Nathan's Insights

World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas


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Flight Reviews | Lounge Reviews | Destinations | Short Breaks | World Trip 1986 | World Trip 1998 | World Trip 1999-2000 | World Trip 2006 | World Trip 2009 | World Trip 2009-10 | World Trip 2010 | World Trip 2011 | World Trip 2012-13 | World Trip 2015 | World Trip 2016 | World Trip 2017 | World Trip 2017-18 | World Trip 2018 | World Trip 2019 | Australia 2022 | World Trip 2023 | World Trip 2024 | World Trip 2024-25 | World Trip 2026-27

  • 2016 Travel Just Got Very Comfortable 

    The 2016 World Trip to Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is starting to take sharp. I’ve decided that for this trip I will try an experience First Class travel on long haul using my QANTAS points. After investigating the options it looks like catching a Emirates first class flight on their A380 is the way to go. Frequent Flyers informed me also to go for a day flight to enjoy all the benefits.

    Therefore I’m going to try an book the Emirates 6.00 am flight from Sydney to Dubai which is a 14 hour flight using an A380 that seems to have a lot of first class award seats available. I couldn’t find any seats via Melbourne on an A380 Emirates flight and they are all at night anyway.

    Next up I’ll stay in Dubai for less than 24 hours and fly to Colombo which is a 4 hour flight. The less than 24 hour stay means the first class award seat is calculated as one flight from Melbourne to Colombo (Sri Lanka) saving me many reward points and some taxes. This also means I can go to a show in Dubai or some sightseeing, maybe check out the ski resort in the mall. 

    The Emirates first class experience includes chauffeur pick up and drop off before and after the flight. Now in Sydney I won’t be able to use this service as I’ll stay at the hotel next to the airport since it’s a 6 amflight. But in Dubai I’ll definitely use this service; I might be the only person in a chauffeur car getting dropped off at the budget hotel 😅
     

    Emirates First Class seat – bed
     Now what does the Emirates A380 first class experience include? Well a shower at 40,000 feet for starters, a real TV, pop up drink service, a bed (for a catnap since they leave at 6 am) and a very wide selection of food and drinks. And I almost forgot there is a bar as well and free Wi-Fi!

    Emirates A380 First Class Bar Experience
     Emirates First Class A380 Review 1 

    Emirates First Class A380 Review 2

    So after this I can cross off a first class long haul flight of the bucket list on a trip take will also allow me to also see an Australian Test Match in another country (part of another bucket list item) and them onwards to travel in four countries I want to experience.

      Now I just need the Cricket Australia to confirm dates for the July-August tour so I can start hunting down award seats and link up to tours.

  • Remembering Antartica 

    My blog now allows me to post videos so I can now share some of the videos I took during my Antarctica trip.  I visited Antarctica with G Adventures on their Antarctica Classic in Depth tour from 8 November to 19 November 2012.  My trip summary is located here. More videos loaded on YouTube – Antarctica 2012 Videos Playlist.  

     

       

      
      
              
      
          
      
      
      

  • 2016 Travel and beyond

    we must take adventures in order to know where we truly belong

    So one of the first things you do at the end of an overseas trip, and especially on a nine hour flight home, is start thinking about the next trip.  Now that I don’t take 2-3 month trips every 2-3 years it means I’ll be taking shoter 4-6 week trips more regularly every year so the planning begins a little earlier.

    Using the G Adventure website as a starting point and listening to fellow travellers I have an initial wishlist of ideas covering the next few years but this is only the start.  I went to India and Japan as a direct result of recommendations from friends and they were both amazing places so I’ll continue to seek their input and ideas.  

    I’ve only visited 52 countries so far and I have a lot left on my bucket list.  Time to take action and experience more! 

    2016 Trips 

    Based on the Australia Test tour of Sri Lanka July-August 2016:

    Treasures of Sri Lanka (14 days Negombo to Negombo)

    Indochina Explorer (18 days Bangkok to Siem Reap)

    2017 Trips

    Absolute Turkey (15 days Istanbul to Istanbul)

    Jordan Highlights (8 days Amman to Amman)

    2018 Trips

    Arctic Circle and Fjords by Rail (13 days Kiruna to Oslo)

    Arctic Highlights (15 days Longyearbyen to Reykjavík)

    Likely August to September dates.

    The Polar Bears are calling!
     
    Other Possible Trips

    High Road to Tibet (14 days Kathmandu to Kathmandu including Mt Everst Base Camp)

    Trans-Mongolian Express (21 days Beijing to Moscow). Likely link a visit to Shanghai.

