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do japanese people speak australian?

it hurts to laugh now!

haha! more gold!

http://www.hakuba47.co.jp/06winter/e/ticket.html Grab a season pass, it's great value!

haha, oh dear...

Creek Boy, had a look at Don Det, definitely looks like the right place to be for that week. I know what you mean about spending time in Laos, everyone I speak to seems to love the place, I'm going to stay the maximum 30 days for sure. We're heading into Luang Nam Tha first (stopping at the 'Gibbon Experience' before), up to Muang Sing, down to Luang Prabang then alll the way down south via Vientiane. Maybe 2 weeks in Cambodia, probably more rushed. Then heading down to Tarutao Marine park in South-East Thailand for a couple of weeks at least. That part and Loas I'm looking forward to the most

Early december is very hit and miss with good powder! There are a few threads regarding this as you said, try searching 'december' in thread titles. Hokkaido would probably have better chances of good powder at that time. Good luck!

Thanks for the info CB, it definitely sounds like an experience! If my trip goes to plan I'll be in either deep southern Loas or Northeast Cambodia for NYE. I can't think of a more random place to be haha. Hope the rest of your time in Cambodia in enjoyable. Are you heading into Thailand afterwards? Cheers

Dave Chappelle\'s impersonation of Samuel L Jackson is gold!

Was on the Chaser's War on Everything last night, best show! The videos are on their site

Quote: Originally posted by Creek Boy: We saw the Irrawaddy dolphins today in Kratie (Cambodia). Pretty cool. Glad to see them before the become extinct as it seems there are less than 100 left. Wow that was random, I was just discussing with my girlfriend if we should go down Laos into Cambodia via Kratie and realised this thread was open on the screen! I must have subconsciously seen it. How are you finding it on that stretch of the Mekong? Looks beautiful. Is it raining heaps? Cheers CB

I'm a Commonwealth mongrel. British parents, born in New Zealand, grew up in Australia. Go tri-citezenship! My nationality is Australian.

TJ, the fish market is a must! I wasn't really that keen to wake up at 4:30am on the day we got the bus to Hakuba but it was well worth it cause the fish market was amazing! I've never seen anything like it. As for the tuna auction being closed off, I went there in Feb this year, we walked right into the crowd around the auctioneer but after about 10 mins a nice old man told us we had to watch from the other side of the rope. This didn't really matter cause it's an open space anyway and the rope is right next to the auction. The auctioneer was a total nut screaming and ringing his bell, so fun

I don't like being pessimistic but unless Buller gets some decent snow within a couple of weeks they might as well close up! But their snowmaking is good, if they can sustain what is there now a couple of days on the old board would be fun! Keep an eye on the ski.com.au reports, especially the public ones. Stayed in a beachhouse in Myalup, about 25 mins north (I think!) from Bunbury. It was really beautiful and great weather. I found a soft spot for exploring the bushland and dunes, great fun!

When are you guys planning to tour Nagano?

Blue skies are so subjective! First time I went to Niseko in Jan '04 it was blue skies virtually the entire 2 weeks! Next year not one glimpse of the sun. After that in Hakuba maybe a couple but generally overcast. It's hit and miss. good snow > blue skies good snow > nightlife

Yeah Niseko is pretty good if you're 18-20! Hakuba has some cool little bars too.

Avoid the hectic cities at all costs seems like the plan! Hotham was fun but I wouldn't want to be going back since last weekend, they're pretty much running the resort on snowmaking. That said, although it was blue skies and sunny the days I was there it stayed pretty chilly so the snow was a lot better than I expected.. but by sunday it was warmer and melting really fast! If they don't get a few inches soon the resort will be in serious strife cause there are areas which got patches of mud and stones by the end of the day, and this year Hotham don't seem to have any piles of snow to mov

Thanks for asking Will . This wednesday I'll be going into the travel agent to get info on dates and importantly prices. It's looking more likely to happen! Just got back from 4 days riding at Hotham here, worked on my tan and cutting my board to bits on rocks! What more reason do I need to get some quality snow! Snosurf, thanks for the tip in regards to Thailand. I'm spending about 10 days in the north, but then heading straight into Loas for 25 days, 20 in Cambodia and about 20 in southern Thailand around the Tarutao islands (close to Malaysia but not affected by the Muslim insurge

Thanks guys. I think I'll take the plunge . Only drawback right now is the $650AU extra plane ticket, and doubling of expenses since 10 weeks in SE Asia costs less than 2 weeks in Japan! Cheers

Those monkey's are the best! It looks very beautiful in Summer also. What is that building nearby? When I looked in the windows it seemed empty but round the side there were a couple of thousand empty beer cans! Would be great to stay there if possible. Great pictures!

He's a pretty funny bloke, I was at the Commonwealth Games working and each time he made an appearance he got massive applause! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_So

Yeah good point but I can't afford two flights, plus Tokyo is only a couple of hours further from Melbourne compared to Bangkok. Going to Tokyo with Thai Airways alows me to have a stop-over which I would take in Bangkok to travel for 3 months in SE Asia, leaving my board in storage which costs next to nothing per day there. I'll also be travelling very light, with any stuff I don't need in Japan going home with my girlfriend. Cheers

I've pretty much come to the realisation that I need to snowboard in Japan this season, cause 2008 is a scary 17 months away! I need my fix. However I have already booked flights to Bangkok and have a concrete plan to travel SE Asia. I could slap Japan onto the end of this trip, it will be expensive and awkward (maybe not even possible if I can't change flights!). I would be looking at a timeframe in Japan of roughly 2-2.5 weeks beginning on February 13th. I basically really need some advice to decide whether or not to go ahead with this though. I'm looking at both Nozawa Onsen and Shiga Kogen

There were people rallying in Melbourne a few days ago regarding Lebanon with posters displaying the Star of David = Nazism! Stupid on so many levels, it made me laugh.