NIAMH AND CATHAL'S
TRAVEL BLOG
 |
- Planning Tools
Multi Country Flights
Add to Friends
Free Deals Newsletter
We´re both Irish and met in university in Dublin. We have been together for 13 years.
We lived in London for 11 years and were saving up for a house deposit but one wine fuelled night we decided to give it all up and go travelling.
We bought an EasyJet ticket to Tallinn and armed with a list of places we´d like to see, we headed off.
We´ve been on the road now for 17 months and our trip ends in September 2007.
| Niamh and Cathal's Travel Blogs and Reviews | ||
| Travel Blogs and Reviews | ||
| Title and Date | Location | |
 Trains and Boats then Planes Jan 19 '06 | The World | |
 Leaving party - London Jan 19 '06 | London, England | |
Farewell to Ireland Jan 25 '06 | Dublin, Ireland | |
Slippin' and slidin' in Tallinn Jan 31 '06 "yes he finally admitted that his wasn't big enough." | Tallinn, Estonia | |
 Old House "Very friendly hostel and quite central" | Tallinn, Estonia | |
Piste again Feb 03 '06 "It was a scenic journey across a landscape completely covered with snow" | Kuutsemae, Estonia | |
Tartu - City of Good Thoughts Feb 08 '06 "I love the bollards!" | Tartu, Estonia | |
From Russia with Love Feb 14 '06 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
Nord Hostel "Lots of nice people, great location and helpful staff" | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
Seven days in Moscow Feb 21 '06 "Think of a word beginning with Propa and you get the picture..." | Moscow, Russia | |
Sweet Moscow Hostel "Very well located (once you've found it!)" | Moscow, Russia | |
The Trans Siberian and beyond... Feb 27 '06 "It’s a long way from Gunnersbury station on a Monday morning, that’s for sure" | Irkutsk, Russia | |
 Baikal Dog Sledding "Dog sledding. Does what it says on the tin." | Irkutsk, Russia | |
Baikaler Hostel "It's Jack Sherematoff's apartment and feels like home from home. There's even a cat called Fyodor!" | Irkutsk, Russia | |
Going to the dogs Mar 03 '06 "Minutes later I was holding on for dear life" | Listvyanka, Irkutsk | |
The Largest Freshwater Lake in the world Mar 04 '06 "It was truly weird to be walking on water - literally." | Olkhon Island, Russia | |
Olga and Kolya's house "A homestay with a fisherman's family" | Olkhon Island, Russia | |
Paris of Siberia Mar 08 '06 "Our last job in Russia was to get some Guinness" | Irkutsk, Russia | |
The TransMongolian to Ulaan Bataar Mar 11 '06 "Although others have told us they hated Ulan Bataar, we've enjoyed it" | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | |
UB Guesthouse "A comfortable guesthouse, run by a wonderful couple." | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | |
Flaming Cliffs and Flaming Flat Tyres Mar 15 '06 "Nomads have a habit of moving on, and we had no means of telling them we were coming." | Gobi, Omnogovi | |
Back to Ulan Bataar Mar 20 '06 "Nothing to see here - please see Trans Mongolian entry" | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | |
Hiking and dust storms Mar 23 '06 "One of the gers collapsed" | Gorkhi-Terelj, Tov | |
Kharkhorin and Kids Mar 25 '06 "a musical instrument made out of a human thigh bone" | Ikh-Tamire, Arhangay | |
Beijing Bound Apr 02 '06 "just 272 kms before Beijing we got our first glimpse of the Great Wall" | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | |
Being in Beijing Apr 03 '06 "a vast array of stuff including snakes, scorpions, locusts, crickets, cocoons, baby octopus and spiders - all beautifully arranged on sticks. Yum." | Beijing, China | |
Red House Hostel "A hostel in a Hutong, really pretty." | Beijing, China | |
Up the wall Apr 07 '06 "Somehow the wall fits very well with the scenery, perhaps because of the way it hugs the contours of the mountains so closely." | Silk Road, China | |
The Cloud Ridge Caves & The Hanging Monastery Apr 11 '06 "40,000 workers laboured for 64 years, hollowing out first a 'skylight' to provide light to work with," | Datong, Shanxi | |
Pootling around Pingyao Apr 12 '06 "All in all Pingyao is a relaxed pretty little town." | Pingyao, Shanxi | |
Pingyao Harmony Backpacker Guesthouse "Lovely room, run by a very friendly and helpful couple. Endless jasmine tea and sunflower seeds!" | Pingyao, Shanxi | |
