I finally closed the London chapter of my life with a flight out on the 30th December 2014 - and started a new chapter and in fact a new year, in Auckland, New Zealand. I hardly had time to tie everything off in London before leaving so I thought that before I start my gallivant around the world for a couple of years, it was about high time I came back home not only to prepare, but also to see my neglected family. Going from the darkness and freezing cold of London to the brightness (literal brightness - you seem to need to wear sunnies at all times in NZ) and heat of the New Zealand summer took some adjusting, but once I had done that it was great to catch up with family and friends, ... read more

The city of Glasgow has brought us many things; famous actors and TV personalities such as Ewan McGregor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, James McAvoy and Gordon Ramsay; famous musicians and bands such as Belle & Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand, Mark Knopfler, Travis and er, Wet Wet Wet; the 2014 Commonwealth Games; and an outstanding contribution to football which includes Celtic and Rangers football clubs, Sir Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, Jock Stein and er, David Moyes. Having gifted the world with such cultural and sporting prowess as well as being the biggest city in Scotland - a city famous for its urban, industrial grit, in contrast to the beautiful, peaceful nature of the Highlands - Glasgow demanded a visit. Back in Edinburgh, my tour of the Highlands had come to an end and the group and I were ... read more

I was excited to be travelling again after so long - five months to be precise, which for one reputed for travelling so much, is an eternity. Three blog entries in eleven months reflects the year I have had travel-wise; the job I got back in February was initially a contracting position which meant no paid holidays, so travel was kept to a minimum - but the reason I was saving money is because at the end of the year my chapter in London is finally coming to an end. The end was supposed to happen in the summer, but I needed more money because from the start of 2015, I don't plan to work for two-and-a-half years. Yep, you read that correctly. More details will be divulged in due course. Having lived in the UK ... read more

I'm back. It has sure been awhile - five months to be precise, and the second-longest travel hiatus I've had since starting the blog - so before we get started, a brief life update is in order. The last time I wrote, I was unemployed in the middle of winter. I managed to find a job one month later working for an events company where I work on loads of spreadsheets and not a lot else. I didn't have much idea of what my plan was at the time; where I was going to go, what I was going to do, and indeed how much longer I was going to be in London. On top of trying to settle into my new job, this made it difficult to plan any trips. Three months went past during ... read more

It was pretty quiet inside the van. Those that hadn't nodded off were admiring the beautiful and varied landscape of the Connemara with its bogs, brown hills, lush mountains and picturesque lakes. Barry was still driving us, but it was a different Barry (Bazza Mk II); it was still the same crew from the original Paddywagon tour, but a different group, minus Vanessa, Sean, Christine, Chandra and Jamie, who had followed Barry Mk I up to Northern Ireland. Same same but different. Barry Mk II was a good laugh though and kept us informed and entertained when we were awake. Snaking our way through the narrow, winding, country roads, he comments that at 100km/h, the speed limits on these roads were simply ridiculous given all the blind corners and hairpin turns we were navigating. He wasn't ... read more