Juliano's World Frenzy/Tech's Trip Reports

Techniquest · 24 Nov 2019

route101 said:
Did you get the Kit Kats?

I brought back around 20 flavours of them ha.

I was in Tokyo in june , Tokyo was busy but not noisy or chaotic like other asian cities. I flew KLM via AMS

I gave up looking for them in the end. Same for the Pepsi. I tried so many different shops it was crazy. Sounds like I'll have to try somewhere else in Asia for my desire to find a lively and exciting city, although it's not super important to do that.

I've been looking at TUI's brochure for Iceland, oh my good golly gosh that looks stunning. Unsurprisingly, it is on the Bucket List! No idea when I'll go there, clearing the credit card somewhat needs to happen too. A task that would be far easier if Christmas wasn't coming up!

The_Train said:
Loved that mate, sounded like an awesome trip.

Also, in response to your previous response to my query of what attracts you to flying.....only you could find a love of flying from the fact it gives you a chance to catch up on watching movies

Cheapskate way of watching movies :lol:

Like I could have watched the remake of The Lion King, £10 in Asda on DVD, still haven't seen the 1994 one all the way through yet but the new one will probably get done on the way to LA. Spiderman Far From Home, saved a tenner on that too, Detective Pikachu I saved £7 on, and all those Disney movies would have soon mounted up too.

So yeah, when you look at it like that, it makes my long-haul trips look like money savers!

Disconnecting from the rest of the world on a flight is just awesome, probably more of a favourite reason to fly than any other apart from the engine noise!

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The_Train · 24 Nov 2019

Techniquest said:
Cheapskate way of watching movies Like I could have watched the remake of The Lion King, £10 in Asda on DVD, still haven't seen the 1994 one all the way through yet but the new one will probably get done on the way to LA. Spiderman Far From Home, saved a tenner on that too, Detective Pikachu I saved £7 on, and all those Disney movies would have soon mounted up too.

So yeah, when you look at it like that, it makes my long-haul trips look like money savers!

Disconnecting from the rest of the world on a flight is just awesome, probably more of a favourite reason to fly than any other apart from the engine noise!

Cheapskate apart from the hundreds of pounds you must spend on the actual flights? :lol:

I definitely get the disconnection from the rest of the world though. I imagine it's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of real life for those few hours.

Glad you enjoyed it though mate. LA next?

Techniquest · 24 Nov 2019

The_Train said:
Cheapskate apart from the hundreds of pounds you must spend on the actual flights?

Well yeah, the flights do cost a fair whack (Heathrow to LA and back only set me back £315 so not bad), what I meant was if I bought each of the movies I've watched this year is I'd have easily paid for a round trip to Europe!

Say it's £7 each on average, and it was 16 movies on flights. £112, which I could book to Eastern Europe with. Obviously if I had seen them in the cinema...

I definitely get the disconnection from the rest of the world though. I imagine it's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of real life for those few hours.

Oh yes!

Glad you enjoyed it though mate. LA next?

LA next indeed, followed immediately by Krakow

Bald Rick · 24 Nov 2019

Techniquest said:
My bag was one of the last two to come off at 1400, which was followed by an urgent PNB, filling a water bottle...

Was it just me that was slightly disconcerted by this sentence...?

LA - it’s very different from any European city, and indeed most other cities in the world. Very car centric. Myself and Mrs BR (then GF BR) were on the receiving end of some strange looks and comments for walking half a mile from where we were staying to the restaurant we were meeting a friend at. But enjoy, particularly the big bird.

Techniquest · 25 Nov 2019

Yeah, that sentence was a rush-job after diving onto the Piccadilly line, while also replying to several messages, updating various notes and drinking my much needed coffee. Which I was such in a rush for, I forgot to pick up sugar, so thankfully I'd picked up a few extra at the airport.

*notes to self, improve grammatical checks in trip reports more carefully in the future*

Pointless point, but that list was the order everything was done in, but it certainly doesn't excuse the poorly-written sentence.

If the locals raised an eyebrow at you walking half a mile, I dread to think what they'll think of the distances I'm likely to cover. Which does remind me that I need to hurry up and investigate the LA Metro...

route101 · 25 Nov 2019

Techniquest said:
I gave up looking for them in the end. Same for the Pepsi. I tried so many different shops it was crazy. Sounds like I'll have to try somewhere else in Asia for my desire to find a lively and exciting city, although it's not super important to do that.

