I still don´t know where I´m going with this blog. I don´t know what I really want to say but I think that traveling opens you up to a whole range of opinions that you probably didn´t have before and you feel more like commenting on things at home when you see how other places are run. So this weeks topic/rant: public transport.
While I use public transport in Auckland a bit I understand like the rest of us Aucklanders that it is complete rubbish. It´s routes (especially from the shore) are long, slow and extremely overpriced. It never seems to run on schedule and the various companies seem to decide their fare structure and methods of payment at random, probably pulling them from a hat.
I was relieved to see this in the NZ Herald today
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10606862
and I´m happy with the decision to centralise the data gathering to a team that might actually make some changes. Like more buses from the north shore in the morning when every bus just drives past the last stops full of people. I know it´s profit that matters but it´s a fine line before putting people off entirely.
Some more ideas that need to be introduced to drastically reduce car usage in the city and (for all the hippies) make Auckland a greener place to be.
Get rid of roads: Auckland is far to car friendly, our main thoroughfare (Queen St) is a 4 lane highway that is surrounded by absolutely fine ring roads. So close queen st, high street and all the leading roads and make symonds st one way and albert st the other way therefore creating a one way flow system around the city... TRY IT for 6 months and then figure out if it´s working. When the council unceremoniously ripped up queen st to replace the cobbles they shut the street and sudenly it became a rather nice place to wander down and shop. So close Queen St, put coffee shops in the middle of it, stages for summer concerts and let people actally reclaim the city centre.
Bring Back Trams: Bordeaux, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Munich, Prague, Vienna, Budapest all have trams and Edinburgh´s getting one at the moment. They´re effecient, fast and a great way to get around central cities. Buses on queen st could easily be replaced by trams running up and down. Get daring and put them on K´Road, Ponsonby and down to Vic Park, creating a loop that locals could use, tourists would love and might get rid of cars in our inner city.
Better Price Brackets: While you´ll never please everyone, Auckland should be split in to Zones, like all major transport cities in the world. The zones radiate out from the centre depending on distance to travel but mean travel within zones is cheap and therefore worth while. There´s nothing worse than going from Northcote to Takapuna (10 minutes) and paying the same as a trip across the bridge. Of course people drive!
A new crossing (under the harbour): When Auckland had it´s major black out Mercury Energy ran a cable from outside Auckland to the centre to make sure it never happened again. The fear with underground cables is that the volcanic rock would be impassible. They drilled and quickly realised that once you get through the top crust, it´s soft underneath and they drilled very happily without incident. I know this because my dad worked on it.
It stands to reason that a tunnel under Auckland harbour isn´t a bad idea. This way we can reduce congestion on the feeding roads to the bridge and put in a high speed underground train that follows the route of the new bus lanes all the way in to the city centre.
There´s probably more and I´ll add to this if I get some more insight. My problem is that Auckland has always been crippled by its lack of foresight. We sit and live in this quagmire and don´t think anything can be done about it until we travel and realise what a mess we are putting up with.
As always... Abuse below
Monday, 2 November 2009
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Walk
My idea for this blog was to organise all the information I have about my travels in to a neat pile for someone else to stumble upon and use for their own trip. The problem is that everything overlaps and becomes so repetitive that I couldn't actually decide where to start... At the beginning? What to pack? What flights to get?...
Bollocks to all that...
Hundreds of lists will tell you what to take, just look on trip advisor or lonely planet for a list of stuff you don't need. Maybe I'll do a real list at some stage taking out the things we packed and never needed.
The idea of this page is to put your mind at ease. Read it over and realise that travelling can be an experience every day while you keep your costs down. This blog is for travellers, not day tourists.
The most important information are the things that you probably won't find in to many other places. So let me start with one of the more important things I have realised in the last year and a bit.... walk
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Nearly every city you come to will have a central tourist location for hotels and shops and 99% of the time you will stay here. Don't feel bad or like some normal 'tourist' for doing so, you are bound to find the cheapest options for accomodation and food and a close proximity to sights. And that's where walking comes in. Just as certain as the hotels you'll stay in is the fact that with a map and a bit of time, walking is a rewarding and fun way to see cities.
In Bangkok we quickly realised that we could walk everywhere and save ourselves the hassle of tuk-tuk touts taking us to every single suit shop the city has. From Koh-San you can walk to all the main temples and sights. Our second discovery was a river boat that goes straight to downtown Siam for 12 baht, more on that in the public transport post to come soon, but for now walking.
Walking presents it's own issues with the biggest one being dieing of dehydration on the streets. Bottles of water are a must be you'll realise quickly that you can buy water anywhere. You'll walk down roads that you never though existed and if you're lucky you'll find some of the back streets that tuk-tuks won't take you to. You usually become more of a tourist attraction than the place you're in is to you and the people are usually a lot easier to deal with because you interest them and aren't just a walking dollar sign.
