Unbeknown to us, our Bank decided to change the credit card promotion we were on, as the reward program Visa we had was no longer a current offer, and they were obviously trying to wind up a cost centre. So, they sent us in the mail new cards, on the banks current frequent flyer Visa card. As this was a new program, our credit card numbers changed. The bank did a redirect on our old card, for a month after they issued the new ones.

Of course, we are overseas at the time, on a 3 month holiday, so we don’t receive this mail.

On our last day in Kathmandu, about an hour before we need to leave for the airport to catch our flight to New Delhi, we try to pay our hotel bill, and, alas, the card is declined. In a panic, we rush off and fire up the laptop thinking we need to transfer money, but balance is all OK?

These guys dont take credit card anyway!

So we ring our bank, from our hotel room. $100 later, we finally get to speak to a customer service representative, who advises us that , yes, our card has been changed to a new, better one. Great, we said sarcastically, but we still need to use the old one. Sorry, nothing we can do about that, call Visa international on blah blah number if you want an emergency card, have a nice day. Thanks for nothing National Australia Bank!

So we called Visa International, and were very relieved to find we didn’t have to wait in a Queue. Fantastic when you are calling from a payphone in Kathmandu!

They were keen to help, and offered us both an emergency card, as well as emergency cash! Fantastic, how long will that take?we asked. and how do we pay for our room bill, due in 10 minutes?

Fortunately, they were able to advise us the new visa card number, and we were able to pay the Kathmandu hotel with them inputting the number manually. Next problem was were to send emergency cash and card to, as we were flying out within hours. Unfortunately we were unable to advise where to send it all to, so they gave us a reference number, and a toll free phone number to call back on, once we got to a destination we were going to stay at for a couple of days.

We then flew to New Delhi, only overnighted there, and then on to Goa. This caused us to not be able to reach Visa again for two days, just because of flight times (early, late etc). When we reached a hotel in Goa, we called them again, quickly got through, quoted our reference number, and got immediate offer of help. This was 4pm so it would be too late to get cash that day, they would organise for the next day (that turned out was election day in Southern India, so banks were not open). The nearest affiliated bank to Visa international, was at Margao, approx 1 hour from where we were in Calangute, but, what do you do, we were running out of cash!

Please, give us Money!

So on the Friday, 4 days after our card failed on us, we were finally off to Margao to pickup some money to see us through until the emergency card came though! Indian banks, of course, are even worse than National Australia Bank, so it took some time, and more phone calls back to Visa International, but they finally managed to force it through, and at 2.30 pm (we arrived at the bank at 10.00am), we finally walked away with money!

Once we had the emergency cash, we got back onto them, to organise a card. This, they said, would arrive in 3 business days. This was longer than we intended to stay in our hotel, but we said, oh well, we need a card, so we will wait (this was Friday, so 3 business days would be the following Wednesday).

To our surprise, the card arrived at our Goan hotel, on the Monday, only 3 days ( 1 business day) later. Finally, we were OK to travel again.

The only down side, was that the temporary card has no security number, so we could not use it online – and all the cheap airlines only sell their tickets online! But ever mind, things could have go a lot worse!

So, Thanks Visa International, you saved our bacon. An no thanks to National Australia Bank, you cost us hundreds of dollars, and put us under enormous stress when we should have been enjoying our holiday!

The above article is a reprint from a blog I no longer keep online, that was attached to www.asianitineraries.com. This blog became unsustainable, and I recently decided to take it down. I will reprint a dozen or so articles that really didnt see the light of day, and I think are relivant to this blog. I may change them from thier initial format, add pictures and update relivant information.

Well, I think, the “ultimate” single journey through South East Asia, would be as follows;

Nice and comfortable start point

Start in Singapore

Bus to Mersing via Johor Bahru

Ferry to Tioman Island,

Bus back to Malacca, then KL, Bukit Fraser, Cameron highlands and onto Penang.

Ferries,ferries then ferries

Ferry to Langkawi, onward to Ko Lipe, Ko Ngai, Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi and then finally give boats a rest for a while at Phuket.

Minibus to Krabi, though to Khao Lak, Ferry detour out to the Similan Islands, back to Khao Lak, onto Khao Sok and the Surat Thani.

Ferry to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao, then ferry on to Chumporn.

Train to Hua Hin, and then Bangkok and Ayuthaya.

See some sites

Minibus to Pattaya, and Ko Samet, then onward to Ko Chang.

Minibus from there to Cambodia to Siam Reap then Phenom Penh and Sihanoukville.

Ferry to Phu Quoc in Vietnam, boat transfer via Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Mihn City.

See some beaches!

Finally, head up the Vietnamese coast, via Mu Nie, Nga Trang, Hoi An and Hue

Train to Hanoi, and then bus and junk to Halong Bay and Catba Island.