I've been looking at TUI's brochure for Iceland, oh my good golly gosh that looks stunning. Unsurprisingly, it is on the Bucket List! No idea when I'll go there, clearing the credit card somewhat needs to happen too. A task that would be far easier if Christmas wasn't coming up!

Cheapskate way of watching movies Like I could have watched the remake of The Lion King, £10 in Asda on DVD, still haven't seen the 1994 one all the way through yet but the new one will probably get done on the way to LA. Spiderman Far From Home, saved a tenner on that too, Detective Pikachu I saved £7 on, and all those Disney movies would have soon mounted up too.

So yeah, when you look at it like that, it makes my long-haul trips look like money savers!

Disconnecting from the rest of the world on a flight is just awesome, probably more of a favourite reason to fly than any other apart from the engine noise!

The best place for the kit kats was the don quiote discount store and coveince store at haneda airport station next to monorail and one shop at narita.

Techniquest · 28 Nov 2019

route101 said:
The best place for the kit kats was the don quiote discount store and coveince store at haneda airport station next to monorail and one shop at narita.

I must have walked right past that shop then, oh well no matter.

In other news, I spent a fair bit of time (well over 2 hours somehow!) typing up somewhat of a review of 2019's travels and a look-ahead to 2020 and the possible outcomes. It mostly focuses on the World Frenzy trips, unsuprising since that's what most of my focus is on these days, but it may be worth a read.

It can be found here:

https://techsworldfrenzy.wordpress.com/2019/11/28/2019-review-2020-look-ahead/

If nothing else, the look-ahead also provides a look at how I'm planning my trips. I've not totted up my mileages or costs, which I had originally planned to do, but I may yet tot up the air mileage at some point later. There's also a few very non-subtle hints to some of next year's plans in there!

Bald Rick · 28 Nov 2019

Techniquest said:
I must have walked right past that shop then, oh well no matter.

In other news, I spent a fair bit of time (well over 2 hours somehow!) typing up somewhat of a review of 2019's travels and a look-ahead to 2020 and the possible outcomes. It mostly focuses on the World Frenzy trips, unsuprising since that's what most of my focus is on these days, but it may be worth a read.

It can be found here:

https://techsworldfrenzy.wordpress.com/2019/11/28/2019-review-2020-look-ahead/

If nothing else, the look-ahead also provides a look at how I'm planning my trips. I've not totted up my mileages or costs, which I had originally planned to do, but I may yet tot up the air mileage at some point later. There's also a few very non-subtle hints to some of next year's plans in there!

A good read sir.

I can give you some tips for NZ if you do decide on that, Queenstown is great and definitely worth a visit (especially for the daredevil in you), but there are better places.

If you chose to do QF9/10 (Perth) beware that it’s a popular route, has a higher than normal ratio of premium classes and tends to be more pricey in economy than many alternatives. However worth it for the long sector.

(Slightly related, but Qantas are due to announce around the turn of the year if they are going to go for LHR-SYD non stop, with an A350ULR (so similar) or a 777-X. Probably starting 2023.)

Techniquest · 1 Dec 2019

Cheers, I'll have to remember to ask about that when things get sorted. Been a busy few days here, hence the delay in replying. Queenstown I'm mainly only interested in thus far for the airport and its surroundings.

Glad you enjoyed the read, and I had heard an announcement was imminent on the choice of craft for Project Sunrise. Personally I'll be surprised if they don't choose the A350ULR, although I'd still like to see the 777X chosen. Depends which manufacturer can get Qantas the best price I'm hearing.

Aye QF9/10 wouldn't be a cheap ride, I didn't know they had a higher percentage of premium cabins on that sector mind. The ultra-long single sector is what appeals about that one, just to be able to say I've done it!

fowler9 · 1 Dec 2019

Techniquest said:
Cheers, I'll have to remember to ask about that when things get sorted. Been a busy few days here, hence the delay in replying. Queenstown I'm mainly only interested in thus far for the airport and its surroundings.

Glad you enjoyed the read, and I had heard an announcement was imminent on the choice of craft for Project Sunrise. Personally I'll be surprised if they don't choose the A350ULR, although I'd still like to see the 777X chosen. Depends which manufacturer can get Qantas the best price I'm hearing.

