Home Sweet Home!!!!!

After an epic journey we were welcomed home with open arms by my Mum (Mary), my niece Caitlin and Rob's Dad (Len). We were over the moon to see everyone and enjoyed the nicest cup of tea EVER in Portlaoise. Rob headed off to his family in Limerick & Ennis. It is really fantastic to be home and see all of our friends and family. I really feel like I have my priorities right now; we've been blessed to have such an amazing experience from Dublin to Dublin! See you all soon no doubt, Love Fiona + Rob

Bangkok

Bangkok, HitYerMickey, Capital of Thailand. The city that mixes ladies and boys into one unique package, if you'll forgive the term. We landed in Bangkok intending to take care of all of our Christmas shopping. Doing so would require a grasp of the local slang:
"Ping Pong" does not mean table tennis.
"Massage" does not mean massage.
"Hello my friend" means that someone you have never met before wants to engage you in extortion of some variety, and is therefore not your friend at all.

We took care of the shops, the sights and the Khao San Road (just to confirm that I'll only ever be back if I need a new Irish driver's licence in a hurry). Who'd have known that the Irish Department of the Environment would have third-party agents up and down the Khao San (and with a 30-minute turnaround time). They even print the card-version of the Irish driver's licence which doesn't exist in Ireland. Truly a feat of international co-operation!

So, you know Murphy's Law. Well, I think Fiona may just have re-defined it. A year and a half on the road, eating at the kind of places where you don't want to wash your hands because they'd be getting dirtier instead of cleaner. On our second-last day in Asia, Fiona gets the Bangkok Belly. No need for all the details, let's just say its like Delhi Belly, only with the double evacuations.

After a pretty rough night and morning, all hell broke loose. No problem, says I, let's get the doctor. $150 (US Dollars) later we are told to go to hospital to be admitted. Where better to spend the last night of your Round the World adventure than in hospital with severe food poisoning.

If you are looking for a good hotel at a reasonable rate in Bangkok, look no further than Bumrungrad International Hospital. With beds starting at 50euro (per-person-sharing) you'll be given the best possible care and attention. Mezzanine level food court (McDonalds, Starbucks, etc), post-office, bank, hotel-wide wifi, all rooms en-suite, mini-bar, room-service menu and extremely attentive staff (vitals checked every 3 hours - IV fluids available on request).

We checked in at 10pm (our last night on the road). The doctors said they'd do their best to give the "fit-to-fly" in time for our flight to Dublin the following evening. 2 bags of IV fluid and 3 doses of IV antibiotcs later, Fiona was right as rain(ish). Who's this Murphy fella we've been hearing about? Photos are here

Cambodia

It was nice arriving in Phnom Penh after an epic bus trip from Saigon. It struck me as a lively and friendly city. We met up with Dan and Hannah, our travelling buddies (our 4th meeting on 3 different continents - lets see if we can do 7!) We had a good look around the city, I loved the architecture in the Royal Palace and renting trendy trousers. We also went to S-21 one of the main prisons for detaining Cambodians during the Khmer Rouge/Pol Pot Regime 1975-1979. It was an extremely powerful place to visit and one which I will never forget. We then went to where these poor prisoners were taken and executed - the 'Killing Fields' just outside Phnom Penh. Seeing the scars of this human tragedy and seeing what man can do to man took m

y breath away, its unbelievable to think that some of the Khmer Rouge leaders are in the current Cambodian Government.

Next we headed north to Siem Reap, the gateway to the Temples of Angkor. Out first glimpse of Angkor Wat was at sunrise which was spectacular. We saw some cool temples, my favourite being the jungle temple where the trees have invaded the buildings, pretty cool!

After saying goodbye to the Dan & Hannah and hanging around in Siem Reap we headed south to the beach at Sihanouk Ville. Truth be told we just hung around by the pool in the sun and shade for me. We played lots of pool-ball-hoop achieving a new world record and frolicked with Shamu and chums. What a great way to round off the trip, I have really enjoyed the warmth and genuine nature of the people of Kampuchea. Next stop Bangkok before coming home!!!!!!!!!!!

Photos are here.

Vietnam

Ah, Vietnam. Home of the hit song "Việt Nam Oi". Its definitely one of those places - You either love it or hate it here. I'd be sitting on the fence!

