A Weee Leprechaun

Hey all,

Just as I thought I was going to be able to keep my shoes in one room for a while, things changed again. Before I could blink Karli and I were on a plane to Ireland for Easter break. We flew back this morning and I'm pretty tired now, but it was all worthwhile. The trip came together really quick and it was a weird feeling being in Birmingham one minute and Dublin, Ireland 45 minutes later.

We showed up early on a Sunday morning to streets that seemed to be vacated by a bomb scare. We were trying to figure out where everyone was and then clued in that Saturday night in had passed only hours before in a city that was built on a pint glass. After finding our hostel, we roamed the streets which had suddenly came to life and were crowded beyond belief.....it was as if someone flicked a switch and all of a sudden there were people everywhere.

We spent some time walking all over Dublin, and despite it all being new to us, it is a big, busy and at times dirty city so we decided to flee to the west in search of some smaller towns with a more genuine Irish feel to them. After the bus let us off at a modern strip mall in Shannon, a town which is barely 30 years old, it seemed a little ironic that we were in a country rich in culture and history and there we were.....standing in front of a strip mall built using contemporary architecture and design. It was a little bizarre and we couldn't figure out what the hell we were doing there. After laughing off the totally weird experience, we re-jigged the plan and found our way to the ocean at the Cliffs of Moher. It is a very beautiful part of the country and we were glad we made a good choice.

After visiting some sights and roaming a few different castles on day three, it was dinner time so we had a great feed at a little restaurant. Needing to find our hostel, we got very vague directions from a few different people and realized the bus didn't go there for the rest of the day. A taxi would have been a fortune, which we didn't have, so after a full day of walking around we found ourselves walking nearly 10 Kms through country roads to a place we weren't even sure existed in the direction we were walking.....but we trusted our intuitions and walked on. An hour and 40 minutes later with the sun starting to set, we found six mile bridge and our hostel. We spent the night in the cool little town with a nice homey feel to it and friendly people about.

We enjoyed the countryside and got a feel for the old, authentic Ireland and were able to see various towns as well as big city life. We were happy with how much we stuffed into a short stay. If anyone is planning to go in the near future, we could recommend some nice places to stay.

That's all for now.
Cheers.

UK

Greetings from the UK,

I am finally settled here in England and all has been great so far. Karli took me to London for my birthday which was really fun even though I wasn't feeling 100% (not alcohol related). It has been fun exploring the new environs and getting used to the way things work here. Old pipes, huge buses, sloppy brummy accents, etc. Sometimes you could swear alien would be easier to understand than listening to someone from Birmingham.....but, que sera (whatever will be, will be).

I have to mention my massive adventure getting from Thailand to Birmingham. After flying from northern Thailand back to Bangkok to spend my last night with my cousin, I awoke the next morning to make my way to the airport to find out my flight had been cancelled with only last minute notice from the airline.....nice start. I took the first available flight out of Bangkok hours later that ended up in Muscat, Oman in the middle east. After waiting around forever, they carted us to a nearby hotel as we were told there was a long layover until the next connecting flight. I discovered they had really just messed up again and so I found myself in the hotel for a whopping hour and 20 minutes. The restaurant wasn't open either so no one could get a bite to eat. I got a shuttle back to the airport and got on another plane to Bahrain. By this time I was pretty tired and found some nice comfy concrete floor to lay down on while I used my day pack as a pillow. The airport was under construction in Bahrain and there were people everywhere, smoking and dirtying up the place very nicely. I waited around until my flight finally left for London hours later. After circling Heathrow for what seemed like forever, we eventually landed, but were told we didn't have a gate to go to and we'd have to wait on the plane until a bus could get there to take us to a gate. An hour and 15 minutes later in the hot plane amonst some extremely happy folks I finally made my way onto the bus that carted us about 50 metres before letting us off at what appered to be the back alley doors of a nightclub. I thought it was a joke when I realized how long we waited, then how far we actually got transported on the bus.....unbelieveable. I walked about 25 minutes through the airport before having to wait in the customs line up. I knew I could get angered by the whole thing, but it really wouldn't have made a difference unless I had a lot of money to buy my way out of jail afterwards, so I took it all in stride and wrote it off as the price of hedonism and choosing a cheap airline.

After a two hour bus ride and a taxi I made it to the house at last. Although the past weeks were full of fun and adventure with friends and family, I was excited to see Karli and have a place to call home again. I have walked with her to the National Institute where she is training a couple times. It is a really nice walk that is almost entirely through forested parkland and creekside pathways. I was surprised at how much greenspace is around even though Birmingham is such a huge city. It has been good getting to know people here and although most people are ok, there have been a few bad apples who I've been tempted to straighten out.

My new roomies are great. All are in studying in the same program as Karli, 2 other Canadians and a Norwegian. They've let me into their little club as long as I make them breakfast crepes on weekends....aha.

Other than that, Karli and I are going to Ireland for 5 days in April and have been busy planning wedding stuff. I'm looking forward to the coming weeks as the weather here has gone from cold and snowy to warm and sunny since I got here. I must have had little bits of Australia and Thailand tucked away in my pocket somewhere.

