Cambodia

February 1, 2026 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

My second new country of this trip. We left Ho Chi Minh City early in the morning to try and get to the border at Bavet before the rush. This proved a success and there was no queue as we were stamped out of Vietnam. We walked with all our belongings perhaps a couple of hundred metres to the Cambodia border. As with Laos, I was getting a visa on arrival (it is possible to get an e-visa in advance but you had to print out the confirmation and as I have been travelling since early November and wasn’t sure if I’d have access to a printer, I decided to go with the VOA). I was the only one of the 16 of us needing a visa on arrival (30 USD plus 5 USD stamping fee in cash, no passport photo needed despite what the UK FCO travel advice suggests, could be different at an airport), and as with Laos, I was through the border before most of the rest of the group. And another lovely full page visa in my passport!

We then walked a short distance to pick up our bus in Cambodia and started driving towards Phnom Penh. There is essentially one road from this border post to the capital, and for the most part it seemed lined with shops, stalls and small businesses. The noticeable thing for me was the amount of plastic littering the roadside which made me a little apprehensive as to what state Cambodia would be in.

We stopped for lunch after a couple of hours at a roadside diner, and I had pho (after somehow completely missing it in Vietnam). Pretty tasty.

We drove another couple of hours and arrived in Phnom Penh in the middle of the afternoon. I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting in Phnom Penh but it greatly exceeded any expectations I might have had. It sits on the Mekong and as we crossed the bridge into the city, we were greeted by lots of modern, tall buildings, well-maintained streets and public areas and it was very clean with no real sign of the plastic that had littered the roadside most of the way.

After checking into the hotel we had a cyclo tour of the city. Cyclos are 3 wheeled bicycles with a large seat up front for the passenger, which gives you a headlight-level view of the city. We were taken to Wat Phnom, the palace and then dropped off along the river in time for a sunset cruise. It was really interesting to see the city from this angle and I enjoyed the mixture of architecture styles.

We then had about 90 minutes sailing along the Mekong and admiring the views of the city as the sun set. It was pretty glorious to be honest. The Mekong has featured heavily through my journey through Indochina, starting at the Thai-Laos border and sailing for 2 days to Luang Prabang, seeing it again in Vientiane and then again at the delta in Ho Chi Minh City, and finally here in Cambodia. It is so important to life in this part of the world and seeing it through several countries affirms that.

Sunset sailing on the Mekong, Phnom Penh

The next day we went to the S-21 Prison in Phnom Penh, and to the Killing Fields a short drive outside of the city. We had a local guide with us who spoke to us about the atrocities that the Khmer Rouge had committed, and told us of his own experiences during these times, which was incredibly powerful and emotional to hear.

Only a handful of people survived S-21 prison and one of those still alive today was in the grounds of the now museum, sharing his story. It was incredible to be able to meet this gentleman, Chum Mey, who is in his mid 90s.

Whilst learning about the murderous atrocities of an horrific regime isn’t perhaps on many people’s holiday/travel agendas, I think it is an important and necessary visit to make, and many parts of that morning will stay with me for a very long time.

I needed some time to decompress in the afternoon. I probably should have consulted the itinerary a little more closely when I booked this trip as this day was also the anniversary of my husband’s death. Always a difficult day and certainly compounded by what we heard about in the morning.

We ended the day, and our short visit to Phnom Penh, on a happier note on a rooftop bar to watch the sunset. I think I’m losing count of the number of amazing sunsets I’ve seen on this trip, and I’m sure there are many more to come yet.

The next day we headed off to Siem Reap. We had a stop off in the morning at a service station which aside from the usual service station affairs, also had a stall selling various fried critters. I did have a go at some of them (mostly crunchy and fried with garlic and soy) but some were a little too large…

We stopped later for lunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking a lake. I had chicken and veg in a lotus leaf which was very good.

We arrived in Siem Reap around mid afternoon, and headed out on a tuk tuk tour of the city and countryside. We saw a large mural in the city which has been painted to reflect the experiences of the recent conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand, as well as receiving a blessing from a monk in a local temple before driving out to the countryside for some street snacks and yet another awesome sunset. The tuk tuks were all driven by ladies and it felt good to be supporting the ladies in building jobs for themselves.

The next day was the first of 2 days spent in the Angkor complex. On the first day we visited the Bayon temple, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm.

There is a lot of restoration work going on but it is amazing to see these structures, a lot of which date from the 12th century. The detail in the stonework in the galleries is truly incredible.

