if lonely planet say 3 we say 1 ...

... or maybe I should rephrase that to Andrew says 1.  After reading Lonely Planet's South Island guide to Stewart Island, Andrew decided that we would do the Rakiura Walk in a day.  32 km forest / coastal walk through some gorgeous remote NZ landscape.  The only catch was we had to be back before the last ferry left at 6pm and in time to get tickets - hmmm - the challenge had been set!!! So at 6am we got home stuffed ourselves full of breakfast and were walking by 7am... 9 and a half hours later we trudge our way back into Oban with aching feet and tired legs, but pretty proud of ourselves, considering we not really hikers and have only done a handful of 10-15 km hikes over the last few weeks... happy tired campers!!!

before the sun was fully up!!

Beautiful Stewart Island Views

48 hours in NZ

Our NZ transport - complete with dvd player!!

48 hours in New Zealand after picking up our little spaceship and I'd done my very first tandem para-glide and my very first ever Canyon.  What a great way to start our few weeks in NZ and better still neither were comerical, it was just hanging out with some great friends.  Thank you guys... you are making New Zealand memorable.

and take off - me on my tandem

Thanks to Ed, who brought is non-water proof camera in a dry bag :)

Australia

Its been so busy these last few weeks - I haven't had time to set aside an hour or so to write anything. Not a bad excuse, must be having too much fun!!

We spent our first three weeks in Australia in Perth and Fremantle, hanging out with Zoe, Alma and Ali (some more of the Speer clan). It was a great to stop and have a base for the few weeks as we were tired and weary from the previous months of traveling and climbing. But not only that, it was great to be spending time with people that we knew. Its absolutely amazing being on the road meeting new and wonderful people but after a while it is hard work and sometimes you need a little recharging.

We explored north and south of Perth. First stop was south to Margaret River for a weekend with Zoe, quickly learning that you should always book ahead your accommodation in WA, particularly on a music festival weekend. None-the-less, after a night in the car, we found a campsite and it was a great weekend. A slightly failed attempt to bring Zoe climbing (damn aussie carot bolts on routes) and some great swims in the sea.

Next up was north to the Pinnacles. A very unusual landscape of limestone pinnacles, best I let the photos describe. It has to be said that the trip north epitomizes the vastness of Australia. We drove for three and a half hours to visit these rock formations, stay the night and slowly drive back the next day visiting whatever else there was to see on the way back. The nearest town Cervantes - well..., it had nothing. The next town on the way back had a hostel which we managed to camp at - but there was basically nothing there. However, if you were a kite surfer it was a good windy beach. The coast road back... well it was about a kilometer inland and was a desert drive. It wasn't until we got close to Perth again that we could see the coast. We did, however, make it to the Wildlife Sanctuary to see some koalas and kangaroos of all shapes and sizes and the AQWA aquarium - to learn how much of Australia sea-life can kill you!! The next day I got stung by a jelly fish - you can imagine the panic I was in. Luckily, no fatally dangerous jellies reside in Perth. Jelly fact: Box Jelly can kill you in under a minute, but there is an antidote (not quite sure how useful it would be)!!

The wonderful unsual landscape of the Pinnacles

Finally we headed west to Rottnest Island, the home of the quoaka (a little rat like marsupial) where we rented bikes and cycled 20 odd km around the island in blistering sunshine... stopping off at this beach and that cove for swims and lunch etc.

We had of course lots of great nights in and out with Ali and Alma, thank you both for everything!! We even managed a night out with a couple friends of mine, Matt and Gill, whom I'd met on my last world trip and live in Perth. It was great to see them both. And another night out in the brewery "Little Creatures" with some of Andrew's family friends Ray and Phil.

Next stop was Tasmania for Domhnall and Gill's wedding. We collected our little camper-van and Eoin from the airport (after a little confusion with the time of the flight) and we set off. A quick dip in the Tasmanian chilly waters to wash away the cobwebs and it was off to Domhnall and Gill's for a yummy coffee and a good catchup. From there we drove to Mt Field National Park and hiked one of the 6 hour Mt Field walks, a little taster of what Tassie has to offer.

