365freedays
Aidan Joined: May 28th 2008
Logged in: July 29th 2011
Logged in: July 29th 2011
Travel Blog Posts
Western Australian Skies
No one could escape its disarming powers, looking around I found that I was the only one to still fall prey. But already I knew it was too late. I had already lost....... I was getting sleepy! Isn't it amazing how the heat of a little sunlight through a window combined with that soft rocking motion of a bus can combine to send even the strongest willed into gentle slumber. And a half hour into part two of my journey south to Perth all twenty of my fellow travellers had gone quiet. I was beginning to fail too! This was another journey with Western Xposure and once again the distances involved would call for a number of days where we saw little that was not through the window of a bus. One thing that had changed ... read more
Wildlife...that won't kill you!
Onward from Brisbane again and a Friday late night flight saw me arrive in Darwin to begin my trip down the west coast of the Australian continent towards Perth, a journey I hoped to complete in about a month. Having originally begun the Australian part of my adventure in Darwin some 10 months previous I had already explored the city (town really) and surrounding Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks and I was happy not to delay in the area long before beginning my western adventure. So early on Sunday morning I left my hostel and met with 14 others who were to join with me on a Western Xposure 4WD trip down the famous 'Gibb River Road' towards the isolated coastal town of Broome. Sometime just before 7am a not unwelcome farewell was bid to Darwin ... read more
Alum Cliffs
Rugged landscapes in rugged weather explode in their beauty and hard as it may be in such conditions somehow strive to be even more beautiful because of it. Magestic beaches in miserable weather however, and solely in my humble opinion, often struggle to be much more than miserable. And with that, perhaps flawed rationale in place, my decision was made. A left was taken from Launceston airport and it was western Tasmania that was going to be blessed with my presence for my short stay on the island state. And two days later as I sat on deck with the captain of the river boat exploring the far reaches of the Gordon-Franklin River I knew in my heart that the right decision had been made. Following my return from Birdsville I had made good use of ... read more
Birdsville Races!
On a warm winters evening on a bus bound for Birdsville, I met up with a gambler (90 something of them actually), and I asked of them advice....They said "You gotta know when ta....keep your money in your pocket out here! It's the only way you'll win". And so it began...my trip to Birdsville! From Brisbane, Shandell, Amber and myself along with ninety or so other punters set off on the outback adventure of the year. Travelling overnight and into the following day, we watched as 24 hours along with over 1600km of road passed us by before we arrived at the remote little outback settlement of Birdsville. With a population of just 66 and nestled between the Simpson and Sturt Stony desert, the Lonely Planet guidebook rightly describes this town as one of the most ... read more
Australia Zoo
As I begin to type these words it is hard for my own brain to fully comprehend that over 7 months have come and gone since I last wrote to you on this blog. I remember the day sitting in the warm January breezes of a local park typing up my last blog as if it were only a matter of hours ago. And here I am, 7 months on...sitting on the grasses of that same park...looking out onto that same stretch of Brisbane river, trying to convey in a short few paragraphs what has happened to me, who I have met, where I have been and what I have seen in those intervening months. And I now realise that I have set myself an impossible task. While my backpacking days may have died along with ... read more
Brisbane City
And where am I now I hear you ask.....well Brisbane! Queensland! Australia! And for the first time in a very long time I am happy to announce that my blogs have once again caught up with me! They are once again back in 'real' time! In the words of Fat Boy Slim..."Right here, right now"!! And be it fortunately or unfortunately, for the first time in a long time I can no longer call myself a backpacker! For I now have a job! Oh that first morning wasn't an easy one! What’s this "having” to get up all about I ask you? I am not used to such restrictions on my sleeping patterns! Working life brings with it such demands on one! And what’s this about having to travel an hour to work? I thought I ... read more
The Local Shop
Lightning Ridge, home to some of the worlds best reserves of precious materials, black opal...and of course my aunt Ina! And it was Ina's that was my next stop! After driving for 10 hours and travelling close on 800km north from Sydney we finally landed at her house in tiny little Cumborah, about 50km southwest of Lightning Ridge at about 5 in the evening. Peter, her partner was there with huge welcomes for us both and before long had abandoned the notion that Aidan had ever lived anywhere else. I was part of the family and the house (including his fridge of beer in the back veranda) was at my full disposal! In fact he forgot about Aidan altogether because in the space of the first evening my name had somehow mutated from "Aidan" into "Aid-E" ... read more
Sydney Harbour
Perhaps it was not a good idea for a lone traveller to arrive in a new city on a new continent a week before Christmas? As I walked the esplanade toward Sydney's Opera house the sidewalk cafes were alive with festive atmosphere. Women sat at tables eating fancy dinners, wearing the customary Santa hat to add to their festive cheer. Men gathered in groups around the higher tables, while they drank beer and delighted in the days happenings. But they were all beyond my reach, each one the company of someone else. I was there but I was there alone. I continued on toward the opera house, leaving the partying groups of city workers behind only to be confronted with equally content groups of tourists. As I glanced around the steps that led up to the ... read more
Valentia Lighthouse
Time for a confession! Those of you who have been reading my earlier blogs will know that I recently expressed a preemptive apology for what I had done but that you had not been made aware of. And well now its time for me to clarify that a little better. Actually, it isn't really an apology for what I had done but more so an apology for where I had been and not told you. And if you still have not realised by the title of this blog....yes thats not your eyes decieving you. I have been back to Ireland (for a very very short time though in my defence, it has to be said) and up to now, most of you were still unaware of it! And unfortunately my apologies can not stop there either......for ... read more
Uncle Tans
UNCLE TANS, SABAH, BORNEO The legs had finally recovered from our ascent of Mount Kinabalu a few days previous and it was time to be off once again, so from Kota Kinabalu I headed for Sandankan where I had arranged to meet up with Zaid one final time and we were to head to "Uncle Tan's" jungle camp and spend a few days in search of all things wild. Uncle Tans is famed on the backpackers circuit as giving a real jungle experience in an area of Borneo that still has quite high numbers of wildlife inhabiting the areas around the camp. And its fair to say that it did not disappoint. But before setting off up the Kinabatangan river to the camp and away from civilisation I had one day to play around with before ... read more
