some dude bailed us up in the pub the other night, mikey he was called. we were in the west of kerry in cahersiveen where the english almost melds into gaelic so we could barely understand the guy. in short, his sister in law is not a nice person, we should get married, and those immigrants are alright as long as they show some manners. he was entertaining none the less, as drunk farmers go. good chap to have a pint with.
in other adventure news, we took a boat out to the skellig islands. we were hosted on dan's fishing boat with 12 other bemused foreigners as it putted and bounced and swayed back and forth towards the islands. little skellig looked rocky from a distance, a kind of grey/white colour. as we approached we saw that the colours were from the 40,000 cormorants nesting on it, it was chock a block with them clinging to every craggy peak, with seals laying about on the rocks at the shore. after circling little skellig we went to skellig michal, a slightly larger island where a bunch of monks used to live from the 6th to 12th centuries. the climb up the mountain was somewhat terror inspiring, 50 degree angled steps with no rails and just the sea below you. at the top was what remains of the monastery, a bunch of beehive shaped huts made of stones piled up on top of each other, no mortar just balanced carefully in a way that kept the water out. not much is known about the monks cos they kept no records but they chose to hide themselves away in a remote inhospitable area, to pray and that. pretty weird. and then it pissed down raining and we got soaked the boat trip back was no fun at all. according to one of the americans on board, the two of us won the wettest people on board award.
we also went to some tomb from 4000 BC or troy reckons way earlier, older than the pyramids, anyway we speculated whether we'd have anything to say to each other if we came across those new stone age people. same general physiology and presumably intelligence, but such a vastly different life... ireland's heaps old! its cool.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
to be sure x 2
i love ireland! troy and have rented a car and are camping all up and down the west coast and it is just lovely. the south side of the ring of kerry in particular but its all just gorgeous and peaceful and green. we've been camping in the hills and by the bays and in some official campsites, too. theres also been just great music and, as predicted, i wish i'd brought my bloody fiddle. if only to impress the other backpackers. but we went to a pub in doolin last night and the dude in the session was playing a bit mechanically and i reckoned i might have some more spirit. turns out he wasnt irish at all but south african! so i reckon i could lob down here next summer, play music, get tourists to buy me drinks and be a star (i've at least got some irish blood!) anyone wanna come?
ps. if anyone from the lovely old 5g happens to be reading this, i need another reference for the agency i'm gonna work for, so if any CNSs are prepared to vouch for me, i'd love their email address so i can ask/give the lowdown/etc. i'm lame and lost everyones emails.
ps. if anyone from the lovely old 5g happens to be reading this, i need another reference for the agency i'm gonna work for, so if any CNSs are prepared to vouch for me, i'd love their email address so i can ask/give the lowdown/etc. i'm lame and lost everyones emails.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Hampstead and art
the other day troy and i went to hampstead heath. its a nature reserve in the north of london, take the tube for 20 minutes and a little walk and your in the middle of the woods! i was half expecting to see robin hood darting through it in pursuit of some dastardly wealthy bad guy. there are hundreds of little paths through it and at one edge is the hill gardens.
it was like a secret garden, very quiet and serene, hardly anyone there. there were long walkways and columns either side with wisteria and wild roses growing up them and overhead, it was gorgeous. i kept thinking it would be a great place for a wedding - if i believed in marraige...
further down near the lawns there was a pond and some nice benches to sit on. we sat and watched a squirrel clamber up a tree. tried to get a picture but it was a private squirrel, elusive.
we made our way back around and through the heath again. at first it was just pretty and enjoyable but then every direction looked the same. its quite a big area and people do get lost in there but we had started out near the road so i didnt think we could be that far. troy started to get that desperate look in his eye and a panicky tone, he never trusts my sense of direction but i'm happy to say i remained calm. the combination of a vague sense of which way to go and the distant sound of traffic got us out of there. we stumbled out of the woods into hampstead and cried 'civilisation at last!' we survived hampstead heath!
after that we went back into london, sat in a park for lunch where some brass band was playing, then went to go see some art at the national gallery. i like the van gogh and the cezanne, and dammit the other impressionist room was closed. but the rest of it didnt really move me. i remember really liking the turner exhibition that came to canberra, but the paintings they had here were a bit blah. call me uncultured but everything alse was a guzillion paintings of jesus and portraits of some dead old rich dudes which i found rather boring. there were a few greek and roman myth paintings i liked, especially venus and mars, but the rest i could have done without. i do want to go to the dali exhibit though, but troys not so keen so i might wait until cass comes over and see it with her ;)
it was like a secret garden, very quiet and serene, hardly anyone there. there were long walkways and columns either side with wisteria and wild roses growing up them and overhead, it was gorgeous. i kept thinking it would be a great place for a wedding - if i believed in marraige...
further down near the lawns there was a pond and some nice benches to sit on. we sat and watched a squirrel clamber up a tree. tried to get a picture but it was a private squirrel, elusive.