Let's remember, the recent history of Vietnam includes being passed from colonist to invader, back to colonist and then being invaded again and sent into civil war. This has all happened in the 70 years since the start of World War II. To say that they are a forgiving people is a massive understatement.

The generation of men and women who fought for the VietCong against the US Army are now part of a thriving capitalistic culture. Despite having 30 years of armed conflict with the US, they dress like Americans, idealise American brands and use the US Dollar as commonly as their own currency, the Dong. They just don't do begrudgery like we do in Ireland!

Landing in Hanoi from Singapore was always going to be a culture shock. I had almost forgotten how chaotic Asian cities can be. 4 lanes of motorbikes going in each direction with each pair going in opposite direction. Try linking your fingers together like you're saying the Our Father... This multi-directional mess is how one-way streets work in Hanoi.

After a few days in the smog of Hanoi, we went to see the Unesco World Heritage site of Halong Bay. Unfortunately, the masses of diesel-powered cruises have almost totally destroyed this natural wonder. What should have been a two-thousand-island archipelago was hidden under a grey haze of smog.

Further south in Hoi An, we were relieved to find people who were friendly for the sake
of being friendly. Kids happy to play ball with someone with white skin and locals smiling just because you take the time to say 'hello'. Its a lovely little town, with an abundance of tailors (damage done!) and great food.

A brief sick-stop in Nha Trang and we were off to the capital of the south. Renamed Ho Chi Minh City, but known to all and sundry as Saigon. Its a great city with plenty of energy, but more space to walk around and explore. Here, the Cu Chi Tunnels are an amazing network of 200km of underground living space built from the 40's to the 70's. They've widened a small portion of the tunnels so Westerners can fit in and have a look! The original tunnels were a
bsolutely minuscule so as to prevent entry/attack by French, Japanese or US soldiers.

A must-see on anyone's agenda for Saigon is the War Remembrance Museum. A gripping and shocking account of the US-Vietnam War, and the fall out for everyone involved in the use of Agent Orange. Decades on, children and grandchildren are still being born with deformities in the US as well as Vietnam. Next stop Cambodia, where man's inhumanity to man is as recent and probably more inexplicable.

Check out the photos

Sinagapore

A quick 2 nighter in Sinagpore, we went on an epic walk around the city catching in all the sites: colonial area, Clarke Quay, Little India, Orchard Road, Raffles (for a much needed refreshment!). A cool city with lots of charm, its so humid though we were diving into shops for a shot of AC. Photos are here. Next stop Hanoi, Vietnam......

Malaysia

Leaving the beachside haven of Bali, we were back in Asia proper, for the first time since leaving India in 2006. We were reminded of the 'S' of Asia... Sweat, Smell and Squat loos. In Kuala Lumpur, all of the above are readily available. Also fond memories being re-lived of people staring at Fi because of her desirable white skin and fiery red hair.

KL is the epitomy of the term 'melting pot', with a huge mix of Indians, Malaysians, Indonesians and Chinese. Shrines to Indian gods and devout Muslims co-exist in this bizarre "modern" city. It is a total clash of old and new, developed and neglected, east and west. It seems that KL can't really decide what it wants to be. As a tourist destination it offers little, but as a contrast it's definitely worth a gander.

So, again we decided we needed more R&R. There is a restaurant on Baggot Street called Langkawi, so when Fiona saw flights to there from KL, she thought 'I recognise that name, it must be good'. Luckily her logic served us well and we spent another week lounging and lazing. For anyone at home thinking "They'll get a land when they get home", yes we will and we are just trying to avoid reality until that moment hits! All the photos are here.

4 weeks til we land in Dublin... You may not believe us but we're actually looking forward to being back!

Bali

Boozy Bali, banging tunes, 24-hour night clubs, and cheap "massage". After leaving the lads in Perth, we had spent 15 days on a proper bender, and a pretty heavy 5 weeks in Oz. Thus, the things Bali is famous for were the things we went out of our way to avoid. We may be the first Irish citizens to ever spend a week in Bali, 100% sober!