Much love.
Dave

Thailand

Sa wat dii,

Well Thailand was a pretty intense experience over the course of only a week. I managed to cover some pretty good turf considering there wasn't a lot of time to explore. After getting into the airport in Bangkok I checked my surfboards and bag into the luggage storage and threw a few things in my day pack. 7 days worth into the smallest bag I own was easier than I thought it would be espesically knowing I could travel for a week with only my day pack and the clothes on my back.

Although I stuck out like a sore thumb but I tried not to look like a wandering tourist, so I was careful in where I walked and what I said. I decided to get a bus to the main terminal to catch another bus to Kanchanaburi, west of Bangkok. I got an early introduction to the ridiculous mess they call "traffic". No doubt, it makes rush hour on the 401 look pretty good. I arrived in Kanchanaburi a few hours later. I had no idea where I was, where I was going to go, or even what direction I was facing as the sun had temporarily hid behind some clouds....it was a pretty cool feeling actually. I got my bearings, came up with a plan and started walking to towards the Bridge Over The River Kwai, aka: The Death Bridge. Jack Jennings, one of Karli's relatives was a POW for four years in WWII and helped build the bridge and the railway. It was pretty weird standing on it, knowing 60 or so years ago the situation was dramatically different. I rented a motor bike so I could get around better and rode out of the city a little to get a better feel of the surroundings. It was all new and pretty fun. I found a great little place for the night and when all was said and done, I realized I had received 5 hours worth of bus rides, a nice place to sleep by the river and a meal for just over $12 CDN. I couldn't believe it.

I made my way up to Chiang Mai in the north and was able to find the YMCA where a friend & YCP leader Gord used to roam. (Hey Gordie!). I walked through the streets and around the moat that surrounds the city. Pretty unbelieveable Sunday market they have. You can get anything there. I went to a Muai Thai kickboxing match one night which was pretty fun. The next day I was walking through the city square when I came across a few guys making artwork out of palm leaves to sell in the market. They were drinking rice whiskey and I asked if I could watch & learn. They were excited as they didn't know a lot of English and wanted me to teach them. So it began, we conversed and I taught them English while they showed me the intricacies of their art. We had some rice whiskey and I offered to repay them by buying another bottle for them. They were surprised, but happy that I had offered to repay them. After testing him out, I went with Tonei on a motor bike ride, whizzing through the narrow streets, doding cars, people and stray dogs. He knew every inch of those roads and surprisingly, I felt safer driving with him than I have on many roads in the past. We drove by his friend's house and we waved, then he stopped to show me the trees where he gets the materials to make his art. We continued on and made it to the store and I picked up a couple bottles of whiskey for 145 Baht each. (about 5 bucks a piece). We returned to the city square and I continued to watch and learn. I while later I decided it was time to go and search for some dinner, but before I left they gave me the artwork I watched them make. It was all really fun and not your typical stroll through town.

The next day I went back to Bangkok to spend the last couple days with my cousin and his family. It was great to see him again after about 15 years. Him and his wife Diana have a one and a half year old who is starting to speak English, German and Thai. It's pretty hilarious as she is so adept at soaking everything up and was learning by the minute. Tim showed me around the city and we met up with his friends. After getting around the city, I realized one of my pet peeves with Bangkok is the lack of pollution control. The air was so thick you could cut it up and serve it on a platter....a carbon platter that is. Aside from that, it was a really cool place to visit. My only problem now is to figure out when I can get back there next.

laa kawn,
Dave

Down Unda

Hey folks,

Landed in Australia a week and a half ago after leaving Canada and taking on a couple long flights with a lay-over I don't recommend. 14 hours sounds like pretty good times when it's Hawaii, but not in the middle of the night. I don't recommend the pubs near to the Hawaii airport...some pretty sketchy folks there.

Anyway, met up with Miller and we cruised on to Sydney where Scott and Lu scooped us up and we headed to Newport beach where they live. We kicked off early the next day with a 12 hour drive up the coast to Byron Bay where Scott had a moving job to do. We helped out to the get the job finished quick so we could spend the following 3 days at various beaches along the way home. Some pretty awesome places. At one beach we saw a pod of 15-20 dolphins playing in the break about 50 metres from a bunch of surfers. Pretty wild to watch. We slept on the beach and played disc in the night under a near full moon. I think that's a first for me.

We've been spending lots of time hitting up the local beaches (they are everywhere). The surf is great and it seems almost everyone is into it. Even entire families. Some people surf before and after work. It makes the people in business suits look a little out of place although I'm sure they have their trunks on underneath.
Scott took us into Sydney yesterday and we took the Ferry across into the harbour. Checked out some pretty cool sites and we were able to link up with Miller's cousin Andrew who runs a Kayak business.
Our friend Steph flies in on Sunday and we are all heading up to a beachside cabin north of here where the surf is said to be pretty wild. In the mean time, Miller and I wonder how the spiders can get so big and why the cat gets scared of the enormous cockroaches...they are huuuge.

