29,000+ miles

Singapore

2005-07-04T00:06:00.000-07:00

Finally in Asia, flew into Singapore via Darwin. Humdity was a shock to the system at first. All of Sunday we were constantly on the move sightseeing, Orchard Road for the shops, Chinatown, Little India was a bit daunting as we seemed to have actually been transported to India, gangs of men all over the place. Went to Civilisation Museum, Fort Canning, Botanical Gardens which was were gorg. Monday then we went to the zoo and a night Safari, highly recommended though we were a bit worn out by the time the Night Safari started and had to see it from a tram! The food is taking a bit of getting used to as not able to stomach asian food for breakfast and smells did nothing for us so finding a good place takes about 1 hour/meal!

Cairns

2005-07-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Had a very relaxed time in Cairns by the lagoon mainly as the weather was great, went to Kuranda Rainforest and fab Palm Cove. Also i bumped into John Barret in our hostel so we caught up with him later on for beverages. We got our Dijireedoos and sent them home.

Whitsundays & Cairns

2005-06-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

Arrived back from our Whitsundays trip Sunday evening. It was a great experience living on the boat, Pegasus, with 20+ people, very different though 3 nites was more than enough for me,We were not on a luxury yacht and fairly cramped space! The first day consisted of snorkelling and diving, 2nd days we went to Whitehaven beach and 3rd day we were on South Mole Island. The meals were fab on the boat and the group was a goodbunch, only 1 other Irish person surprise surprise though she was from Fermoy. The evenings were very chilled and enjoyable, learned more card games! All very relaxed just chatting and drinking, though not half as much consumed as there was on our Fraiser trip!!
The weather was ok for us, it didnt rain which was the main thing. The down side being that our cabin was beside the toilet so there was a constant smell of s**t in our room!
Got the over night bus to Cairns Sunday, just missed getting to see the Cork V Tipp Munster Final by a few hours which was a bitch.

Airlie Beach

2005-06-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

Heading on a 4 days boat trip tonite of the Whitsunday islands, can't wait.... but again, where is the damn sun.....

1770

2005-06-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

Arrived in 1770 last nite, a highly recommended spot to chill and relax after Fraiser but it hasnt stopped f**king raining since we arrived, luckily the hostel is cool so just able to chill out here today and watch videos all day. Went on a free jeep safari tour for an hour which was a bit rough! Doing an over nighter on the bus tonite to go to Airlie Beach.

Back from Fraiser

2005-06-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today we arrived back from Fraiser, exhausted but in good spirits. 11 of us were in the group, given a 4 wheel drive, camping gear and food for 3 days and sent on our merry way. We had 6 Dubs in our group, 6 MAD alcoholic Dubs,especially memorable were Ciaran and Keith, sound guys off their f**king heads!! 2 Chilians and a Spanish girl. The first day we landed on Fraiser island we set up camp straight away once figured how to pitch a tent and driving the actual jeep was a hard job, thanks to the Chilians Chistian and Francisco. It was dark at 5.30pm so nothing to do but eat and drink. We joined up with another group and us Irish ones led the way in the drinking games, plenty between us, had 2 going at a time. Things got very messy and everyone was plastered, had not been so drunk in a long long time. However the alco was well needed as it was freezing and we were oblivious to the dingos outside outr tent.luckily the rain had stopped that morning. The 2nd day everyone was very delicate and we drove the island as much as we could. WE had lots of moments when we got the jeep stuck in the sand and had to dig and push it out, 1 particular time we were moments away from having the tide take us away which was very funny, lots of help was needed from passer bys to get us out of that one!! 2nd nite was more drinking and games though not as heavy as nite before. Again a very cold nite, camping not recommended in the winter. We could not believe our luck when we got our deposits back for the jeep as it saw some serious knocks.

Hervey Bay and Fraiser Island

2005-06-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

OH THIS FUCKING WEATHER, arrived in Hervey today as we are going to Fraiser tomorrow, we were so lookin forward to the 3 day self drive tour but the rain is really killing the whole camping on the beach mood.

Brisbane

2005-06-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

Spent last 3 days in Brisbane where the weather has been much nicer. Stayed in same hostel as Alex and Mick so it was good to catch up with them. All 4 of us went to the Steve Irwin zoo on Monday as the guys still have their car 'Bundy', zoo was fairly ok, had a good croc show. Yesterday we did tour of Brisbane, nice small city. Today we leave for Hervey Bay.Alex and Mick finally sold Bundy at the last hour and are flying onto Fiji to continue their travels.

Surfers Paradise

2005-06-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Arrived here on Thursday and its completely different to Byron, all sky rise buildings, very built up area, nothing at all here but beaches and bars. Again our weather has been very showery, got 1 good day again and spent another 1 in a shopping centre for the day and in the cinema....Where is the damn sunshine!! Went on a 'club crawl' last nite which is an organised club crawl with 8 hostels where we had so many promotional drinks in each place and had to be at next place at such a time. It was a good way to see all the bars but felt way too like being taken out by the parents as we had to meet reps 'at certain times in certain places' so we got tired of that by 1am and broke from them.
Onto Brisbane today to meet Alex and Mick.

Byron Bay

2005-06-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

Loved Byron, just a quaint relaxed little hippyish town. Weather however is very mixed, got one real nice day here on the beach and the other days were showery,especially after 3pm it was all rain, even ended up in the cinema yesterday!

Coffs Harbour

2005-06-05T23:44:00.000-07:00

Ah weather still not gr8, over cast though warm. Checked out the Sunday markets on the Jetty and walked the Marina area and beaches, very chilled day. Goin to see a jazz and blues guy this evening in the bar and to bed early for our early morning Sea Kayaking expedition.

Port Macquarie

2005-06-05T23:39:00.000-07:00

Weather much sunnier here so we took out bikes from the hostel to cover some ground, saw more fab beaches and visited the Koala hospital, right cuties. Got the bus then to Coffs Harbour that afternoon. We were very pleasantly surprised with our accomodation in Coffs as its over a real nice bar and dorm to ourselves, practically whole residents area is ours. Then went and watched the final of a beauty contest in the bar, left before the 'swimwear' section!

Newcastle

2005-06-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

Our first stopover though nothing really to see however the beach was fab with loads of sand dunes, weather not the best, still waiting for the sun to shine and trying to settle back into the whole 'backpacker' scene again in the hostles. left for Port Macquarie at 4pm.

