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I think it looks good, but make sure to leave a lot of it open to change. All over South America, you can take night busses from place to place, though some parts are worth flying to/from, like Colombia to Peru, and within Peru, the Lima-Cusco route. Try not to lock yourself into specific dates and times if you can help it. The best of SA is not necessarily the big cities. For instance, I'd recommend less time in Lima vs. Cusco, and try to work in Bolivia's Uyuni Salt Flats on your way to Buenos Aires; it's some of the most incredible scenery I've seen in my life. The overland journeying in this part of the world is a big part of the whole experience! And inevitably, you'll want to stay longer in one place versus another, so leave your options open.

I agree with dropping the week in Bali, unless the flights work out that way. There's lots to see in SEA and it's easy to get around, so just leave it open and your two months will work itself out. I liked Australia well enough, but for me NZ was a highlight. I did both islands in 3 weeks, but with 5 it would have been a lot more comfortable. You won't run out of things to see.

Honestly, 1 week in Japan is very rushed. Tokyo itself deserves a full week, and Kyoto/Nara at least 2 nights. It'll also be the most expensive part of the trip.

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julie_l I understand :-)

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Wow, thanks so much pia2am, julie_l and muteki!

I've now decided to drop the Australia part of my trip (sorry julie_l!) for numerous reasons and spend more time elsewhere including Japan and maybe South America. Is Bali worth dropping however? I know I'm only there for a week, but have heard great things and I'm mainly there to relax on the beach (like 'a holiday within a holiday'). Are you basically saying there are better places in Thailand/Vietnam etc to relax?

I really appreciate the advice on downtime, I hadn't really thought about that - so thanks all for bringing that up!

Final question (hopefully): I've been wondering about travelling around Peru and my onward journey from there. I was going to do Lima to Cusco to Arequipa and back to Lima in a loop, then fly onwards to Chile or Buenos Aires. Two things I was wondering - is all this recommended by overland bus (I see Lima to Cusco is at least 22hrs???), or from Arequipa, would it be worthwhile and easier to bus over to Lake Titicaca and fly out from La Paz?

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Bali is an interesting place,but the beaches are nothing special...there are better beaches in Thailand for sure.

Lots of people fly Lima-Cusco these days...I've only done it by bus,which is a long and not really comfortable ride,but its doable.Arequipa to La paz is a long way too....worth doing if you want to stop on Lake Titicaca (which is great)and also visit La Paz,which is a very interesting city.But you need time!

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