Road trips to remember

Post by **buksida** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:06 pm

An anniversary is approaching for me, well it’s still a few months off but it’s still something I think about. Ten years on the road without returning to my home country, an entire decade without seeing the places and people I grew up with. A third of my life in another country, a country that I have now come to love and hate for various reasons as much as the one I left.

There have been many road trips before and during my time here but I’m now getting itchy feet and thinking about the possibilities of road trips ahead.

Road trips I have done before that rocked are …

Australia - Sydney to Cairns: three months driving a battered old Ford station wagon, camping in parks, showering in rivers, hunting for food, working in the strangest places.

Australia - Cairns to PNG: several weeks on a boat fishing, diving, cooking, deck handing, and learning how to beat seasickness.

Scandinavia - Oslo to Stockholm: a regular journey for some but when you have to camp in the forest for several days because your wagon has frozen it brings a new meaning to ‘writing your name in the snow’.

Asia - Bangkok to Singapore: almost a year of cattle class public transport all the way, stopping off at ‘butte phuke’ little towns and being stared at like a zoo exhibit. Meeting a world of new people and seeing hundreds of new places.

Indo China - Issan to China: living on a cargo boat traveling up the Mekong for weeks eating river fish and rats kindly donated by the local village kids.

Cambodia: Just traveling overland nine years ago in this country was an unforgettable experience.

And ones I need to do before the journey of all journeys:

India by train: north to south or vice versa, live on the trains in India for a couple of months.

The outback of Africa: traverse the country in a 4WD, take in the national parks and try not to get killed.

Trans-Siberian Railway: living on the train, meeting the locals, and drinking a shedload of vodka, has to be good.

USA: east coast to west coast on a chopper, this must be one of the all-time great road trips.

China: Up the Yangtze on a river boat as far as you can go then onto Tibet overland.

There was a thread a while back about countries you have visited that got a good response, well this one is about road trips you’ve done and those you’d like to …

Post by **Jaime** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:12 am

I've done two of note:

Johannesburg, South Africa to Windhoek, Namibia and then on to Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast. From there down to Cape Town and from Cape Town back to Jo'burg via Bloemfontein. Back in December 1988! It certainly doesn't seem like 20 years ago! 'Road trip' memory that stands out was driving through the stillness of the Namib Desert with Shine on You Crazy Diamond oozing from the cassette player. Never was a place and a piece of music better matched.

The other was a one way flight to Athens followed by a six week overland return trip to Blighty via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Italy, France, Spain, France again and then finally Belgium before getting the ferry back to the UK!

My wanderlust wish list is pretty close to Buksida's, with India, the US and China high on the list. I would also like to travel through the vastness of Patagonia and the mountains of Peru.

Post by **Randy Cornhole** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:36 am

Iv'e done the Trans-siberian thing and also been up the Yangtze to see the 3 gorges dam, and Damn that is a big Dam!! It was part of a 1 month China road trip.

I would recommend anyone to travel across China It was the ultimate road trip for me.
I did it on my own which once you get used to it is the best way to see anywhere...

Post by **kendo** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:42 am

Myself, and a mate drove a road train up WA from Perth to Tom Price the highest point of WA then on to Parabado fantastic experiance, i only looked at the photo's on sunday with great memory's must go back to Perth one day and catch up with the lads in Woodvale.
Our house is only 20 km from Chong Chom border post so i would love to do a road trip down through Cambodia, and will do one day.

Kendo

Post by **lomuamart** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:22 am

My most memorable would be Srinegar (Kashmir) to Calcutta by bus and train. I managed to get all my connections wrong and had to spend a night in Jammu at the start of the Himalayas and 16 hours at New Delhi station.
Made it into Howrah station (Calcutta) five days later. I really needed a shower!! Must have stunk. Reckon I met about 10 million people and to this day, I just can't understand how the rail service always got my meal orders correct

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:41 am

My most memorable one would be India aswell, Goa in the south to the start of the Hymalayas in a place Manali, Kulu valley. A mate and myself got a couple of Enfield Bullets and went up there, stopping at a lot of places along the way, and did it over 3 weeks.

Post by **hhfarang** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 10:43 am

Being American I've done road trips north, south, east, and west in the states and they are all fun with a lot to see and do. I've been in 48 of the 50 states plus short trips into Canada and Mexico by car.

I also did the Sidney to Cairns trip in a rented car... watch out for the 'roos!

One of the best ones that I've done that's not on your list Buksi is New Zealand. I flew into Aukland and drove all over the north island, then took the ferry to the south island and drove all over it ending up in (and flying out of) Christchurch. Great trip!

Did an overland safari in Kenya and covered a good part of Egypt in a car with a driver.

Had a great trip around Germany and Austria in a rented BMW. The Autobahn was sure fun in that car.

I also drove from Newcastle north through the Lake District and made a loop through Scotland. Another good trip.

Covered a good portion of the west coast of Saudi Arabia in a car too. Not much to see but found some incredible untouched beaches to camp on and dive the Red Sea from.

Post by **johnnyk** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:53 pm

Hitch-hiked Montreal>San Francisco>Seattle>Vancouver>Montreal, in a 6-week period back in '67.
Crossed the Mississippi in an 18-wheeler, 60 tons fully loaded @75mph. Guy fell asleep and I barely woke him in time, frickin' scary that was. Final ride into SF was a navy guy in a high-powered Mustang. Said he was in a hurry, late from US Navy leave, did I mind? 105mph across Navada, I didn't mind.
Got picked up and lodged/fed twice by families. Today you wouldn't even get picked up except by wacko pervs.

Worked a Danish merchant ship Montreal>Callao, Peru in '69. Twice through the Panama Canal, once anchored at dawn in Gatun Lake with mist rising from the jungle and millions of birds awakening to make an unforgettable symphony. It was before containerization so sometimes spending 5-6 days in port including Buenaventura, Colombia. Maybe the ultimate sailortown, total mayhem, no tourist has been there yet!

"Oh youth!" - Joseph Conrad

Post by **moja** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:11 pm

been to Buenaventura many times, still no real tourists there but containerization has arrived; so only ever able to spend a few hours there. Also been through the canal on many occasion, great experience

sargeant · Post by **sargeant** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:45 pm

Does Goose Green to Port Stanley count

Post by **Big Boy** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 3:01 pm

No, I don't think business trips count

Post by **johnnyk** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:39 pm

Big Boy wrote:No, I don't think business trips count

He was a repo man on that one.

Post by **PeteC** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:45 pm

Big Boy wrote:No, I don't think business trips count

If they did, I'd have hundreds of stories, all airport>hotel>office>hotel>airport....maybe with a few restaurants in between. So many places and so little time for anything fun.

Pete

sargeant · Post by **sargeant** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 5:03 pm

BB Spoilsport