we made our way back around and through the heath again. at first it was just pretty and enjoyable but then every direction looked the same. its quite a big area and people do get lost in there but we had started out near the road so i didnt think we could be that far. troy started to get that desperate look in his eye and a panicky tone, he never trusts my sense of direction but i'm happy to say i remained calm. the combination of a vague sense of which way to go and the distant sound of traffic got us out of there. we stumbled out of the woods into hampstead and cried 'civilisation at last!' we survived hampstead heath!
after that we went back into london, sat in a park for lunch where some brass band was playing, then went to go see some art at the national gallery. i like the van gogh and the cezanne, and dammit the other impressionist room was closed. but the rest of it didnt really move me. i remember really liking the turner exhibition that came to canberra, but the paintings they had here were a bit blah. call me uncultured but everything alse was a guzillion paintings of jesus and portraits of some dead old rich dudes which i found rather boring. there were a few greek and roman myth paintings i liked, especially venus and mars, but the rest i could have done without. i do want to go to the dali exhibit though, but troys not so keen so i might wait until cass comes over and see it with her ;)
Thursday, July 13, 2006
why does it always rain on me?
london. home of the black umbrella.
on our first two outings into london town the heavens decided to open to give us a truly british welcome. we were not deterred, however! the first day craig took us around...
piccadilly circus
buckingham palace
trafalgar square and more.
the second day troy and i joined the hoardes of tourists aboard the 'big bus' tours around the city. we sat up top in the open air and once again felt the rain come down. it was good for orientation and quite interesting, despite the bad jokes about the beatles and jack the ripper. we stopped at london tower, a big castle in the middle of the city, site of many a royal intrigue. we had lunch in a park where apparantly henry the eighth had some of his wives executed. it was so romantic.
we had coffee in st katherines docks where these old-school sailing ships were docked in these enclosed little inlets. we climbed the tower bridge (or rather took an elevator but climbing sounds so much more adventurous) and took a river tour of the thames where we were again rained upon. but it was FUN goddammit!
afterwards we caught the tail end of the swp marxism 2006 conference, a panel on radical filmaking with ken loach. it was great to hearing him talk about his films (and discovering the origin of the iso's brit accent). watched land and freedom again afterwards, a damn fine film that no matter how many times i watch leaves me with new questions about the spanish civil war to ponder...
on our first two outings into london town the heavens decided to open to give us a truly british welcome. we were not deterred, however! the first day craig took us around...
piccadilly circus
buckingham palace
trafalgar square and more.
the second day troy and i joined the hoardes of tourists aboard the 'big bus' tours around the city. we sat up top in the open air and once again felt the rain come down. it was good for orientation and quite interesting, despite the bad jokes about the beatles and jack the ripper. we stopped at london tower, a big castle in the middle of the city, site of many a royal intrigue. we had lunch in a park where apparantly henry the eighth had some of his wives executed. it was so romantic.
we had coffee in st katherines docks where these old-school sailing ships were docked in these enclosed little inlets. we climbed the tower bridge (or rather took an elevator but climbing sounds so much more adventurous) and took a river tour of the thames where we were again rained upon. but it was FUN goddammit!
afterwards we caught the tail end of the swp marxism 2006 conference, a panel on radical filmaking with ken loach. it was great to hearing him talk about his films (and discovering the origin of the iso's brit accent). watched land and freedom again afterwards, a damn fine film that no matter how many times i watch leaves me with new questions about the spanish civil war to ponder...
Friday, July 07, 2006
i heart the countryside
settling in here alright, have seen some sites. havent done much of london yet but went to coventry gardens, piccadilly circus, leicester square, buckingham palace and big ben the other day and got all our tourist photos. it rained of course. i wasnt massively impressed with what i've seen of london so far. just buildings and streets in a city. it feels like sydney but with better architecture and double deckers.
i did have one nice moment in coventry gardens. while the boys were in some tragic aussie pub watching the state of origin i wandered around, and there was a string quartet busking in a courtyard. so i sat and had a coffee and enjoyed the music. i really admire good violinists. they played pachelbels cannon which i always like, it really made me wish i'd brought my fiddle. but then i always get nostalgic when i see anyone playing violin live, its the practising i dont like.
anyway while i wasnt too impressed by the city i looooved the countryside. craig took us out for a little drive yesterday. its great, 10 minutes out of epsom and we're driving the narrow country roads, alongside the green fields and ponds, with the weather all cloudy and misty. so wind and the willows.
we stopped at a little town called shere, walked all around through the churchyard with its headstones from the twelfth century, across little bridges over brooks and watched the ducklings. saw some cute cottages, wandered under the trees through a little garden with sweet peas and pumpkins and a scarecrow. it was all so nice and quaint and as everyone knows i'm a sucker for a tree. i love the outdoors. plus we had a delightful meal at the white horse pub, all in all a lovely little day.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
'allo gov'na
england. the home of the monarchy, the soccer hooligan and of course, the pub. and here's the one we're staying at. its a quaint estab-lishment in epsom, outside of london. we'll be staying here for an unknown length of time as it appears our delightful host craig is open to longer than the agreed week. and i for one am happy. its a peacful little corner with all the modern conveniences, the most convenient of course being that its free. sure troy might have to pull a beer or perhaps entertain the punters with his unique rendition of moon river but thats a small price to pay really. todays our first real day in england and jet lag being what it is we've settled for a little wander around the neighbourhood. its quite english with all the little houses and lanes, who would have thought? anyway must dash, have my first pint of warm english beer waiting for me downstairs. cheerio!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
wahh!!
