Posts
Hey again,
This is a quick post regarding some of the Aussie scenery I saw while I explored the country.
Animals: Wallabies,
Kangaroos,
Goanas (think BIG, dark and meat-eating iguanas look here),
Magpies (black & white crows that have bird-cries like a baby listen here),
Natural Scenery: Beautiful long beaches such as the Bermagui Beach pictured here,
Aussie Bush which can vary in style depending on where in the Bush you are i.e., the Bush in New South Wales (state) can be very green on one side of the mountain and on the other side it will be quite dry and brown. While much of the Bush in Victoria is quite brown excluding the eucalyptus trees.
The browning on one side versus green bush on another is caused by the rain clouds only precipitating on one side and not reaching the other.
There is also much farmland in the state of Victoria. The scenery brings the African Bush to mind. You can see a bit here.
Building/architecture: The general architecture of Australia has a Victorian styling to it.
Visitors will notice buildings adorned with arches and pillars. This is especially observable in churches and cathedrals.
A silly feature on many front-doors in Melbourne-homes is that the door knob is located in the lower middle section of the door as opposed to on one side.
What I noticed as well is that, many of the buildings give the viewer the impression that they are decrepit and in a general poor condition while in fact, the interior of many structures are quite clean and in general good condition.
As for houses, in the Bush you will find many of the houses have roofs made of aluminum aka aluminium for the Aussies and that is to prevent flying flaming debris created by Bush fires from entering one's home.
Oh, and the alleys are typically laid with cobblestones and buildings are generally made with the same material. They are called "bluestone" by the Aussies and it literally is a dark blue/grey blue stone. It's a very tough, solid rock.
Okay, this blog gives you a slim idea of what a person can see in Australia. I would like to know what others have seen in other parts of Australia. I didn't get a chance to visit the Gold Coast or the Outback which are locations that gathered my interest.
If you have some exciting, cool, funny or just plain dull stories of seeing the world . . . please share them! It will make good reading for all ^^
My new mantra, "Go trip!" haha
Catch!
Daniel A
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
What to Bring Abroad
Yo,
I've become restless with the number of ideas popping into my head of what to write on my blog so, instead of noting this one down for future listing I figured it was important enough to let all of you know now.
General list of what to bring on any trip:
The safe insert is removable and comes with a removable laptop sleeve. The safe insert has a steel drawstring that can be tied to a sturdy pole or beam preventing it from being snatched.
I bought the bag not because I figured OZ or NZ would be dangerous but because I knew I would be traveling often, with my nice laptop and other valuable which depending on my location, a strong, safe daypack like this would make me feel much more comfortable.
The Daysafe
is very comfortable to wear with an air mesh padded back support and padded straps. I often carry in excess of 7 kg/15 lbs in my bag and hardly feel the extra strain.
This would be a good point to mention that the Daysafe with the safe insert weighs 1.9 kg/4.3 lbs. So, you may want to take that into consideration but, regardless of the heavy weight, I think the bag is worth its weight in gold.
The straps are slashproof which means they are reinforced with the same high-tensile steel.
It comes equipped with tamperproof zippers meaning they clip into a carabiner-like fixture on the bag preventing your gear from being snatched from within the bag.
The straps are also snatchproof, this means one of the straps can be latched around a nearby fixture preventing any quick snatchings of your expensive laptop, bag and other gear.
Oh, and it comes with a nice, durable Pacsafe padlock.
Within this bag I carry not only my laptop but also my Wacom Bamboo Touch Tablet
, my Sony A700
DSLR and two lenses, several books, 2 pairs of glasses, recharging cables, a 60gb iPod, matches, flashlights and more miscellaneous items.
As you can see, the bag can hold tons of stuff and I don't have a single concern regarding the safety of them.
I recommend packing under 25 kg/55 lbs in your larger check-in bag/suitcase. If on a long trip you may be allowed a larger weight limit but if you decide to take domestic flights or buses in the country of your choice they may impose the same limit specified above.