East Coast

2005-06-02T23:31:00.000-07:00

Went out last nite with Dale Muire Therese and Jessica to the Ship Inn & Cruise bar on Circular Quay and ended up in Scruffys!!Got very sad lookin -maybe for the last time -at the Harbour Bridge and Opera house all lit up in its glory.
Headed for the 6pm Greyhound to Newcastle and we werent even out of Sydney when it broke down so had to change buses,gr8 fun!

Sydney

2005-05-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

For the next few days we are staying at Muires and doing some last minute sightseeing to Manly and Olympic Park also sending a box home of stuff, trying to lighten the load.

Back to Sydney

2005-05-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

After eating in MacDonalds and Starbucks and a fuel station we finally left for Sydney at 11.30am, Thankfully we had 2 extra drivers this time for the drive back. Had such a laugh in the car, half mad cooped up in the car for the day. Arrived in Sydney at about 9.30pm after a near fatal accident in Sydney!! Mairead and i decided to stay at Muires until Thursday.

Melbourne

2005-05-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

When we finally rose from our slumber we headed to the Botanical Gardens and the Telstra stadium and walked most of the city, very lush and green but again the weather wasn't the best. Went for another cheap Italian dinner which was again luvely! Then onto St Kildas to the Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Great spot with a good live band, Muire Dale and Therese retired early but Mairead and i then went onto the Crown Casino to check out the bars. Plenty to do and see by nite in Melbourne.

Melbourne

2005-05-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Girls flew in this morning from Sydney and we spent the day eating and drinkin coffee!. As the weather was COLD we didnt have much mind for anything else. Found the city so much quieter than Sydney and just did not have the same buzz about it, also the shit weather didnt help.
6.30pm we were ready to hit the town to check out the nite life. Headed to La Prochetta BYO (very important when on a budget!) for dinner with a bottle of wine each slammed on the table we meant business....Fab restaurant, highly recommended. Then we went down by the harbour and ended up in PJ O'Briens, apparently best pub in the city. Had such a laugh there, we all had some fun with some Dubs and French!!Met a face from college too, patsy. Brill nite from what can be remembered. Therese and Mairead were rebels and stayed drink til 7am.

Great Ocean Road

2005-05-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

We took the ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff to cut out some driving time to the Great Ocean Road. The experience of the GOR for me was a bit tainted by the fact that the windy road did not agree with my stomach and i ended up vomitting a couple of times during the drive but i made the most of it. Then arrived at the 12 Apostles which was beautiful (though very gusty!).
Feeling better then i took the wheel and drove into Melbourne city. Of course we had nothing pre booked again so stayed at the first place we cud get with 'parking' of course. It was a cool hostel as it was over a bar and restaurant. After our long day we had a few bacardis in the bar na dlooking forward to Muire and Thereses arrival in the morning.

Philip Island

2005-05-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Island itself was practically isolated as it was quiet season which was both good and bad.
First thing we went and found the F! track and booked our tour.Then the torrential rain started which was very very frustrating and unpleasant so we had to get rain coats and umbrellas for the track tour. Visited the pit lane, podium area, media and control rooms which gave an all over view of the track which was cool as its right by the ocean. As the rain was so heavy we could not walk all the track which was disappointing. As an added bonus we were shown Kangaroos and a Walabee and Robo the Cockatoo that lives by the track!
Then we went to visit the 'Nobbies' i.e coastal rocks where at this stage we were freezing as the winds were gale force and rain pelting down but anyway had to be done!! then visited a Koala wildlife sanctuary where we had to play spot the Koala,they were cute when eventually saw few up close. The onto our "penguin Parade" which only happnes as it gets dark and had to situate ourselves by the beach to wait for them to emerge from the water and waddle into their burroughs. As cold as it was waiting it was worth it when 100's appeared from their hard days work in the sea and went walking to their burroughs. They are the smallest penguins in the world hence called 'little penguins'!
We then hit the road to gain some miles and decided to stop in Sorrento BUT the only hostel was full as it was tiny so we ended up having to splash out on a self contained apartment type thing for the night, our treat for the week.

Philip Island

2005-05-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Pretty uneventful today just All day driviing, fab drive. Destination Philip Island. Arrived there at 9pm and planned our itenary for tomorrow which included going to the Melbourne Formula 1 Granp Prix track which is located on Philip Island and then seeing the 'Penguin Parade' at dusk.

Batemans Bay

2005-05-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

Up at the craic of dawn this morning with serious sleep deprivation. Stayed up til 4am to watch Corkv's Waterford match,not worth it!
Finished cleaning house and collected our 'bus' automatic car for our road trip, landlord gave inspection of house before giving us back our bonds and then we dropped off tv in Bondi, had a whale of a time trying to drive and find tv shop!! We then collected Dale in Randwich and finally left Sydney at 2pm. We were taking the coastal route to Melbourne so trip was gonna longer than normal to Melbourne. Fab day for driving and we decided to stop over in Batemans Bay on the coast at 6.30. Had tiny hostel to ourselves so we were able to indulge in some big brother and desperate housewives before hitting the sack.

Blue Mts

2005-05-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

At the weekend we headed to the Blue Mountains as Muire got the loan of a car. it was nice but very cold and view wasnt as spectacular as i thought it would be but we did see the 'Blue' haze over the Mts that gives it its name and got plenty of fresh air!. Took a sky car and cable car around them. The best fun was when the 4 of us took a joyride on 3 wheel harleys, 2 on each around the mts and we dressed up in our leathers, photos tell it all. On the way home we eventually found what is apparently the biggest irish pub in Sydney in the backarse of no where past Paramatta. It was massive and there was a trad session after starting so Mairead and Therese had to give their contribution with the aid of a few hot whiskies.
Now headin into our last w'end in Sydney so we went for a fab Thai dinner in Newtown last nite with Therese and Muire and then met up with Chris for a few in Kellys. Tomorrow nite we are headin to Kings Cross after work so it will be a big one. Kylie has been diagnosed with breast cancer so concert has been cancelled Sat.nite so a bit disappointed over that. We have never been out in Paramatta which is suppose to be gr8 so headin there Sat. nite and then of course Bondi Sun. Last nite we convinced Muire and Therese to fly down to us in Melbourne nxt w'end so hopefully that will happen.
Weather in Sydney is now shit, raining alot and its cold-well by Sydney standards anyway so its beginning to feel a bit too much like home!Plus my wardrobe is very limited for this kind of weather so bring on the East coast.

