I Dream of New Zealand

I just cannot stop from dreaming of going here and there. I guess it is already my habit to put everything into words whenever I have the desire to step foot here and there. And this actually helps to quench my thirst for traveling after almost 3 months being 'dormant'.

So here I will go, must go and never-say-no go....New Zealand, The Land of Kiwi, The Land of Maoris...whatever you call it. Another 3 weeks solo traveling (or maybe couple...who knows!!) that I badly want to experience, with a less damages to the pocket. Why? Because I am so going there by renting a car and CAMPING!! I cross my fingers that I will be able to get myself a credit card to ease the car renting procedures. I don't particularly enjoy swiping the credit card but for this once a lifetime experience related, I have no choice but to have one.

Before that, I miss the chance to travel to Christchurch from KL with AirAsiaX. Last flight service was in May 2012 and that really hurts ME A LOT!! But I have just found alternative and considerably cheap option to get to New Zealand, so I still have the chance to explore another amazing and stunning country on the southern hemisphere.

Owh by the way, before confidently putting my plan in words, I think it is prudent to remind myself on the preparations I have done for this trip.

THINGS DONE (20%)
- 1 way flight KL - Melbourne
- countless of dreaming

THINGS TO BE DONE (80%....dangggg...still a lot more to do)
- 1 way flight Melbourne - KL (~RM800)
- 1 way flight Melbourne - Christchurch (~RM500)
- 1 way flight Auckland - Melbourne (RM300)
- application for credit card (siggghhhhh.....not one the thing I fancy about)

So, here is the route which is based on my monstrous lust (I am not a monster though) for traveling. 100% total achievement probability will depend on how much money I have at that particular time, and if I'm traveling with a buddy, it depends who my buddy is.

Kuala Lumpur -------> Melbourne ------- > Christchurch

Christchurch
 Day 1

Christchurch -------------> Ashburton 
 Day 2                     1.25 hrs              

Ashburton -------> Geraldine -------> Lake Tekapo --------> Lake Pukaki
Day 3                 1 hr                                  1 hr                                    43 mins

Lake Pukaki  ------------> Timaru ---------> Oamaru
Day 4                        2 hrs                                   1 hr

Oamaru --------->Dunedin  -----------> Barclutha
 Day 5            1 hr                              1.5 hrs              

Barclutha ---------> Invercargill --------> Te Anau
Day 6              1.5 hrs                                 2 hrs

Te Anau --------> Milford Sound ---------->  Te Anau 
Day 7           1.5 hrs                                       1.5 hrs          

Te Anau ---------> Mossburn---------> Lumsden ---------> Kingston -----------> Queenstown 
Day 8                                                                                                          

Queenstown --------->  Omarama ---------> Twizel ---------> Omarama 
Day 9                    2 hrs                                    0.5 hrs                          0.5 hrs

Omarama -----------> Mt. Cook ----------> Omarama  
Day 10              2.25 hrs                              2.25 hrs

Omarama -------> Queenstown  ---------->Wanaka ----------> Haast
Day 11           2 hrs                                     1.25 hrs                              1.75 hrs    

Haast ----------> Fox Glacier  ---------> Franz Joseph --------> Hokitika
Day 12   1.75 hrs                                    0.25 hrs                                    1.75 hrs

Hokitika --------> Greymouth --------> Punakaiki 
Day 13        0.5 hr                                  0.5 hrs        

Punakaiki ----------> Westport --------> Nelson
Day 14          0.75 hrs                                3 hrs          

Nelson ----------> Blenheim ------------> Picton ----------> Wellington    
Day 15       1.5 hrs                                                                          2 hrs 

Wellington --------> Palmerston North----------> Turangi --------->  Taupo
Day 16             2.5 hrs                                             0.75 hrs                             1 hr

Taupo ----------> Rotorua --------> Waitomo Caves ---------> Waitomo Caves
Day 17     1.5 hrs                             1 hrs                                               1 hr                                                     

Waitomo Cave ------------> Hamilton
Day 18                        1 hr

Hamilton -------------> Auckland 
Day 19            1 hr

Auckland ------------> Melbourne ----------> Kuala Lumpur

I think this route is pretty simple. I choose the scenic route and on top of that, I choose to stop at several townships to check out the attractions there. It might be a good idea to drop-by at these towns in case I run out of food stocks and other needs. And it is pretty uneven days spent at both islands, 14 days in the South Island and less than a week on the North Island. More days will be spend in the South Island due to its larger size and return trip is required from one point to one point to avoid driving fatigue.