Aye QF9/10 wouldn't be a cheap ride, I didn't know they had a higher percentage of premium cabins on that sector mind. The ultra-long single sector is what appeals about that one, just to be able to say I've done it!

Mate you going to make the effort to go all the way to Queenstown I'd take a trip to Milford Sound. It would be a whole day.

Techniquest · 1 Dec 2019

fowler9 said:
Mate you going to make the effort to go all the way to Queenstown I'd take a trip to Milford Sound. It would be a whole day.

I'll be ensuring I plan that, I recall looking briefly at that one a while ago. Shall be making a list soon, been distracted by Netflix and adding to my movies watched list lately :lol:

87electric · 1 Dec 2019

The 50k Milford Track walk/hike might appeal as a conquest.

fowler9 · 2 Dec 2019

Techniquest said:
I'll be ensuring I plan that, I recall looking briefly at that one a while ago. Shall be making a list soon, been distracted by Netflix and adding to my movies watched list lately

Ha ha. What films?

If someone told me they pay for me to go to New Zealand but I could only do one trip apart from landing in Auckland it would be getting to Queenstown and visiting the Milford Sound. And that is a really tough call as I saw some amazing stuff in New Zealand.

Techniquest · 3 Dec 2019

Too many films to count good sir, but I have finally seen the original Terminator and all 3 of the original Robocop trilogy.

Is Auckland worth doing? That's the most logical arrival point for me, certainly seems easier to fly to from the UK than Queenstown. Not that I anticipate there being too much of an issue getting there, just depends if I remain loyal to oneworld airlines or if I do what I've fancied doing for ages and sampling the delights of Virgin Atlantic for part of the route. Having sampled Virgin Australia on a domestic flight back in March, I'm more than keen to try them again on a long-haul route.

Plenty of time to figure all that out though, it's not like I can afford to book it yet anyway!

fowler9 · 3 Dec 2019

Techniquest said:
Too many films to count good sir, but I have finally seen the original Terminator and all 3 of the original Robocop trilogy.

Is Auckland worth doing? That's the most logical arrival point for me, certainly seems easier to fly to from the UK than Queenstown. Not that I anticipate there being too much of an issue getting there, just depends if I remain loyal to oneworld airlines or if I do what I've fancied doing for ages and sampling the delights of Virgin Atlantic for part of the route. Having sampled Virgin Australia on a domestic flight back in March, I'm more than keen to try them again on a long-haul route.

Plenty of time to figure all that out though, it's not like I can afford to book it yet anyway!

Yeah Auckland is definitely worth a look around. Walk out to Mount Eden which gives a cracking view over the city and all the other weird little extinct volcanoes around it. Ponsonby Road isn't far from there and has a nice little cafe culture. Parnell on the other side of the city centre is quite nice. If you have your walking boots on Mission Bay is walkable and very nice. Consider getting a ferry to Birkenhead (I know) or Devonport which are nice or perhaps a trip to Rangitoto which is a bit of a longer all day trip perhaps. It's just a shame that the local trains aren't loco hauled any more.

I would honestly try and get out of the big cities if you have the time and money though. The volcanic area around Rotorua and the Volcanoes by lake Taupo are amazing. Mount Cook village is worth a visit along with the glaciers on the West Coast and the Abel Tasman national park. The Milford Sound is the one for me though.

Bald Rick · 3 Dec 2019

Techniquest said:
Too many films to count good sir, but I have finally seen the original Terminator and all 3 of the original Robocop trilogy.

Is Auckland worth doing? That's the most logical arrival point for me, certainly seems easier to fly to from the UK than Queenstown. Not that I anticipate there being too much of an issue getting there, just depends if I remain loyal to oneworld airlines or if I do what I've fancied doing for ages and sampling the delights of Virgin Atlantic for part of the route. Having sampled Virgin Australia on a domestic flight back in March, I'm more than keen to try them again on a long-haul route.

Plenty of time to figure all that out though, it's not like I can afford to book it yet anyway!

Agreeing with @fowler9. Auckland - it’s generally easier to go that way and it is a nice city. Very spread out though - I think it has the area of Greater London but with a population less than Greater Manchester. Rotorua etc is good, and Mt Majnganji / Tauranga / Bay of Plenty is beautiful. The train down to Wellington from Auckland is worth a trip, and you’ll see amazing scenery.