Newtown

2005-05-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Mairead and i met up with Therese Egan Thursday after work in Jackson for the free champagne and $5 pizza promotion, we got hammered with the free crap and after a small pub crawl on George St. ended up in Bondi for the rest of the nite where we met with tipp neighbours. She is one mad tipp woman!
Saturday we had a Garage sale for the house contents with George playing a rather succesful Del Trotter. We then cooked a BBQ until ran out of gas and transferred food to the oven, Chris and Dale came over. George then sought out a venue for Chris' Crystal Palace game and we headed out to Surrey Hills, with Chris the only one actually watching the game!!
Sunday was another day of selling though not quite so successfully as Saturday. Chris, Scotty and Tanya came over and George cooked us all a fab dinner.
This morning we then said our goodbyes to George as he is leavin to travel Aus.,NZ and US before arriving back in England but we will meet him in a few weeks up the East Coast when we leave Sydney to continue our travels.
Landlord agreed for Mairead and i to stay on in the house for the next couple of weeks until the new tenants move in though its almost like camping in a house now as most stuff is gone, not even a kettle for our tea! But we managed to keep tv for another few weeks - Phew! Big Brother 5 now started in Aus. Sunday nite and as much as i dont want to i will be glued to it, they have made it very interesting by havin an 'imposter' in the house. Basically one of the guys in the house is a half twin which the other contestants dont know. Over the next 2 weeks himself and his twin brother will be swapping places in the house and if they can fool the contestants to believe they are the 1 same person they can both 'play the game' for $1m.

Sydney to date

2005-05-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

Well this month started off a bit turbulent, Mairead and i got the sack! Had a gr8 laugh about it though thank god. We were actively lookin for another job anyway but one morning we were on the bus to register with an agency before work when Mairead got a call on her phone to say her contract was being terminated due to 'performance', she then passed the phone to me and i got the same story. It was such a relief. We then went into the agency and we had both got new jobs within 24 hours, what luck. My reception job is a 20min walk from Newtown and Maireads is in Westmead hospital, we are now much happier!
We have become a bit better with our sightseeing aswell this month. Got our photos of the Opera House & Harbour bridge, went to Skytower,Aquarium, did the Coogee-Bondi walk, i went to a Diddery Doo(can't spell it) show in Darling Harbour ,day trip to Hunter Valley vineyards where we had so much wine tasting, pissed by 11am.
George ,Mairead and i also went to an Aussie Footie game in the Sydney Cricket Grounds, Sydney Swans v's Adelaide, really enjoyed though it was a looong game, 3.5hrs!
We have a fair bit to do yet, get there eventually. Also been trying out more bars in Sydney for variety...however Mairead and i now regularly finishes a bottle of Vodka everynite before headin out so the nites out are becoming an even bigger blur.
Sharon emailed to say Janices sister,Dale, arrived in Sydney travellin on her own so we hooked with her and helping her to settle in. Took her for a nite out in Bondi as we had not been there in a while only to discover that the Cock nBull was like a morgue for some reason -later found out it is being boycotted cause ot the conduct of the bouncers but Tea Gardens are doing well from it!
Also bumped into Theresa and Marie from Cahir who are friends of Louise and Sharon, still trying to hook up with them for a session.
The definite highlight of the month was the last week when Simon and Martin(2 guys in house before we moved in) stayed with us for a week on their way back from East Coast en route to NZ and home to UK. Had a great nite in Coogee Hotel,gd spot, for Anzac bk hol. we had a BBQ &drank in RSL club&Kellys in Newtown. It was Dennis birthday last Wednesday,Simon and Martin cooked us Lasagne and Dennis wanted to play "centurian" drinkin game 100 shots in 100 minutes....Mairead and i joined at number 50 where George dropped out at No. 38(tut tut), Dennis had a good spew so helped him on his way,Simon,Martin and Chris(boys met him up East Coast) made it all the way (i think! it was then onto Kellys for Karaoke Simon Dennis and Mairead were in their element with the Karaoke machine. Simon dedicated 'If Tomorrow Never Comes' to Mairead and i, ahhh.........After some food and more sing songs by Simon Dennis and Mairead in the house we passed out at about 5am and Mairead & i were up for work at 7.30!
Dennis had another birthday party Friday nite, bit more well behaved as we were in the 'Establishment', certainly don't do Karaoke there! On then to Tank nite club underneath which i enjoyed, danced our asses off. Dale Chris Simon and i then 'refuelled' on the way home in Zanzibar. Another gr8 and late nite.
The week long party came to an end then Saturday as Simon &Martin said their goodbyes at 7am, very very sad to see them go.
Of course we hope to have reunions in Ireland and UK when we are all home.
Today was another sad occasion, Dennis has headed back home to Leicester, and then there was 3.....
Also found out today that Reggie died - R.I.P.
Happy Birthday Clare!
Photos can now be found on www.kodakgallery.com
Username: clionaog@oxygen.ie
Password: tippontrek

Australia so far

2005-04-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Over the last few weeks alot has been happening. We have settled into our new abode really well. The guys, George and Dennis are cool and all should go well for us over the next few weeks. They have been teaching us card games 'asshole' and drinking games - 'ride the bus' so we are fitting in well!.The lease is up on May 10th so time is short for us all. Newtown is real 'out there', very different so luv it, its a big Gay and Lesbiam area so adds character to the area.
Highlights of the month was;
Paddys Day of course, went to Bondi of course & PJ oBriens, Dennis came along with us, he even bought a 'Whos your Paddy' t-shirt. Met up with Maireads friend Evelyn etc who is here for a few weeks.
Mairead and i made our 'Bundaberg' discovery -its a jug of Rum and Coke for $12 best enjoyed in Scruffy Murphys during drag karaoke!
Alex also arrived in Sydney with Mick and it was gr8 to see her as she had left Ireland to go travelling last November. Had some mad nites out with her of course, Darling Harbour, and then the memorable nite they came to our place for 'drinking' games and my short lived time in the 3 Monkeys when i was refused service and the boys had to take me out, Mairead was not impressed of course cause she was then refused.
We then had Georges birthday to celebrate at Easter time, along with more binge sessions, Easter Sunday we did the 'irish trail' and we actually bought 2 Shaylee CD's - why i dont know, we got some funny looks for that one. Then later on we had Kevin Fitz over to house (after loosing 'Tracey'!) for a Shaylee session and he ended up getting a free 'makeover'! Easter Monday the guys cooked one of their a famous BBQ's for us. All in all it was a gr8 w'end.
Work on the other hand is another story, we HATE our jobs and have begun looking else where....

