2005, 2006 World Trip Index

Trip Sections

Equador 1
Equador 2
Peru 1
Peru 2
Bolivia 1
Bolivia 2
Chile
Brazil
Argentina 1 and Uruguay
Argentina 2 and Chile 2
New Zealand 1 (North Island)
New Zealand 2 (South Island)
Australia 1
Australia 2
Indonesia 1 (Bali)
Indonesia 2 (Lomboc, Bali 2, and Java)
China 1
China 2
Laos
China 3
Philippines (and Hong Kong)



Equador 1
Dates 1st - 18th Nov '05
Route
Dublin - (flight 1) Madrid - (flight 2) Quito - Riobamba - Banos - Riobamba - Cuenca

Activities
Day trips to mindo rain forest and equator
Thermal baths
Cable car
Train roof ride
Bulfight
Cycle to waterfalls

Local Mates
Hydi: Runnin the best hostel with relaxed skill.

Travelling Friends
Damien: A well traveled Belfast fella, a great laugh
Paul: Fair dinkum Aussie Uraguayan.
Brendan: Lovely Dublin fella waitin to get new shoes in Bolivia
Therese: nice swedish buddy
Max: Cork lad who shared most of the same path, even caught up in Cusco
Irish Dutch girl

Equador 2
Dates 18th - 25th Nov '05
Route
Cuenca - Zumbaua (Quinatola) - Quito

Activities
Hangin out in Cuenca
Walk into a crator lake
Travelling buddy
Marlene: crazy swedish girl
Photos

Peru 1
Dates 25th Nov - 5th Dec '05
Route
(flight 3) - Lima - Arequipa - Canyon del Colca - Arequipa - Cusco

Activities
Walk into the deepest of Canyons

Local buddy
Arequipan girl
Travelling Friends
Ruth: Canyon trip friend
Photos

Peru 2
Dates 5th Dec '05 - 4th Jan '06
Route
Cusco - Machu Pichu - Cusco - Puno - island (lake Titicaca) - Cusco

Activities
Inka trail
Reed and real islands
Christmas at midnight
New years in yellow

Local Mates
Yoani: Christmas chicha (a drink) with her family was unforgettable.
Travelling Friends
Phillipa (Scotish): unhealthy grá for tour guides meant never ending stories.
Phillipa (Australian): Suffered endless chats from me.
Stuart: Cool young american guy, we traveled together alot
shared a great Christmas and new years.
Photos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Bolivia 1
Dates 4th - 28th Jan '06
Route
Cusco - Copacabana (lake Titicaca) - isla del sol (lake Titicaca) - La Paz - Coroico - Rurenebaque - (Jungle) - (Pampas) - Rurenebaque - La Paz

Activities
Row and walk to the middle of lake titicaca.
Market madness at altitude La Paz
Cycle the worlds most dangerous road
Jungle, spider ants and cool people
Pampas, a water world with great wildlife
The worlds longest bus delay on its most dangerous road
Go on Evo, Bolivias first indigenous presidents inauguration party
Local Mates
: airline employee with cute son taking after her
: seguro, met at President inauguration party.
Travelling Friends
Phillipa (Australian): see Peru 2
Xavier: Cool French guy doing south america the right way.
Photos 1 2 3 4 5
New Camera (Nikon Coolpix)

Bolivia 2
Dates 28th Jan - 10th Feb '06
Route
La Paz - Sucre - Potosi - Uyuni - La Paz

Activities
Cool colonial cities
Dinosour tracks
Mad mines
Coolest salt planes and other crazy high plane lanscapes
Local Mates
: sound, cool engineer girl
Photos 1 2 3

Chile
Dates 10th - 17th Feb '06
Route
(flight 4) - Santiago - Valpariso - Santiago

Activities
Camping with Chileans
Local Friends
Crazy communist Bario Brazil crowd
Photos

Brazil
Dates 17th Feb - 2nd Mar '06
Route
(flight 5) - Rio de Janero - Sao Paulo

Activities
Rolling stones concert
Hangin at the beach humming Copa and Ipanima songs coconut in hand
Carnival madness
Local Mates
: I practiced my portugues when we met at the concert
Travelling Friends
Xavier: See Bolivia 1
Dave: Coolest accomadation provider
Photos

Argentina 1 and Uruguay
Dates 2nd - 12th Mar '06
Route
(flight 6) - Buones Aires - Colonia - Montevideo - La Paloma

Activities
Late nights in BA
Feminist day
Cooking for dinner party guests
Travelling Friends
: Cool english guy starting his south american travels
Stuart: see Peru 2
Photos

Argentina 2 and Chile 2
Dates 12th - 27th Mar '06
Route
La Paloma - Rosario - Cordoba - Mendosa - Pte del Inca - Santiago

Activities
The world best stakes at the world best bbq
wine tasting
mountains again near Aconcagua
Local Friends
: best hospitality ever we were totally made part of the family
Travelling Friends
Stuart: see Peru 2 and Uruguay
: sound Brazilian
Photos

