Same Planet - Different World

Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud

2011-06-01T05:00:00.002+06:00

Having lived in New Zealand for over 9 months, we had yet to experience the great natural beauty that the country is so famous for and that was showcased so well in the Lord of the Rings movies. After prolonging our departure for long enough, on the 1st of April we finally hit the road again. With our van completely out of action and lacking a Warrant of Fitness. Tammy's friend Moana did us the awesome favor of lending us her car, which in comparison to the van was a powerful beast and a complete pleasure to drive. Words can't describe how much grief Moana generosity saved us.

The Beast...

Our plan of action was to do a loop of the South Island of New Zealand. So the first thing we had to do was catch the inter-islander ferry to Picton again. This time heading west towards the beautiful Golden Bay area. Our friend Flynn is from here and highly recommended we go and enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the hippie capital of New Zealand.

Tammy gets to grips with the crazy South Island Roads

Reflecting on the 5000Km we covered in 9 days in Australia, we were almost mocking the South Islands puny 1000Km. But where Australia was all huge straight roads, the South Island of New Zealand is all windy mountain roads and one lane bridges. We found this out the hard way on our first night, when we didn't make it as far as Golden Bay and had to spend the night in the small town of "Motueka", of which we have nothing to report.

Got some weird looks while taking this one

We had hoped to visit the Abel Tasman national park and do some sea kayaking, but the weather the day before made us uneasy about booking it. So the next day we headed for the bizarrely named "Farewell Spit", which is a 26km long sand spit that sticks out of the northwest corner of the South Island like a rogue wisp of hair on a windy day.

The eastern side of Farewell Spit

The eastern side faces inland towards Cape Farewell, which is mostly made up of heavy minerals like quartz and garnet. The constant eroded material from the cape makes its way out to sea, piles up on the spit and so ends up as beautiful white sand.This makes the inland side of the spit very deep and covered in a layer of debris such as shells and dead birds. But cross the dunes to the side facing the Tasman sea and you are greeted with an endless stretch of white dunes that are very easy to get lost in, but that's a story of another time.

Tammy on the dunes

Driving back from the spit we stopped for some food in "Oneka" in the absolutely kick ass Mussel Inn (Thanks to Graham from MOT for the awesome tip). Not only was the food amazing, but they brewed their own beer with manuka honey! To top it off they had a fire pit and when the sun went down the place came alive like a proper small scale festival. We loved it so much we couldn't leave so we booked a room in Shambhala across the road. A place where you don't get a key to lock your room but you are welcome to attend the morning meditation session for free. As tempting as it sounded, the hangover the next day required sleep more than meditation.

Making our way through creepy Charnwood Forest

Due to serious time constraints our road trip was to be one of fleeting visits. So the next morning we were out of Oneka as soon as possible. Though the weather was bad, we made our way up "Takaka" hill along a 11km unsealed road through Charnwood Forest. For some reason the forest felt strangely familiar to us. Upon reading up on it in the guide book we discovered it was a filming local for the first Lord of the Rings movie, where the hobbits first encounter a black rider.

We felt under attack by inquisitive Fan-Tails

We were heading for the top of the hill to see Harwoods Hole, the deepest sinkhole in the southern hemisphere, weighing in at a staggering depth of 357 metres!!! We contacted a local cave jumping/rock climbing outfit to inquire about bringing us down into the cave, but they never responded so we didn't push it and simply satisfied ourselves with sitting right on the edge. Well Richie sat right on the edge while Tammy trembled in fear a few feet behind.

Harwoods Hole

As we hit the road for the West Coast, the rain really came down and we were caught in the mother of all storms which forced us to stay in badly flooded Westport for evening. With nothing of interest to keep us there though, we were gone very early the next morning. Supposedly, on a sunny day, the drive along the west coast of the South Island is one of the most beautiful in world. We didn't get the opportunity to test this fact though, as the previous nights storm stayed with us all morning.

Its raining outside, but we're still smiling in here

However, we soon realized that the storm would prove to make our drive beautiful in a very different way. The Tasman Sea to our right was roaring with the full force of god and the usually small trickles of water that fell off the cliffs to our left were suddenly transformed into one awesome waterfall after the next. Later when we stopped in Punakaiki, to visit the Pancake Rocks, the spectacle entered it's final act in the form of awe inspiring blow holes!

Pancake Rocks and Blow Holes

The Pancake Rocks are geological phenomenons created from layers of lime rich fragments of sea creatures that fossilized and compacted on the seabed over 30 million years ago. They were then overlaid with softer layers of mud and dirt. Over time earthquakes raised the seabed above sea level, where the wind and rain eroded away the softer layers to expose the thin pancake like structure beneath. The formations are full of underwater caverns which have chimneys that rise to the surface. When swells fill the caverns to capacity the water can only go one way. So on a stormy day like ours, the caverns filled very abruptly! This causes the water to explode skywards and in the process, creates one hell of an awesome sight!

Tammy - "The Poncho! It does nothing!!"

After 20-30 minutes outside we returned to the car completely soaked, carrying our broken umbrellas. We felt pretty alive and excited though and managed to hold on to this buzz, as we made our way towards Franz Josef and glacier country! We arrived too tired and too late to do anything except book our visit to the glacier for the next day. We had hoped to do some ice climbing but it was all sold out. But the full day trek we booked instead would still prove to be challenge enough.

The lead guide cutting out a track for us to follow

Richie inspecting the ice for signs of extreme cold

The next morning we were slightly horrified to find ourselves on a bus with a group of maybe 60 people or more. Thankfully though when we reached the glacier the tour guides split up our sizable horde into more manageable groups of ten. People were then asked to choose between the six groups depending on their level of fitness. The first group would be going harder, climbing mostly virgin ice and making the first cuts. While in comparison, the last team would be pretty much walking up a pristine ice stair case.

Can you spot the climbers?

The beginning of a crevasse

We of course opted to join the first team, as this meant that rather than having the other teams in front of us, we only ever had the ice. This also meant we'd be the first group to reach the top and hence have at least 15-20 minutes up there before the other teams caught up with us. Franz Josef, though smaller than the neighboring Fox and Tasman glaciers, is more famous as it offers amazing panoramic views of the surrounding alps and is more easily accessible. The beginning of the glacier, called the ablation zone, is a staggering 2700m above sea level. Over the course of only 11km Franz Josef descends to a mere 240m!

Climbing through a pure blue ice cavern

The next day we took Haasts Pass through the southern alps and spents hours gazing in silence at the stunning magnificence they radiate. Tammy may have been silenced by the beauty of the surrounding area, but Richie was silent for a whole different reason. Deep within the recesses of his mind he was constantly throwing himself out of planes, off speeding trains, off the top of skyscrapers, as well as countless other perilous activities.

Stunning Lake Wanaka

When the backdrop of mountain ranges gave way to our first site of the south islands epic turquoise lakes, his mind wandered more rapidly. First the road lingered alongside the majestic serenity of Lake Wanaka. Then with a sudden bend eastward Lake Wanaka fell away to our right as Lake Hawea's impossible stillness greeted us to our left. Soon the road found itself dancing its way between the two great lakes as we got ever closer to the little town of Wanaka.

No turning back now

Minutes after arriving, before his nerves convinced him of something he'd regret, Richie booked a 15,000ft skydive for the next morning! Later that night after dinner and a few beers had failed to calm his overactive imagination head, Richie finally found solace after an hour online reading up on the physics of skydiving. Lets us all take a moment and praise the calming nature of science!

Its very unnerving signing a form stating you're aware you might die...

In what felt like a blink of any eye it was the next morning and Richie was staring out the window of a tiny biplane and ascending rapidly. Harnessed to the biggest skydive instructor that money could buy and breathing greedily through an oxygen mask, he watched as at 12,000ft two very nervous Scottish girls disappeared from his sight at a speed he had never experienced before. But before his mind could comprehend it, he was 3,000ft higher than they were and he was hanging out the door with his legs hooked under the outer body of the plane and then.............. nothing..........

Such an awesome plane!!

They say the first time you jump, it can take the mind up to 40 seconds to even begin to comprehend whats happening. A jump from 15,000ft gives you 60 seconds of free fall, meaning if you're sharp, you begin to form a thought somewhere near the end. But before that there's no thoughts, no life, no death, no job, no bills, no friends, no family, no enemies, barely even a concept of self. Just the force of gravity, pure speed and a strange silence exist. After about 10 seconds gravity and wind resistance balance out and you reach whats called terminal velocity, which clocks in somewhere around 200kph!!! WOOOO-HOOOOOO!!!!!!

Back on solid ground???

Just as you start to comprehend everything the parachute goes and its supposedly time to enjoy the scenery. Not for Richie though, his body may have been floating back to earth, but his head was still firmly in the clouds above him, where it would stay for the next few days. Tammy having skydived before, was acutely aware of this sensation and thankfully was more than happy to look after her existential invalid of a boyfriend. Over the next few days we made our way through Queenstown, to Glenorchy and further a field to tiny little Kinloch in search of someplace, where contemplative heads, could find space, to ponder.

Stopping for lunch in Glenorchy

Though we had never planned to stop in Queenstown and hangout with all the tour groups, every Kiwi in Wellington we asked for south island tips had told us the same. Except one, Marty from provoke, went further and advised us to drive through it to Glenorchy. The drive alone was worth it he assured us and he definitely wasn't wrong. But even the quiet, relaxed vibe of Glenorchy wasn't enough so we kept going further.

Some parts of the South Island can truly be called paradise...

In stark comparison to the adventurous time we had being enjoying up until now. Kinloch was a serious break in the action. Barely even on the map, it's reached via unsealed roads and comprises of a handful of homes and one lodge. The unchallenged peace and quiet is almost unbelievable and has to be experienced to be believed. Anyway how can we describe silence in words to you! Suffice to say we just sat for hours by the lakes edge and just soaked it up for as long as the day would allow.

Just chillin out in Kinloch

The next day, despite more warning from Kiwi's, time constraints meant that we had to cut through the low lying and comparatively dull farmlands of Southland. Our first destination, Invercargill, has been affectionately referred to as the "Arsehole of New Zealand". The main street more closely resembled a road through an industrial estate so we felt no urge to stop. Unfortunately our destination on the other side of Invercargill was Bluff, which brought us little respite from the drabness.

A renegade sheep with nothing to lose...

For most people, including ourselves, Bluff is basically a place to catch the ferry to the remote and primordial Stewart Island. Having the missed the ferry, we unfortunately had to spend the night in Bluff. But we did manage to find a little piece of heaven even here, in the shape of the Bluff Homestead. The patrons of which, let us park our car on their property the entire time we were away on the island. And after an delicious homemade breakfast the next morning they even drove us to the ferry terminal!

Richie - Come on nature! Give me your worst!

Thankfully we survived the infamous Foveaux Strait crossing with our sea legs intact. We then proceeded to take those legs on a three day trek through the tranquil wilderness of the Rakiura National Park. Maori legend tells of how the demi-god Maui, was out fishing with his two brothers in their "waka" (canoe) and so they dropped their "punga" (anchor) and soon they caught a great fish. The anchor, canoe and fish make up the three islands of New Zealand. The North Island is the fish (Te Ika a Maui), the South Island is the canoe (Te Waka a Maui) and Stewart Island is the anchor (Te Punga a Maui).

