The Lone Traveller's Base / TSR Travel Society

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I'm going to Mexico in April for 10 days or two weeks.

I'll be visiting my girlfriend in Guadalajara who is doing an exchange semester there. We want to go to Mexico City, and would also like to see some Maya 'pyramids' like the one at Chichen Itza. I'm not sure if we are going that far east though, so we are looking for alternatives that are equally impressive. Any recommendations?

Reply 61

raaaiku

Original post by bestofyou

I'm also heading east this summer. I'm thinking Philippines, were are you planning on?

I'm heading east this Summer too. Was originally thinking of Bejing up to Russia (east) on the train then over to Japan, but is looking like it takes a fair bit of planning due to stricter visa requirements in Russia. (has anyone done this?)

Out of interest, why the Phillipines?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 62

Pi!

I'd quite like to take a GAP YAH next year and I'm thinking of either inter-railing round Europe or going on a hiking holiday in Spain.

Reply 63

drakesdrum

Original post by raaaiku

One of the banes of my life Russian visas. They are pretty easy to acquire but registering it everywhere you go is a real pain. However, it's definitely possible, just allow good time before you go to apply for the visa and it's ok.
I'm not sure what route you'd be taking there. Are you thinking of heading up from Beijing through Harbin then onto Vladivostok? If so, to get out of Vladivostok obviously you'd have to get a boat to South Korea or Japan and from memory it's not that often, it maybe more regular now I'm not sure. If you plan the times right it would be ok, I just wouldn't recommend sticking around in Vladivostok for a longer than a couple of days.
I'd certainly recommend perhaps going from Beijing into Mongolia then onto Irkutsk and then head back east to Vladivostok and onto Japan that way. Harbin is amazing in the winter with the ice festival but since you're going in summer I'd definitely look at Mongolia if I were you. Again, it takes a bit of planning to get the train tickets ordered etc but it would be well worth it. The Mongolian authorities have gone a bit crazy with visas now as well though but it's ok.

Reply 64

bestofyou

Original post by raaaiku

Emm I'm not sure really. This probably sounds like one of the worse excuses to go to a country, but have you ever played 'Medal of Honor Rising Sun'? Well the second mission in that was in the Phillipines. It was one of my favorite missions and as I was so young when I would have played it (maybe 12ish) it left a notion in my mind that the Phillipines were really nice. The same for Myanmar (Burma) which is also in the game.

So I was looking at Thailand, when I decided why not try the Phillipines as I'd always wanted to go there. However I'm not going there this summer. As I only have a month to play with I'm going to Indonesia instead. I'll leave the Phillipines for a latter date when I have the time and money for a longer trip, then I'll so Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Phillipines all at once.

Reply 65

gravityisamyth

I went travelling alone for the first time last summer in America and Canada and had a great time.

I think if you stay in hostels it's hard not to meet people, I was rarely by myself and if I was it was because I'd chosen to be.

I'd really like to visit Thailand and places around there but I do worry slightly more about safety.

Reply 66

getreadygetset

Hi everyone

I am thinking of going to South America over August by myself for my elective. I was thinking of going from Brazil through to Bolivia and finally finish in Peru.
Was just wondering if anyone has done anything similar to this before or better yet if anyone is going at the same time!

Reply 67

Pomppufiilis

Original post by drakesdrum

I travel pretty much exclusively on my own, it's great.

In a week's time I'll be in Tallinn before heading to Moscow on a sleeper train, then onto the trans-mongolian train with different stops on the way eventually ending up in Beijing. Then onto Hong Kong and Macau. Then fly onto Kuala Lumpur, few days in Langkawi then home.

Wish I had more time to incorporate more places but that's for another day. I've already been to most of the places I'm going to but an adventure non the less.

Then later in the year a few days in gorgeous Wroclaw & Krakow and that will suffice for the year

Doing pretty much the same route in March from Moscow to Beijing then a few weeks wondering around that corner of China to Kunming and through to HK. After HK going to Hanoi and HCMC through Cambodia, to Bangkok and through to Malaysia. Also doing this solo and v. excited!

Krakow is amazing btw, I will be visiting again at some point!

