Eiremans Blog on RealTravel

Melbourne journal: 1 Day in Melbourne

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 22:03:26 GMT

Well, I finally made it to melbourne - this is the first time I checked mail in a few days. It was pouring when I arrived yesterday evening.

Was a shame I couldn't stay longer in sydney for the oz day celebrations with Mags and Noel and for the fact I didn't get to say a proper goodbye to them! In the end the time is running out fast. I drove the princes hwy down here - brautiful drive and stopped in a few beaches on the way - got scorched yesterday at one of them. I have only today to check out all of melbourne and tomorrow I'm doing the great ocean road... supposed to be ...

Mission Beach journal: Skydiving over mission beach

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 22:30:24 GMT

Early 8am start again this morning. The skydive bus picked us up . Two english guys, Reinhard from Germany and myself doing the jump this morning. One of the english guys is afraid of heights - the mad so and so. They fitted us up in the dive suits and we set of about 10.30 on the tiny plane with no doors on it!

Get to 14000 ft after about 15 minutes and all of a sudden we're out the door spinning like a spinning thing. There are cloud patches so it feels like we are falling faster as we are racing to the clouds at about 120 mph. Another guy is taking a video of me falling. ...

Singapore City journal: Singapore Experience

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:08:27 GMT

Day 1 (New Years Eve) - Well, arrived in singapore via London at 7am local time after a pleasant flight with singapore airlines. Those air-hostesses aren't nearly as hot as they are in the brochures :-) ... Ozzie couple sitting next to me on way out - they were cool. Yer man was working in London and was heading home for month.

Coming in at arrivals there was a bloke standing with a name card waiting on a guy called "Patrick Looner". Somebody musta been taking the piss ... Paddy Looner I thought ... It has to be some Oirish guy havin a laugh - I know I got one anyway.

Found out ...

Mission Beach journal: White Water Rafting in Tully

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 04:18:18 GMT

White water rafting today in Tully - It was fab (at least the first half). Met a really cool irish couple who were travelling around for 4 months. Also there was this dutch guy on the boat who was cool out.

Knackered now after a great day of river rafting and sun. Got a bit burned on the water. Little bit bored this evening as the resort is super quiet.

Doing a sky dive in the morning and leaving here tomorrow evening for Cairns.

Magnetic Island journal: 2 days of magnetic bliss

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 04:14:11 GMT

Came up to magnetic Island from Airlie beach... prettyu much to take a break from the chaos of the past 2 weeks and to get away from the drink. Came up on the bus with Simone from Parma (met on fraser island). He stayed going on to Cairns. Anyway, got chatting with this scotsman from Sterling named Wayne Davis. I think he had a pretty tough upbringing in scotland. He was character for sure.

Tells me about this welsh friend of his who slept with fat girls, about how his whole family have moved to spain, about his sisters drug addiction, about how his arms were all burned from picking ...

Whitsunday Islands journal: Airlie Beach and on to the whitsunday Islands on a tri-maran

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 03:43:38 GMT

Headed up from Hervey Bay (Fraser Island) to Airlie Beach for the Whitsunday Island part of the trip. Booked into Magnums Hostel which turned out to be the party hostel of the town. There was an Irish couple and a gang of sydney lads in the hostel. They were a good laugh. the Irish couple came there for only 3 days and ended up staying 3 months!

Met up with Simone (who was in the jeep on Fraser with us) for dinner and we went on for scoops. I also bumped in Leo and his girlfriend Sinead/Siobhan. They were really nice couple from Cork... sure why wouldn't they be nice being from ...

Fraser Island journal: Fraser Island

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:27:40 GMT

3 days around Fraser Island. It was beautiful sunny weather and the beaches were awsome. Water was warm as hell and the company was good.

Started trip induction early and 8 of us were put together to go in the jeep. Group included and english couple (Emma and Martin), a swiss couple (Monika and Flavio - zurich), two chilean girls (Teri and Maria Jose from Santiago) an italian (Simone from Parma)and myself of course. Turned out to be a really cool group. Everyone was different which gave rise to a little tension between one or two.

We had to go shopping and the chilean ...

Brisbane journal: Brisbane

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 02:33:50 GMT

G'day me maties

Day 1 (Singapore to Brisbane) : Left Singapore for Brisbane on the 9.55am flight. Flight was pretty good. The lady next to me got air sickness. I think she was pregnant (it wasn't me, I promise). Flight was uneventful as I was knackered (was up since 4.30am with jetlag as well as one of the guys in the dorm snored like a well fed pig ... I think he may have been american!). Watched "The Departed" movie and slept a bit.

Arrived into Brisbane at 7.15pm local time after the 7 hour flight and got a bus to the hotel (The Terraces on Wickham). Initial impressions ...

Australia journal: Arrival in Oz

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 02:22:03 GMT

Finally made it to Oz. Got lots to do here and not enough time to do it. Plan is to do the whole of the east coast in a month. I hope it's enough. Starting in Brisbane, heading north to Cairns stopping off along the way first. Then flying back to Brisbane and bussing it south along the gold coast to Sydney and then finally on to Melbourne where I fly out from with Kylie (No ... not that Kylie :-)) on the 30th. Back in to dublin on the 31st.

Brisbane journal: Excellent location - close to city center. Not too bad overall.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:35:02 GMT

Singapore City journal: Not the cleanest or most convenient location but friendly staff.

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 13:48:26 GMT

Ireland journal: Getting Ready for Oz

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 07:48:43 GMT

Getting ready to go to Oz now. I'll be heading to Singapore first just in time for new years eve. I arrive in the morning of 31/12/2006. Had a bit of trouble getting a hotel there for the night. The initial one I booked wrote back saying it was already booked. No prob ... just try another one. Waiting to find out to see if I got a room at the inn for the night. Was going to book a hostel but figured I'd be knackered and wanted a nice quiet nights sleep with a nice shower.

It's 2.51am now the day before I go and I still haven't packed anything. Will start shortly (after this ...