I’ve actually been sick on and off for weeks and then I had to do a visa run to Malaysia after being back in Indonesia for a month. I have no idea where time went, but that first month back flew by. I was actually totally spent after my time in Laos and I just needed to rest, but we did a lot of meeting up with friends in Jakarta, did a trip to Dieng Plateau in Central Java and a bit of lounging around.

Not really sure what this is about, but Dieng is a strange place!

The trip to Malaysia was a bit of an eye-opener as we had a chance to nick up to Penang for the first time. I really loved Penang. The food there is fantastic, cheap and plentiful and the historical stuff to see is well-mapped out and easy to access. It’s a city that some of the tourism authorities in Indonesia could learn something from.

It’s all about the food in Penang!

We also just got back from the ASEAN Bloggers Festival in the Central Javan city of Solo where hundreds of bloggers from around the ASEAN region met up to talk about blogging issues. I have no idea how someone managed to get funding for this event, but all attendees were put up in reasonable hotels for three nights, had many of their meals paid for and also had their transportation costs covered. Whatever the case, it seems that the Indonesian government paid for it and for that we’re grateful. But we came away wondering what the Indonesian government gets out of it.

The food in Solo was pretty good – ketan hitam.

So what’s next?

Well, we’re off to the Indonesian island of Flores next month — it’s the island where you jump off to see Komodo dragons. We’re taking my mum along with us, so it will be interesting to see how we manage our different travelling styles. Needless to say that I think we will be upgrading our style a little. We’ll spend about 5 days on the islands at the western end of Flores where there is fantastic coral reefs, deserted islands and of course Komodo dragons. After that we’ll hire a car and head east across the island taking in such sites as the famous volcano of Kelimutu. Then we’ll head straight back to Bandung with absolutely no concrete plans. And it feels good!

We do want to head to Europe in the second half of this year primarily because I want to walk the Camino de Santiago – a month long walk across Spain. The other reason we want to go is because Susan has dreamed of Europe for a while now and we had originally agreed to go together when we first met. The main thing holding us back is trying to get a visa for Susan. Because of Susan’s country of birth, she has great difficulty getting into some countries. Well, it just means we will have to be more thorough with her visa application than otherwise would be the case in order to prove that she has no intention of working in Europe of overstaying her visa. That said, if the Europe thing fails, we’ll just probably head to Turkey or some other country that will accept her! Crazy right?

Anyway, that’s kind of what is coming up. Hopefully the Europe thing comes off!

The post So what’s the plan, Stan? appeared first on Sit Down Disco Travel and Food.

So with that off my chest, here are some of my favourite instagram shots from my 4 months in Laos. You’ll notice food shots aren’t included and that’s because they’ll come later.

Buffloes on a boat in Laos – perfect travel companions

It all started on a buffalo boat in September and was the perfect introduction to my worst month of travel ever. We slept little more than a couple of metres away from these beasts overnight on a remote stretch of the Mekong, bugs by the score.

Mekong sunset near Xieng Kok

But the Mekong never looked so good as it did while bedding down next to those buffaloes.

Sunset in Luang Prabang

The Mekong has a charming quality as seen here in Luang Prabang…

Sunset in Vientiane

…and here in Vientiane where it dries up in parts due to its immense width.

Sunrise on Don Det

Down in the southern reaches of the Mekong the river becomes a delta of sorts and thousands of islands pop up out of the river much to the benefit of the local backpacker crowds on Don Det.

Phongsali from above

In far northern Laos near the Chinese border is a small provincial capital called Phongsali. Few tourists bother making the trek here due to the arduous bus journey involved, but those that do are rewarding with an atmosphere not found elsewhere in the country and certainly a million miles away from anything experienced down south in Don Det.

Lao woman in traditional clothing – not a tourist in sight!

In the northern parts of the country you are more likely to encounter people who still wear traditional clothing and not merely for the benefit of tourists.

Prince Souphanouvong Bridge

There are some quirky attractions in Laos…

Grumpy Dog

…and some quirky animals such as Grumpy Dog.

Vang Vieng

But one thing that endures is how beautiful this country is. The mountains…

Blue lake on the Tha Khek loop

…the lakes…

Twin waterfalls on the Bolaven Plateau

…the waterfalls…

That Luang, Vientiane

…the temples…

Back of nowhere on the Tha Khek loop

…and the desolation during the height of the dry season.