Edit: Not going to Russia any more, decided that the Visa was a faff. Instead flying to Kuala Lumpur and taking the train to China then back to Penang and then to Indonesia.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 68

Pomppufiilis

Original post by raaaiku

You don't have to get to Japan via Vladivostok, you can get a ferry from Tianjing (near Beijing) or from Shanghai to Kobe or even South Korea and then from S. Korea to Japan. Check out http://www.seat61.com/ I've organised most of my adventure using the tips from this website.

Reply 69

tumbling

I'm going to Bolivia and Peru for 2 months this summer. I''ll be doing the tourist-ish trail mainly, from Santa Cruz Bolivia to the salt flats, then to la paz and on to cuzco. Just wondering how much spanish I will need to learn? I don't have that much spare time to learn, but I could probably reach GCSE level- will that be sufficient? :smile:

Reply 70

hothedgehog

Original post by tumbling

I always find the more of the language you know the better so I would learn as much as you physically can!

Reply 71

FormerlyHistoryStudent

Original post by getreadygetset

I've been from Brazil to Peru (Rio to Lima) - it wasn't by myself though.

Reply 72

getreadygetset

Original post by tumbling

Hi
I am also thinking of going to S America during the summer. Are you going by yourself? Have you arranged a tour or thinking of just making your way around?

I think i may take a crash course in spanish a month before i go :s-smilie:

Reply 73

tumbling

Original post by getreadygetset

I'm just making my way round by myself (cheaper, more flexible, and I figure if other people can do it so can I!) I'm going to try to learn as much spanish as possible to make it all a bit easier.

Edit: Just saw the places you are visiting. Are you travelling for a month or longer? :smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 74

getreadygetset

Original post by tumbling

I was thinking of doing the same! Think i changed my mind and just doing bolivia, peru and ecuador now. I am going whole of august till first week of sept.

how about you? what you hoping to see??

Reply 75

tumbling

Original post by getreadygetset

I was thinking of doing the same! Think i changed my mind and just doing bolivia, peru and ecuador now. I am going whole of august till first week of sept.

how about you? what you hoping to see??

I'm going for from late June until September. I'm going to tour bolivia for a bit over a month- mainly keen on seeing the salt flats, and I'll visit La Paz as well. Apart from those two sites I'll mainly be town hopping. Then I'll do the normal route from Lake titicaca to cuzco for the inca trail and all the historical sites around the city (it's a cliche but I felt I had to take the chance to do it whilst I was over there!)

My cousin went to ecuador and really, really enjoyed it. I kinda wanted to visit to but there's only so much I can pack into the trip and I wanted to take my time in bolivia.

Reply 76

CherryCherryBoomBoom

I've been on a plane alone to Abu Dhabi, but I met my dad at the airport there so I guess that doesn't really count. I would love to go backpacking somewhere like Australia or New Zealand, and would probably go alone since I don't currently know of anyone who'd go with me. I've always been a pretty independent and lonerish person so I'm sure I'd be fine, though it would be nice to make some new friends along the way too :smile:

Reply 77

Student2806

Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom

You have to be hermit-like to not make friends whilst backpacking and staying in hostels. I moved into a new hostel on Sunday and I've already made 3 new friends through a random kitchen conversation about metal handles on pans.
You should definitely do some backpacking down under. It's life changingly awesome! :biggrin:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 78

FormerlyHistoryStudent

Original post by getreadygetset

Hey, just to say that I am going to reply to your PM, but it'll have to be later on, because I'm going out for my birthday lunch in a bit :biggrin:

Reply 79

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Thinking of backpacking Indonesia sometime this year.

Starting in Sumatra, then moving on to Java, then Bali, and then Komodo, ending up in Sulawesi.

Specifically: Banda Aceh, Ketambe, Gunung Leuser National Park, Medan, Bandar Lampung, Jakarta, Krakatoa, Bogor, Yogyakarta, Malang, Probolinggo, Bromo, Banyuwangi, Gillimanuk, Ubud, Seminyak, Komodo National Park, Makassar, Tana Toraja, Wakatobi.

A few hundred should cover it. :biggrin: