Tahiti & Moorea

Paradise! French Polynesia here I come!! To get to Easter Island, a place sitting top of my list of destinations, I had to fly via Tahiti..I could think of worse places ;-)
My original stay was only for 4 nights, in the end it was a 10 day stay. After crossing the International Date Line, living the same day twice and easing myself into a tropical island lifestyle, I missed my outbound flight by a day! Yes, I found myself stranded on a South Pacific Island screaming "WILSON"! Luckily enough my open jaw ticket was flexible enough to catch the next flight out, 5 days later. So my first 5 days were at Taaroa Lodge in Punaauia, the owner, the friendly and way too modest longboard surfering champ, Ralph Sanford. It was here I met some cool Swedes touring the world, Hannes from Brugge obsessed with the Polynesian Tattoo method of tapping, and Sandra a funny German gal who turned into a good traveling companion for the rest of my stay. We were all in awe each eve as we watched the sunset over the neighbouring island of Moorea. Each beautiful and colourful moment was enjoyed with a tasty Tahitian beer called Hinano. On Tahiti I rented a car and drove with Sandra around the island taking countless amounts of pictures and visiting the world renowned surf location of Teahupoo. We also caught a Polynesian Dance show at the Intercontinental Hotel (I got out of the backpacker gear and scrubbed up a little) and enjoyed a fantastic all you can eat buffet meal (The clothes were off but I ate like a scabby backpacker). On another day I caught a ferry across to the island of Moorea where I took on dirt roads through pineapple plantations in a Bugster, mega fun but I always had to remember not to park on a hill as the handbrake didn't work.

So, finding myself stranded for another 4 days, having seen the sights of Papeete (Chaotic town for an island, traffic jams were a common phenomenon!) and of the island I decided to join Sandra on Moorea and try my hand at some water activities. We joined an excursion given by a local lady, cruised along the lagoons, swam & snorkeled with Stingrays and Reef Sharks (The theme tune to Jaws was in my head the whole time I was in the water) and fed Moray eels. We were invited to their stunning Tahitian home to enjoy some fresh fruit and snorkel in their lagoon. The following day I braved the water once more and dove with Moorea Fun Dive. As a beginner and not the most confident in the water, I need not have stressed as my calm and collective instructor Cedric made it my most enjoyable marine experience ever. At the depth of over 6 metres, the different types and colours of fish were amazing and the sight of spotted rays gliding by us made we totally forget my anxiety. On my last day on Moorea, Sandra, Hannes and I rented scooters and took on the island once more. My first time on a scooter and I was told I was a natural (Others could say a Speed Junky!). After tearing up the roads for the day I made sure I was on a ferry back in time for my flight out of Tahiti that eve. It was farewell to Sandra, Hannes and the tranquilty of Moorea and it was on to yet another continent, South America. The thought did cross my mind once or twice that day to miss/extend again and enjoy the serenity of Moorea but with time working against me, Easter Island was a calling.

Pix @ Picturesque French Polynesia Album

New Zealand by Campervan!

After Oz it was on to it's neighbour and rival, New Zealand.Delighted to catch up and stay with Eleanora and Marco who I met on my travels in Laos and who recently moved to NZ in search of a better quality of life.My 1st night in Auckland was spent on the town celebrating the birthday of Eleanora´s colleague.How else would I start a new adventure, only by having a good taste of the local beer.My visit was brief, a stroll around the city and a visit to Skakespear Regional Park.

It was off to the airport to collect the campervan (eventually christened Jucy and loved like a loyal friend) and pick up Jenn (My good oul´ Yankie traveling buddy!)who was flying in from Sydney and joining me in a 3 week escapade. We hit the road to Rotorua on the Bay of Plenty to hook up with Hannah (My good oul' drinking buddy from Delhi) who was celebrating her 30th Birthday (with plenty of bubbles) with cousins in Te Puke. After the bubbles wore off we paid a visit to Rotorua and The Maori Buried Village, where Mt Tarawera erupted and destroyed many years ago. We put the foot down and head north on the North island to Cape Reinga, the Northernwestern most point of New Zealand and where The Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet. We done a day tour and drove the 90 mile beach where we went sandboarding. A tip for sandboarding, never put your hands out while hurling yourself down a sand dune! A tourist learnt the hard way and broke their collarbone...with such an injury your days as a backpacker are numbered!