Complete this sucker, and you will never want to visit another island again, for as long as you live! Any feedback on oversights would be appreciated!!

and finish in Halong Bay

The above article is a reprint from a blog I no longer keep online, that was attached to www.asianitineraries.com. This blog became unsastainable, and I recently decided to take it down. I will reprint a dozen or so articles that really didnt see the light of day, and I think are relivant to this blog. I may change them from thier initial format, add pictures and update relivant information.

What to Choose?????

Yes, of course, Item number 4 is the obvious choice for the adventurous eater. Not me I’m afraid.

Bali 

Puri Bening Hayato, Toya Bungkah

We found this hotel while doing a cross island scooter trip a couple of years ago, and  I have done some investigation to make sure it still exists! This was a very old hotel, and in h=need of a bit of repair at the time, but at $25 per night it was cheap, spacious, and in another wonderful location. Toya Bungkah is located on the side of Lake Batar, and both the lake and town are located in the crater of the active volcano, Mt Batar. To reach the town you travel down into the crater from the road that runs around the volcano rim at kintamani. The town is located in a fertile market garden area, and drying onions where the dominant smell when we visited. The hotel had excellent views from our 3rd floor room, both to the volcano behind us and the lake and rim wall in-front. In addition, it was an older, 70′s style complex, with big rooms, and adjoining balconies. And we were the only guests! It was cheap, retro, and located in a surprisingly non-balish corner of Bali! limited information available at http://hotelpuribeningbali.com/

Lake Batar

Overlooking the carpark!

  Vietnam

Sea Star Resort, Phu Quoc Island

Vietnam is probably the ultimate for hotel rooms under $40.00 per night, in-fact I can only think of 1 hotel I have stayed in, in two visits to Vietnam that cost more than $40.00! But for comfort, friendly family run service, and amazing location, the Sea Star Resort, Phu Quoc Island rates as the best in my opinion. This resort has a series on bungalows, set in 3 or 4 rows facing the the beach and ocean. The front row is right in the sand of the beach, and the second row, where our $40 bungalow as, was a mere 5 meters or so from the beach, with access and views between the front ones, to the beach. In addition, Sea Star has an excellent restaurant located under the palm trees beachfront, that served as good a local food as any of the restaurants in town. They rented motor-scooters for only a few dollars a day, and happily suggest routes and day trips to enjoy. Absolutely recommend the Sea Star resort, and refer as many people as possible to their website for more information – www.seastarresort.com

Sea Star Resort

Restaurant at Sea Star Resort

These two posts cover 1 cheap but nice hotel in each of my favourite countries. I hope this gives either comfort, lead or food for thought if you are heading to any of these places. I think I might keep this series going for a few more posts, and see if I can share some info on a few more places I have stayed under $40. keep you posted!

Part the way through the shave I noticed what set this particular barber apart from his competitors………

Nepalese Barber

Accommodation cost obviously vary greatly, both between different countries, and between different standards of accommodation within each country. I have stayed in a huge variety, from $4.00 per night tea houses in Nepal, to $400 a night hotels in Europe, but in general I try to keep my nightly expenditure to under $40.00, and will usually spend lots more time in countries where you can get something reasonable for that amount (or hopefully less!!).

So, I though I would reflect on a few of my favourites. You will probably see from the photos, it is often more about the location than the comfort for me, although there is nothing better than landing a soft comfy bed and a powerful shower.!

Here are my first 2 examples, one each from, Thailand, Nepal. I will do two more ( Bali and Vietnam) next week.

Thailand

  Lanta Riviera Resort – $35.00 per night (800baht)

We hadn’t organised any accommodation In Ko Lanta, figuring we would work it out when we got there, however, we took a deal on the ferry from Ko Phi Phi that we were sure was going to be a disaster. You just don’t get a good deal from a tout in that situation. Especially when they are prepared to pick you up at the dock, and drive you the 15km or so to the resort. However, under the assurance that if we didn’t like it we didn’t have to stay, or pay for the transport, we (and about 1/2 the others on the ferry), took the free ride, and had a look. We were very happy with the beachfront property, large, air conditioned concrete bungalows, tropical gardens,  swimming pool and restaurant of the resort. Definately our best value in Thailand. Check them out at http://www.lantarivieraresort.com

$35.00 per night

Ko Lanta, Thailand

Nepal 

Pokhara Village Resort – $20.00 per night

After finding accommodation either very unpleasant, or very expensive in Kathmandu, we were very concerned as to what we may end up with when we arrived at the departure point for our Himalayan trek, Pokhara. The Kathmandu travel agent who organised us a guide and porter, and bus transfer to Pokhara, assured us he owned a very nice hotel in Pokhara, only to cost us $20.00 per night. When we arrived in Pokhara, we were escorted to a different hotel (Pokhara Village Resort), as the original one was full? Anyhow, after a call to our Kathmandu Agent, he assured us he owned this one as well? We were allocated the converted store room on the roof, that turned out to have the most magnificent views of Pokhara lake, as well as the Annapurna Range, we genuinely could not complain! The room was OK, by Nepalese standards, they had a generator for when the power failed, and there was a trickle of hot water from the shower. The room was spacious and airconditioned (completely unnecessary).We stayed at 10 days in total, either side of our trek. The don’t have a website

Pokhara Village Resort

Our View, for $20.00 per night!

