would condense it more to stop it feeling as rushed as it did at times..trip back dragged on a bit more , though amusing to see some guy on the plane with a richmond cap on...


Pity i didn't run into redford at the baseball , though i was looking out for a guy in red sox gear being carted away by the police after about the 3rd inning...

People over there were fairly friendly , especially as we moved away from the west coast and more inland..
Loved the guy on the gondola at telluride who said to us "When i was in australia in 2001 9/11 happened and when you were in america Steve Irwin died" Gotta love perspective..

Was hoping we saw a bear but not to be but saw plenty of other cool wildlife , heaps of Deer and Squirrells , Elk(or moose) in the middle of a town , several coyotes , Bighorn Sheep , Mountain goats , marmots , sea otters and elephant seals and some massive bison..

anyway now all i have to do is sort through about 4500 photos i took...

think that will do nothing to exciting or interesting but i am in a sharing mood...hopefully no one fell asleep reading this..

 

[Rosy]

think that will do nothing to exciting or interesting but i am in a sharing mood...hopefully no one fell asleep reading this..

Great post thanks outcast. Very interesting.

It would be great if our intrepid travellers could post some pics of their travels. Not 4,500 of them though. :hihi

 

[FightingFury]

Wonderful stuff.

I've been to most places you've mentioned,but have already managed to put plenty here to sleep already so won't re-hash.
You'll now have more fun re-living your moments than you actually had living them!

 

[Tigers of Old]

Having a wonderful holiday back in OZ ATM. 8)
Despite spending plenty of time in some fantastic foreign lands in my life, anyone who doesn't think this is still the lucky country has got rocks in their head.

 

[newyorktiger]

Having a wonderful holiday back in OZ ATM. 8)
Despite spending plenty of time in some fantastic foreign lands in my life, anyone who doesn't think this is still the lucky country has got rocks in their head.

Damn straight

 

[TigerGoneNorth]

Having a wonderful holiday back in OZ ATM. 8)
Despite spending plenty of time in some fantastic foreign lands in my life, anyone who doesn't think this is still the lucky country has got rocks in their head.

Damn straight

You bet. We are doing lots of travelling while we're here in London and we've seen some great places (and some bland places like Frankfurt today ) but nothing compares to home.

 

[FightingFury]

And me agree which makes 3.

I would have travelled forever on a limitless budget, but I always was so happy to know that my home was still the greatest place to live in the world.
Lucky to be able to travel,luckier still to have Australia as home.

 

[Liverpool]

Having a wonderful holiday back in OZ ATM. 8)
Despite spending plenty of time in some fantastic foreign lands in my life, anyone who doesn't think this is still the lucky country has got rocks in their head.

Bloody oath! :clap

It's why we can't let it go the same way as other countries, and people that come here aren't allowed to bring their own 'problems' with them.

We're very lucky to be able to 'still call Australia home'!

 

[bairdy380]

Just got back from a 4 week working jaunt in UK. Midlands...great area, thoroughly enjoyed, London..depressing dive of a city, only place on earth where I did not feel safe walking streets after dark, Scotland...fantastic, for scenic view versus km travelled would be very hard to beat.
Hong Kong, excellent...friendly, clean, safe...although beer is unbelievably expensive.
Also would be very happy if I do not see the combination of chips and gravy again as long as I live......

 

[FightingFury]

Just got back from a 4 week working jaunt in UK.  Midlands...great area, thoroughly enjoyed, London..depressing dive of a city, only place on earth where I did not feel safe walking streets after dark, Scotland...fantastic, for scenic view versus km travelled would be very hard to beat. 
Hong Kong, excellent...friendly, clean, safe...although beer is unbelievably expensive.
Also would be very happy if I do not see the combination of chips and gravy again as long as I live......

Im always surprised when I hear of people who dislike London.
Sure its not picturesque or arcitecturally stunning, but I lived there for 2 years and loved its pace and energy.
I miss it still 8 years on and would gladly go back (if I was guaranteed the right job ect)
The weathers pox, but only a small price to pay to experience life and culture elsewhere while earning a legal wage.
I don't think I ever once felt threatened either, and reckoned its safer than the suburbs I grew up in right here in Melbourne.

Still, every opinion is different, and Im sure there are people who loved Jakarta and Lisbon which are the two cities I hated most.

 

[mk33]

Just got back from a 4 week working jaunt in UK.  Midlands...great area, thoroughly enjoyed, London..depressing dive of a city, only place on earth where I did not feel safe walking streets after dark, Scotland...fantastic, for scenic view versus km travelled would be very hard to beat. 
Hong Kong, excellent...friendly, clean, safe...although beer is unbelievably expensive.
Also would be very happy if I do not see the combination of chips and gravy again as long as I live......

Im always surprised when I hear of people who dislike London.
Sure its not picturesque or arcitecturally stunning, but I lived there for 2 years and loved its pace and energy.
I miss it still 8 years on and would gladly go back (if I was guaranteed the right job ect)
The weathers pox, but only a small price to pay to experience life and culture elsewhere while earning a legal wage.
I don't think I ever once felt threatened either, and reckoned its safer than the suburbs I grew up in right here in Melbourne.

Still, every opinion is different, and Im sure there are people who loved Jakarta and Lisbon which are the two cities I hated most.

I am a fan of London, have only spent about just over a week but so much to see and do there and great to breathe in the history there, maybe its different if you get amongst the burbs there. Would personally like to see more of england next time I'm there.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Im always surprised when I hear of people who dislike London.

Shades of brown & grey, for me struggler. Depressing town.

Terrible weather. Expensive. Crap service industry. Sad & lonely people everywhere.