A week later...

2005-03-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

We wasted no time getting ourselves together and A week after we have arrived today we moved into another 'nicer' hostel and we already started a job yesterday for Customcall call centre currently in 'training' to sell Accidental Death Insurance!! We know we'll hate it but its a job for now and paid training for 3 days!We also viewed a few places to rent, our first and favourite was in Newtown where theres currently 4 English guys living but 2 of them are leaving to go up the East Coast travelling. We also then viewed a few places in Bondi Jnct and Bondi Beach as of course everyone was telling us we 'have to' live in Bondi. However the Bondi Beach places were horrendous dirty rat holes and i could not believe people lived there.The Bondi Jnct apt. was ok but not good value for money,get our own room in Newtown for what we'd pay for sharing in Bondi. So then we had to choose between Newtown and Bondi so when George eventually called to offer rooms we took it straight away so movin in on Sunday.
Can't wait to take a break from the hostels for a while and to unpack the bag.
Of course we spent last weekend socialising in Bondi, had to go to CocknBull and Tea Gardens! Gr8 craic and of course we bumped into a few familiar faces.Saturday nite it was another irish pub in Paddington, Then on the Sunday we did the 'irish' trail, CnB to Waterloo and Mercantile on the Rocks where we were shown the famous 'Shaylee' singer. It all got a bit much for Mairead!! What a gr8 introduction to Sydney.

Australia....

2005-03-03T21:12:00.000-08:00

Well we all went our seperate ways today, Sean(Sligo) back to north island with Magic, Marcus home to Melbourne, the Dane to Brisbane and we were on our way to Oz...at last.
I had a security incident with my luggage at the airport, bit embarassing but finally got on plane. Arrived in Sydney airport and the thunder and lightening was like something i had never seen in my life. Waited hours for our bus to bring us to our Jolly Swagman hostel in Kings Cross- not happy girls. We were exhausted so checked in at 9pm, place was manic and the site of the kitchen killed my hunger pains. At least we had a tv and fridge in our bedroom so we didnt have to leave our room!

Christchurch

2005-03-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

Our final destination, Christchurh. This is a beautiful city again standing out from other NZ cities, very relaxing and made up of stone buildings and parks, more European/English. Wandered through the market on Cathedaral Square and by the parks. Tonite was our last nite in NZ so Marcus, Sean and our mad Danish friend met up with us in the Base hostel bar. Had planned a big pub crawl but we got too settled and got pissed there. Mairead and i sang on the stage - oh cringe! A late and great nite.

Lake Tekapo

2005-03-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

Tekapo is just great, so relaxing with AGAIN great views of Mt Cook.Its called 'MacKenzie country'. Our hostel was right on lake Tekapo and it was new with a log cabin feel to it. This was great place for walks so happy to wonder around the trails.There is also the Church of the Good Shepard by the lake which has to be the smallest church in the world. This was just pure chill out - fab.

Dunedin

2005-02-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry to be leavin Queenstown but on we go to Dunedin. This is a Scottish town and very different to any other NZ city, actually feel like ur in Scotland and it was even pissing rain for the first time in ages. Made up of many steep hills and roads.This is a big Uni. town so expecting a good buzz around though its a monday nite so maybe not. Here our highlight was going to be the visit to the Cadbury Factory but what a load of 's**t' that was. The guys did the brewery which apparently was good.Our free samples were small to say the least. Then pottered around town. If we had an extra nite spare to stay here we would have done the Elm Wildlife Tour on the Otago Peninsula to see the yellow eye penguins and albatross but it was too wet for that anyway.
Stayed in a cool hostel and had drinks in the bar with Marcus and Sean. Sean, Mairead and i decided to check out the 'Octagon' where the bars are located. It was very quiet around as the rag week was just over. But reckon it had great potential if it was a weekend nite.

Queenstown

2005-02-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

Spending another nite in Queenstown so got the Gondola car to the viewing point which was beautiful, bit shaky going up there,not good heights! Up there They also have go karts with no engines free falling which look lethal, one of the guys had a tumble and hurt his arm.
Splashed out and ate in nice restaurant to line the stomaches.Met more Irish and discovered a new bar we were told about, Buffalos, it was nice and met some of our bus travellers. Sunday nite was a bit quieter but still a good atmosphere.

Queenstown

2005-02-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

First time in ages that our bus wasn't collecting us at some ridiculous hour in the morning so we had a sleep in and great intentions to visit the Puzzle House but because we would have to walk 30 mins or so and feelin delicate we decided instead to go and have a Hot Chocolate by Lake Wanaka.
On then to Queenstown which is the 'adventure capital'. The views of Alps driving in are fantastic. However tonite our only adventures were to the pubs. Great spot for Happy Hours and Promos so we followed them around, Red Rock ,Pog Mahones, Surreal and World. We had 'teapots' filled with cocktails in Surreal which are a waste of money really as not good value,u get little 'shot' glasses to drink from - hello!. There is also an ice bar "Minus 5' near the harbour where u have where special gear going into and only recommended to stay for half an hour, wud luv to have gone in but not in position to spend 25dollars for half an hour.Of course we met many Irish who were livin here ie Dublin and Limerick, more than anywhere else so far in NZ.

