Flying to Singapore

Well, I've booked a flight from Melbourne to Singapore on the 10th May. It leaves Tullamarine at 6pm and arrives at Changi at 11.30 pm.

A friend has just found a litter of motherless kittens in the wall of her stable. They are about 4 weeks old and the littlest one is grey with a white blaze. I am imagining myself taking him with me like the French couple in South America, but I can't think how to get him on the plane undetected and, as my friend pointed out, I'd have all manner of trouble getting him back into Australia.

My final destination for this trip is my brother in the Orkneys and he just sent an email describing how lovely the weather and the people are, which made me momentarily tempted to skip the middle bit and go straight there.

No cows for me

I ditched the South Korea idea. The boat from NZ was going to be astonishingly expensive. And I got this message from the cattle boat people:

"Hi Celia, unlikely we would have a berth available on any of our vessels in the forseeable future, as we are running at maximum crew. Will keep your details on the off chance."

I looked at yachts, but I am reluctant. I don't have faith that I will get to Thailand on time.

Give my Regards to Kim Jong Il

So, I've got a place on a boat, the Hanjin Sn Diego, from Sydney - 9th April to Busan - 25th April.

There are plenty of ferries from Busan into China, thus avoiding North Korea, but then I'll have to go down to Thailand to meet the tour and then come back into China - double entry visas are a bit of a pain.

There is a chance I can get a boat, the Tasman Challenger, from Auckland to Thailand.

Still looking into the cattle boat from Darwin through Indonesia option - I really would be following in the footsteps of Jack and Jon Faine.

Overnight news from Germany

The German company that operates the Palermo got in touch overnight to say that the ship was being decommissioned and I no longer have a berth from Brisbane to Singapore. There is another possibility (if it is not full yet) that will get me from Sydney to South Korea...

My brother was going to try and catch a cattle boat from Darwin to Indonesia - I might look into that.

The List of Things to See According to Jayne

Singapore
Some animal night thing
10 story technology building that sells things
University of Art (or Architecture)
Malaysia
Dunno
Thailand
The floating night market
Horseshoe Point
Cambodia
(taken care of by tour)
Laos
(taken care of by tour)
China
(taken care of by tour)
Kyrgyzstan
(taken care of by tour)
Kazakhstan
(taken care of by tour)
Uzbekistan
(taken care of by tour)
Turkmenistan
(taken care of by tour)
Iran
(taken care of by tour)
Turkey
Istanbul
Hagia Sophia
The Basilica Cistern
The Blue Mosque
Topkapi Palace - look at the stables
Ferry from Europe side of Istanbul to the Asian side - food better there
Two big markets - the Spice market
stay at the Angel Hotel
Other
Selcuk
Ephesus
Greece (Crete)
That one that Kevin McLeod went to that's up a hill.
Croatia
Dunno
Italy
Rome
Forum
Coliseum
Pantheon
food
Trevi fountain
Spanish steps
(get Roman Holiday before you leave and watch it)
(get the card that gets you into the major sites)
Vatican City
St Peter's Basilica
Sistine Chapel
Various Chapels (sounds awful, but the DaVinci Code tours are kind of interesting)
Tempietto
Column of Marcus Aurelius
Don't stay in the M&J Palace
Other
Don't forget if you buy drinks at some bars you get free food
Orvieto - stay in the monastery
Florence - everything (Santa Croce - tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo)
gelati every where you go
Venice - stay with the nuns out on the island
Germany
Baden-Baden
France
Paris
Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries - Musee de Cluny
crepes from the creperies
Notre Dame
Other
Loire Vally - Chateau de Chambord, Chateau de Chenonceau
Versailles - Mary Antoinette's fake peasant village - stables (Bartabas)
England
Catch P&O from Calais to Dover
London - Cambridge - Peterborough (cathedral - Catherine of Aragon) - Sheffield - York (York Minster) - Harrowgate (Bettys Tea Rooms) - Richmond - (Hadrian's wall) - Keswick/Windermere (Beatrix Potter) - Pitlochry - Oban (really good sea food place up stairs somewhere near a night club) - Luss - Original Loch Fyne at top/left of Loch Lomond
Orkney - standing stones
Scotland
see above
General
Appassionata

Things to buy/Make

Speaking of pinterest, I have been compiling a 'board' of 'things I might need for travelling'.

I am loving pinterest a lot. So visual, so happy making. I love looking at all the images.

Books to read

I am starting a list to keep track of books to read. I'll add to it as I go along and hopefully make a few notes on the books as I read them. I have also started a pinterest 'board' to keep track of them. If you have any suggestions for a good read, let me know.


Whole Trip
From Here to There
The Well and World's End
Long Way Round
First Overland
Passenger to Teheran
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand
Cambodia
Laos
China
The Silk Road: Xi'an to Kashgar
A Year in Peking
Wild Swans
Kyrgyzstan
Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan
Carpet ride to Khiva
Turkmenistan
Iran
Persepolis I and II,
Embroideries
Turkey
Italy
Germany
France
England
Scotland

Latin the pony

In late October, my year 9s asked me what I wanted for Christmas. It was in the middle of class and I said 'A pony!' and thought no more of it.

And in the last class they presented me with a pony. They named him Latin and I am tempted to take him with me on my travels. Partly to do that thing where you have pictures of a stuffed animal at all the sites. Partly to take a little bit of my old life with me. Partly because I think he will make quite a handy pillow.

