Travel
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@Bones it's only a 3.3km swim FFS!
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@taniwharugby said in Travel:
@Bones it's only a 3.3km swim FFS!
That almost sounds preferable now, fuck it's a dicey trail in some places.
The funniest bit was the 500 odd metres next to the water treatment plant where you couldn't see any path at all and just had to walk along the fence line...which we missed at first due to some fucker ripping the sign down.
The unfunniest bit is a toss up between the 3 or so kms along the road because the boardwalk to the nonexistent on a map "Cherry Bay" is closed, or the near vertical ascent just after Okiato. That's where the regret hit hard.
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Thought I'd drop this here - may be offtopic for the above posters.
Just got back from a trip to walk the Milford Track. It's rated one of the top multi day hikes in teh world, and I can see why. Just astonishing scenery - really stunning views, amazing bush and the most incredible waterfalls.
I've done a fair bit of tramping, but found this one of the harder walks I have done. Not expected - probably a combination of getting older and being sedentry at work, and being responsible for 4 others who aren't regular walkers ... with a 60 year age difference. Some of the days went a lot longer than expected, possibly because of the meandering looking at views
Was great to get bac out into the outdoors, first multi day hike in 17 years. That said, the Milford is a conveyor belt - you get pushed through day after day, at a fixed rate. The guided walkers paying 2.5k each for the privilege were zooming around with day packs; some jealousy, but not really worth the money at this stage in life.
Unexpected highlights: fat rainbow trout and big eels in the Clinton river, just cruising around. Don't get fishing pressure I don't think - would love to have had a rod. The middle hut is incredible - has lights, solar and battery chargers - in teh bloody bush!
This was one of my bucket list walks, and I'm stoked but sore at the moment. Still, had Fergburger for breakfast in Queenstown, so that was a decent way to ease into the trip home. Strong strong recommend - but make sure you are prepped to do it. The rocks made my feet incredibly sore by the end of each day. I'll drag a few photos out if people are interested .. they never do it justice; the sense of being in a massive bowl, with 30-40 waterfalls free falling through the air is not something that a picture can capture easily.
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Thought I'd drop this here - may be offtopic for the above posters.
Just got back from a trip to walk the Milford Track. It's rated one of the top multi day hikes in teh world, and I can see why. Just astonishing scenery - really stunning views, amazing bush and the most incredible waterfalls.
I've done a fair bit of tramping, but found this one of the harder walks I have done. Not expected - probably a combination of getting older and being sedentry at work, and being responsible for 4 others who aren't regular walkers ... with a 60 year age difference. Some of the days went a lot longer than expected, possibly because of the meandering looking at views
Was great to get bac out into the outdoors, first multi day hike in 17 years. That said, the Milford is a conveyor belt - you get pushed through day after day, at a fixed rate. The guided walkers paying 2.5k each for the privilege were zooming around with day packs; some jealousy, but not really worth the money at this stage in life.
Unexpected highlights: fat rainbow trout and big eels in the Clinton river, just cruising around. Don't get fishing pressure I don't think - would love to have had a rod. The middle hut is incredible - has lights, solar and battery chargers - in teh bloody bush!
This was one of my bucket list walks, and I'm stoked but sore at the moment. Still, had Fergburger for breakfast in Queenstown, so that was a decent way to ease into the trip home. Strong strong recommend - but make sure you are prepped to do it. The rocks made my feet incredibly sore by the end of each day. I'll drag a few photos out if people are interested .. they never do it justice; the sense of being in a massive bowl, with 30-40 waterfalls free falling through the air is not something that a picture can capture easily.
I’m dying to do a walk like this - and I will have my fly rod!
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@nzzp Sounds like great fun! Did you detour to see the Sutherland Falls? That would be a major attraction for me to do that walk.
I wanted to, but the team was pooped and we were out of time. That said, it was pumping so much you couldn't get close! I saw them from a distance; absolutely spectacular.
We had 12 yo and 72yo who were feeling whacked after a 1000m descent... it's a pity, but that is life
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@nostrildamus said in Travel:
@MajorRage said in Travel:
If you know, you know.
that poster made me very homesick.
You need one of these
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Yikes!
Person killed at Amsterdam Airport falling into running jet engine
An investigation is under way after a person was ingested by a jet engine.