So, with all that extra cash in our pockets, we splashed out on a fancy hotel for our chill-out holiday. Here we lounged, lazed and topped up on the tan (shade for Fiona). We also got tickets to the WTA Tennis tournament, which had 10 of the World's top-40 female players. In between games, I popped out to see the Player's Village, where there was a Wii Tennis screen setup. I found myself in a thriller against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. I let her have a few aces, but then asserted myself on the game and ended up a comfortable winner. Mis-spent days in Rathmines finally pays off! Photos are here.

Western Oz adventure

Having left JD and Oisin in Vancouver over a year ago, we reunited in Perth. Al Pal made the short trip across Australia for 2 weeks of adventuring, reminiscing, mankini-ing and schooping.

First off, we caught up with ClaireBear and Raymon in Perth. Great to see our buddies on the other side of the world for a quick round of SupaGolf and a proper Aussie BBQ (shrimp, Alf and Ailsa, the whole lot).

On Sunday night, after 24hours travelling, JD and Oisin arrived in Perth keen on some sleep... (loosely translated as "schhooooop"). We went straight to the Bottle-o and stocked up for the next few days on the bus. Having drank our way through that supply, we tucked into the Duty Free the lads had brought over and started bellyflops into the pool. This was a precedent that would serve us very well for the next 2 weeks.

Our bus trip took us 3,500km along the west coast, stopping at beautiful beaches, gorges, off-shore reef, pie shops and more bottle shops. The opportunities for swimming in mankinis were unfortunately very common. Our fantastic driver Peter was the epitomy of the Western Australian character ("alright you mob, where are those 5 IRA bastards?")!

After another Raymon BBQ on our return to Perth, we headed south to the beach in Mandurah and vineyard in Margaret River. More of the same over-indulgence left us needing a holiday after our holiday. To top it off, we came back to Fremantle for "one good lash at it". The local economy has been boosted by our liquid intake and we were happy to help in our own special way. Great couple of weeks with na buachailli. See you in Dublin in 6 weeks! Photos are here.

Melbourne & Tasmania

Next stop on our Australia leg......Tasmania......a place I never thought I'd be. We landed in Hobart and went our separate ways. We were here for the Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships, Rob was playing with a team from Perth and I was playing with a team from Sydney. We had tried to surprise Al who was flying in from Sydney.....small world! A 3-day tournament which saw my team come last and Rob's team not far behind. I had so much craic, met some really good people. My highlights include; playing again, seeing familiar faces and making new friends, GOON o'clock 9am, Robin Hood fancy dress, Joel and Jamie, crazy dancing, press-up competitions, my team. A great great weekend, my only lowlight being losing to Rob's team! We didn't see much of Tasmania....next time.

From Tasmania we flew to Melbourne to see Rob's friend Brian who has set up camp there. Brian showed us the sights of St Kilda's (we had just missed the AFL final) and the lads had a great auld catch up! We met up with Ciara (my friend from work) and Fiona (Al's cousin) for some lunch dinner dates......such a nice way to spend time in this cool city. Thanks a million Brian for the fun times!

Photos are here

Byron Bay, Brisbane & Fraser Island

Landing in Ballina airport was not quite the west of Ireland we were semi-hoping for. Byron Bay is gorgeous, we spent a few days chilling out and being 'healthy', I flew the flag going to a few yoga sessions. Next Ann joined us from Brisbane, it had been 2 years since I had seen her.....well it was a mighty reunion :) beach session, apres beach sessions, hippy trip to Nimbin and a few chilled out gigs with a few 'rack offs' thrown in! We then went back up to Brisbane with Ann who showed us around her new home town. We had a great time having kanga banga BBQ's and meeting her house mates Jo-el and Leroy. We held Koala bears, petted and fed Kangaroos (after eating their cousins the night before), went to a comedy gig and walked all around the city.

Next it was off to Fraser Island to explore. We had a good group of 12 who bundled into an freelander, tight squeeze but good craic. We saw so much wildlife things I'd never seen before: Humpback Whales, Dolphins, Sea turtles, Tiger Sharks, Eel Rays, Manta Rays, Tuna and a King Brown (second most deadly snake in the world and he reared up!) A great 3 day trip camping and exploring.

Back to Brisbane for one last night with Ann - Thanks so much for such a great time Ann, I can't wait to see you in July! Photos are here.

Sydney!!!!!