If you unluckily go above and beyond that limit fees can be ginormous! I once paid $10 for every kg I was over and it came up to $60. When the initial price of the flight was $110 I felt totally ripped off!
So, products such as shampoo, body wash, etc., I recommend buying in the relevant country, shoes that are packed should be very light such as Vans
or just wear them and pack your sandals. Jackets should be worn, not only because it reduces the weight of your baggage but flights can be quite chilly. Finally, your laptop and camera should be brought in your carry-on baggage for obvious security and safety reasons.
Note: Remove the batteries from your camera equipment because the X-Ray machines could cause some current to run through your camera causing undesirable malfunctions.
Now, this is just a general list. When you next plan your trip I recommend looking over this list to ensure you have these items at a bare minimum.
Okay, I think I've given you tons of data you can use for any future trips. Sorry for not cover slang I've been busy-as ;) I'll tell you more later.
Peace,
Daniel A
I've become restless with the number of ideas popping into my head of what to write on my blog so, instead of noting this one down for future listing I figured it was important enough to let all of you know now.
General list of what to bring on any trip:
- A durable backpack/daypack (I recommend Pacsafe
- Common toiletries aka toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.
- Towel (hostels often don't supply them and if you are camping a towel definitely comes in handy)
- Several changes of clothes (you had better get used to wearing your pants/shorts on multiple days unless you are okay with forking over the big bucks for lots of laundry)
- Camera(s) (you want to record as much of this for future memories and stories to tell others ;)
- Jacket/hoody/sweater or any combination of those depending on the season and weather of the location(s) you will be in
- WWOOF book (see earlier post or go to WWOOF.org)
- A map (or GPS if you have the money for one)
- Sandals and tennis shoes (if you are traveling to a warmer climate sandals are perfect and even if it the weather isn't warm, I tend to wear sandals within the showers of hostels because they can be quite dirty and I am not fond of picking up athletes foot from those showers ):
- Money! (The universal mishap solvent)
- Sunglasses
- optional a laptop or notebook computer (I brought mine with me on my current trip to OZ and NZ and haven't regretted it. It isn't very heavy at a 13" Mac and because I constantly view my e-mails, work on my blog, and chat it up on Skype and Facebook . . . ^^ it has really come in handy. I also have my iPhone for music and notes so maintenance and updates are possible with my laptop.
The safe insert is removable and comes with a removable laptop sleeve. The safe insert has a steel drawstring that can be tied to a sturdy pole or beam preventing it from being snatched.
I bought the bag not because I figured OZ or NZ would be dangerous but because I knew I would be traveling often, with my nice laptop and other valuable which depending on my location, a strong, safe daypack like this would make me feel much more comfortable.
The Daysafe
is very comfortable to wear with an air mesh padded back support and padded straps. I often carry in excess of 7 kg/15 lbs in my bag and hardly feel the extra strain.This would be a good point to mention that the Daysafe
with the safe insert weighs 1.9 kg/4.3 lbs. So, you may want to take that into consideration but, regardless of the heavy weight, I think the bag is worth its weight in gold.The straps are slashproof which means they are reinforced with the same high-tensile steel.
It comes equipped with tamperproof zippers meaning they clip into a carabiner-like fixture on the bag preventing your gear from being snatched from within the bag.
The straps are also snatchproof, this means one of the straps can be latched around a nearby fixture preventing any quick snatchings of your expensive laptop, bag and other gear.
Oh, and it comes with a nice, durable Pacsafe
padlock.Within this bag I carry not only my laptop but also my Wacom Bamboo Touch Tablet
, my Sony A700 DSLR and two lenses, several books, 2 pairs of glasses, recharging cables, a 60gb iPod, matches, flashlights and more miscellaneous items.As you can see, the bag can hold tons of stuff and I don't have a single concern regarding the safety of them.
I recommend packing under 25 kg/55 lbs in your larger check-in bag/suitcase. If on a long trip you may be allowed a larger weight limit but if you decide to take domestic flights or buses in the country of your choice they may impose the same limit specified above.