Wanaka

2005-02-25T17:28:00.000-08:00

Destination Wanaka, Passed through Fox, another town nestled next to a glacier, Fox Glacier, before stopping off at Lake Matheson, called "the Mirror Lake" due to it's clear reflection of the Southern Alps and Mt Cook which dominate the skyline - pretty cool, loads of Mirror lakes on this journey. The scenery changed from dense forest to vast plateaus as we entered the Central Otago region, known for it's pip fruit and emerging wine industry. Make sure your cameras are ready as you visit Lake Hawea, and later Lake Wanaka.
Wanaka is a beautiful little town at foot of the Alps and on Lake Wanaka. We went to a unique little cinema that we were told about, the Paradiso. Its a one screen cinema in a big sitting room kinda place with just couches and an old Beatle car u can sit in. The food served is scrumptious, pizzas,alcohol, cakes and yummy Hot chocolate - Mairead and i now have a hot chocolate addiction, its becoming quite serious!
Then went to the Red Rock pub to use our drink vouchers, there we met our hilarious English bus driver,Cornelious aka 'Con', really have to have an 'irish' sense of humour when he is around, he has a habit of offending some of our fellow Magic Bus travellers which he did that nite or it was more his friend Philip really and by association we got a few enemies on the bus for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time!! Con also was full of English phrases which were beginning to rub off on us 'its all good', 'shocking' etc. His friend offered us the prospect of work in an Irish pub in Wanaka comin up in a few weeks but we are not quite yet ready to settle. Anyway they fed us with shots for the nite and good nite was had. Wanaka seemed to have a good social scene.

Franz Joseph

2005-02-24T20:12:00.000-08:00

Beautiful journey by the Southern Alps, destination Franz Joseph.
Continue down the West Coast toward Hokitika, famous for its local cuisine (puree fresh fruits of ur choice and add to a soft serve cone, yummy yummy)and greenstone -at this stage i was sick of lookin at greenstone jewellery as beautiful as it is.
The traces of the gold rush that brought thousands to the area in the 1800s are still evident in the historic town of Ross, where we stopped in the morning to do 'gold panning' - u pay to sieve through a pan of stones and water to find a minute nugget of gold - i wasn't sucked in!!
Arrived in Franz Josef to see one of the world's most impressive glaciers. If you wish to aim higher, take a heli hike, which will get you to the top of the glacier and into some fresh powder snow.Now we were going to splash out and pay for a Heli Hike to the top and we grew quite excited. However all hopes were dashed when we arrived at the flight centre our helicopter ride was cancelled due to the clouds, gutted. Then the walking tour was booked out - not impressed,however due to erosion the guide said it was now practically a vertical climb up the glacier.... So we went it alone - no we didnt climb the glacier alone but just walked to the foot of it, witnessed big clumps of the glacier fallin from the side of it so we had to keep our distance.From the side it looks like a big dirty rock but thankfully the cloud cover cleared and we got a much more impressive view.

Greymouth

2005-02-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

We were absolutely hangin today so it was the worst bus ride ever. It was unfortunate really as the drive down the west coast is just beautiful, so lush and green in comparison the the North island, the roads feeling even more narrow and treacherous on our big bus along the rugged coastline and through Buller Gorge. Stopped for many walks by lakes and in Paparoa National Park. Loved the awesome sites of the Pancake rocks and blowholes along coast line in Punakaiki with pancakes being widely available! However in our delicate condition we became so sick of havin to go for walks when all we wanted to do was to check into our hostel in Greymouth and sleep, so it was a VERY long day.
Well when we did get to our YHA hostel in Greymouth we were in for quite a surprise.
We knew that it used to be an old Christian Brothers school but we actualy thought we were after walkin into an old folks home, never saw the likes of it, everyone was old. Now im not being ageist just that i didnt expect to find them all after converging in a hostel. The place smelt old too. Now we had booked our beds in a mixed dorm called the 'Chapel' so as we were entering the dorm a guy of about 75 was comin out from the room in his tight speedos and vest (an Italian cyclist) and as the situation was becomin so comical to me i just burst out laughing. The t.v. room didnt have a tv it was just a sitting room full of 'older' people reading. We did however find a tiny 'walk-in wardrobe' type room with a small portable and uncomfortable patio furniture where 2 guys from our bus were hiding watchin a film that certainly wasnt for viewing of our fellow hostel stayers! The irony was that we were asked to fill out a YHA questionnaire on the hostlel!! Tiredness eventually got the better of me and had to enter the mixed dorm.

Picton/Nelson

2005-02-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

Left the North Island today, got the ferry to Picton crossing Cook Strait. Almost 3 hours on the ferry but it is worth it just for the views alone. Went from Picton then onto Nelson where we were stayin. N0thing really to do in Nelson as we were just stayin overnite so just bummed around,its very relaxed town. This is also the origin for the Abel Tasman National Park trip. However it is a popular spot to stay for a few nites on your journey but we were just limited with time. We were told that there was an old school bus in the back yard of the hostel which opens up at 10pm as a sit in kinda bar where u bring ur own drink so after the last few relatively quiet nights we had to make up for lost time!! Stocked up on the beverages and made it to the bus where we were transported to a scence in the 1970's, everyone was feelin good!!! So we joined the party. Met with Canadians and French, Cody, Justin, Mai, Ema. At 1am we then headed into town for more and of course Mairead and i ended up doin Karaoke. Back to the bus then where tequilla shots were flowing til 6.30am. At this stage i had planned on just not goin to bed as bus was collectin us at 7.30am but decided id get 20mins nap but felt so much worse for it. Excellent nite had by all.

Wellington

2005-02-21T16:48:00.000-08:00

Today was another chilled day, went to Te Papa Museum which is pretty cool and walked around the harbour, bought some cd's , chopped up my hair and enjoyed the fab weather.

Wellington

2005-02-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

Of course this is Lord of the Rings country, its everywhere today. Stopping at Forests and lakes all day, Tongariro National Park was used in the movie. We also saw Wild Horses along the Desert Road. Now i loved Wellington. Real young and hip with the best variety of bars. Its a major uni. city area so keeps it all happening. We went to the view point and it is the most amazing view of the city situated along the coast line.

Wai-O-Tapo Thermal and Taupo

2005-02-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

After Rotorua, destination Taupo. On way visited the awesome volcanic Wai-O-Tapo Thermal Underworld where we saw volcanic craters, boiling spitting mud, green, red and yellow hot pools, have some great pictures. It was the highlight of NZ so far. Then went on to the little volcanic 'Geiser'which erupts (small spitting eruption may i add) at 10.15 everyday, with the help of washing powder being added. After the eruption everyone leaves as thats all there is to see there.Next was Hukka Falls throwing 200,000L water/second. Then onto 'Rock nRopes'where they have the giant swings, tight ropes, basically a circus lay out for those who enjoy heights and jumping off telephone poles to catch onto a bar. Well we were spectators for that but Colin made the 2 of us lie down on a crate under the swing as they were jumping off and then we had to roll out as swing slowed down (so not to get kicked in head). I made him lie down with us as i didnt trust what he was makin us do. that was our little adrenalin rush for the day!!Then onto glacier Lake Taupo, the lake bigger than Singapore. After all that excitement we booked into Taupo and headed to the lively bars of Mulligans and Finn McCools - were told there is apparently no NZ pubs. There was a race meet on so place was buzzing, the Kiwis literally were anyway.