In the mountains for Domhnall's Stag

It was then back for Domhnall's for his stag party. Me and 9 guys!! A climb in the "Waterworks" and then a night on Mt. Wellington. The main event took place that weekend. With a van full of kids toys and a giant sound system, we headed to the Tasman peninsula for the Cascade's Colonial accommodation (aka the penal center from way back when) - it was the perfect setting for a wedding. The wedding was every bit "Domhnall & Gill", a chilled out affair set in one of Tasmanias idyllic settings, with an international mix of outdoor loving friends and family. Perfect. And the weather lived up to its expectations too. It was a hot, cloudless, Tassie summer day. It was small bit of ex-trinners climbing club reunion too – we got to catch up with Patrick and Maaike, Glynn and Jayne, Nick and Carol, Neil and Mick. Great to see you all! With little persuasion from Eoin, I did my first run in more than five months and managed to keep going for 45 mins and repeated it again the next morning. I was pretty impressed with myself. My mountain-biking experience was not so impressive, confidence a little shattered and Gill's beautiful bike too big for me. However, the trails were great... We managed to squeeze in a couple of days in Freycinnet for a climb (first trad second in about 2 years - scary - I decided not to lead) and a walk in the hills.

And then it was goodbyes again and off to Brisbane for a week. We, again, hired a campervan, but this time one of the small cheap wicked campers and to be honest we're not so impressed. Its old and held together with blue tack. But I suppose that is why they are cheap. We headed down the coast road in the pouring rain through Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast high rise beach resort and certainly in the rain we were not impressed. Onto Byron Bay, much more our style more chilled out but it was still raining. So after a very wet walk around the headland - we headed inland to another very wet hippie village of Nimbin. Not much to say about Nimbin really other than it resembles an old hippie commune, pretty cool, but unless your gonna get wasted - not much else there... so bright and early the next morning we headed north and followed what looked like potential sunshine ( a tiny stripe of blue) through the rainforests to Noosa and Noosa National Park. We spent the day, walked through the national park, swimming in the sea and to end the day, I decided to run the walk we did in the morning. Wow, running in humidity is hard work! - it was probably too long for a first humidity run, but sure there was no telling me that. 

Our penultimate stop in Queensland was the Glass House Mountains. Three prominent volcanic plugs that you can hike around. We did a 3 km walk around Tibrogardarn and proceeded to do the "challenging" scramble for those "experienced climbers" up to the summit some 364m high. The scramble was actually great, we really didn't know what to expect from the description. A lot of the time when something in lonely planet is described as challenging or for experienced, they really mean you should be relatively fit and have your wits about you but in this instance it was probably justified, it was some 200m of scrambling with some areas of D and some short sections of VD (non climbers - its a grading system used in Ireland and UK) which made for an interesting descent, how I love to down-climb - hmmm. However, the time given for this round trip was 3 hours, we managed to do it in 1 hour 15 - so I turned around and ran the lap of the mountain (initial 3km hike) again while Andrew did some chin-ups. Then it was off to the coast for a quick dip. And so it is off to NZ - roll on some fun times catching up with folks there!!

Latest Flickr Photos

I've popped a set of photos up on flickr from the month in Greece and the month in Thailand, if anyone fancies a wee look / see....

Greece and Thailand

Bali

On the beach in Kuta, Bali

 We left the hustle and bustle of India for a relaxing week on the beach in Bali, or so we thought!!  After more than 36 hours of traveling we arrive in a very humid overcast blustery Denpansar and slowly make our way to Kuta, one of the closest beaches to the airport.  We didn't feel like traipsing any further.  Found ourselves a "nice" room, had some food and crashed out for the evening.  Waking late the next morning we went for a wander around to acquaint ourselves and chill out on the beach.  No further than 100 m from the hotel, we were approached by a man with "free" scratch cards and guess what - "we won the grand price!!" Both hungry and skeptical we told the man we'd come back in half an hour and he could drive us to collect our prise then but not before - he tried hard to get us to go then, but food was more important than winning a very "skeptical 500 US dollars or a week free hotel".  We never went back - after breakfast we quickly google'ed and confirmed our suspicions that is was all a hoax, a scam to try and get unsuspecting tourists to buy time share apartments. Phew!!