The same goes for some of the biggest cities we came across. Hanoi, Ho Chi Min, Kuala Lumpa, Delhi, Mumbai, Istanbul, Athens, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Vienna, Rome, London.
Obviously you won't go everywhere on foot without several days to get around. I'll describe this more in the transport section but quickly, learn the amazing underground systems and busses you can get in nearly every city you come to.
If the big cities are this easy to walk around it stands to reason that the smaller towns will be easier still, and you're half right. Usually sights are outside the town centre and you'll be told to find a taxi or a daily tour. It's a lie. Asia especially is great for hiring bicycles and motorbikes to get to things, eg Angkor Wat is a great easy ride 20 minutes from Siem Reap and we got bikes for $2 a day rather than a $25 tour.
In nearly every city there will be public transport that goes past the area especially in India or Europe, just keep asking people and find a better map than the lonely planet gives you. Eg the zoo in prague is a €1 bus trip away rather than a €30 taxi.
If you've got a few days in a city (which you should if you're travelling) walking is the best way to see a city in its whole, rather than wizzing by in a tuk-tuk.
-------------------------------
As always, if you want any more specific information on places I've been, let me know!
Bollocks to all that...
Hundreds of lists will tell you what to take, just look on trip advisor or lonely planet for a list of stuff you don't need. Maybe I'll do a real list at some stage taking out the things we packed and never needed.
The idea of this page is to put your mind at ease. Read it over and realise that travelling can be an experience every day while you keep your costs down. This blog is for travellers, not day tourists.
The most important information are the things that you probably won't find in to many other places. So let me start with one of the more important things I have realised in the last year and a bit.... walk
-------------------------------------------
Nearly every city you come to will have a central tourist location for hotels and shops and 99% of the time you will stay here. Don't feel bad or like some normal 'tourist' for doing so, you are bound to find the cheapest options for accomodation and food and a close proximity to sights. And that's where walking comes in. Just as certain as the hotels you'll stay in is the fact that with a map and a bit of time, walking is a rewarding and fun way to see cities.
In Bangkok we quickly realised that we could walk everywhere and save ourselves the hassle of tuk-tuk touts taking us to every single suit shop the city has. From Koh-San you can walk to all the main temples and sights. Our second discovery was a river boat that goes straight to downtown Siam for 12 baht, more on that in the public transport post to come soon, but for now walking.
Walking presents it's own issues with the biggest one being dieing of dehydration on the streets. Bottles of water are a must be you'll realise quickly that you can buy water anywhere. You'll walk down roads that you never though existed and if you're lucky you'll find some of the back streets that tuk-tuks won't take you to. You usually become more of a tourist attraction than the place you're in is to you and the people are usually a lot easier to deal with because you interest them and aren't just a walking dollar sign.
The same goes for some of the biggest cities we came across. Hanoi, Ho Chi Min, Kuala Lumpa, Delhi, Mumbai, Istanbul, Athens, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Vienna, Rome, London.
Obviously you won't go everywhere on foot without several days to get around. I'll describe this more in the transport section but quickly, learn the amazing underground systems and busses you can get in nearly every city you come to.
If the big cities are this easy to walk around it stands to reason that the smaller towns will be easier still, and you're half right. Usually sights are outside the town centre and you'll be told to find a taxi or a daily tour. It's a lie. Asia especially is great for hiring bicycles and motorbikes to get to things, eg Angkor Wat is a great easy ride 20 minutes from Siem Reap and we got bikes for $2 a day rather than a $25 tour.
In nearly every city there will be public transport that goes past the area especially in India or Europe, just keep asking people and find a better map than the lonely planet gives you. Eg the zoo in prague is a €1 bus trip away rather than a €30 taxi.
If you've got a few days in a city (which you should if you're travelling) walking is the best way to see a city in its whole, rather than wizzing by in a tuk-tuk.
-------------------------------
As always, if you want any more specific information on places I've been, let me know!
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
About!
I've been thinking about this for a while. Putting all that I've learnt about traveling somewhere so that I don't forget it and hopefully inspire others to get out and see the world! If there's one thing I've learnt along the way it is that I wish I knew all of this before I left home!
I've been traveling since March 20th, 2008 with my fiance Rachael. Spending 6 months in S.E Asia/India/Nepal traveling on the cheap and then heading to Europe to do a bit of working/traveling. Both experiences are hugely different and have taught me a lot about different ways to get out and see the world.
We shall see how this works out....
I've been traveling since March 20th, 2008 with my fiance Rachael. Spending 6 months in S.E Asia/India/Nepal traveling on the cheap and then heading to Europe to do a bit of working/traveling. Both experiences are hugely different and have taught me a lot about different ways to get out and see the world.
We shall see how this works out....
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