[Archived] Travels

[roversWASmylife]

Alright guys, just after some advice/info on travelling through Bangkok, Sydney up the Gold Coast and then onto Tokyo.

We're off for 6 weeks, a week in Bangkok, Tokyo and a month in Australia, travelling. If anyone has got any suggestions, places to go, see and stuff to do please let me know. We've already got things planned but just want to see what else is available.

Going to hire a car in Australia so we've got a bit more flexibility, prices of fuel? Places to stay especially in Aus as we'd travel up the Coast would be appreciated.

Thanks

[brfc_jonesy]

Hey man,

I haven't been to these places. But going to Australia in January for a year. But there is an awesome site, www.travbuddy.com Loaded with forums where you can get real good info on them places. I used it alot for advice, definately worth check out mate.

[philipl]

Try www.ballofdirt.com- handy for letting the folks know about your travels!

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

When will you be in Japan? Are you only planning on visiting Tokyo? If not, are you getting a Japan Rail Pass?

My advice is that if you spend a week here, having come all this way, it would be a terrible shame if you only saw Tokyo. If you can afford a rail pass, get one and use it well. When I first visited Japan, it was for 3 weeks over Christmas/New Year. The first week was spent travelling around historical and religious sites and it just blew me away.

A quarter of a century later and it remains an absolutely fascinating place, with wonderful people and amazing experiences.

[dave birch]

In Sydney, after you've done the Harbour,Manly, the Rocks etc, catch a train west to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. Stunning scenery. Then you could head south, again on the train south to Kiama. You'll see why they called this place New South Wales on the way. If you want to drive there, stop off at Stanwell Park, beautiful little beach. If you want to get up close to Koalas, 'roos and Emus, you can see them at Symbio at Helensburgh. There are trains to Cronulla, which is a "southern Manly". Another place you may want to see is Cook's landing place at Kurnell on Botany Bay(just north of Cronulla), you may fly over it coming into Sydney.

A place in Sydney that many don't get to is the Quarantine Station at Manly. It's where early immigrants were taken if they had diseases, but now part of it is a five star hotel.

You should be able to google all of these places to get an idea of where they are in relation to the CBD.

I haven't mentioned the north as you'll be driving up there, but stop at The Hunter Valley (wine),Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay.

There are many other places, and I'm sure you'll find places that many Aussies haven't been to.

Have a good trip.

[SouthAussieRover]

If you want to see a real city head to Melbourne.

Sydney is a second rate city in comparison.

[roversWASmylife]

When will you be in Japan? Are you only planning on visiting Tokyo? If not, are you getting a Japan Rail Pass?

My advice is that if you spend a week here, having come all this way, it would be a terrible shame if you only saw Tokyo. If you can afford a rail pass, get one and use it well. When I first visited Japan, it was for 3 weeks over Christmas/New Year. The first week was spent travelling around historical and religious sites and it just blew me away.

A quarter of a century later and it remains an absolutely fascinating place, with wonderful people and amazing experiences.

Yes, we'll be staying in Tokyo. We're not there for long, just wondered what is worth while to see and do there. We have no knowledge of the city and thought it would be different to go and see it. How much is the rail pass? places to stay etc?

As for Aus, the blue mountains we're going to go, Manly Beach and Byron Bay. We've going to hire a car so have a bit more flexibility on where we want to go, definitely climb the bridge in Sydney etc, typical tourist stuff.

We've looked at hiring cars, but obviously want a good deal? So any reccomendations?

[BlueWhiteDynamite]

From the Gold coast, I'd head on to Byron Bay. Fantastic views especially from the lighthouse, drive up there and park half way up as you don't need to pay for parking or its $7 at the top. Great for Whale watching and looking at Dolphins. Then head on down to the beach for sunset as there's quite a atmosphere.

Sydney, if you haven't been before i'd suggest going to the I'm free tour. It starts at 10.30 outside the town hall i think near the Queen Victoria Building and you meet next to the large anchor (see tripadvisor) it's free and lasts 3 hours (they run on tips). You pretty much see everything. There's also a great German bar in the middle of the rocks, prices are pretty expensive but happy hour runs from 4-6. Also if your after cheaper eats for tea Darling harbour offers a lot of restaurant and many have cheaper food before 6. Also head in to the park next to the opera house for some great pics of the bridge and bats.

Also Brisbane is worth checking out, but if you avoid the city go the the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary. its about $25 but well worth the money to feed Kangaroos and see many different animals.

- prices of fuel varied from $1.13 to $1.30 a few weeks ago and that was in the same day from town to town, but i didn't have a car so didn't pay much attention.

Fraser Island is supposed to be very good, quite a few miles north of the G.Coast but could be worth a trip.

[Lee]

Well I hope you have enough cash as Bangkok aside Tokyo and Australia are certainly on the pricy side. 7 years since I was last in Australia and prices have shot up hugely.

[dave birch]

The exchange rate doesn't help either.