Huge Anchor Chain at entrance to Rakiura

Each day of the trek was a 12-13km walk ending in a night in a DOC (Department of Conservation) back country hut. The huts are pretty basic dwellings so travelers need to bring all their own supplies to survive their time in the wild. This makes for heavy backpacks! Though tiring, our first day was easy in comparison to the rest. This was mainly due to the great weather we enjoyed and the fact that the track mainly followed the coast. So for the whole day we could enjoy a fresh sea breeze, untouched beaches, spotting tell tale tracks of the elusive and sometimes endangered wild life and just unrivaled serenity.

Following a call to the wild...

The serenity was seriously challenged however when we reached the first hut! Info regarding DOC huts has warnings stating that trampers should be aware they may need to share huts with hunters. We foolishly took little heed of these warnings, only to be surprised at the presence of a group of no less than eight hunters. All armed with rifles, booze and hick sensibilities. Despite them having shattered the tranquility they were mostly good guys and were decent enough company. However a good nights sleep, which we desperately needed, was unfortunately off the cards. So when the rain came the next day, our enthusiasm took quite the knock.

And then cameth the rain...

We strongly considered backtracking along the coast, to the small town of Oban, where we had set out from the day before. But after deliberating for awhile we both agreed that quitting would be something we'd both seriously regret so we pushed on. Before commencing any great walk into the wilds of New Zealand, trampers must state their intentions at the local DOC office. When doing this the ranger had told us that due to current upgrades to the Rakiura track there was more mud than usual. Like many things in life we could have never imagined how bad it would be until we experienced it.

The old Rakiura track...

The actual Rakiura track...

So the conditions and the weather made for slow and tough progress on our second day. We had to take it in turns to be the optimistic leader and help along the tired pessimist. But eventually we came out the other side and found the next hut. This time, to our relief, we only had the company of two German trampers, Berger & Chris. The tranquility was out in force as we drifted to sleep, accompanied by nothing more than the sounds of the forest and the distant squawks of kiwi's.

Getting ready for our last day

The next morning we off before our German friends. At first the mud proved even worse than the day before. But this time we had a shower and an actual bed to look forward to. Not to mention the promise of some FISH & CHIPS and a well earned beer. To top it all off the German couple behind us, comprised of a Surf Lifesaver and an Ironman contestant! So the Software Engineer and the Executive Assistant had something to prove to themselves that morning. And prove it they did when hours later, collapsed and exhausted at the exit to the National Park, the Germans eventually caught up with us. Even if they were in far better than shape than us, we still didn't suffer the embarrassment of been over taken. In your face fit people!

Tammy's boots weren't ideal for the mission

Once we returned to the South Island it was time to start heading north and homeward. We spent the next night in the Scottish colony of Dunedin. Tonnes of Kiwi's from Wellington had told us to go to Dunedin, which is where many of them would have gone to University. So obviously they must have strong bonds with the place. But maybe if we had more time to spend there or had been with someone who could have demonstrated how cool the place is, then we might have had a different experience. But for two visitors just passing through it was just another city to us unfortunately.

Getting to know the locals in Dunedin

So we moved back inland towards the Alps again. We were heading for one of Tammy's favorite memories of her trip to New Zealand many years ago, Tekapo. Despite our trip having some rainy days, our trip to Tekapo made us reflect and appreciate having visited the South Island during Autumn. As the lakes turned turquoise again, the surrounding foliage stood out in amazing contrasts of bright yellows, burnt oranges and deep moody reds.

Highway 83 - from Oamaru to Omarama.... OMG!

Lake Tekapo, like many of its neighboring lakes, is fed or has been fed by glaciers. The glacier in the lakes headwaters grind the rocks along the lake bed into a fine dust. The resulting tiny particles are in constant suspension throughout the water. When the bright sunshine reflects off these particles, the lakes take on an impossibly beautiful turquoise hue. Similar to our stay in Kinloch, our stay here was one that simply comprised of kicking back. But this time we also enjoyed the chance to chow down on some fresh salmon purchased directly from a local salmon farm.

Lake Tekapo

Leaving Tekapo kind of put an end to the trip in our minds. On our way home we would stop in Geraldine (Just because of the name!), Hanmer Springs (For a night in the local hot springs) and then back to Picton (Because we had to get the boat). After we arrived back in Wellington it was time to start thinking beyond New Zealand. Soon we'll be heading to Japan, and from there..... HOME!!!

Tammy - "I spy with my little eye...BEAUTY!"

An Antipodean Adventure...

2011-03-02T05:05:00.033+06:00

Tēnā tātou katoa Welcome!

Wow that was without a doubt the longest hiatus from the blog we've had so far. Apologies for the silence but it is a reassurance that some of you kept asking about our lack of blogging, but hey, here it so hush now. And to those of you who never asked us about the blog....shame on you!

Our antipodean stumbles have found us living in the windy city of Wellington, New Zealand. Hard to believe it but we have been here 7 months now. We got here in the tail end of winter, so at least we can blame our tardiness toward the blog on us enjoying the Spring and Summer here, as the saying goes, you really can't beat Wellington on a good day. People emerge from under rocks or wherever they usually hide from the wind and they swarm the streets and beer gardens in their throngs to soak up the sun. Which, incidentally has a burn time of 15 minutes. Resulting in unprepared red heads getting blisters across their foreheads! All of this going on while everyone back home is trapped under a blanket of snow. Hopefully your entrance into spring now will melt some of the icicles.

Sunny Wellington!

Before the little green envy gnomes start to rear their heads, bear in mind that when it's not happy and shiny here, we all retreat back under our rocks to hide from the other extreme of Wellington weather. One word can stir up terror across this little metropolis...."southerlies". These Southerly winds make their way up from Antarctica with no other country in their path. Hitting the south island they get absorbed by the Southern Alps. But when they hit the north island they get absorbed by Wellington and proceed to whip rain storms and icy bites across the city. So, really, it's not like we're better off than you guys, just different really.

Stormy Wellington!

As you may recall when we arrived in Australia we got dragged kicking and screaming back to reality after backpacking carefree for 6 months. We all remember the (ten week) struggle Richie in particular faced trying to find work in a city full of barmen. That wasn't the case here in Wellywood. We were like an efficient, well-oiled machine and man, did we hit the ground running! Within two days we had secured ourselves a gorgeous wee house, our own little Hobbinton! This was just in time for the arrival of our best mate from back home, Suzie Q! Who arrived in Wellington after a grueling 30+ hour journey (cigarette free brags Suz!), only to find out they had done her the honour of losing her baggage! Fraught with the anxiety that some happy baggage handler somewhere was using her hair straighteners we were all relieved when a couple of days later the bags were couriered, intact to our abode.

Suzie Q!!!

How dare you! In front of all my asparagus! (In joke, don't ask)

Anyways back to the good stuff! Richie secured a job within 6 days of arrival and then Tammy and Suz landed jobs pretty soon after. Richie got a job working for a company called Provoke, who design and build online solutions. Tammy broke into the public sector and found herself a job across the road from the NZ parliament working in the Treasury. While Suzie ended up with the real social life and got her first ever bar job in JJ Murphy's, one of the many Irish bars in Wellington.

Tammy's building next to the Beehive (parliament buildings)

We had arrived and were secure, safe, and established. Soon life entered its old faithful 9 to 5 routine, which we had almost forgot about. Secure in our little cottage perched on the side of what we've grown to refer to as "Our Hill", we dug in and awaited the Summer to catch up with us.

Walking up "Our Hill" everyday is not easy

That's our little blue house, center left

Kiwi houses have no insulation or central heating, so blankets are a must

Walk to the end of Aro Street, Aro Valley in Wellington and the road splits and the hills begin. Taking the right, up Raroa road and Entrance Street and you find our narrow pedestrianised Irvine Street. At about 15-20 minutes walk from the centre of the city, you'd imagine we'd be still in the thick of it. However, we honestly get praise from visitors to our place about how we just managed to escape it, while at the same time, staying comfortably close. One of our happy pleasures on a warm summer's day is to sit in the garden and look out over the city buzzing around below us.

Giving directions can be tricky...

The hill might cause most who tackle it, to reach our house out of breath. Pizza deliveries and taxi companies have grown to hate us I bet. But taking a moment at least once a day to appreciate our little view makes it worth while. Standing at our doorstep and looking out we have trouble imagining ourselves standing waiting for the bus back on the cold, wet streets of Dublin. Though people usually go on about how there's not much difference between places like NZ, Australia, Ireland and the UK, which on the surface is kind of true. When you manage to lift up the rug and look underneath you soon realise the differences can be substantial.

Welcome to 11a Irvine Street

Whether sitting inside or out, your thoughts can be disturbed at any moment by the abundance of wildlife we share our hill with. Look up to the sky when you hear the magical sound of a Tui or the hilarious sound of a Kaka. Inspect the bushes when you hear a rustling and you'll always find very confused but but surprisingly brave (or just stupid) hedgehogs. But be careful what you unearth, cause insects in NZ are monsters! And our house has its fair share of creepy visitors that could make it a no no for some people I guess.

Green stick insects or Kate Moss as we call them are regular visitors

Esmeralda was our resident guard spider next to the back door for about 4 months

Tunnel Web spiders are probably the biggest spider any of us have ever shared a house with

Wellington in comparison to Melbourne and even Dublin is a very small city. But its this size and the fact that its full of Kiwis I guess, that lend to its atmosphere. This atmosphere alone is what causes people to want to emigrate here. Where Dublin has the craic and Melbourne is just so effortlessly cool, Wellington is super chilled. From walking past people meditating in parks on your way home from work, to trying not to step on the toes of one of the many people who insist on walking around the city in bare feet, to receiving a warm smile and cheerful Kia Ora (hello in Māori) from the bus driver every morning.

Eating Fish and Chips by the bay

Poetic sculpture down by the waterfront

Oh the excitement of grocery shopping....

These guys are in Aro Valley Park everyday

After a while, when we were more comfortable, it was time to start planning ahead and seeing NZ. This was really made clear to us, after a small day trip with some people from Provoke, where we visited the Marlborough wine region on the South Island. At the time there was persistent bad weather in Wellington and we assumed that this was probably the case for most of NZ. Then all of a sudden one morning we find ourselves on a ferry coming into port at Picton, with the sun beaming down on us and dolphins playing in the waves, left in the wake of the boat.

Cross the water and NZ seems like a different country

On our return to Wellington we immediately set about planning further excursions. Thinking ahead to a big road trip around the South Island (which we have still yet to do), we weighed up the options of either renting a campervan for the road trip alone or just buying a van ourselves. Excited by the additional freedom that owning our own van would provide us with. We decided to go with plan B and get our own. And so Itsy Bitsy (In honor of Kev & Des's much bigger van, Sexy Betsy, which if you remember we drove around Thailand) came chugging into our lives and man have we regretted it since.

