Its a long way to...Starbucks

Best laid plans

2012-02-01T22:06:00.001Z

Sitting in the departure lounge at La Serena waiting for our rearranged flight to Santiago. Unfortunately there was fog first thing this morning and our inbound aircraft could not depart from Antofagasta.

This means that we cannot get to Puerto Montt today. So off to Santiago for another night and a morning flight to Puerto Montt tomorrow. Another challenge to my limited Espanol since the girl at the check -in desk had no English but she had a pretty smile and was as helpful as she could be. Guess that's just one of the joys of travel.

Sense of humour being challenged slightly as we hear that our rearranged flight is now delayed for at least 90 mins. By which time we will have been in the airport for nearly 8 hours. Had planned an alcohol-free day but may have to invoke force-majeure!

Finally made it to Santiago – off to Patio Bellavista for a cold beer. I realise that the Scottish government has suggested that it is advisable to have a regular alcohol-free day to protect the health but I am sure there will be another day this year when I can follow their advice.

A night on the town – La Serena

2012-02-01T02:15:00.001Z

As many of you know, a good dinner is the essential basis of a night out for Linda and I and we were not disappointed this evening when we dined at La Casona del Guaton - one of the best Parillada restaurants in town. The steaks were excellent and cooked to perfection – despite Linda's concerns at the length of time they were on the grill. In addition, our waiter, who was as attentive and helpful as could be, was the spitting image of one of our neighbours at Moyhill.

Our fellow customers provided some additional entertainment but the highlight was the delivery of Linda's cafe cortado. First the waiter delivered our cups and the tub of Nescafe powder and then returned with a pot of hot water and a jug of warm milk. After Linda had spooned out a measure of instant coffee to her liking, the waiter then spent 2-3minutes mixing in a small amount of milk followed by some hot water and then topped off with more hot water – well worth his tip and LP enjoyed the coffee as well.

Our plan to continue for a nightcap and some music at the local Club de Jazz was derailed when we discovered that it is only open at the weekends. Home for a glass of Pisco and bed as we have to be on the road fairly early tomorrow.

Sightseeing in La Serena

2012-01-31T17:27:00.004Z

Most of the sights are walking around the streets – best people watching for some time – but there is a very smart Plaza and a couple of museums – archaeology and mineralogy - and 29 churches (seems excessive for the population but apparently this was a staging post for clergy travelling between Santiago and Lima and each order had to have their own premises).
Iglesia San Agustin (built originally by the Jesuits but taken over by the Augustines when the Jesuits were expelled) had some very good modern stained glass. Linda's comment on seeing the very ornate statue of Our Lady -'there's yur wumin!' shows that you can take the girl out of Coatbridge but not....!

Taking advantage of the sunshine and warm weather in the garden at our apartment – it is overcast and cool with the threat of rain down south in Puerto Montt and the island of Chiloe where we will be for the next week or so

Estoy Jubilado!

2012-01-31T17:21:00.002Z

My new favourite Spanish phrase – sounds so much better than 'I'm retired'! Can't imagine how I haven't discovered this before.

Assume the word comes from Latin – therefore jubile is joy and jubilate is shout for joy – seems fairly apt to me! Could even go as far as Psalm 100 – Jubilate Deo – but maybe that's a step too far.

Many of the places that we have stayed in the last week or so have had little or no English and one of the standard questions on the hotel registration form is 'occupation' so I had to come up with an answer. Now I say it to everyone whether they ask or not!

Two weeks in Chile already!

2012-01-30T00:49:00.004Z

At the end of our second week we are here in an apartment at Hostal Balmaceda in La Serena after a fairly speedy - and slightly hair-raising - bus trip down the valley from Pisco Elqui this afternoon.
Our trip to the Fundo Los Nichos Pisco distillery was almost as good as my recent visit to Auchentoshan distillery outside Dumbarton with Peter. Our guide spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable and the 3yr old 40° was extremely smooth - as was their sweet dessert wine.
The cycle ride down the length of valley was a bit warm but the breathtaking scenery compensated for the few hills we had to climb up. This really is a magical place only slightly marred by the lively parties in the campsite across the road which went on for most of the night on both Friday and Saturday - we could have coped with that if it hadn't been for the rooster in the garden next door who started crowing at 4.00am and kept going until 7.00!
I'd have put him in the pot if I could have caught him.
We are back on the coast and the temperature has dropped by about 6°C which is pleasant in the afternoon and cool after dark. We are here for a couple of days to catch up on laundry etc and finalise the arrangements for the next part of our trip as we head South to Puerto Montt and Chiloe.

The Elqui Valley

2012-01-28T13:07:00.002Z

Sitting by the pool at our cabana this evening – just after 5.00pm and still around 24C with a light cooling breeze – trying to decide what to drink.
Promised myself that I would write something for the blog before ordering a drink since we started on the hard stuff early today when we did the distillery tour at Pisco Capel – the largest producer in the country.
Unfortunately they could not provide an english-speaking guide so Linda had to suffer my translation of the explanation given by our pretty Chilena. Luckily I have visited enough distilleries that I could follow most of the technical stuff ! A quick visit to the tasting room for a drop of very smooth 40° Alta del Carmen and back into town for a go-faster haircut.
Then it was on to the local bus for a drive further up the valley to Pisco Elqui where we are staying for a few days. 1200M above sea-level and surrounded by the foothills of the Andes which rise 2-3000m above us, Pisco Elqui is the heart of the region where they grow the grapes for the Pisco production and is also a very popular holiday destination with plenty of hotels, cabanas, campsites restaurants etc. It's a very pretty place – an oasis of green nestled between the arid, brown mountains.
Have persuaded Linda to join me on a bike ride tomorrow up the valley to Los Nichos and one of the oldest private Pisco distilleries in the country and arranged a tour in English so she will get a proper explanation this time – I am sure the tasting will give us the energy boost we will need for the ride home!

The Sky at Night

2012-01-27T12:23:00.003Z

Patrick Moore himself could not have done a better job of helping us identify the stars and planets and constellations than our guide Ruis at the Cerro Mamalluca observatory at Vicuna last night – and we got to see the craters on the Moon and the 2 stripes and moons on Jupiter through the telescope as well, amazing stuff.
And what a contrast from Santiago – to see such a wide open night sky without a cloud or any light pollution. After a day of travelling (three taxis, one flight and a 60km local bus journey) it was definitely the highlight of the trip so far!

The observatory with a 40cm telescope was developed and operated by the local council as a public facility and well organised. Judging by the numbers there last night -in three shifts – it must be a successful venture.
The north of Chile is home to some of the biggest telescopes in the world and the EU is currently building a 40 metre telescope in the mountains of the Atacama. Probably able to see the golf balls that the astronauts left on the moon.

Burns night with a difference

2012-01-25T22:54:00.003Z

Unfortunately our plan to bring along a Haggis to allow us to celebrate tonight were disrupted by US Customs food importation regulations - even though we were only in transit. As a result we are forced to celebrate with an Empanada de Pino (a sort of Chilean cornish pasty) and a glass of excellent 40°Pisco.
Not quite up to the usual standards but sometimes one must make sacrifices for the sake of the travel experience!

A Unique experience?

2012-01-25T22:50:00.001Z

In my travels I have come across more than a few girly bars – you know the sort of thing scantily clad young ladies trying to encourage sad old buggars to spend their last penny on the demon drink – and perhaps other services. I may even have frequented one or two in my time, all in the line of business of course.

However Santiago is the only place in the world where I have seen girly coffee bars – perhaps that would be a USP for a rival to Starbucks or Costa in the City of London or downtown Toronto?

Seriously though, the main stream cafés – drink your coffee standing up, mostly male clientele etc – have young ladies in very tight short lycra dresses who deliver the coffee from the barista to the customer and seem to do little else but chat up the customers and show off the outline of their thongs – is this becoming an obsession???

The harder core coffee bars have blacked out windows, low lighting levels and ladies serving the tables in what appeared (from a distance of course) to be little more than their underwear.

The coffee of course is excellent!

Big City

2012-01-25T22:48:00.001Z

A few days in Santiago is probably enough – but a great reminder why I enjoy being in cities for a while with the crush of life and the vitality. With a population of around 6 million, it is a busy place with a great public transport system – including a modern metro which was uncomfortably warm at the end of the rush hour last night – a couple of good museums and a lot of very grand churches.

There also seems to be a very large police presence – carabinieri on every corner and squads on standby in buses around many a street corner. However they are as friendly as the rest of the population and perhaps help to enforce the sense of safety and security around the heart of the city!

There are also dozens of good restaurants and bars – went to Patio Bellavista last night to eat and drink – a sort of modern Covent Garden with street entertainers and music in the open spaces and hordes of people. Tried to check out one of the Irish bars but found it closed for the evening but still had a good time in the bar next door followed by an excellent meal and a session in the Jazz Bar listening to a Blues group.

It is also seriously warm – 33degC or more – although very dry. Not the uncomfortable humidity of Bangkok but still too hot to be out in the sun for too long. We are flying north tomorrow morning to La Serena for a week in the Limari and Elqui valleys – wine, pisco, star-gazing at an observatory, slightly cooler temperatures and much more we hope.

Moving on again

2012-01-23T23:59:00.001Z

As promised Sunday was a bit of a late start – we managed breakfast just before they opened the hotel bar-café for lunch. Then off for a bit of sightseeing – a boat trip around the port and the bay followed by a couple of hours in the excellent Naval Museum. Two large cruise ships in port – Insignia and Deutchsland – watched them sail in the evening as we were having dinner.
Then preparing for our departure on Monday for Santiago – after the cost of our drinks and dinners in Valparaiso we settled for the SuperClass bus service which took 90 mins and cost about £5 each. Excellent service which may encourage us to use the buses a little more.
Santiago is different again – a very busy capital City with lots of hustle and bustle and traffic noise. We are staying in a serviced apartment here for the next three days so we have a bit more space and can do a bit of catering for ourselves (Waitrose equivalent only a few blocks away and a botilleria even closer).

Pisco

2012-01-23T23:57:00.000Z

Another first when we followed dinner on Saturday night with a digestif in the Bar de Pisco .
Our first introduction to Pisco (Chile's national spirit – a distilled grape juice)was at home where Gerry used to make us Pisco Sours as an aperitif and I had assumed that it was just the local Chilean or Peruvian firewater only to be mixed in cocktails.
How wrong can you be – like Whiskey or Whisky or Brandy or Grappa or Tequila there is a wide variety of qualities and tastes. As you would expect, the Bar de Pisco had a wonderful selection and while Linda settled for a cocktail I went straight for the smooth sipping stuff. So good we went back again on Sunday as well and got some tips on which Pisco distilleries to visit when we are in the Elqui valley next week.
You may hear more on this!

Valparaiso

2012-01-23T23:55:00.001Z

Definitely our kind of city – some great restaurants, cafés and bars.
For Saturday night we followed a 'Rough Guide' recommendation and headed for Café Vinilo for some Chileno food. Unfortunately they did not have the conejo (rabbit in white wine) which is one of their signature dishes but Linda had an excellent arollado of pork with a orange and mint mash while I had lengua de vacuna (cow's tongue) in a mustard sauce with a risotto of split corn which was just as good – impressed by their own brew of beer and the best bottle of Carmenere we have tasted (and the most expensive). Another very friendly welcoming place – listening to music from the Platters, and Abba and some Chilean folk group – all on vinyl. Even Peter B-C would have been impressed with the decks they were using – although the DJ wasn't going to start until 11.00pm.

The musical entertainment in our hotel was … amusing and entertaining. A lady singer of a certain age with a reasonable voice who sang in Spanish, French and English in the style of Ella or Piaf. By the time we left at 2.00am the show had degenerated into a sort of live Karaoke with contributions from most of the clientele – think Linda was keen to get me out of the room before I offered 'The Wild Rover'. Heard the end of the show from our room and settled down to sleep only to be kept awake by a group of drummers in the Plaza at the bottom of the hill who kept going until dawn – the second weekend in a row that I've made it through the night without sleep!

Moving on

2012-01-21T21:38:00.004Z

After nearly a week in a small beach resort, we were ready to move on today.
Our taxi driver for the 40 min trip to Valparaiso was very friendly but he paid scant regard to the speed limits or other road users. We managed to find our hotel with little problem and we were treated to a cup of coffee on the deck overlooking the city and bay while they finished getting our room ready.

The Brighton B&B is the bright orange building sitting on the side of Cerro Concepcion -one of the three dozen or so hills upon which the City is built. The slightly precarious feeling was enhanced when we saw the supporting beam for the cafe deck above us which runs diagonally through our bathroom. However the staff have been very friendly and as long as we are the last ones to leave the party, then the noise upstairs should not disturb us!

Strange to be back in a city again and surrounded by European and N American tourists after a week of only Chilenos and Argentines. Our first walk introduced us to the hills, and the pasajes and the escaleras which are a necessary part of life here – good for the calf muscles at least. It is also interesting to be looking out over the country's main port – both commercial and military – almost felt like being back at work!

There is a wide choice of restaurants within a short walk of our hotel and we have a table booked here in the bar for the live music which starts at 11.00pm.Could be a late start for Sunday morning.

Birds on the beach

2012-01-20T19:04:00.007Z

Thankfully not all the birds on the beach at ConCon are wearing thongs!

On our morning walks we have seen a great variety of sea birds and waders. Some are similar to those at home – oystercatchers, sanderlings, cormorants, whimbrel and curlews while some are unlikely to be seen on the Flaggy shore – Peruvian Pelicans, Snowy Egret, black-backed stilts, sandpipers, brown skua, lesser yellow legs, southern lapwings and a flock of Roseate Terns.
We also saw a couple of turkey vultures feasting on a dead seal along with a small raptor ( still to be identified) tucking into a dead Humboldt Penguin. All this in the space of a couple of hours on the beach!

