StarGateWars Forums

Hey guys. So, I'll be travelling around the world in October/November. Figured some of you might be from one of those places or might have been there already and could give me a tip or two on what to see or just some general info about it.
My itinerary thus far:
- San Francisco, will be staying there for about 5-6 days
- Probably a trip to the Great Barrier Reef while making my way to Sydney with a possible 1-day stop in Manila, Philippines. 2 days in Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef and to travel back/onward to Sydney, depending on where exactly I'll be flying from
- About a week in Sydney
- 5 days in Bangkok with a 1 day stop in Singapore
- A week in Oslo, Norway

If anyone is from those cities or visited them and has some tips or some must-sees, please share Obviously, I have my list of things I want to see in each of those destinations, but having never been to those places, I definitely could use some tips and perhaps less-known sights that are nevertheless a must-see.

~N

Great plan, hope you'll have a fantastic time. Best of luck finding some locals to guide you.

Thanks, I plan on staying with the locals (I love using Airbnb instead of going to hotels or hostels when travelling), so I do expect some useful tips from them as well, but I want to be prepared as well as possible

~N

Neimenljivi wrote:Thanks, I plan on staying with the locals (I love using Airbnb instead of going to hotels or hostels when travelling), so I do expect some useful tips from them as well, but I want to be prepared as well as possible

~N

then try and use couchsurfing u will love it

Thanks D3ath, I've thought about it, but generally couchsurfing means you have to be able to offer the same for others which I can't due to lack of time and space and usually you literally sleep on the couch - and I still value my privacy and most likely couldn't get any quality sleep due to my insomnia.. unless I am mistaken and people offer private rooms as well?

~N

it depends on what hosts u are able to find, some clearly state they offer private rooms also not being able to host people now, isnt a big no no, you just need to clearly state that in your profile and just that you are planning to do that in the future. And also sometimes you can just meet up with some locals for a beer or so and then can go back to sleep at your own place u found through airbnb or any other hotel or hostel

Cool, thanks for the info Will definitely check it out then, could shave off a couple hundred € from the entire cost of the trip

~N

For San Francisco, I might suggest stopping at Pier 39. They have some great restaurants there

The Tribulation wrote:For San Francisco, I might suggest stopping at Pier 39. They have some great restaurants there

Thanks mate, I see Hard Rock Cafe is there - definitely on my to-do list

~N

Neimenljivi wrote:Hey guys. So, I'll be travelling around the world in October/November.
...
- Probably a trip to the Great Barrier Reef while making my way to Sydney with a possible 1-day stop in Manila, Philippines. 2 days in Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef and to travel back/onward to Sydney, depending on where exactly I'll be flying from
- About a week in Sydney
...

~N

Great Barrier Reef is dying, so try not to expect too much from it this is heartbreaking for me being an Aussie, and considering the natural wonder it is. Australia (the government) has turned into mother earths natural enemy and have decided to try and kill it as quickly as possible so our coal and mining industry can turn a few bucks. Coral bleaching just means there is a whole lot less colour in the reef (outside the fish).

While up north, I would recommend trying to spend more of your time in Port Douglas (about 45mins north of Cairns). Cost may be the difference, but Port Douglas is better suited to tourism (IMO) than Cairns, the best of the reef trips leave from Port Douglas too Our summers are hot, and up north it's worse. unlikely to go below low to mid 30s in December (even at night) and the humidity could strangle a donkey. Be prepared!

Depending on where you stay in Sydney will depend on what is manageable to see. Obviously tripping about the Botantic Gardens is the best way to see the city, has great views of the Oprah House and Harbour Bridge. Depending how crowded you like your beaches, Bondi is worth having a poke around, if you prefer a more relaxing quieter time away from the crowds, try a few of the beaches on the north side of the harbour (Manly, Curl Curl, or even Dee Why which also has a Wildlife reserve right off the beach).

If you get a chance, head out to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. Is about an hour trip (not sure about public transport options though sorry, being a resident has its perks ) It has heaps of awesome bush walks and spectacular views. The Three Sisters is a natural wonder in Australia so worth getting out to have a look.