I hope everyone is well. Keep your surfboard right side up and your stick on the ice.

ciao for now.

Interior BC to the Pacific Coast

Just over two weeks after departure, Vancouver is now our home for a few days. A pretty unbelieveable couple weeks. After trying to out-run the -49 celcius in the prairies, we landed at out friend Henry's in south western Alberta to get our skis fired up at Castle Mountain. Lots of fun on the hill and touring the back country off the resort with Miller made for a killer start to the skiing adventures. Lots of apres, including a wood fired sauna, drinks at the "T-bar" (haha) and homemade ice cream.

From there it was a short trek to Fernie to stay with friends Kathy & Andy. Home became 6 days by the Elk river with views of the resort to the west and Mt. Fernie to the north. We toured the back country at a place called Tunnel Creek with snow flinging out of the sky all day. Summited the mountain mid afternoon and began snow stability and safety checks en route to one of the most epic powder runs of my life...knee to waist deep and by the end my legs were on firrrrre! Wish I had a helmet cam. Damn.

We were able to catch up with some old friends at the bar (Alex, Spankster, etc) and re-live some old (and somewhat foggy) memories of Fernie. Scott prayed for snow when we arrived in town and it clearly worked as it snowed the majority of our time there. We continued trekkin' around and were lucky enough to have a day with Andy and his friend on their snow-mobiles. With skiis strapped to the packs we were able to cover some serious turf and managed more fresh turns. The next day was spent resting the legs and dabbling Burt's Bees on the nickel sized blisters. Fun comes at a price I guess.

After packing a fair bit into our short stay in Fernie, we waited out some cruddy road conditions before heading to the hot springs. After a soak, we drove north to Golden and were forced to sit it out for the night while they bombed for avalanche control in Rogers Pass. We didn't mind as we were looking forward to seeing it in the day. Sun up, we hit the road in decent time and made our way through the pass to Kamloops. We opted to skip the Coquihalla and come down through the Fraser Valley. What a crazy drive. Almost as crazy as the one lane, gravel, cliff side, logging road to the hot springs. All that much more rewarding. Miller also taught me some Spanish on the drive as my one Paul Simon tape got pretty annoying after about 4000 kilometres. (Note to self: get more tapes for the car or upgrade to CD).

We arrived at my brothers in Vancouver last night feeling pretty good. Miller is off visiting friends at UBC and I went out exploring the city. Looking forward to the last few days in Canada before flying out to Australia on Jan 29th to hook up with Scotty and Lu for some surf and sun! Almost time to trade in the skis for the surfboard.
Much love to all. Thanks to everyone for a good time so far, and heads up to everyone on the hit list.
Cheers

On The Road - Regina

Today is the first day I've had a chance to kick this thing off as internet access can be hard to find in places. (ie: Upsala, Pancake Bay, Sintulata, etc, etc.) But here we are. After saying goodbye to my folks and leaving Ajax, the first stop was Orillia to pick up my travel brotha Miller. From there it was on to Bala to put a quick cap on the first day of travel (yeah, a whole 2 hours worth) at Mr. Spolniks place. Beers by the fire and a massive taco dinner thanks to Dave allowed us to start the trip off right.

The Next day we made it to Wawa on the shore of Lake Superior and searched out a cheap place to crash for the night. Before long we found ourselves in the local pub to have a pint and pick the brains of some locals to see what our best options were. Quite the entertaining crowd and very helpful as we found a decent place to spend the night. The next morn was started off in classic Canadian style with a breakfast consisting of Timmy's and cold clean air. Making our way through Thunder Bay we decided to haul it big time while the weather was holding out for us as the forecast was calling for a big system to roll in. I drove into the night with Miller at my side, head back, ear flaps on his toque all over the place and a record setting goober drooling in my direction. Miller took over in Winnipeg and as we got out of the car it was now clear in my mind that winter was in fact here. I nearly convulsed while trying to pump the gas and Miller ran laps around the gas station trying to keep warm. Continuing on, the Radio informed us it was -49 celcius. Yeah, ouch. You know it's too cold when the hydraulic pump for your rear hatch explodes everywhere. Aside from that, Rocky (my '89 tercel) has been real smooth the whole way. All that metal gets creaky when it's so cold, but for a retired old man he's a legend. We are in Regina at the University Library now (yes, we are students) and will be shooting for Medicine Hat tonight.

I'd like to thank my travel buddy Scott for makin' it a safe and smooth go so far and give some shout outs to those we'll be seeing soon.
Much Love to all.
Keep an eye out for a blazing red streak also known as the Red Rocket.

New Beginnings

Hey everyone,
Welcome to the blog. This is where it all begins. Thanks for coming to check it out and hopefully in return you'll find some interesting reads, nice photos, links to other cool stuff and maybe, just maybe...a new appreciation for the hidden gems out there. As I was once told, pay attention and you will be rewarded.
Much love to all.
Dave