Magic Bus to Rotorua

2005-02-18T02:24:00.000-08:00

7.30am we were on our Magic bus to start our journey with our lovely bus driver Colin. Headed toVolcanic Mt Eden,onto Mercer and then Waitomo to the 'GlowWorm' caves and saw the weirderst place where they shore rabbits to make clothes. Saw them firstly in their cages all fat and hairy and then they were shaved and were skinned with just furry ears left. Their wool was so soft though and their was a shop full of baby and adult clothes made from it.Then the womentoldus about their diet as she proceeded to 'prep' the bunny for shaving!
Then onto Rotorua where we were staying overnite. For the 'cultural' aspect we arranged to go to a Maori Culture concert and Hangi(meal).On the bus there we had to imagine we were on a 'Wakka'(boat), so did so chanting and rowing, good craic (had to be there!!) Went to a Maori Village where we had to nominate a chief to challenge the Maori chief who did a lot of shouting and chanting and sticking out his tongue, rolling eyes etc. from the Maori. met Joe and Debbie whom we had metin Fiji and i met John that i worked with in Chubb. The Maori village was cool where there was lots of little shows goin on by men and women (all on pictures). The concert then was all singingand instrumental and they did the famous 'Hakka',told some Maori history and showed instruments. We were then given a slap up 3 course meal, best we had since leaving home. Then showed how food was prepared on open fire.

Arrive New Zealand...

2005-02-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

very excited to be arriving to NZ today. Stayin in Auckland tonite and so we went walking around Auckland to check out the city, quite nice and small. Then had to plan our P.O.A for the next 2 weeks, Could not get a car to hire booked up for a month 'apparently', we were offered a space van thing that 2 of us could sleep in but really thought it would be way too claustrophobic and unsociable.Anyways as we werent stayin NZ for long enough to do the Kiwi Experience tour we had to settle for a 2 week tour on the 'Magic' bus, our home for the next 2 weeks So headin off in the morning to discover the North and South Island.
Stayed in a lovely Base hostel and hit the bar there for the nite, Was hopping with 'happy hour' and surf board competions, of course befriended 2 guys there from Laois, Glenn and Nigel on their way to Fiji and then home. Music was gr8 and drink was cheap so had a good time.

Nadi

2005-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

today just more sun batheing, water and got boat to Nadi as we were flying out early the following morning, so pretty uneventful - early to bed.

Beachcomber

2005-02-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

Today Kiki, Ewelina Mairead and i headed to Beachcomber, very excited as the isolation was gettin to us slightly and we were getting bored. Beachcomber another tiny island but with alot more people and a bar! Also alot more activities that we could do. We had a great buffet selection of food - no more rice and bread for us. However there was tiny flies all over the sand and because the eating area was in sand they were on the food the minute u put it on the plate. The dorm was hilarious with 125 bunks in one open room but we had real nice showers!! Took advantage of the beach for the day and then hit the bar where they had much more of selection other than beer and cans of rum and coke. Then a Fijian band started up and they shouldnt have bother because it was like listening to a band at an old wedding in the Glen of Aherlow - Fijian style. We then told them 'nicely' to speed it up a bit but they just couldnt do it. Anyway at 12am we celebrated Maireads birthday and low and behold they band finished and dance music started up but then the bar closed god damn it BUT we had some local 'KAVA', basically muddy water from a special tree that has quite an adverse affect on the body!!. Anyway danced away til the small hours and met some interesting characters from Aus and USA.

Island Hopping

2005-02-14T12:14:00.000-08:00

Had a great day today island hopping, paradise beach, castaway,honeymoon island, bounty,Musket Cove being our favorite definitely must be close to heaven basically all the exotic islands that we couldnt afford to stay on and others with just one to zero people living on it. We were able to go to nice bars by the beach,snorkle and explore the islands. Had a laugh with our Fijian boat drivers. The heat is quite intense reachin near 40 so the sun factor is well in use. Spent the evening playin cards and eating more rice and bread - yawn!

Fiji

2005-02-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

ok well today decided that we were gonna rebel and and head to the beach on the Japaneese resort - worst they could do was kick us off. so spent some blissful hours in the beautiful water and on the loungers until...yes we were caught and had to get off the loungers but were allowed stay on the beach so we reckon our 'chief' was exaggerating slighty.
Met Joe, Liz and Debbie from the UK. That night then we had some local entertainment from the village people with fire and knife throwing and dancing in grass skirts,so we all had to get into the spirit of it, were taught the Fijian version of the Macarena! Then out came a Karaoke machine thingy and we had the torture of listening to the same 2 idiots bawling songs the rest of the nite. All in all a good enough nite.

