I do have to go to Brisbane for a work conference two days in July next year Shane so will take you up on that offer.
LOL I just realised I am travelling 9,399.46km each way to go for a dive...better be bloody good!
Reply to this Bob, Iles des Pins has a great repuation...and it seems to be amazing...above the water too!
You've got a great tri ahead of you...I wish! Enjoy!
Reply to this Ok..sorry to bump this up but after missing plane thread thought I should seek some serious seasoned advice from you all.
I am booked at Papeete on the 18th and 19th Feb, and then I go to Rangiroa and Bora Bora for a week before coming back to Moorea for a week...Rangiroa is my real interest, Bora Bora is just so I can drink a bottle of Verve as the sun goes down in my overwater bungalow and say, been there done that.
So yes, this is going to be an expensive trip. I plan on having some traditional polynesian tattooing done as well as going for the worlds best dressed dive..in a $2000 dress...just cos I can.
So my big question at this point in time is what day do i need to leave Perth WA to be in Papeete Tahiti on the night of the 18th???
Stoopid international date line..every day of my life is valuable, i dont like losing them..or will i gain them??
Reply to this You'll gain time on your outward journey, so you will probably arrive in Papeete before you leave Australia. However, you will lose that same amount of time when returning.
Reply to this If you fly at 4pm, you'll arrive around 9pm, the day BEFORE!!!
So when is you flight leaving Aus? If it's on the 19th, you'll arrive on the 18th!
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In response to: Msg #161142 It's 5 days for us. I am now Following you, which gives you five Followers (sorry, you are no longer eligible for Blogger of the Week as a consequence, but...) every blog you write with more than 500 words and 4 pictures will be on the Front Page. I'm looking forward to your adventures!
Reply to this Hey Chris and Lou, can't believe your trip (and our's) is about to begin. Have you decided on your route yet? where are you flying to first/where will you be at Christmas?
We are so excited, yet so nervous - cannot believe we fly to Tokyo on Monday for the start of our 8/9 months is Asia.
Reply to this SO jealous of your Japan trip - not really affordable for us this time. One for the future.
We start in Bali for a few weeks, then a few days in KL, then maybe a hop over to Borneo for a few days, then probably Thailand. We're thinking about Koh Phangan for Xmas. Need to fit in Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Burma before March. Phew!
Getting pretty excited now. It's come around so quickly. Have you guys got an itinerary?
Reply to this Make sure you get to Ubud and the Gilli Islands whikst in Bali.
I think roughly we will be following this type of route
Japan (2 weeks)
Hong Kong
China (1 month)
Vietnam (3-4 weeks)
Thailand (1 month over xmas/NY - thinking Ko Lipe/PhiPhi for xmas/NY - went KP for full moon NY a few years back and was awesome)
Burma, Laos, Cambodia (4 weeks)
Thailand (one week)
Phillipines (21 days, poss more)
Borneo (malaysia side 2 weeks)
Indonesia (Sulawaeisi, Bangue Islands, Bali, Java - 3/4 weeks)
Malaysia 3 weeks
Thailand 2 weeks
That's the plan at the minute but I am sure it will change quite a bit after xmas/ny.
Having a nightmare packing (again) but finally managed to rent out the flat which is a huge relief.
Reply to this Wow, you guys are really packing it in. Looks like an awesome trip. I'll deffo keep an eye on your blogs to see where you're at. I'm sure our paths will cross at some point. We also thought about the Andaman side for Xmas, but were put off by the high season prices.
As for packing, we're just taking 40L carry-on packs this time. Has been interesting, hehe. My pack contains 40% gadgets, 15% wifey stuff, and the rest is my clothes. The advantage of only going to tropical climes!
Reply to this In response to: Msg #161219
Great itinerary, just a suggestion - I'm not sure how long you intend to split your time in Burma/Laos/Cambodia - but for four weeks, I'm going to guess on a 2/1/1 week split.
However, road transport in Burma is very slow, so unless you fly, two weeks is not going to be enough in that country - travelling between places sucks a lot of time from your itinerary.
I've heard the same transport stories for people getting around Laos, so unless you fly, you'll lose a lot of time getting to places, which cuts into your sightseeing time.
Thus, you may need to add at least a week to Myanmar. I had four weeks there last year, and due to flying I found it enough time to see the major sites with a week relaxing on a beach area at the end. Thus the three weeks sightseeing involved seeing Golden Rock, Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake was only possible by flying three times (to Bagan, and to and from Inle Lake), one train trip (from Bagan to Mandalay) and a return bus journey (Golden Rock).
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In response to: Msg #161230
Cool, thanks for this @Travel Camel. We are still not 100%!o(MISSING)n Burma at the moment but we will probably decide in Thailand.
Two quick questions, did you book your internal flights once you had arrived in Burma, or before you went? Did you use a travel agent, or were you able to book accomodation/flights independently?
Although travel in Laos can be somewhat slow/frustrating, we found that the relative journey times from place to place were not too bad - but we may consider adding more time if we drop another destination.
More decisions . . . .
Reply to this Because I was travelling peak season, December, I booked all three flights in advance and because there was still the financial restrictions, it was not possible to pay from overseas, so I paid in clean US dollars after arrival. This could be different now. All road transport was booked after arrival.
I'll send you a private message with the agent who booked my flight. They were very good.
Reply to this We really want to go to Burma, but we're a bit concerned about getting flights and finding reasonably prices accommodation. Seems to be getting tougher by all accounts.
Reply to this Went I went in December 2011, the price for accommodation averaged $30-50 for a very good quality room, including breakfast - though it is still possible to stay in places for less than half that - you just need to search. Flights averaged to about $80-100 per sector.
However, a neighbour of mine made enquiries about heading there for later this year and since sanctions were being lifted (in a moderate way), the prices she received were 20-30% more for the same hotels and airfares - and that increase is within a year.
Prices will only continue to increase and so this is likely to be the last year to see Myanmar for a reasonable price - the more sanctions are lifted, the more tourists will arrive and demand will drive prices higher in certain areas.
Reply to this Do you have to use travel agents, or can you book flights/accom independently?
Reply to this You can travel independently and don't need to use travel agents - I only did so to secure flights, and booked all bar one night of my accommodation independently. The only restriction I am aware of is that there are certain remote regions where one must obtain a special permit before travelling. However, it is unlikely that you will be heading to these areas.
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