After a mad last week in Wanaka it was time for some more mayhem in Sydney. We stayed with Al to begin with and it was cool to see his happy Sydney life. Smorgesbord dinners and a night in Scruffy Murphy's (Al's new favourite), seeing the NRL semi-final in the olympic stadium ended nice days of sight seeing around the city. Gav and Karmen looked after us very well for the next few nights, a nice trip to Manly beach with everyone, meeting up with our travelling amigos Dan and Hannah for a scoop at the opera house, sunday ultimate and ceili band, finished off sydney perfectly for us!!! Thanks lads, Byron Bay next stop!!! Photos are here

Bye bye Wanaka!

Wowsers.....what a fun season, we've had a great time, met some lovely people, had some great visitors and skiied our little legs off! It's been a great stop on our trip and its been really cool to see what its not like living somewhere else. 'NOT BAD HEY' as they'd say here. Some highlights include Cardrona and Treble Cone, cranium nights, adaptive skiing, lake swimming, monster trucking, fancy dress parties, milford sound, mr. rodgers, bill and eleanor, ciara, gav, hannah and dan..... next stop Sydney, tis a hard life!!!

All the photos are here and here :)

Rodgers.... Shambo Rodgers

Armed with a USIT card craftily acquired in Bangkok, Mr Rodgers (nee Hayes) arrived in NZ with a mission: To prove that an Irish flag can be used as a fully-functioning cape.

Having thrown himself out of an airplane from 12,000 feet, he defaulted to the use of a parachute and thus struck this attempt from the record books.

Later in the same week, Mr Rodgers used the same cape as a prop in his explanation of the 800 years of oppression of our country, the thievery of our land, our jobs and our women. Needless to say, the audience was left spellbound.

Thankfully, just before his departure for the North Island, the ever-patriotic Mr Rodgers had more success. Full of scoop from the previous evening, standing atop the Kawarau Bridge just outside Queenstown, Rodgers threw himself 43 metres towards a certain (and chilly) death. All the stood between the mercurial Rodgers and his maker was the trusty Irish flag. Thankfully for his fans (the "Shambones" as they have dubbed themselves), Rodgers created a little slice of history. An Bratach Eireannach sailing lazily in the morning breeze, the crowd gasped at this proud Irishman's daring and lunacy. Just as the women and children were being sheltered from what was sure to end in a horrific mess of green, white and gold, Rodgers engaged his flag and soared.

SnowTime in Wanakatown

So, our reason for being here is to spend the season "laying down some fresh lines, taming the pow and throwing down some sick moves". If we can do some boarding and skiing while we're at it, all the better.

In the hectic week before the season kicked off, we sorted ourselves out with skis, boots, snowboards and excessively large trousers. It had been snowing heavily during May, so when the slopes opened on June 26th, the conditions were the best in years, according to the Wanaka City locals. If you ever get here, ask them about the Inversion Layer. They'll give you the rundown.

We've had visits from Ger, Aoibheann, GavRob, Emily, AllMODCons, Dan and Hannah. We've shown them the sights of Cardrona, evening drinks by the lakeside in Wanaka, Cinema Paradiso and happy hour at the Stale House. We've had some spills and encounters with ice walls but so far so good.

Wanakakakakaka

Tis the miggle o' June and we're wearing thermal underwear. What in the hell is going on Roundy?! After 1 year of almost perpetual summer from Canada to Argentina, the winter has final caught up with us. Weird as it is to be freezing cold in June, we're "totally stoked" for the start of the season.

Equipment is bought, jobs are sorted and we have a house with heating (a genuine luxury here). Seamie has arrived from Ireland via Bangkok, Bali and Beijing. Alexa and Andy have arrived from the Isle of Man via Christchurch and Lake Howerya. The Sunday Sesh tradition began with a sterling performance by Chef Hayes. NZ's finest roast lamb and boxes of wine... Going to be hard to beat! Wanaka photos so far!

NEW ZEALAND - South Island

The South Island - driving for miles and miles and seeing no one, surrounded by gorgeousness. On our way to Christchurch we hit the wine country (Blenheim) and Kaikora (in search of Whales). We arrived in Christchurch to stay with Alexa and Andy, we did a bit of farming (i.e. fencing) and lots of catching up. On arrival I tore up the drive way (the van's first of many towing incidents). After a great few days with the lads we headed across Arthur's Pass to the west coast. The Alps were stunning and the van loved the challenge of the ups and downs :) On the west coast we travelled north to the stunning pancake rocks and then down the coast to the sun trapped Hokitika for some chilling and then on to the glaciers Franz Josef and Fox. The west coast was really beautiful!

