Dan's Adventure

Vietnam is one of the few countries for which I cannot get a visa on arrival. Unlike many other visas which are valid for a period after issue, Vietnam visas are valid between two specific dates. This is an advantage as it lets me apply for it now, but it also means that the dates I provide are fixed. I considered applying for a 15 day visa as I am planning to spend 2 weeks in Vietnam, but the 30 day visa gives a bit of flexibility if my entry …

As a British passport holder I need visas to enter Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. I had been planning to apply for all of them by post, starting this week with Kenya, but I have been advised by Acacia Africa that it will be cheaper to wait and get them on arrival at the respective borders. I wanted to get them in advance so that I wasn’t the one person on the Kenya to Cape Town overland tour that everyone was waiting on at each border. I’ve been assured though that …

The Great Firewall of China refers to the Chinese government’s censorship of the internet. Using techniques such as IP blocking, URL filtering, DNS blocking and redirection, and packet filtering the government prevents internet users within China from accessing content which they do not approve of. International news sites, such as the BBC, and sites which publicise China’s human rights abuses, such as Amnesty International, have been blocked for a long time. greatfirewallofchina.org maintains a list of sites curently blocked by the Great Firewall.
There are several ways in which The Great …

Getting from Glasgow to London is the start of my adventure. I’ve looked into all the usual suspects for making the journey cheaply; Ryanair, Easyjet, Virgin Trains and National Express. The train is usually my preferred option because once you take in transfer times from airports at either end, check in times etc it usually takes just as long as the train, but with the train you can actually be doing something for the five hours rather than waiting and queuing repeatedly. Unfortunately I no longer have a young person’s …

At the beginning of December I am going to be joined by Lindsay for about a month. We will most likely meet in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and travel through Cambodia, Laos and a bit of Thailand together. This will be 4 months into my trip so having a friend along for a while will be very welcome.
The availability of cheap flights to and from the UK will determine the exact dates and arrival/departure cities, but Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok are the most likely candidates.

The second half of my Australian adventure begins with the journey from Darwin to Cairns. I think flying is my best bet, there are flights daily and there are several budget airlines so getting a cheap flight shouldn’t be a problem, especially if I book a week or so in advance. From Cairns I will be travelling down the east coast to Sydney over about three weeks.

The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world, is sure to be one of the highlights of my visit to Australia. …

As a child, my knowledge of Australia primarily came from films and TV. Crocodile Dundee introduced me to the outback, Aborigines, and crocodiles while Skippy brought kangaroos into the picture. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I saw the beaches and surf on Neighbours and Home and Away. Those first introductions have obviously made a lasting impression as my plan for Australia is filled with wildlife, nature, surf and learning about the Aboriginal people.

I will arrive in Australia at the start of February when I fly from …

On Saturday morning my Dell XPS M1330, which I have only had since last February, passed away. A failure of a component on the motherboard has resulted in a short circuit which prevents it from turning on. The cost of repairing it is ridiculous, as it is out of warranty, so I made the decision to replace it.

I have opted for something more suited to travelling, a Samsung NC10 netbook. Its quite a bit smaller than the M1330, 13″ vs 10″, about half the weight, and the battery life is …