On the South Island a trip to Marlborough wine country, then a run down the west coast is great, Glaciers, stunning scenery, waterfalls, etc. Wanaka (careful with the spelling) is a beautiful lakeside town. Queenstown is full of daredevils, jet boating, bungee jumping, skiing in winter. I didn’t get to Milford Sound - I will one day. Walking the Milford track is quite an experience (I know several who have done so), but it is very popular and demands being booked well ahead. 4 day / 3 nights in pre arranged ‘huts’.

Everyone is so, so friendly too!

Techniquest · 4 Dec 2019

Sounds like I have a lot to look into then! A lot of really good advice, the sort you don't really get on the likes of TripAdvisor. From what you both have told me I'm easily going to need 2 weeks to do this trip, possibly inclusive of travel time but we'll see. If Queenstown is indeed full of daredevil activities, then I won't be needing much time for that bit. Just depends what I find nearer the time.

I've checked my holiday time requests, both approved, and the first week off starts on 23rd March 2020. Needed to use the last of my available holiday time for the current year (we do ours April to April) and I have no idea where I'll go with that week yet. Probably not very far, due to it being fairly short notice and funds really not being that available at the moment. We'll see what happens, but there will be some sort of exploration involved. I'm already thinking up some wild ideas, and when I'm bored at work later I'll inevitably come up with some sort of plan. Hopefully so anyway!

The week off in October, oh I have plans for that one, just need to actually get something booked!

Bald Rick · 4 Dec 2019

I was there nearly 2 weeks, spent a week in the North Island (drove Auckland - Bay of Plenty - Rotorua, train Hamilton - Wellington) and then drove from Picton / Nelson to Queenstown via the west coast in 3 days and that wasn’t really enough. A couple of days in Queenstown and then flew back to Auckland. If you really want to see it, two weeks minimum. The guide books recommend 6-8 weeks to see the whole country at a leisurely pace as an independent traveller.

I strongly recommend the Shotover jet boat just outside Queenstown. It’s a brilliant experience and not at all scary.

fowler9 · 4 Dec 2019

Bald Rick said:
Agreeing with @fowler9. Auckland - it’s generally easier to go that way and it is a nice city. Very spread out though - I think it has the area of Greater London but with a population less than Greater Manchester. Rotorua etc is good, and Mt Majnganji / Tauranga / Bay of Plenty is beautiful. The train down to Wellington from Auckland is worth a trip, and you’ll see amazing scenery.

On the South Island a trip to Marlborough wine country, then a run down the west coast is great, Glaciers, stunning scenery, waterfalls, etc. Wanaka (careful with the spelling) is a beautiful lakeside town. Queenstown is full of daredevils, jet boating, bungee jumping, skiing in winter. I didn’t get to Milford Sound - I will one day. Walking the Milford track is quite an experience (I know several who have done so), but it is very popular and demands being booked well ahead. 4 day / 3 nights in pre arranged ‘huts’.

Everyone is so, so friendly too!

I have a mate living in Tauranga with his wife and kids for the last few years, he was still in Auckland when I visited. Sadly Tauranga and that area was one of the places we missed. My mates photos look amazing. Got another mate living in Nelson now, only moved there from the UK since my visit. Lovely little city and the nearby Abel Tasman national park is stunning.

Did you catch the Inter Islander ferry from Piston to Wellington? Tech that is an amazing journey just as part of your "getting from place to place". If you travel using an Inter City buslines pass it includes Inter Islander.

Techniquest · 4 Dec 2019

I did read something briefly a while back about those passes on the coaches, it's an interesting concept to sell them with X amount of hours. I'd have to work out a plan for that, figure out how many hours were needed kind of thing first.

As for needing 6-8 weeks to do the whole country, well that depends on how you do it and what you want to do while there. I've shown many a time in my trip reports I don't hang about on my world exploration trips, so for the average person maybe 6 weeks is recommended. Personally, no way, I'll have all my desired sights etc all figured out first and get it done. Good chance I'll do what I class as the best of New Zealand, the stuff I really want to do, in 2 weeks easily. We'll see of course, and this trip is a long way off yet!

Bald Rick · 4 Dec 2019

fowler9 said:
Did you catch the Inter Islander ferry from Piston to Wellington? Tech that is an amazing journey just as part of your "getting from place to place". If you travel using an Inter City buslines pass it includes Inter Islander.