    I also want to be in England for an Ashes tour one year, not 2015 but maybe the next one.  So much more to still experience.

  • World Trip 2015: Summary

    So it’s now over.  I’m finally back home after 31 days exploring 🇮🇳 India and 🇯🇵 Japan.  This trip come about after I cancelled my planned longer trip from October last year to Africa for 2 months (South Africa to Kenya camping) and Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.  I selected this smaller trip based on recommendations from friends.  And I’m extremely happy I did.

    The major highlights of this trip includes in India; seeing the Taj Mahal, playing cricket with local kids in Swarda, walking the slums of Dehli, visiting the underrated Agra Fort, the noise and craziness of India everywhere, experiencing the vast difference between North and South India, a canoe trip under the stars in Alleppey, and in Japan; visting Miyajima Insland especially the mountain hike, experiencing Hiroshima Peace Park & Museum, visiting a Japanese Tea Ceremony, mediating with monks, staying in a temple on Mt Koya, singing karaoke!!, the Ninja Show and the Robot Show, experiencing the excellent train infrastructure, learning differences between shrines and temples, visiting a marriage ceremony in traditional dress, eating dinner in traditional dress, and seeing the Golden Temple.

    Japan is definitely the easier place to visit.  The locals are very polite, most speak some English and pretty much everywhere has an English sign.  The customs are also easier to understand.  I was felt safe and the countryside is very beautiful has an added bonus. 

    Marriage Ceremony Meiji Shinto Shrine Japan
     India is a bit more complex.  There is extreme poverty and extreme wealth so near each other you can’t ignore it. The countryside towns and villages seemed to be much happier.  The road system is a mess and drivers are crazy.  The traditional sights are however amazing highighting when India was the wealthest place on earth in 1500 to 1600 centurys.  You are almost guaranteed to get sick every if taking precautions but you can limit the impact by being careful and having medicine to help.

    Taj Magal -Magnificent
     I’m glad I visited both but if I only had time to visit one it would be Japan, however India is more exotic and takes you more out of your comfort zone so it is a very close decision on which one to recommend.   
     

    Now for the next trip in 2016! ✈️🚢

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  • World Trip 2015: Day 30 – Tokyo to Melbourne, Australia

    Saturday 16 May 2015
    Highlights:     Returning home.

    QANTAS flight 22 (QF22) boarded on time but my plan to have a spare seat next to me failed.  Instead I had a Japanese gentleman on the window seat who throughout the 9 hour flight kept getting up meaning I had to get up to let him out and therefore no real sleep on this overnight flight.  Still the shower I had in the QANTAS lounge just before boarding meant I was feeling pretty fresh when we landed in Sydney.

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  • World Trip 2015: Japan Express Tour Review

    Tour Title: Japan Express 
    Tour Company: G Adventures
    Tour Leader:     Tetsuji (Ted) Watanabe 

    Cities Visited:     Osaka, Koyasan (Mt Koya), Hiroshima, Kyoto, Hakone (Mt Fuji), Tokyo

    Dates: 7 May to 15 May 2015 (Duration 9 days)

    Tour Type
    This tour is listed as one of G Adventures Classic tours. In short the hotels you stay at will be good to very good, there will be some included activities but also a bit of free time for optional activities recommendation by the Tour Leader and/or the Tour Leader will help organisation events you want to do.

    Tour Members
    This tour had 15 tour members which is the maximum;     Aoife Smyth, Alex Schembri, Andrea Pyatt, Maximilian Pyatt, Nicole Hedley, Wai-Yee Phuah, France’s Evans, Ashley Rowes, Claire Roberts, Vivienne Mahon, Paul Tripp, Catherine Scott, Helen Heath, Alexander Taplin.

    Included Activities
    Stay in a temple on Mt Koya, Hiroshima Peace Park and Museum visit, Miyajima Island excursion, Nijo Castle visit, Kinaku-ji Golden Pavilion visit, Daisen-in Temple and Zen garden visit, Mt Owakudani cable car ride (cancelled to volcanic activity), Lake Ashino-ko boat ride, Traditional ryokan stay with kaiseki meal, and Japan Rail (JR) pass (7-day).