Our "mighty" chariot is the envy of all her friends

Even if she has been cursed to fail...

Itsy Bitsy, Vanimal, The Dammed, Shite Wagon, Nightmare on Irvine Street. These are only some of the many names that we have used to refer to our van, which has honestly turned out to be the biggest financial mistake we've made since starting our travels. Neither of us are very well schooled when it comes to buying cars and we're also complete novices when it come to auctions.

Suzie carefully mounts the wagon of uncertainty

Letting the adrenaline of the bidding war take hold of us we unfortunately purchased a vehicle with a dodgy radiator. I'm sure for most of you I don't have to explain in detail how impossible it is to fix a radiator without fully replacing it. And replacing it would cost us more than the van was worth to us so it has spent quite sometime sitting idle and alone, with $500NZD worth of camping equipment inside! She has the welly to get us around Welly but that's pretty much it. Push her any further and all of a sudden you can hear that tell tale bubbling sound coming from beneath the front seats, and then boom, she goes into the red without any warning!

When you hear the bubbling, it's time to stop and wait

We set off on our first road-trip in Bitsy just after Christmas, oblivious to the impending stress that we were about to soak up from the road. We loaded up the van with bags of festival gear, tents, welly boots, chairs, hats and alcohol. Not forgetting the 4 giddy and excited festival goers. Poor Bitsy was dragging her ass off the ferry on the South Island weighed down by all our "essentials". I don't think we made it 20km out of the first town before she slammed up into the red, and this was the way it continued for the next 3 hours; drive 20km, wait, tentatively remove the heater cap, avoid the red volcano explosion, load up with fresh water and head off again...repeat every 45 minutes.

Down at the main stage

Our roads divided when the two ladies, Suzie and Alla, stuck out the thumbs (and legs) and hitched a less stressful lift to the festivities. Richie and Tam caught up 5 hours later when we finally made it to the festival gates. 200km in 8.5 hours is bad right?! We were horrified when we were ordered out of our van as the ruthless and unsympathetic security forces who poured out a total of 1 bottle of vodka (sad face for Suzie), 1 bottle of rum (sad face for Richie) and 1 bottle of gin (red, angry, tired face for Tammy). It's a brave man who pours away the hard earned booze of an Irishman (or women).

It wasn't easy, but Bitsy made it in the end

With 12 cans of well hidden beers between 4 thirsty people to last the weekend we prayed that the second coming of Christ would take place at an obscure Drum n Bass festival in New Zealand and he would open with the water to wine trick as a crowd pleaser. No such luck. Suzie and Tammy spent the weekend sneaking cans of beer from the bar to the campsite. The sad thing was that the bar people opened the beers first so inevitably when we tried to walk out of the festival with 6 cans of beer in our tights we arrived back to the campsite with wet legs and empty cans. We stopped short of wringing the tights into cups. But hey, what doesn't kill you, or cause you to resort to homicide can only make you stronger right?

Cleaning off the festival grime down by the river

The days before our Phat adventure saw us enjoy our second helping of a warm and toasty mid Summer Christmas. I know, I know, you're all thinking "it's March people!", but Tammy was so proud of her first ever attempt at roasting a turkey, that there would be war if this blog post did not contain some pictures of the feast! It was a close call too, we were all nearly going to be left eating tofu and potato salad when Tammy had a little bit of a "mishap" in the kitchen.

11 pound bird, mummified in bacon!!!

The turkey was frozen and was sitting patiently thawing on the counter-top awaiting Tammy's big debut. On Christmas Eve Tam put said turkey into the oven to get it out of the way as she got the place ready. Unfortunately Tammy had totally forgotten the fact that she had switched on the grill. A few minutes later, wondering what that bizarre smell was, the blood drained from Tammy's face as she dived towards the oven to rescue the turkey, the plastic on which had melted down the sides to reveal two turkey breasts nicely crispy and brown but still frozen solid on the inside. After a panicked call to the butcher, the executive decision was made to plough on with dinner as planned and to never mention anything to our guests.

Devoured, nom nom nom....

Well, nobody died and dinner was a success so here it is....the truth in its rawest form! It doesn't beat a story from a rather senior public servant (who shall remain nameless) who accidentally seasoned her chicken fillets with ajax. Some emergency scraping was involved and I am happy to say she lives now with a conscience clear from manslaughter charges.

Bursting point....

So that about wraps it up for us for now. The seasons are beginning to shift towards cold, dark mornings and the cicadas are singing in a more muted yet still dulcet manner. The tuis are saving their voices until next spring when they will rise again with their dawn choruses. And the Irish are looking forward to swapping the sangria garden parties for mulled wine evenings in beside the fire. Thanks for once again stopping by our blog, it is always lovely to hear your feedback.

Loads of love from way down here...

Next time we will report back from our road trip around the south island, although I am sorry to say that it looks like Christchurch will still be off our radar. I will leave you by reporting back on how truly touching it is to witness the hard work, sweat and tears flow into the effort to help those most in need. Many marae (a place of gathering) have sprung up across the country, built and sustained by people with love and time to share. What is truly a tragedy has gone to show just how much people are willing to do and give when it matters the most.

The Blizzard of Oz

2010-10-22T03:53:00.014+06:00

I guess it's about time that we gave you a bit of an update about what we have been up to over the past couple of months. Our last few months in Melbourne were spent plugging away in our respective jobs, trying to scrape together the cash to get away and see other bits of Australia. While Smith Street is an interesting place to roam, its own natural stream of wildlife do not appreciate it when you stop to take pictures of them sipping coffees.

Melbourne is a place like none other, its a city that possesses a rare personality and stepping into the rhythm of this place for 6 months and becoming part of its fabric has been a fantastic journey for both of us. For a short while it felt like we were part of an interesting and complex little community. However, most people will agree that during the winter, if Melbourners do one thing well, it's hibernation. During the summer the city comes alive, little sparks of activity alight in every corner of every suburb and people bask in the sun, absorbing the opportunity to socialise. As soon as seasons slip and the days get shorter, though, you start to notice that the inside of your living room is a really nice place to stay. As soon as hats and scarves start to emerge from wardrobes, you know you're screwed. So you can either consume copious amounts of mulled wine, or try to distract yourself from the fact that it's so bloody cold...or perhaps do both of these things!

We opted to distract ourselves from the cold by heading away on a couple of mini-breaks. Doing a little bit of digging we discovered a place, tucked into the bottom of Victoria, called Wilson's Promontory. Tammy had not had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a car and endanger some lives in a very long time, so she was chuffed when the lovely Jess offered up her chariot of steel, Flange, to carry us to our chosen destination.

"Flange" bathing in the early morning sun

Tammy, endangering lives....

We arrived in Wilson's Prom late in the evening and spent our first night enjoying the almost deafening silence. A rare and beautiful moment that, unfortunately, wasn't to last long. Our brittle silence was smashed by a sound that neither of us will forget easily! You see, one of the charming selling points of this accommodation was that it kept and bred Alpacas. On their website they spoke of being able to interact with them, pet them and maybe even feed them. Great fun for all the family they promised! However, on the morning that we arrived we were "privileged" to witness an attempt to mate the owners alpacas with a prize winning male.

It was only after being told that alpacas can take up to 20 minutes to "copulate" (and tend to make severely loud, guttural grunting noises throughout the proceedings) that we decided there may be more resourceful ways to spend our morning. So, after a 10 or so minutes of watching large mammals in the throes of ecstasy and a handful of bad taste jokes we both decided that this was all a bit much to handle before we had even had coffees. Off we toddled, much to the relief of the breeders, who didn't appear to appreciate all our jokes anyway.

Alpaca Lovin....

The majority of our time in Wilson's Prom was spent exploring the vast expanses of the national park. From trekking through thick forest, to climbing large hills/small mountains to clambering down to a strange beach where the sand is made of pure white quartz. It's this sand that lends to its name, as when you walk on it it squeaks underfoot. Thus it's aptly named "Squeaky Beach"

Monkey Rock, Squeaky Beach

On our wanders through the park we were lucky to be surrounded by wildlife. It's not always easy to spot especially in the forests where the foliage can be thick. Tams managed to spot one cheeky wallaby who just wouldn't stand still long enough for us to get a decent shot. The photo might not be great but its proof we spotted the little guy! Out in the more open areas, especially the hours of dawn and dusk, bigger animals like Kangaroo's and Emu's are in abundance. Running or hopping around fast and heavy, each one a potential car crash waiting to happen.

Crane

Emu

Wallaby (Anyone can be a wildlife photographer in Wilson's Prom)

You'd want to be crazy to drive through this wine country, without stopping off in a couple of wineries on the way. You'd also need to be crazy to not make the most to the 'spitoon' if you plan on tasting wine and then getting behind the wheel of a car! We visited a few different types of places, like little known wineries run by just the one crazy guy who just loves to experiment with risky blends. To huge family run behemoths boasting dozens of varieties ranging from new young wines to more expensive reserves. We got a kick ass, crash course in Australian new world wine.

Victorian Wineries

Next up was the land that time forgot, Tasmania! Where Tammy once again got to put lives at risk, this time in the form of a Kia Rio that went from 0 to 60 in about 45 minutes. In fact, I'm not sure it had made it to 60 by the time we left the island. But you know what they say, you pick your friends, not your rental cars.

Tasmanian Scenery

We were based in Hobart which we soon began to refer to as Nobart due to the sleepy attitude that permeates peoples' lives. You can't rush a Tassie, that's for sure! Hobart is a beautiful and very friendly harbour city. On our first night as we drank in what seemed like the last bar with its lights on in the city, (if the Irish are good at one thing, it's finding a crowd to have a few beers with) Richie spotted a guy wearing an Aphex Twin hoody, which inevitably sparked up a conversation. A couple of beers later we found ourselves drinking till 6am in a "pokies" (slot machine) bar with a bunch of fishermen who had been anxiously waiting, for a whole 6 weeks at sea, for the precious beer they now held in their hands!

Hanging out with the locals in Tassie

Apart from fishermen, a lot of Tasmania's population consists of mostly inquisitive, if a little bit grumpy sheep and strange black furry cows. We also happened upon some ducks chilling out, nonchalantly, in the middle of the road. If you try to get them to move, you can be sure that they'll fob you off with a disgruntled quack. And we couldn't leave out the old kangaroos, loads and loads and loads of them!

Kangaroos!!!

Unfortunately the icon of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Devil is not something you see very often in the wild, (though come to think of it, would you really want to bump into one of the angry, vicious little guys) due to them facing a unique disease that has wiped out nearly 70% of them in less than one year. The disease, an actually a contagious form of cancer. It manifests as multiple facial tumors, and has spread like wildfire due to the little critters sharing road kill at chow time. Nowadays the only place to see them really is in conservation centers, where they are cared for while scientists scratch their collective heads about the phenomenon of the unique disease.

