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Down Under: my experiences in South-East Asia, Australia & New Zealand.

Guido's Down Under Experiences: November 2003

FlyingDutchman
2006-03-17 19:19:02

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for uploading and displaying photos. I have been using Gallery for almost two years now, and this open-source photo gallery software keeps getting better and better. Visitors can view the photos in different sizes, in a slideshow, and add comments to a photo.

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Mon 10 November 2003
I booked my flight, again
Reuver, The Netherlands

I thought everything was going okay with the preparations for my trip. I got my insurance papers and some useful presents at my official graduation ceremony last Wednesday. But on Friday the travel agency called and they told me that Thai Airways had changed the conditions of my flight. With this ticket I would not be able to change the dates for free and I would not be able to change the city to depart from in Australia. This was one of the main reasons I booked my flight with Thai Airways, along with the fact that it is a Star Alliance airline, so I could get a lot of frequent flyer miles at Lufthansa.

After a weekend of thinking things over and getting my priorities straight, I decided to change my flight to Cathay Pacific. It is actually a better airline, and they allow me to take the overland route from Singapore to Bangkok on my way to Australia, a stopover in Hong Kong on the way back, unlimited free date changes and one free route change. Especially the latter was really important, since I don't have a clue yet from what city in Australia I will depart. The price of the ticket also stays the same and I even got some airport tax back. Unfortunately Cathay Pacific sucks with regard to earning frequent flyer miles. Oh well.

Check my trip: a detailed online view of my trip. In short:
19 November 2003: Amsterdam - Hong Kong (1 day later) - Singapore
14 December 2003: Bangkok - Hong Kong - Sydney (1 day later)
09 February 2004: Sydney - Auckland
21 March 2004: Auckland - Melbourne
open: Melbourne - Hong Kong
open: Hong Kong - Amsterdam

I also got confirmation from the Australian Government that my Working Holiday Visa has been granted. I applied for it online 2 days ago. I love the internet!