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Hey Polish Slags,
Family trip to Japan planned for November this year. First-timers so looking for a bit of experience from others.
The standard rookie experience - Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto and then back to Tokyo for the flight home.
We're all adults by that stage ("kids" 21 and 18) so it is mostly about the old cultural shit like castles and samurai + the modern cultural shit aka anime/manga/pokemon. Maybe a cat cafe. I dunno.
A mate took his family recently and they had a few tips like getting a Welcome Suica and doing eSIM etc. but I'd appreciate anyone expanding on this.
I made the mistake of saying "Japan" out loud near my Google Home and now every second fucking video on YouTube is how to avoid creating an international incident. But I've accepted they won't think much of us anyway.
Drown me in your wisdom.
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Tokyo is awesome, you will have a great time. Both times I stayed it was in Shinjuku. It is regarded as a bit old school, but it also has the iconic Bladerunner style sea of neon that you associate with Tokyo.
- Piss alley/ Memory lane. This is super old school, alleys filled with little yakitori bars, a must visit and eat IMHO
- Golden Gai. Basically just like Piss Alley except it's filled with a multitude of tiny bars
- Harijuku. Tokyo's cosplay epicentre. On the weekends the locals roam around in full costume. Quite a sight
- Ginza. Stylish, upmarket, worth a look https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3005.html
- If you are a big Nintendo fan, do a real life Mario Kart rally through the streets of Tokyo, complete with outfits
Street Go Kart Tour / Tokyo Go-Karting
Street Kart have no association with the game “Mario Kart” and Nintendo.Enjoy the rush as you open-air kart through Tokyo! Supervised rides, memorable pictures taken, and an thrilling journey through Odaiba, the famous Rainbow Bridge, and the city’s famous tower. Tokyo from a fresh perspective!
- Shibuya is home to the crazy pedestrian crossing
The food scene in Tokyo is amazing. Spend as much as you want (most Michelin star restaurants of any city IIRC) or as little. Enjoy food from ramen shops, soba and udon bars, fancy Omakase, sushi bars and trains, frid pork cutlet shops, Japanese BBQ. You name it, you can get it. Only thing I didn't really like was their coffee, which I thought was pretty average.
Feed your requirements into chat gpt, it will do a nice job of picking out the highlights.
Bullet train to Kyoto and Osaka over flying for sure. It's a cool experience in itself
- Piss alley/ Memory lane. This is super old school, alleys filled with little yakitori bars, a must visit and eat IMHO
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Personally I'd fly into Osaka, do day trips to see Himeji, Nara, etc. and move north, finishing in Tokyo. That way you don't waste a day travelling. Take the train - easily the best way to get around. A Suica card will pay for itself.
I'm given to understand Kyoto is overwhelmed with tourists from countries without a shred of civilised manners (think mainland Chinese tour groups and Indians), so that could be taxing. Possibly worth doubling the time you're there so you can patiently see what you want. Easily a few days worth of shit to see (two minimum). From a cultural perspective it will be the highlight.
I wouldn't go to Harijuku. It was a thing a long time ago and Japanese people don't - it's just full of tourists and Nigerians selling shirts. The only reason is to go to the sneaker store and Meiji Jingu (the big park).
I've been going semiregularly since ~2006. I've done a fair bit of Japan in that time from skiing in Hokkaido down to swimming in Ishigaki. As a tourist it's changed a fair bit in that time. Money from ATMs is much easier to get. Food is awesome. Cheap beer from vending machines. Clean. Safe. Between the signposting in English, so many of the (esp young) speaking English well enough to help and google translate, the language barrier is small.
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I like Antipodean’s plan and I’d strongly consider adding Hiroshima.
Flying into one and out of the other will give you both cities with a Shinkansen trip and (hopefully) a view of Fuji from the train. Consider that when booking seats btw.
People want to murder assholes doing the Mario Kart thing, so consider that (literally, a guy tried to burn down one of those businesses recently).
Kyoto is apparently completely fucked, so be prepared to be up early for some of the sights.
In terms of absolute must dos, Meiji Shrine in Tokyo followed by a walk down through Shibuya gives you two sides of Japan in 2 hours.
Eat excellent sushi - you’ll need to book it nowadays and I can help with that and some introductions to a few other other places (@voodoo can tell whether they are worth it or not, honestly I’m not sure as I recommend places liked by expats here).
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