Hello! We flew from Hanoi to Danang and then got our hotel taxi to Hoi An-took about 1.5 hrs-really nice flight. It's so cheap here so we decided to forego the sleeping bus and took the quicker option. Was very glad when I heard after that you are not allowed use the toilet on the bus and it's a 14 or 15 hour journey to Hoi An plus the seats/beds are very tight( really made for the smaller Asians). Hoi An is such a lovely place-a far cry from the madness and business of Hanoi. The people are very friendly but I have to say that they usually do want you to buy something or visit their shop. I lost count of the amount of times we were asked "Where you from?, you have Euro coin ... read more

Heh! We started off in Bangkok. Stayed in the Royal Asia Lodge, Sukhumvit-decided to stay away from the madness of Khao San Road. Pretty nice place and reasonably priced. Knew there would be a lot of Westerners in Bangkok but was still surprised by the amount-seemed to be outnumbering the Thais. Went to see the Grand palace, the Lying Buddha (v impressive and huge), the Emerald Buddha and some pretty nice temples. The transport system is really efficient so we avoid the dreaded "dodgy" tuk tuks and opted for the skytrain, metro and river taxi. Came across a couple of dodgy guys trying to convince us that we would be better off getting our Vietnam visas through a certain "tourist information place" than going through the Embassy. The chancers!-they are such good actors and almost have ... read more

Hi guys, Singapore is a shoppers paradise-malls everywhere;lots of sky-scrapers; a very well kept subway; very clean-substantial litter fines in place; and a very spacious, futuristic airport. We stayed in Little India-a great place-buzzing with energy. Sunday night seems to be the big market night-it was packed on the streets-everyone stocking up on their vege and spices or just standing around chatting. The food was great-eating off a banana leaf with your fingers-nothing like Indian at home-much nicer and lighter! The Ancient Civilsation Museum was well worth a visit-we learned a bit about the different religions and cultures of Sth East Asia. Singapore's downfall I guess is it's expense in comparison to it's neighbour-Malaysia. I reckon a lot of backpackers limit their stay due mainly to the high cost. Our first stop in Malaysia was Melaka- ... read more

Heh everyone, Loved the South Island but actually preferred the North Island..think the weather may have had an effect as it wasnt great for much of our visit... On Sunday 11th caught the Interislander ferry from wellington to Picton-took about 3.5 hours-some fab scenery as we neared Picton. Drove a beautiful scenic route by the coast "The Queen Charlotte Way". haeded up through Nelson towards Abel Tasman National Park, where we stayed in Kaiteriteri. Very nervous start to Monday for me as we had booked a half-day kayaking along the coast of Abel Tasman ( ashamed to say, I cannot swim but really wanted to do this). It was amazing-we were in a 2 person kayak and were joined by another Dublin couple and our guide. We saw some eye-opening scenery, birds, even some dolphins in ... read more

Kia Ora (Mauri) from New Zealand, Arrived here on New Yrs Day at 4am from Chile. New Yrs on the plane was a non-event so we missed that one! Picked up our bright green juicy camper and headed north to Whangerai (after re-enacting the malteser ad for a while). Visited the Whangeral waterfalls and slept off our jetlag. The following day we headed further North to Pahia, which appeared to be the equivalent of Tramore/Courtown for the New Zealanders but very pretty all the same. Early start the following morning brought us further north to 90 mile beach, which u can drive on but we didnt risk it as the tides were in a fair bit, and also to the furthest point north-Cape Reinga. Although it was a miserable wet day, the view from the cape ... read more