The next couple of days went smoothly, nothing to strange, not so much sunshine, but pleasantly warm and the sea was wonderful. Day 3 ended sorta pear-shaped :( After dinner we came back to find our room had been broken into.  We'd most of our valuables with us, but we'd left Andrew's Ipod behind charging, and someone (who obviously had access to a key - no forced entry) had taken the ipod, earphones, charger and case - bugger. In short, hotel staff were less than helpful, they're stories kept changing and they wouldn't let us speak to a manager and they wouldn't not call the police.  After a lot of arguing they eventually took Andrew to the police station - where he was kindly (ahem) asked for money in exchange for a police report - a police report which if he had paid more for would still be valid when we get home, but this was goes out of date next month.  The whole system is corrupt if you ask me... neither of us felt that we could stay in the hotel any longer, but we'd just paid of the following two nights.  There wasn't a hope in hell of getting our money back and no sign of any management.  We left lets say a little rattled.  The rest of the stay though pleasant was not as relaxing as planned, we remained on edge, we'd to carry heavy day packs with everything valuable for fear of anything else going missing.   So, unfortunately, that is our tale of Bali, I think I will have to go back and get a better impression.

It is a surfer's paradise!!

Closing Thoughts!!

Our time in India has come to an end. I think I can safely speak for both of us when I say we are ready to leave and are looking forward to Australia – meeting up with friends and family and some creature comforts.... that is, of course after a short beach week in Bali :) Our final couple of days were spent touring the Keralan backwaters and an impending 36 hour journey from here (Fort Cochin) to Bali (encompassing all kinds of transport from planes to trains and automobiles). The Keralan backwaters are a series of natural and man made canals and lakes interconnecting the little land masses and villages. It has an almost tribal feeling, however, it is not tribes people but relatively poor group of both fisherman and traditional craftsmen and their families. We (along with 7 other tourists) spent about 5 hours on a large wooden covered in canoe with 2 boatman (one back and one front) slowly guiding us through the waterways using long bamboo poles to power the boat. We stopped midway for a traditional Keralan rice lunch served on a banana leaf. Of course Indian people in general don't use knives and forks and simply use their hands, but we were all given a spoon to aid us in our eating. The peace and tranquility of the backwaters was certainly a nice way to end our travel time in India.

We've had a wonderful time here but its definitely time to leave – I think there comes a time in ones travels in India that you have just had enough and need a break – it doesn't change the way I think about the country – I still think its an amazing place and a place that we both want to come back to in the not to distant future – the north has yet to be explored!

Of all the countries that I have traveled too in the past 10 years – I think this is the one that has affected me the most. It is a country that, from when I can remember, I have always wanted to travel too and even now I want to come back for more. Its hard to articulate exactly how and why? Every day something about the country surprises you!! Today, in Chennai, we got a taxi just a few short kilometers from the centre of town and wandered into a Cafe (Cafe Coffee Day) and it feels as if we've just walked into some European/American upmarket chain of coffee houses and the clientèle are just as fitting – just another little reminder that we are in a country of diversity – and the other half lives no differently or more lasciviously than we do at home. I think the big thing is the sheer size of the population and the wealth divide that comes with that – but its is so obviously inter-weaved. But its not just the population and poverty, it's the attitude and actions of the people you come into contact with that make it unique. There is one way of doing things: the classic example is ordering from a menu – I wanted a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch one day and on the menu was chilly cheese toast – so I asked for a cheese toast without the chilly – the waiter said “oh no you can't have that, its not on the menu”, so I asked him to check with the chef if maybe it was possible. He came back and said “no, it's not possible but you could have a cheese sandwich” – so I asked him if he could toast or grill the sandwich, and he said yes. Is that not chilly cheese toast without the chilly!! This happens over and over again – its amusing, but after a while frustrating. Its the little things that make you love and loathe the country simultaneously. The longer you are here your tolerance for nagging rickshaw drivers (its hard to walk 100 m down the road with out being asked if you want to go sightseeing, only 50 rupees, or where you going you need a lift, etc...) or persistent salesmen lessons (browsing in a shop for free really doesn't exist!) and your thrive for personal space increases (doesn't exist here).