The Harbour (IMO) is the unique aspect of Sydney so try as much as you can to day trip around using water taxi's and by boat, you will get to see things from a different perspective and is always refreshing.

I don't really like Sydney, too big, too crowded, so hopefully I have provided what I think the city has to offer to the short-stay visitor

Thanks for the info mate I did read just the other day about the great barrier reef dying out, but the information in the media was that the effects will be irreversible in 20 (or something like that) years time. Really saddening to hear it's already becoming a problem I'll definitely check the logistics for Port Douglas and see whether I can go there instead, thanks

I'll be in Australia at the start of November, I am guessing it's usually around 25°C then? Are the water temps ok for a quick dip in the ocean in that time?

Cool, I just checked out the Blue Mountains and the place looks stunning. Will definitely look into booking a tour there Might hit a beach or two, depending on how much time I'll have, but yeah, primarily I'll be sightseeing. I'm really grateful for the info mate - and my plane tickets to Sydney and to Cairns aren't booked yet, so I am quite flexible on that and it's great knowing about Port Douglas

~N

Depends, November is the start of the summer in Oz. Last November in Sydney we had days it didn't stop raining and days it hit 41. Up north it is more tropical, so it's a lot more humid. I was up there end of November/early December last year. Was 30+ every day with regular rain storms.

The water is definitely warm enough for a comfortable swim, the beaches in Sydney will be packed though and up in Cairns the jellyfish can be a problem for going in the sea

Thanks Duderanch, gotta pack an umbrella then I was in London during the Christmas/New Years holidays. 10 days and basically no rain, 4 days being pretty much cloud-free. Hopefully I'll have some more luck with weather

Are the jellyfish a problem near the Great Barrier Reef as well? I saw some scuba diving options and, obviously, wouldn't like to get stung by one. I hear the jellyfish down under are a lot nastier than ours. Sydney is jellyfish-free right (or at least they're not expected to be there)?

~N

Neimenljivi wrote:Thanks Duderanch, gotta pack an umbrella then I was in London during the Christmas/New Years holidays. 10 days and basically no rain, 4 days being pretty much cloud-free. Hopefully I'll have some more luck with weather

Are the jellyfish a problem near the Great Barrier Reef as well? I saw some scuba diving options and, obviously, wouldn't like to get stung by one. I hear the jellyfish down under are a lot nastier than ours. Sydney is jellyfish-free right (or at least they're not expected to be there)?

~N

Yeah, jellyfish can be a problem, but they don't take you out if there are swarms, and they give you stinger suits anyway. You'll be fine, they are usually more problematic closer to shore. You will generally be fine from Brisbane south with box jellyfish and irukandji (the deadly jellies). Depending on how bad your luck is you could be confronted with blue bottles anywhere along the coast, but lifeguards will have a sign up if they are about at the beach you are going to swim at. Don't stress so much about it though, everything in Australia tries to kill you, but surprisingly few people get killed by them - aside from drop bears

Our spring/summer (October - March) is our wet season, so it gets hot, humid and usually will rain/storm in the afternoons and evenings. It isn't usually rain that sets if for long periods of times, just builds in the day, thunderstorm in the afternoon, then clears off at night. We are just rotating back to a massive El Nino system so are likely to have reduced rainfall for the next few summers. Of course hard to predict with volatile changes in global climate trends, but it will probably mean lots of high temperatures too.

Water is generally warm enough to swim year round if your a European / North American. Maybe not in the middle of winter, but from November on wards, especially in Queensland, you will want the water to be cooler than it is, and you will want to be in the water a lot!

There are literally thousands of beaches that are all amazing along almost the entire eastern coast of Australia, so if you want something less crowded then the Sydney beaches, just follow the coast and pick a random spot! They are all spectacular, of course transport will be your issue there. Sydney beaches are still nice, just expect there to be a crowd.

San Francisco well depends on how much your willing to spend here I guess the place is expensive to be a tourist in, but some things I enjoyed checking out while I was stuck there for 3 months.

Alcatraz.

Pier 39.

California Academy of Sciences - (Google it, you'll want to check this place out)

Fisherman's Wharf.

San Francisco Zoo

Aquarium of the Bay