By the way, this trip must happen and will happen in Spring next year, probably by the last week of September till mid October. I want to see flowers blooming here and there. Lucky I do not have problem with pollen allergies, or else, I will not be able to appreciate the lovely scent and colours of the flowers.

So now,  I am waiting for the airfare promotions by AirAsia soon. It is really good to have AirAsia X around because this company does help travelers to reach places without having to burn a huge amount of money, only if you don't mind planning 1 year ahead of the intended traveling time.

Pictures are the most important element that must be acquired by avid traveler. But before traveling, I personally think it is a good idea to browse for the pictures available online just to get a rough idea what kind of pictures should be obtained and what is environment like. But it does not mean the picture must be the same as what being published on the net; be creative, compose the pictures according to one creativity and skill, and that is satisfaction one can get.

One of the landscape in the Christchurch CBD
photo by : kiwi_explorer (www.trekearth.com)

Lyttleton, near Christchurch
www.trekearth.com

Ashburton Vintage museum

Ashburton Trotts Garden

Mt. Hutt, Ashburton district

Lupens, Ashburton

Methven

Rakaia Gorge

Rakaia Gorge

Canterbury Plain

* all pictures copied from Google Image, courtesy from the website www.ashburtondistrict.co.nz

There millions of beautiful pictures proving the beauty of New Zealand and they are all driving me insane. So before the chance that I  might be administered by any type of tranquilizers due to hyperactivity of the neurons, I better stop here, and get back to the reality, get a job, work hard and fulfill my dreams. Dear Allah, please grant me the chance to see every corner of your amazing Earth, and grant me the highest of all knowledge from the observations and appreciations I will do. Amennn!!

Dream achievement...still a long way to go.

Cities visited (pink spots) 

I remembered the first time my mother asked me if I want to go to Bangkok with her and a few other relatives, and I thought that would be once a lifetime traveling abroad. But I did not expect my first ever international trip has becoming my cravings until today. I guess that the infectious traveling virus was transmitted to me, being my mum as the vector of the virus. Who else? With a contrasting opinions of traveling with my old man, she never complains about me wasting time and procrastinating my current priority. In fact until today, we are becoming travel companion to each other, though in most trips previously, we had minor argument about this and that. But of course, as a daughter, and of course she as a mum, we need each other to ensure we get to see what we want to see while traveling, and return home safely.

In the past 20 years, when I was a school girl, my mum traveled here and there, to the States, India, China and Australia, without my dad. She really did enjoy herself seeing this beautiful world. At that time, backpack traveling was uncommon so she relied so much on the tour agent. But heyy..at least she managed to achieve her dreams. And when I started to travel, she, too,  travels the way I travel. Thanks to the world-wide-web for being one of the most important information provider and made us work our dream.

In 5 years time, I manage to visit 13 countries only. I cannot deny that I am aiming to visit more countries in this 5 years but it seems that it cannot be fulfilled. And perhaps, I realized that one I visited a country, I would ensure that I reach every part of a country. I cannot afford to travel like those Europeans, Americans or Australians, where they travel for like a month minimum and get to see almost everything in the countries visited. But maybe once I have got my own 'treasure chess' I will do the same thing too, especially in Europe. Ok..ok...keep that Europe thing for later.

At the moment, I have visited countries in South East Asia but I predicted that I will be traveling again to other parts of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines. Burma is supposed to be re-visited but given the current religious turmoils and some difficulties while traveling there, I guess that plan needs to be kept aside first.