Chile - First Impressions

2012-01-19T12:56:00.003Z

Safe, secure, everything seems to work - so far; expensive, friendly(ish), warm weather at the coast but not too hot, good fish and seafood (haven't tasted the meat yet but looking forward to some excellent beef), expensive (did I say that already - £2 for a bottle of beer in the bars and restaurants, same for a glass of wine and a bit more for cocktails). Good road system and excellent transport links, everywhere offers good wi-fi.

ConCon bay where we are spending our first week to settle in to the local customs, language, etc is about 33deg South - on the northern edge of the Central Valley. It is a wide bay with a very gently sloping sandy beach - very like Lahinch and ideal for surfers (mostly beginners). For about 30km south of us the coast is almost continuous beach resorts very popular with locals and also a lot of Argentines - beaches get busy around midday and stay that way until dusk (9pm) - best European example we can remember is Sitges - not much personal space here.

We are here until Saturday when we head for some city life to Valparaiso for the weekend and then on to Santiago for a few days next week. Then we fly north to La Serena - the Elqui valley, wine, Pisco, observatories, more beaches and ...

Fat-bottomed girls

2012-01-18T20:56:00.002Z

As you can imagine, I see very few bottoms in thongs during the year at Moyhill - even on the beach at Lahinch they are rare - perhaps due to the weather.

The beach at ConCon bay is covered in them for most of the day - hard to see the sand at times. However despite the few that are pert and round like a ripe peach and glistening in the sun, the majority are of a somewhat larger size - ranging from 'does she not have a mirror at home' to 'that would be a good place to park my bike'!

Flying South

2012-01-18T00:02:00.009Z

Easy check-in and boarding although the flight was completely full. After a 90min delay sitting on the plane waiting for cargo containers to be loaded it was -17C when we were at the de-icing station just before take off.

The delay meant that we arrived in Santiago during the immigration officers lunch break. By the time they returned to work there were around 2500 people in the queue who greeted them with a slow handclap.

When we walked out of the terminal in Santiago it was 32C. Luckily our taxi to Con Con was air-conditioned and it was only about 26C by the time we arrived at the coast. Our apartment looks over the beach which was quite busy when we arrived.

After dinner in a local fish restaurant we went to sleep listening to the waves breaking on the long sandy shore and when we woke in the morning the beach was deserted – perfect for a morning stroll!

Toronto in the snow

2012-01-16T22:32:00.005Z

Woke to a light dusting of snow – temperature dropped to -10C – now I understand why people have heated car seats! Linda went shopping for a new bikini without success then back to Jim & Suzanne's to relax before their Friday night Pub-Night (an evening of unlimited alcohol consumption hosted by each neighbour in turn);
We got to bed before dawn but only just.

I made it out of bed in time for lunch on Saturday and after a brief -very chilly - walk around the block, we went to see Braeden's ice hockey game – our attendance obviously inspired the whole team as they won 3-1 against a team several places above them in the league.
Then it was time for an early dinner before heading for the airport and our midnight flight to Santiago.

Leaving Moyhill

2012-01-16T22:28:00.001Z

Earlier start than intended - my phone rang at 0410 (must have been a wrong number) I assumed it was my 0520 alarm and was up and straight in the shower. After about 5 mins Linda pointed out my mistake – in her usual endearing fashion – and told me to keep quiet for another hour.
It was wet and misty as we left Moyhill and pretty much the same when we arrived in at Jim & Suzanne's in Toronto 17 hours later – easy, uneventful journey -US pre-clearance in Shannon was a real treat – even got a laugh with the US Immigraton officer – the flight wasn't crowded and the connection via Newark worked well.

That Joni Mitchell moment

2012-01-11T21:32:00.005Z

Our bag is are packed and we're ready to go.

Taxi's coming at 6.15 in the morning to take us to Shannon as we start our trip to Chile - with a short detour via Toronto to visit the CC & Coke drinking BMW driving Banker cousin.

For all those people who have commented or complained about the lack of my blog posts for the last 6 months I have resolved to do better this year.

watch this space!

Learning curves

2011-06-29T20:25:00.002+01:00

I am sure that Brian Phillips on the Isle of Seil - who is a real sheep farmer - would have had a laugh or two at my expense this week and that Peter who sold me the sheep is still laughing behind my back.
Examining the two ewes in the light of day after they had been sheared, it was clear that they must have been on very thin rations for a few weeks. In addition, the grass on our paddock was a bit too lush for them and particularly for one of the lambs. Ended up at the vet's on Monday evening with a very bloated lamb which needed to be treated with 5 ml of washing up liquid followed by some antibiotic, feed supplement and bottled milk.
After an anxious night - under a heat lamp in my workshed - he was well enough to join the others who had been moved into another shed - via Linda's flower beds.
Linda was right into the bottle feeding but when it came time to encourage him back onto his mother's teat, she felt a little too close to the action.
On the same night, when we were concentrating on moving the sheep, Molly the donkey took advantage and went for a wander - she almost made it into the vegetable patch before we caught up with her.
Then, just to make it interesting, the contractors showed up to cut, bale and wrap the grass on the paddock for silage. By the time they finished it was after midnight and we had 4 bales of silage which I have traded with Keith for some hay later in the year.
This evening we had to vaccinate all the sheep - my 5 and Keith's 16. Mine were easy - confined in a limited space - while catching each of his 7 sheep and 9 lambs in his large shed was like playing a game of 7's. Not only was I bruised and sore by the end of it, I also had that distinctive odour of sheep.
After we had finished and let them out into the field he realised that we had missed the youngest lamb and we spent an amusing 10 minutes cornering and catching it - flat out rugby tackle to catch a hind leg in a field recently grazed by cattle was effective but resulted in an odour of a different type.
We are off to Waterford tomorrow to see the Tall Ships and we are both really looking forward to a day off!

Just for Jim

2011-06-22T22:55:00.002+01:00

Realise that it has been a very long time since my last post - 11 weeks for those who were counting - and that there has been lots going on here at Moyhill that I could have written about.

My only excuse is that life here has been busy with animal and poultry husbandry and with preparing and planting our new veg beds - Linda currently has 20 different vegetables planted out. We still have the hockey girls and Rocky, 5 ducks and three meat hens which will be ready for the chop next week and we have already butchered two meat hens and 9 bantam cockerels - so there is still plenty in the freezer.

Jim commented today that he was missing the blog not knowing that it was a special day here at Moyhill because we have just collected our first sheep - two ewes already christened Maureen and Isobel (Mo & Izzy for short) - with three lambs. Should have lamb ready for the freezer by late October!

Will try to report on a more regular basis - and perhaps even catch up on some of the things that have happened over the last month or two.

Can now add 'sheep farmer' to my CV!!!

Say hello to Rocky

2011-04-04T11:42:00.002+01:00

Mistaken Identity!

2011-03-30T22:10:00.004+01:00

After a couple of days of our new rooster's hen-pecked performance, we decided to check him out in more detail only to discover that Reginald was actually Regina. It turned out that Pat - who had supplied the rooster - was in a bit of a rush that morning and picked up the wrong bird.

All was put right this afternoon when we returned Regina to her flock and picked up Rocky and introduced him to the Hockey Girls. No messing this time -Karen pecked at him once and he grabbed her by the back of the neck and Wham, Bang, Thank you Mam!! Then off to strut his stuff around the pen, and see if any of the others were interested.

Still on Calf watch and despite regular checks, went down this morning to find that the second cow had calved on her own without any problem while the last of the ewes had just started to lamb - luckily Keith arrived before I had to get my hands dirty!

Along with the day old chicks and the ducklings which arrive on Friday it is a busy place at the moment - helps to keep one's mind off the economy and another bloody war.

Another addition to the CV!

2011-03-24T20:30:00.003Z

As we sat in the sunshine with our mid-morning coffee (it was 15C by 11.30), Keith called to tell me that one of his cows was about to calf and did I want to watch.

Within 5 mins I was in the cowshed - sleeves rolled up, blood, shit and afterbirth everywhere -helping to get the calf jack in place to help the poor cow deliver a very large calf which had started in an awkward position. Not sure how to describe this new skill on my CV but it was a challenging 20 minutes or so. The calf was a heifer which is good news - worth a lot more than a bull calf - and seemed in good health - it was so big with such long spindly legs that it was having trouble standing to feed. As a result, I spent half hour this evening bottle-feeding it as Keith was hand-milking the mother.

As if that wasn't enough for one day, our new rooster arrived today as well. A very smart speckled Maran cockerel who seemed very sure of himself - until he met the hockey girls!!

They seemed less than impressed and gave him a very hard time -Karen in particular was very agressive.

However by bedtime they were a little more accommodating and allowed him into the henhouse. Hope they are all well when I go to feed them in the morning.

Had originally planned to name him Rocky after the hero of Chicken Run but given his performance today, Linda has decided to call him Reginald.

Don't know how I cope with such stressful days - and Keith has two more cows which should calf in the next day or so.

Spring is definitely here

2011-03-22T19:46:00.007Z

Wednesday 23rd March - 16C at Moyhill this afternoon and the weather is settled until the weekend at least. Pity its still snowing in Toronto

Have been getting the veg plot ready for planting and digging a new plot for the potatoes and Jerusalem Artichokes. Linda ordered a variety of seeds and tubers from Irish Seed Savers before we left and they were here waiting for us when we got home - all we have to do now is plant them!

The hens have settled in well and the egg production is back to normal. We are getting a rooster this week to keep the girls happy and ensure that we don't sleep too late in the morning. If he is too noisy he will probably end up in the pot.

We are planning to raise some goats for meat this year and will probably raise some hens and ducks for the freezer as well. Could be tempted to try another couple of pigs but we still have at least half a freezer of pork to get through before I dare suggest this.

So life is back to normal - had our first Burren walk - on the green road at Fanore - on Monday and managed to spot some of the earliest wild flowers although the atlantic winds were a little cooling.

St Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T20:17:00.004Z

This time last year we were at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun with our Canadian friends and their kids for St Patrick's Day. It rained from dawn until dusk and the entertainment team worked very hard to keep us amused with green beer, dancing competitions, Irish quizzes and a variety of games. After the evening karaoke (did we really sing Hotel California??) I somehow ended up in the mirror pool in the lobby with a 6ft 2in mexican leprechaun on my shoulders and still managed to stumble through the beach disco - although my drinking buddy Mark sloped off early to bed (lightweight)!

This year was a little less lively - champagne, guinness and the Ennis St Patrick's Day parade - but still good fun and in brilliant sunshine.

We brought the hockey girls home last night and I was welcomed this morning with 3 fresh eggs - we thought it would take time for them to settle in but apparently not.

Moyhill - at last

2011-03-14T20:39:00.003Z

After 69 days travelling, we made it home to Moyhill yesterday afternoon - according to my notes we have packed and moved on 31 times, been on 9 flights, 8 ferries, 3 trains, 2 long- distance buses, 8 minibuses, 26 assorted taxis, songthaews, tuktuks etc. and visited 7 countries - it's good to be home!

Back in Blighty

2011-03-09T22:17:00.005Z

Gales HSB, Whitebait, Steak & Kidney pudding, Shrove Tuesday pancakes - and that was just one meal!! After 8 weeks travelling in the East, there are certain things which are very welcome.

While Linda is in Scotland where it snowed on March 9th, I am in Port Solent - sunshine and 12C - helping my folks look for a new home as the town house is no longer a viable option. After a couple of 'read my lips' conversations with estate agents we managed to view about 8 properties in two days only to agree that the first one we saw was the ideal place.

Now we are faced with the challenge of English house purchase and conveyancing practices - I hate to admit that the Scottish system is better - but it is! Luckily I remember how to play the game so hope to work it to our advantage particularly since the agents seem less than the smartest people I have come across!

Just realised that this time last year we were arriving for our all-inclusive holiday in Cancun with Linda's BMW driving, CC&Coke drinking banker cousin and family and friends. Don't even need to look at the photos to remember what a good time we had - but I am still looking forward to getting back to Moyhill on Sunday.

Stocking up

2011-03-08T20:37:00.002Z

After a day in London to catch up and change from summer to winter clothes - it was below freezing on our first morning - we decided to pop over to Reims to pick up some champagne - our supplies having reached danger level. Great deal from Eurotunnel - £40 return - and a clear drive to the terminal meant that we arrived early only to find that the service was disrupted. Despite initial fears of a 3-4 hour wait, we managed to get on the shuttle just over an hour late - thanks to all those daytrippers who decided to cancel and take the refund.

Since it is three years since our last 'champagne run' we decided to head straight for our favourite Cave only to find that they no longer produce our 'house' champagne. This of course meant that we had to start from scratch -tasting as many as we could - trying to find a replacement. Think I managed 17 tastings before I realised it would probably be better to get the car to the hotel car park before I had any more!

Reims has changed quite a bit in the last three years - they have managed to complete the installation of a new tram system which wasn't even started when we were last here. Perhaps they could offer some advice to Edinburgh City Council.

Thanks to our sterling tasting efforts we managed to select a new 'house' champagne, loaded up the car on Sunday morning and headed back to Calais with enough time to allow us to stop and buy a few bottles of wine as well. Less than 27 hours on French soil and back in London in time to reorganise and pack again ready for our separate trips to Edinburgh and Port Solent this morning.

Heading Home

2011-03-08T20:33:00.000Z

Despite an evening arrival in Bangkok, we still managed to get to our hotel within 2 hours of touching down - pity we couldn't manage the same at Heathrow. We only had time for dinner, sleep, repacking - again - and breakfast before we headed back to the airport and our EVA air flight to Heathrow.

Didn't seem to be so many packs of single men on the return journey and the dayflight was relatively painless - even managed to watch a couple of movies. Unfortunately our arrival at Heathrow confirmed why it is an airport to be avoided at all times. It took us 60 minutes from landing to make it to the immigration desk - huge number of UK and EU citizens being herded around like cattle in a terminal which is always like a construction site. At least - I thought - our baggage would be waiting for us when we had been processed by the Border Agency officer who could neither smile or respond while examining my passport. I felt a degree of pity for the weegie at the next desk who had drunk at least half of his litre of duty free vodka and greeted the officer with a cheery 'all right pal, how's it going' and then couldn't understand that he was supposed to hand over his passport. There was still no sign of him in the baggage hall 20 minutes later when our bags finally appeared.