Fiji

2005-02-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

Arrived in Fiji Feb 12th having lost 2 days due to the time zones crossed. Landed at 5am and it was 27 degrees - had me slightly worried as to how hot the rest of the day was gonna get!
Got our 'Bula' sing song at the airport from our Fijian hosts and then hours gettin through immigration. Had no real plan as to where we were gonna stay so we were gladly pulled in by a travel agent to 'plan our week' for us. Not knowing where we wanted to go exactly this took hours as she was throwing booklets and brochures at us at no rate. Gettin very frustrated and cranky (as i do!) with the heat- we decided on the Mamacuna (something like that!) Islands over the Yasawas - cheaper but yet experience the 'real' Fiji - also taken back as to how expensive the place was, only lucky the Euro was strong against dollar. So as our base for island hopping we were to stay at Mana Island and then Beachcomber for last nite on islands - apparently the 'party' island. Off we went with our bus driver to take us to the ferry - after my bank card got stuck in ATM - slight panic...We were brought to an 'office'(actaully a house) to pay money. Being extremely hospitable the 'Mama' made us fresh Mango juice and coffee, well impressed. The 4 of us -Kiki and Evelina, our new Swedish friends- were brought to another house shack thing so we cud take a shower - i was thinkin it was a bit dodgy at the time especially when i saw young Fijian guys hangin around and our bus driver took off, meant to be gettin our boat to Mana not havin a 'happy hour' and cold showers - not yet anyway. All was well having freshened up and driver came back, eventually got to the little boat. We were awestruck looking around, pure paradise blue skies and clear water and passed islands that looked like everything ud see on a postcard, absolutely dyin to get to our island. Eventually slowed up to our island, very small, where we had another 'Bula' sing song from Fijians, very quaint. Slowly we realised that this island did NOT look like all the other beauties we passed on the way. Still with spirits high we got off and were lead to our backpackers accom and then also saw further down the beach were hammocks and loungers and tropical trees so as bad as the hostel looked we could sunbathe in comfort. So the manager/'Chief' sat us down and told us that the rest of the island (loungers&hammocks) was a 5 star resort owned by the Japaneese and we could not go near that part of the island so basically that left us with a tiny part of the beach that was full of coral reef and not the beautiful clear waters we saw - alarm bells- told us our meal times (hostel only source of food,served meals 3 times/day). Then we were shown hostel itself, it was what we were told it would be, bare essentials. elec was turned off for most time as it was a wheel generator thing and air conditioning was a tiny little fan, drip shower thingy was like a hole in the hall with just a curtain and sink was in the hall itself, very private! Anyway then introduced to our 'Mamas' and told a bottle of water was $5... bit miffed at that. Of course since there was no shops,bars etc on the island the hostel was our source of supply.Anyway asap of course we jumped in the water just to cool us down and we got scropen and thorn with the coral reef and then a massive cloud came in and we had torrential rain - oh dear it was not lookin good. So back to hostel at a loss as to what to do, so of course we turned to alcohol - our hostel was able to supply some thankfully, rum and coke in a can, kickin ourselves that we never brought our own supply. Had dinner which was rice, bread and melon, with something else we weren't too sure of, more rain and more rum and coke. So 4 of us tried to amuse ourselves, all feelin sorry for ourselves. Then to bed with spirts at an all time low.

Vegas

2005-02-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

Well when in Vegas go to the Beach niteclub. A gang of us went from the hostel, Namalie from Sri Lanka , Gavin the lone world traveller, Mr. Leprechaun from Brisbane, our Kiwi buddies Ray Nick and Hayden, Fiona from Germany and Mr. S from Ukraine and Tim our host. It is a black Hip Hop club, where u will get frisked with a metal detector! This is where u will see all the big (&small) black mamas shakin their booty, lifting their tops and the guys not afraid to show their butts either. Had abrill time with some great photos tellin all. Of course some of us missed bus back to hostel but one of our new 'local' friends, Lorenzo Lacey kindly brought us home. Lorenzo is a VIP chauffeur and he fillled us in on all the stars that he has driven.
Had a sing song in Hostel with the South Africans platin guitar and piano and got a lesson on Africano language which i never knew existed! Another sleepless nite.
Checked out of Hostel and said our goodbyes as we headed back to LA for the next leg of our journey.

Gran Canyon

2005-02-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

After 2 hrs sleep we were up at 7am to head for Gran Canyon. 12 of us from hostel got a tour in mini van. Stopped at Hoover Dam and then crossed from Nevada to Arizona where we also went through a time zone. Cannot possibly describe the views and sites of the drive, has to be seen to be appreciated, Joshua trees, cactus, wild horses. Its the least densely populated area after the Himalyas with a population of just 9,000. All i can say about the 277miles of Gran Canyon is GO THERE words will not do it justice, so quiet and beautiful. We had BBQ on Canyon and our tour guide brought us on a scary trail down side of Canyon - not for faint hearted. Then explained history of Canyon and Indian reservations surrounding it. got us sea shell fossils as it was once an ocean and we were standing on sea bed. Our 2 new friends today are Korean, Socky aka Thomas and June - cannot possibly spell/say their real names but they are very funny characters especially Socky, mad for photos with us - got a bit weird!!!
Anyway back at hostel now and we are havin a party at hostel tonite and then bus bringin us all onto a nite club later on. Going to bed now for an hour to revive myself. Another early start in morning as we head back to LA. Really goin to miss this place now, got very comfy here.

Vegas

2005-02-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Oh we were 2 very sick girls today, all self induced!! But we were up and out by 10.30 so not to waste time. In and out of the various Hotels, Mirage, MGM, Caesars Palace, Desert Palace etc etc. Fantastc buildings with everything inside. However by 3pm we were about to collapse so ended up going to the cinema so we cud sit down for a few hrs in the dark. Then back to Hostel where we got ready to hit town again. Had few drinks in hostel - only $2 for bacardi and coke here!! Then hit town with Nick, Ray and Hayden. Went to New York New York as we had free passes for Coyote Ugly- yes its more a guys bar with all the bras hanging from ceiling and girls dancing but we couldnt disappoint the lads!! Of course Mairead and i ended up on the bar as we got free shots poured back our throat every time we danced so of course we went up. If we took off our bras remains between those of us there at Coyote......
Headed for Beach niteclub as it is apparently the best club here- however when we arrived heard it was very quiet and $20 admission we all eaded back to bar in Hostel instead which desnt have closing hrs and alot cheaper. Great nite chatting and meeting people, everyone has their own story.Liking the hostel more and more and really gettin into the backpacking.Not in bed til the small hours of the morning, a few dorms we awoken and 'Mr Englishman' couldn't get his sleep thanks to MOB.

Vegas

2005-02-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

Greyhound to vegas today for $48 and as all greyhound travellers know it always guarantees a very colourful crowd and more hicksville towns like Bakersfield!. 7 hour trip, but didnt feel length too much. Stopped at Death Valley on way and we saw the most fantastic sunset i have ever witnessed, got great photo. Entering the lights of Vegas was overwhelming, another world and has to be seen to be understood. The first 2 taxis refused to bring us to where our hostel was located so we were extremely worried after our LA hostel experience, arrived outside USA Hostel and almost turned back. BUT being the adventurous types we headed in and we slowly relaxed and breathed again. BBQ was on in pool area and we were invited out while waiting to check in. Checked out the crowd who were very friendly and NONE were American to our great releif, the were just all averages joes and janes from Aus, New Zealand, Germay Romania etc backpacking like ourseleves. Hostel manager was extremely helpful and eased all our fears. So dumped bags, quickily changed and hit Sin City with 2 Kiwis, Nick and Ray who had just arrived too. Hit Treasure Island and learned how to pretend to gamble at the 5c machines while waiting for our scantly clad waitress to start bringin our FREE drinks, yes all drinks free when gambling, heaven. The we hit Margaretaville where there was a live band &we met 2 Canadians, John and Emilio. 4 of us then headed to Bellagio and New York New York, where yes we found an Irish bar '9 Fine Irishmen'. Good live band playing and it was packed. Great Craic as we'd say. Be warned Bacardi and Coke is $7.50.