Cities to visit (blue spots)

In Indonesia, I wish to enjoy myself in the stunning Lombok island, dive in Komodo and Raja Ampat, and explore the other side of Indonesia, i.e Flores, Sumbawa, where Islam is not the main practice here. Oh I hope to get a cheap flight to Semarang and hop on a boat to Karimunjawa island. And in another few years time, I will definitely experience diving in Sangalaki where the closest city is Balikpapan. And lastly, I expect to see the different cultures in Makassar of the Sulawesi, where this is the place of one of my ancestors. And looking at this list, I know at least RM20k is needed to cover all places I want to be at. Diving trip is very costly and I guess some shopaholic skanks might downgrade this diving activity. Well, if shopping can fulfill ones 'lusts' and desires, so does traveling and diving. But I do not know what is shopping got to do with gaining life experiences. I hope someone will enlighten me about this.

As for Thailand, I want to fly to Bangkok, and check-out what do they have in Hua Hin and Pattaya, and course to visit the ancient city of Ayutthya. And secondly, I want to re-visit Koh Samui in the right season, as my visit in year 2007 was a disastrous visit as it was monsoon and I did not get to enjoy the beautiful scenery, calm sea and sunny sky. I have no plan to dive in Thailand as most of the diving trips are overly priced and the dive sites are incomparable to the Indonesian dive sites. But I cannot deny that Thailand is generally much cleaner and it has one of the beautiful beaches and islands as far as I can remember.

Vietnam is another nice country to be visited only if one can manage to avoid scams and cheaters. But it is unavoidable, just go with it and enjoy  every single thing Vietnam has to offer. I wish to visit the coastal area of Nha Trang and highland city of Da Lat as a rejuvenation of exhausted soul and re-sparkling the dim and lazy pair of eyes. And I will not forget to shop for the beautiful cloths to *wink*wink*

And finally in Philippines, I want to dive in Anilao and Puerto Galera, and spend some time for eye remediation in Boracay and Palawan.

As for East Asia, I only manage to visit China but a 2-3 trips are needed before I totally done with this charming country. I have jotted what I have in mind when I manage to book cheap flight to and from China for traveling within November and December 2013. This will be a trip where I will try my best to left mt footprints at the numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites around China. The cities where I can easily access the Heritage Sites, include Hangzhou, Suzhou, Huangshan, Nanking, Chengdu, Xi'an, Chongqing and a few others where I cannot recall at this point of time

I still need to make plans for Taiwan and Japan too. If everything goes well, I will be traveling to South Korea, covering 4 cities (Seoul, Busan, Gyeoungju and Jeju) and Japan, covering cities nearby Tokyo, ie. Nikko, Kamakura and Hakone. My 2nd trip to Japan will be somewhere end of next year, covering Kansai region and Sapporo. Japan is such an expensive country to visit but once visited, it is going to be very valuable and fun.

My mission to visit most of the places in Australia is still in progress. Managed to book couple of tickets to Melbourne and Gold Coast where these cities will be my point of entry to get to other destinations. Of course my ultimate goal is to dive in the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, but it seems that it will be a bit expensive to reach Cairns, or alternatively Townsville.

I have endless traveling dreams and it is rather difficult to spill everything here. It seems that the more I travel, the more I will dream, make plans and push myself to ensure those dream come true. Ashkuru ilallah (i am thankful to Allah) for giving me the chance to see the bits of this Earth.

Must Do Self-Plan: Journey to India

There are so many things I can do when it comes to Ramadhan, a month where all Muslims in the whole world are fasting. So I took this opportunity to write something for my India trip, next year.

The trip, which is 9 months away from now,is going to be something incredible and challenging. Incredible in the sense that, my buddy and I will have to face the trickiest people on earth, but not impossible. And challenging in the sense that we have to work hard to ensure our seats on the trains are reserved according to the initial plan. Return ticket to Kolkata has been booked which means the trip must go on no matter how.

Many people do not understand why I am so enthusiastic to visit India. And frankly speaking, most of them will pull out disapproving faces which I don't really care. When the subject matter India came up, the only thing most people could see the positive thing is the absolutely famous Taj Mahal, and Kashmir. The negative thing, well, too many too mention here and I don't like to mention it here. Even the seemingly perfect countries in the world have their own flaws, so India is the same...anywhere is just the same. Don't look at the bad things because nothing good can surface and we will end up regretting this and that.