Next year we will have to find a better route which allows us to avoid Heathrow altogether!

Penang

2011-03-02T16:21:00.005Z

With a couple of days to spare, we decided to stay in the heart of Georgetown which - despite the major changes to the surrounding city - seemed largely unchanged from my only previous visit in 1976!

This is our third World Heritage Site of the trip and it seems to be a much better example for how such sites should be managed than those in Laos.

The Yeng Keng Hotel was converted from an early Anglo-Indian bungalow which was owned by the President of the nearby mosque. It was refurbished in 2008 and opened last year and it is without doubt the best hotel we have stayed in on our trip. It is situated in the heart of Georgetown and has been retained many of the original features of the 19th Century building - they also added modern bathrooms, AC and a large plunge pool which is unusual for a city centre boutique hotel. They also had some of the friendliest staff that we have encountered.

We both enjoyed Georgetown - it brought back memories for me of Singapore when I first worked there in 1975 - not least because of the food - nasi lemak, roti canai, assam laksa, malabar fish curry and many more washed down with Anchor beer and followed by ice kacang

Our last week

2011-03-01T10:56:00.009Z

Before we left London we had decided to spend our last week at the beach and took up a very generous offer from David (my cousin)and Laurie to stay with them at their new home on Langkawi.

Not sure if they expected us to stay for so long but they were very hospitable and in addition to sharing their fabulous new home also took us around the sights of the island and also for an overnight trip on their yacht to one of the nearby islands.

With plenty of cold beer, a pool in the heart of the house and a 42inch HD tv to watch the 6 Nations it was as close to paradise as I can imagine. We had a wonderful time doing very little, relaxing by the pool and wondering what the weather was like at Moyhill!

It is less than 2 weeks until we will be home and I think Linda has already started making lists of what we need to do. We left Langkawi this morning for a couple of days in Penang on our way back to Bangkok and our flight home.

Old Friends

2011-03-01T10:56:00.007Z

We had arranged to be in Bangkok to meet with Jimmy C and Mrs C - Barbican neighbours who spend each February on Koh Samui. Leaving Jimmy to organise a night out is always a risk - no matter how enjoyable - as he has the capacity to consume copious amounts of alcohol to no apparent effect.

Having travelled to Thailand for more than 15 years he certainly knew all the best places to drink and has figured out a 24 hour happy hour routine by moving from place to place! Luckily we were all on relatively good behaviour and managed two consecutive nights out without casualties although we did manage to set a new record bar bill for the trip - despite the happy hour prices!

The road to Bangkok

2011-03-01T10:54:00.000Z

Our journey from Don Khong involved a short long boat ride across the Mekong followed by a minibus to Pakse Bus Station - very strangely our driver refused at first to stop at the bus station for us and insisted that he would only drop us in the town centre. Then when I offered him small tip to change his mind he agreed but refused the tip - very Lao?

The VIP bus service to Ubon Ratchatani (in Thailand) is run by a Thai/Lao joint venture and unfortunately we ended up on bus no 2 which was the Lao contribution -not the safest nor the most comfortable 2 hours on the road. When we reached the border we were turfed off the bus to walk through the two immigration offices and across the border and a clear demonstration of the difference between the economies of the two countries.

The bus station at Ubon was very busy and a long way from the town centre. We avoided the entreaties of the Tuktuk drivers and picked up an airconditioned pickup truck for the journey to the hotel. Ended up with dinner in the hotel - which was surprisingly good - as we couldn't find anywhere else open on Sunday night. In addition to the great food we had a great conversation with a French couple who had been on the same bus from Laos. He was a diplomat - currently stationed in Bangladesh - who had first been posted to Laos in 1975 just as the communists took over. They had some amusing stories about the changes they had seen and we had a very entertaining evening.

Taxi ride to the airport the next morning and our first AirAsia flight which left ahead of schedule, got us to Bangkok on time and a very speedy taxi trip meant we were in time for lunch. A 24 hour journey whic included 7 different vehicles - would have been easier to fly direct from Pakse but the Lao airline ticket prices were five times those of AirAsia and we'd have missed all the fun of the border crossings!

Si Phan Don - 4000 islands

2011-03-01T10:39:00.005Z

The number of islands varies with the season - and the height of the Mekong - but there are definitely thousands of them. We stayed on Don Khong - the largest one - not as popular as Don Khon and Don Det but definitely a great place to relax. Mr Pon's Guesthouse was our home for 5 days and I think we ate in his restaurant at least 5 times. Don Khong is very relaxed and most visitors are there for a day or so on their way south to the smaller islands which attract mostly backpackers.

We managed one day trip by boat to see the waterfalls at Somphamit and Khon Phapheng which prevented the French from developing a trade route to China along the Mekong in the 19th Century and a couple of cycle trips around the island but otherwise managed to relax on the riverside deck at the guesthouse.

On our trip to Don Khon we discovered that Elvis is alive and well and travelling in Laos while our fellow travellers complained that the noodles that they had for lunch must have been made with 'virtual' chicken since there was no obvious sign of the real thing. We have met quite a few interesting people on our travels and the German man who joined us on this trip was full of stories of his 30 years of travelling in Thailand and Laos - he has enjoyed it so much that he is planning to retire to Northern Thailand because his pension will go a lot further there than in Munich and the opium is cheaper! There was also a Dutch couple, a pair of Belgians and a Swedish backpacker who all ended up with us at Mr Pon's restaurant for dinner when we got back - think this was the biggest bar bill of our trip (at least until we meet Jimmy C!)

Valentine's day!

2011-02-18T09:43:00.002Z

Pakse has little to offer other than a gateway to Si Phan Don -Four Thousand Islands - and the road to Cambodia, the Bolaven Plateau and its coffee plantations and trekking opportunities or the road to the Thai border. It is also within easy reach of the Khmer ruins at Wat Phou which can be reached by road or by boat. We chose the boat trip and spent a pleasant day cruising down the Mekong - with a stop at a very old and decrepit Wat with only one remaining monk - to Champassak and a tuktuk ride to the temple site.

Arriving 5 days before the Maha Puja celebrations meant that whole site was crowded with traders, entertainments, food stalls - even a mobile ATM - in preparation for the million or more visitors expected for the full moon celebrations and merit-making. This is the largest Khmer site outside Cambodia and I am sure it is a lovely place to visit at any other time but it felt more like a fairground with hawkers and traders in every open space around the ruins.

A very pleasant lunch in a riverside restaurant before our return journey was spoiled when our Swiss travelling companion discovered that his Iphone - with all his photos, contacts etc., from 3 months on the road - had been misplaced. By the time we got back to Pakse it was clear that someone had taken it and removed the sim card - he spent an hour or two grieving the loss of all the information but then put it behind him and started organising the rest of his trip.

Our guide for the day had spoken reasonable english and we had fun teasing him about his plans for Valentine's Day. Having booked a table at the Panorama restaurant - on the rooftop of our hotel - and allegedly the best place to eat in town - I was feeling quite smug. I reckoned without the organising skills of our French Hotel manager who had managed to screw up the booking so that we ended up having dinner on bar stools while the rest of the diners had white linen and roses for all the ladies - on top of that the food was nothing special.

We were glad to leave the place for our bus ride to the islands.

Heading South

2011-02-18T09:41:00.000Z

Arriving at the domestic terminal at Wattay airport at 6.00 am on Sunday morning for our flight to Pakse we were surprised by a heavy shower of rain but it had passed by before we had to walk to the aircraft. It did make for a bumpy flight - on a Chinese MA-60 which was clearly designed for short people. It was impossible for me to stand in the aisle without bumping my head and the doors on the overhead lockers were lethal. Lao Airlines inflight service - hot drink and snack box - was a bit limited but having been too early for breakfast we both managed to finish the sausage roll with chilli sauce and the iced cake that went with it! A flight time of one hour 15 mins was definitely more preferable than a 10 hr bus journey - think we are way past that sort of travelling now.

Our booking at the Pakse hotel had included transfer from the airport and when we arrived to find no-one waiting for us, we spurned the advances of the many taxi drivers and called the hotel to be told that the driver was on his way. After 25 minutes - all the taxis having now departed - we called again and were assured by the French manager that his driver would be with us in 5 minutes. After a further 20 mins - still trying to maintain the lao attitude on 'boh peng nyang' (loosely translates as no problem / never mind) - I called again and after a lengthy discussion finally spoke to the manager again to learn that he had misread our booking message and had arranged a car to pick us up at the airport at Ubon Ratchatani - 3 hours away in Thailand. This time the Driver did arrive in the promised 5 minutes and we reached the hotel 2 hours after landing.

Having got off to a bad start, his offhand apology and the shabby state of the rooms did little to improve the situation - Linda took advantage of the free wifi to post a frank review on Trip advisor!

Coffee and pastries at the Sinouk Cafe around the corner put us in a better mood - owned by one of the largest Lao coffer producers and a great place to stop.

Back in the civilized world

2011-02-18T09:39:00.000Z

After 5 weeks travelling in Thailand and Laos - although we have generally eaten well - you cannot imagine the joy of sitting down to lunch on the sun-dappled terrace of a French brasserie just next to Nam Phou with a chilled bottle of Chablis, a fresh green salad and an omelette aux fines herbes.

Vientiane shows signs of its French Colonial past amongst the newer concrete government building. This is most clearly seen in the Avenue Lane Xang - an asian version of the Champs Elysee, with its own Arc de Triumphe -Patuxai - at the end. Apparently the final sections were built using cement provided by the US in the 60's for the construction of an airport - hence the loacl nickname 'the vertical runway'.

The city is easily walkable and substantially cheaper than Luang Prabang and we had planned to stay for an extra day or two. Unfortunately, the flight we had planned on taking to Pakse was full and we had to leave earlier than we would have liked - literally since the flight out was at 0730 and Lao Airlines require check in 2 hours before departure.

Sat in a rooftop bar to watch the sunset over the Mekong which was spoiled by clouds of smoke from a big fire on the outskirts: ate good Sushi in a city centre restaurant and had an excellent Lao meal in Amphone restaurant. The jazz bar was a little disappointing - although perhaps we left too early, while the selection of cafes for breakfast - with real coffee- was excellent.

On the Road to Vientiane

2011-02-16T09:00:00.001Z

Leaving the Plain of Jars, we had to retrace our route for about 80 miles until we reached Phou Khoun and rejoined the road south. Since our average speed over the three days was never more that 30mph, it was a long drive with a couple of stops to admire the stunning scenery - wave after wave of mountains seemingly marching away from the road on both sides. It was quite a relief to finally reach the Nam Song valley and arrive in our overnight stop at Vang Vieng.

The self-styled 'tubing capital of the world' is a must see place for any backpacker passing through the region and one that we would have preferred to bypass. Unfortunately after another 7 hours on the road there were no other options - but we had at least booked a room at a small hotel away from the main drag overlooking the river.

It turned out to be a lovely peaceful spot and one where we would have been happy to stay for a few nights if it hadn't been for the backpackers inferno which surrounded the place. Our guide book told us that despite dozens of restaurants and bars that we would have to search hard to find good food. They were right - we didn't.

We did however have a very peaceful night's sleep and good breakfast at a shady spot on the river bank before we were back on the road for the last 100 miles to Vientiane where we arrived in time for lunch.

The Plain of Jars - and the legacy of the 'Secret War'

2011-02-16T08:59:00.000Z

Our driver - Mr Oa - was very punctual and was a much better driver than some we have had. Probably just as well given the roads over which we travelled the next 400 miles. While the highest mountain here may be just over 2500m, northern Laos has to be one of the most mountainous areas that I have ever visited. For the first 120 miles of the drive to Phonsavan - although the road surface was good - we rarely travelled more than 100 metres in a straight line or on the level. Very impressed by the number of falang cyclists who were braving the mountan roads - some even with their weans in tow (literally).

Interesting to see the villages perched on the edge of the mountain sides and the land that they have cleared on the slopes to plant their crops. Since they have little land suitable for rice they are amongst the poorest comunities in the country but still had satellite dishes outside most houses and shacks.

We descended about 1000m to the Plain - which is 1200m above sea level and could immediately see the difference in the lifestyle and prosperity of the villages and the towns we passed. Much bigger farms and a lot of concrete houses - some of them very grand places - as Mr Oa suggested some had made money in agriculture or transport or tourism but the biggest were those who made their money from corruption!

Since Phonsavan was largely wiped off the map by US bombs in the 60's and 70's it was rebuilt in a very communist style with a lot of large concrete buildings along the main street - mostly Chinese / Vietnamese owned hotels and restaurants. Not a place to spend more than a night or two unless your business is construction, or clearing unexploded ordnance.

Our hotel was in the Chinese utilatarian style, a huge soulless place which was good enough for a one night stay -and a surprisingly good breakfast. Our first stop in town was MAG (Mine Action Group International) one of the Charities which is helping to clear some of the huge quantities of explosives left behind by Curtis LeMay's carpet bombing campaign. Have a look at the website to see some of the consequences.

With Mr Oa's help we found a local guide - who spoke good english - to show us the main Jars sites. Local legend says that the jars - up to two metres in height - were used by the previous inhabitants of the plain - a race of giants - to ferment their rice wine while the archaeologists date them to 500 BC and claim that they are funerary jars. I think I prefer the legend - with that much rice wine it would have been one hell of a party!

Of course Linda took some photos in Thailand!!

