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We have stayed in quite a few dodgy accommodations during our trip, some dirty, some noisy, some too hot, but there was one place in the sleepy seaside town of Hokitika in South Island New Zealand that was particularly memorable. Not because it was dirty, or even dodgy, but it was just plain spooky. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was dirty because we were staying in our own tent on the lawn.
We were making the trip down the West Coast towards Franz Joseph after picking up some food in …

During my time working in regional Western Australia I was lucky enough to be treated to this sunset on a daily basis. I never got bored of leaving work each evening and being treated to the above sunset. The perfect way to end the working day.

After the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Christchurch on 22 February 2011, I had been meaning to blog about the amazing month we had spent in New Zealand in January, prior to the earthquake. Now 6 months on from the earthquake and the upcoming Rugby World Cup in NZ, I think it’s about time that I wrote about our trip there and help spread the word that New Zealand is very much Open for Business.
If I’m honest, I have to say that, before visiting New Zealand I didn’t know …

Diving the Great Barrier Reef is high on many lists of must do things before you die. It was also high on my own personal list of must do things. Upon arriving in Cairns, I was quick to scout around all the dive shops to suss out the best trips. There were plenty of trips on offer for all budgets, but one trip in particular caught my eye. It was a 5 day live-aboard trip that took us to the outer edge of the Barrier Reef, including 2 spots that …

When we first set out on our trip, I was looking forward to having my first real culture shock.  To a certain extent, our first stop Hong Kong was our first experience, mainly with the food. We had somewhat naively expected the food to be like our local Chinese takeaway at home. This was not the case; instead we were treated to chicken’s feet on street stalls and the smell of shrimp paste in the air. Donna also found herself to be a bit of a minor celebrity, with the …

Travelling gives you the luxury of meeting new people.
Before embarking on a trip, hope and pray you like the people you do meet because it’s not going to be the last you see of them. I don’t know if it is because we cling to our photocopied or otherwise ligit copies of Lonely Planet but these days most of us are heading in the same direction.
It might just be a faded concept that the travelling folk are all hippies with backpacks that whip out a compass and let the wind …

A street scene in Siem Reap in Cambodia. You never get sunsets like you do in SE Asia and this is an example of street life as the sun was setting. Lovely small town with great bars, cafes, restaurants and of course the Temples of Angkor.
Conked out from the power cut, G tries to find some refuge on the cold tiled floor with not much on as a long night of 40C  with no air-con or electricity kills us. Disgustingly sweaty, we both jumped into the pool the minute the …

This is wee Buddha bum. All the kids in Vietnam were cute (although after teaching them for four months I can also say slightly annoying at times too) but Buddha is one of my favourites. Everytime he ran into the water his shorts would fall down round his ankles… giving us a different type of full moon…something I giggled at the whole day.
The joys of the sleeper bus. This picture was taken while I was conked out on our journey to Mui Ne. A rare occasion that we got a …

Here are a few of the best bits of 2010 in photographs. Behind every picture there’s a witty story usually so do read on through them and enjoy!

Hong Kong. The beginning of the trip and the beginning of my stardom among the Asian population. This woman purposely made her way over to me to ask could she get a photograph with me. So started a wave of Asian men and women asking me for a pic with them…or just randomly taking photos of me in the street. Oh to be …

The day has finally arrived.
We’ve been on the road for one full year today. Both of us want to reflect on some of our favourite bits we might have missed out on during our travels and our hopes for what’s to come in 2011.
Donna…
From the first sip of Magners at Belfast City Airport waiting to board the first plane of our big adventure to the 1.5 ltr of water I’m drinking typing this on New Zealand’s Interisland ferry, a lot has happened in the past year!
Sitting in the bar excited …