India is more than just Taj Mahal and Kashmir. There are vibrant cultures, architectures and heritages one can appreciate and have good experiences observing these wonders. For those who don't know how to spend their money, India is the perfect place so spend on various fabrics and perfect for various occasions. And those who love photography, I bet bringing extra memory cards and batteries are a good idea. And those who run after the heritage sites (obviously me), India has so many to offer, only if you care to get to them.

My India journey will take 3 solid weeks, covering Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra state. Below is my rough planning for the trip:

18/4/13 Day 1 : Arrive Kolkata, and connecting flight to Delhi, overnight in Delhi
19/4/13 Day 2 : Flight to Srinagar and leisure activity in Srinagar
20/4/13 Day 3 : Srinagar to Sonmarg and Gulmarg
21/4/13 Day 4 : Srinagar to Yousmarg and Pahalgam
22/4/13 Day 5 : Srinagar
23/4/13 Day 6 : Flight to Delhi, and leisure activity in Delhi
24/4/13 Day 7 : Tour around Delhi
25/4/13 Day 8 : Tour around Delhi, depart Jaisalmer by train (evening) ETD 1530, 18 hours
26/4/13 Day 9 : Tour around Jaisalmer
27/4/13 Day 10 : Tour around Jaisalmer, depart for Jodhpur by train (evening) ETD 1715, 5 hours
28/4/13 Day 11: Tour Jodhpur
29/4/13 Day 12: Tour around Jodhpur, depart for Mumbai by train (evening) ETD 1500, 20 hours
30/4/13 Day 13: Tour Mumbai
01/5/13 Day 14: Tour Mumbai, depart for Udaipur by train (evening) ETD 1545, 16 hours
02/5/13 Day 15: Tour Udaipur
03/5/13 Day 16: Tour Udaipur, depart for Jaipur by train (night) ETD 2220, 8 hours
04/5/13 Day 17: Tour Jaipur
05/5/13 Day 18:  Depart Agra by train, Tour Agra (morning) ETD 0615, 5 hours
06/5/13 Day 19: Depart Delhi-shopping in Delhi
07/5/13 Day 20: Depart Kolkata - leisure activity in Kolkata
08/5/13 Day 21: Tour Kolkata
09/5/13 Day 22: Depart for KL

Train travel details (expected)
Delhi - Jaisalmer     : ETD 1530, 18 hours
Jaisalmer - Jodhpur : ETD 1715, 5 hours
Jodhpur - Mumbai  : ETD 1500, 20 hours
Mumbai - Udaipur  : ETD 1545, 16 hours
Udaipur - Jaipur     : ETD 2220, 8 hours
Jaipur - Agra          : ETD 0615, 5 hours
Agra - Delhi           : this is a popular route so booking is unnecessary

To reserve train tickets, it is quite problematic because the Indian Railway company does not except international credit card. International travelers are required to register at the IRCTC website and to complete the registration, Indian mobile no. is required. In this case, it is good to have contacts/friend in India who can lend his/her mobile number, just to get the one time password to activate the registration. And on top of that, the account must be linked to a website which accepts payment from international credit card  provider. Ticket reservation can be done 120 days before departure and can easily get sold out in peak season.

This post is just not a mere post as this can be part of my notes and reminder so that I will not change plan once I have decided this is the best plan, based on the research done. This includes whatever booking I have made, with the hope that I do not have to waste money due to overlapping bookings. This happened before for the Philippine trip which cost me almost RM300 damage.