2011-02-13T14:56:00.002Z

If you follow this link, you may even be able to see them -https://picasaweb.google.com/109254847766143856862/ThailandAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCIuM0JSa_sjX3gE&feat=directlink

Travelling in Laos

2011-02-08T15:28:00.003Z

After a day exploring Luang Prabang - more temples and an excellent dinner at Tamarind - we spent our second day kayaking on the Nam Ou river which flows into the Mekong above Luang Prabang - a very peaceful alternative to the hustle and bustle of the town.
Stopped at the Pak Ou caves to see the Buddhas (apparently this is where they deposit all the old damaged / broken statues) and then had to paddle across the flow of the Mekong to get to the landing beach where we being collected. Tried a bit of local culture - at the Royal Ballet Theatre - with less than 30 others in a hall that probably seated 150. Very artistic and colourful but I was glad it only lasted for 90 mins and was followed by another very good meal at Coconut Garden.
We were disappointed by the range of tours on offer - despite the fact that almost every other shop front was a tour agent - they all offered the same sort of things with minor variations and it seemed expensive after Chiang Mai. We decided to have a couple more days in town and then head for Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars and onwards to Vientiane. The price from the agents seemed excessive - over $650 for two of us over three days with a tight itinerary - so we decided to organise it ourselves.
After a couple of false starts, we arranged to hire a car (minibus actually) with driver, booked our own accommodation and figured we would save at least $200 and be able to do things as we wanted.

Leaving Thailand - and those bloody bankers again!

2011-02-08T15:01:00.009Z

Have really enjoyed Chiang Mai - could definitely come back here to spend more time - will have to plan another trip!

Our arrival in Luang Prabang went very smoothly -hotel car waiting for us at the airport and a very pleasant room at Villa Pumalin - stretching the budget a bit at $70 per night - but in addition to A/C, wifi and a roomsafe, it also had one of the best showers since we left our Barbican flat. The town is full for Chinese New year - both expats from neighbouring countries enjoying the long weekend, and tour groups of Chinese who seem to go everywhere in a mob (more on this later). It is a charming town and worthy of its World Heritage designation but the current levels of tourism - while good for the local economy - may soon destroy the special nature of the place.

Before coming here, we had been advised to take money in US$ and Thai Baht as it was often difficult to exchange other currencies and the ATM's were not always reliable. As we got off the plane - loaded with cash - we tried the airport ATM - just to see whether it would work or not. You can imagine our delight to get a message that our cards were declined and that we should contact our bank!

On Friday morning - after trying a couple of other machines with the same result -we were on the phone to Lloyds again to learn that our cards had been stopped for a second time - despite all previous conversations - as a security precaution and that we would have to speak to the fraud team. Unfortunately they only work UK business hours - so please call back after 9.00am!

When we finally got it sorted we were told that this was all due to the security systems on their computer systems and that there was nothing that they could do. Since we will be in at least two more countries before we head home, I assume that we will have to experience this again and again.

I would love to change banks but I doubt it would be worth the aggravation and they're all as bad as each other anyway. Perhaps I should move to Canada where the banks are - allegedly - more efficient.

Are there really only 84 temples in Chiang Mai?

2011-02-02T15:41:00.002Z

Although we only visited 5 or 6 temples while here, it did seem that there were a lot more - almost one on every corner. However our guide today was quite sure of his figures.

We spent yesterday morning on the temple trail and managed to see Wat Chiang Man, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Pan Tao and Wat Phra Singh before a bottle of Chang beer dragged my attention away. While there are many differences between them, they all adhere to the same basic principles and the architecture is as stunning as the decoration. While the major Wats are on a grand scale, some of the smaller buildings are - in my view - much more pleasing to the eye.

We missed out on the Monk Chat - on offer at many Wats - but did have a conversation with an older monk at Wat Kat Karam today - after our Ping river trip on a scorpion-tailed boat - where our guide, who claimed 67 years but looked older, admitted to having been a mercenary in the Vietnam war - assume on the US side.

One more Wat to visit tomorrow - Doi Sutthep - before we head for the airport and our flight to Luang Prabang. Travelling over the Chinese New Year holiday -Kong Hay Fat Choy to all - has made hotel bookings hard to find. However Jinty's recommendation came up trumps and we have at least got a bed for our first few nights.

It will be interesting to see what differences there are between Thailand and Laos - we have enjoyed the friendly helpful Thai people we have met and are told that the Lao are even more friendly and laid back - watch this space!

A Walk in the Park

2011-02-02T01:10:00.005Z

Doi Inthanon (2565m) is the highest mountain in Thailand and the National Park which surrounds it, while geared mainly to wildlife conservation, is also home to a number of Hill tribe villages -mostly Karen on the lower slopes with Hmong higher up. According to the guidebooks it shelters a huge variety of Flora and fauna - including 380 bird species and a number of orchids - which should all be at their best during the cool dry season (now).
It was therefore disappointing that our guide - Daeng, from a Karen tribe who live on the upper reaches of the mountain - did not make the effort to tell us about the trees and plants that we were trekking through. He led the group fairly well and the trekking (about 30km in total), meals, accommodation and rafting were all well organised but he rarely volunteered information about flora and fauna and was only really chatty when we were sitting round the fire in the evenings.
There were only 7 of us on the trek so there was no pressure on space but we did spend a long time sitting on benches in the song thaew (a covered pickup) on our way to and from the park. Our companions included a thirtysomething couple from Helena, Montana who were good company and three gap year graduates from London who could have been scripted by Matt Lucas or Catherine Tate - 'Am I bovvered?' was a regular response to each other in their nonstop inane chatter.
Two nights sleeping on bamboo mats in the Hill tribe equivalent of a Long House was enough for me - not least because it got down to about 5C on the first night and my sleeping bag was a little on the thin side - I was very glad to get back to the guesthouse and a bed with a mattress and pillow on Monday night!
On the subject of nonstop chatter I must acknowledge that two of our Austrian friend, Kai's, recommendations were excellent - the Blue Diamond has been the best breakfast place we have found in Thailand while the food at Taste from Heaven was also very good - even if it was veggie!

It seemed like a good idea.....

2011-01-27T16:33:00.013Z

We had expected that our overnight train journey to Chiang Mai would be a highlight and at least worth the trouble that it took to book. Sadly - even though we had decided we could spring for the 1st Class cabin - it turned out to be an uncomfortable, relatively sleepless night in a carriage which was seriously past its sell-by date. In addition, the failed suspension system when allied with the poor state of the track meant that we felt every bump of the 12 hour journey.

Nevertheless it was good to arrive in Chiang Mai - our base for a week or so. It is small enough to be walkable and has a huge amount to offer. We are staying in a guesthouse run by a Thai woman who was married to a Frenchman for many years - quite refreshing to be greeted in French first by all the staff - and they do have decent coffee and pastries (although you have to be early to get any).

Started off with 2 days of cooking classes at the Thai Kitchen Cookery Centre - recommended by Linda's friend Eilish from Dublin. It all seems so simple when you are taught in easy steps - proof will be in the dishes we can produce at home. After cooking 7 dishes each on each day - and eating it all as well - we haven't managed to eat anything else. I couldn't manage my first Singha until after 8.00pm last night and tonight may be the same. Interesting group of people on the courses with us including an American couple with their three boys - 12, 10 and 7 -who had taken a year out and were travelling around the world.

Off trekking in the Doi Inthanon National Park tomorrow for three days - spending the nights in hill tribe villages - and then back to Chiang Mai for a couple more days to see the sights before we head for Luang Prabang in Laos.

Hellfire Pass

2011-01-26T14:30:00.004Z

This was to be stage 3 of our death railway programme and was worth the visit -despite the fact that the tour meant we did not have as much time as we would have liked. The museum and the walk through the passes (a three hour circular walk which we had to skip) were established and funded by Australian veterans with some government backing. As you walk through the pass it is hard to imagine the work that went into cutting the stone over three months during the hottest part of the year.
The final part of the trip was the journey back to town on the train but having been rushed through the museum and the walk our guide got a call to say that due to an accident - 'no worry, nobody killed' - the railway was closed for the rest of the day. This was hugely disappointing and we had to settle for the trip back by road and a visit to the bridge on foot.

Travelling companions

2011-01-26T14:26:00.002Z

We decided to travel to Hellfire Pass with an organised tour which included a trip to the seven levels of the Erawan waterfall - one of the best in Thailand, a visit to the Pass and then return journey by the train along the death railway (or DEAD railway as a number of Thai signs described it). Since it was difficult to do all of this in one day under our own steam, we thought we would take advantage of someone else's experience.
Turned out that there were only three of us on the trip - our companion was a youngish Austrian named Kai who had been travelling in Thailand since the end of December and had been on his own for the last two weeks after his girlfriend had left to return to work in Austria. To say that he was talkative would be a gross understatement - from meeting at 9.00am until we got back to the guesthouse at 5.30pm he never stopped. Guess he hadn't had much conversation in the last couple ofweeks!
He was also staying in the same guesthouse and as we sat down to dinner he arrived and joined us - without eating or drinking - for the whole meal and then did the same again at lunch time today. We picked up one or two helpful tips from the constant chatter but were very glad to wave goodbye as he headed for Bangkok and his flight home.

Lost for words

2011-01-23T13:28:00.012Z

We spent our first morning in Kanchanaburi visiting the Death Railway Museum and the main allied cemetery.

It is hard to describe the effect of the story which these two sites tell when taken together. Despite my previous research, the exemplary way in which the museum told the story and 7000 war graves in a small city block, I still cannot begin to understand the suffering that the allied POW's and the Asian conscripted labourers went through during the building of the railway.

Juxtaposed with the tv pictures of that grinning monkey - who was our Prime minister for far too long - trying again to justify his decision to start his own war in Iraq - it makes me wonder if we will ever learn anything about the futility of war!

Tomorrow we are heading up the railway to Hellfire Pass to pay our own respects - in some small way.

As a sideline it is interesting to note that the river over which the infamous Bridge was built was not the Kwai at all. Pierre Boulle who wrote the book which was turned into the movie had assumed that because the railway ran along side the KwaiNoi for much of its route, that this was the river that had been bridged at Kanchanaburi. In fact it was the Mae Khlong. Obligingly the Thai government renamed it Kwai Yai after the movie had been released and the first groups of tourists started arriving to visit the site.

More travelling

2011-01-23T13:23:00.000Z

Minibus from hotel to Rama II in Bangkok suburbs - taxi to Sai Tai bus station -minibus to Kanchanaburi - soong thaew to hotel - all at breakneck speed. About 400km in 7 hours including a refreshment stop at a cost of £7.50 each.
We were both glad to reach Apple's Retreat on the riverside at Kanchanaburi - a friendly welcome, comfortable room (£10 per night) and cold beer. Also an oasis of calm after the rush of the day. Would recommend it to anyone not least because of the great food in the restaurant -however will leave the tripadvisor comments to Linda!

Life's a beach!

2011-01-23T13:13:00.003Z

Golden Pines Resort at Pak Nam Pran had everything that you could want - comfortable room, balcony with great view of the sunrise over the Gulf of Thailand, Air con, hot showers, wifi, a great pool overlooking the beach and very friendly helpful staff - of course. Unfortunately it was sadly lacking in one commodity - other guests! A 33 room resort with only four guests (including us) felt a little empty to say the least - at any time the staff outnumbered the guests by at least 5 to 1.
The same applied to most of the places along the beach - even our favourite bar - Bamboo Beach - while busier than most others always had empty tables. The Thai owner Jane bemoaned the fact that there were so few western visitors in what should have been high season and complained that asian visitors tended to spend all their time in their resort hotels.
Naturally we were accosted in the bar - in a friendly manner - by the ubiquitous Scot(s). This time it was a pair of retired schoolmasters from Elgin Academy. They were keen to tell me how glad they were to have retired early - didn't believe that I had beaten them by 10 years!

On the Road

2011-01-19T16:00:00.002Z

As we waited for the taxi to take us to the Southern Bus Station for our bus to Pak Nam Pran, the hotel concierge asked where we were going and then asked why we didn't just hire a car and driver to take us the whole way "much quicker, much better"!

That would have been my plan but since Linda was in charge of the arrangements, we are now aboard the #985 bus to Pranburi. So far so good - plenty of room to stretch out and to sit and type as well - probably more room than the Toyota Camry - and only 4 stops on the way down. Jury's still out but...

........Well, what can I say? Very comfortable bus journey which dropped us at the centre of Pran Buri in less than 3 hours - an hour ahead of schedule. Interesting discussion with a Songthaew driver to get us to our hotel - think we have now tried 8 different types of public transport with only tuktuks, samlors and motorbike taxis to go!

Pak Nam Pran is a very Thai resort and quiet during the middle of the week, but the hotel has all the comforts and, of course, very friendly. So far there are 2 english speaking staff - think we will see a lot of them!

The sights and flavours of Bangkok

2011-01-19T15:54:00.003Z

I had been promised a couple of days to relax, so our sightseeing was restricted to Jim Thompson's House - an oasis of calm and tranquillity - and the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo - a hive of tourist activity. It seems odd that the temple of the Emerald Buddha should be the busiest place that we have been since arriving but I guess I could say the same about the Grand Mosque in Casablanca or the Alhambra in Granada.

My protestant upbringing has difficulty with the concept of merit-making while my western eye finds much of the decoration overdone.However I love the simplicity and functionality of traditional Thai architecture and the grain and texture of the teak.

As usual, we had identified a few places to eat - some recommended by friends, others the result of reading too many guide books. For simple meals, the Bus Stop and the Seven Seas on Sukhumvit Soi 4 were good - too early in the trip for hawker food! Cabbages and Condoms may be an institution but the food was still excellent- wonder if we could introduce the concept to the West of Ireland?

Brown Sugar - Soi Sarasin - was a great Jazz bar with a good resident band, a jam session on Sunday night and the food wasn't bad either (thanks PL). Curries and More... on Soi Ruam Rudee was upmarket Thai food and on the pricy side while La Gritta - Soi 13? was an expensive - very good - Italian which we chose by mistake because we had forgotten the name of the place Jimmy C recommended (La Giusta for future reference).

Been there - done that!