If you unluckily go above and beyond that limit fees can be ginormous! I once paid $10 for every kg I was over and it came up to $60. When the initial price of the flight was $110 I felt totally ripped off!
So, products such as shampoo, body wash, etc., I recommend buying in the relevant country, shoes that are packed should be very light such as Vans
or just wear them and pack your sandals. Jackets should be worn, not only because it reduces the weight of your baggage but flights can be quite chilly. Finally, your laptop and camera should be brought in your carry-on baggage for obvious security and safety reasons.Note: Remove the batteries from your camera equipment because the X-Ray machines could cause some current to run through your camera causing undesirable malfunctions.
Now, this is just a general list. When you next plan your trip I recommend looking over this list to ensure you have these items at a bare minimum.
Okay, I think I've given you tons of data you can use for any future trips. Sorry for not cover slang I've been busy-as ;) I'll tell you more later.
Peace,
Daniel A
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Where in OZ Have I Been??
Hey Guys!
I wanted to start of this newsletter with the fact that I am currently in Auckland, New Zealand! ^^
It is about 18-20 C or mid-60s F here and quite comfortable because of the humidity. Although, I heard from some locals that because of the humidity one can actually make feel quite cold during the winter months as opposed to a drier climate e.g. the southern island of New Zealand.
If you want to know more about New Zealand, please request such in the comments below, otherwise I will get back to it in due time. . .
-So, on my last blog I mentioned that this blog would cover some of the locations I've been to and what I've seen and done whilst there.-
Well, I started my exploration within OZ from Sydney and spent about 1 week there. I explored all of the CBD-Central Business District aka Downtown-and experienced a bit of the night-life.
The CBD is fairly large with many shops and stores to visit if you are a heavy shopper. That suburb of CBD is a peninsula with the shore easily accessible from anywhere in CBD.
On the east-side of CBD is the Royal Botanical Gardens which are a huge collection of parks and gardens-well huge for me because my home of San Francisco Bay Area has few parks especially ones of this caliber.
I did enjoy the night-life and do recommend it. If you are familiar with clubs in Los Angeles where the main form of dancing is grinding . . . well, that isn't the main focus in OZ. People actually dance and physical contact isn't the modus operandi (the usual way of doing something).
Clubbing and drinking age is 18 in Australia so many people at or near my age from the US will find that factor attractive. Alcohol isn't my main focus, so I wasn't too excited about that but the fact that I could enter any club was spectacular.
From Sydney I took a trip to Burmagui (pronounced Ber-muh-gyoo-ee) and did some WWOOFing there. I really recommend WWOOFing to anybody who ever travels or plans to travel to most countries. Their site is here, WWOOF.org choose a region followed by the relevant country and you will be directed to the appropriate WWOOF site.
To get a good idea of what WWOOF offers, I highly recommend checking out their website. In a nutshell, WWOOF stands for (W)illing (W)orkers (O)n (O)rganic (F)arms. You work on one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of locations in the relevant country which have some form of organic work. In exchange for 4-6 hours of work, you will receive free room & board. The exact hours of work and schedule depend on the WWOOF host but you can work that out.
It is great fun and a perfect way of seeing the real culture of the country you are visiting. For those not too keen on farm and garden work, don't worry, you can find some WWOOF hosts who offer marketing work, animal care such as taking care of dolphins or perhaps koalas and more. Please just visit that website above for the real dope (info).
After Burmagui I traveled to Canberra which is nice but not a place I'd stay for very long. Fewer night-life options and fewer recreational activities.
2 nights and 2 days later I was on my way to Melbourne! Melbourne is fantastic with tons to do, see, and experience. For those who don't know, the city is pronounced (Mel-bin)-don't ask me why. :D
I could write paragraphs on the city but suffice it to say:
I have also traveled to lots of small towns in the state of Victoria-the state where Melbourne is located-where I was able to experience lots of Aussie Bush and meet many different people.
I eventually made it back to Sydney via airplane for a few days and then caught my flight to Auckland.
