Tag: Photos

Our Japan Itinerary

In addition to lots of exploring in Australia, we found time between boat jobs to visit Japan. It’s much closer than from North America, meaning no jet lag, so we took the opportunity to explore Japan. As is becoming our norm, we booked this trip last minute. Even with little advance planning, we liked our two week Japan itinerary. We got a taste of what a wonderful country it is.

Getting There

Port Macquarie in New South Wales only has a domestic airport, so we flew to Sydney, and then to Tokyo. It’s a one hour flight to Sydney with a 2.5 hour layover. Our 8 hour overnight flight arrived in Haneda early the next morning. Like 5:30am early.

Tokyo Haneda Airport Japan Itinerary
Planes at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport

We flew into Haneda Airport, which is definitely the preferred airport for easy access to the city. Arrivals took a long time. We had to wait in a few different lines and fill out forms for each one after we got to the terminal. It took at least an hour to do that, and then we needed to buy Suica cards, for use on all Japanese transport. Then we took the train to Tokyo.

When We Visited

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A Week in South Australia

We spent a few months waiting for approvals to fix our boat, so we used that time to visit places we wouldn’t take the boat. After flying to Melbourne and driving the Great Ocean Road trip, we crossed into South Australia. During a week in South Australia we stopped in Adelaide, its adjacent wine regions, and found some other gems.

Travelling Around Australia

One thing we’ve noticed is travelling around Australia is easy. Flying in Australia is much less of an ordeal than back in North America. It may not be cheap, but flights are priced better than in Canada.

Flights are usually on time, and you don’t even need ID to get into the airport or on board. Plus, people are respectful when boarding planes. We’ve flown several times within the country and have yet to see passengers try to board outside of their group. It’s a nice place to travel by plane.

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Great Ocean Road Trip

While waiting for insurance to approve our repairs in Port Macquarie, we took another Australian adventure. Choosing from beautiful Australia’s many amazing places to explore is hard, but this time we flew to Melbourne and drove to Adelaide. Of course, we chose the scenic route and took a Great Ocean road trip. It was a great choice and one of our favorite road trips ever.

The Great Ocean Road

Built by veterans of The Great War (WWI, 1914-1918), Australia’s iconic coastal drive covers 243 kilometers, all in the state of Victoria. Thanks to its stunning scenery along the Southern Ocean, the Great Ocean Road trip is one of the world’s most popular drives, loved by Aussies and visitors both.

The Grotto archway
Archway at The Grotto, an iconic landmark along The Great Ocean Road

The winding road climbs up cliffs and down to beaches, following the Victoria coastline from Torquay in the east to Allansford in the west. We spent a wonderful day and a half enjoying one of the world’s best road trips. Fortunately, we had perfect weather, sunny and mild temperatures, and the road itself is in great condition, making it easy to drive.

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