2011-01-19T15:47:00.003Z

My first visit to Bangkok was 1974 - I remember meeting David Frost on the flight from Singapore - and my abiding memory was of the overwhelming presence of young US servicemen on R&R from Vietnam.

I was back again for a few days in 1978 - getting a visa to work in Brazil - but except for touching down at Don Muang Airport a few times on flights to Oz, I didn't return to the city until the 90's when I was here regularly on business and you couldn't move for the construction works for the MRT and the Skytrain and the new superhighways.

Linda's memories are of hockey trips from Hong Kong and Singapore and some of those stories will probably remain untold - 'what goes on tour.....'!

Landing at Suvarnabhumi airport this week it seems that the city has reached adulthood and taken its rightful place as another suburb of that sprawling Pacific city whch already includes Tokyo, Shanghai, Hongkong, Singapore, Sydney,Santiago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

Unfortunately, the city seems to have lost many of those features which seemed uniquely Thai and ended up like most of the others in the region - a fellow traveller described it as Blade Runner without the rain! Until you get to Sukhumvit or Patpong, of course, where you encounter hordes of attractive young women selling their services to the legions of fairly unattractive Farang.

Maybe my memories are rose-tinted, or perhaps I am becoming more cynical (is that possible?) butI am glad to be leaving the city behind as we head south for the coast and Pak Nam Pran.

Best laid plans

2011-01-17T16:09:00.003Z

It seemed such a simple plan - a few days in Bangkok, a short visit to Kanchanburi and the Death Railway and then jump on the overnight sleeper to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately everyone else wants to get on the sleeper as well and there is no room for at least the next week. Guess we will have to settle for a few days on the beach until the rush is over.It's a rough life, but.....

Stop the banker's bonuses!

2011-01-17T15:58:00.005Z

Despite notifying Lloyds that we were travelling to Thailand and Laos via their call centre and by email, they still managed to freeze our bankcards on both the accounts we had planned to use on our trip. In addition,when we called to sort it out they claimed that they couldn't do anything for 4 hours because all their systems were down for maintenance / upgrade.

For the same reason - apparently - we couldn't check the accounts via on-line banking. By the time it was finally resolved we had spent more than 15 minutes calling the UK from Linda's mobile - had to reorganise our plans for the day and grown a few more grey hairs.

I bet this wouldn't happen with a Canadian bank!

Taking a break!

2011-01-17T15:49:00.003Z

Sunshine and 31C

2011-01-15T10:37:00.003Z

Sitting by the pool with a cooling beverage watching the sun as it disappears behind the hotel tower next door.
10 days of visiting family and friends - driving 1100 miles and 14 restaurant meals later - was great fun but we were both ready for a break by the time we got into the taxi on our way to Heathrow.
Enjoyed being back around the Barbican for a couple of days but the taxi journey reminded me why city life lost its attraction a year or so ago. A lunchtime accident on the A4 had almost closed the road and even at 6.00pm it was still clogged justifying our driver's decision to take the A40. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea so we crawled along from from White City to Park Royal.
Hour and a half to terminal 3 - thankfully we had checked in online and had plenty of time - and a very smooth passage through security left us with time for a farewell glass of fizz before boarding.
Flight was long and fairly uneventful - amazed at the number of single men of a variety of ages but equally bad dress sense and personal hygiene who were onboard. Assume they were coming here to visit their tailors and indulge in some personal grooming! Although having seen their ilk on our first night here they all seem to have engaged the services of a young(ish) female (mostly) Thai companion to help them cope with cultural differences - I assume.
So the adventure begins - so far we have agreed on 4 nights in Bangkok and then moving on the Kanchanburi and the Death Railway on Tuesday.

So what happened to 2010?

2011-01-04T13:16:00.002Z

Well last time I looked it was around the beginning of October, we were busy fattening our two pigs, there were 23 geese on the paddock along with 5 of Keith's lambs and the hockey girls were settled and producing 28 fresh eggs every week.
Suddenly Christmas and Hogmanay are past and I am sitting opposite Linda on the Stena HSS ferry from Belfast to Stranraer as we begin 10 days of family visits in the UK before we head off for 7 weeks in Thailand and Laos.
Raising the pigs was definitely one of my successes for the year. By the time they went to the butcher at the beginning of November they had grown from 20-25 kg each to 85-90kg. As a result we ended up with nearly 120kg of meat in various forms (including 17kg of sausages) and 18 kg of Black pudding. Too much for our new freezer but thankfully our landlord took nearly 30 kg and paid a generous price for it – fair play to ye, Eugene! The meat has been very tasty with just the right layer of very sweet fat – not good for the cholesterol level but too good to avoid. Not sure if we will have pigs again next year – we will still be eating Billy and Bruce for most of the year – but it would be fun to try again.
The large flock of geese is definitely not to be repeated -too much effort and very little return – by Christmas time they were only selling for about 70% of their cost. They did reach a good weight – around 4.5kg when oven ready – and tasted really good but next time I think I would only raise a couple for ourselves.
The Hockey Girls were a great success for Linda - lost track of the number of eggs over the 6 months but there were never less than 24 per week. They were the only survivors as we packed up to leave – they are on their holidays too staying with Keith in a brand new “Celtic Tiger” henhouse – I may return to this later.
We had a great Christmas with friends visiting from the UK – more on this later too – it was so good to be able to share so much of our own produce with them!
So we packed up everything at Moyhill over the last weekend and are off on our travels again – sorry to all those regular readers who have commented on my indolence – there are lots of stories to tell so I will try to do better!!

Ten Years On - Another Castle

2010-09-26T09:18:00.009+01:00

Is it really ten years since we were watching Steve Redgrave win his 5th Olympic medal in the early hours of the morning at Wedderburn Castle?

Since then there have been a few changes: at the latest count there are 12 children born to our wedding guests (probably it for this generation, Susan?); three weddings; one divorce; I've lost contact with three of the guests while Linda has only lost one.

Happily we have retained contact with most of those who joined us for our wedding and I know that many of you follow the blog - so thanks for all your good wishes.We couldn't manage another party at Wedderburn - although we did consider it - because we couldn't get anyone to look after the pigs for long enough. However Keith agreed to cover so we could have three nights away and we headed off to Kilkenny - which also has a very impressive castle.

We enjoyed the city, ate in one very good restaurant and took advantage of the retail opportunity to buy those essentials that we cannot get in rural Co Clare - Wasabi peanuts, Rice wine vinegar and fish sauce. We also found an excellent bottle shop near our hotel so we could pick up some different wines.

Didn't miss the early morning chores at all - although I was still up early and enjoyed my morning coffee and Telegraph crossword at a great little coffee shop .

Stopped by the slaughterhouse on the way home - just to make sure I could find it when the time comes and met the butcher - TJ Crowe - and his mother who made us very welcome and gave us a tour of the place.

Back home in time for friday evening chores and within 15 minutes it was as if we had never been away!

A Day at the Races

2010-09-20T20:53:00.006+01:00

After a gap of 34 years, the Ballyvaughan Horse and Pony Races were held on Sunday afternoon on the 'Lawn' in front of Newtown Castle.

The day had started grey and cool with a regular succession of heavy showers, but we drove to Ballyvaughan anyway - held up by the queue of traffic for the match-making festival at Lisdoonvarna (but thats another story).

During lunch at Logues Lodge we could still hear the rain beating on the roof but by the time we had parked the car and donned wellies for the walk across the cowfield, the sun was out and we were just in time for the start of the first race - although too late to place a bet with any of the nine bookmakers who were competing for our attention.

Only 2 runners in the second race but Linda managed to pick the winner - €4 back for a €10 stake - but it was downhill from there - we didn't pick another winner for the rest of the afternoon. It did show us just how seriously they take their racing though with regular reminders over the PA about the number of champion jockeys who had started in surroundings like these.

After 6 races we decided to call it a day - Linda spent her winnings on ice creams - and we made it back to the car just as the heavens opened.

Home Produce

2010-09-20T20:30:00.003+01:00

In addition to the 28 eggs which the Hockey Girls produce each week, we have also managed to feast on cauliflowers, courgettes, beetroot, courgettes, red cabbage, and courgettes. Thankfully we have a long list of recipes which include courgette as our three plants are very productive.

I think we may have to accept that there is no point in trying to grow tomatoes outdoors in this climate. We planted 3 tomato plants at the end of May - two in the raised beds and one in an upside down container - and we have harvested a total of three ripe tomatoes and have just taken another two green tomatoes to ripen on the windowsill. It's definitely easier - and cheaper - to buy them in the supermarket.

Our neighbours have provided us with sweetcorn and potatoes and helping Keith with his poultry means that in addition to a couple of ducks we have also had all the duck livers and hearts (60 from the last batch) along with the lambs livers and kidneys from the first pair of lambs. Still 5 more lambs to go so plenty more liver and kidneys to come and we will have at least half a lamb for the freezer.

Have just confirmed the pigs appointment with the slaughterhouse for 4th November - all I have to do now is decide how we want the meat butchered. Have been gathering recipes for a variety of types of sausage (am open to any suggestions!) and am tempted to have a go at airdrying a whole ham - Serrano style of course. Should be busy for the second week of November and have plenty of meat to see us through the winter!

Autumn arrives

2010-09-01T21:12:00.006+01:00

There may be many things which herald the end of summer and onset of autumn, but nothing is clearer than the departure of the swallows.

They arrived at Moyhill in mid-April as we returned from our travels and have been our constant companions over the spring and summer. Initially there were 6 or 8 individual birds who settled in their old nests in three of our sheds, their first broods were fledged surprisingly early and followed by a second and finally over the last couple of weeks we have watched their third broods fledging. On Monday morning there were about 50 swallows on our telephone wire watching the sunrise. I don't imagine that they will all survive their long journey south, but there must be a pretty good chance that we will see some of them back again next spring.

It has been great to see their aerobatics - even if we have both had to duck a few times as we encountered one of them coming out of a shed as we went in!. It was also wonderful to see the faces of the fledglings peeking from the nests and to see their first tentative flights round the roof spaces. We missed them as soon as we woke up this morning and realised that they had gone - although I won't miss the copious piles of droppings in the sheds and on the cars.

You can also tell it is autumn because our local schools all started their new term this week - and of course we have had clear blue skies and sunshine since Sunday afternoon. I thought that only happened in my rose-tinted memories of my schooldays.

We identified another indicator of the arrival of autumn on Monday afternoon. We had enjoyed a walk along the green road above Blackhead and had our picnic lunch at the ringfort on the side of Gleninagh mountain. As we headed home - watching a juvenile Hen Harrier being mobbed by a couple of crows - we promised ourselves coffee and cake at our favourite cafe in Fanore. Unfortunately when we arrived, we discovered that their summer season had ended and they are now only open at weekends.

You shouldn't name pigs if you are planning to eat them!

2010-08-30T20:49:00.007+01:00

Our two pigs have now been with us for almost 4 weeks and they have settled in well and are putting on weight before our eyes. Only another 8-9 weeks and they will be off to the butcher! Hoping to get them to 50-55Kg by then and this looks very achievable.

They are great fun and despite my initial reservations have proved very easy to manage - they'll do anything for the hint of a bucket of feed and they learned about the electric fence very quickly.

Everyone says that you shouldn't name them as it will make it difficult when it comes time for the trip to the butcher, however you haveto have some way to identify them. My solution was to name them after a couple of people who I would happily slaughter if I had the chance so I am pleased to introduce Billy and Bruce.

Billy is the one with the thin face -and a passing resemblance to ET -and is named after an old colleague who some of you may remember, while Bruce is the fat greedy one who is just like his namesake - an old client from many years ago. It amuses me - childish, I know - that these two now spend their time together, sleeping in the same pen and eating from the same bowl while their namesakes couldn't abide each other!

The Michaelmas Goose

2010-08-24T22:25:00.004+01:00

While most of our geese will be ready for the Christmas market, we will have quite a few ready for Thanksgiving. I am keen to see if I can have one ready for a Michaelmas dinner - 29th Sept - since this was when rural folk - admittedly mostly in eastern England - would kill the "green" goose which had been grazing on the pasture throughout the summer and for which they had no winter fodder when the grass finished. May have to resort to fattening one of the bigger candidates over the next few weeks to achieve this.

As you can see from the photo they are being pampered -the inflatable pool from Argos only lasted 4 weeks because they kept biting the air tubes. Managed to replace it with a hard plastic pool (sandpit) also from Argos. They are also a greedy lot and I have to move their 50m electric enclosure every night to give them fresh grass. In return they have done a great job of cleaning up the grass on the paddock - with a little help from weedkiller and fertilizer.

I'm sure the work will be worth it when we taste the first one fresh from the oven!

Say hello to the Hockey Girls

2010-08-24T21:39:00.006+01:00

As soon as we got back to Moyhill after our trip to the UK in June, we finished the preparations for the hens and headed off to Loughrea on a wet afternoon to pick them up. Had hoped to buy them from a guy who lives about 5 miles away but for some reason he never answered his phone or returned my calls - perhaps too busy in the pub.

On the way home we were discussing names and it seemed like a good idea - to me anyway - to name them after some of Linda's hockey friends. Obviously we had to study them carefully to ensure that the names were appropriate, but after at least 10 mins consideration we are pleased to present Susan, Karen, Jinty and Ali T (from L-R):

I will leave it to those who know their namesakes to guess which of their traits we recognised but it is probably fair to say that Jinty was the first one out of the house wanting to make friends, while Susan always wants to be in charge!

They took to the henhouse immediately and Linda was delighted to find the first egg on their first morning with us.

Within no time at all, they were each producing an egg every day - a little on the small side to begin with - but they are now averaging 28 medium eggs a week. No consideration at all for my low-cholesterol diet! And the noise they make when they are announcing the arrival of an egg - no need for a rooster to wake us up!

Normal service to be resumed

2010-08-20T21:49:00.004+01:00

With apologies for our lengthy absence - and thanks to all who enquired of our continued well being! Hope to bring everything up to date over the next week or so and then try to keep it current.