In case you are wondering what I am presently up to in Auckland, I am visiting marinas and yacht clubs to contact "yachters" and boaters for the purpose of working on a boat so as to experience further adventure and gain experience.
It is very exciting so please wish me the best of luck for this option!
-Next post may be on Aussie slang and/or a few other subjects . . . I have to leave you on some sort of cliffhanger right? :P
Cheers,
Daniel A
I wanted to start of this newsletter with the fact that I am currently in Auckland, New Zealand! ^^
It is about 18-20 C or mid-60s F here and quite comfortable because of the humidity. Although, I heard from some locals that because of the humidity one can actually make feel quite cold during the winter months as opposed to a drier climate e.g. the southern island of New Zealand.
If you want to know more about New Zealand, please request such in the comments below, otherwise I will get back to it in due time. . .
-So, on my last blog I mentioned that this blog would cover some of the locations I've been to and what I've seen and done whilst there.-
Well, I started my exploration within OZ from Sydney and spent about 1 week there. I explored all of the CBD-Central Business District aka Downtown-and experienced a bit of the night-life.
The CBD is fairly large with many shops and stores to visit if you are a heavy shopper. That suburb of CBD is a peninsula with the shore easily accessible from anywhere in CBD.
On the east-side of CBD is the Royal Botanical Gardens which are a huge collection of parks and gardens-well huge for me because my home of San Francisco Bay Area has few parks especially ones of this caliber.
I did enjoy the night-life and do recommend it. If you are familiar with clubs in Los Angeles where the main form of dancing is grinding . . . well, that isn't the main focus in OZ. People actually dance and physical contact isn't the modus operandi (the usual way of doing something).
Clubbing and drinking age is 18 in Australia so many people at or near my age from the US will find that factor attractive. Alcohol isn't my main focus, so I wasn't too excited about that but the fact that I could enter any club was spectacular.
From Sydney I took a trip to Burmagui (pronounced Ber-muh-gyoo-ee) and did some WWOOFing there. I really recommend WWOOFing to anybody who ever travels or plans to travel to most countries. Their site is here, WWOOF.org choose a region followed by the relevant country and you will be directed to the appropriate WWOOF site.
To get a good idea of what WWOOF offers, I highly recommend checking out their website. In a nutshell, WWOOF stands for (W)illing (W)orkers (O)n (O)rganic (F)arms. You work on one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of locations in the relevant country which have some form of organic work. In exchange for 4-6 hours of work, you will receive free room & board. The exact hours of work and schedule depend on the WWOOF host but you can work that out.
It is great fun and a perfect way of seeing the real culture of the country you are visiting. For those not too keen on farm and garden work, don't worry, you can find some WWOOF hosts who offer marketing work, animal care such as taking care of dolphins or perhaps koalas and more. Please just visit that website above for the real dope (info).
After Burmagui I traveled to Canberra which is nice but not a place I'd stay for very long. Fewer night-life options and fewer recreational activities.
2 nights and 2 days later I was on my way to Melbourne! Melbourne is fantastic with tons to do, see, and experience. For those who don't know, the city is pronounced (Mel-bin)-don't ask me why. :D
I could write paragraphs on the city but suffice it to say:
- The city has amazing food options-imagine hundreds of restaurants, cafes, etc.,
- Great nightlife-tons of pubs and clubs,
- People from all walks of life,
- Decent public transportation-though ensure you have some leeway for late arrivals, the Metlink system is often tardy,
- And if you are keen to gamble, you will find dozens of poker machines i.e. slot machines in many different pubs and even a couple of casinos are available.
I have also traveled to lots of small towns in the state of Victoria-the state where Melbourne is located-where I was able to experience lots of Aussie Bush and meet many different people.
I eventually made it back to Sydney via airplane for a few days and then caught my flight to Auckland.
In case you are wondering what I am presently up to in Auckland, I am visiting marinas and yacht clubs to contact "yachters" and boaters for the purpose of working on a boat so as to experience further adventure and gain experience.
It is very exciting so please wish me the best of luck for this option!