We had a free afternoon and I spent the time relaxing before we went to an Apsara dance show and dinner in the evening. Certainly aimed at tourists, the food was a 5 course tasting menu of Khmer food which was delicious. The dinner was accompanied by various traditional Apsara dances and some martial arts. All in all a very enjoyable evening.

I was up early the next morning as this was my one chance to see sunrise at Angkor Wat. We left the hotel at 5am and drove out about 20 minutes to the temple complex. It was still pitch black when we arrived and sat ourselves by the moat. Whilst the sunrise itself was disappointing due to it being cloudy, it was pretty incredible to see Angkor Wat emerge out of the darkness.

After breakfast which the hotel had kindly packed for us, we had a tour around the Angkor Wat complex which was very impressive to see up close. At this time in the morning it also wasn’t too busy and the temperature was reasonable too.

Again, some renovations ongoing, but to see the craftsmanship in the stone work and the galleries was really special. It is absolutely worth seeing in person and if you get the chance to come to Cambodia, you should certainly spend a few days here.

After a final evening in Siem Reap, my short time in Cambodia had come to an end and we flew back to Bangkok the next day, back to where I’d started my Indochina journey almost a month earlier. It’s been an amazing journey through 4 countries and I’m grateful to have had the time to be able to do this trip. One of the things I’m trying to do in my extended break from work is to do trips that I can’t fit into a couple of weeks’ holiday, and this certainly ticked that box!!

Now for a few days downtime in Bangkok before heading back to see a bit more of northern Thailand…

Hue and Hoi An

January 26, 2026 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

We arrived on the overnight train in Hue on time but I’d be lying if I said I’d had a restful night. The train was newer than last time (all toilets were western rather than squats) but the mattresses were still as solid and it was still a very jiggly journey not massively conducive to sleep…

We arrived at the hotel too early for check in but early enough for breakfast. After breakfast we headed off to see the main sites in Hue, starting with the Citadel, a huge fortified imperial city built in the early 1800s. Large parts were destroyed during the Vietnam War and there was restoration work ongoing around the site. Indeed I didn’t remember some of the buildings we saw this time from my previous visit and the tour guide said that some of the restorations had been completed quite recently.

We then headed out to the Thien Mu Pagoda, a short journey south of the city. I did remember this from last time! I think the photos I took last time kept it in my mind. By this point the morning was warming up, and getting more humid.

Some of us had then opted for a motorbike tour (as a passenger I hasten to add!!), which included visiting the Royal Tombs (also under renovation and we didn’t see them all), an ancient arena previously used for elephant and tiger fighting, driving into the countryside and past rice fields, and learning about growing and harvesting rice which an absolute staple with every meal.

We were back at the hotel by mid afternoon and had the rest of the day free before dinner. I think Hue has gotten more lively since my previous visit. There was quite a bustling restaurant and bar area and after dinner a few of us spent the rest of the evening sat on the roadside on the tiny chairs drinking beer and people watching.

We set off the next morning, driving south over the Hai Van Pass on our way to Hoi An. It’s a pretty spectacular drive climbing up over the hills (mountains?) and if anyone has seen the Vietnam episode of Top Gear, you might remember this part. We were blessed with some pretty good weather to see up and down the coast.

We arrived into Hoi An in the late afternoon. I’ve said elsewhere before that Hoi An is the prettiest place I’ve ever been and I still think that is the case despite the hoards of tourists making it less peaceful and relaxing than last time…

The old town is a UNESCO world heritage site and you need to buy a ticket to enter (120,000 Vietnamese Dong / c£3.50) which lasted for the duration of our stay in Hoi An. The ticket also includes entrance to up to 5 specific monuments/temples/museums/cultural experiences out of more than 30 in the old town.

In the evenings, Hoi An really comes to life with all the colourful lanterns and riverboats, as well as the night market and the many bars and restaurants up and down the riverfront. We had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the river and then spent the evening listening to live music in an Irish bar.

We had 2 full days in Hoi An. I visited one of the cultural performances in the old town in the morning – one of the 5 specific entries with the old town ticket. It was interesting to see the traditional costumes and dancing during the 30 minute show. We then had an included lunch at Oodles Of Noodles, a project supported by G Adventures which helps children living on the streets by giving them hospitality training, English lessons and providing accommodation in order to help them create a life and future for themselves. We also visited this restaurant last time and it’s such a good initiative that really makes a difference. The food was delicious too!

I spent the rest of the day wandering around the old town, in some of the temples, over the Japanese bridge, and up and down the pretty lanes. Hoi An was impacted by heavy flooding as recently as last October but you’d never know as everything was clean and tidy.