Laos truly is a wonderful country that deserves more than just a passing visit. Most people zoom along a well-trodden route that includes a 2-day slowboat ride along the Mekong, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane. But Laos is so much more than those places and the true colours of this magnificent country are only seen when you step away from those places with the thickest of tourist veneers.

Take your time and soak up all that this fascinating country has to offer.

Wat Phou, Champasak

The post Laos: An instagram photostory appeared first on Sit Down Disco Travel and Food.

Scenery on the Thakek Loop

The thing is, everyone expects that writing guidebooks for a living is the best job in the world. Every traveller I meet has a little chuckle and says something along the lines of “so basically you get paid to travel”. And you know what? It’s true. I do get paid to travel. But the joy of travelling is not just about seeing things and ticking off lists. It’s also about relaxing, having the choice to change plans at the last moment, meeting up with other travellers and joining in on their travels, delving deep into the local culture and coming up with your own mini-projects such as trying as much local food as possible or blogging and tweeting your way through a country.

This is how it feels sometimes writing a guidebook

When you’re a guidebook writer, you need to have your work face on all the time. And I do mean all the time. Rather than waking up lazily at 10am, stumbling across the road for some rice porridge and then heading back to the hotel room for some relaxation, a guidebook writer is constantly thinking about how all of these experiences are going to fit into the guidebook. Waking up at 10am isn’t an option as there is work to be done. So when I generally wake up at 7am, I start writing up my notes from the previous day’s research and start thinking about what research needs to be done in the coming day. So I’ll head across the road and have that delicious rice porridge just as I might have had if I hadn’t been a guidebook writer. But I don’t really have time to fully experience the stall — chat to the owner at length about the process, observe the kids running around. I’m more likely to try and get a bit of info from the owner about the place, eat my soup and write my notes up. Sure, I do have a great experience eating the soup, but it is just not the same as if I am a regular traveller. My mind is elsewhere.

Rice porridge still tastes good when writing a guide book

Writing a guidebook is work. There’s no two ways about it. I have deadlines, a boss that has requirements I need to meet, I have to get out bed whether I feel like it or not and I have to push myself every single day. It sucks sometimes to be honest. Just like when you were in high school and your parents forced you to get out of bed and go to school even though you couldn’t be arsed. But if you want to travel and get paid for it, writing guidebooks is a great way to go about it.

Waking up to a spectacular view over the forest in Bokeo

The plus side is that I saw more of Laos in those 4 months than 99.99% of visitors to Laos. I did experience the culture, the food, the people. I did ride a motorbike over 2000km across some of Asia’s worst roads (aside from Bandung in the wet season), I did fall into the Mekong and ruin my new iPhone 5 and get Dengue Fever. Oh, I’m moaning again. Sorry. Back to the positives.

Gratuitous rice shot

So what is good about writing guidebooks? You are forced to go to places and do things that as a regular tourist you are so unlikely to do because of the hassle involved. But it’s ‘crappy adventures into the jungle to find a half ruined Buddha’ that actually stick most firmly in the mind. You know those places listed in the lonely planet at the end of a section that say XYZ temple is 56km by motorcycle from the centre of town and is little more than a pile of rubble? Well, those places on their own are crappy tourist attractions. But getting to these places is usually quite fun! And when you’re there, you are generally the only foreigner there meaning silence. And you do come to appreciate the quirkiness of such attractions. A couple of favourites of mine were the Prince Souphanouvong Bridge which was bombed by the US in 1968 located 30km along a dirt road from a town (Salavan) that gets virtually zero tourists and the Russian-made missile located about 30km from another town (Attapeu) that few tourists visit. They were craptacular, but fascinating all the same. When I compare these B-grade attractions to the headlines attractions of Laos such as Vientiane and Luang Prabang, for me there is a clear winner.

Prince Souphanouvong Bridge – a strange attraction

Missile made by the Russians, used by the Vietnamese, located outside of Attapeu

I made a conscious decision to take on this latest Travelfish task. I didn’t do it because I needed the cash. I did it because it once again adds to what I want my life to be: Interesting. Those who have been following along for a while know that I quit my regular 9-5 job in 2009 not only to escape the rat race, but also to lead a more interesting and more purposeful life. I think this latest guidebook update fits into those categories nicely and at the end of the day, I’m glad I did it. Just don’t tell me that I have a dream job or I might just have to go all Muay Thai on you.

If you’re interested in knowing what a dengue fever patient looks like, check out this video of me in Luang Prabang “hostpital” (death camp).

The post Writing a guide book appeared first on Sit Down Disco Travel and Food.

I previously posted my 1 year of taking a photo of myself everyday and 6 months of taking a photo of myself everyday.

