One week until departure

Last modified on 2008-12-24 00:53:47 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

Today it’s only one week until departure and in relation to that we thought it would be a good idea to give you a brief account of our itinerary for the next 5 months.

Argentina:
First stop will be Buenos Aires. Here we’ll celebrate new years eve and get to know the city before we travel north towards Foz do Iguazu. A magnificent waterfall.

Brazil:
We’ll cross the border between Argentina and Brazil at Foz do Iguazu and set the course towards the beaches at the east coast of Brazil. From here we’ll travel north to Rio de Janeiro where we’ll stay for some days before travelling with plane to Peru.

Peru:
We’ll land in Lima, the capital of Peru. For the two weeks in Peru we’ll be following a group of fellow travellers into the Amazonas jungle, to Cusco, Inka Trail with Machu Picchu and Lake Titikaka.

Costa Rica:
From Peru we’ll travel by plane to Costa Rica where we’ll enjoy magnificent sceneries and wildlife. Costa Rica is world-famous for it’s biological diversity. In addition to that there are many spectacular beaches in Costa Rica so we’ll for sure be spending a lot of time by the shoreline.

Los Angeles:
This is really only a intermediate landing, but we have two whole days to spend here. Guess there will be a short drop in at “walk of fame” and other tourist magnets.

Fiji:
Island hopping, the blue lagoon, cast away island, shark diving, and so on. Summer, sun, bathing and beaches. We can’t wait!

New Zealand:
We’ll be staying here for two weeks. No fixed planes yet, but we’ll land in Auckland and according to what we have read about the country there will not be to many dull moments, if any.

Australia:
Arriving in Sydney from New Zealand we’ll drive a rental caravan north towards Cairns. Headwords are: Sydney, Gold Coast, Fraser Island, Great Barrier Reef, Whitsunday Islands, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay, and so on.

Bali/Lombok:
Sun and beaches as far sa the eye can see.

Thailand/Malaysia:
We’ll land in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. From here we’ll travel with train or bus north towards Bangkok. We’ll visit Ko Samui, Ko Tao, Ko Phangan and other places of interest on our way to Bangkok. Other than that we’ve planned to visit the Tiger Temple. After 3 weeks in Thailand our journey ends and we’ll be going home to Norway.

Only one month until departure

Last modified on 2008-11-30 18:28:23 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Today it’s only one month until we leave for our five month trip around the world. We have purchased all the air tickets and also paid for a two week trip in Peru with GAP adventures. We have mentioned this earlier, but in short it’s a quick journey into the jungle of Amazonas, Inka trail to Machu Picchu and a visit to the floating rush villages on lake Titicaca. Also we have rented a car in Australia. In this we’ll cruise along the eastern coast for a month. We believe this will be astounding!

We have also obtained some lifesaving backpacer equipment like a transportable hammock, a must for a backpacker, and the necessary vaccines. This means that there is only minor details remaining before we’re ready to jump on board the aircraft and start our journey. We can’t wait to get started!

Guidebooks - tip

Last modified on 2008-11-25 11:59:31 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

As it is getting close to our departure date we have considered different guidebooks to use during our journey. We finally decided to go for Lonely planet, one of the most popular guidebooks, but Rough guides is also a good choice. Lonely planet is probably best suited for young travellers. Rough guides bring into focus museums and culture, things that the more mature population often appreciate. Choose the guidebook that suit your needs and interests best.

As we are going to visit a lot of countries and partially know which part of these countries we are going to see we came to the conclusion that buying a guidebook for every country would mean a lot of extra weight. All this extra weight is unacceptable, but fortunately this can be solved is several ways:

1. We can buy a guidebook for the first country to visit. When we’re departing to the next country we’re buying a new guide for this country. By using this method we’re unable to get to know the country to visit before entering, find accommondation and know what things to see while passing through.

2. We can buy a “on a shoesting” guide. Theese are the large guidebooks which cover large areas, for instance all of southeast asia, but they are often superficial and general.

3. Lonely planet has a very nice function i their webshop. It’s possible to order single chapters from the books. This might be useful for å lot of pepole since most only need a small partion of the book. After all, most pepole visit only some part of a country. If you for instance are planning a weekend trip to Newcastle and the surrounding area it would be very stupid to buy the entire guide for England. If you are planning a two week hike in southern Argentina it would be unnecessary to bring the whole guidebook for Argentina.

We’re going for the last alternative since this gives us the opportunity to get to know the areas we have planned to visit before we arrive without bringing several kilos of guidebooks. Which soution that fits you best depends on what cind of journey you are planning. Good luck with you choice of guidebooks.

What to see along the east coast of Australia?