Tassie Devil graveyard

Richie bargaining with the Devil

While the Devils might be cool with road kill for dinner, those of us who walk on our hind legs in Tasmania enjoy a stable diet of some of the freshest sea food. We literally ate seafood at every opportunity. Despite all the really rich options available we got a local tip to try the fish from the little floating shops in the harbour, who have literally got the catch of the day on their doorstep every morning..

Donut play with your food

Probably the coolest thing we squeezed into out visit to Tassie was the Tahune Forest Reserve. Apart from the wildlife and unrivaled serenity. The reserves treks feature crazy swinging bridges to get over the wide river rapids. There is also the Skywalk, a raised walkway that lets you literally stroll through the canopy of the forest. With my issues with water and Tams issues with heights, the serenity soon switched to a peaceful, heart pumping, adrenaline fueled, adventure of a day.

And to top off an amazing day we spotted (with our eyes, but not the camera this time) a lyrebird! Almost extinct in mainland Australia, the lyrebird was introduced to Tasmanian serenity and is now thriving. I could waffle more about this amazing bird or we could simply leave the talking to Sir David Attenborough......

Click here to hear about the Lyre Bird!

Tams grappling with her fear on the sky walk

Crazy long swinging bridges over rushing rapids

View from the sky walk

With our time in Australia coming to close we decided we would try and squeeze in our most ambitious trip yet. Or goal was the center, the red center, of Australia and then back to Melbourne again. Our chosen mode of transport was a less than luxurious campervan and considering that Australia is as big as Europe, we were taking on quite the challenge.

The chariot

Wheel Steerer

We packed up our house on wheels and hit the road with Tammy behind the wheel of potentially her most dangerous weapon to date. With the tight schedule we had to keep, our days would be full of fast driving for long hours. This is easier than you would think in most parts of Australia as the roads just seem to go on forever in a straight line. Our first day consisted of getting to Adelaide in South Australia, stopping to spot some koala on our way through the Grampians in Victoria.

Koala chilling the late evening sun

In Adelaide we stayed with an old friend of Tammy's from home, the wonderful Norcette, Wendy. Thanks for the hospitality Wendy! We braved the streets of Adelaide for a drink only to be approached by one wasted local bloke, who in realising we weren't interested in his company proceeded to tell us to "Stick ya bum up ya bum MATE!"

It was an early rise the next morning and immediately on the road. Once we reached Port Augusta, still in South Australia, we turned north onto the Stuart Highway and headed into the outback. Like many places we've been to so far we had ideas what the outback would be like. From watching TV as a kid, the outback of Australia has always been something that seemed like a mythical land of imagination. But it's not, it's very very real and here we were driving through the heart of it.

"Sweet! Marla is only 200km away"

The road, never ending, seemed to stretch on forever into nothingness. The vast unforgiving emptiness looked like it would just swallow you up and totally forget about you. Burnt out cars and the sun dried corpses of road kill seemed at first the only sights to be seen. But as the hours ticked by and the heat on the horizon played tricks on our eyes, the magic of the outback became evident to us.

Welcome to desolation highway...

Its lesson of life became clear, that from nothing, something will always come. The landscape shifted and changed dramatically as we reached the crest of hidden hills in what seemed a totally flat land. The road kill became banquets for the most impressive, scary, GIANT wedge tail eagles. And when the day ended and the sun went down the sky became painted with fire in the most breathtaking of spectacles.

Wedge-tail Eagle, that bird is bigger than that kangaroo!!!

Outback Sunsets

Back on the road again the next day, we were a little less awe struck and a little more practical until...... Road Trains. It didn't take us long to learn that when a road train is coming towards you, slow down. These things are monstrous, an articulated lorry with 4 carriages, given the opportunity will knock huge bulls out of the road without a scratch to its own bumper (Suddenly the reason behind the amount of bovine roadkill became clear.) Imagine then what kind of impact it will leave on your windscreen if you go by t at ny speed.

Monsters exist

In one foul swoop it was made obvious to us as out windscreen got showered in stones from one roadtrain. The result was roughly 10 cracks spread neatly across the entire bloody screen. Wonderful! From here on out we were willing to sacrifice a little time and speed each time one of the beasts approached and slowed down to almost a halt. After all the ever rising heat outside meant we needed our windows to keep the air conditioning in. And keep the critters out. It generally means a more pleasant journey for all if your car has windows I suppose.

One of many cracks in our windscreen...and no, those plastic things don't stop them spreading!

Still in South Australia, we hurried through the Australian military's restricted zone, where they must be up to something terribly exciting because you are not, under any conditions, allowed to stop your car. When we got to the first town outside this zone, Coober Pedy, we stopped to refuel. Deep in some of the most arid land imaginable, the people of Coober Pedy mine opals for a living. Many of the houses and cafes are underground. You can even get a room in an underground hotel if you are interested! It might be a slightly extreme way of escaping the heat but hey it works. All in all a rather strange place, full of weird sculpture and dangerous shafts wide enough to fall into and deep enough to die in. YEY!

The strange world of Coober Pedy

Soon after leaving Coober Pedy we crossed the border in the Northern Territory and without warning the land turned red. The closer you get to the mysterious red center the more magical the outback seems to become. This is the home of the Aboriginal people, the home of giant red kangaroos and the home of our destination, Uluru or Ayers Rock.

The mysterious red sand dunes of the Northern Territories

We turned off the Stuart Highway at last and onto the Lasseter highway going west towards the center. Seeing Mount Connor, one of the lesser monoliths of the red center, far away in the distance we confused it with Uluru itself. After a while we continued on and soon enough there it was in all its glory.

Mount Connor, confusing excited tourists for generations

I know our blog tells the story of two people who try to visit places not favored by most tourists. So visiting Uluru might seem quite the contradiction, as it's the most popular tourist attraction in Australia. But believe me when I say it's worth the effort. I can't fully describe what it is, cause basically its just a huge rock. But it just has an aura, an aura of power, of time, of magic even.

Tams spots the real Uluru

To this day the Aboriginal people will not share with non Aboriginals, all the stories of this natural monument. They give us small scraps to spark our imagination, but the real secrets they keep to themselves. And I really believe they know something significant about it that we will never understand.

Enjoying Uluru the respectful way, from the ground!

Being the peaceful sort the Aboriginal owners simply request that their beliefs be respected while visiting Uluru. This respect is not enforced however and many people totally ignore it and climb Uluru in what has to be one of the biggest "spit in the face" to any culture the world over. How would Jewish people react if someone sprayed graffiti the Wailing Wall? Or a Buddhist if you started swatting flies in a temple? Why the Aborigines wishes aren't enforced by the park authorities is something that totally confused and outraged us. I think the Aboriginal people have suffered enough insults by now.

Watching the sunset at Uluru

That night we just camped out in the middle of nowhere, thinking we had nothing to share the night with other than darkness, but we were in for a big surprise. Rolling over head was a huge thunderstorm! Thankfully the rain didn't hit till the next evening, but right there in the darkness the lightening was insane! And more importantly, the storm was over the great rock as well! A sight, I'm sure, not seen by many. We were privileged to witness huge lightening bolts creating great silhouettes of Uluru.

Kata Tjuta or The Olgas

The next day we visited the nearby site of Kata Tjuta or The Olgas. Another religious site for the Aboriginals, obviously of less significance, but of rival beauty. From afar they pale in comparison, but they have a hidden trick up there sleeve. Where Uluru is a solid rock which you can only walk around, the Olgas contain a small hidden valley, an oasis of life, almost alien to the harsh outback environment. Taking the 4 hours trek through the valley of the winds is like walking through a venerable land before time.

Well hidden bearded dragon, but not hidden well enough

After the Olgas though, it was literally back in the van for the long journey home. Plenty of more wildlife to spot and we kept up our Desolation Highway counting game once we were back on Stuarts Highway. At one point we spotted a herd of wild camel. Obviously introduced to Australia and not as bizzare as the marsupial natives. But still the sight of them plodding along was just so unexpected.

Camels are the last thing you expect to see in the outback

By the time the van was dropped off back home, we had done a round trip of nearly 5,000km!!! We had to have our windscreen replaced on the sly before returning the van in fear of being slammed with insurance policy charges etc.
So we totted up the results of Desolation Highway, handed over the van, and went home to pack our bag for the next journey in a couple of days. New Zealand here we come!

The final tally on Desolation Highway!

Bovine Death (How many can you COWnt?!) - 14

Burnt out Cars - 29

Dead Kangaroos - Too many to keep track of!
Windscreen Cracks - 15 (they then turned into about 4 BIG cracks when the heat caused them to spread)

The sun had set on our time in Australia and with some reluctance we headed off to New Zealand. I say some reluctance because yeah we were continuing our adventure and moving somewhere new. But behind us in Australia we've left great friends, amazing memories and a home away from home.

Thanks for having us!!!

The sun sets over St Kilda pier and over our time in Australia

Welcome to sunny Fitzroy!

2010-06-08T14:05:00.031+06:00

So its been quite a while since we've updated our blog. The main reason for this is obviously because this leg of our journey isn't as unique on a day to day basis as the last leg. If we were to update the blog here as often as we were doing in Asia then it wouldn't be much different than if we had a blog about our day to day lives when we were home. And who would want to read that eh?

The streets of Collingwood

So the main aim of this entry is more so just to share pictures with you guys. Try and give you all an idea of the city we've been calling home recently. Let you see the things we see as we go about the city to and from work, home, bar etc.

Outside our apartment

Inside our apartment

Melbourne really is a big, beautiful city and is full of endless interesting nooks and crannies. Its a great place to get lost with a camera when in a creative mood. From the polished shine of the sky scrapers in the Central Business District (CBD), to the grungy bohemian community of Fitzroy and Collingwood, to the touristy driven beach of St. Kilda.

We reside in Collingwood but spend most of our nights in and around Fitzroy. Working in South Melbourne I have to commute through the CBD daily. Sometimes its better to walk rather than take the tram. There's something new to discover every time. Especially when your an avid fan of street art like myself.

Being one of the graffiti capitals of the world, Melbourne streets are covered in amazing art. Some commissioned, some illegal, some professional, some amateur, but fundamentally all art. The back streets of Fitzroy were my first stomping ground and man oh man do they deliver. A lot of the pieces around this area can be found on the sides of peoples houses. These big murals take a long time to complete. So either the owner of the house is the artist or they work something out before hand, or not.

Big pieces can be harder to find in and around the CBD. But then there's always Hosier Lane, which can be found across Flinders Street opposite Federation Square. World famous Hosier Lane is like a graffiti wonderland. Barely an inch of untouched wall space survives. From simple tags done by teenagers to actual Banksy pieces.

Deb at work on the Street

Hosier Lane

Banksy for those of you who don't know is probably the worlds most famous graffiti artist. Still completely anonymous his art is either worth thousands if not priceless. I mean the guy has even gratified the west bank barrier in Gaza. Funnily enough one of his trademark rat stencils in Hosier Lane was accidentally painted over by a council worker recently. Something which made the news and called for a public apology. Its this kind of respect for street art here that results in the high level of quality artists who live and paint here.