Now it’s a photo of myself every day for 2 years! TWO YEARS! Check it out anyway and would appreciate your comments on my beard phases, my illness phases and whether you think I’m getting sexier with age. Or if you want to sling some nasty remarks, I’m open to that too.

The post Photo of myself every day for 2 years! appeared first on Sit Down Disco Travel and Food.

I didn’t sufficiently update my followers on plans for the second half of 2012. In fact, I haven’t updated my followers with much at all in recent times which is more a sign of how busy I’ve been rather than a general slackness or lack of interest. Well, this post is part update on what I’m doing and part recap of the hardest month of travel I’ve ever done.

I’m loving it!

I’m in Laos right now on assignment for Travelfish (note: things have changed since I wrote this!). The plan is to be here for about 4 months doing an entire country update for their online guide which I must say is a fantastic companion to your travels here. It honestly means you don’t need a Lonely Planet especially if you have an internet connected smartphone.

Susan is with me on this trip which is a new experience for me when doing research as I’ve always done it alone. We started in the border town of Huay Xai with plans to reach Xieng Kok some 100km north in a few hours by speed boat. Great! An easy day of travel! 3 hours turned into 2 days and 2 nights including dodging armed bandits and sharing a full 20 hours sitting and sleep 2 metres from 54 buffaloes.

Military or bandits? The boat driver didn’t want to find out

Huay Xai isn’t operating speedboats upriver these days, so we had a tip to catch a bus to the town of Ban Mom instead, a short distance upriver. From here we were under the impression we could get a speedboat to Xieng Kok. After waiting 3 hours for the bus and then spending another 2 hours enroute to Ban Mom, we discovered at the Ban Mom boat dock that speed boat drivers were shit-scared. There have been recent shootings along the river and no amount of money was enough for them to take us to Xieng Kok. Others in town suggested we go to the dock early the next morning and wait for a passing slowboat.

Buffaloes moan and moan much like me really

After finding an unsigned guesthouse to sleep in, we awoke and begun waiting by the river at 7am. By 12pm, a boat had arrived carrying a cargo of buffalo upriver and we negotiated a price and hopped on board. The boat made slow progress and as the sun set over the jungle-covered hills alongside the northern reaches of the Mekong, it soon became apparent that we weren’t going to be sleeping in a hotel with AC and a comfy bed that night. The boat pulled into the side of the river, out came some blankets and a mosquito net, a bit of food and that was it. Everyone went to sleep. The crew at the back of the boat presumably in beds and 5 locals from a remote village we picked up on the way plus us a mere 2m from the insect-infested buffaloes. Those things kicked and moaned all night and we barely got any sleep. Early the next morning we arrived at Xieng Kok and I promptly did some Travelfish work and then skipped onto our next destination.

The sunset on the Mekong was phenomenal

It all sounds so fun in hindsight, but at the time it was stressful and tough.

The second part that made this month difficult was riding a motorbike from Muang La, 28km north of Oudomxai to Phongsali. The road is long. And it’s a long and winding road. At times we felt like we were on a road to nowhere. For the majority of the journey we drove on an extremely windy and rocky road. That’s right, most of it is not surfaced. Worse, it’s also not graded meaning speeds average around the 20km/h mark and your body is tense the whole way as you fight to keep the damn bike upright. Of course, the dust was incredible and I ended up orange. But then it rained and the dust turned to mud and the road in parts became a quagmire which required me to put my feet into it to ensure the bike didn’t slide the wrong way.

The road to Phongsali is a joy to ride on

Eleven hours later we arrived in Phongsali absolutely shattered. Of course we were on a schedule so the next day I had to get out and work. Sure, there is time to rest when you work as a guidebook writer, but sometimes visa issues mean you just have to go for it. Phongsali was one of these times. Phongsali is a great little spot by the way and the question, “Is it worth going to Phongsali?“, is one that I think requires more than a passing thought. I wrote about specifically for Travelfish.

The road to Phongsali is hard on the trucks too

From Phongsali the plan was to ride the bike 21km to Hat Sa and put it on the scheduled boat to Muang Khua. Unfortunately, there had been a landslide overnight 1km from Hat Sa and the road was blocked. Bus passengers walked to Hat Sa while we waited 3 hours in the blistering sun for the road to be cleared. By the time we got to the dock the boat had already left. We ended up chartering a boat for about $150 which is an absolute rip off but the boat dudes has us by the balls and they knew it. They knew we’d pay. For Travelfish it would have cost and extra day of expenses for little benefit if we had returned to Phongsali and sat around until the next day.