Last modified on 2008-10-22 23:25:52 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

One of our contacts in Australia, Mark H, has made a list of posssible things to do while driving along the east coast of Australia. Here’s what he writes:

I promised a few ideas on the road between Cairns and Sydney. I grew up in Brisbane and now live in Sydney so I know some parts quite well and other parts I’ve not seen for a while. Also not aware of your tastes but being from the Nordic countries, I suspect you want to see a chunk of beaches among other things. There are many great beaches and I am sure your research will unearth some of the best ones - I’ll add a few other ideas which you may want to consider. Cairns to Sydney in four weeks is good time but there is lots to see on the way and Sydney is a super city to finish off with so leave some time for it. Our dollar has just dived in the last few weeks against the US dollar and Euro (no idea -v- the krone) which hopefully will help these few weeks.

1. Around Cairns, the best three things to see in my view are the Barrier Reef (obviously - you can see via glass-bottom boats, snorkel, diving and from the islands), the Kuranda scenic train and the Daintree Rainforest. The Atherton Tableland, inland from Cairns is also a nice area of lakes, views and waterfalls (not to the Norwegian standard of waterfalls).

2. The Whitsunday Islands are superb - an island for all tastes, budgets and styles. Read up to work out the best for your group.

3. There is a great place where you are good odds of seeing platypus (maybe more exciting for Australians to see their own rare animal, maybe interesting for others too - I don’t know). This is the only place I’ve seen one in the wild.. It is called Eungella National Park and it is near Mackay, just inland a bit.

4. There are some virtually deserted islands off Bundaberg called Lady Ellitt and Lady Musgrave Islands. They are a bugger to get to and you need to be totally self sufficient when you are there (water, food, tents etc) but they are superb places to go and escape.

5. In Summer, Mon Repos Beach near Bundaberg had turtles laying and hatching which is seriously nice to see. No idea of exacting timings but there will be guides etc to supervise visits.

6. Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and numerous people visit there.

7. Sunshine Coast / Noosa etc have some great beaches and are part of the Sunshine Coast. My favourite beaches are just south of Noosa (Petigian and Sunshine) but I suspect they are now populated (used to be able to share these great sandy expanses and great waves with only a few people) and not as pristine.

8. Australia Zoo (originally run by a TV hero in Australia and the US called the Crocodile Hunter) has a good burst of all the Australiana animals in one place along with loads of crocodiles and various other animals from around the world. Much better than your typical zoo - it is around $50 for the day but everything is included once you are in there). It is on the bottom end of the Sunshine Coast.

9. My birth town of Brisbane is a nice place but not that much to see in contrast to the rest of your trip.

10. Gold Coast is your typical highly commercial beach area. Lots of nice beaches and lots of great parties. Inside the Gold Coast (ie, a bit inland) are some great national parks.

11. The great beaches continue through New South Wales all the way to Sydney. At some point, I’d suggest driving inland for a while to experience some sense of the Australian outback. There is little to contrast to endless nothing, incredible dry heat, red dust and typical small rural towns. The pubs in such places tend to unearth some great characters who will be mystified why people come all the way from Norway to be there. All of Europe has nothing to compare to this. Sadly it is a fair hike from the coastal road to get a decent experience but may be worth a contrast to the coastal strip of Australia.

12. Byron Bay is another iconic beach location that most visitors get to that grew out of hippy times. Lots of surfers, artists, cheap eats, and LOTS of people in summer. Well worth the effort. If you are into milestones, there is a lighthouse there on the eastern most point of Australia. Just south of there is a great surfers beach at Lennox Heads.

13. Sydney has a million things to see but little outdoes the harbour and the beaches. The Harbour Bridge can be climbed for a small fortune but does provide a good experience if you are happy to part with the cash where you get dressed up in boring grey overalls etc (there is a dedicated web site if you search for Harbour Bridge Climb). You can walk across the bridge for free in around an hour (one way) and that is pretty pleasant. The opera house is photogenic too and neighbours a pretty good botanic gardens good for walking through. Sydney also has the most significant part of Australia’s history as that is the first point of Australian white settlement. An area in Sydney called the Rocks has a lot of the original settlement area with some surviving old buildings and thinsg from the time. Sydney has its share of good museums to cover whatever you are keen to learn about should you be keen, but Sydney is much more a city of walking and exploring. Taking a ferry to Manly is another typical rite of passage as is a visit to Australia’s most famous beach, Bondi Beach where you can join several 10s of 1000s of other people from all over the world (and probably a few Australians as well!!).

14. The Blue Mountains just west of Sydney is a little cooler and has an important part of Australian history when a path through these mountains were found in the early 1800s to open up all of Australia (no-one really knew how big it was). Some great walks etc in this area.

15. Australia has an assortment of large plastic, fibreglass and metal objects sprinkled down the coastline like the Big Banana, Big Mango, Big Cow and the Big Pineapple. If you cross paths with one of those, there is a nice corny photo op for you. Coffs Harbour has the first of these in the Big Banana which is over 40 years old.

16. Australian pubs (hotels) are a great experience and the beer is much much much cheaper than Norway!!

17. I am biased but Australia has some superb food - the quality and variety (due to our size and diverse weather etc) of vegetables, fruit, meat and seafood is almost unequalled in the world.

