oldie
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Post by oldie on Apr 25, 2017 17:33:30 GMT 7
I caught up with a Canadian ex-mango today in Queensland. He lives in Thailand but decided to take a 5 week vacation down under.
Lovely chap, we have caught up before.
So he flew into the Gold Coast and drove to Cairns and back. Don't get me wrong, this gent has a few dollars and is world smart, but I think the cost even surprised him. Accommodation averaging $100 a night. Shopping was 140 percent of Canadian costs. He spent a fortune diving the great barrier reef only to find it bleached and ugly.
He won't be back. Frankly I don't blame him.
Shame.
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mistermember
Crazy Mango
Not all that is gold glitters.
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Post by mistermember on Apr 25, 2017 17:36:48 GMT 7
Darwin, Perth, and Adelaide are appealing here.
I have met some very nice people from Australia. In general these were intelligent, mellow, and good-natured people. I have also met a few that rubbed me the wrong way. Those were loud, pushy people with a chip on their shoulder. I like to think of Australia as the first group, and I would like to go.
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oldie
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Post by oldie on Apr 25, 2017 17:59:10 GMT 7
I actually felt sorry for him, and embarrassed for myself and fellow compatriots.
Not sure we are the ideal holiday destination any more.
Airfares would have cost a fortune for a start.
But yes, great people.
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oldie
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Post by oldie on Apr 25, 2017 18:04:27 GMT 7
I'm not sure what 5 weeks in Australia dep Thailand for one tourist would cost all up.
I am guessing close to 8-10k.
And to go home disappointed. The glossy brochures don't help.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2017 18:14:24 GMT 7
I think I'll be in Sydney for four days end May.
I'm looking at flights from Florence/Bologna - should be straightforward.
Four days cos I need to be back in Glasgow by May 30.
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oldie
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Post by oldie on Apr 25, 2017 18:19:05 GMT 7
Don't visit the reef unless you want to be disappointed.
And over-budget.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2017 18:32:17 GMT 7
Don't visit the reef unless you want to be disappointed. And over-budget. I think I'll just be in central Sydney. I may nip back down for a couple of weeks end August. I'm taking my daughter to Taiwan around then and I have a couple of weeks spare before Mexico. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2017 18:33:03 GMT 7
Plus The Hurricane wants to go to Japan.
I'm not keen.
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oldie
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Post by oldie on Apr 25, 2017 18:41:27 GMT 7
If you happen to wander by Humpty Doo, my shout.
But don't expect me to match you drink to drink.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2017 19:30:31 GMT 7
If you happen to wander by Humpty Doo, my shout. But don't expect me to match you drink to drink. Humpty Doo ? Have not heard of that place in years. Worked in the NT in 1979, first time I went up there. Stayed with a mate in Pine Creek and scored a job on the new highway construction between Hayes Ck and Adelaide River. We wrote a HG Holden sedan off the night before I started work there and I fronted up for work with a black eye after snapping the interior mirror off with it. Blokes on the job site thought I had been in a fight. Knew every barmaid between Darwin and Katherine well. Loved it up there, great memories.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2017 19:46:41 GMT 7
Don't visit the reef unless you want to be disappointed. And over-budget. The reef the tourists see is a very small part of it. I have been the full length of it by boat, from the southern end of it to the tip of Cape York, and have seen areas no tourist has ever seen. It's a shame they don't get to see the good stuff. Areas up around Margaret Bay, near the mouth of the Olive River are largely unseen by anyone except the crews off fishing boats and the occasional yachtie. No agriculture up there and little pollution. We explored it every chance we had when I fished up there. The crown of thorns starfish and the damage they do to coral was documented by Captain Cook and his crew in the 1770's. A natural event on the reef. |
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rubl
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The wondering type
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Post by rubl on Apr 25, 2017 21:44:38 GMT 7
I spent close to three months in Adelaide in 1995 (working on a project). Liked it, liked the people, relaxed. Must admit after a while it seemed a bit 'empty' with 1 million people where back in NL I'd had 17m around me.
No idea how it has changed, but I'm afraid it will not be like 1995 any more.
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Post by rgs2001uk on Apr 25, 2017 22:37:45 GMT 7
I'm not sure what 5 weeks in Australia dep Thailand for one tourist would cost all up. I am guessing close to 8-10k. And to go home disappointed. The glossy brochures don't help. Are you talking Ozzy $ there, if so thats actually not too bad, only 2k ozzy dollars per week. Plus nice to see people not being stuck like many are in a Thailand rut, there are other countries out there with just as much if not more to offer. Luckily for me I have seen just about all the places I need, if I go on holiday these days its not to visit a particular country, but to meet up with mates. Accomodation at $100 per night is almost a bargain these days. |
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