[JC4LAB]

Tokyo Underground looks like a bowl of noodles and may scare you to death if you aint been but you only need to stick to JRr ciruit train to see most sites.Neon etc is in Shinzuku area.and Shibuya area.Days trips if youve time from Tokyo..Nikko ,Kamakura,Mount Fuji.But Bullet train makes most of Japan inc Himiji Castle.Mazumoto Castle , Kyoto Nara and Osaka possible..But check weather forecast before you go to Fuji.If covered in Cloud dont go...Maybe try out a Capusule hotel(some not not all are male only though)

[ultrablue]

I did a long weekend in Tokyo a few years back. I didn't plan the trip at all, seeing as I went with a mate who used to work there and knew his way round.

However I do remember the hostel we stayed in. It was in Asakura, a clean, safe central district with subway connections, good restaurants etc. It also had the rather nice Senso-ji temple right next door.

Tokyo Tower, the Imperial Palace and Shibuya are all worth visiting as is Harijuku, if just to look at the goth lolita types.

hostel link

[roversWASmylife]

From the Gold coast, I'd head on to Byron Bay. Fantastic views especially from the lighthouse, drive up there and park half way up as you don't need to pay for parking or its $7 at the top. Great for Whale watching and looking at Dolphins. Then head on down to the beach for sunset as there's quite a atmosphere.

Sydney, if you haven't been before i'd suggest going to the I'm free tour. It starts at 10.30 outside the town hall i think near the Queen Victoria Building and you meet next to the large anchor (see tripadvisor) it's free and lasts 3 hours (they run on tips). You pretty much see everything. There's also a great German bar in the middle of the rocks, prices are pretty expensive but happy hour runs from 4-6. Also if your after cheaper eats for tea Darling harbour offers a lot of restaurant and many have cheaper food before 6. Also head in to the park next to the opera house for some great pics of the bridge and bats.

Cheers for the I'm free trip. Will have a look into that. Heard there are places that do meals for $7 etc? Not sure how true this is. What about places to stay the night especially if we're driving? Not too bothered about the standard, just somewhere to get some sleep. prices?

The distance between Sydney and Brisbane is huge, so at a guess with the stuff to do and see along the coast, how long do you reckon it will take roughly? Such as visiting Sydney, Bondi Beach, Manly Beach etc, as far as we can go then back to Sydney in a month?

Tokyo Underground looks like a bowl of noodles and may scare you to death if you aint been but you only need to stick to JRr ciruit train to see most sites.Neon etc is in Shinzuku area.and Shibuya area.Days trips if youve time from Tokyo..Nikko ,Kamakura,Mount Fuji.But Bullet train makes most of Japan inc Himiji Castle.Mazumoto Castle , Kyoto Nara and Osaka possible..But check weather forecast before you go to Fuji.If covered in Cloud dont go...Maybe try out a Capusule hotel(some not not all are male only though)

Again, read about the Bullet train. Don't know much about Tokyo to be honest, so the names of those places don't mean much at the moment. What places of interest are there? Rough prices on the train to them etc?

Seen the Capusule hotel, strange!

Thanks for the hostel link ultrablue

[BlueWhiteDynamite]

the rocks YMCA is impressive because of the views from the roof top in sydney. But I've only been on holiday there so couldn't say really comment on times or parking etc as i only used planes!

You can get cheap eats. look out in Darling Harbour before 6, or about 15 mins walk out of the CBD theres Darlinghurst road and many bars offer steaks at $10 and they're pretty good for the price, but it is the red light district as well, although no where near as bad as people made it out to be.

If you're heading to surfers paradise on the gold coast, then Brisbane isn't too far by car, but if you cant be bothered driving one day the train is only about $5.

[67splitscreen]

Bangkok, do you have too?.

Frequent visitor, in the past on route to Phuket, I used to stop over for a few nights inbound and outbound, OK some of the temples are wonderful, the floating market and such like are OK.

It really is a **** hole IMO, the tailors are a pain in the butt, cheapish but not worth the hassle.

Having said all that 2-3 days doing all the tourist sites, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

[JC4LAB]

A train day trip to Kyoto is the same as the entire weeks Railpass which must be bought outside Japan..£140 or so for the week subject to Exchange rates.. If you get a pass you really have to use it everyday to get your moneys worth..

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

Don't know whether you have reached the Japan leg yet, RoversWASmylife, but I've just got back to Japan myself and it is decidedly hot. Records have been tumbling around the country in the hottest summer since 1897, I believe. It hit 38C yesterday here in Nagoya, the city's record for September, but that was eclipsed by the 39.9C in Kyoto, the highest ever recorded in the month of September.

It's typhoon season, too, although this year the typhoons have so far been pushed away to the west by the dominant high pressure systems. Typhoon no. 9, however, is currently moving in to Kyushu in the southwest, with up to 200mm of rain expected in northern parts of the island during today. The typhoon is forecast to head northeastwards and so we may just catch a bit of the strong winds here, though it shouldn't affect Tokyo too much. Anyway, keep an eye on the typhoons if you are on your way.