Great graffiti artists local to Melbourne include Ghost Patrol, Deb and Everfresh among others. And their work is so much fun to see on a daily basis. When the weather gets bad here, the city can get drab just like any other. But with beautiful, fun and colourful art everywhere and free for everyone to enjoy, winter seems that little bit easier to deal with.

The CBD is a great part of Melbourne, laid out in a grid formation similar to an American city. It's tall high rises can be intimidating at first for someone not used to it. But eventually it becomes second nature and is really easy to navigate. Choc-a-Bloc with bars, clubs, markets, museums etc. Our favourite being the ACMI in Federation square where they've recently had such weird exhibitions as the art collection of Denis Hopper. Currently they have a Tim Burton one which should be interesting.

Eureka Tower

Crown Casino

Flinder's Street Train Station

St. Paul's Cathedral

As for now we continue for the next short while with the steady ebb and flow of city life. I'm still working away at my cafe 5 days a week and then in the cocktail bar on the weekends. Changes include Tammy leaving Panama (The cocktail bar I still work in on Saturdays) and moving to a great little bar called Kent St. where I'm now also DJin on Friday nights! A great little bar with a great little community of regulars who we've fit right in with, if only just a little too late. To quote Tim "You guys are proper Kent St. kids, where the hell have you been hiding?". Oh and not to forget good old Kev has caught up with us in Melbourne after a 6 month hiatus on a farm in Western Australia and is now comfortably taking residence on our sofa.

Alas cool bar aside, we're nearly done here in Australia. Just a few more weeks to go. We've so far managed one excursion out of Melbourne to Wilsons Prom where we visited a national park and spoiled ourselves in wine country. We've flights booked to visit Tasmania in a couple of weeks and also have plans to take a road trip to the infamous red centre and hopefully make it to Uluru to see Ayers Rock and maybe push through to Alice Springs for a cold one with some sun dried boggins. Tales of all three adventures will be in our next post and will probably momentarily return our little blog here to its former glory of Same Planet, Different World.

So long, and thanks for all the fish

2010-03-31T10:53:00.006+06:00

Cheeeeeese!

Apologies for the veil of silence that has fallen over our blog of late. If I am to be honest we have been waiting for some exciting tale of disaster or disgust to share with you from Australia but fortunately things have been fairly smooth sailing of late. So let me begin where we had left off the last time.

After our 6 weeks in Vietnam we decided to spoil ourselves and booked onto a low fare Airasia flight back to Bangkok. I can happily sum it up in one word...bliss. The kind of bliss and appreciation that comes only after 5 months of being crammed into buses, vans, tuk tuks, more vans, roofs of vans, plastic chairs on buses etc. etc. Being on a plane again was a very special experience. It's also worth noting that Airasia, while retaining the absence of trimmings and grace that one would expect from a low fares airline, they put Ryanair to shame. You alight the aircraft after your alloted air-time without that heavy dirty feeling that comes from flying with Michael O'Leary's Slime-Air.

Our arrival to Bangkok was somewhat surprising. When first there a few months ago we were both intimidated by the smells, traffic, hawkers, beggars, dingy hostels and cockroaches. This time we were both agreed that it was a little piece of heaven in comparison to the hectic streets of Vietnam. So it was back to Soi Rambutri with us and our ever growing backpacks and another night on the tear on the Khao San Road. Tammy must have hardened up her travelling shell at some point along the trip as this round she had no difficulty getting stuck into a bag of crickets. They are very good with a beer! If what you look for in a snack is a slightly acidic burst along with "leggy" texture not unlike Shredded Wheat. Not everyone's cup of tea I suppose but this is coming from the girl who ate cow pooh in Vietnam.

A fertility shrine hidden near a carpark in Bangkok...maybe that's where fertility is most needed?

These are Richie's healthy lungs, TB free and granted a visa to Oz!

During our last few weeks in Asia we headed back up to our original starting point of Ayutthaya to visit Chris and Anne for a short while. The rainy season had shifted this time round so the days were cooler and less humid. It made for a very pleasant stop off. Following this we headed down to Phuket to hang out with Nikky again who put up with us for nearly two weeks. Bless her socks, so gracious is her hospitality that she even came out for drinks with us every other night whether she wanted to or not! Though thankfully for us all, the former was normally the case. We had a fantastic final farewell to Thailand with Nikky, who having worked as a chef in Ireland, whipped us up some great meals and introduced us to some of the wonders of Thai street food. Thanks Nikky! There were also some very weird and wonderful nights out at lady boy bars and some antics in Suzie Wong's bar. But as I have been told already by Kev Conway that "what happens in Suzie Wong's, stays in Suzie Wong's."

Nikky...I guess I could have picked a better picture but where's the fun in that?!

Our flight out of Asia back to some semblance of normality left from Kuala Lumpur so it was one last hard slog to get from Phuket to Malaysia. This was in the form of a 20-something hour bus journey with a 6 hour stop off at a dingy bus station at the Thai border. Perhaps because we knew it was our last big bus journey for a while we both kept our patience and made sure to get our coffees and food to keep our heads screwed on. At this stage we have had our share of "silent" bus journeys, generally at that time of the morning where iPods and laptops have died, lights have been switched off so reading is out of the question and the Air Con is set to "Greenland". Those are the times when you see lots of couples not speaking to each other for fear that one of you might end up meeting the motorway at high speed via the window.

KL was what I had expected it to be. Big, fast, developed, and still pretty dirty. We saw our first menu listing Shark Fin Soup, a spate of punch-ups outside a number of bars, and a Nazi outfit for sale in an average looking teenage clothes store.

Can I get this t-shirt in extra medium please?

It's a strange city, and given that Durian Fruit was in season and the streets were lined with stalls selling the dreadful stuff, we were looking forward to heading off. For those of you who have never had the fortune to stumble upon a Durian stall, its smell has been likened to that of carrion in custard.

KL by night.

Our flight to Melbourne must have been the longest slog I have ever endured. Having spent a year and a half or so here before, I was looking forward to seeing familiar faces and catch up with old friends. We skipped through airport security fairly sharpish despite the sea-shell in my bag, the wooden bottle opener, the knuckle dusters, ninja stars and the pound of heroin. (Only some of that sentence is true) We even had a friend to meet us at the airport, in the form of Arlo who hugged us despite the fact that we both looked and smelled like filthy backpackers.

After a couple of trips to trendy Smith and Brunswick Street clothing stores, a haircut for Tammy and a beard growing for Richie we are finally beginning to feel somewhat normal again. We have cleaned the dirt from under our nails and a pedicure (for Tammy anyway) has removed any hint of tough hippy feet.

Housemates with matching hairdo's!

The gorgeous Nat and Arlo, who some of you may have met when they stayed with us in Dublin a while back on their own holiday, had planned a big house move around the time that we were due to arrive. So with that change looming on their horizons they both were wonderful and saved us a huge headache by offering us the spare room in their new place. So we four are living in a two bed, ground floor apartment not far from the never-dull Smith Street. If you are a fan of people watching Smith Street is the place to do it, from the trendy Fitzroy-alty kids in their frightfully skinny jeans and immaculately maintained moustaches, to the questionable types arguing with the air and swigging from bottles in brown bags.

Richie, Nat and Tam on a night out for Nat's birthday

Nat and Arlo smiling like pirates

Richie on the puter in our living room

All we needed now were a couple of jobs! Due to having a bit of background in hospitality Tammy got sorted fairly easily in a swanky Bar / Restaurant called the "Panama Dining Room" not far from the apartment on the infamous Smith Street. I'm working with a great bunch and really enjoying being back in some kind of routine again. Richie, despite a few false starts in the job department and hampered by being new to the restaurant world, has finally managed to secure some hours in a a great cafe in South Melbourne called "Not all There" (fitting, no?)

These are two pictures taken at a Mary and Max exhibition in the Australian Centre for Moving Images. To all of you at home, this is one film you should try and rent, buy, download or whatever! It is well worth a look. Another offering from Australian animation film maker, Adam Elliot, who brought us Harvey Crumpet a few years ago. It is a very touching tale based in both Melbourne and New York. Give it a look.

One thing we can all agree on is that Melbourne has a fine selection of beer!

But, of course, Richie was over the moon to spot something more up his alley

Other than working and meeting up with old friends life is pretty much regained some sort of normality for us now. The money has managed to siphon its way out of our accounts fairly rapidly over our first few weeks here so now it's time to put the foot down and hopefully start some saving for the next leg of the journey. With that in mind I better get ready for work! Thanks for reading guys (",)

T.

Just cos you're 26 doesn't mean you can't have Elmo on your birthday cake

Vietnam - From Saigon to Hanoi

2010-02-18T08:14:00.003+06:00

Hey guys, sorry for this way long over due Blog post. But with all the chilling we did on Jungle Beach and then with all the rushing we did after we left there, we haven't really had much of a chance to sit down and work on the Blog. Unlike at the moment, all I have is time so I've decided to just do an entire post to cover the 6 weeks we spent in Vietnam. And as you all know Richie can rant on at the best of times so I'll warn you all from the beginning......

!!WARNING EXTRA LONG POST!!

So on with the stories! When we left Cambodia our visas were overdue by 4 days or so. We had heard that you get charged $5 for each day you stay over your departure date. We also heard so many over exaggerated stories concerning the aggression of the Vietnamese people towards westerners and so were expecting to get some hassle at the border but to our surprise and relief, not only did we get no hassle but we weren't even charged any extra cash. Just a smile and a stamp and back on the bus with us! Happy days!

First place we went to was Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly known as Saigon. We were expecting just another big South East Asian city, same as Phnom Penh or Bangkok. While the similarities are there, it is very different for a number of reasons. First thing to mention is that the stories we had heard about the country being amazing but the people being somewhat cold or harsh, for us at least, just aren't true! We had incidents with some locals in Vietnam where they were rude, but no more or less than we had with any of the other nationalities we've met on our travels.

The Vietnamese, all smiles....

In fact we had more friendly encounters with locals in Vietnam than anywhere else in Asia. The Vietnamese are a very proud people and as a result they don't lower themselves to pestering you so much in the street, as we encountered in other places. They take no for an answer, which is a more amazing thing that most of us give it credit for. They open themselves up to conversation about anything, especially if you show them respect and even more so if the Bia Hoi is flowing freely.

Bia Hoi being the local brew beer in Vietnam that all visitors should seek out due to two factors. First the best way to meet locals is to hang out where they do and secondly, on our first night in HCMC we bought two rum and cokes in a backpacker bar and they charged us 144,000 Vietnamese Dong, which is about 5 Euro. The next night we were in a Bia Hoi bar and our bill at the end of a very long night came to a total of 109,000 Dong! 4 Euro for an entire night out ain't bad. The Only thing that flows more freely than Bia Hoi in Vietnam is the Internet. All of Vietnam is online, with WIFI running the length of the country and leaving HCMC streets plagued with cables and wires.

Saigon Online

Another big difference between Vietnam and the rest of South East Asian is its architecture. Unlike the others with their endless Buddhist temples and houses on stilts. Vietnam has Churches, Buddhists temples, Taoist temples, Chinese temples and more (despite the fact that the government is Communist).