On the final day in Hoi An I treated myself to a 90 minute hot stone massage for the bargain price of £12!! If you ever come to Hoi An, you should be treating yourselves to multiple massages at these prices! I also had some fantastic Vietnamese food in a local restaurant. I really think Vietnamese food might be my favourite cuisine I’ve had whilst travelling.

I really enjoyed revisiting these parts of Vietnam. Hue was more lively and fun than I’d remembered, and Hoi An is just so pretty, despite there being too many tourists now (of which, I do realise, I am one of those!!)

Next stop is a flight south to Saigon…

Adelaide

December 28, 2025 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

In my previous Australia travels, I’d spent a grand total of about 15 hours in Adelaide, and that included sleeping. This time I had a week and a half here, with a few days before and after the cricket to see the city and around.

Back to a hostel for the first 3 nights where most of my roommates were here for the cricket, and one of whom works for the same company I do and is also on a sabbatical…very small world

I’d booked a Barossa Valley wine tour on my first full day here and found that it was also full of Brits here for the cricket. A lovely group of people and we were drinking our first glass of wine at 9.40am!! A good way to start a Sunday

In the remaining days before the cricket started, I mostly spent my time wandering around the museums, which are all handily on North Terrace (and free), as well as the Botanical Gardens

The cricket started just in time to coincide with a heatwave. I’d arrived on a Saturday and it was a very pleasant (to this Brit) temperature, in the low 20s. The cricket started on Wednesday, when the temperature was in the mid 30s. On Thursday it got to 40C. Thankfully it was a dry heat rather than a humid heat, but being sat in it, albeit in shade, for 7 hours certainly wilted me. By the time the game ended on Sunday, it had been raining and was only in the high teens. Such a crazy change in temperature in a very short space of time!

England were quite a lot better in this match – it got to day 5 and there was a tiny part of me that thought we were going to chase down the runs at one point in the morning session on the last day. But it wasn’t to be. I’ve now been to 5 test matches in Australia across 2 trips and have yet to see us win. But I’ve had a lot of fun watching the matches. There’s almost a mindfulness quality about watching live cricket. All I have to do for 6 hours is watch what’s going on on the field. I’m not staring at a screen. I’m not constantly looking at my phone. The ebb and flow of test cricket can’t be beaten in my opinion and despite the result I’ve had a great time.

I had a couple of days after the cricket in Adelaide before flying back to Perth on Christmas Day before onwards to Thailand. One of those days was an admin day involving finding a laundrette to do a big load of washing, as well as firming up and booking a couple of parts of my SE Asia itinerary.

On Christmas Eve I went out to Glenelg. Ordinarily you’d get the tram from the centre of Adelaide, but due to engineering works, it was a replacement bus which took about 25 minutes. Sadly the weather in Glenelg was cold and windy, so it wasn’t looking its best. When I returned to the city mid afternoon, I found it in blazing sunshine!!

I really enjoyed my time in Adelaide. It seems to get a bad rep on occasion for perhaps being a bit boring. Certainly I thought it less intense than some of the other big cities here. But there’s plenty to do, it’s really easy to get around, and I squeezed in my third (and fastest) Aussie parkrun.

That’s it for my Australia travels on this trip. I’ve been here for 7 weeks, and covered a lot of places I hadn’t been to before. I think Perth and WA was my favourite part, the scenery and coastline there was just stunning. But I’ve loved it all. The people are friendly, the lifestyle seems great, everywhere is very clean and tidy, public transport is cheap, there are lots of amenities in all the cities and overall just a great place to visit. I’m sure I’ll be back again at some point!

Surfers Paradise

December 26, 2025 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

After my stay in Brisbane, I hopped onto a Greyhound coach for the 90 minute journey to Surfers Paradise in Gold Coast. The coach was actually going all the way through to Sydney, a journey of nearly 1000km. I’m quite glad my trip wasn’t anywhere near that long!

I’d booked 4 nights in Surfers Paradise after the cricket for a bit of R&R, or as much R&R as you can get in a 100 bed dorm room. In fairness, this chain of hostels was pretty good, I also stayed in these in Brisbane and Adelaide outside of the cricket. The pods give pretty decent privacy and the price (around £30 per night) includes breakfast and dinner which is pretty unusual in a hostel.