Amazingly they had heavy machinery to clear the road near Hat Sa

But that wasn’t the end of it. We waited a full 3 hours for our charter boat driver to decide to leave. Why? We don’t know. What we do know is that we got wet. Very wet. After waiting 2 hours he headed off down river. Yay! After 100m, he stopped on the river bank and it proceeded to pour with rain only like Asia does when you’re stuck in it. Slowboats offer little protection when it rains like this and we ended up soaked. The rest of the journey down river was fine except when we wanted to get the bike off the boat in Muang Khua and the driver wouldn’t do it unless I bought him and his friend 3 long necks as reward for moving the bike. I bought the long necks, but not without gritting my teeth swearing that all boatmen are shysters. And it’s probably true.

Muang Khua was rather uneventful as was Oudomxai which made a brilliant contrast to the hardships faced earlier. But worse was to come. The road from Oudomxai to Pak Mong is now 4 hours of ungraded dirt, much like the Phongsali road. It’s the same story as the ride to Phongsali, except not as long.

Once in Nong Khiaw, I burned through my Travelfish tasks and was prepared to leave for Muang Ngoi when I got a fever. I thought it must have been heat stroke due to a stupid hike up a mountain to a cave without water in 40 degree heat. The fever stayed overnight and all of the next day and I knew it was something serious. We chartered a minibus to Luang Prabang, but of course they made us wait 2 hours which meant we departed after the public minivan. And of course they touted for business the whole way so that the van was full with random passengers. Of course we argued at the end and refused to pay the agreed price and of course we caved in because I was so ill and just needed to get into our room that Travelfish had so kindly booked and paid for us. And of fucking course the hotel double booked our room (Ock Pop Tok) and we had to get another room at another hotel despite me being near death.

Me climbing out the cave near Nong Khiaw

Ten minutes after checking in at our new hotel we went to the Luang Hospital or the home for the sick and dying as I like to call it. I knew it would be bad. I knew it would be really bad. But nothing could prepare me for how bad the Luang Prabang hospital really is. If you get sick in Laos, avoid Luang Prabang and get the fuck to either Vientiane or Thailand. The hospital did a blood test *gulp* and said it was probably Dengue Fever. Well, I could have guessed it was probably Dengue Fever as well, but I don’t like to work on probablies. I like to work on certainties when I’m that sick, so after another few days of fever, we decided to take the punishing 10 hour bus ride to Vientiane where I promptly received a certain diagnosis from the Aussie doctor at the Australian Embassy that I had Dengue and I didn’t have Malaria. Cost was $150. Best $150 I ever spent, to be honest.

This is the VIP room in Luang Prabang Hospital – god help those out in the general ward

We were lucky to be able to pay 400,000 kip to get someone to pick up the key for the motorbike from us in Luang Prabang, catch a bus to Nong Khiaw to pick up the bike and somehow get it back to Luang Nam Tha some 9 hours away. We were lucky in many respects really.

And although this whole month sounds like a bag of shit, it has actually been good. Not fun. But good in that it has been a great addition to the tapestry of my life. I’d prefer my tapestry without Dengue Fever, but I do want to be one of those people that that has thousands of interesting stories about their life. I want to be able to spin war stories and this is what I signed up for. So with that I look forward to the coming months in Laos with some trepidation, but a lot wide-eyed eagerness.

Note: the following month got a lot worse and I’m now in Indonesia on a break.

The post Worst month of travel ever appeared first on Sit Down Disco Travel and Food.

Just one of the many amazing places I have visited in Java in the past year

Earlier this year I posted a video montage celebrating a year in Indonesia. It’s a simple video which shows some of the trials, tribulations and delights of everyday life in Indonesia. Some with a keen eye will have seen some of the important moments from my time here in Indonesia so far.

Getting Married

The most important thing that has happened to me in Indonesia during the past year is getting married. I came to Java for a 3-month stint studying Indonesian and ended up getting married. How did that happen? Nobody knows, but I’m extremely happy and that’s all that really matters. Susan and I were married in June this year in Bali surrounded by a handful of friends and family.