I would love travelers to support these hotels, as they were both small, family run operations. These types of hotels are often such a better experience than a multinational chain (although with a little less comfort!), that they help create a lasting memory. Next week I will add another post, part 2 to this, and include a couple of other little gems we have found on our travels!

 Quite often get asked though, what is the best way for a traveler who is in their 40′s or more, to fully experience the majesty of the Nepalese Himalaya. And my simple answer is that there are many different ways for any traveler to experience these mountains, and this applies just the same to the traveler who is aged over 40. There is several “considerations”  for any prospective traveler to take into account, when they are deciding if they are up to the challenge. I have listed below a few of these questions you should ask yourself, and in answering these, you, as a 40 plus year old traveler, should be able to assess if you will be up to a trek and what type of trek you should take -

Trek Tea House

1. How much time do you have?

Treks in the Himalaya can be a variety of different lengths. Day walks are possible, there are several treks of 3 – 4 days and most of the more popular treks are from 8 days up to 30 days or more. Annapurna Cuircut Trek, for example is usually going to be at least 18 days  So, your first consideration, of course, has to be how long to you can allow. If you only have a week off work, you are only going to be able to manage a 4 day walk at best, once you allow for arrival in Kathmandu, see the city (not much point visiting Nepal and not spending at least 1 full day in the capital) and then get to your trek start point.

2. How fit are you?

Your level of fitness will also dictate, or at least, eliminate, some of your trekking options. If you are in your early stages of planning a trek, you can make plans assuming you can improve your fitness with a training regime, although it is important to be realistic, and take into consideration unchangeable health conditions, and mobility concerns. That said, I have seam some highly escorted tours on the Royal trek (Annapurna Skyline trek), with one on one guide assistance that can get even the least mobile trekker into the mountains. Everest Base Camp trek, on the other hand, required a reasonably high level of fitness, with continual, day long step climbing required. That said, no trek is a race, and determination and rest can break down a 1000 step climb into lots of small ones! 

Getting tough

3. How independent are you?

Trekking most of the “regular” treks in Nepal can be done in a variety of levels of pre-organisation. Many trekkers will book an organised trek in their home country, knowing that all their journey will be planned and organised in advance. This will ensure the maximum use of limited time, but could also make you feel it was a little less of an “adventure” than you might have hoped. At the other extreme,  Most of the well known treks can be walked with no assistance from others at all. The “big” treks are busy enough it would be difficult to get lost, and tenting or tea-house accommodation are plentiful.  In between these , it is also possible to book organised tour in Nepal, or to secure the services of a guide and/or porter to travel with you.

4.What level of comfort do you require?

Many of the main treks, including the Helambu Trek, the Langtang trek, Annapurna base camp or Annapurna circuit treks, and the Everest base Camp ,can be trekked in varying levels of comfort (not the walking, more the accommodation, food etc). Organised tent treks can be very comfortable, having tens assembled, comfortable mattresses, cooks, porters, semi western meals, and portable showers. Of course, there are plenty of camping treks that are not nearly as comfortable (or expensive), and then there is Tea House accommodation, in simple bunkhouses, with daal bhaat meals 3 times a day.

So, how does any of this help you? Hopefully, it gives you an idea of the option available for trekking in the Nepalese Himalaya. Quite often prospective travelers only hear about the organised tour from their local travel agent in their home country, and don’t realise this is not the only way to see the majesty of the “top of the world”. We were fortunate enough to have arrived in Kathmandu over a month into an extended travel experience, and as a result, organised our own trek in the capital, catching a local bus to our Pokhara, our departure point, and then meeting up with a guide and a porter. Even looking back,  it still looks a bit scarily independent, but in reality, it was all very comfortable. We think you should consider this option (so much of a better story once you get back!).

Good Luck, It’s Worth It!

Looking back from the end!

A view skyward from the inside of the ruins of St Paul’s Church, Malacca, Malaysia

However, as our National Day, Australia Day, is just around the corner (two days away- January 26th) I feel a patriotic post once a year can do no harm. I am fortunate enough to live close enough to our glorious Swan River to have a great view of our city’s major celebration of Australia Day, a fireworks spectacular – “City of Perth Lotto Skyworks”. I have posted a series of photos from last years (2010) fireworks.

Preparation earlier in the day

Oz Flag as the day fades

Sunset - not long now!

The first Fireworks

More Fireworks!

And more!

And More!

An, finally, it was over