The main reason for us being in Sydney at this time of the year was to celebrate the New Year in style! We had been reliably told by many people that the best way of seeing the fireworks was to be on the water. On arrival in Sydney we had nothing booked, but the guys in the hotel were able to find a harbour cruise for NYE which sailed until 2am. This gave prime viewing of the amazing fireworks. There was food and drink on board and plenty of music and dancing with a live band & DJ. Somehow we had [View Full Entry]

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Being in Oz for New Year meant one certain thing for us. We had to go to Sydney and see it live at the Harbour. We arrived in Sydney after a relatively short 4 hour flight from Perth. Looking out of the left window of the plane as we landed, we caught our first glimpse, albeit a distant one, of the Harbour bridge and the Opera House. It was an amazing sight and really wetted our appetites for seeing them up close. We had booked our accomodation for the new year several months ago when we were still working and decided [View Full Entry]

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After a sad farewell to the mystery machine we headed into Fremantle for a night out at the Sail & Anchor pub. A great place to meet people & sample some of the beers made on the premises! We were lucky enough to hear the one man band who was an incredible musician & included a didgeridoo in his band!! (Not sure if Liam Gallagher would think Wonderwall should include this ancient instrument!) Our Christmas present from Jo, Colin, Grace & Georga was an evening tour around Fremantle Prison. Along with Jo & Sally we joined a tour around this historic [View Full Entry]

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After listening to Colin & Jo talk about Karajini National Park, it became a 'must see' place whilst we were in WA. Despite warnings of high temperatures and the thought of a 1400 km journey, we departed around 9am on Sunday morning. The mystery machine performed best about 100km per hour, meaning that we would have over 14 hours of driving to do. In Oz the distances our massive and it is advisable not to drive at night as this is when the wildlife takes over the highway. The likelihood of hitting a Kangaroo or other creature after dark and seriously [View Full Entry]

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Our first road trip in Oz & we decided to explore the South of Western Australia, in particular Margaret River, the famous wine region in WA. After loading up our 'mystery machine' with enough water, VB & supplies to keep us happy for a few days on the road, we set off from Rockingham. It wasn't long before we arrived in Bunbury & then Bussleton. The jetty is beautiful & we loved the feel of there. Unknown to us there was an open air "Carols by Candlelight" service on in the town. It was lovely to sit and watch in our [View Full Entry]

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Well, after a sleepless 4 hour flight from Bali, we arrived in Perth at 5.30 am. The temperature was a very chilly 17celcius! Immigration was eventually cleared after a hickup with Sarah's visa led to some frantic phone calls by the officer. Customs was not such a drama and we were through alot quicker than expected. Initially Sarah was heard telling quite a few people in Western Australia "It's all a conspiracy, you only say it's hot weather to get us here!" Were promised the weather would get better and this was true. We picked up our campervan and headed straight [View Full Entry]

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Well our Asian adventure is coming to an end & we have been reflecting on our travels through Thailand, Vietnam, Camboida, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia & Singapore. We arrived 12 weeks ago in Bangkok airport as two new adventurers, not knowing what lay ahead other than we were supremely pleased to be travelling & having the opportunity to experience so many different cultures. (That,and the fact our passports would look excellent when we returned to Ireland!!) We have had more highs than we can even remember, all of which make us smile. Many a local beer was drunk & we dined on [View Full Entry]

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Hi, This blog comes from Jen as Mike and Sarah want an editorial break. It took me 29 hours to get here but it's been so worth it. On Monday, we didn't want to do anything too energetic so Sarah and I checked ourselves into a 4 hour spa at the Samaya hotel. We had a massage, facial, body scrub, manicure and flower bath. Sheer bliss... In the evening, we decided to sample the local cuisine so went to Sate Bali. We chose the menu with meaty options and out came lots of little dishes, which were all delicious so we [View Full Entry]

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Well, following a smooth 3 hour flight from Singapore, we arrived in Densepar airport, Bali. We are staying in Seminyak at the Villa Kresna resort, a 30 min taxi ride from the airport. Our accomodation is 2 mins walk to the beach which runs for miles, from Kuta beyond where we are staying. It is a real surfers beach with the waves crashing in only a short distance off shore. The accomodation is well finished and feels homely, great for 2 weeks we are staying here for. Sunsets here are speactular, a panoramic view to the horizon over the ocean, [View Full Entry]

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EVERYONE, THERE ARE THREE PAGES OF PICTURES ATTACHED SO DON'T MISS OUT!! YOU CAN VIEW THEM ALL IN A SLIDE SHOW BY DOUBLE CLICKING ON ONE - THIS WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER VIEW! So we arrived in Singapore after a short flight from Koh Samui on Wednesday. What a fantastic three days we have had in this unmissable city on the gateway to Asia. Staying at VIP Hotel in Balmoral Crescent made us close to Newton MRT train station & at only 100SGD per night (Around 33 pounds for us both) including breakfast, free internet access & a very nice [View Full Entry]

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