Us on our wedding day

Learning Indonesian in Bandung

I came originally to study at IMLAC for 3 months before shooting off to Bali to learn how to surf. Well, since I was getting to know Susan and was generally having a fab time living in Bandung, I decided to extend my Indonesian lessons. I ended up completing 6 months of full-time study. I thought that after completing this much studying that I would be fluent, but I am not. I can hold a conversation with anyone in Indonesian and can pickup a lot of what people are talking about when I overhear their conversations, but I still struggle to talk in the style of locals. Why? Because the proper way of speaking and writing in Indonesian is a long way from how most people actually speak. Many people studying at my school questioned why we didn’t learn the informal language, but that’s not something you go to school for. You learn that on the street and by interacting with people.

One of the classrooms at IMLAC

For anyone intending on staying in Indonesia for any extended period of time, I would highly recommend getting some formal training in Bahasa Indonesia. I saw many people arrive in IMLAC with no Indonesian language knowledge getting to a pretty good proficiency within 1 month.

Writing for Travelfish

I continued writing for Travelfish while in Indonesia and this took about 3 months of my time. I covered most of Java. Actually, to cover every tourism aspect of Java would probably take about 5 months, so I hit the spots that foreign tourists are more likely to hit. Even then I spent a week at one point without seeing another white person. Java doesn’t get many foreign tourists travelling through it. Those that do come here spend their time in Yogyakarta and then move on. How very sad.

Working for Travelfish is no holiday, but it’s fun!

Honeymoon

Recently Susan and I spent two months in Australia and New Zealand having our honeymoon. We stayed in campervans for most of the period and it was an incredible experience. Highly recommended. More to come on this.

Sunrise in the outback on our honeymoon

Thoughts

Reflecting on the past year and a bit, I can truly say that life is unpredictable when you don’t have the anchor of a proper job dictating events. I’m becoming increasingly keen to start a business or ten here in Indonesia. Everywhere I look I see opportunity for people with my background to make money. Whether it be opening up a small guesthouse, a small eatery, a website or something else. Opportunity abounds here.

Right now Susan and I are experimenting with a new Indonesian travel website called Pergi Dulu which we hope one day will provide destination information to the growing masses of Indonesian travellers. Today it is a blog, tomorrow hopefully something different.

So that’s where I am at now. I’m truly passionate about Indonesia and am bullish on the country’s economic prospects and potential as a tourist destination. If only the rest of the world would wake up.

The post Living in Java: an update appeared first on Sit Down Disco Travel and Food.

Pangandaran & Batu Karas

I’d already been to Pangandaran before and knew it was a great little beachside spot to hang out for a while. But on my second visit, I enjoyed it even more. It’s nice combination of enough tourist infrastructure to make things comfortable and not enough foreign tourists to turn it into a mini-Kuta. I also checked out Batu Karas which is just down the road and has a totally different vibe — I liked it! The disappointing thing about both of these beach areas is that they deserve to have masses of foreigners visiting them, but at this point in time they are virtually empty with only a small handful making their way there.

Sunsets like this most nights in Pangandaran

Garut

Garut itself is nothing to write home about. But there are few attractions nearby that are definitely worth a look. I particularly liked Gunung Papandayan, an explosive volcano, Kawah Kamojang, a geothermal area with bubbling pits of mud everywhere and Kampung Naga, a traditional village with no electricity supply (except via car battery – so definitely no playing PartyCasino here!).

Huge volcano near Garut

Bandung

I’ve been living in Bandung for the past year and it definitely is worthy of a mention. Mainly for the nearby Tangkuban Parahu and Maribaya forest walk, but also for the great culinary scene. There aren’t many foreigners visiting Bandung and it makes sense when you see how difficult it can be to get to Tangkuban Parahu by public transport without getting ripped off.

Tangkuban Parahu near Bandung

Ujung Genteng

Ujung Genteng would have to be my favourite West Java destination. It’s small strip of villages which stretches along a remote coast some 100km from the nearest city of any size. The great thing about Ujung Genteng? Total isolation, crystal clear water and a magnificent turtle rehab centre. When I was there, I think I saw one other foreigner, but I’m not 100% sure — they flashed past on a motorbike.

Ujung Genteng is magic

So the same disappointment I have felt in other parts of Java came back again in West Java. Absolutely incredible destinations that have very few foreign visitors. Many of them are not that easy to get to, public transport operators regularly rip foreigners off and accommodation is generally VERY basic. If only some of these people could tune into what foreigners want, maybe more would make their way to this neck of the woods. Until that happens, these places are going to be virtually unspoilt. Go there!

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Kuala Lumpur — vibrant metropolis

KL Tower

Riding to the top of KL Tower is the perfect way to get a feel for this dynamic city. Visitors can take an elevator to the panoramic observation pod, where they will be treated to stunning views of the entire city and the surrounding area. Visitors are handed headsets that explain all of the attractions that can be seen from each of the windows in the pod, which makes it easy to plan what you want to see while spending time in Kuala Lumpur.

