The green, green grass of Home

Hi everyone!

And just like that, 12 months has passed and here we are back home in sunny (but cold!) Ireland!

Can't quite believe that the time has gone by as quick as it has, but what a year its been -

Some of our highlights include seeing the amazing temples at Ankor Wat in Cambodia, lazing around in Cape Tribulation in Oz with Nik and Marc, standing freezing and slightly dazed with altitude sickness at Mt Everest base camp, eating BBQ'ed fish for dinner in Goa... We could go on, but we'd be here all night.


Thanks for all your comments and good wishes throughout the year, we're really looking forward to seeing each and every one of you again soon!

Til then, be good and take care! XX

"Konnichiwa all"!

Well, we're having a really great time here in Japan and have managed to cram in loads over the past 2 and a bit weeks. So here's a summary of our main highlights, starting in Tokyo and ending in Kyoto, where we are now.

First of all, it was a real shock to the system to experience proper cold, winter weather. After many long, fantastic months in tropical conditions (even New Zealand was hot in places), we were soon reminded of the chill we'll probably feel once we land back home in a couple of weeks. So, the first thing on the Tokyo agenda was finding 2 warm coats. After traipsing around about a million different shops, the mission was finally accomplished and so we were off!!

In Tokyo we felt obliged to do some very Japanese-y things: 1. go watch a Sumo game and 2. take an early morning trip to a fish market!! The Sumo game was actually a testimonial for some famous Sumo wrestler dude who was absolutely loved by the crowd. Interestingly, the crowd was a real mix of all ages, from elderly grannies supping at their tins of Asahi beer to cute kids chasing each other around the stadium. The ceremony was very long but gave us the chance to experience a bit of this ancient art (and to take a classic picture of Marty with the wrestler looking none too pleased to have a fan taller than he is!!).

(The Sumo bout in Tokyo)

Never let it be said that Susie isn't one for the early start. In order to go see Tokyo's famous Tsukiji Fish Market, we were up, maybe not awake but on the metro at 5.15 a.m.! Who would have thought a fish auction could be so much fun? It was 6 in the morning, noisy and icy cold but totally fascinating to see dozens of huge tuna fish go to the highest bidder. Have a look at the photos of the delicious fresh tuna and lots of other sea creatures who by lunch time would have been no more.

(What a catch!!)

From Tokyo we travelled down south to the island of Kyushu. Here, we spent time in:

• Fukuoka, where we were locked out of our hostel having arrived at 10 at night, only to have the door answered by the one and only Mark Crory all the way from Newcastle Co.Down - Marty's old mate from their Boy Scout days! A truly 'small world' story.
• Nagasaki, a lovely city where we spent 3 days in the amazing Akari guest house. Nana and Shingo made us feel really welcome - hello to you guys!
• A ferry trip from Kagoshima and a 20 km cycle around the live volcano, Sakurajima. Pretty spectacular.
• Ibusuki, lying buried in hot volcanic sand. Bliss!
• Spotting ancient old stone Buddhas in Usuki.
• Relaxing in onsen (hot spring baths) in Beppu. Its a bit scary getting starkers with the locals for the first time, but those baths are sooo relaxing!!

(Ibusuki, hot volcanic sand baths)

Back in Honshu, we also spent a few days in Hiroshima, learning about its tragic past. The A-Bomb Dome, a former cultural building until the bomb exploded almost directly above it, stands as a constant reminder of that tragedy.

Right now we're in Kyoto and have been out geisha spotting! Number of Japanese tourists dresses as geishas - about a thousand. Number of real geishas - 5 (we think). Kyoto is a lovely old city, streets full of wooden fronted houses and tiny tea rooms. Today we zoomed around its temples and noodle shops on bikes, which was a good thing as there is snow forecast for tomorrow!

(Kyoto Geisha)

Next up is a trip to the Japanese Alps, hopefully some more onsen and a stay in a ryoken, a traditional Japanese-style guest house. We'll be letting you know how we get on. So bye for now, folks!!

Peace out, M&S xx

New Zealand - lots of lakes and a birthday celebration!

Hi again everyone!

We're writing this from a cold but amazing Tokyo, having arrived just a day or so ago. We're going to be in Japan for about 5 weeks and as the end of this trip is sadly approaching, this will be one of our final posts :( But we intend to make the very most of every day here, and there will be plenty of photos to show and stories to bore you with on our return!! But before that, here's what we were up to the last few weeks of our time in New Zealand. There's a lot of outdoorsy stuff to do over there and we reckon we crammed in a fair amount, But after 2 months back in the English-speaking world, we were ready for a new Japanese challenge!! Sayonara!!!