Next stop Wanaka/Lake Hawea to stay with Alexa and Andy and go on the job hunt! All went well and Rob is now a barman and I'm a sports massage therapist, success! Lots of nights by the fire, red wine and cranium - great craic!

Alexa, Rob and I then went south to Dunedin for the All Blacks game against France, it was amazing to get to a game and see the mighty blacks in action. We were amongst it in the rowdy terrace where they didn't get too involed unless they were doing well and threw bottles in disapproval. Cool to see the Haka and to see the French do really well, allez les bleus! A moustache fuelled night followed. The next day we went to the Otaga Peninsula in search of Penguins and Albatross', none were found but it was fun looking. Rob and I continued on down to the Catlins, great craic until we got snowed in (towing incident number 3) and had to abandon the trip and return to Dunedin early, good excuse to go back later though. The next night we met Seamus, arriving from intrepid Asian travels, he even has a tan much to my jealousy! Another cosy night in the van and on to Wanaka.........the south island is treating us very well so far!

Photos are here!

NEW ZEALAND - North Island

Strange to say it, but its actually a culture-shock being in a developed country. No more sign-language when shopping, asking taxi drivers to cool the jets or living in fear of teenage girls who might be about to thieve your camera/wallet/dignity... Until we hit Asia I guess.

OK, its a cliche, but people in NZ are ridiculously friendly... like over-the-top, "is anyone looking for a kidney cos I have 2" kind of way. Bus drivers, hostel folk, the man on the street, everyone. Having bought a camper van from a Welsh couple, our first night on the road ended in an invite to stay with a Kiwi couple south of Auckland. Next day, I was looking to buy a car-jack for the van in a scrap yard. The guy didn't have any so he opens up his own car and gives me the jack from there, "cheers buddy - how much?" ... "nah, sweet as bro!"

So, the van. Ah, the van. Formerly seen on Glenroe, bringing Blackie Connors to horse fairs the length of the country. She's a Toyota Hiace camper, 1990 white(ish), runs on LPG (very eco-friendly boss). So far she's brought us from Auckland, north through the Kauri forest (heeeuge trees that are really really old, boss) to the Bay of Islands (country music festival... hilarious), through glow worm caves. From there we came back for more disc in Auckland and onto egg-smelly Rotorua for the stunning thermal springs and Mauri village.

Only a few minor issues so far, including a new horn, jump leads for a flat battery and a puncture repair. We also threw in some jazzy cushions, which should have a serious impact on the resale value.

Lake Waikaremoana, the van struggled to make the epic journey across the mountains on the gravel roads to this beautiful lake, some hiking and some wilderness action left us very satisfied! The weather stayed glorious for us as we winded our way along the coast towards Napier for some indoor ultimate and friendly fish'n'chips. Next stop Martinborough for some wine tasting followed by Upper Hutt where we met up with friends of Fi's family for dinner, so good to meet you Jan, Michelle and little Jan, thanks a million! On the way to Wellington we met a lovely Irish girl in the swimming pool who invited us to come stay with them and watch the game. Many schhooops later and some great craic we ended up watching the match in D4 no less, what a victory, Fi was in tears with no voice left at all! The monsoon continued in Wellington, Siobhan and Tom showed us the sights as we tried to tame our hangovers. The storm mellowed and we hopped on the ferry to the South Island....the road trip continues... Photos are here

New Zealand, the road trip begins!

We've left South America and are now cruising around New Zealand in a yet-to-be-named campervan. Suggestions on a postcard to:
The 1990 Toyota Hiace (white)
c/o Blackie Connors
North Island
NZ

(or leave a comment)

Brona comes to play in BA

Hooray, so amazing to see Brona as we met in the wee hours of the morning in Buenos Aires airport. We spent 2 days exploring BA, seeing the sights of Boca, centro, the japanese gardens, some girly time etc etc was great craic. Unfortunately Brona and I were spring upon by some horrible theifs when boarding the metro, it turns out we're both 'fight' not 'fright' girls! The next day we headed off to Colonial in Uruguay, a beautiful little oldy oldy town, highlights include cycling to wee village with bull ring, mousey mousey :), dining along the cobbled streets and having the craic!