Heading south once again, we popped into Hell's Gate, a mud volcano consisting of dark boiling mud and sulphur baths. After the stench got too much we joined Hannah and her cousins once again in Okere falls, went fishing on Rotoiti Lake, enjoyed the hot thermal pools and sobering dips in the freezing lake! A huge thanks goes out to Lol, Mark & Paddy for making us feel very welcome and showing us a fantastic time on the North Island...SWEET AS!! ;-)
On our way to Wellington we stopped at Waitomo Caves to try our hand at some Black Water Rafting. What you basically do here is, you put your bottom in an inflated inner tube of an old truck tire and you throw yourself off waterfalls in a very dark underground cave whilst admiring the Glow Worms above and trying not to think about the repulsive eels slidering below...YEEEEK!!! After recovering from the chill we were off to Wellington to catch some of the city sights before taking the ferry across to the South Island. Sights visited were The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the city´s beautiful Botanical gardens, Mount Victoria Lookout with a great panoramic view of the city, Karori Sanctuary an interesting conservation project) in the hope of spotting a Kiwi...no such luck on the day!! We did however catch a glimpse of a frog native to New Zealand called Pepeketua, these tiny little fellows you would miss with a blink of the eye!

Up before the crack of dawn, we drove Jucy on the ferry and crossed to Picton on the South Island. A quick visit to the wine region of Blenheim where we stopped off a Allan Scott's vineyard and indulged a little. After which was a long and sobering spin down the west coast to Fox Glacier, a very windy and twisty route with countless one way bridges over scary cliff drops...I thought we´d never get there!!! It was worth the pain though...fitted with crampons and accompanied by guides with ice picks we climbed the glacier the next day..another chilling yet amazing adventure!!!

Next up was the adventure capital, Queenstown. After a fresh dump of snow I spent 1 great day on the slopes of Cardrona improving my turns or should I say performing my notorious wipe outs!! I missed my good ski buddies that day...calling 21 on your own ain't no fun ;-)
It was also in Queenstown where I was a little reckless by performing a Bungy Jump AND a Tandem skydive on the same day. The Original AJ Hackett Bungy with a 43m drop was ok but I much more enjoyed the 15000ft jump with NZSkydive from a tiny flying tin can over some stunning scenery...freefalling is a fantastic sensation also. From Queenstown we also took a day tour to Milford Sound where we cruised along the waters and were in awe of the towering rock faces, dolphins and seals.

Across the South Island and through it's stunning landscapes to the East coast and to the town of Dunedin, a Scottish Settlement. We cruised with Jucy (The fridge in serious need of a good cleaning at this stage) along the Penisula and wandered among sheep through the countryside. What followed was a well deserved visit to Speights Brewery where we had a free bar and could pour your own...Ivan would have sent the place into liquidation! Our last stop was Christchurch where we just hung about and met up with Hannah once again for a few jars. We did manage to take a spin out to Akaora, a French settlement and rent a kayak for the day..am beginning to get the hang of this rowing malarky...thanks to Jenn!!!

After 3 incredible action packed weeks, Jenn and I were sad to say farewell to Jucy and to one another. Where did the time go??? New Zealand is just a stunning country, I could see myself being quite content living this slow pace yet adventurous lifestyle.. the whole trip was, as the Kiwis say themselves...SWEET AS!!!

Pix @ New Zealand Album

Aussie Aussie Aussie!

A taste of Oz!

Queenstown, New Zealand 11/10/2008 (Afternoon)

A day of complete madness Part II

Still can't believe I done it all!!!

Queenstown, New Zealand 11/10/2008 (Morning)

A day of complete madness Part I

OR View the Video

Stay tuned for Part II :-))

Footy update

Hi Miss Byrne, sounds like you're having a ball over there. Speaking of balls (cos I know you're fond of them), here's a footy update (you asked me to keep you appraised of the Ireland results/fixtures). We drew 1-1 with Norway on Wednesday. Robbie Keane scored for us 1st half and they equalised after an hour. We played well but it pissed rain in the 2nd half and no good football could be played. On September 6th we play Georgia away in a qualifier, K.O. is 17:00 Irish time. This however could change as there is the small matter of the Russians invading the country, shooting everyone and bombing the shit out of the place. A neutral venue has been mooted but a final decision will be made next week. On September 10th we play Montenegro away, K.O. at 18:00 Irish time. So there you go, get down the launderette and make sure your lucky green knickers are clean for those games and hopefully you'll find a bar with Sky/Setanta. Enjoy!

South East Asia (Part 4)

Vietnam (The Land of a Million Motos) 14/07/2008 - 29/07/2008

I was a little weary about traveling in Vietnam, most of the stories I'd heard from travelers on the road were negative. I was told if I thought Cambodia was soul bashing and toot infested, wait until I got to Vietnam! For me, my experience was au contraire..I absolutely adored the country! I will no doubt revisit for it's cheap Bia Hoi beer, for the friendliness of the natives and their cheeky smiles but most of all for their playful yet crafty ability to squeeze a Dollar out of you at any given opportunity. Oh and not forgetting their traditional dish of rice noodle soup called Pho, it's to die for.