Templemental Apr 16 '06 | Pingyao, Shanxi | |
Xciting Xi'an Apr 19 '06 "I don't think I've mentioned the staring." | Xi'an, China | |
Pandamonium in Chengdu Apr 24 '06 "essentially pandas sleep most of the time" | Chengdu, China | |
Kicking back in Kangding Apr 26 '06 "street food that looked like some kind of roasted rodent head" | Kangding, Sichuan | |
Yaktown Apr 28 '06 "The town itself is like something out of a cowboy movie" | Litang, Sichuan | |
Stopover in Xiangcheng Apr 30 '06 "Each utterance set them off into fits of giggles" | Xiangcheng, Sichuan | |
Golden week in Shangri-La May 01 '06 "It's full of winding alleys with wooden buildings piled higgledy-piggeldy along the cobbled streets" | Shangri-La (Zhongdian), Yunnan | |
Tiger Leaping Gorge May 05 '06 "Cathal fell backwards, luckily towards the mountain not the other direction" | Qiaotou, Yunnan | |
Kunming to Kaili May 09 '06 "We passed verdant hills, set against a steely grey sky with paddy fields cut into hillsides being ploughed by water buffalo." | Kaili, Guizhou | |
Minority Villages of South Eastern Guizhou May 11 '06 "I spent the rest of the journey, completely missing the spectacular scenery Cathal was enjoying, mostly cause I had my head in a plastic bag" | Rongjiang, Guizhou | |
Visiting villages May 14 '06 "Imagine a wooden village built along a river, the streets are paved with smooth pebbles arranged in patterns" | Zhaoxing, Guizhou | |
Relaxing in Yangshuo May 15 '06 "After three bus rides, 11 sweaty hours in total, we arrived in Yangshuo at 10pm." | Yangshuo, China | |
Going Gung Ho in Guangzhou May 21 '06 "Guangzhou is an interesting place and very famous for all the wrong reasons" | Guangzhou, China | |
When I was in 'Nam, dude... May 25 '06 "The notes are not fake, are you sure you wouldn't like to change a little more?" | Hanoi, Vietnam | |
 Ladybird Restaurant "Very reasonably priced restaurant in Hanoi with English menu and Vietnamese Food." | Hanoi, Vietnam | |
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology "Excellent museum for an overview of the peoples of Vietnam" | Hanoi, Vietnam | |
Our Junket May 27 '06 "spent an funny hour arguing over who it was that was making the kayak go in circles" | Halong Bay, Vietnam | |
Ninh Binh and National Park Jun 01 '06 "It turned out the poor lad had been bitten where no man should be bitten" | Ninh Binh, Vietnam | |
Hopping around Hue Jun 08 '06 "we decided to take a trip around the de-militarized zone in Northen Vietnam" | Hue, Vietnam | |
Hot in Hoi An Jun 10 '06 "The box contained a momento and a biography of the deceased" | Hoi An, Vietnam | |
Hai Au "Excellent hotel - with swimming pool!" | Hoi An, Vietnam | |
Coffee fiend in BMT. Jun 15 '06 "The villagers live very simply, two families to one wooden long house" | Buon Ma Thuot, Dac Lac | |
Motorbike guide "Nguyen Hu Tam - Tel: 0913 421 053" | Buon Ma Thuot, Dac Lac | |
Mekong Delta - Mytho and Cantho Jun 18 '06 "So we slurped happily amidst the oil spills, diesel fumes and mangy dogs" | My Tho, Tien Giang | |
Chau Doc to Cambodia Jun 21 '06 ""Very Harry Potter" muttered Niamh" | Chau Doc, Vietnam | |
I fought the law and I won! Jun 23 '06 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | |
Excellent driver! "Jack's the man" | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | |
Kramped in Kampot Jun 28 '06 "This lady was small but she could pack a punch" | Kampot, Cambodia | |
Blissful Guesthouse "Lovely chilled out place. Lots of advice and great food." | Kampot, Cambodia | |
Epic Arts Cafe "Lovely chillout cafe - eat cake whilst your money goes to a good cause!" | Kampot, Cambodia | |
River View "They're horrible - don't stay here" | Kampot, Cambodia | |
Bumming around Battambang Jul 02 '06 "We very nearly didn't arrive in Battambang at all" | Battambang, Cambodia | |
Smokin' Pot "Family run place with good food and mini staff!" | Battambang, Cambodia | |
Touristy Siem Reap Jul 05 '06 "for the last 40 years or so this little town has been booming with the sound of tourist cash" | Siem Reap, Cambodia | |
Tempting Temples Jul 07 '06 "massive ficus and cottonwood trees snaking their roots amongst the masonry" | Angkor, Cambodia | |