I did. I am not a good sailor. That crossing can be rough. Spent the whole journey topside.

fowler9 · 5 Dec 2019

Techniquest said:
I did read something briefly a while back about those passes on the coaches, it's an interesting concept to sell them with X amount of hours. I'd have to work out a plan for that, figure out how many hours were needed kind of thing first.

As for needing 6-8 weeks to do the whole country, well that depends on how you do it and what you want to do while there. I've shown many a time in my trip reports I don't hang about on my world exploration trips, so for the average person maybe 6 weeks is recommended. Personally, no way, I'll have all my desired sights etc all figured out first and get it done. Good chance I'll do what I class as the best of New Zealand, the stuff I really want to do, in 2 weeks easily. We'll see of course, and this trip is a long way off yet!

Yeah, we got our passes by hours. It actually works pretty well and is easy enough to work out using there website. They base it on how long the journey should take so if you get stuck somewhere in traffic or what have you it doesn't affect it. I found the hours they allocated for journeys were really accurate.

There are other companies available but I found Intercity the most suited to our travel. Even though it is similar to National Express they give a commentary and stop off at points of interest (That only seemed to happen on the South Island). There was another company similar (I can't recall the name) who were a little bit cheaper but the network was much smaller. There are a number of companies such as Kiwi Experience that are aimed at gap year folks I think and seem to cost more and you have a more fixed itinerary which just didn't appeal.

fowler9 · 5 Dec 2019

Bald Rick said:
I did. I am not a good sailor. That crossing can be rough. Spent the whole journey topside.

Yeah, we sailed Picton to Wellington. The first part of the journey in the Queen Charlotte Sound was stunning and pretty smooth. As soon as the ferry left the inlet and went on to the Cook Straight the ship was all over the place. My poor girlfriend had her head between her knees until we got to Wellington.

fowler9 · 5 Dec 2019

I've lost track now. Ha ha. Where is your next trip to Tech?

Techniquest · 7 Dec 2019

fowler9 said:
I've lost track now. Ha ha. Where is your next trip to Tech?

LA and Krakow next, takeoff for LA at 1040 on 8th January, return at 1620 on 13th January (landing back at Heathrow on 14th January) and departing again at 0905 on 15th January for Krakow. Returning to Heathrow on the evening of 17th January, heading home after a day in London on 18th January. Two days off after the trip, and a full day off before I head to London on the 7th so there is time for rest in there too lol.

No closer to deciding where to go in March, I'm hoping there will be a sale on flights in January!

hassaanhc · 8 Jan 2020

Techniquest said:
LA and Krakow next, takeoff for LA at 1040 on 8th January, return at 1620 on 13th January (landing back at Heathrow on 14th January) and departing again at 0905 on 15th January for Krakow. Returning to Heathrow on the evening of 17th January, heading home after a day in London on 18th January. Two days off after the trip, and a full day off before I head to London on the 7th so there is time for rest in there too lol.

No closer to deciding where to go in March, I'm hoping there will be a sale on flights in January!

Hope your trips are amazing! :smile:

Extremely lucky sod with the Krakow trip

. I was there in November for 4 nights, my first solo trip abroad, and had the best time ever. The city is just stunning and everyone was so friendly. My plan was to concentrate more on the usual tourist stuff, but the buses/trams tempted me far more than I expected as they turned out to be very good, so my plan didn't turn out as expected :lol:

. Can't wait to be back there again in the summer.

shredder1 · 9 Jan 2020

Krakow is a great city, the station however is a little bland since it was rebuilt with the shopping centre, , the depot and yards however have a lot of stock, I usually stay in the old city, not bad accommodation and cheap decent hostels.

fowler9 · 11 Jan 2020

I'm off to Szczyrk in February. No I can't pronounce it properly. It is something like Shchirk.

Bald Rick · 11 Jan 2020

fowler9 said:
I'm off to Szczyrk in February. No I can't pronounce it properly. It is something like Shchirk.

Worth a few at Scrabble, that one.

Techniquest · 12 Jan 2020

LA Day 1's trip report, and be warned it is long but full of updates of stuff since Tokyo, is on the Wordpress pages. It should have gone up days ago, but Wordpress and/or its app was/were playing up something major. It went up this morning, and Days 2-4 will follow soon.

techsworldfrenzy.wordpress.com

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