Countries

Norway in a Nutshell

Posted on by Hakka Xav

Location MapDuration: 13 days
Expenses: 8,848NOK or 680NOK/day (AUD$1,420 or AUD$109/day)

If you’re going to bother going all the way to Norway, please do something other than the standard Norway in a Nutshell tour. Better still, don’t support those enormous cruiseship companies that pollute the fjords low grade crud. I really wish I had more time in Norway to explore more than just the south. But I have a feeling I’ll be back soon to explore the far north and hopefully even freeze my ass off in Scandinavian winter.

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Exploring Vágur in the Faroe Islands

Posted on by Hakka Xav

Location MapDuration: 11 days
Expenses: 2380DKK (AUD$470 or AUD$43/day)
Ferry: 171€ (AUD$250 or AUD$23/day)

imageIt might seem silly to spend pretty much the whole trip to the Faroes on just one island, but there was actually plenty to see and do. So much so that it really didn’t seem worth rushing all the way (not far at all really) to the opposite side of the archipelago just to tick a few things off. Some things are better left ’til next time.

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Freestyling Iceland in July

Posted on by Hakka Xav

imageDuration: 17 days
Expenses: AUD$1097 or AUD$65/day

Iceland, the land of fire and ice, black and white, green and grey and sometimes (if you’re really lucky) blue skies. A weird and wonderful place where volcanoes have ruled since it’s creation and, in fact, they were its creation. The ice, wind and water may have carved the landscape, but molten rock put Iceland on the map as the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates pull apart.

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Two weeks exploring Java and Lombok in Indonesia

Posted on by Hakka Xav

Location MapDuration: 16 days
Expenses: AUD$532 or AUD$31/day
Internal Flights: Surabaya to Bali AUD$41

Indonesia really feels like a place I could backpack around for months. The food is fantastic, the people are kind, the islands are beautiful and I only saw a handful of them. Unfortunately I only budgeted 16 days in Indonesia – 8 for East Java and 8 for Lombok. The purpose of my trip was to hike Mt Rinjani (Lombok) and Mt Bromo (East Java), but I feel fairly certain that I will come back to see more someday. Indonesia has so much to offer: mountains, volcanoes, jungle, rainforest, beaches, diving, hiking, food and more!

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3 Weeks of Springtime Sakura in Japan

Posted on by Hakka Xav

Location MapDuration: 23 days
Expenses: $92/day in expenses, $30/day for JR Rail Pass
Total: AUD$2,800 or ¥240,000

Japan is certainly a destination for all seasons. I feel like I need to live there to really experience all the colours and many faces of the landscapes. This year I travelled to Japan for a little over three weeks to see springtime cherry blossoms during Sakura. It was so contrasting to the last time I went during Japan over New Years one winter.

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The Singapore Sling

Posted on by Hakka Xav

Location MapDuration: 9 days
Expenses: AUD$558 OR AUD$60/day

I’ve always said to myself, one day I’ll stopover in Singapore. Being from Australia, it’s quite common to fly through Singapore enroute to Asia or Europe, but every time I’d chosen not to because the trip was about the destination. Finally, I stopped over and Singapore showed me it was a fun, interesting and beautiful destination in it’s own right.

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My time in Myanmar

Posted on by Hakka Xav

Location MapDuration: 17 days
Expenses: AUD$560 or AUD$33/day

“Myanmar will be the adventure”, my friend said. It seemed like it would be when the first image I saw of it was a map showing all the red areas off limits to foreigners. But it didn’t seem off limits at all.

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