    Optional Activities
    Our Tour Leader offered optional activities in every location except Osaka and optional group meals at Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Tokyo.  The main optional activities I undertook were; 

    1. Ceremony Night Walk with local monk at Koyasan (1,200 Yen)
    2. Tea Ceremony at Kyoto (2,000 Yen)
    3. Ninja Show at Kyoto (3,200 Yen)
    4. Karaoke at Hakone (1,000 Yen)
    5. Robot Show at Tokyo (6,000 Yen)

    I used approximately $500 AUD or 50,000 Yen for food and optional activities during the nine days.  The 7 day JR Rail Pass saves a lot of money and on the last offical day of the tour covered the travel back to the airport on the Narita Express.  

    The Amazing Mt Fuji

     Accommodation
    The hotels and temple stay were all around 4 star level.  Wifi was available in rooms at all locations other than Hakone which was available at reception.  A traditional diner and breakfast was included at Hakone and Koyasan.  Hotels were;     Osaka Namba Washington Hotel, Ekoin Temple , Hotel New Hiroden, Ibis Styles Kyoto Station, Pax Yoshino (Ryokan), and Shibuya Tokyu Inn.

    Tour Leader
    Tetsuji (Ted)     Watanabe is an experienced Chief Experiemce Officer (CEO) or Tour Leader with G Adventures and other companies.  ted was a very funny guy and went out of his way to ensure everyone was happy, this included  organising a surprise birthday cake for Nicole, everyone’s post tour train trips to the airport and the large number of excellent optional events.   

    Highlights
    The express trip is just that express and packed with events everyday so you need energy.  We actually walked over 20,000 on four days with the  Miyajima Island excursion around 26,000 due to hiking down the mountain.  A major highlight was seeing Mt Fuji, having traditional Japanese meals sitting on the floor, karaoke, the Ninja Show, the Robot Show, sleeping in a temple, the night ceremony walk with the thousand lanterns in Koyasan.  Really a lot of other things I could have listed.  Japan compares to Australia for the cost of things, the people are polite and the temples and shrines we visited are amazing, particular the Golden Temple.  

    Tradition Tea Ceremony at Kyoto
     Daily Journal Entries 

    Trip Photos

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  • World Trip 2015: Day 29 – Tokyo, Japan

    Friday 15 May 2015
    Highlights: Skyscraper District, Akihabara electronic district

    A nice sleep in on my final day in Japan, using all the possible time until the 10 am check out since I didn’t originally have anything planned but that didn’t stop my roommate Alex from adding me to his plans for the day.  With the hotel storing my bags we were off for one last Japan experience using the last day of the G Adventure supplied JR Rail Pass.

    This started with a visit to Starbucks to watch from the second floor the famous multiple crossing paths in Shibuya.  People heading from every direction at the major street crossing, one of the first sights I saw on my arrival into Tokyo last week. (more…)

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  • World Trip 2015: Day 28 – Hakone to Tokyo, Japan

    Thursday 14 May 2015
    Highlights:     Robot Show, Harajuku Takeshita Street, Tsukiji Fish Market, Farewell Dinner.

    After a relaxing nights sleep in our traditional ryokan room and a Western style included buffet breakfast it was time to say goodbye to Hakone and Mt Fuji and head to Tokyo which at least for me was a return to were I started.  

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  • World Trip 2015: Day 27 – Kyoto to Hakone, Japan

    Wednesday 13 May 2015
    Highlights:     Mt Fuji, Lake Ashino-Ko, Hakone Gore Park, Kaiseki meal, Karaoke.

    We left Kyoto early to a beautiful morning, it seems we have seen the last of the rain. We gain send our main bags onto Tokyo and packed our day bags for one night’s stay.

    To get to Hakone we used several forms of transportation, a bullet train, a normal local train and local buses.  Our accomandation was at ryokan style, very traditional with bamboo flooring in the room.

    With volcanic activity in the area we had to miss the ‘ropeway’ climb / cable car up Mt Owakudani to get a better view of Mt Fuji. Luckily for us Mt Fuji was visible today and not hidden by clouds. (more…)

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  • World Trip 2015: Day 26 – Kyoto, Japan

    Tuesday 12 may 2015
    Highlights:     Tea Ceremony, Ninja Show, Golden Pavilion.

    Well the forecasters were right today was rain with more rain.  Luckily the hotel provided umbrellas for those that needed it otherwise we would have drowned. 

    First up was a visit to the Golden Pavilion at Kinkaku-ji, also known as Rokuon-ji, which is a Zen Buddhist temple established in the 1600s.  Luckily the rain stayed away for this visit which gave us a chance to enjoy this temple as it shined in the fading light.  I also noticed some locals wearing traditional Japanese clothing, something I was to encounter a lot more in Kyoto compared to the rest of Japan.  (more…)

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