New Zealand 1 (North Island)
Dates 28th Mar - 9th April '06
Route
(flight 7) - Aukland - Thames - Tauranga - Taupo - Rotorua - Wellington

Activities
Hitch hiking
Jumping out of a plane
Smelly but cool bubling mud and weird coloured lakes
Photos


New Zealand 2 (South Island)
Dates 9th - 23rd April '06
Route
Wellington - Picton - Able Tasmin - Greymouth - Hokitika - Franz Joseph - Wanaka - Queenstown - Christchurch

Activities
Driving
Hiking through nature reserves up snowy mountains onto glaciers
Travelling Friends
: Brazilian who adopted the aussie 'ay', we shared a car
: Headwrecking quebec guy, stuck in a car with him...
Dora: Cool Hungarian chick, shared a road trip and ended being a great travel buddy.
Photos 1 2 3

Australia 1
Dates 23rd April - 8th May '06
Route
(flight 8) - Sydney - Katumba - Sydney

Activities
Look, harbour bridge, opera house just like you imagined them
Hiking down escarpments in the blue mtns.
Travelling Mates
Dora: see NZ 2
Photos 1 2 3

Australia 2
Dates 8th - 25th May '06
Route
(flight 9) - Cairns - (flight 10) Ayers rock - Alice Springs - (flight 11) Perth - (flight 12) Darwin

Activities
Tropical beach, pity about the killer jellyfish crocks and sharks, Cairns
Big rock in the middle of nowhere, Ayers rock
Small town in the middle of nowhere, Alice springs
Aussie rules rules! Fremantel play, Perth
Back to killer tropical coast again, Darwin
Photos 1 2

Indonesia 1 (Bali)
Dates 25th May - 7th June '06
Route
(flight 13) Dempasar (Kuta) - Ubud - Brahan - Lovina - Batur - Ubud

Activities
Discos that attract the ocasional bombing
Temples so many temples
Beaches with chickens, pigs monkey and the latest fish catch
Cool volcanic landscape
Photos 1 2 3

Indonesia 2 (Lomboc, Bali 2, and Java)
Dates 7th - 23rd June '06
Route
Ubud - (Lomboc) Mataram - Gili Trabaga - Sengigi - (Bali) Padangbai - (Java) Situbondo - Mt Brahan - Situbondo - Banjuwangi

Activities
Stayed with a family with 13 dogs
Hanging out on a bounty add tropical paradise island
Get off the bus early to explore more random town
Another cool volcano
Local Buddy
: help to leave paradise
Local Mate
: showed me the best sea food tent
Travelling Friends
: 2 cool frenchs guys and dutch Yope to hang out with in paradise
Photos

China 1
Dates 23rd June - 19th July '06
Route
(flight 14) Hong Kong - (flight 15) Beijing - Pingyau - Xi'an - Chengdu

Activities
Biggest wall, palaces, population
Wander in the cool lanes
Ancient city walls
Oldest army, doesn't move much though
Pandas, go on reproduce, it's for your species, lazy!
Photos 1 2 3

China 2
Dates 19th July - 22nd Aug '06
Route
Chengdu - Leshan -Kangding - Litang - Xengcheng - Zhongdien - Lijiang - Dali - Kunming

Activities
Biggest Budah ever!
Horse festival, chase those police out of it!
Hanging with monks.
Pretty towns loads of local tourists, fun to be had though.
Cycle through the fields.
Hurt my knee!
Local Travelling Mate
Yoki: lovely person.
Travelling Friends
Gabe: great wingman, a knack for finding pubs where there shouldn't be any.
Hugo: nice quebeck dude, voyager mesterious.
: nice french coulple
Photos 1 2

Laos
Dates 22nd Aug - 9th Sept '06
Route
Kunming (China)- Luang nam tha - Luang Probang - Muang noi - Luang nam tha - Kunming

Activities
Limping up muddy hills.
Beutiful colonial town.
Long river journies.
Riverside bugalo 80 cent a night!
Local Friends
: real buisness woman
Travelling Mates
: australian girl.
Photos 1 2

China 3
Dates 9th Sept - (14th Oct reached HK) 17th Oct '06
Route
Kunming - Xijiang - Rongjiang - Zhauxing - Chengyang - Guilin -Yangshou - Panyue (Guangzhou)- Hong Kong

Activities
Great generosity of the locals treated to meals and drinks endlessly.
Monority vilages, how much rice can you balance on your shoulder
Teach English with a beer in your hand.
Exotic eating, snake, turtle, frog, duck head...
Local Travelling Mates
Yoki: see china 2
Juby: fed me the best exotic quality food and can cook.
Travelling Friends
: american language student
Photos 1 2 3

Philippines
Dates 17th - 27th (31st left HK) Oct '06
Route
(flight 16) Cebu - Tagbilaran (Bohol) - Alona - Tagbilaran - Jagna - (flight 17) Hong Kong - (flight 18) London - (flight 19) Dublin

Activities
Cinema, cheap and clean.
Speak english everywhere
Ferries
Snorkling
Local Mates
Lovella: sister power
Lian: sister power 2
Sara: met on the offshore island HK
Photos