Was amazing to see you Brona, you is a legend! Photos are here

Tierra del Fuego

Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego - D'end of D'World in all and anyways. Having left Ireland just over 9 months ago, we have made it to the most southerly landmass in the world before Antartica.

A trip out on the Beagle Channel brought us face-to-face with South American sealions, emperor cormorants, turkey vultures an albatross and a bird called the 'Snowy Shitbill', no joke. Its white and apparently it feeds on whatever the other animals 'leave behind'... lovely.

On the boat trip to the "End of the World Lighthouse", the sealion cubs jumped and frollicked in the wake of the boat. Even the photos don't capture the craic they seemed to be having!

Quite a sense of achievement and finality about getting here. Fiona had a notion about getting to Cape Horn, but apparently its a 7-day trip on a tanker/ice breaker.... maybe next time. From here, its back to Buenos Aires and then onto New Zealand. An end to the Latin American adventure... for now.

Patagonia

Tough as it was to leave the warm breakfast scones in the Irish hostel in Bariloche, we had been really looking forward to taming Patagonia. The photos are the only way to appreciate the beauty of this wild region, which spreads across southern Chile and Argentina. An epic 32hour bus journey to El Calafate at a 10degree drop in temperature - made worthwhile by the unbelievable Perito Moreno glacier trek. Crevasses, rivers, 300 meter high caves and icey-blue lagoons - truly spectacular.

Our next stop was El Chalten "Hiking Capital of Argentina". A beautiful drive along Ruta 23 & 40 revealed the stunning Cerro Torre and Cerro FitzRoy. 4 days here, hiking to hidden lakes, floating icebergs and watching the Heineken Cup on ESPN en Español. A Leinster-Munster semi-final in Croker may mean very pricey flights home. "Anyone buyin' or sellin' tickets?!"

Torres del Paine (Chile's world-famous national park) was washed out due to a whinjury (Rob) and the horrendous weather. We managed to get one day of hiking here, but left feeling that El Chalten is the winner of this Argentina-Chile faction.

From here, the only thing left to conquer was the "End of the Line... Tierra del Fuego". Our destination was Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city. On a ferry crossing the Strait of Magellan, I bought a burger and mashed potatoes, served with Kerrygold butter no less! Jackie Healy-Rae you can sleep easy!

Photos of our Patagonian adventures are here.

Argentinian Lake District - Mendoza and Bariloche

After a mammoth 24 hour bus from Montevideo to Mendoza it took us a day to feel normal again. The city is gorgeous, it has a very relaxed pace with lots of plazas where the locals hang out (not in a knacekrish way). We took in the city for 2 days and then went on a bike tour around the wineries, vineyards and olive farms, an amazing day in the sun! I saw my first olive tree and battled with my bike - the front brakes were clamped on the wheel, great craic! A great build up to 'my day'!

For the BIG 26 Rob took me paragliding, I was very thankful afterwards but was questioning why anyone would pay for such a thing when I was being kitted out. It was amazing, alot of screaming was heard on take off, cheesy as it sounds as I settled in I actually felt quite like a giant bird. We did some acrobatics in the air (jaysus never again) and landed with Rob close behind after around 20mins - fantastic!

Next stop Bariloche in the lake district (after another epic 17hr bus). Beautiful town on a lake in the heart of the Lake district, called the gateway to Patagonia. The weather wasn't great the whole time, we met some great people and managed to see gorgeous vistas, dance to the wee hours and do a bike ride around the national park. Next stop Patagonia, woop woop!

Photos

Amigos in Argentina

Thanks to more Delta mayhem, Len and Eva made it to Buenos Aires but missed Ireland's Grand Slam keeper-upper against Scotland. Despite this setback, we quickly assembled the portable gym and got working on the guns. Having seen our (dingy) hostel, we accepted the invitation to stay at their fancy boutique hotel in trendy Palermo. The 4 days in BA mainly revolved around vino and steak, although we did manage to squeeze in some sightseeing, Evita-singing, tango-dancing and futbol-watching. Riquelme is officially the laziest human on the planet!