Being the only westerner and sitting at the rear, absorbing every bump during the 9hr ride to Hoi Chi Man City (HCMC), I got acquinted with the locals. Even though none of them spoke a word of English, they kept talking to me, feeding me with God knows what and handing me cigarettes! By the end of the trip the back of the bus was alive with locals singing their hearts out and insisting I joined in...I had no idea what I was singing but I didn't care, I was having a great welcoming party!

Arriving in HCMC I couldn't believe my eyes the amount of motorcycles on the streets! Crossing the street was somewhat of a challenge, I soon mastered the technique of putting my foot out, holding my breath and just praying they scoot around you. I stayed in the Pham Ngu Lao Area of the city, a backpacker area pretty close to all the main sights. In a day or so sightseeing I done the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum (Not for the faint hearted!) and the Museum of HCMC. A day trip to Cu Chi tunnels followed where I crawled through a small part of the 200km narrow tunnel network made by the Viet Cong in the American War. For something like $5 I got the opportunity to fire an AK47 machine gun. However, I did totally miss the target but thankfully no one was in the vacinity to be wounded ;-)

It was in HCMC where I once again hooked up with my good traveling and card playing buddies, Jenn and Paul. We set off together to the Mekong Delta for 2 day/1 night tour. By boat along the Mekong we visited local villages making rice paper and coconut candy and experienced the fruit and veg floating market on the river. We stayed 1 night in Can Tho which has a great statue of Ho Chi Minh himself and some pretty decent bars and restos. It was also on the Mekong Delta that I overcame my snake phobia for 5 seconds and held a Phython around my shoulders...my skin is still crawling when I think about it! It was back to HCMC and onto a night bus bound north to Mui Ne. Arriving after 1 in the morning, accomodation was hard to find. We did get sorted in the end with the help of a passing motocyclist, shouting "Cheap Hotel" surprisingly enough. We took a tour to the fishing village and the magnificant red and white sand dunes where we all had a go at sand sledging...fun but somehow I just couldn't gain speed and always ended up stopping due to the mountain of sand I'd created in front of me.

The Central Highlands was on the cards next, Dalat the City of Eternal Spring. The higher altitude, cooler tempature and bizarre sights were what brought us to this charming little town. We visited it's old Cog Railway station, Datana Falls where you could take a mini rollercoaster ride to get to, took a 2.3km cable car ride with stunning views of the area, paid a visit to Hnag Nga Crazy House with it's bizarre Alice in Wonderland architecture and not forgetting played cards a lot.

Our first experience of a Vietnamese night bus was from Dalat to Hoi An. Comfy seats which fully reclined, a good night's sleep was had by all. Around Hoi An you have My Son, spectacular ruins of an ancient Cham empire and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Also you have a fantastic white sand beach called Cua Dai Beach which we paid a short visit. The Old town of Hoi An itself is charming with it's historic architecture and narrow streets. It's also known for it's affordable custom-made clothing. We managed to fit in a local Dance and Musical show in the old part even after discovering a bar by the river that sold beer for 4,000 Vietnamese Dong, that comes to about 0.16 in Euro terms!

Via another comfy night bus we found ourselves in the fast capital Hanoi. After arriving and burning my leg off the exhaust of a motorcycle, Jenn and I had booked a 2day/1 night cruise to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. This has to be the most beautiful place I've been to in Vietnam. 3,000 islands and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, on an old yet charming wooden cruise boat we visited caves and done some kayaking in the South China Sea. Just a few sights in Hanoi were done, weather hindering plus cheap beer and card playing got addictive. A walk or two around Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple, Hoa Lo Prison home to Senator John McCain during the American War and we supposedly had The Best Pho in Vietnam in a tiny resto, I'm not so convienced myself! We also were regulars in The Finnegans Irish Pub where the owner is a good mate of Paul. It was in Finnegans on my last eve that my great Irish traveling buddy and talented musician Paul performed a live gig, a calm evening that turned into an all-nighter!

Sadly after 2 weeks of great laughs and adventures it was time to say goodbye to Vietnam and my traveling co. I had to get back to Bangkok as I'd arranged to hook up with an Irish Traveler I'd met in Hippy Pai and to go see a Thai boxing match. From there I was on a cheap Air Asia flight out to Macau.

Some pix @ VISIONARY VIETNAM