Life at Moyhill continues to be everything we could want. Looking after the geese, hens and pigs is keeping us busy, amused and fairly fit.

The morning routine starts around 7.00 am and takes an hour or so before breakfast. Then there are the daily maintenance checks, making sure the electric fences are clear and energised, and that the watering system is not blocked etc ; and the cleaning chores - clearing chicken shit daily, cleaning out the goose pen every 2-3 weeks, and likewise for the pigs. As we move from summer towards autumn there is also the issue of vermin - currently setting 5-6 traps for mice every day with chorizo still the most successful bait - luckily we have no evidence of rats in our sheds but have seen them next door.

After all this we can get on with the day until the evening chores which usually start around 6.00 pm and completed after dinner. We now understand why evening events here all start at 8.30pm or later - so that everyone has time to get all their jobs done!

I promise I will bring it all up to date over the next week or so - lots of stories to tell: e.g. who are the hens and pigs named after? how do you treat a poorly hen? where can you buy decent pasta in the West of Ireland without driving too far? What wine to serve with pigs tails and ears?

Sorry again for the long silence. You'll all be begging me to shutup again soon and this may be the only blog for a while which doesnt mention the weather!

Airports and stress

2010-06-10T19:12:00.002+01:00

Sitting at Galway Airport with a pint of the blackstuff awaiting boarding call for our flight to Edinburgh. This is my kind of international travel -picked up from home at 5.15 by our local taxi man; easy 65 minute drive to the airport; 7 mins from arriving at airport to sitting in departure lounge with a pint (4mins for Guinness to pour)- Linda held up at security removing shoes, belt, jewelry,underwired bra etc...
Off to the UK 10 days - new car to buy, Mother's 80th birthday party to attend and various friends to catch up with - luckily neighbour Keith is looking after the goslings till we are back.
Forgot to mention that congratulations are due to Linda who got a sterling 3rd prize in the knitting section of the Ennistymon show at the weekend and 10 euros in prize money - paid for the beer at the show!

Which little piggies???

2010-06-09T23:05:00.003+01:00

Linda has a new dilemma today after we called into see the piglets which were born about 10 days ago. She has to choose which two from the litter of nine will be ours by the end of July.

Of course they are very cute at this age - even the other ones we saw at 16 weeks were hard to resist. The piglets are crossbreed Saddleback / Duroc and should reach more than 100kg at 6 months. In addition to choosing our two, we still have a couple of other steps before we can bring them home. Most importantly, I am still waiting for my Pig Herd Number from the Dept of Agriculture -while the Irish may try to avoid many aspects of their British history, they could probably give the Civil Sevice in the UK lessons in bureaucracy.

Christmas dinner arrived today

2010-06-03T20:14:00.007+01:00

Not looking their best at the moment as they lose their down and develop feathers but I am sure they will be plump and juicy by the time December comes!

Of course these are only our three - they were accompanied by a further 18 which we are going to raise for Keith.

After two days, we are still having to watch them when they are on the paddock because some are still small enough to get through the fence mesh. Hopefully they will grow sufficiently in the next few days to overcome this problem.

Wish I had a video camera this afternoon to record Linda's attempts to drive them back into the shed

Customer of the Month

2010-06-03T20:06:00.010+01:00

Stopped in at the builder's merchants again this week to find that I was their Customer of the Month for May - mostly timber, cement and hardware but the mains power unit for the electric fencing helped. Linda is still waiting for me to explain how I will use the power unit when we get back to the Barbican!

Glad that most of the joinery and building work is now finished - only 40 metres of fencing to erect - hoping to find someone with a post driver on their tractor to make life easier! In addition to the pen for the geese, I have built 5 gates, 2 doors, a couple of window frames, a sawhorse and a garden table. More carpentry & DIY in the last 5 weeks than I did in the previous 20 years!

Despite the efforts of 5 cows and their calves which followed the sheep onto the paddock, I still had to get the strimmer out to prepare for the arrival of the geese - too much dock, crowfoot, and nettles. Think we may have to resort to spraying them to keep them under control. Would prefer a non-chemical solution but havent found anything that will eat them yet.

In amongst all this work, we have managed a couple of trips around the Burren - had a great walk today along the clifftop from Hag's head to the Cliffs of Moher. Bright and sunny but a strong breeze which kept it cool. Hordes of Spotted Orchids, Sea Campion, Thrift and Bog Cotton along the paths and on the fields. There were also flocks of sea birds including the puffin colony and the auks and guillemots nearby.

With everyone gearing up for the Whitsun holiday, most of the visitors appear to be from northern Europe - including a pack of Dutch Harley riders in leathers and a gay german couple who had matching leathers but no Harley.

Our local agricultural show - the North Clare Show at Ennistymon - this weekend. Linda is busy finalising her entries for the craft competitions so expect news of her successes in my next blog! I chickened out because I didn't think my soda bread could compete with the local ladies.

Local Radio

2010-05-13T21:00:00.006+01:00

I know I have mentioned it before, but I am a great fan of our local radio statio - Clare FM. In a county with a population of less than 150,000 they regularly manage to attract 70,000 listeners in industry surveys. They must be doing something right!
Of course the local adverts - often made by the owners or staff of the business concerned - are a great source of amusement. We are currently being entertained by the ad for a local ferry operator offering tickets on "legendary" cruises on board their "majestic" vessel beneath the Cliffs of Moher (which are majestic) where passengers will be able to see "thousands of rare birds" including the "world famous Puffin".
Guess there is no broadcasting or advertising standards oversight!

Our first wet day!

2010-05-13T19:59:00.007+01:00

Stuck inside for a lot of the day as we had our first significant rain since we got back three weeks ago - we've spent most of that time outside getting things ready for vegetables, geese, pigs and hens.
The raised beds are finished and hopefully there will be no more ground frost so we can start planting out next week. Keith offered me topsoil for free - only problem was moving it 500 yds from his land to ours. After I finished moving 15 barrowloads, I was ready for a soak in a hot bath!
Had to concrete part of the shed floor for the geese pen and patch the inside of the walls before I could start on the woodwork. Have almost completed the front of the pen and planning to pick up the wire mesh for the top panels tomorrow. The goslings are already in Keith's barn under heating lamps and should be ready to move over here in the next week or so. Meanwhile, our landlord has got his electrician rewiring the shed and the joiner will be fitting new doors tomorrow.
We found the old stone chicken house hidden under the scrub and brambles and have managed to clean it out and get it sealed and vermin proof. Just need to replace the woodwork and it should be ready for hens next month.
Linda found time to replant the flower borders and the front of the house is looking very attractive. By the time the new doors on the shed are fitted and painted it will be time for a new picture!
We have also been on a couple of walks on the Burren to see the spring flowers but everything is much later this year because it has been so cold. Last year the farmers were complaining that they had to keep the cows inside because it was too wet - this year they are complaining because it's too dry and the grass hasn't grown enough.
The sheep did a good job on the paddock - just need to cut down some of the reeds and the docks and we will be ready for the geese. Unfortunately we lost one of the ewes - not sure what happened - she just lay down one afternoon and didn't get up again - she died before the Vet could get to her. Keeping the lambs inside the fence provided us with regular exercise as they crawled under, pushed through or jumped over the electric wires. Strange that it always seemed to be the little black lamb which was the ringleader!
So we are now waiting to see whether our flock of geese will arrive before Molly the donkey has her foal which is also due very soon.

A busy week

2010-05-02T09:25:00.004+01:00

Sunday morning sitting listening to Eoin O'Neill on Clare FM - seems like we never left.

We have 6 sheep and 7 lambs on the paddock getting the grass and weeds under control - they managed to escape on the first afternoon into a neighbouring field and we had to run some additional electric fencing to keep them in - Linda still counts them everytime she goes out - just to check!

Veg patch is coming along well - have cleared about 16 sqm of weeds and nettles and built one of the raised beds - hope to finish the second one tomorrow and get the top soil delivered this week. Keith provided me with a load of matured manure for this year and - after I helped with the mucking out yesterday -brought up two loads of fresh stuff so I am ready for next year. Luckily we have plenty of space away from the house!

Even managed to plant up a couple of trays of seeds so that we will have something to put in the beds. Told one of the neighbours that I was planning to grow some beetroot - he said he prefers it out of the jar!

Celebrations on Thursday when the Irish car passed its NCT test - legal on the road for another 2 years. Got knocked back first time because one of the seatbelts was jammed, but luckily it was only a toffee jammed in the catch.

We even managed time for a couple of concerts at Glor in Ennis: saw the Kilfenora Ceili Band again - a year on from their centenary concert; and then caught Martin Hayes, Peadar O Riada and Caoimin O Raghallaigh launching their new album "Triur sa Draghean" - a great evening.

In addition to the cuckoos and swallows, we have been joined by all the wee birds which appreciate the feeders being serviced again. The Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Great Tits were the first to arrive but they are being joined by others each day.

Off for a walk around Black Head this afternoon -we went to Eagle Rock last week and found that many of the spring flowers have started to bloom - hope to see more today.

Home at last

2010-04-23T22:02:00.001+01:00

By 6.00pm on Wednesday 22nd April we were sitting on the deck at Moyhill sipping champagne in the evening sunshine with the sound of a cuckoo in the background and the first swallows overhead.

The ferry trip was uneventful , and after a great dinner, bed & breakfast with Uncle Jack in Donaghadee, our drive to Moyhill only took 6 hours - including lunch in Maynooth and a slight detour via Athenry when we missed our turning off the new M6. We had the car unpacked by 4.30 and took advantage of the glorious weather which has continued for our first three days - bright sunshine and 16C today with 19C promised for tomorrow.

Eugene - our very accommodating landlord - has completed the work on the gullies and drains on the driveway and across the front of the yard which should be a great improvement when the rain comes. Like the Isle of Seil, where we were last weekend, the winter here has been very dry - extremely cold but almost no rain or snow. He has also had to replace all the carpet on the ground floor following a burst pipe, so the cottage is in great shape for our return.
We have had a busy couple of days: utilities reconnected - only temporarily as one of the contractors then took out the phone cable with a JCB; Car tax renewed; bank account reactivated; shopping for essentials; and broadband connection set up. Yes, we finally have broadband - in our absence, the wireless broadband coverage has extended to Moyhill and I am posting this blog via our new wifi modem. We also retrieved the MG from Keith’s yard - waterhose repaired and running relatively normally. Now we have to decide on its future.

As I write this on Friday evening - on my new Toshiba NB305 netbook - everything has been unpacked, and normal life has been resumed. We are starting work on the vegetable beds tomorrow morning and planning to have our seeds started in doors by Monday ; watch this space!

In an idle moment, I totted up that I have packed my toothbrush 43 times in the last 4 months and am very glad that it won’t be going anywhere for a couple of months. We had a fabulous trip but - as trite as it may sound - it is very, very good to be home!

Is it finally over?

2010-04-20T03:29:00.009+01:00

We are leaving this morning for Stranraer and the ferry to Belfast - thankfully booked last week and unaffected by the clouds of volcanic ash which has caused so much disruption this week. Have to pack up the car again for the last time and hope to be back in Moyhill on Wednesday afternoon. Even remembered to order heating oil although we have been very lucky with the weather since we got back and the forecast is promising more fine weather for the next week or so.

Have had a great time in the last week or so catching up with friends and family: a memorable night out in Edinburgh -although somewhat hazy due to excessive amounts of alcohol; driving along the side of Loch Lomond - with sun sparkling on the few remaining snow patches on Ben Lomond - and then through Glen Lochy on a clear bright afternoon on our way to Seil; and helping Brian with his lambing for a day - 4 more lambs to add to the 39 already born.

Guess that really is the end of the holiday. Time to get back to normality and start working on all the projects that we have been talking about for the last few months. Still have to organise our broadband access at Moyhill, so we may have to rely on the library at Ennistymon for internet access again for the next week or so.

With neither TV nor internet, we will - thankfully - miss the rest of the general election campaign in the UK. Based on the current polls, it looks like Nick Clegg will win 'Britain's Got talent' while Simon Cowell and Louie Walsh fight it out for the job of Prime Minister. I was going to vote for Arsene Wenger but after Sunday's performance against Wigan I'll have to think again.

Reality check !!!

2010-04-13T21:50:00.000+01:00

As I type this note, Linda is ironing – for the first time in nearly 4 months – while watching Coronation Street – for the first time in more than a year!
Currently in Airdrie, after a great drive up from the south coast on Thursday. We spent Friday in Edinburgh with Sandra & Gavin and the kids. It all went pear-shaped on the way home on Friday night – the car started overheating just after we got on the M8 and despite the best efforts of the RAC, we ended up being towed home.
Booked it into the Ford dealer for Monday morning and bought bus tickets for our weekend trip to Aberdeen. Great to see Gill and Ali – pity Graham and Alan are both working away.
This morning’s Scotsman told us that Coatbridge is the “fattest” place in the UK – highest percentage of obese people – just think of all those fish suppers and strawberry tarts enjoyed by overweight balding locals– and that’s just the women!
Have returned to a veritable heatwave, it was 19C in Glasgow today – acres of unsightly flesh on display. Thankfully, the car only needed a new water pump – even got some change from £300 (only pennies but…..) – and hope we can carry on the trip without further problems. Edinburgh on Wednesday, Seil for the weekend and ferry to Belfast on Tuesday.
Looking forward to being back at Moyhill more and more – while Linda shopped in Glasgow today, I spent a couple of hours in Waterstone’s reading about raising pigs, hens and geese. Now need to start putting it into practice!

Back to reality

2010-04-05T07:26:00.004+01:00

So much for our careful planning - the three day Easter alcohol ban in Costa Rica included the dutyfree shop at the airport. Luckily we had plenty of time at Barajas in Madrid to pick up some supplies.

