Between January 29 and April 27, 2013, I will be traveling traveled nearly 30,000 miles across Asia and Oceania (specifically, New Zealand). I carried a GPS tracker called BadElf that let me track exactly where I've been with very minimal effort, though it doesn't upload the details automatically. I offloaded these periodically here using a script I made. My estimated daily budget was $25. I carried a 30L Eagle Creek duffel bag and a Timbuktu messenger bag.
My BadElf GPS tracker by the window on the sleeper bus between Nha Trang and Dalat, Vietnam.
View GPS tracks by individual location (number of nights):
View by travel method: Flight | Train | Boat
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Below is the planned itinerary
I was confident I could keep everything I needed to what I could fit into carry-on. Only one airline (Air Asia) gave me grief about the weight (it had to be less than 7kg) but all I did was take out my jacket and sweater and wear it, which brought down the weight, and once past security I just packed it all back in.
Not pictured
Things I ended up buying along the way
In Chiang Mai, Thailand, I shipped home 3.568kg of stuff for about 1000 THB, including the sweater, jeans, jacket. Traveling from a cold country (16cm of snow in Seoul when I started) to hot (a high of 37°C in Chiang Mai) was therefore a blessing, because I would rather not buy things to wear if I can help it, and I bundled a few souvenirs too.
I uploaded selected photos by connecting my 5D Mark II to my iPad. Before the trip was over, I selected 88 photos with the only caveat that they be photos that I've imported onto the iPad, and no more or less, and that they be the best photos I have to share my trip with. View all 88 pictures (high res | low res)
I started my trip with a brand new camera. By the end of the trip, I had 22,000 actuations (25,068 shutter presses and 3315 live views, which don't count as shutter presses per se).
Country | Number of photos |
---|---|
Seoul | 1,117 |
Hong Kong | 1,686 |
Taiwan | 1,220 |
Macau | 427 |
New Zealand | 3,199 |
Thailand | 1,285 |
Vietnam | 2,045 |
India | 2,175 |
Total | 13,154 |
Airline | Itinerary | Cost | Miles1 |
---|---|---|---|
Asiana | NRT-ICN-NRT | 27,990 JPY | 1,526 |
Jeju | ICN-HKG-ICN | 470,700 KRW | 2,580 |
Hong Kong Airlines | HKG-TPE-HKG | 294.20 USD | 966 |
New Zealand Air | HKG-AKL-HKG | 1,341.50 USD | 11,360 |
Jetstar | AKL-CHC | 90 NZD | 463 |
Thai Air Asia | HKG-DMK-HKG | 1,997 HKD | 2,120 |
Vietnam Airlines | BKK-HAN-SGN-BKK | 7,175 THB | 1,521 |
Jet Air | BKK-BOM-COK-BKK | 474.99 USD | 4,412 |
Total (approx) | 3,398 USD | 26,474 |
Most of the places I stayed I reviewed on TripAdvisor. I've had to have one journal sent to the United States, so I cannot update the New Zealand section for a couple of weeks as I wrote my notes in there.
City | Hotel/Hostel | Cost | Cost/night (USD) | Nights | Rating1 | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seoul | Seoul International Youth Hostel | 112,200 KRW | 17.04 | 6 | 4 | A tidy outfit |
Hong Kong | YesInn Causeway Bay | 1018.3 HKD | 21.87 | 6 | 4 | Fun, social scene in the middle of Causeway |
Taipei | Eight Elephants and Dreaming Dragons | 2475 TWD | 16.78 | 5 | 5 | Relaxed and friendly, staffed by young and energetic folks |
Macau | SanVa Hotel | 480 MOP | 30.93 | 2 | 2 | Thin walls, central location, poor staffing |
Bangkok | NapPark | 550 THB | 18.51 | 6 | 5 | Great staff, centrally located, social atmosphere |
Chiang Mai | Deejai | 450 THB | 5.05 | 3 | 4 | A bit too touristy, slightly off center, dirt cheap |
Hanoi | Atlantic | 209400 VND | 10.00 | 1 | 4 | A decent stay north of the main areas |
Hanoi | Bodega | 125640.00 VND | 6.00 | 1 | 5 | Upgraded to a single room, great staff and closer to the busy streets |
Hue | Jade | 14.00 USD | 14.00 | 1 | 5 | Great staff, bike rentals available, right next to long-distance bus stop |
Hoi An | Vinh Huy | 40.00 USD | 20.00 | 2 | 2 | Overpriced and bare rooms with just a fan. Had to move on the second day. |
Dalat | Villa Pink House | 30.00 USD | 15.00 | 2 | 5 | Wonderful secret tour, great staff, clean and bright room |
Ho Chi Minh City | NgocThao Guesthouse | 214,200 VND | 10.28 | 1 | 3 | Decent room, close to busy center |
Mumbai | Welcome Hotel | 3194 INR | 29.68 | 2 | 4 | Staff works for tips, good location and breakfast |
Aurangabad | Panchavati | 2332.77 INR | 21.68 | 2 | 3 | Relatively close to railway station, spartan but clean room |
Panaji | Vivenda Rebelo | 1992 INR | 36.74 | 3 | 5 | Fantastic experience, great host |
Madgaon | Hotel LaFlor | 800 INR | 14.87 | 1 | 4 | Great location, close to railway tracks and center of town |
Hampi | Thilak Homestay | 2800 INR | 17.35 | 3 | 3 | Great host, but suffered bed bugs and asked for one night free. Expensive. |
Mysore | Comfort Inn | 800 INR | 14.87 | 1 | 2 | Relatively unclean. |
Munnar | Rheinberg Homestay | 2700 INR | 16.73 | 3 | 4 | Good location, slightly unaccomodating and unwelcoming. |
Ft. Kochi | Good Shepherd Homestay | 1500 INR | 9.29 | 3 | 4 | Cheap, clean, slightly far from center of town. |
Seoul | Birdsnest Hostel | 17,000 KRW | 15.49 | 1 | 5 | Cosy and homey feeling, with plenty of space and amenities |
Average (USD) | 17.25 | 3.9 |
I collected Oreo wrappers and Oreo-lookalikes during my trip (hence the name, Oreo Adventures). I'm curious about comparing the ingredients with the ones made in the United States and Europe (I'll be in both within the next month).