(Fox glacier)

So, the last time we spoke we were waiting for the cloud to clear in the town of Fox to allow us to get up close and personal with the glacier there. In the end, it did and we did! To see something that was formed so long ago was pretty spectacular. The sheer colour of the ice - changing from turquoise to green to white and grey - is breathtaking, and the zoomy ride up there in a helicopter was well worth the money! We spent a couple of hours walking on the ice guided by friendly Kiwis, Paul and Pete. Susie even got to have a go at swinging their ice pick, which was actually mighty heavy! All in all, seeing Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers was a real highlight of our time in NZ and was perhaps something we may not be lucky enough to experience again. Nearby Lake Matheson provided the ultimate photo opportunity - check out the reflection of Aoraki/Mount Cook on the lake's clear waters.

(Marty in front of Lake Matheson)

From the glaciers we sped off in our wee camper van towards Wanaka and Queenstown. The scenery on this part of the trip was fantastic, the turquoise blue lakes really have to be seen to be believed. Our next destination was Milford Sound in Fiordland, an area of native forest and bush, clear waterways and lakes, glaciers and high peaks. In Maori legend, the fiords were created not by rivers of ice, but by Tu Te Raki Whanoa, a godly figure who came wielding a magical adze and uttering incantations. Maoris believe that Milford Sound is without doubt his finest sculpture.

Time was creeping up on us by now, so we headed further down south right to the tip of the country and the boring town of Bluff!! Even Kiwis we met on the road agreed that there was NOTHING to do here, which is a real shame as the views over to Stuart Island and the surrounding countryside are amazing. Ah well, maybe one day we'll move there and open the coffee shop/bar that Bluff so desperately needs!! (Likelihood=zero!!)

(Marty at the most southern tip of NZ, Bluff)

Of our remaining time spent in NZ, visiting Aoraki/Mount Cook was fun. But once again the weather conspired against us and we never even got to see the peak that Edmund Hillary scaled in 1947. Shame really, as the mountain is quite something. Instead, we made do with a short walk along one of the well-tramped tracks below Aoraki and had a good laugh at some Americans in the Hermitage Hotel cafe as they ordered a bottle of wine, exclaiming to anyone within a 100-metre earshot, "Which wine is your most paaaaap-ular? They all sure taste the same to me"!

And so it was that the NZ leg of this trip came to an end for us. But not before a certain young lady from the Mountains of Mourne celebrated "a landmark birthday" in style in Christchurch! We stayted in the coolest hotel ever - HotelSo - drank NZ sparkly wine bought directly from the Twin Islands vineyard in Marlborough, and thought we were really quite fabulous.

(The birthday girl)

And now Japan. First things we have noted are that the underground is sooo quiet, people can manage to sleep on the trains and miraculously wake up when they reach their stop, Japanese ladies are extremely stylish, they all bow an awful lot, sushi tastes even better over here and they certainly do like their gadgets. We can also confirm that public toilets will, at the touch of a button, spray your posterior with water then dry it with a sort of hand dryer-for-bums, all while you sit very comfortably on the electrically heated seat!!! This country is great!!! More soon, take good care now!! xxx

New Zealand - its Ireland on drugs!!

Hi all,


Well, since our last posting we've managed to cram in loads of driving and sight-seeing in the north island and have made it safely across the Cook Strait with our van. At the moment, we're in the wee town of Fox (about half way down the west coast of the south island) and are ready and waiting for the clouds to do one and let us get up, up and away on a chopper to have a look at the world famous Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers. Fingers crossed we get airborne later today, we'll let you know next time how we get on!!

(Us in Oakura, with the camper van)

So, back to the north island to recap on the many great places visited up there. From what we've seen so far, New Zealand could be described as a sort of Ireland on drugs, or a bit of an extreme version of the Emerald Isle (we mean this in a good way!!). Yes, there are the green fields and rolling hills but then look over your shoulder (or out the back of the van), and there are dormant volcanoes, thermal hot springs bubbling away and black sand beaches that'll scorch your tootsies.


Our first stop after bidding farewell to the O'Hallorans in Auckland was at cousin Dan's farm in Keri Keri. Dan and Michelle welcomed us with a BBQ, the proverbial cow from the farm having been made ready for our arrival (Old girl number 606, we salute you). It was here in Keri Keri that Marty lost a 30-minute struggle with an elusive fish (a ray, we think) but at least the proof was captured on camera, have a look for yourself!

(Dan and a snapper)


From here, we made our way right up to the northern tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. This is a significant site for Kiwis as its where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet and where the spirits of the Maori dead are believed to leap off. It was a mighty blustery day as the photos will show...


In the space of a few days, we tore down the coast, one highlight being Mount Taranaki and its surrounding wee coastal towns. The Mt Taranaki volcano dominates the landscape here and although we didn't climb it, it looks impressive from afar. It is also supposed to be a double of Mt Fuji in Japan, so much so Mt Taranaki was used as Mt Fuji in the Tom Cruise flick, The Last Samurai. We'll look forward to checking this out when we're in Japan in a couple of weeks!

