travel - backpack : let's share!!

sacredspirits SG

i m crazy about travelling/backpacking.... just wondering if we could share info, stories about travelling/backpacking??

me only been to:
- SEA : m'sia, thailand, laos, vietnam
- new zealand
- south korea
- HK
- taiwan
- china (only yunan)
- europe : france, spain, switzerland, germany, austria, UK, czech, italy ... going to denmark this weekend

dreaming to go tibet, mongolia, south america.... Cool

BrUtUs SG

nobody else go backpacking…?

alwaysdisturbed SG

i'm very interested to go europe, south america, south africa, maldives...
but lack of $$

sacredspirits SG

yah... so surprised... r pple just not into backpacking or travelling anymore??

or juz me, the crazy one...

anyway... i oso dun hv a lot of money... but i work hard n save... oso always get cheapest flight/bus/train/hostel.... so that i can go more places n see more...

anyway, just something to share n c if others can advise me what to do in such situations again...

i was at rome, italy last year backpacking.... went into a cheap hostel... sleep in mix dorm of about 8 pple.... was sleeping on the top of a 'double deck' bed.... in the middle of the night, woke up cos the bed was shaking so much... n yeah... u r right.... the ger who was sleeping on the 'lower deck' was actually shagging with another man... piang.... tho they did not make that much noise but the 'shaking' of the bed juz pissed me off cos i really badly needed sleep after taking a night flight and not slept for almost 48 hrs... waht would u do in such a situation?? how to tell them to stop and let me hv my sleep??

alexkusu SG

Your BIG OE thing ah?

ShrodingersCat SG

err.. i sell a bit of koyok

There is an Adventure Resoure Centre at the Toa Payoh Central CC
it is usually open from 6-8 pm (manned by volunteers from CJC)
and there are lots of books on backpacking, travelling etc
you can borrow books if you are a passion card holder

BrUtUs SG

haha its better to keep quiet and or else they think u wanna join in... Laughing since u in eu liao might as well do eu backpacking first lo... and its cheaper... rome finish, lisbon or basque try next?

sacredspirits SG

sorry... i dun understand... care to explain??

I-like-flings(m) SG

ask them u can join in or not lor.. hahha.... i wan to go europe leh.. got more info??? but so ex there and so big dunno where to start haha Mr. Green

SevenEleven SG

Did backpack when i was a bachelor.

Travel by SIA to Nepal and then backpack from Nepal to Tibet and Tibet to Nepal.

Tibet was a hush destination. sleep in army camps, cheap lodge. Most memorable journey was the visit to the "Tian zhang" or Sky Burial. Had to bribe (packs of Marbolo Cigarettes) the priest and the deceased family to allow us to watch the ceremony. The deceased was bundled up in a triangle shape and the priest chanted the prayers. Then the priest cook up some stuff to attracted the vultures that was flying in the sky to decsend. The priests than started to cut up the body with a cleaver and smash up the bones with an axe. The priest than walk away and sat there to chant some more. The birds started to feast on the flesh and the smashed bone all in.

We took risk to watch the ceremony as there was a law that allows the police to lock you up even if you are a foreginer.

alwaysdisturbed SG

wow...
wat a sight!

Maurince SG

Woah, sound so exciting..
neber really try anythg like backpacking yet..
mi longest stay was at cambodia doin a volunteering mission..
stay in wif the locals for 3wks dan R&R..
those days are so fun and relax.. miss it damn much loh.. Cool Cool

sacredspirits SG

siaoz... me in the end cannot tahan the 'shaking'.... when it stopped, i told them, 'i really need some sleep here.... thanks....' ha.... they did stopped... but at about 4-5am, my bed started shaking again.... !£%^&%

anyway, europe... yeah... ex.... i last time saved for 3 years and thought i hv enough to travel for some time... came to europe, after 3 months, money ran out... and i actually stayed in cheapest hostels and eat loti! *sigh*... but realised something.... some hostels actually provide free accommodation if u help them... found 1 in london and helped them give out pamphlets... stayed free for about 2 weeks.... ha....

leo-kun SG

do you travel alone?

ceecookie SG

im too lazy to walk and backpack…i rather rent a car

SevenEleven SG

In order to prepare for the bagpack holiday, you need to read up on the destination really well, such as where to stay, where to eat, where to visit, the opening time of the place, arranging your own means of transport etc.

The advantage of such holiday is the pace, price and to spend your time according to your wish unlike package tour. you also get to see places package tour don't bring you. You get to eat the ordinary food taken by their locals.

Be prepare to travel by lorry, train, bus, bicycle and any other means of transport used by local. Backpack is interesting but usually you need friends who have the interest to travel this way.

sacredspirits SG

yah.... cannot find any people as siao as me... quit job go travel... ha... bo bian.... (dun tell my mum... she doesnt know!! ha....)

sacredspirits SG

7-11, heard that all need to pay quite an amount of money just to get into tibet... n oso, like bhutan, they have only 'planned routes' for foreigners... true??

SevenEleven SG

I usually spend my first few days on package tour and then request for open return tickets. after the end of the package tour, I will start our bagpacking tour. Usually one of us will be the leader of the bagpack tour. He usually will be the one most well read for the destination but the rest of us will also read to back him up as necessary. I prefer destination in Asia like China, silkroad, India etc.

My group longest trip was 3 months on S$1,500.00. Had to quit the job to travel Mr. Green

I have won myself my bride(my bagpack kaki) on such holiday but I have stopped going on bagpack after I have my kids. Age also catching up and stamina gone down.

Maurince SG

Wah, so envy.. $1,500 kan get bride liao.. Vietnam bride need $10k lor..
U really got urself a deal.. haha~
But anyway im really interested in such trip.. Juz doin simple house stay and do wat the locals do.. Damn exciting lor.. Its the best way to really blend into the natives culture.. If anyone interested kan jio me.. Im always on standby for such trips.. Interested to go Mongolia too.. Laughing