Notre Dame Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh City

Xa Loi Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City

Chinese Fertility Temple, Cho Lon, Ho Chi Minh City

Incense cones hanging from the ceiling, Chinese Temple, Ho Chi Minh City

Also the houses that line the streets are like nothing we'd ever seen. They're all the width of a single room and they just go up and up, almost like a tower of Jenga blocks. Unfortunately for us this results in a lot of hotel rooms being windowless boxes!

Crazy architecture, Ho Chi Minh City

This far we had managed to avoid the "guided tours" and had organised everything ourselves. A guided tour is something we have both agreed to never partake in again. Apart from the feeling of being herded like cattle, there was also our friendly guide who's business card ironically referred to her as Ms. Quiet even though she spent the majority of the time on the bus talking and interrupting quality book time. From trying to get us to sing along with her to telling us at length why she doesn't have a boyfriend (AWKAWRD!) first thing in the morning.

Cao Dai Holy See, Tay Ninh

On the tour we visited the Cao Dai temple in Tay Ninh. Cao Dai is probably the most influential religion for its young age in the world. It has spread across Vietnam and other parts of the world due to its unparallelled open mindedness. Cao Dai combines the religious beliefs of Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. They worship the all seeing eye which resembles the eye within the pyramid on the back of a dollar bill (which is a little strange). They believe all the great religions have merit and also believe in a spirit world that can be contacted for advice. Advice used to hasten the evolution of the soul through reincarnation. All in all a very unique and colorful religion and their most holy temple "The Hold See" is an amazing representation of this.

The All Seeing Eye, Cao Dai Temple, Tay Ninh

Cao Dai ceremony, Tay Ninh

After the Cao Dai temple we went to the Chu Chi Tunnels on our way back to HCMC. This was a place that neither of us enjoyed in the slightest. Like all visitors who visit Vietnam we've had plenty of conversations with locals and other travelers about the history of this famous country, just like the harrowing history of Cambodia before here. So we both understand the significance of the atrocities committed during war time here.

Richie goes underground, Chu Chi Tunnels

But if like us you're thinking that a place like the Chu Chi tunnels, where countless people lived and died in nightmarish conditions and the massive craters from B-52 bombers still litter the landscape, would be treated with the same level of peaceful respect as somewhere like the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh, you'd be wrong. Instead its like a play ground for tourists, with everyone laughing and smiling as the guide demonstrates how the Vietnamese utilised hunting traps to mutilate the Americans.

Letting off a few rounds, Chu Chi Tunnels

Or when in a mock bunker once used to make traps from abandoned or faulty American grenades and bombs, comes to life as all the mannequins start moving like something out of Itchy and Scratchy Land! We weren't impressed, so we fired some guns and crawled through the tunnels and went home to find a local to drink with and give out about it to.

Sweating it up underground, Chu Chi Tunnels

Another lasting impression concerning Vietnam's past that most people take away with them from HCMC is a visit to the "War Remnants Museum". Outside the museum random vehicles and artillery from the war, mostly American, are scattered about the place. Inside they have an exhibit that stretches over two floors. They purposely start at the end with the most shocking details of the war including the horrors of agent orange and napalm etc. Upstairs is more dedicated to the political side of the conflict. The whole museum obviously stinks of Vietnamese propaganda, but then hey, they won so the winners should get to write history, no?

Photo exhibition, War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City

I used to think this was the case before seeing places like this. Yes the museum is full of propaganda but its also full of terrible facts that were missing from the western propaganda that we were spoon fed in the west. The unfortunate conclusion this left us with is that win or lose, no one tells the truth. The best we can ever hope for with these kind of things to read both sides of a lie and make up your own conclusion of the truth.

Weapons on display, War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City

After all the culture and war and politics, we needed a break so on our last day in HCMC we went to the Damsen water park!! We had arranged to meet up with some other backpackers there for the day. We got some hilarious reactions off the hordes of children when they saw us bounding through the park and when, under our friend Squeaks advice, growled at them when they tried to skip us in the queue for rides.

Still everyday, no matter how silly you spend it, has a lesson to teach. The lesson we learnt at the water park is that maybe we're too big for water parks. Kids are light as a feather and don't pick up speed in those death trap slides. A 6'4" man however picks up tremendous speed and completely destroys himself on exit. We came home sore and left for Dalat the next day still sore.

Having loads of fun, Dam Sen Waterpark, Ho Chi Minh City

When we were on the bus to Dalat, we first assumed the lack of air conditioning to be down to another example of not getting what you paid for in Asia. But as we ascended the mountains and the temperature began to drop we started to understand the lack of air conditioning. As for anyone who has traveled here before knows that the air conditioning on most buses lacks an off button! So we very happy with its absence as we got to Dalat. When we arrived it was 5 degrees out! For a moment we were really happy, and almost homesick. But such a sudden change in temperature and us walking about in shorts, t-shirts and sandals would result in yours truly becoming bed ridden for a day or two due to catching a cold.

More crazy architecture, Dalat

Apart from enjoying the crazy difference in temperature, Dalat's architecture was again very different, even different from that seen in the rest of Vietnam. Walking through the winding streets and small back alley stair cases that cut through the blocks of buildings leaves you feeling like you're walking through a small mountain town in Switzerland rather than somewhere in South East Asia.

Local market, village just outside Dalat

The main tourist attraction that most people do when visiting Dalat is to go on a tour with one of the so called "Easy Riders", who drive high spec bikes rather than the usual 110cc semi auto scooters seen throughout South East Asia. We were planning on the doing the same, as they do come with good recommendations. But after meeting a couple of them who were a little pushy and reminded us more of just glorified tuk tuk drivers (a menace that Vietnam doesn't suffer from, unlike it's neighbors). With this in mind we discussed our apprehension with an English couple we met on our first night in a deadly little place called the Saigon Nite Bar.

Our tour guide, "Rot", Dalat

Riding our bike through beautiful scenary, Dalat

They agreed completely and not only that, they had a recommendation of an alternative and much more unique bike tour that they themselves had been on just that day. A Vietnamese man by the name of "Rot" worked in a hotel called "The Pink Hotel". As a child Rot had been adopted by his Aunt and Uncle and was the only one in his family sent to university, where he studied tourism and now ran a daily tour that challenged the Easy Riders tourist trap. Unlike the Easy Riders who bring you to all the well known tourist spots as listed in the stupid guide books. Rot simply led us out into the country side, stopping to show us wildlife, real market places (with puppies on sale for dinner), cricket farms, silk farms, coffee plantations, huge waterfalls and then finally back to his family home in the country.

Silk Farm, Dalat

The huge Damri waterfall, Dalat

On the land his family owned they had a coffee plantation and a local indigenous tribe called the "Cil" lived and worked on the land. We were invited into one of their homes to discuss with them their culture and traditions and sample some of their food. Speaking no English or Vietnamese, we all spoke through Rot who spoke both perfectly as well as the Cil tongue as well. Unlike the well made up indigenous people that make a living off tourists, these people were real. The stories they shared, the food they shared (most notable being the dessert made of rice, coconut, mango and cow shit, yummy), the house we all sat around in, the entire experience was real and is likely something we will never forget.

Spending time with a "Cil" family, Dalat

We had a long and beautiful drive back to Dalat, following Rot the whole way. After an easy night we got back onto the road again and headed for the coast, to Nha Trang, and ultimately to Jungle Beach 60Km north...........

Four weeks pass......

As I sat in hammock for maybe the hundred time during our four week stay in Jungle Beach, I stared up at the international space station and pondered that no matter where you are in the world, no one is as far away from home as the people floating up there. But at that moment and like many moments I had enjoyed during my time in Jungle Beach I felt as alone as the people up there.

At one point during our stay here, there was no more than maybe 8 guests. Over Christmas and New Years that number raised at one point to a total of 57 guests. But the beautiful thing about Jungle Beach is that no matter how many people are there, you can still always find a moment to yourself and feel like there's no one around for miles. I can honestly say we've never been as relaxed in our entire lives as we were while we were at Jungle Beach.

Lazy days, Jungle Beach

But the other thing that makes Jungle Beach such an amazing place to stay is that to counteract the peaceful relaxed vibe it has, every meal is eaten communally. So you effortlessly jump from moments of lonely reflection to colorful conversation over dinner, drinks and bonfires with people from all walks of life.

Syl keeps up with tradition on his Birthday, Jungle Beach

Team Canada, Patrick, Jungle Beach

Team Vietnam, Gai, Jungle Beach

Team Germany, Seppe (smiley guy with the tats), Jungle Beach

Apart from the steady flow of new arrivals there was always Patrick from Canada and Seppe from Germany, who like us were long time guests. Gai the supper energetic vietnamese woman who worked there and brought a smile to everyones face, everyday! And not to forget Syl himself, the charismatic and always on the move Canadian owner of the resort. Just never sit next to him if its anyones birthday and theres a cake at the table, you have been warned!

The life of the fisherman, Jungle Beach

There is things to fill your days with around Jungle Beach if you can manage to get yourself moving. Something which I had great difficulty doing, as my number one goal during our stay there was to get through all 1250 pages of "Shogun" by James Clavell (During which Tammy managed to read about 3 or 4 books). But if you get your rear in gear, there's a village at the end of the beach where the local life bustles and flows every morning.

The locals, Jungle Beach

And then there's the beautiful waterfall which can be reached after a short trek of about 30 minutes. Seppe led us to it when we went and insisted we take the difficult route along the rocks rather than along the trail that ran parallel to the rocks. We just made it to the first waterfall, but the mountains keep going on and on and so does the river. Seppe told us that there is more waterfalls to discover deeper into the jungle.

First teir of the waterfall, Jungle Beach

(Great long exposure shot that Tammy got) Lazer Frisbie at night, Jungle Beach

One thing about our visit to Jungle Beach that anyone reading this probably won't be lucky enough to experience if they ever visit, was that just before we got there one of the dogs (Ugly Mom, I know crazy name for a dog) had a litter of puppies. Who in time had complete run of the place, which only added to the relaxed vibe. Nothing like putting down your book when three puppies come stumbling towards you just begging to be all introduced to the comfort of your hammock. Though my appreciation for Puppy Jungle was nothing in comparison to Tammy and Patrick's who both turned into puppy addicts!

Puppies, Jungle Beach

All the other dogs will still be there no doubt. All the males chained up though unfortunately, due to there appetite for local Vietnamese' ankles. But as a result of their racist attitude toward the locals, the dogs in turn act as a fantastic security alarm.

"Lucky" barking at the locals again, Jungle Beach

"Whitey" takes a nap in the shade, Jungle Beach

"Ugly Mom" takes a break from the puppies, Jungle Beach

Our time in Jungle Beach came to an end over the New Year, where we enjoyed a very peaceful few hours before dinner waiting and watching the arrival of the infamous blue moon. Then with the biggest turn out at the bonfire since we got there and about a dozen bottles of lovely cheap Vietnamese champagne we partied all night like anyone of you would have expected us to.