After a day of doing laundry (cost $12 and all done in an hour, and could pay by card which was a bonus), I spent the first couple of days wandering around and finding shade on the beach, which, due to the massive buildings, was actually quite easy even without my own tent/parasol/shade. I don’t read very much anymore but I’d bought a physical book in Brisbane and so spent my time on the beach reading Michael Palin’s New Europe. I do enjoy reading his travel books, and especially when I’ve been to some of the same places. It’s also useful inspiration for future trips…

On the beach in the shade at Surfers Paradise

Given all the very tall buildings, I thought I’d go up one of them to take in the views. I went to the Skypoint observation deck which is on the 77th floor of the Q1 building. Some spectacular views to be had whilst enjoying a tea and slice of cake

Views from the Skypoint Observation Deck

On my final full day, I’d booked (at fairly late notice through Viator) a half day trip to the Hinterland (the rainforest area inland behind Gold Coast), to Springbrook National Park and Natural Bridge. The weather was a little gloomier on this day and I did at one point have to get my waterproof out for the first time on this trip. The scenery was stunning. so green and lush, and it was a nice change from the coast and cities I’d mostly seen on this trip. Also apparently where UK I’m A Celebrity is filmed.

There were beachside markets in Surfers Paradise on the final night I was there so I ended my trip by wandering up and down all the stalls before calling it a night to reorganise my bags before my flight to Adelaide the next day.

I’m glad I’ve been to Surfers Paradise, I’d seen it from a distance on one of my previous visits to Australia. It’s got a bit of a party vibe about it. Lots of bars and restaurants and fairly fancy hotels, and miles of golden sand and surf. I’m not absolutely sure I’d go back (maybe if I was 20 years younger…), but it was nice to have a few days by the beach…onto Adelaide and some more cricket

Brisbane

December 15, 2025 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

Trundling into Brisbane Roma Street train station nearly 2 and a half hours behind schedule was actually fairly helpful as instead of arriving at 9am, I got to the hostel shortly before midday and was able to check in.

I had a couple of days in Brisbane before the next attempt at cricket started. I have been to Brisbane once before, in January 2016, and saw fit to write barely a paragraph about it here. I honestly don’t remember much beyond the koalas and a few photos I have revisited to attempt to jog my memory. We must have stayed fairly centrally based on the photos I have from then but I’ve no idea where, and honestly from walking around Brisbane this time, I don’t remember any of it really.

That said, it has changed quite a bit over the last 10 years…

I spent most of my first day on the South Bank wandering through the various museums and art galleries in this area – all free. I was also quite glad of the air conditioning, despite it being less humid than in the north, it was still approaching 30C.

The South Bank itself is a lovely area of rainforest, beach, open space, restaurants, cafes and bars and I actually spent some part of most days wandering and eating here.

After getting some tips from a guy in the hostel, I went up the Sky Deck at the Star, which is one of the very tall buildings that wasn’t there in 2016! This viewing platform is around 23 storeys high and is, unbelievably, free to visit. There are a couple of cafes and restaurants ready to take your money though.

Brisbane is a really good city to wander around, and I found myself doing a lot of walking. The test match was a day/night match which didn’t start til 2pm. And the Gabba is a good 40 or so minutes walk from the CBD where I was staying.

Various photos from my wandering: the city botanic gardens, St John’s Cathedral, the Story Bridge, Brisbane by night

The Gabba is not a particularly easy ground to get to. It’s across the river from the CBD and is surrounded by increasingly gridlocked roads in the lead up to the match. Once I was there though, getting in the ground was very efficient, as were all the bars and food outlets (more so than the Optus in Perth which struggled with some bottlenecks at various points which did make me feel slightly anxious).

The atmosphere at the Gabba is incredible. It’s a proper cauldron, literally and metaphorically, and the intensity of the sound, especially when Australia were on top, was unlike anything I’ve heard before in a sporting arena. On the first day I was sat on the first level but essentially at the back, and some of the sound didn’t travel too well (took me an hour or so to locate the Barmy Army and I’m certain they were making a lot of noise), but on the following days when I was slightly further forward, the acoustics were a lot better.