It's Ok if you like really old buildings & spend plenty of time in the pubs. Perhaps that's why you enjoyed it so much? :hihi :beer

Personally everytime I go to London, I can't get on the plane quick enough to wherever I'm going next.

However as you say each to their own and I'm sure it was a different experience actually living there as opposed to short stays.

 

[FightingFury]

Im always surprised when I hear of people who dislike London.

Shades of brown & grey, for me struggler. Depressing town.

Terrible weather. Expensive. Crap service industry. Sad & lonely people everywhere.

It's Ok if you like really old buildings & spend plenty of time in the pubs. Perhaps that's why you enjoyed it so much? :hihi :beer

Personally everytime I go to London, I can't get on the plane quick enough to wherever I'm going next.

However as you say each to their own and I'm sure it was a different experience actually living there as opposed to short stays.

Fair play TooTsie.

Its no oil painting,but alive with history and granduer as well as a music scene unrivalled IMO.
As for the best pubs in the world,I'll stand guilty of loving them,and got right into the soccer and loved singing the chants among the fans in the terraces.......I loved the fact the sides all still have their spiritual home grounds for the better part too.
Anywhere where I have a good strike rate with the girls has to be a good town too dunnit?
Funnily enough when I lived there my girlfriends were either Brazillian,Irish or Canadian!!
Its cosmopolitan and awesome....for me. I loved it.

PS ToOts....my first night in Bangkok involved 2 seperate fights, getting locked inside a club and threatened with a knife after an extortion attempt on us and an attempted robbery by a motorcycle bandit.

Ive been to Thailand 4 imes now and regard it as my equal No1 favorite travel destination.
Go figure hey? :fing32

 

[Tigers of Old]

Im always surprised when I hear of people who dislike London.

Shades of brown & grey, for me struggler. Depressing town.

Terrible weather. Expensive. Crap service industry. Sad & lonely people everywhere.

It's Ok if you like really old buildings & spend plenty of time in the pubs. Perhaps that's why you enjoyed it so much? :hihi :beer

Personally everytime I go to London, I can't get on the plane quick enough to wherever I'm going next.

However as you say each to their own and I'm sure it was a different experience actually living there as opposed to short stays.

Fair play TooTsie.

Its no oil painting,but alive with history and granduer as well as a music scene unrivalled IMO.
As for the best pubs in the world,I'll stand guilty of loving them,and got right into the soccer and loved singing the chants among the fans in the terraces.......I loved the fact the sides all still have their spiritual home grounds for the better part too.
Anywhere where I have a good strike rate with the girls has to be a good town too dunnit?
Funnily enough when I lived there my girlfriends were either Brazillian,Irish or Canadian!!
Its cosmopolitan and awesome....for me. I loved it.

PS ToOts....my first night in Bangkok involved 2 seperate fights, getting locked inside a club and threatened with a knife after an extortion attempt on us and an attempted robbery by a motorcycle bandit.

Ive been to Thailand 4 imes now and regard it as my equal No1 favorite travel destination.
Go figure hey? :fing32

As I said Strugs, always helps if you've lived there.

Have you seen this flick?
Gives a good insight into the soccer culture over there. Based on what you've said I reckon you'd like it if you haven't seen it already.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385002/

I've been in Bangers for 18 months now and I have to admit I could get used to staying here permanently sometimes. Likely to be here for another 12 or 18mths again before moving back to some sort of reality, where ever that may be..

It's a great part of the world for sure and I can see why you like it. Aside from it's many pluses it's such a central location and it's really easy to hop to pretty much anywhere on the globe in 12 hours or so.

Next time you're in Bangers you should go out for a beer with Gustiger and I. 8)

 

[Tigers of Old]

Fortunate enough to be off to South Africa for a week in late January. Can't wait as I've never been to that continent and am hoping to check out a safari park which is something I've always wanted to do.

Likely to stay in Johannesberg & Capetown.
Anyone been there recently and have any advice on must sees or travel tips? Cheers.

 

[craig]

When in Jo Berg Oldie stay in at night and dont venture out alone outside of tourist areas very dangerous place in parts is Johannesberg.

Take it easy and take care over there and keep your wits about you. Never been there but know plenty who have.


You will love the safaris i have it on good authority.

 

[Redford]

Bring back some elephant tusks.

 

[FightingFury]

Fortunate enough to be off to South Africa for a week in late January. Can't wait as I've never been to that continent and am hoping to check out a safari park which is something I've always wanted to do.

Likely to stay in Johannesberg & Capetown.
Anyone been there recently and have any advice on must sees or travel tips? Cheers.

Howdy TOotsie, my advice is to keep your stay in Joburg to a bare minimum and spend the bulk of the time you have in Capetown.
Joburg is the very worst city ive ever been too.
Violent and almost anarchy with Police almost helpless against the tidal wave of crime....day or night!
We had an armoured vehicle show us around the town which says it all really.
The rich white people live in suburbs that are heavily guarded and just about everyone packs (guns) when outside.
Apart from that there's smile all there to see and do anyhow.


If your driving, take the garden route to Capetown, a longer trip but awesome scenery and very enjoyable.
Capetown is a far far safer and picturesque place than Joburg, and the backdrop of table mountain is fabulous.
I look forward to your report of how cold the sea water is though!!
You'll know once your in there!
I did't visit any game parks in Sth Africa, but went to many in Tanzania (Serengetti-AWESOME) Zambia, Zimbabwe(Hwangi)
and Botswana(Ocevengo Delta-sp?) and although its tiring and very primitive conditions wise, you'll be rewarded with priceless memories that you won't see either here or in Asia.
Obviously Kreuger NP is the most prominent and largest in S.A and will be easy to arrange an overland through it.

Have a blast old son! :fing32