These are the THINGS DONE for this trip
Return flight by AirAsia Kuala Lumpur - Kolkata
Informing CS friend on my visit to Srinagar

Things TO BE DONE
Book return flight Kolkata - New Delhi (~RM600)
Book return flight New Delhi - Srinagar (~RM300)
Book all domestic train tickets (~ RM250)

I guess that is all for now. I'm so going to bed now...ZZZZZZZZ

Must Do Self-plan: Classical and Natural Route of China

I can never stop dreaming of stepping my foot in every part of Asia,though I have impatiently flew to Australia twice. I have done South East Asia, though there a few more places I still need to get in and have fun. For Indonesia, I still need to get to the Nusa Tenggara region as well as East Papua. As for Philippine, I am so longing to dive Anilao and Puerto Galera and finally, Vietnam, where Nha Trang and Da Lat are the places I am dreaming of. Oh and by the way, I am so gonna buy those Ao Dai cloths in bulk if I get the chance to go to Vietnam again. I AM SERIOUS!! Just got my Ao-Dai-like dress from my tailor friend and I guess this is the best piece of cloth I have ever had. OK...OK...I am superfluously exaggerating the introduction for my new post today.

Thinking of my trip to India in 9 months time, I feel it is a must to start peeping on my next plan to the other part of Asia, especially China. I visited several places in China but China is too enormous to be visited once, or twice, In fact, my trip to Beijing was the 3rd trip and it did not satisfy my urge as a traveler. I have not written a thing about my plan for India trip, but let me just start with my Classical and Natural China. I am planning to start the trip in Hangzhou, and end it in Guilin, which will take 3 solid weeks. I have no idea if it is sufficient but based on my interest on the attractions, a day and a night in several cities are good enough. 

Below is the map of China, and the route I intended to travel is marked with purple line,

Map by: www.Travelchinaguide.com

I modified the classical route of China from the fellow travelers in Lonely Planet and combined it my own version of natural route of China which are Chengdu, Chongqing and Guilin. As usual, my travels and journeys are based on several reason. One of the reasons is, I am so into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Of course other that this, I want to see, feel and extract some knowledge from the variations of cultures, ancient histories and beautifully designed natures. And to add the cherry on the top, camera shutter is my second eye and the memory card will be my second visual memory.

My rough itinerary is as the following

Day 1 : arrive Hangzhou  - overnight in Hangzhou

Day 2 : Hangzhou

          - depart for Huangshan by bus (evening)

          - overnight in Huangshan

Day 3 : Huangshan 

           - depart for Shanghai by bus (evening)

           - overnight in Shanghai

Day 4 : Shanghai

           - overnight in Shanghai

Day 5 : Depart for Suzhou by train (early morning)

           - Suzhou

           - overnight in Suzhou

Day 6 : Depart for Nanjing by train (early morning)

           - Nanjing 

           - overnight in Nanjing

Day 7 : Nanjing

           - depart for Kaifeng by train (night train)

Day 8 : Kaifeng 

           - overnight in Kaifeng

Day 9 : Depart for Luoyang by bus (morning)

           - Luoyang

           - overnight in Luoyang

Day 10 : Luoyang---> Longmen Grottoe

            - depart for Xian (evening)

            - overnight in Xian

Day 11 : Xian

            - overnight in Xian

Day 12 : Xian 

            - overnight in Xian

Day 13 : Depart for Chengdu by train (afternoon)

Day 14 : Chengdu

            - overnight in Chengdu

Day 15 : Chengdu

            - overnight in Chengdu

Day 16 : Depart for Chongqing (morning)

            - Chongqing

            - overnight in Chongqing

Day 17 : Chongqing --> Dazu Rock Carvings

            - depart for Guilin by train (night train)

Day 18 : Arrive Guilin

            - overnight in Guilin

Day 19 : Guilin

            - overnight in Guilin

Day 20 : Guilin

            - overnight in Guilin

Day 21 : Return home

The trickiest part of this journey is that, it is almost impossible to book the train tickets online and directly from the train company in China. There are several agents available online should any traveler wish to secure seats on the specific time and journey, but a charge of RMB 50 is applied FOR EACH ticket booked. The best idea to ensure the plan works out accordingly is to travel outside the peak season, i.e in winter, from December till March. On top of that, get to the train station as early as one could for short distance journey, and book the night trains at least 24 hrs before travel time. 

Accommodation in China is somewhat cheap. I will allocate RM1500 for accommodation, RM1000  for train and bus tickets, and RM1500 for meals, shopping and entrance fees. By the way, entrance fees of the heritage sites in China are somewhat expensive, so it is a good idea to check the current price of the sites and re-do the budgeting accordingly.