The bear behind Latin has travelled with me to China, Madagascar, Canada, the US and Tibet. He would argue that he should go for continuity's sake. Certainly, he would be a well travelled bear by the time he got back.

I already can't fit in all the books and knitting I want to take, so the notion of taking both is something I am toying with, but trying to discard. 

Visas

Singapore
No visa required - need ticket out
Malaysia
No visa required - need ticket out 
Thailand
No visa required for less than 15 days if arriving overland - need ticket out
Cambodia
Apply for "e-visa" no more than 3 months before - enter 17th May, earliest I can get visa 14th Feb, possibly get visa at border, Poipet.
Laos
No more than 2 months before. Possibly get one at border - 15 days USD20.
China
No more than 3 months before - enter 4th June, earliest I can get visa 4th March.
Kyrgyzstan
Hopefully can obtain one on arrival, you can get one at the airport. £60 1 month. All nationals (except nationals of the UK) are required to register with the department for visas and registration within three days of arrivals, hotels will normally carry out this service for their guests.
Kazakhstan
Can get one there? Or from London? £35
Uzbekistan
Very painful.
Turkmenistan
Organised by tour company?
Iran
Nationals of Israel or holders of passports containing a visa for Israel (either valid or expired) will be refused entry under all circumstances. Women judged to be dressed immodestly will be refused entry.
Women over nine years old should wear a headscarf in their visa application photo in accordance with Islamic custom.
No more than 90 days before - enter 23rd August, earliest I can get visa 23rd May. Can take 4 weeks to process.
Turkey
Available on arrival. £10 for 90 day, multi-entry vias
Greece (Crete)
Some Schengen Convention thing
Croatia
No visa is required for stays of up to 90 days
Italy
Some Schengen Convention thing
Germany
Some Schengen Convention thing
France
Some Schengen Convention thing
England
Possibly that Ancestry visa thing.
Scotland
Possibly that Ancestry visa thing. 

Detritus

I am looking at my life in stuff, trying to sort into 'keep/give away/throw away'. The knowledge that I am away from my flat for a year and that anything I don't throw out I have to pack up and move is providing marvellous incentive to get rid of stuff.

I am examining what is important and what's behind the urge to buy more yarn or books. I know I have more books than I can read before I leave, but I am still getting the urge to buy more (particularly Liar, by Justine Larbalestier). I know I have more craft projects than I can complete in two years, but I still think 'but I NEED that' when I look at Sanguine Gryphon [worse yet looking at the Ehrman tapestries, they would take two lifetimes to finish].

It is remarkable how this squiggly red line is making me reassess all the stuff.

Most recent Itinerary

Melbourne, Aust.
Brisbane, Aust. 17th April 2011
Singapore, Sing. 1st May
Johor, Malaysia. 

KL, Malaysia.
Bangkok, Thailand. 15th May

Phnom Penh. 19th May

Angkor Wat. 22nd May
Luang Prabang, Laos. 30th May
Pu'er, China. 5th June (tea!)

Xian, China. 27th June

Urumqi, China. 12th July

Kashgar, China. 16th July (which is, yes, a Saturday). Stay for the Sunday market.
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 24th July
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 07 Aug

Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 9th Aug
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. 20th Aug
Shiraz, Iran. 29th August
Takht-e-Jamshid (Persepolis), Iran. 29th Aug

Tehran, Iran. 3rd Sept
Istanbul, Turkey. 13th Sept
Efes, Turkey. 

Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Naples
Pompeii
Ostia Antica
Rome
Florence
Venice
Paris
London
Sheffield
Inverness
Orkney
Shetland

Initial tentative itinerary.

Melbourne, Aust.
Brisbane, Aust. 17th April 2011
Singapore, Sing. 1st May
Johor, Malaysia. 3rd May
KL, Malaysia.
Bangkok, Thailand. 5th May
Laos.
Vietnam.
Xian, China. 7th May
Urumqi, China. 10th May
Kashgar, China. 13th May (which is, yes, a Friday). Stay for the Sunday market.
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 17th May
Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 20th May
Mary, Turkmenistan. 24rd May
Tehran, Iran. 26th May
Shiraz, Iran. 29th May
Takht-e-Jamshid (Persepolis), Iran. 31st May
Tabriz, Iran. 2nd June
Istanbul, Turkey. 6th June
Efes, Turkey. 9th June
Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Naples
Pompeii
Ostia Antica
Rome
Florence
Venice
Paris
London
Sheffield
Inverness
Orkney
Shetland

Okay, so it starts turning into a wish list at the end there.

The MSC Palermo

Today I booked my spot on a container ship heading for Singapore.

 













She is the MSC Palermo. I am terrified.

Yesterday, the year 10s said goodbye to me and the other Latin teacher leaving at the end of the year. They made a card and gave me a bunch of yellow roses and Justin made a speech. I am so sad to be leaving those guys, and my year 9s. Plus, last week the school offered me what was pretty much my ideal teaching job, if only I would put off my leave for a year. I am horribly conflicted.

But it is too late now.

It seems like the accommodation will be quite comfortable. Not living in a container for 13 days, as more than one student suggested.

I booked through Freighter Cruises. The woman I spoke to, Julie, was very helpful and let me know important information like: If I don't have a ticket out of Singapore on me immigration won't let me get off the boat there.

Latin

genius