What we'll miss about India:

The stunning and diverse scenery – from the mountains to the beaches and everything in between. Hampi – what a bouldering hot-spot, all the wonderful people we met, both climbers and locals. The hardworking ladies in their beautiful and colourful saris. All the wonderful arts and crafts – from wall hanging to bed covers, furniture to ornaments, clothing to jewelery – I wanted to buy it all !! Friendly locals. Strangers on the train who over you some cookies and genuinely want to chat and help you out. Smiling chatty kids, just wanting to say hi to you!! Food – tasty, tasty, tasty, colourful and spicy – curries from all over the south, flavors to tickle the taste buds (well that is when your remember to ask for it not too hot and your are not in tears by the end!) and differing with every new place we went. Blue skies. Ladies queues & quotas : in many (most) public places there's a separate queue for ladies, which is invariably faster and normally you can get 2 tickets for what ever you are queuing for. Indian Rail, well not sure if I will actually miss it, but its certainly a good system and services a huge part of the country.

What we won't miss about India:

The constant smell of open sewers and rubbish. Rubble / cracked and broken paving revealing the smelly drains. The lack of environmental awareness (rubbish rubbish everywhere – and there are street cleaners – I think its a case as long as its not on my front door step). The lack of personal space. The men and their attitudes towards women - western women in particular. Sometimes its as if I'm not there, but others they stop what they are doing to have a good look. But its not just that (and I am making sweeping general statements, as I've met some really nice hard working lovely and genuinely friendly Indian men) to me a lot of the men come across as lazy with the women taking on the brunt of the hard work and the men sit around and at most discuss things, whilst fixing their hair, retying their skirts (yes skirts – traditionally the men wear a sarong type skirt). The roads are in an awful state, but it was women I noticed with the pick axes with five or so men standing around looking and chatting as the woman did some backbreaking work. It's also the women who work the tea plantations doing all the pruning. Seeing the poverty all over the place, particularly the small children. Being asked by a random stranger while walking up the street minding your own business “With what country are you from?” for the fifth time that hour. Getting stared at. The Indian queuing system - barge forward and skip everyone, then smile and head bob. Pushy Indian sales men and rickshaw drivers. Car horns.

What we are looking forward to:

The refreshing thought of my own personal space - I think I might be agoraphobic. Friends and family. Hot water as the norm not a luxury. Girly products (ok, Andrew not so much on this one) - I'm not being picky some essential things just aren't available. Fresh fruit please, there is plenty of fruit but its hard work and that's when you trust it. A glass of tap water. Ice. Meat (ok this is Andrew). Bowl of cereal and ice cold milk (ok, that's for Andrew too - mine was slightly more specific, bowl of crunchy nut clusters and ice cold milk from LEINSTER – preferably Premier Daires, but Avonmore will do).

And its with mixed feelings we leave, a lump in my throat as I'm not done with the country – but I need a break!!

Whistle Stop Tour of South India (Hampi, Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty, Coimbatore, Munnar, Periyar, Fort Cochin)

We've finally left Hampi and it was a happy/sad leaving. We'd met so many wonderful people, many of whom have become friends, who made our time in Goan Corner so memorable. We really hope to meet up with many of them again. But it was time to go and move on to new adventures. So, we caught the night train to Bangalore and onto Mysore. The trains in India cater for all budgets - and as it was our first night train we decided to go 2AC (the trains in India are divided into 5 classes, 1AC, 2AC, 3AC, Sleeper & Chair) which was surprisingly comfortable and we managed to get a fairly good nights sleep. We arrived in Mysore at about midday after a brief stop in Bangalore for breakfast and to say goodbye to the last of our Hampi friends. Mysore is the city of sandalwood and the main attraction is the palace. We were not overly impressed - the palace itself is very opulent (Andrew's fancy word!) and grand, but having spent some time wandering around the palace in Bangkok and having come from the ancient temples in Hampi, it really did not compare. 