Border town - Laos bound Jul 16 '06 "There's no real reason to go there other than to get out of Cambodia" | Stoeng Treng, Cambodia | |
Thousand Island Resting Jul 17 '06 "Nearly everyone we passed called out "Sabidye" or hello to us" | Don Khon, Laos | |
Sala Done Khong "Excellent room, beautiful island, ultimate relaxation" | Don Khon, Laos | |
Chilling in Champasak Jul 20 '06 "Champasak is a charming little town, very pretty with some old colonial buildings, wooden shops, a few guesthouses and that's about it." | Champasak, Laos | |
Bolevan Plateau and Pakse Jul 20 '06 "I reckoned they must put the bodies in sideways!" | Pakse, Champasak | |
Genteel Vientiane Jul 25 '06 "he took pains to tell us the bikes were not Chinese made" | Vientiane, Laos | |
Lovely Luang Prabang Jul 28 '06 "it's absolutely one of the most beautiful towns I've ever been in" | Luang Prabang, Laos | |
A few jars in Phonsavan Aug 01 '06 "The air is very clear and the fields are incredibly green" | Phonsavan, Xiangkhoang | |
Caves and Children Aug 03 '06 "very interesting seeing the living quarters within the caves" | Sam Neua, Houaphan | |
Back to Luang Prabang Aug 06 '06 "It's very beautiful to see the monks in their orange coloured robes wending their way down the street in the dawn light." | Luang Prabang, Laos | |
Quick stop in Luang Nam Tha Aug 11 '06 "Once again we were amazed by how calm the Lao people are" | Luang Namtha, Laos | |
Mud, mud and some more mud! Aug 12 '06 "At points we were pushing the bus, pulling the bus and a bulldozer had to get it out of mud" | Huay Xai, Laos | |
Hello, Land of Smiles! Aug 14 '06 "Cathal gunned the engine and nothing happened" | Chiang Mai, Thailand | |
Squeezing in Sukhothai Aug 20 '06 | Sukhothai City, Sukhothai Kingdom | |
Bustling Bangkok Aug 22 '06 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
Ko Tao - Dive, dive, dive! Sep 05 '06 "saw loads of fish - barracudas, a moray eel, parrotfish, rabbit fish, anemonefish" | Ko Tao, Thailand | |
SSI Open Water at Scuba Junction "Fantastic, really professional shop, excellent instructors." | Ko Tao, Thailand | |
By George, we're in Malaysia! Sep 21 '06 | George Town, Penang | |
Kuala Lumpur Sep 24 '06 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
Petronas Towers "Great view and amazing buildings - and it's free!" | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
Cat city, Borneo Sep 26 '06 "The little one acted just like a naughty little boy" | Kuching, Malaysia | |
Semenggoh National Park "Very good value for money, great way to see orangutans." | Kuching, Malaysia | |
Carpenter Guesthouse "Very knowledgable staff and good location" | Kuching, Malaysia | |
Jungle train from Kota Bharu Oct 02 '06 | Kota Bharu, Malaysia | |
Kuala Lipis - to Taman Negara Oct 03 '06 | Kuala Lipis, Pahang | |
Singapore shopping spree Oct 07 '06 "The place was full of tourists munching on peanuts and chucking the shells on the floor (very feeding time at the zoo)." | Singapore | |
Friends in Welly Oct 10 '06 "At the weekend we went for a walk along the coastline to the red rocks, seeing some seals and spectacular views." | Wellington, New Zealand | |
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa "Brilliant museum - and it's free!" | Wellington, New Zealand | |
Picturesque Picton Oct 17 '06 "We could see a lot of excited doggies jumping up on jetties in the distance!" | Picton, New Zealand | |
Sequoia Lodge & Backpackers "Free breakfast - homebaked bread, yum!" | Picton, New Zealand | |
A Whale of a Time! Oct 20 '06 "We saw three sperm whales, it was really awesome. They are very beautiful creatures." | Kaikoura, New Zealand | |
Christchurch Oct 20 '06 "However I've never seen a city quite so bereft of people" | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
The Old Countryhouse "Gorgeous hostel, complete with herb garden and lemon trees" | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
Along the West Coast Oct 23 '06 "We found out too that Dunedin has the World's Steepest Street - Baldwin Street." | Dunedin, New Zealand | |
Te Anau and around Oct 24 '06 "It's really magical to float along on a boat, seeing the tiny lights, much like looking at the night sky" | Te Anau, New Zealand | |