i dont wanna leave hawaii!!
its been so much fun and i've been in great company, i love my family! troy reckons its weird how close we all are, that we can just rock up 14 years later and its like we've never been gone. what can i say, my grandmother left us a legacy of a lot of love. dont get me wrong, we've had some narkiness and arguing too but it doesnt seem to get blown out of proportion.
my cousins kayley and steph rock! they're very cool and its been great hanging out. they've been very tolerant of us invading their home, and of troys non-stop swearing while we watched australia play the world cup. there have been a lot of laughs.
steph is just nice and friendly and has this air of peace its lovely to be around. and kayley just cracks me up with sarcasm and her eye rolls, but shes also just really sweet playing her ukelele. hawaii in general has been great to be back in. its just pretty with the mountains and the forest and the ocean and the way relaxed island attitude it really is like being home.
and my own family, too, my mom and nick and katie and j.a. and mikalea...its been quite nice spending time with everyone before heading out into the big world.
so i'm sad dammit! again!
but also excited about the next level of the journey...
waterfall and rainforest hike
when we got back from the big island me, troy, j.a. and mikaela went on this nice little hike up in the mountains. it was just what i wanted, i love trees! once we got up to the waterfall we were pretty hot and puffed so me n mikaela jumped into this pool and it was just lovely...
volcano adventures
ahh the REAL hawaii...the Big Island.
spent a couple of days there last week and it was even more relaxed than oahu. its the newest island in the chain, and has a active volcano with constantly flowing lava. we stayed in this great house that was built on the lava flows from the 80s, right on a cliff near the ocean. when we first walked out to the cliff we saw turtles in the ocean below us.
lava is cool. it makes all these funny patterns it looks like black cookie dough thats just got caught in a solid state. they've closed the roads to the flowing lava so we didnt get to see any of the red stuff, but one day we drove out to a black sand beach and we could see steam on the horizon from where the lava was meeting the sea.
my unlce chris lives out on the big island , and we met his partner nalani, who is an indigenous hawaiian, and whose family have been playing an role in preserving hawaiian culture and language. we went to the volcanoes national park with them and her kids. they were really sweet and during the drive they sang along to the hawaiian radio station in their langauge. as we got higher up towards the volcanoes nalani told us the legend of the goddess pele, a woman from tahiti who became goddess of volcanoes when her sister killed her. as we walked around the crater and the vents nalani told a few stories of people who had insulted pele and had bad luck befall them. inlcuding a friend of hers who had visited the volcanoes and had whinged the whole time about the heat, and when they went ot get back in the car and leave the car woulnt start (she apologised to pele and they continued on their way). anyway we walked around and there were these vents all around the place where steam rose up from under the rocks, and we walked right out to the crater edge. throughout the park there are lava tubes where a stream of lava flows and as it cools the outside becomes solid. when the lava has finished flowing these tube/tunnel/cave things are left empty and we walked through one.
i really enjoyed that little tour it was just amazing, and so nice to spend it with such sweet people as well. nalani was so friendly, and funny too. her and my uncle chris were just taking the piss out of each other the whole time laughing away.
spent a couple of days there last week and it was even more relaxed than oahu. its the newest island in the chain, and has a active volcano with constantly flowing lava. we stayed in this great house that was built on the lava flows from the 80s, right on a cliff near the ocean. when we first walked out to the cliff we saw turtles in the ocean below us.
lava is cool. it makes all these funny patterns it looks like black cookie dough thats just got caught in a solid state. they've closed the roads to the flowing lava so we didnt get to see any of the red stuff, but one day we drove out to a black sand beach and we could see steam on the horizon from where the lava was meeting the sea.
my unlce chris lives out on the big island , and we met his partner nalani, who is an indigenous hawaiian, and whose family have been playing an role in preserving hawaiian culture and language. we went to the volcanoes national park with them and her kids. they were really sweet and during the drive they sang along to the hawaiian radio station in their langauge. as we got higher up towards the volcanoes nalani told us the legend of the goddess pele, a woman from tahiti who became goddess of volcanoes when her sister killed her. as we walked around the crater and the vents nalani told a few stories of people who had insulted pele and had bad luck befall them. inlcuding a friend of hers who had visited the volcanoes and had whinged the whole time about the heat, and when they went ot get back in the car and leave the car woulnt start (she apologised to pele and they continued on their way). anyway we walked around and there were these vents all around the place where steam rose up from under the rocks, and we walked right out to the crater edge. throughout the park there are lava tubes where a stream of lava flows and as it cools the outside becomes solid. when the lava has finished flowing these tube/tunnel/cave things are left empty and we walked through one.
i really enjoyed that little tour it was just amazing, and so nice to spend it with such sweet people as well. nalani was so friendly, and funny too. her and my uncle chris were just taking the piss out of each other the whole time laughing away.
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