Petronas Towers

The Petronas Twin Towers are without a doubt the city’s most famous landmark and can be found in the Golden Triangle district. These mighty towers are connected by a sky bridge, where you can stand and gaze out at the city. Another great way to see the Petronas Towers without having to join the long queues to ride in the elevator to the observation centre is by booking a table at the elegant Skybar in the Trader’s Hotel. The Skybar features a number of cosy window table set around the edge of an enormous swimming pool. Many of these window tables look out onto the Petronas Towers, and it’s best to book a table for around 18:00 so that you can watch the sun sink behind the towers before the towers become lit by thousands of tiny twinkling lights.

Petronas Towers – worth a visit!

Shopping

If you want to do a spot of shopping, you should pay a visit to the world famous Petaling Market which can be found in the Chinatown district. There are dozens of market stalls that are piled high with copies of designer gear such as bags, belts and perfume. Aside from this great market, KL also features numerous modern malls with the Pavilion being just about the best.

Old KL Architecture

Eating

Lovers of fine dining should check out the gourmet restaurants that can be found in the more upmarket Bangsar. However, eating out in Kuala Lumpur doesn’t have to break the bank as there are plenty of cheap and cheerful places where visitors can go to sample local cuisine. There are plenty of cheap eateries to be found in the Chinatown district, which serve authentic Cantonese cuisine as well as Malay dishes.

Please tell me you want to eat these!

Of course, these are just a few of the things that await visitors to Kuala Lumpur. There are a bunch of other things to see and do such as visiting the Batu Caves. So, if you’re looking for a good deal, click here for cheap flights to Malaysia JetAbroad.com.au.

The post Kuala Lumpur – overview appeared first on Sit Down Disco Travel and Food.

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My Canon 24-105mm F4L  was recently giving me problems where it would not focus properly when zoomed in and above f4. Now, the lens has been fixed and it is working properly again! I’m very happy about this situation and so relieved that I was almost considering forgiving Canon and just filing this one away as part and parcel of living in a consumer society. But actually, this situation really sucks and it is simply a money grab. I think it has something to do with Canon not wanting customers from expensive countries in the West shipping their gear to Indonesia to be fixed.

So, the lens was fixed and it took about 3 weeks all up from the time I gave it to the shop until the time they returned it along with the faulty part.

Broken 24-105mm diaphragm

They told me it was the diaphragm that was broken which matches pretty closely to what everyone on the web already knows. These lenses break too easily for a professional quality lens. Why would you buy an L lens that breaks easily if you can get a lens at a fraction of the cost with image quality that is still pretty good? Well, the answer is simple. Do not buy an L lens. Buy a cheaper one, just so long as the image quality is good. Forget all this rubbish about better build quality etc. There is no guarantee about build quality and if the lens breaks, you are screwed. You have to pay to get it repaired. In the end mine came in at about US$220 which included about US$160 for labour and about $60 for the part. Those figures are rough because I was charged in Indonesian currency which is fluctuating against the dollar at the moment.

So… these people are telling me that the labour of the Indonesians involved in fixing the camera is more expensive than the imported part they had to replace? Give me a break. The only reason I can think of that they charge so much for the service is to try and standardise costs across the world so there is no leakage of repairs from a country like Australia to Indonesia. But why not!? It’s good for Indonesia and great for Australian consumers. I can understand that happens to some extent with imported products where production occurs offshore. But we are talking about service charges here and service charges are almost entirely made up of cost of labour. As I made the point in the previous posts, labour in Indonesia is dirt cheap and nothing costs as much as this repair costs. It’s the equivalent of a housekeeper for 3 months. A store worker for 1.5 months (ie the girl at the counter that I handed the lens to), a teacher for 3 weeks. I mean, come on. Someone is stealing money and it is simply a sham.

Companies celebrate the global economy because it allows them the shift production to lower paying countries so that consumers around the world can benefit from lower prices. Well, this is the line we are spun all the time. Actually, what these big companies tend to do time and time again is shift their production costs to countries where they can get things done more cheaply. Great. But they only pass those savings onto consumers when they are forced to by competitors. There is only one authorised Canon repairer in Indonesia and the lack of competition means the price is fixed. The price is FIXED.

Anyway, I’d had it with Canon. They are absolute robbers.

The post Canon 24-105mm F4L – the conclusion appeared first on Sit Down Disco Travel and Food.