Waitomo Caves "Lovely caves and see glow worms lighting it up" | Waitomo Caves, New Zealand | |
Majestic Milford Sound to Arrowtown Oct 26 '06 "The scenery at Milford Sound is beyond compare" | Milford Sound, New Zealand | |
Wonderful Wanaka Oct 28 '06 | Wanaka, New Zealand | |
Fantastic Fox Oct 30 '06 "It's hard to describe what it was like on the glacier, but we'll never forget it." | Fox Glacier, New Zealand | |
Pancake rocks and mountain passes Oct 31 '06 "Every so often there'd be a whoosh of seawater as it found a blowhole and came rushing up through the rocks" | Punakaiki, New Zealand | |
Back to Welly Nov 02 '06 | Wellington, New Zealand | |
Art Deco Napier Nov 06 '06 | Napier, New Zealand | |
Lake Taupo back to Wellington Nov 08 '06 | Taupo, New Zealand | |
Johannesburg Nov 10 '06 | Johannesburg, South Africa | |
Blooming giraffes! Nov 13 '06 "First up we saw a family of giraffes, about 10 metres away, just along the grass, no fence no nothing." | Bloemfontein, Free State | |
Naval Hill Backpackers "Really funky backpackers, don't make too much noise, everyone can hear you!" | Bloemfontein, Free State | |
The Mountain Kingdom Nov 15 '06 | Semonkong, Lesotho | |
Semonkong Lodge "Lovely (only!) place to stay. Good food, gorgeous location." | Semonkong, Lesotho | |
Pretty Clarens Nov 21 '06 | Clarens, Free State | |
Dropping by Durban Nov 22 '06 "Derek found us wandering with our bags back to the town centre and we piled in his car" | Durban, South Africa | |
Quick stop - Port St Johns Nov 24 '06 "The isolated feeling of the area is rather at odds with the concentration of backpackers in the area." | Port St Johns, Eastern Cape | |
Another Port Nov 25 '06 "That was it, we drove back on a rescue mission" | Port Elizabeth, South Africa | |
Tip of Africa, route 62 and whales Nov 26 '06 "Cape Agulhas - the southernmost tip of Africa" | Hermanus, Western Cape | |
Santos Express "Very interesting place to stay, but maybe just for one night." | Hermanus, Western Cape | |
Top Table Nov 28 '06 | Cape Town, South Africa | |
One of Niamh's dreams come true Nov 29 '06 "It just so happens that cheetahs are Niamh's favourite animal in the whole world." | Stellenbosch, South Africa | |
Big Hole Dec 01 '06 "You crawl along for a while noting the complete absence of any actual work on these roadworks" | Kimberley, Northern Cape | |
Greatbatch Guesthouse "Beautifully restored house with very informative hostess" | Kimberley, Northern Cape | |
Whistlestop Johannesburg Dec 02 '06 "We got lost in the unbeliveably badly signposted city" | Johannesburg, South Africa | |
We're in Windhoek Dec 02 '06 "Later we explored the city on foot. It really didn't take long." | Windhoek, Namibia | |
Sandy Sossusvlei Dec 04 '06 "we turned round and were met with an amazing view - one I'll never forget" | Sossusvlei, Namibia | |
Salty flamingoes Dec 06 '06 "The tide was very far out, as were the flamingoes." | Walvis Bay, Namibia | |
Sunny Swakopmund Dec 06 '06 | Swakopmund, Namibia | |
Back to Windhoek Dec 07 '06 | Windhoek, Namibia | |
Game driving in Etosha Dec 08 '06 "Drinking from a pool of water on the road ahead was an enormous White Rhino." | Etosha National Park, Namibia | |
Chameleon Safaris "Brilliant company and small groups - Max 8!" | Etosha National Park, Namibia | |
Dancing Bushmen! Dec 10 '06 | Tsumeb, Oshikoto | |
Okavango and Makoros Dec 12 '06 "there was the plop sound of the pole as the poler punted the canoe forward," | Okavango Delta, Botswana | |
Captivating Caprivi Dec 14 '06 "We saw a huge python and a carcass a leopard had hung in a tree (ugh)" | Caprivi, Namibia | |
Water, water everywhere! Dec 16 '06 | Livingstone, Zambia | |
Off-road to Mongu Dec 27 '06 "Well, really officer, I had no idea." | Mongu, Western | |
Back in the land of the Livingstone Dec 30 '06 "It was crazy being on the edge of the falls though, such a rush" | Livingstone, Zambia | |
Luckless in Lusaka Jan 05 '07 "If there's one thing we've learned whilst travelling it's that nothing is impossible" | Lusaka, Zambia | |
Volunteering at Tikondane Jan 09 '07 "We were woken each morning to the sound of 312 children" | Katete, Eastern | |
Tikondane Guest House "By staying here you help support vital community development work!" | Katete, Eastern | |