Santa Monica

2005-02-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Absolutely wrecked from the mental busy day before. Hung out at Santa Monica Pier and promenade. Weather very cool so no sun bathing could be done. Nice Lazy Day. All plans for going out BUT due to our stupid hostel had to get drink in and have party in our room....Mad to get going to Vegas tomorrow - alot of drinking to be caught up on. Glad to leave LA, couple of days there was enough to see main attractions, after that u need loadsa money...

The tours begin

2005-02-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Started our 'combo' tour at 9am, highly recommended tour, fast and economical. First stop Venice beach aka 'crazy beach'. Liked this beach as it has character, artists and musicans live and hangout here, outdoor gym, people meditating, doing actual artistic graffiti and lots of other weird and wacky people to be seen, but then again that is just america in genearl. Area to be avoided at dark though as the real crazies appear. There is also a giant blackboard of 273 names of those missing since Vietnam.
Then went on towards Santa Monica, saw OJ Simpson courthouse, 'Arnies' compound, Century City,most expensive commercial area in LA has sites of hotel in Lethal Weapon 2,which was originally performed for a movie that never was released but as was the most dangerous stunt ever performed so it was used for LW and beside building of hostage scene in Die Hard 1. Its all gated communites in area so very exclusive. Then on to Beverly Hills, passed Beverly Wiltshire where Pretty Woman was set. BH is an independent city with own police force, city hall, mayor, taxes etc. If you 'honk' your horn get a $38 fine for noise pollution or leave engine running another fine for environmental pollution!! They pay very hefty taxes for such priveliges. Rodeo Drive very quiet just all designer shops that u can't buy from. Entered Fairfax and Melrose, Melrose very cool as it has all vintage hip and trendy shops. Did Walk of Fame with all the stars on the pavement, Chineese theatre with hand and footprints of many many stars. Next to theatre is the Kodax theatre where Oscars are now held. All nice to see.
Then onto Hollywood Hills,Mulholland Drive, where all stars live, Tom Cruise Jack Nicholson and u can see why,most fantastic views of Santa Monica Mts and San Fernando Valley, also where u see the 'Hollywood' sign, hanging houses held up with stilts on edge of cliff where they have remained for over 40yrs of earthquakes!!Did not see movie star homes, not interested anyway.
Universal City next stop and it is a MUST see. Had such a great laugh there and spent about 6 hrs there and all time is needed. Waterworld show acted out, saw Shrek in 4D - hilarious jumping in our seats with 'Donkey' spitting on us and creatures brushing against us and seats throwing us about, VAn Helsings house was scary, cold sweats, not for faint hearted but what a laugh. Back to the Future stimulator ride in 'Docs' time car, quiet green and sick after that one..
Tour then of Studio City where u see sets for Movies and TV Shows, Desperate Housewives was shooting at the time and saw down Wisteria Lane but saw none of cast. Then experienced a so called earthquake in subway underground, flashflood, parting of Dead Sea King Kong, Jaws etc. Then onto a special effects show. Much much more to do....
On way home got tour of Sunset Strip, saw Johnny Depps Viper Rooms, whiskey agogo and Geratys the famous Diner Elvis pigged out in. The Irish pub on strip is Dublins-original or what, told not to go there however may be more popular with the guys! Beverly Hills Shopping centre was built around a working oil well, quite strange to see. As it was late we got dropped off in Santa Monica and hit a few bars instead of going home. SM promenade is the place to be at nite,shops open til early morning. Nothing too great about about the bars but ok.

D-DAY

2005-02-03T15:20:00.000-08:00

ok well made it to Cork Airport for our 7.30am flight said our goodbyes to the 'mammies' flew to London then LA for a long 11 hour flight. Long cramped flight not much happened as u can imagine apart from plenty of movies.
Arrived in LAX at 4pm local time, got our eyes scanned and fingerprints taken at Immigration, excited and anxious, got shuttle to our hostel. Well the hostel is certainly one of a kind, a cross between Ricki Lake and the Hillbilles, utter Hicksville and NOT recommended, LA Backpackers 'Paradise' my ass!! Room was good value and clean, do NOT get a dorm thankfully we had private dorm,crowd is dodgy to say the least and the staff are constantly fighting with each other and not very helpful. Mairead had already witnessed two guys in 'restaurant' arranging a 'rendezvous' to meet in the toilet after breakfast and there are plenty more stories like it......Also location is fairly shit. Well seriously jet lagged when we arrived at hostel and hit the hay at 8pm after arranging our 'Combo' tour of LA for the following day

2005-02-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

Well the day before take off ants in my pants wanna get outta ere and FAST. the waiting has driven Me to the edge of insanity.....
Anyway thanks SO SO much to everyone who has given Me farewell pressies, cards and best wishes, much appreciated. Mairead and i Had a great sendoff party in the bustling village of Kilbehenny Saturday 22 nd Jan and thanks to all that came, ESPECIALLY my now 'ex' housemate in Dublin, Bridget, who surprised me by turning up unannounced and it was the highlight of the nite,fantastic surprise. Also some great nites nites were enjoyed in Dublin the week before i left thanks to Ciara for the champagne and greatly memorable nite, 'Viva Lisa'!!! - you'll know what i mean....Then Friday,the nite after, Bridget and i were well entertained in Barge and Leggs for the nite, thanks to Ken and James from both of us! Then of course had to visit Ballyporeen with Clare on Saturday nite, taking us back or what girl! maryalice and co. made the trip to Skeheenarinka on Sunday and Mary came with the wine Tuesday nite. Then i had my fav cousin bid farewell on Wednesday,great for the travel tips,sleeping bag,adaptor,SIM card etc.....Of course since it was the nite before takeoff i was hyper and had to drink ,yself to sleep and eventually knocked myself out at 1.30am to be up at 3.45am