-Next post may be on Aussie slang and/or a few other subjects . . . I have to leave you on some sort of cliffhanger right? :P
Cheers,
Daniel A
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Exciting News of My Travels!
Helllooooo! ^^
I am in a good mood, thus the excessive lettering in the word "hello".
I am currently in Sydney having taken a flight from Melbourne yesterday. On Wednesday, the 14th of April (Australia Time) I will be flying to Auckland, New Zealand. . .!
I am very excited to visit/stay in the country and am really looking forward to it.
Do you have any recommendations on what I should do/see whilst there? I am not operating on an enormous budget but I do plan to do some exciting things such as work on a yacht, snowboard the southern island's mountains, visit the countryside and more.
My next post will cover some of the locations in OZ I've been to, (dozens in case you were wondering) and what I've seen and done while traveling to those.
Help me out here too, what do you want to know of my travels?
I am in a good mood, thus the excessive lettering in the word "hello".
I am currently in Sydney having taken a flight from Melbourne yesterday. On Wednesday, the 14th of April (Australia Time) I will be flying to Auckland, New Zealand. . .!
I am very excited to visit/stay in the country and am really looking forward to it.
Do you have any recommendations on what I should do/see whilst there? I am not operating on an enormous budget but I do plan to do some exciting things such as work on a yacht, snowboard the southern island's mountains, visit the countryside and more.
My next post will cover some of the locations in OZ I've been to, (dozens in case you were wondering) and what I've seen and done while traveling to those.
Help me out here too, what do you want to know of my travels?
Friday, April 9, 2010
My Ezinearticle is UP!
Hello again!
I just wanted to let you know that my ezinearticle is up, it can be found at, ezinearticles.com
As a reminder, it covers adventure holidays and it gives readers understanding of why they should drop what they are doing and just get out and travel! I even share a few of the things I've done, places I've been to and more.
Enjoy ^^
Daniel
I just wanted to let you know that my ezinearticle is up, it can be found at, ezinearticles.com
As a reminder, it covers adventure holidays and it gives readers understanding of why they should drop what they are doing and just get out and travel! I even share a few of the things I've done, places I've been to and more.
Enjoy ^^
Daniel
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Where On Earth Have I Been??
Hey Folks,
First, I wanted to thank you for the visits to my blog, they have skyrocketed from 50-93! :)
But, what this blog covers is exactly as the title describes, the different locations I've been to on Earth.
I've also been all over the west coast of Mexico which is a country I highly recommend. . .In fact, I recommend all of the Latin countries spanning from Mexico down south through Chile and Argentina. I will also include Spain and just because we are mentioning Europe, I will also recommend Italy. I have quite a few Italian friends and any chance they have, they will brag of their home country which, based on all of the stories, movies, recommendations etc. appears to merit such compliments.
I plan on visiting Europe, Africa and at some point Antarctica. . .what? Don't look at me that way! I have to see aurora australis (southern lights) this lifetime! :P
Funny enough, I haven't been to New York. . .please, somebody write down in my comments why I should visit that city! I have some friends there and they claim it is nice but LA pretty much was all of the big city I could take! What with the traffic, pollution, crowds, etc.
I would like to know. . .where have you been on Earth? Where do you plan to go and if you have visited any of the countries I've been to, what did you most like about them? I plan on visiting most countries at least twice. :)
Peace guys,
Daniel A
First, I wanted to thank you for the visits to my blog, they have skyrocketed from 50-93! :)
But, what this blog covers is exactly as the title describes, the different locations I've been to on Earth.
- I have actually been to 4 of the 7 continents on Earth which sounds a bit more wild than it really is. I was born in California and have grown up in the US as well as been to and through more than a dozen states. That counts for North America.
- I have visited Israel several times so that is Asia and I have also been to Korea which counts for Asia once more.
- I was in Colombia last year and that is South America.
- Now I am currently in Oceania which is Australia and soon I shall be in New Zealand which is also part of Oceania.