While Len and Eve scooted off to Iguazu Falls, we headed for Uruguay, to re-rendezvous in Punta del Diablo, near the Brazilian border. Punta is a nightmare to get to, but very much worth the trip. We had booked a house over the phone with the rock-solid information "meet a man on a yellow motorbike when you arrive". Turns out we had hit the jackpot - As they'd say in Limerick... "Pool'n'allnit bud". We had a tranquilo week soaking up the sunshine and celebrating the GRAND SLAM in style.

A few fond memories... "Jaysus lads, I think I'm going to be sick."
"Aherlow 1-1 Nenagh no score. Aherlow have history med. Jaysus, there'll be a big night in the Glen".
Shopping is most appropriately deposited at the front door.

Thanks for coming to meet us halfway down South America. We had a great holiday from our holiday. Jaysus lads, this travelling lark isn't so bad.

Pucon, Chile

The most stunning place I think we've been so far. Like a natural disneyland. The town of Pucon is underneath the pretty active Volcan Villaricca (last went off in 1986 and on a cycle of 23 years - shizah!) and surrounded by lakes - it's beautiful!

We warmed ourselves up with a quick wee hike which turned out to be a 17km full-on climb to view some lakes but was totally worth it. Next came the big climb up the imposing Volcan. Using the crampons and ice pick was great craic, with lots of hilarious falling over. The summit had spectacular views and ooodles of sulphur, both of us thinking we'd never be at the top of an active volcanoe! The highlight was sliding down the glacier on our bums, like bobsledding with out the bobsleds - great craic! Alot of ash was consumed over the day, so fulfilling and knackering.

The next day we went canyoning i.e. for me ridiculously lowering yourself down a sheer waterfall, amazing scenery and adrenaline pumping, the photos tell a good story.

A short trip to Pucon but a real highlight

Photos are here

Chile

Crossing the border from Bolivia to the Atacama Desert was an important step towards sea level. It's been a month since we've seen the ocean and we were very keen to get the heart-rate back to a reasonable level ASAP, without the need for mate de coca.

San Pedro de Atacama was a haven for a few days to sit still (after the 3 days in the jeep through Bolivia). We shouldn't have been surprised to find that the heat was insane most of the day - all the locals criss-cross the street to constantly walk in the most shaded spots along the streets. Cactii, dust-storms and signs declaring "water is gold" satisfied our need for the desert cliche.

My mother would be proud of our new tradition... 17 hours on a bus tends to whizz by if you get stuck into the Chilean red wine! Next pit-stop was La Serena, an old colonial city with a great observatory. The obervatory was slick. We saw the southern cross, a comet and the moons and rings of Saturn. No sightings of the rings around Uranus, unfortunately.

We'd been told Santiago was "OK but no great shakes". I'm glad to report that we defied this by thoroughly enjoying the capital for a couple of days, wandering the city, finding weird buildings, loads of graffiti and viewing the city from lofty swimming pools at Parque Metropolitana.

Some notable differences between Chile and Bolivia:
- On the serene bus to San Pedro, we spent all of the trip in our seats, as opposed to the "Bolivian levitation trick"
- When trying to cross the road in Chile, drivers slow down and wave you across. In Bolivia, the "bonus point system" is strictly adhered to (Gringos = double).
- Its easy to be a millionaire in Chile. I can safely say this is the first time I've ever withdrawn 150,000 from an ATM.
- Fiona "might even trust the street-meat" in Chile.

Suffice to say, Chile is a fancy-dan version of Latin America. Its very European and if it wasn't for the tall red beacon walking alongside me, I could blend in with the locals.

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

We had really looked forward to this trip but wow it took us by surprise. The scenery was just astoundingly beautiful. Between the salt flats, the desert and the volvanic activity the land was so vast and yet so inhospitable! 8 of us were jammed into a toyota land cruiser with our hilarious if a little unhinged driver Cesar. We met 2 american girls Julie and Anna who were great craic and let us take their photos.

Comedy moments of the trip include: Cesar manually moving the windscreen wipers whilst hanging out his open door as he drove at pace. Being told off in a tyrade by our Brazilian friend for communicating in English to each other (reminiscent of many a school trip in my teens.) Our jeep breaking down in the middle of the windy desert. The food.

We were sad to say goodbye to our 2 buddies at the border but Chile here we come!

The pictures really speak for themselves