I guess there were 2 positives about this test – it lasted 4 days (and a lot longer on day 4 than I might have imagined); and secondly, Joe Root scored a hundred in Australia and might finally be able to shut up all the naysayers

On my final (bonus) day in Brisbane, and in order to cheer myself up a bit after feeling fairly deflated over the cricket, I went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I mentioned earlier that I’d been here on my previous visit, when you were still able to cuddle a koala. Probably for the best that this practice has now ended. But you can still enjoy looking at the koalas, and the other animals there, including walking in amongst kangaroos and wallabies

After my week or so in Brisbane, it was time to hop onto a Greyhound coach and head to Surfers Paradise for some beach time…

Perth Part 2

December 2, 2025 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

After spending a week exploring south and north of Perth, I arrived back in the city with a couple of spare days before the cricket. And, as it turned out, 3 spare days after the cricket…

Back to hostel life and the first thing on my hit list was to do some laundry. Long time readers of this blog may recall my previous quests for cheap hostel laundry…my first impression of 2025 hostel laundry is that there has been a significant increase in price in the last 10 years. $6 for a wash and $6 for sufficient drying time is a lot more than I remember…anyway, at least I had a bag full of clean clothes.

The next day I was up bright and early to head out to Fremantle to catch a ferry to Rottnest Island. I’d booked ferry tickets the previous week (doing it 7 days before travel gives you a discount), though was obviously a little tired when doing so as I’d booked the outbound ferry from Fremantle rather than Perth City. This meant a slightly earlier start to take the train out to Fremantle and to be there 30 minutes before departure. It all turned out fine, and Perth is a city that gets going early so despite being on a train at 7.45am on a weekday, it was not busy as most people had already got to where they were going.

Rottnest Island is home to a large population of quokkas. There were also more flies so I was glad yet again for the fly net!!

I hadn’t really made any plans for my 6 hours on the island, but spotted there was a Catherine Bay that I thought would be worth visiting… This turned into a 7 mile round hike in some quite sticky weather, but I passed through a number of extraordinarily beautiful beaches along the way.

Beaches on Rottnest Island, the last photo is Catherine Bay

After returning to the main settlement, I had lunch and was joined by a few quokkas who clearly knew where to look for food. There are signs everywhere telling you not to feed them so I was very careful about not spilling any of my Subway!

Quokkas are really quite odd animals, mouse-like, yet hopping along like a rabbit, or a small kangaroo. But very endearing

Caught the ferry back to Perth City (as intended) at 4.30pm. One of the advantages of getting the ferry all the way back to the city is that it cruises up the Swan River so you get some lovely views of the outer suburbs of the city, and then a great view of the CBD as you come into the jetty.

Elizabeth Quay and around from the ferry

The next day was a moving day, from the hostel into a hotel for the next 6 nights. This was part of the package I’d bought for the cricket. I’ve done a hotel and ticket package through Gullivers Sports Travel for the 3 test matches that I’m attending. It was quite nice having my own space, and the room had a decent-sized fridge so as I was on a room only deal, I went to the local IGA to stock up on healthy breakfast food and snacks.

The next day I was up and eager to get to the cricket. The Optus Stadium was about a 30 minute walk from the hotel and I followed the crowds towards the ground. It’s a very impressive stadium and after the usual security, I was in my seat just before the toss. I was sat amongst the Barmy Army and it was great fun with all the singing and clapping, trying (and one might argue failing) to encourage England to bat. The first half of day 1 was less than ideal but the second half, with Archer and Wood steaming in, was incredible to witness.

At the Optus Stadium, day 1 of the 2025/26 Men’s Ashes

The next day was Saturday, which means parkrun. Parkruns in Perth start at 8am so I just about had enough time to walk the 20 or so minutes to Claisebrook Cove parkrun, huff and puff round the 5k in 35 minutes, walk back to the hotel to shower and then walk the 30 mins to the stadium in time for the first ball of day 2 at 10.20am. It was a slightly frantic morning, which included some interesting warning signs along the parkrun course…

Seen at Claisebrook cove parkrun; you don’t get this at Tremorfa!!

The less said about day 2 at the cricket, the better…it did mean I had 3 extra days in Perth though, to see things I’d so far missed.

I started by meeting up with some old travel companions from my Peru trip 10 years ago who live in Perth. It was so lovely to see Janine and Pat after all this time, we had brunch and a scenic drive around the city

That evening I ended up going to see the Kaiser Chiefs, who were in town and playing their debut album (out when I was at university) in full. It was great fun relieving my uni days as they blasted through Employment and some of their other hits.

My remaining 2 days in Perth were full of walking. I went to Kings Park, for wonderful views of the city, and also a lovely walk through the Botanical Gardens. And on my final day, I failed to find any kangaroos during my walk to Heirisson Island Kangaroo Sanctuary.