Mysore Palace

Happy Us in Mysore

Next stop was the hill station of Ooty. Dating from British rule, it was established in the early 19th century as the summer headquarters of the then Madras government. Andrew had picked out a very nice guest house to stay in but we learned that the scale on the Lonely Planet maps is really not to be trusted! After walking around for well over an hour and a half with the guts of 20 kg on my back and 10 kg on my front (damn climbing gear!), I put my foot down and suggested we get a rickshaw :) The guest house was worth the wait, it was perched at the top of the hill over looking Ooty, a nice clean room (it was actually clean – not Indian clean!) with its own private garden and had plenty hot water (I felt like I was in heaven). The main attraction of Ooty is the miniature train, which is romantic in itself and the scenic views of the mountain pass are stunning. Unfortunately, the train was only running half way and instead of getting it the whole way to Mettupalayam, it stopped in Coonor where we met a German diplomat and shared a taxi the remainder of the way down. This was good though as we had the opportunity to stop and take in some of the amazing views. 

Looking out over Ooty Hills

Minature Train in Ooty Station

The journey down

The next part of the journey we did as local as possible, with local buses, which although are rickety and at best uncomfortable and crowded, they leave as soon as they fill (and with a country of population of around 1.2 billion, this happen rather quickly!). From Mettupalayam we got a bus to Coimbatore and a rickshaw across town where we stayed the night. The following morning we got a bus to Uddamalpet and from there a bus to Munnar. Munnar is a sea of luscious tea plantations, hill upon hill of rolling spongy carpet. We spent a good long morning just wandering around high up in the hills away from the hustle and bustle of the local town and sound of horns.

See spongy carpet :)

Spongy Munnar Tea Plantations

As our time in India was rapidly running out (more quickly than we'd realised... somewhere we lost a day thinking that Monday was Sunday! - but luckily figured that one out before trains and planes were missed!) we decided to get a taxi from Munnar to Periyar. In the grand scheme of things the taxi ride was reasonably cheap, only about 40 Euro, but considering the same journey on local buses would have cost no more than 2 Euro each it was a bit extravagant, but so much more comfortable and quicker. Periyar is a wildlife sanctuary in the Western Ghats. We found a quaint little castle like guest house to stay in that is furnished in antique furniture. In the hope of spotting some tigers (wishful thinking!) we got up early and joined a early morning nature walk. Unfortunately, no elephants or tigers, however we did see some bison, wild boar, mongoose, saba deer, monkeys, an array of birds (kingfisher, storks, herons and woodpeckers) and an awful lot of poo (very large very fresh elephant poo, porcupine poo, sloth bear poo... and a monkey almost poo'ed on us!). The highlight of the day, however, was on the boat trip later in the evening when we saw a herd of elephants grazing in the wild, it was beautiful!! 

Early Morning Nature Walk

Beautiful Wild Elephants in Periyar Wildlife Reverse

We followed our day in nature with a day on the bike, my idea I will admit, though maybe not my best idea in the world, I will also admit. Indian bicycles are not by any means equal to either of our bikes at home (but at least they had brakes unlike our previous attempt at a bike ride in Hampi). The tires were so bald that the bike would slide even when I was standing still. They had extremely "weird" geometry, my feet could barely touch the ground, no gears and extremely heavy which made the uphills fun as we'd to push them. Anyway it allowed us get out of town on our and for a bit of “fresh air” and countryside. 

Tea Plantation Pickers in Periyar

From Kumily we headed straight for Fort Cochin, which is a lovely little peninsular town just off the coast of Erunakulam. There is not much to see and do here, but its quiet and peaceful (relatively speaking) and has a few really good places to eat. The highlight, tourist wise, are the Chineese fishing nets along the waterfront and it is the gateway to the "backwaters" which hopefully we will experience tomorrow - todays attempt failed miserably when the tour we booked on failed to pick us up. Ready and posed for a fight to get our money back we were pleasantly surprised when the lady we booked with was so apologetic and gave us an immediate refund. Hopefully tomorrow we'll have a little more success! 

Chinese Fishing Nets in Fort Cochin