Telling stories after dinner, Jungle Beach

Taking photos of the Blue Moon, Jungle Beach

New Years night by the fire, Jungle Beach

One last night under the moon in the hammock, Jungle Beach

Soon after the sun set on our time in Jungle Beach. With heavy hearts, lighter wallets and far heavier backpacks than we had remembered we eventually left and headed back to the real world.

The difficulty of such a horrifying experience led to one of the most stressful days of our trip to date. We had to get the taxi driver to go from ATM to ATM taking as much out as possible at each one in order to pay the rest of our bill. We didn't have a bus booked so ended up on the latest one we could find where they tried to push us into the smallest horrible seats at the very back despite there being other seats left and ignoring the fact that our tickets were open seating.

The sheer ignorance of the bus driver and his open physical hostility towards us resulted in me returning the favor and we almost came to blows! We opted for our money back in the end rather than be treated like cattle and just got the bus to Hoi An the next day instead. A far more comfortable sleeper bus actually picked us up at our hotel instead of requiring us to go the bus station. And rather than hit and push us the driver welcomed us aboard with smiles. All around a much better service, except for the poor guy who got the last ticket and ended up sleeping on the floor because they over booked the bus.

Sleeper Bus, Nha Trang to Hoi An

We arrived in Hoi An at about 6am in the morning and wandered around on the wrong side of town looking for a guesthouse. We ended up following some guys on a motorbike through a hectic market place as they led us to their hotel. It wasn't a contender for best place we've stayed but it wasn't the worst either so we just took it. We were slap bang in the middle of the big market area which meant we just had to step outside to be surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of this quaint and beautiful town.

People of the Market Place, Hoi An

Once the main port of trade for Vietnam somewhere along the line Danang, slightly north of Hoi An, simply replaced it. As Danang grew and grew into the ugly international commercial port city it is today, with its casinos and golf courses, Hoi An simply stood still and probably hasn't changed one bit. It's one of the most well preserved areas we had seen in Vietnam and all of South East Asia for that matter.

Ancient Japanese Covered Bridge, Hoi An

View over the market place, Hoi An

The same can be said for the locals as well, every street you walk down, every corner you turned there was another face that told a thousand stories. Most of them though, especially the quirky boat drivers along the canals are aware of how interesting the funny foreigners find them and have resorted to actually selling smiles for tips. Once I had been caught out with the first time, I made sure to walk the streets armed with my telescopic lens taking shots from unnoticed vantage points! Mwuah Ha Ha, Richie and Tammy 1 - Locals of Hoi An 0!

Faces tell a thousand stories, Hoi An

The traditional Vietnamese of Hoi An included more than just the older generation as I mentioned above, but also the current and the next. Like most places in Vietnam the young locals were happy to sit down and have a drink with you or just be polite to you in the street and the kids always wanted to play with the strange looking white people. All this again just adding to what I mentioned at the beginning of this post, i.e. that the people in Vietnam are beautiful and don't deserve the bad reputation that most people I know who have gone here give them.

Vietnamese bride to be, Hoi An

Cute kid plays hide and seek with us, Hoi An

Apart from all I mentioned already, the majority of people planning on visiting Hoi An will know of its two main attractions before hand, the first of these is the abundance of lanterns made and sold there. During the day Chinese lanterns can be seen hanging outside almost every shop front and house hold. Some are for sale, others are for decoration, but whatever they're there for, they all share one common attribute, they are turned on during the night time. This turns the ancient, crumbling, pastel streets of the Hoi An day into the magical, glowing, multicolored streets of the Hoi An night.

Chinese Lanterns, Hoi An

Post sunset glow, Hoi An

The other famous attraction, arguably its most famous one, is its tailors. The tailors of Hoi An are said to be the finest tailors in all of Vietnam and South East Asia. As a result of this fame every street is packed with them. The sheer amount of competition forces some of them to stand out on the street and shout at you to come and see what they have on offer. On our way to breakfast the first morning, we rejected one such offer, telling her maybe later as right now we were going for breakfast. A half hour later when reappeared on the street with our bellies full, the same woman also reappeared, having followed us and waited the half hour, began to beckon us back down the street to her store!

Richie comtemplates fabrics, Hoi An

This sort of pushiness, unfortunately for this poor woman, only tells me and Tams that this woman is desperate for business, which in South East Asia generally comes down to the fact that what their selling is rubbish in comparison to the rest. So moving on down the street we continued to reject anyone trying to drag us inside and only visited the places where the owners simply smiled and bowed, confident in the fact they didn't need to push us as the quality of their work was enough to get them business. With this ethic in mind, we found a couple of places we liked and Tams got two dresses ($20-25) and a jacket ($30) made, while I got two pairs of trousers ($25), one shirt ($15) and a jacket ($30) made. These new tailored clothes replaced a lot of the now ragged threads in our backpacks.

Tams gets measured, Hoi An

We stayed in Hoi An one day longer than we had planned and toyed with the idea of staying even more, due to loving the place so much. But with so little time left before the 13th of January, when we were due to fly from Hanoi to Bangkok we figured it was better to get moving as we still had pretty much half the length of the country to go. No trains go through Hoi An, so we got a bus to Hue and spent a couple of nights there. Hue used to be the capital of Vietnam up until the end of World War 2, during the Nguyen Dynasty.

Ngo Mon Gate, Imperial City, Hue

Thai Hoa Palace, Imperial City, Hue

The ancient imperial city stood here until in 1968, due to its historical importance and its proximity to the DMZ (De-Mitilarised Zone) between North and South Vietnam, it was invaded and captured by the North Vietnamese Army during the Tet Offensive and held for 25 days. In the name of capitalism the American's proceeded to bomb this ancient beautiful place to its foundations and as a result once you go past the first couple of buildings all that stands before you is a large uneven field where instead of buildings being restored, they're being rebuilt, which just isn't the same.

Feeding the carp, Imperial City, Hue

Hidden away in the south corner of the complex with no signs to direct the crowds, was, for me at least, the most impressive buildings in the citadel.

The Mieu, a complex of temples where the members of the royal family used to pray, luckily escaped destruction like the rest of the complex and is definitely worth a quiet stroll through. Also there is tonnes of temples and mausoleums from the Nguyen Dynasty in the area around Hue, but with only 2 nights to spend there, we didn't get to see them.

The Mieu, Imperial City, Hue

Leaving Hue for Hanoi we got our fist train since leaving Thailand and man oh man was it sweet. It turned out we had a whole 4 berth cabin to ourselves for the entire 13 hour journey. And having paid the extra bit of cash for soft bunks rather than hard ones, we slept like babies most of the way.

Getting the train, Hue to Hanoi

Arriving in Hanoi with just about a day and a quarter to see the place was a dissappointment. It being the current capital of Vietnam I don't doubt that it has lots to offer. But with no time and shitty weather, we pretty much just spent our time here waiting for our flight. I spent my last night in Vietnam meeting up with my friend Prun who lives there for one last Bia Hoi, while Tams stayed away from the cold, safe in bed in our hotel room.

Back to Thailand the next day, our time in South East Asia wasn't finished just yet. But our time backpacking was pretty much over, as all we had planned for here was to spend time with our friends.

A not so Christmassy post

2009-12-23T14:15:00.017+06:00

It has come to our attention through various types of emails and messages from friends and family at home, that all is not quite ideal in Ireland at the minute.

Another budget was announced and happened to coincide with the arrival of the rain and snow. The dole queues are longer and now a bit frostier with the news that social welfare is being cut with more vigour than Brian Cowan's barber tackles his mane.

And to top it all off Aslan are still managing to secure dates at GAA clubs nationwide, is there no God?

As a result of such an environment developing at home, many people have let us know that they are tired of it all and would much rather be in our shoes (or flip flops). Some going as far as expressing outward jealousy and homicidal fantasies....thanks guys.

Well I am here today to assuage any notions that every day we are sipping cocktails on a beach while being hand fed luxurious, rich ice-cream and truffles. Clearly that's ridiculous...ice-cream would melt on a beach. No. no, it's not all smooth sailing while travelling.

So, to prove this point we have put together a little collection of some of the interesting creepy crawlies we have encountered so far on our trip. Paula, Ciaran is going to love this one!

Fruit bat wakes from his daylight slumber just as the sun sets, off to find some food

Monkeys are NOT cute and are NOT entertaining, they are horrible. That is all.

This one particularly so, as he was chained up outside a little store in Laos. He had clearly gone mad from the captivity and kept running up and down a table in a repetitive motion. Not nice to watch

A dragon fly, they can get pretty big here and when they fly they seem to have a mission to fly directly between your eyes. I dont understand why but they do.

Due to my blindness I unwittingly shared a shower with this snake for about 10 minutes one morning. Upon noticing it only inches from my feet I jumped out to call Richie to ask if it was a snake or a big worm...yes...Tammy has bad eyesight.

Deep fried cricket, given to us as a gift on our trek in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Kev was the only one who indulged, he had positive reviews, crunchy but with a rewarding burst...apparently

Crabs living in the floor of our bungalow, Jungle Beach. I guess they aren't that scary really but...they have CLAWS! Spiders don't have claws do they? No! But they are still scary right? Maybe we should raise the scariness profile of crabs. Poor harmless guys.

Speaking of spiders....

Apparently this is a rain spider, which decided to perch itself in one of the bathrooms for a couple of hours. It made things interesting when it started climbing over the walls and swapping from one bathroom to the other. Nowhere was safe that night!

Also the picture doesn't give a good idea of the size, but it had about a 6 inch diameter

A little dragon of some sort who kept us entertained for ages as he launched himself kamikaze style into the air in an effort to catch passing insects and landing with a thump on the dry foliage.

A silk moth laying eggs on some silk moth cocoons.

Crickets in a cricket farm.

In Vietnam they are very expensive as they are such a sought after snack.

A marabou stork, really ugly birds. I was walking through a group of trees looking at the birds on the ground, trying to get a good pic without realising there were more of them up in the trees above.

Now, some people say that it is a sign of good luck if a bird poohs on you, I however, do not agree. These birds are huge and I was not best pleased to feel a massive piece of luck landing on my shoulder

Mantis in the toilets in Koh Ru, Cambodia

A cicada sitting on a chess piece in a glass. The noise they make while perched on the side of a tree can be really amazingly loud.

A millipede having a nap on the forest floor

An African Bullfrog in the process of finishing his dinner, these frogs have tooth-like projections on the lower jaw to secure struggling prey and are known to eat just about anything from big bugs, guppies, mice, small birds and each other!

The rule of thumb is if it can fit in their mouth they will eat it.

What animal do you think that foot coming out of his mouth belongs to?

This is a giant snail eating a slug or a caterpillar which is also being eaten by a little cockroach.

This is a really gorgeous moth I spotted in a bathroom (I see a pattern emerging here with all these bug/bathroom pictures) I have no idea what it is called but if anyone out there in cyber world knows maybe they can shed some light?

Big horrible beetle chowing down on some fruit which had fallen from a tree, which was also covered in more big horrible beetles.