Arriving at Terminal 3 at Heathrow after an incident-free journey was a shock to the system. Reckon we saw people of more races and nationalities in the 20 minutes waiting for our driver than we have in the last 13 weeks. Typical return to London with a driver who couldn't find his way out of the carpark without his satnav, and had about as much knowledge of the streets of London as our 12yr old niece!

Linda tells me that our London hotel is the 19th place we have stayed on our trip - am looking forward to being able to put away the suitcases when we get back to Moyhill in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, we have another day of unpacking, sorting and repacking before we get on the road again for a couple of weeks to visit family and friends.

Thankfully the car started first time and only needed a hose down to remove 3 months of dust and grime. All I have to do now is pack it full and face the bank holiday traffic on the A3.

Final thoughts

2010-04-02T14:19:00.016+01:00

Sitting at the Hostel in San Jose, waiting for transport to the airport and thinking back over the last 13 weeks. We have both enjoyed the trip, had some great experiences, met some interesting people and seen some great sights. It´s hard to pick out individual highlights but would start with:-

The variety of canal birds we saw at Jalova
The orchids and other flowers in the garden at Jalova
Seeing the Resplendent Quetzal at Monteverde
the beach at Playa Samara - and the huge Tuna steak
The troop of White-faced Capuchins who paraded past our cabin at Manuel Antonio
Our time at the Ocean Coral with Jim & co and particularly St Patrick's day in the rain
The pink flamingos at Celestun
Mayan ruins at Uxmal
The view over Lake Bacalara
Floating on our backs down the canal at Sian Ka'a n

Food and drink has featured as well but there are only
few memories:-

Ice cold Imperial and Papaya daiquiri at the Buddha Bar in Tortuguero after 2 weeks of abstinence at Jalova
Dinner at El Refugio at Punta Uva
Whole grilled Snapper at Selvin´s in Punta Uva
Ceviche at the beach restaurant in Samara
Tuna sashimi and Tuna steak at El Gusto in Samara
Mudslides with Mark at Ocean Coral
Linda´s frozen margarita and steak at El Paraiso in Merida

And the people

All the Ticos and Ticas who have been so friendly and helpful
the North American tourists who provided us with so much amusement and bewilderment
the Mexican boat driver at Celestun
the beach waitress and the entertainment staff at the Ocean Coral

As Joni Mitchell sang, ´the taxis´s waiting...´ time to go - be in touch when we are back in London

Travelling home

2010-04-01T14:27:00.007+01:00

Our journey home started as we left Tulum yesterday to drive to Cancun for our flight back to San Jose. Cancun airport was very efficient, checked in, through security and spending our last pesos in the Cuervo Tequileria within 30 mins of arriving. Uneventful flight - except for the landing through some low level turbulence - and an equally efficient trip through immigration and customs. It was great to be back in CR where the people are much more friendly and welcoming than in Mexico - from the immigration and customs officers to the taxi drivers and hotel staff. We had meals in Mexico with waiters who managed to get through the whole meal without uttering a word; our waiter last night stopped for a chat and gave me a blow by blow account of the Arsenal/Barca game which he had watched in the kitchen - don't hold out much hope for the Gunners on the return leg, but at least the conversation helped improve my Spanish.

Surprisingly for a Tico waiter in a Chinese restaurant, he expressed some disparaging views of the Chinese customers who were just arriving for a wedding dinner. Maybe he is influenced by the 5000 chinese workers imported by the Chinese Govt to build the new CR National Stadium which is a gift from China. Apparently there are no Tican's on the site and all of the supplies and most of the materials have been imported directly from China.

Luckily we had done our research and picked up our beer and wine supplies before the three day nationwide embargo on alcohol sales kicked in. Lots of people caught out today when they went to buy some beer for the weekend. No drink for sale anywhere in the country until Easter - can't imagine that working in the UK or Ireland!

Our research on other things wasn't so good - didn't realise that almost every business in the country would be closed for the Easter Holiday - and very few buses running. Organised a day trip to Poas to see the volcano again - and allow Linda to finish her shopping - and drummed up 10 others from the hostel to join us and share the costs. Turned into quite a sociable event with the people who are about to start their 10 weeks at the GVI project that we left 2 months ago.

Plenty of time tomorrow morning to pack before heading to the airport after lunch and our flight to London via Madrid. Back in London for Saturday afternoon hoping that the sun may be shining and the weather warmer there than it is today!

Our last stop

2010-04-01T13:52:00.008+01:00

All that effort at Cancun on a borrowed laptop trying to get hotels confirmed for the last part of the trip proved to be a waste of time. The hotel in Merida was closed when we got there, while the hotel at Tulum - although everything it claimed on its website was a long way from town and even further from the beach. Found an alternative at the Posada del Sol - Italian owned, like many of the businesses here - which faced on to the beach and a funky room with a huge open bathroom. Naturally, the beach and cold beer beckoned - only a week until we are back in London - and our plans for an active afternoon were postponed. Great fish restaurant next door for dinner - although the prices are definitely Riviera Maya levels - have paid less for a meal in Nice!

Booked a trip into the Sian Ka'an Bisophere for Monday which turned out to be slightly less than wonderful - although the 30mins floating down a freshwater canal in the wetlands was one of the best parts of the whole trip! They also served us a great lunch, but the boat tour of the lagoons to see the wildlife was a challenge since it was done so fast that everything was frightened off and even included a collision with a mangrove tree - so that Linda ended up with a bruised head and the captain's tip went out the window!

Tulum is three locations - the Mayan Ruins on the coast, the beach community where we stayed and the town which has grown up on the highway - complete with all the usual brands. Headed to the town in the early evening for internet and dinner. Internet was a challenge - lost about an hour's work when the computer dropped its connection - which is why I am behind schedule with the blog! Thankfully dinner was great - restorative beer and real pizza in an Italian restaurant.

For our last day, we headed for the Mayan ruins - very different from the others we have seen - Tulum was a fortified coastal town which guarded one of the important sea routes and much more functional than the temple sites. Then we drove to Akumal bay - hoped to snorkel in the bay but it was too choppy, so we headed for the Lal-Ku lagoon - which is inland and quite shallow. Great place to swim and snorkel and watch fish although it was a little busy. Had also planned a visit to the caves at Aktun Chen but after 90 mins in the lagoon, we had had enough and headed back to the beach again.

Another great dinner in a spanish restaurant - best seafood paella for a long time and a floorshow during the meal which was billed as live music, but was mostly juggling and acrobatics, and surprisingly entertaining.

The lake of seven colours

2010-03-30T01:09:00.007+01:00

Left Campeche on Friday 26th heading for Xpujil and a night at Hotel Calakmul. It`s a long drive across the peninsula and we had included the stop to break the journey as we didn`t know what the roads would be like. However all the roads in the Yucatan have proved to be good. They are generally straight, flat and well surfaced, with little traffic, the only hindrance are the speed bumps or topes which you find at the entrance to every town and village. There are quite a few double semi-trailers on the road, all over 35m long and often travelling at 100kph or more - I spent a good hour of the journey trying to stay ahead of a guy towing a pair of lpg containers and it was only the topes which kept him behind me! As a result we made it to Xpujil in time for lunch and decided to carry on to Bacalar.

The hotel Laguna at Bacalar is a 70's fantasy in concrete which sits on the banks of the lake with incredible views to the south over the lake - there really are 7 shades of blue - and the wetlands beyond. Although the building is a little worn, the location and views made up for everything else - we were swimming in the lake within 20 mins of arriving! Decided to check out Friday night in Bacalar itself and finished our meal just before they turned off the lights and rolled up the pavements.

Up early to watch the sunrise - the hotel rooftop bar allowed a clear view of eastern and western horizons - and then a swim in the lake before breakfast. The breeze was a bit strong for kayaking so we planned a day of sightseeing which lasted until lunchtime when we headed back to the poolbar to seek refreshment. The Mexican schools had just closed for two weeks for Easter, so we watched the arrival of three or four groups of holidaymakers - like our Canadian friends, the Mexicans appear to travel in packs - usually not less than 6 adults and 10 children at a time! With the pool now full of screaming wains, we headed for the lakeside which was marginally quieter. Dinner at the hotel was quite lively and thankfully the kids were dragged out of the pool before bedtime - I hadn`t quite reached Jimmy C mode but it was close.

In the morning we were joined for breakfast by two other refugees from the large family groups - an Aussie couple from Adelaide who are travelling from pole to pole on a pair of BMW touring bikes. They had started from the south of Argentine in November and hoped to reach Northern Alaska before the end of summer - in Linda´s opinion "the first interesting travellers we have met on the trip" (excluding canadian friends and family of course). As they rode off towards Campeche, we headed north to Tulum.

Mayan History and Architecture

2010-03-25T18:38:00.003Z

Our decision to postpone our visit to Chichen Itza on Sunday proved to be the right one. Read the local paper on Monday and there were more than 16,000 people there for the equinox who could see nothing because of the mist and rain. We went on Tuesday morning - got there for 0900 and beat the coachloads of tourists who were streaming through the turnstiles buy the time we left at 1300.
A truly amazing place, in both scale, stonework and astronomical alignments. Must have skipped the Mayans in history class - or perhaps have forgotten what I learned - but having visited both Chichen Itza and Uxmal, I am now reading about their history and demise under the conquistadores.
Stopped at Uxmal - much more visitor friendly than Chichen Itza - en route from Merida to Campeche where it is currently around 35C at midday. Luckily the hotel has a pool and a friendly waiter who brings cold beer at regular intervals. This is my first and only non-driving day of the week so thought I should take advantage.
Heading for Xpujil and more Mayan ruins tomorrow and then on to Lake Bacalar.
Have realised that we have only a week left in Mexico and have had to face up to some of the preparations for our return to London and Ireland - guess the real world had to intevene sometime!

Sunday in Merida

2010-03-24T13:13:00.004Z

Arrived in town too early to check in to our hotel, so we dumped the car and headed for the main square and found ourselves in the middle of regular sunday festival. The roads were closed to traffic, there was dancing and singing in the street, hundreds of stalls selling clothes, souvenirs and food and most of the population out for the afternoon. Very lively and safe, despite the constant attention of the indian women selling shawls etc.
Still trying to choose my favourite local beer - which has, of course, required considerable research. Think I have settled on Modelo Especial but will have to keep tasting.
A bit of a mixup over the hotel booking - despite 10 or 11 email confirmations. It was a very small place and they had decided to take Sunday off- we probably bumped into them in the square without realising - they had arranged for someone to meet us to let us in but we missed each other. Took a bit of time wandering the streets until we found a new place - an old Mission - named for a famous priest who spent his life baptising those indians who were willing and burning those who weren't! Slightly disconcerted by the floodlit freestanding cross in a wall niche beside the bed until we found the light switch.
Spent Monday on the Lagoon at Celestun. This is a huge saltwater lake on the Gulf of Mexico which is home to thousands of Flamingos which breed here between March and April. We took a two hour boat trip to see the Flamingos, the mangrove swamps and the freshwater springs - I had a swim in one of these until we noticed the crocodile around the corner.
We shared the boat with a Mexican couple which led to my longest Spanish conversation of the trip - not sure that we understood everything but I think I got away without saying anything too embarassing.
Thankfully - as a result of my exposure to our Canadian friends - I overtipped the boatman which meant that he and his mates were more than willing to give me a push start when I found the battery was flat - guess who left the lights on?

On the road again

2010-03-22T22:33:00.006Z

After another party night at the Ocean Coral to celebrate the last night of the holiday (for some) we managed a quiet morning on the beach to allow me to dry out before heading for the carhire desk at Cancun Airport to pick up our car and start the next leg of the journey.
Not having much luck with car hire on this trip - because I had specified manual gearbox we ended up with one of the oldest cars on the lot - not much demand for manual cars from their usual clientele. Have never seen a Nissan Tsuru before and hope not to see one again. Very simple old style Nissan but it drives reasonably well, the aircon works and we have already driven 500km. Rattled a bit a top speed on the toll road out of Cancun but I put that down to road surface!
The Cuota - toll road - is amazing - so expensive that no-one uses it. In 160km we saw 8 other cars - which all raced past us, and two trucks which we left behind us. Got to the toll and found it was $20 for the privilege. It was also completely soulless as there was tall vegetation on both sides and you couldnt even see the other carriageway. Still an effective way to cover the distance.
Our first night was in a lovely old hotel in Valladolid (recommended to us for the courtyard restaurant) where we had dinner and breakfast. Wonderful square in front of the Hotel and being Saturday night, everyone was out in their finery for a stroll around the square or a chat in the s-shaped chairs which they call "confidenciales". Our first experience of Mexico!
The plan for Sunday was a visit to Chichen Itza - the largest and reputedly greatest Mayan site - and then on to Merida for the evening festivities. Unfortunately it was raining as we left Valladolid and stayed that way until we reached Chichen Itza where the access roads were closed off by police because of the crowds expected for the Spring Equinox celebrations. Given my limited tolerance for crowds and queueing and the fact that I have already lost two umbrellas on this trip, we decided to continue to Merida and reschedule our visit.
Had to stop at the service station to check on a warning light which appeared on the dashboard and not really reassured by the hire company´s assurance that it was nothing important. Checked all the vital components and decided that we would continue since they were only prepared to replace it if we drove back to Cancun which would have been a 600km round trip.
Made it to Merida before lunch and found ourselves in the middle of their regular sunday celebrations in the main square.

It’s a Different world!!