(Marty in front of Mt Taranaki)


Time was by now pressing on, and so we were forced to leg it down towards Wellington to catch the ferry over to the south island. Right from landing in Picton, the pace slowed down and we were pleased to have a bit more time on our hands to take in all the south island has to offer.


First stop, the wine region of Marlborough! Manys a fine pinot gris and sauvignon blanc (2 specialities of the region) were sampled here, as the sun poured down and we travelled from coastal town to coastal town. Kaikoura stands out for its fine beaches and good fishing spots (the fun is in the trying, right?). It was on the Kaikoura Peninsula that Maori demigod Maui sat as he fished the north island up from the depths of the sea. As Maui and scenes of this legend are painted on our van, this was a good place to spend a couple of relaxing days. We also did a spot of whale watching, and were successful in seeing 3 magnificent sperm whales as they came up from the depths for a bit of a breather. Very cool indeed.

On our way down here to Franz Joseph and Fox, we stayed in a couple of fine spots including Hanmer Springs (more hot thermal baths), Westport (lovely beach and friendly folks) and Hokitika (the jade carving capital of NZ). Typical of the contrasting scenery and weather is the fact that you can travel from glaciers to the beach in under 20 km - something really NZ.

(Susie at Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki)


So after spending some time admiring the glaciers here, we'll be headed for Queenstown, home to all sorts of adrenalin sports invented in NZ and Milford Sound, supposedly some of the most stunning scenery in the country.


(Maui fishing up the north island)

Hope you're all well, more again soon! xx

Happy 2008!

Hello all, and Happy New Year! Hope you all had a fun time over Christmas, looking forward to hearing what you were all up to!

(Fireworks at midnight, NYE Auckland)

We're currently in Auckland, NZ and have been staying with Marty's cousins the O'Hallorans.

(The O'Hallorans)

The past 2 weeks have been spent being chauffered around the city and a bit further afield in the North Island - Rotorua for its mud pools and thermal baths, and Taupo where there apparently was an earthquake while we were there (not that we noticed of course!).

(Maori face carving, Museum of Auckland)

Tomorrow (Thursday 3rd) we're collecting our Camper Van Mark II and squeezing in lots more in the North Island before heading over to the South Island on 12 Jan to do it all again there!

We'll be posting more news and photos as we go along, and love reading your comments as always!! Til the next time, all the best! XX

3,000 kilometres in a Toyota Hiace!

G'day! So where were we now? Ah yes, cruising up the east coast towards Cairns (and in the end, a bit further, spending a few nights in Cape Tribulation, gorgeous place).


(Wine on the beach, Cape Trib)

Our trusty camper van clocked up a good 3,000 km on this road trip; here are some of the highlights.

Byron Bay offered sparkly beaches and a good mix of chilled-out as well as lively bars and cafes. In fact, this mix set the pace for many of the towns we visited up and down the coast! Next stop outside of Byron was the wee town of Nimbin, known for its relaxed attitude to the ol whacky 'baccy. Proving a tad too touristy (bus loads of dazed Aussie teens on their school hols arriving every 10 minutes...), we soon took off and continued on up the Gold Coast.

An absolute highlight of our time in Oz has to be sailing the Whitsunday Islands. Made up of over 90 islands and falling within the Great Barrier Reef area, the Whitsundays are extremely beautiful. On our high-seas adventure we spent 3 nights on the Anaconda III, a 'mega-yacht' catering for around 30 people - check out the photos of this baby!



(On board the Anaconda III)

The 3 days consisted of a bit of swimming, a bit of snorkling, a bit of sea-sickness (Susie) and in Marty's case, a bit of scuba diving in the Reef. In a word - excellent! We also met some really cool people on this trip, including Marc from Quebec and Nick from South Africa, and ended up travelling with these guys to Cairns and Cape Trib ("awesome!!"). Have a look at the snaps of Cape Tribulation, which is one of the few places in the world where tropical rainforest meets the sea.

After all the beaches and laziness of the east coast, it was soon time for something a bit different. So off we flew to Uluru, or Ayer's Rock, this most recognisible (and sadly, touristy) of Aboriginal sites. Although it was fantastic to visit this area and to learn more about its amazing cultural significance for the Anangu people, it was quite strange that in the 3 days we were there, we saw no Aborigines working in the shops, cafes or accommodation nor running the tours for the hoards of tourists there. This made the whole place seem a bit commercial and profit-driven (that said, the Anangu do receive an income from leasing the site to the Australian authorities which is fed back to their community in the Uluru region, but still...).

(Uluru, Central Australia)

After Uluru we flew back to Sydney to meet up with our friends from the Anaconda III for our last beers in Australia (well, until February anyway when we have a weekend in Melbourne!).

As you've probably been reading this news about our Aussie trip over a turkey sandwich during the first couple of days of January 2008, read on to hear how we spent Christmas and New Year in Auckland New Zealand!!! Bye for now! XX