Toilets are generally an interesting experience in Asia. You approach your commode with a certain amount of trepidation. You ask yourself "will it be a squat toilet? Will there be toilet roll? Did I bring some toilet roll? Will there be bugs? Will the bum gun (bum gun info here) be working?" It must be said that this was one of the most horrific toilets that I have encountered, in The Napp House, Sihanoukville, Cambodia. You have been named and shamed guys, get a mop and bucket and get scrubbing.

I think we mentioned this in a previous post from Laos, but it is worth sticking in here. These are just some of the thousands of moths that descended on our dinner table every night as soon as the sun set. Not easy to enjoy a beer with moths in your nose...and your beer!

We all remember Jim don't we? I certainly do anyway.

A hermit crab makes his way across the beach on Bamboo Island at night.

Steelhead fish in a market in Siem Reap in Cambodia

Anyone for a deep fried tarantula? No? Ok

A skink chilling out in the sun. These guys are very flighty and tough to get a picture of, but this guy was a poser.

And now the Pièce de résistance....

*sigh* Ok...well...this is a banana leaf that contains sticky rice, coconut and mango. All held together by...*sigh*...calf pooh which is boiled up for 4 days with palm sugar until it forms a sticky molasses type texture. And yes, it is for eating. It is a very tasty and filling snack. If you can get passed where it comes from.

Now go on and have a super Crimbo dinner guys, safe in the knowledge that I will be having some good old rice and tofu for my Crimbo!

Merry Christmas!!

Cambodia, Chapter 2

2009-12-09T10:12:00.023+06:00

The next chapter of our trip did not start with such a scenic or interesting journey as our last leg, no boat rides through floating villages or children waving at us as we glided by in the late morning sun. Our travel to Phnom Penh saw us once again crammed onto a local bus avoiding curious stares and mosquitoes.

Strange Cambodian Fact Number 1! - An interesting aspect of traveling on Cambodian buses is that a screen at the front of every bus that plays a variety of interesting irritations; everything from Hip Hop music videos to Karaoke DVDs. Bruce Lee films dubbed in Cambodian are also available on a number of routes. Don't forget your iPod if you want to retain your sanity.

Tammy and Richie ride the Karaoke Super Highway

We arrived in Phnom Penh hungry, tired and not quite ready for what the city would throw at us. On descending the bus steps we had the usual onslaught of pushy tuk tuk drivers shouting for our business "Miss Miss Miss, Tuk Tuk, Cheap Hotel, Miss!" But we soldiered past and walked the length of the city in search for a hostel near the lake area of the city.

Strange Cambodian Fact Number 2! - Our hostel, we were sad to learn, like many similar places in Phnom Penh, is set for demolition in the next year or so. Due to the growing popularity of Cambodia as a tourist and business spot much of the smaller businesses (such as guesthouses, restaurants etc.) are being muscled out to make way for large apartment blocks and businesses. The lake in the centre of the city is currently being drained to make way for more valuable real estate to open up. Our advice is to get to Cambodia in the next 5 years while it still retains some of its character.

Phnom Penh is vast and busy city, crossing the road can be compared more to an extreme sport than an essential aspect of a journey. Street signs mean nothing and traffic lights seem to serve only as an enticement into a game of chicken. But once again this city is a shining example of the Cambodian peoples' genuine hospitality and good humor.

If you can get through the myriad of indefinable smells and grapple with flip flops on the slanting pathways, this city has a lot to offer. The street kids hawking travel books and novels are well trained sales people, but it's a great moment when they occasionally drop out of character as pushy hawkers and begin to act like kids, playing games and giggling at the crazy "Barrang" with the red hair and piercings.

Tammy with a homeless kid, Sihanoukville. Really gorgeous little guy

Cambodia is saturated with its past, everywhere you go it is inescapable. Whether it be the street kids trying to sell you Pol Pot's Biography or a book about the Khmer Rouge, or perhaps just a chat with a local who can tell you their stories, you cannot escape what this country and its' people have endured.

A visit to the Choeug Ek (The Killing Fields) and Toul Sleng (the former S21 Prison) is a must for anyone traveling to Cambodia. It is a chilling experience but it is a way to learn more about the country and what the Khmer people have endured.

A marking for one of the mass graves, The Killing Fields

Teeth exhumed from a mass grave, The Killing Fields

The Pagoda, The Killing Fields

Communal shackles, The Killing Fields

The Killing Fields have been reformed and house a visitors centre and a Pagoda. The Pagoda is now home to thousands of skulls which were removed from the graves. Many of the mass graves have been exhumed, however, identification of the bodies has been impossible as there were few records maintained of who was brought here when Pol Pot evacuated the cities, forcing the inhabitants into torture prisons or death camps.

The Pagoda, The Killing Fields

Skulls inside The Pagoda

The Roof of the Pagoda

Toul Sleng, known locally as S.21 had as heavy a silence as found in the Killing Fields. The former primary and high school was converted into a prison in 1975 when Pol Pot's clique moved on the city dwellers, forcing them out of their homes and either to country slavery or prison.

A cell wall, S.21

Prison Cell, S.21

Classrooms converted into prison cells, S.21

A wooden pole in the yard, once used for physical education in the school, was turned into an instrument of torture.

In 1979 when the prison was finally shut down only 6 people were found alive. The bodies of 14 Cadres who were accused of leading an uprising against Pol Pot were found, beaten and in various stages of decomposition. They are still unidentifiable.

The rooms that the bodies were found in are open to the public, the beds they were found in are still there and the blood stains still mark the floor to this day.

A quote from the leaflet handed out in S.21
"Keeping the memory of the atrocities committed on Cambodian soil alive is the key to build a new, strong and just state"

Some of the male prisoners who were held and tortured in S.21

Some of the child prisoners who were held and tortured in S.21

S.21 Prison, Phnom Pehn

As I have mentioned before, though their history is fraught with much pain and suffering, the Khmer people are extremely well natured and good humored. They are willing to talk about their history, and while it will never be forgotten they do not allow it to swallow them up.

Tea time, Phnom Pehn

Richie and pal, Phnom Pehn

Strange Cambodian Fact Number 3! - When Tammy has enough alcohol in her system, she can in fact speak sign language! I spent nearly two hours chatting in broken sign language to a lovely woman in a lively Phnom Penh bar. Looking on was a rather confused Richie and a French backpacking companion, both of whom were aware that I cannot sign but was somehow managing to chat to this lady...

Tammy and Pal, Phnom Pehn

After a few nights in Phnom Penh we hit the road again on the Karaoke highway and headed South for Sihanoukville, Cambodia's most popular haunt for beach bums. Unfortunately we discovered two things about Sihanoukville on our arrival, first there is no beach anymore as it has been swallowed up by high tides and bad weather and second, that Sihanoukville in general was not a very nice place.

The nightlife in this beach town we found to be over-exuberant and very unimaginative. Somehow we managed to last here for 7 days, staying is a hostel called Monkey Republic, recommended only if you like Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas played incessantly till the wee hours of the morning. Between hangovers and nights out we even managed to fit in some sightseeing.

Our adopted pet who followed us around Sihanoukville for 8 days, drinking at the bar with us

All aboard the Sun Boat Tour, captained by the effervescent Robert and his 8 month old Rottweiler, Lucy!

The Sun Boat, Sihanoukville

Captained (and built over 3 years) by Robert, the Sun Boat set sail early in the morning with a day of island hopping, snorkeling and sight seeing ahead. We were promised by Robert that this would be one of the best days on our travels and he wasn't wrong.

Richie on the top deck of The Sun Boat

The Sun Boat, Sihanoukville

Our first stop was a quick dip for snorkeling, however, the normally placid waters were full of very small but very real jelly fish. Tammy and Richie lasted about 15 minutes in the water before we hopped out rather ungracefully with our flippers still on, jumping about scratching ourselves and coming close to knocking small children over-board.

After regaining some of our composure we headed to the top deck for the trip to Koh Rung Salem, a little island with white coral beaches, jungles and mangroves, about 2 hours from the coast of Cambodia. The Sun Boat dropped anchor a bit from the coast so people had the option of swimming in or taking a speed boat over. Either way you were surrounded by clear blue waters, heading for a clear white beach.

The Sun Boat, Sihanoukville

Koh Rung Salem beach

People could walk from one side of the island to the other through a large jungle which rang with the sound of cicadas, grasshoppers and German tourists who seemed to communicate through loud and unnecessary squawks. Richie and I dropped back from the group and had a bit of a wander on our own.

Jungle Mushrooms, Koh Rung Salem

Tammy in a barley field, Koh Rung Salem

Jungle Mushrooms, Koh Rung Salem

Next we were led by Robert around the mangroves around the river crossing the island. Much to my and Robert's amusement Richie was motioned towards the front of the three-strong group by Robert. After a couple of minutes of walking and talking he suddenly found himself plunged into a hole in the riverbed at least 8 foot deep! He came up spluttering and confused but thankfully saw the funny side.

Tammy and Richie in the mangroves, Koh Rung Salem

As I said though, Richie and I were not Sihanoukville's biggest fans so Robert gave a tip on an island to get to for a few days if we were looking to escape the noise and bars in Sihanoukville. The island is Koh Russai or Bamboo Island and the guesthouse is called Koh Ru. So we packed our bags, waved a happy farewell to Sihanoukville and boarded the boat destined for Bamboo Island.

Richie on board the Bamboo Island Boat

Our 3 day sojourn somehow developed into a 9 night stay. The basic bunglaows have shared bathrooms and showers and the whole place only has electricity for a few hours in the evening, so it's very much back to basics for everyone. During the day the options are swim, sunbathe, sleep, read or sit in a hammock and await sunset. The evenings were generally spent at the bar with the guys who worked there.

Some sunset shots

Richie and Tammy (yes I'm there somewhere), Koh Ru, Bamboo Island

There was a really great atmosphere here in Koh Ru, the only rule is not to take yourself too seriously. It's all about relaxing and having a bit of fun. And if that's not good enough for you there are multiple animals that you can distract yourself with. Whether it's Murphy the dog, Pringles the cat or a tussle with Rambo the goat.

Richie shows his softer side, Koh Ru, Cambodia

Miki and Rambo, Koh Ru, Cambodia

Pringles having a nap, Koh Ru, Cambodia

When the sun falls you may be lucky enough to see a fire show from one or more of the people who can manage the fire poi or fire staff. And you'll always have a drinking buddy, whether you want to or not!

Jacks and Gemma, Koh Ru, Cambodia

Bucket on the boat

Giant sea snail, which we ate raw in a spicy salad.

So it was with heavy hearts and lighter wallets that we said farewell to our new friends in Koh Ru. It was a really gorgeous way for us to round off our Cambodian leg of the journey, it will be a sad day when this guesthouse is knocked down next April to make way for bigger enterprise.

Our hut facing the beach

The flip flop tree

Strange Cambodian Fact(ish) Number 4! - If you hear a loud THUMP in the night and cannot see where it has come from in the dark, it is more than likely a coconut falling from a nearby tree. If hit by such a descending nut a blow to the head could be fatal. Apparently accidents of this nature kill more people per year than shark attacks!

Richie avoiding the coconuts

Killer Coconuts!