2010-03-19T22:48:00.001Z

Friday evening sitting on the terrace of our room at the Ocean Coral at Puerto Morelos, on the fifth day of our first all-inclusive holiday anywhere – and it could be almost anywhere with a slight Latin American theme! Bars are open from 10.00am until 6.30am and there are at least 8 places to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner.
6.00am start each morning to put towels on the sun loungers and then a walk along the beach before breakfast. Then off to the beach for more sun, sand and non-stop bar service, before a break for lunch followed by more sun and sand. Then on to pub night in someone’s room followed by dinner, more drinking and either karaoke, dancing or just plain old carousing.
We have had a great time with Linda’s CC&CD, BMWD, CBC (Jim) and all his friends and families here. After 9 weeks of just the two of us, it has been great to have some different conversations and lots of partners to have a drink, or chat or play volleyball or go kayaking. However my liver is probably ready to revert to a more normal way of life.
Had a very lively St Patrick’s Day celebration which finished up with a beach disco, before which I managed to wade through the lobby fountains with a leprechaun on my shoulders!
Back to reality tomorrow when we pick up car and head for Valladolid and the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. Meanwhile our Canadian drinking buddies are on a 5.00pm flight home and are all back at work on Monday – tough for some!!! We still have two more weeks in Mexico.

Divided by a common language

2010-03-12T22:56:00.003Z

For the last week or so, we have been surrounded by American tourists ranging from snowbirds, families and young couples to the hordes of college students on spring break. Despite having lived and worked around Americans for most of my life, it is still interesting to note those little differences - like the older gentleman who came and sat down with us as we were quietly playing cards - waiting for our shuttle pickup - and regaled us with the story of his life and his Welsh wife and then excused himself after 10 minutes and went off to talk to someone else!
On the journey down to Manuel Antonio, our fellow passengers started by introducing themselves, talked for the whole 4 hour journey and then insisted on swapping email addresses when they were dropped off. Probably more Jimmy C's type of people!
Linda's turn to get the stomach bug when we arrived but it was only 24 hours until she was back on the frozen margaritas and mango daiquiris!
Manuel Antonio has both National Park and long pacific beaches and our cottage is surrounded by forest while only 10 mins walk to the beach. We had a great hike in the park where we saw Howler and Capuchin monkeys, three toed sloths, agouti and a variety of birdlife - including a Fiery-billed Aracari and a Golden-naped Woodpecker. Then we got home and saw everything again from the comfort of the rocking chair on the terrace - we had a troupe of about 20 capuchins which passed by, feeding as they went and checking out the roof of the cottage as well. It is great to sit with a cup of coffee in the morning and watch the humming birds flitting around the Hibiscus and the Heliconia.
This is our last day on the beach before we head for San Jose tomorrow and our flight to Cancun - after 4 weeks of relaxing, not sure how I will cope with rushing around airports etc - however looking forward to the next leg of the trip. With the help of both old and new friends (thanks to Ali, Toby & Mo) we have devised a plan to see most of the main sights of Yucatan over 11 days - after 5 days with Linda's cousin and friends at Puerto Moreles.

Driving in Costa Rica

2010-03-08T17:13:00.002Z

With 4 days before we are due back on the Pacific coast at Manuel Antonio, we decided to hire a car to allow us to explore the Central Valley and to see one of the volcanoes - either Poas or Irazu. Booked a small 4x4 with Economy carhire in Liberia (one of the biggest local companies) but when we got there the only 4x4 they could offer us was a Nissan Frontier pickup with a crewcab - which they described as an upgrade. Linda was not impressed but since it was only for 3 days, I thought it would be OK. Unfortunately it drove like a tank and the 200km journey down the Interamericana was an interesting trip - even managed to get stopped by the Police - think I was a bit quick through a small town - but once they saw the gringo passport they just waved me on.
Found a great hotel - El Cafetal Inn - on a coffee plantation near Atenas - tremendous views and a great pool. Only 30 mins from the International airport so it would makes a great place to start or finish a trip to CR.
Drove to Poas on Saturday and managed to get to the craters in sunshine - great sight and a pleasant walk around the trails - unfortunately that was all I could manage because of some hot pickle I had eaten with my breakfast which disagreed with my stomach in a big way. Had to retire hurt to the bedroom leaving Linda on the sunlounger by the pool.
Better by the next morning and headed for the Waterfall gardens at La Paz - which meant driving almost to the top of Poas again before turning off straight into a wall of mist and low cloud and a road which was still under repair after a recent earthquake. Managed about 20km of part road / part dirt track only to find that the waterfall gardens were completely obscured in the mist which meant driving back the way we had come.
Found a couple of places to stop on the journey back to the hotel and had to settle for another afternoon by the pool!
Dropping off the truck in San Jose this afternoon and picking up a shuttle down to Manuel Antonio where we will spend the next 6 days in a self catering cottage on the beach next to the National Park.

Failed again

2010-03-05T16:28:00.003Z

We managed to see most of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano on our visit to the National Park - except the peak which was constantly wreathed in cloud, which also meant that we were not allowed to hike to the crater. Pity as this is classed as one of the best hikes in the country.
The alternative was a walk to the Cangreja waterfall which was tremendous - the swim in the pool was very refreshing and just a bit cooler than my last swim in the Pacific. We also walked around the park and saw the mudpots, fumaroles and mini volcanoes spouting sulphurous steam which killed the wildlife all around. We stayed at Rinconcito Lodge which is very remote and the first time on our trip that we felt we should have hired a car. Having said that, the roads up there are so bad that I was quite happy to pay the taximan his $30 for each trip.
We are currently in Liberia enjoying their Fiesta de Toros which has bullriding, cowboy parades, bands and dancing until the early hours and fireworks every morning at 5.00am - decided that one night was enough and heading south later today - determined to get to the top of one of these volcanoes.
Kept my promise and replaced Linda´s watch as soon as we got here - was very glad to see that it was still working when we got up this morning having spent nearly 5 pounds on it!

Time to move on...

2010-03-01T23:44:00.002Z

After a week on the beach at Samara, it´s time to move on - volcanoes, hiking and beef next.
This has to rank as one of the top ten beaches we have visited and definitely one to come back to. While we have had some great fish and seafood here I´m looking forward to some red meat when we get up to our next destination. The lodge is based around a working cattle farm and serve their own beef and dairy products in the restaurant.
Apparently just as hot there - highs of 35C and not much below 22C at night - so we will probably miss the sea and the pool, but hopefully we will get to hike to the crater of the volcano and even try the hot springs.
Must bring the netbook with me next time - everywhere offers free wireless access and relying on internet centres has introduced a whole new level of frustration!! I am sure Skype is a great way for people to stay in touch but I am not really interested in the mundane, petty and usually inane conversation which is always so loud that you can hear them across the road. Makes it hard to concentrate and destroys that inner peace that we all strive so hard to find!

Snowbirds

2010-02-27T16:46:00.007Z

Costa Rica is such a safe, relaxed place that we are surrounded here by people who are escaping the winter in North America - mostly Canadians. In fact when I told a local driver that I was from London he immediately asked "Ontario?" Many of them are getting ready to head home in the next week or so after 8-10 weeks here. Had never thought of Jimmy C as a snowbird but I guess his annual February trip to Thailand would count!
There also a lot of Germans settled here running local businesses - including our hotel, the local bakery and the hotel and flying service that run the ultralights. Even learned this morning that Michael Owen and the Beckham's have a house near here and that Mel Gibson has just built a beachfront house on a private stretch of the coast north of Samara - didn't realise it was such a fashionable place.
Have also been able to keep up with the Premier league which is very popular here - great result today for Man City and I know Bernie will have enjoyed Birmingham's win - just hope that Arsenal can take care of Stoke later on.

Earthquakes & Tsunamis

2010-02-27T16:39:00.008Z

Woke this morning to news of the huge earthquake in Chile and the tsunami which is threatening the whole Pacific Rim. I guess it will be some time before we hear how badly it has affected Chile, but there have been major alerts across the pacific and massive coastal evacuations in Hawaii where they expect the tsunami in the next few hours.
There was an initial warning here to expect a 2m wave at around 10.30 but this was eventually withdrawn and everyone went back to the beach!
After all the kayaking that I have imposed on her, Linda's treat this morning was a flight over the coast and the mountains in an Ultralight - actually an Autogyro with a German pilot. She got a great view of the beaches and the coral reef offshore and quite a few photos, including a video of the landing - shot over the pilot's shoulder.
We have settled into the local routine without any problem - early morning swim followed by breakfast then an hour or so on the beach, a bit of shopping or internet, lunch, siesta, a dip in the pool and then back to the beach again as the sun goes down. After dinner there are the reggae or salsa nights at the beachfront bars. Its a rough old life, but someone has to do it!
Have tried a couple of the local restaurants - had some tremendous Tuna last night - but have also enjoyed being able to cook for ourselves.

On the beach

2010-02-25T16:58:00.003Z

Arrived here - Playa Samara on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula - on Tuesday morning, which was a day early for the apartment we had booked. Just proves that I don´t even know what day of the week it is - which many of you have thought for sometime.
Found a very nice B/B for one night - La Mansion run by Marlene McCauley - an American lady from Arizona whose husband Alan is Irish and whose daughter and family perform in a group called Celtic Spring - Irish music and dancing - of course we got to watch the DVD before we left. Probably the best breakfast of the trip, and amusing to watch the long suffering Tica who did all the work for her 'mistress' even down to changing the channels on the TV, while Marlene sat with her feet up. However it was a great place and one to go back to.
Moved on Wednesday to our apartment at the Belvedere Hotel . It's good to have a bit more space after all this time on the road and a reasonable kitchen so that we can cook for ourselves.
Playa Samara is a beautiful beach and great for swimming, kayaking and snorkelling as the bay is protected from the sea by a coral reef. This means that there aren't any surfers here - which is probably good news.
Have decided to stay here until after the weekend when we will move back inland to the volcano at Rincon de la Vieja. We toyed with the idea of going over the border to Granada in Nicaragua for a few days but decided that we are enjoying the beach too much!
Swimming each morning at 0630 when the temperature is already in the high 20's and then laying in a shady spot during the heat of the day. Need to work on the tan before we meet up with Linda´s cousin in Mexico!

Back to sunshine

2010-02-22T20:31:00.002Z

When we got to Monteverde on Saturday evening, the sun was shining and it was a lot warmer. After an early start on Sunday morning we managed a four hour hike through the Cloud Forest, which really is an amazing place - even greener and wetter than the west of Ireland. Every surface is covered in various levels of growth, from mosses and algae to the hundreds of epiphytes growing on every plant and tree - everything trying to compete for light through the canopy. There are even native orchids growing on some of the plastic fence rails.
We walked on our own and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We had not seen a lot of wildlife in the first couple of hours but as we came around a bend in the trail we spotted the irridescent green/blue colouring of a male Resplendent Quetzal.
This a real rarity even in the cloud forest and a bird that Linda was really keen to spot since it was one of the reasons for us being here in the first place. A couple of years ago, she had picked up a book at the St Giles' bookfair, written by an American Ornithologist about his attempts to sight the Quetzal in Guatemala during the Eighties and this led directly to our decision to come to Central America.
After lunch, we spent the afternoon at the Orchid Garden where they have more than 400 species of native orchids - less than a third of the total orchid species here in CR. Most of them are so small that you need a magnifying glass to see the flowers clearly.
We did a hike in one the Santa Elena reserve this morning - much smaller but even quieter and then had a lazy afternoon preparing for our next move. Tomorrow we are heading for the beach at Playa Samara on the Pacific coast - time for a bit more relaxing in the sun!

Who said the roads were bad in Ireland

2010-02-22T20:15:00.003Z

Since leaving Tortuguero - where all our transport was by boat and we didn't see a car for 5 weeks - we have experienced some of the worst roads that Costa Rica can offer. Even on the main highways you suddenly come to a shuddering halt because of a pothole which covers two lanes and is deep enough to bury a couple of bodies.
However on Saturday - having given up on the Arenal Volcano, we decided to cut our losses and took the cross-country route to Monteverde - instead of the 140km drive around the lake. This involved a short bus ride to the lake, a 30 minute boat trip across the lake and then a journey in a 4x4 over dirt roads and up and down some very steep climbs - despite only being 35km, the journey took nearly 2 hours and even in the 4x4 we needed a couple of attempts to get up one of the hills.
I'll never complain about the roads in County Clare again - well not for the first week or so anyway!

Linda says...

2010-02-22T03:07:00.005Z

So that's enough about us. It would be really nice to hear what you are all up to!

An expensive kayaking trip!

2010-02-21T03:34:00.003Z

According to the plan, we were up, packed, breakfasted and ready to check out at 0730 this morning - just in time to be picked up for our kayak trip on Lake Arenal. Slightly offputting that it was still raining, but we knew we would be getting wet anyway.
It turned out to be a great trip, the rain was only intermittent amd the wind and waves only affected one leg of the trip. However we had some great bird sightings and were able to get very close without disturbing them. Saw Ringed, Amazon and Green Kingfishers along with Snowy and Great Egrets, and three Great Blue Herons - including one which was being harassed by an Osprey! There were also Northern Jacanas, a flock of Whistling Ducks and Scarlet-Rumped Tanagers. However the real surprise was a Limpkin which is very unusual for the area.
Unfortunately, in my rush to get the binoculars from the drybag, I managed to drop my sunglasses and Linda´s watch over the side and was too slow to catch them. Guess that will cost me when we get somewhere with a proper jewellers!

There´s a volcano out there somewhere!

2010-02-19T16:10:00.002Z

Since arriving in La Fortuna on Wednesday, we have still to catch a glimpse of the Arenal Volcano which dominates the area. It has been hidden in the clouds and mist and by the rain which has fallen almost constantly.
It has made it hard to enjoy the tours - our walk over the hanging bridges in the rain forest on the volcano´s slopes yesterday morning was very wet and all the wildlife was sensibly sheltering from the rain.
When we got back to town, we decided that the only thing to do in the rain was to buy a day ticket to the Hot Springs resort and we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the thermal pools - there are 25 of them ranging from 32-63deg C - and trying to avoid the temptations of the three pool bars and waterside restaurants. Definitely felt cleansed and relaxed by the time we left.
It was also a great place for people watching - although we left before the main tourist rush in the early evening when they arrive in coachloads.
We´ve just cancelled our volcano climb for this morning and are hoping that the sun will come out later today as forecast. Planning kayaking on Lake Arenal tomorrow and then moving on to Monteverde and the Cloud Forest.