3rd time Lucky in Lusaka Feb 11 '07 | Lusaka, Zambia | |
For one night only... stopover in Blighty Feb 13 '07 | London, England | |
Addis at last Feb 15 '07 "Goats and donkeys everywhere!" | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | |
Overnight in Debre Markos Feb 19 '07 | Debre Mark'os, Ethiopia | |
Lake Tana monasteries Feb 20 '07 | Bahar Dar, Ethiopia | |
Castles and churches in Gonder Feb 22 '07 "In Gonder the kids spat, threw stones and practically chased tourists down the street. Not great." | Gonder, Ethiopia | |
Through the mountains to Shire Feb 24 '07 "Maybe not that many tourists take the bus, maybe they just like staring. Not sure which." | Shire, Ethiopia | |
The Stelae of Axum Feb 25 '07 | Axum, Ethiopia | |
The Rock-Hewn churches of Lalibela Feb 28 '07 "The churches are a little difficult to describe, since they don't resemble anything that I've ever seen before." | Lalibela, Ethiopia | |
Back to Addis Mar 02 '07 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | |
East to Harar Mar 06 '07 "Harar is a truly worthwhile place to visit" | Harar, Ethiopia | |
One last time in Addis Ababa Mar 09 '07 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | |
Good old London Mar 11 '07 | London, England | |
A family visit Mar 14 '07 "'You'll be the two that are travelling the world', said the car hire man." | Cork, Ireland | |
Quick stop in the city where we met! Apr 11 '07 "That's about 5,000 years old (no not how long we've been together, sometimes it does feel like it though!)" | Dublin, Ireland | |
Work? I think I remember! Apr 15 '07 "I remembered how to do my job (barely) and we drank far too much" | London, England | |
We're really in Rio!!! Jun 04 '07 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
What a lotta water Jun 09 '07 | Foz do Iguacu, Brazil | |
Bussed it to BA Jun 12 '07 "Sunday dawned cool and sunny, so we headed out to San Telmo where there´s an antique market" | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
Hostel Estoril "Great breakfast, friendly place." | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
Right Place, Right Time for Southern Right Whales Jun 18 '07 "not 500 metres out in the ocean was a pair of Right whales, spouting and splashing and generally doing whale-type things" | Puerto Madryn, Argentina | |
The Ice Age is coming!!! Jun 21 '07 | El Calafate, Argentina | |
America Del Sud "Nice, if overheated hostel" | El Calafate, Argentina | |
Nigh the end of the world... Jun 23 '07 | Ushuaia, Argentina | |
What do we do now? Jun 27 '07 "We´re definitely coming back!" | Puerto Natales, Chile | |
A sleepy stopover in Santiago Jul 01 '07 | Santiago, Chile | |
Blockaded in La Paz Jul 02 '07 "There are women in traditional dress wandering about with bundles on their backs, all kinds of street stalls and general bustle, roadworks and traffic madness." | La Paz, Bolivia | |
Coca Museum "Interesting museum" | La Paz, Bolivia | |
Arthys Guesthouse "Friendly family run place" | La Paz, Bolivia | |
Pottering around Potosi Jul 07 '07 ""Are we insured for this", I wondered?" | Potosi, Bolivia | |
Salt flats, lagoons and pizza Jul 10 '07 | Uyuni, Bolivia | |
Salar tour "Sumaj Jallpha or Wonderful Land agency" | Uyuni, Bolivia | |
Partying in La Paz Jul 17 '07 "The navy had plastic models of boats on their shoulders in the colours of the Bolivian flag and the airforce had planes of course" | La Paz, Bolivia | |
On the shores of Lake Titicaca! Jul 19 '07 "It turned out there was yet another strike and there were problems at the border on both sides" | Copacabana, Bolivia | |
Couldn´t resist Cusco again Jul 21 '07 "It was nice to be back 4 years later..." | Cusco, Peru | |
Choquequirao, 'The Cradle of Gold' Jul 26 '07 | Choquequirao, Cusco | |
Happy Birthday, Niamhie! Jul 29 '07 | Cusco, Peru | |
La Libertad Jul 31 '07 "Trujillo is a very well preserved colonial city, founded by the conquistadors." | Trujillo, La Libertad | |
Otavalo Markets Aug 09 '07 "All of a sudden a young bull broke free of his owner, lowered his head and charged, straight for us." | Otavalo, Ecuador | |
The centre of the world! Nearly. Aug 12 '07 | Quito, Ecuador | |
Navel of the Earth Aug 13 '07 "Rano Raraku which is littered by completed and half c | ||