There are probably more things of great interest to see and do - these were off the top of my head. As you cruise down the coast in your van, you’ll hear and see things that make you deviate from your original path.

4 months until departure

Last modified on 2008-08-30 13:01:26 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Today it’s four months until departure. We have now booked a hostel in Buenos Aires where we will be celebrating new years eve. Rumours says that there will be no fireworks at twelve o’clock. Interesting, we’re looking forward to this new experience. Hopefully it will be a lot of fun.

Australian road trip

Last modified on 2008-12-23 17:29:29 GMT. 3 comments. Top.

We have now rented a “Chubby van”. In this camper we will cruise along the road on the east coast of Australia. From the 21th of march to the 17th of april we will be on the road down under. These are some of the regions we plan to visit: Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, the sunshine coast, great barrier reef and probably a lot of other regions. We are also planning to visit some of our friends living in Australia.

We are very exited about our little adventure “down under” and looking forward to a lot of fun on the road.

Updated initerary

Last modified on 2008-08-19 16:41:02 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

A new and updated travel itinerary is now ready and can be seen in detail by clicking this link.

Organized trip in Peru

Last modified on 2008-05-13 01:50:01 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

The organized trip in Peru has now been comfirmed and ordered.

Day 1 Lima
Arrive in Lima at any time.

Day 2-3 Amazon Rainforest
Fly to Puerto Maldonado, on the edge of the Amazon jungle. Take a motorized canoe up the Tambopata River to our remote rainforest lodge. Explore the rainforest by foot and dugout canoe with our expert local guides. The Amazon presents excellent wildlife-spotting opportunities.

Day 4-5 Cuzco
Travel by canoe out of the jungle before flying to Cuzco in the high Andes. On Day 5, take a guided tour of the city to learn about its rich, fascinating history.

Day 6-9 Inca Trail
Begin a once in a lifetime journey on the ancient trail of the Incas with a morning trip to km 82, where our hike begins. Our local porters and guides ensure that the trip is worry-free, and fascinating ruins and spectacular mountain scenery fill every day of the hike. On the final day, we climb the steps to Intipunku, the ‘Sun Gate’, to watch the sunrise over Machu Picchu. Return to Cuzco by train in the afternoon on Day 9.

Day 10 Cuzco
Enjoy a day in Cuzco to discover its many back alleys, museums and churches built on Inca ruins. Explore the sights and sounds of this great colonial town or spend the day mountain biking or rafting.

Day 11-12 Puno / Lake Titicaca
Enjoy spectacular views of countryside and mountains on a full day of travel through the Andes from Cuzco to Puno. Take a boat trip across Lake Titicaca in the morning to visit the floating reed islands of the Uros people. Visit various islands to enjoy the lake’s scenic splendour and meet the friendly local villagers.

Day 13 Lima
Short drive to Juliaca before flying to Lima. Enjoy one last night out on the town.

To those of you who are interested a more detailed itinerary it can be viewed here:
Quest of the gods

8 months until departure - part of the trip ordered and paid

Last modified on 2008-04-30 11:53:22 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Today we talked with our travel agency and planned the journey as far as possible. This is how it looks so far:

30.des - We leave from home and set the course for Buenos Aires in Argentina. The plan is to celebrate new years eve here and stay for a couple of days. Then we travel north to Foz da Igazu and later Rio de Janerio.

20.jan - We leave Rio and travel over the Andes to Lima where the plan is to join an organized trekking tour which in short involves this: Trekking in the Amazon jungle, Cusco, Inka Trail w/Machu Picchu and lake Titikaka.

3.feb - From Peru we’ll travel north to Costa Rica. We’ll stay here for about two weeks. There may be a short trip to Panama but this is not for sure.

19.feb - L.A. is the next stop. We’ll only be here for two days as we’re heading for Fiji as soon as possible. USA will be on our map another time.

21.feb - We’re sailing, by air that is, to Fiji. The plan is to jump from island to island and just relax in two weeks.

7.mars - From Fiji the journey goes on. The next stop is Auckland and New Zealand where we’ll stay for about two weeks.

It is not possible to order a ticket further along the road because it’s to far in the future, but our plan is to travel to Australia and stay here for a month. After Australia we’ll travel to Asia. Here we’ll also stay for a month, in Thailand for a couple of weeks. We have also considered the Philippines. If there is someone who has any experience from this country we’ll be glad to hear about it.

Today it is 8 months until departure! We’re looking forward to it!

Itinerary

Last modified on 2008-05-17 00:52:22 GMT. 3 comments. Top.

The itinerary can be seen on the map below. Hover your mouse over the destinations to see a picture from the region. A more detailed and animated version is available here (140Mb)

Even though it’s over 6 months until departure we’re looking forward to this very much. We can’t wait to get on the road!

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