Any backpacker cum photographer?


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i would love to back pack, but dun have the cash yet.

havent tried my hand at it though.
 

need alot of moola to do that :bsmilie: :bsmilie: :bsmilie: anyway i backpacked China before and did abit of amateurish photography there before, do i count? :embrass:
 

Aiyoo, as long as there is a will to try...... :bsmilie: I wish to backpack in China ley. Any pointer...which part of China did you go to?
 

Benign said:
Aiyoo, as long as there is a will to try...... :bsmilie: I wish to backpack in China ley. Any pointer...which part of China did you go to?

haha ... was around the east side (Shanghai, Beijing) for 2 weeks before i decided to 'holland' to tibet with my friend ... the underground way :bsmilie:
 

Benign said:
Wah underground way? I thought you need permit to travel in Tibet ley :nono:

Dun play play :sweat:

we had the thought that 'hey, we are already in China, if we don't go tibet think we're gonna regret it man! what are we waiting for!'

haha ... we wanted some adventure also, this kind of thing you only want to do it once in a lifetime :bsmilie:
 

Juz did Japan, more of a countryside / urban hiking. If i have the chance, I hope to be able to do Alaska but that would be a really big and expensive undertaking.....
 

Errrr, later you found out the photos you took resembled airplanes and runway in rice paddy fields......U in big trouble liao. :bsmilie:

I think military airports around the world forbid the public loitering with cameras, particularly tourists......LOL :cool:
 

Guys/Gals,
I think it would be nice if we can add more info on the duration of stay, $ spent on the trip, value of the trip lor. More productive ley....

Thankss :thumbsup:
 

be a little thrifty and make some good friends and you should be able to handle a large part of China with less than $2k for a month, even if you fly into Tibet. the largest costs come from getting there, not staying there. my trip was sponsored so i didn't count too much ;p

and China is a great place for street-shooting and mind blowing sceneries, but you need to have the guts to 'push' for things to happen and not wait for things to happen.
 

and China is a great place for street-shooting and mind blowing sceneries, but you need to have the guts to 'push' for things to happen and not wait for things to happen.

wonder how much the hostels or backpacker accomodation cost per day in Beijing or Shanghai? Heard alot of pickpockets, or snatch thiefs ley...is it true?
My friend's friend's camera was snatched in a train station somewhere between Beijing and Ulan Baator I think :angry:
 

Benign said:
wonder how much the hostels or backpacker accomodation cost per day in Beijing or Shanghai? Heard alot of pickpockets, or snatch thiefs ley...is it true?
My friend's friend's camera was snatched in a train station somewhere between Beijing and Ulan Baator I think :angry:

i went for the mid-lower cost accomodation when in the big cities for like 100 to 150 yuan for 2 a night. when i was in the west side everything was dead cheap. accomodation cost only 50 yuan a night for 2, but don't expect fantastic facilities, what we needed was a clean and safe place to sleep that's all. some hostels usually have shared bathrooms and budget hotels do come with private attached bathrooms.

security wise you must act aggressive ... as in do not show your blur look. the locals have sharp eyes and can tell if you can be bullied. i picked up their accent fast enough and so that saved me and my friend lots of trouble (my friend almost can't converse in mandarin! haha) do not show your wallet or money, these must stay infront of your sight (i.e. don't use your back pockets) keep your baggage simple. one big backpack is good enough when travelling long distances and a small one for jalan jalan.
 

Benign said:
Guys/Gals,
I think it would be nice if we can add more info on the duration of stay, $ spent on the trip, value of the trip lor. More productive ley....

Thankss :thumbsup:


If u do ur preparation early and only ask for a bed in the night, expect $100-150 per day for lodging, transport, food in Japan, assuming no inter-city travel. If going for cross-country, there is a JR pass which allows u access to most JR rail lines, including slower shinkansens ($400+ for a week) as well as long distance buses, some ferries and the local loop lines. Most GV2 tickets are in the 600+ range the last i check (there is always MAS). Spent about $1100+ on a 8 day marathon around the western parts of the country including the expo.

Cheaper lodging tends to be in the older, maybe seedier places in town, definitely not for single females. Cheapest hotel i found was 2500 yen in Osaka. A dorm in Kyoto can cost ard 1500 yen. Stayed overnight in a pretty decent ryokan in Miyajima for ard 5800 yen including a pretty delicious and filling breakfast. There are a lot of cheap backpacker's hotels in Tokyo in the 2800-3200 yen range.

Between Narita and Ueno, u can take a skyliner for ard 1500 yen. There is a all transport pass for 1580 yen (all train, subways and bus) and Tokyo metro subway pass for 700 yen (not including private lines).

Meals can range from 500 yen to 1-2K yen depending on whether u are eating fast food, bento, subway restuarants to pretty nice sushi restuarants. U can always elect to eat instant noodles but i consider eating part of trying out other culture.

As for photography, typically, its safe to bring a camera out in most places. Haven been stopped from taking photos anywhere yet.
 

Did europe before alone... spent about 1k for 1 month... really really cheapo.. minus transport la... transport in europe is damn ex! getting the eurorail pass is cheaper here.. then plan your route n go loh... went from northern eur to eastern block(all old USSR states) central eur n ended in UK. if anyone needs info can ask me... if can help i will!

Did thailand also.. from north to rayong... spent $500 for 2 weeks excluding airtickets... all in.. about 1k.
 

did europe and australia...

want info then PM me..

lazy to type all here.. heh....
 

backpacked a tinnny bit of aust just only, around brisbane weather was lovely. When i get the time i'm plannign to spend more time in aust, getting around is cheap and easy even city to city, and everyone speaks english... =)

Regional would be like viet and cambodia...
 

For china, i recommend Yunan and Sichuan.
Its a culture hotbed, especially for those interested in Three kingdoms era.
 

Well, since you didn't say where and if you're seriously backpacking, you don't really need that lot of moola... eg. I spent 1 month in Yunnan and it cost me abt S$1200 (including airfare!)
So, don't keep thinking no money etc (c'mon, upgrading cams is like using tissue paper here...).. for a start, go backpacking in China/India etc, the cost is really low.. (but don't complain how come no aircon/heater/blah blah)... :)
 

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