I've also been all over the west coast of Mexico which is a country I highly recommend. . .In fact, I recommend all of the Latin countries spanning from Mexico down south through Chile and Argentina. I will also include Spain and just because we are mentioning Europe, I will also recommend Italy. I have quite a few Italian friends and any chance they have, they will brag of their home country which, based on all of the stories, movies, recommendations etc. appears to merit such compliments.
I plan on visiting Europe, Africa and at some point Antarctica. . .what? Don't look at me that way! I have to see aurora australis (southern lights) this lifetime! :P
Funny enough, I haven't been to New York. . .please, somebody write down in my comments why I should visit that city! I have some friends there and they claim it is nice but LA pretty much was all of the big city I could take! What with the traffic, pollution, crowds, etc.
I would like to know. . .where have you been on Earth? Where do you plan to go and if you have visited any of the countries I've been to, what did you most like about them? I plan on visiting most countries at least twice. :)
Peace guys,
Daniel A
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Costs, Expenses vs Happiness, Ephiphanies of Travel
This next blog covers a some of the "detrimental" factors such as costs and expenses of leaving your home for a trip versus the benefits such as happiness, epiphanies and gains.
Cons:
Pros:
If you take a step back, and calculate all of this I'm sure that in under 30 seconds you will agree with me. . .you had better get out of your office/home and travel!!!
Please, reflect upon your life and see if a trip would be valuable. Even if it is only for 4 weeks, you can benefit immensely. 2-3 weeks can be a pretty week trip but if that's all you can afford whether due to time or money, try to make the most of it and do things you typically wouldn't think twice of accomplishing e.g. visit the Congo, skydive in Brazil, club in Ibiza, etc.
Well, that gives you some insight into why you should get out and travel. But of course, even with all of the proof indicating to you that you should get the heck out, you still must decide to do it, plan it out just a tiny bit and get going!
I wish you good luck and let me know, what are your pros and cons of travel? What makes you hesitate to travel and is it really worth it? Just consider the absolute worst-case scenario and then the realistic opportunities and finally, the best-case scenario. I'm sure with those considerations in place, you will be able to make a sensible decision.
Signin' out!
Daniel A
Cons:
- You will spend money for the flight, room and board and a few/many fun activities. (Note, they are FUN and that factor lessens the "con" factor right there!)
- You may miss out on a few TV shows that you loooove.
- You will spend time away from your work, family (maybe, maybe not), friends, etc.
- You may have to break a few unimportant previous engagements such as a dinner party at your associate's home.
- Any more? You will have to fill in the blanks.
Pros:
- You will have FUN!
- You will experience further cultures you may have never experienced before.
- You will make many new lifetime friends (providing that you are not anti-social and anybody who reads this blog probably isn't)
- You will lose much stress and probably have the great experience of "eustress" defined here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustress
- You may find that you love the place you are visiting much more than your current home and gain new residence.
- You may find that your source of income was causing the most stress and coincidentally you find a new source of income whatever it may be.
- If you are single you could find "The One" *wink wink*
- You will realize that henceforth, travel and trips to experience the world are totally worth the risks and your risk/benefit ratio is way out of balance by the benefits.
If you take a step back, and calculate all of this I'm sure that in under 30 seconds you will agree with me. . .you had better get out of your office/home and travel!!!
Please, reflect upon your life and see if a trip would be valuable. Even if it is only for 4 weeks, you can benefit immensely. 2-3 weeks can be a pretty week trip but if that's all you can afford whether due to time or money, try to make the most of it and do things you typically wouldn't think twice of accomplishing e.g. visit the Congo, skydive in Brazil, club in Ibiza, etc.
Well, that gives you some insight into why you should get out and travel. But of course, even with all of the proof indicating to you that you should get the heck out, you still must decide to do it, plan it out just a tiny bit and get going!
I wish you good luck and let me know, what are your pros and cons of travel? What makes you hesitate to travel and is it really worth it? Just consider the absolute worst-case scenario and then the realistic opportunities and finally, the best-case scenario. I'm sure with those considerations in place, you will be able to make a sensible decision.
Signin' out!
Daniel A
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