After 2 and a half weeks, it was time to leave Perth. I’ve really enjoyed my time here, and exploring Perth, Margaret River and the coast up to Monkey Mia. The coastline is absolutely stunning, the people are friendly and laid back, and it seems like a really good lifestyle here. The only bugbear (!) was all the flies!! I highly recommend a trip to this part of the world, and don’t forget you can fly direct from the UK and Western Europe to Perth, if you can stomach 16 hours or so in the air at once!

Ireland

May 4, 2025 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

2022 was the year I finally went across the sea to Ireland. I decided to go on the ferry and take my car with me. Living in South Wales, I headed over to Fishguard and took a Stena Line ferry over to Rosslare in southeast Ireland. Having never taken a vehicle on a ferry before, I was a little apprehensive and decided to head over to west Wales the previous day so I would not run into any traffic issues. As it turned out, my ferry was on the day of the Queen’s funeral and I encountered very little traffic on the 30 minute drive between Milford Haven and Fishguard. As a result I was at the ferry terminal very early, however, check in was very straightforward (number plate) and I was 5th in the queue which made for a swift exit at the other side,

A calm crossing, and 3 and a half hours later we pulled into Rosslare harbour in the late afternoon. After some not-entirely-foolproof border control (British citizens do not require a passport to travel in Ireland, question from the border guards as I drove off – ‘what’s your nationality’ and waved me through on my answer without having to produce any evidence), I drove the 20 minutes or so to Wexford and my first hotel of the trip – The Talbot. I went for a quick stroll around the town before dinner and then an earlyish night as I had a lot planned for the next day.

An early start to drive inland to Kilkenny. I took the scenic route which took a couple of hours, and parked up in the large central car park in Kilkenny mid morning. A very pretty town, I had a wander to St Canice’s Cathedral, and the down the Medieval Mile to Kilkenny Castle. After a scone and green tea I got back on the road and headed south to Waterford.

As I drove along the harbour front in Waterford, it really reminded me of being in Europe, and by that I mean continental Europe. For some reason I haven’t quite put my finger on, it reminded me of Bordeaux. A lovely, if brief, stroll around the picturesque streets before heading along the south coast to Cobh and eventually Cork.

In Cobh (pronounced Cove), I parked in the Cathedral car park (free when I visited) and had a wander. It’s a steep walk down to the shorefront. Another very pretty little town, loved the colourful houses, I walked east along the front for about 15 minutes, to the Titanic Memorial Garden (Cobh was the last stop the Titanic made).

From Cobh it was a short drive into Cork. I was staying in a funky modern hotel (The Dean Cork – as an aside, the first hotel I can remember staying in which provided tampons and sanitary towels in the rooms – kudos), next to the train station which was handy as there was no parking at the hotel. The good thing was I arrived in the evening so was able to find a parking space quite easily in Kent Station car park. The following morning when I left, it was jam-packed and APCOA were busy clamping vehicles which hadn’t paid, or had overstayed.

As I’d had a long day and arrived in the evening, I didn’t do much exploring that night. However, I had the following morning to have a wander around Cork. I went to St Fin Barre’s cathedral (after a false start where I’d put St Finbarr’s church into Google maps and ended up down a slightly dodgy-feeling side street).

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral interior was designed by William Burges, who designed the interiors of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch, and I could definitely see his signature style in the decoration.

I wandered back through the English Market and along the river before heading back on the road around lunchtime. My aim was Killarney, and I again went the scenic route, along the south coast, through Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Bantry, the Caha Pass, Kenmare and finally to Killarney.

After filling up at Tesco (both the car and some supplies), I headed to my home for the next 2 nights, a very cute glamping pod about a kilometre out of Killarney.

The next day was one of the highlights of my trip – the Ring Of Kerry. Sadly the weather was not looking that encouraging, so I delayed my start the next day to mid morning, after most of the weather had cleared. I drove in an anti-clockwise direction (top tip – this is the same way that the coaches drive so you are less likely to meet one head on. In my research for this trip, I read a lot of other blog posts that talked about driving in Ireland and the narrow roads. Most of them were from a North American perspective, and to be absolutely fair to them, the roads are significantly narrower than you generally find in North America, and you’re on the other side of the road (left), but if you are a Brit, the roads are absolutely fine and nothing you wouldn’t find in the UK).

First stop was in Killorglin, crossing the river and pulling into the first car park I came across. I don’t think I quite saw the best of Killorglin. After a very brief wander round some colourful buildings I hopped back in the car and carried on to my next stop at Rossbeigh Beach. A long stretch of rugged west-facing coast, perhaps a spit actually. By this point the weather had cheered up considerably.

Back in the car to carry on driving. I had a lunch stop at the Mountain Stage viewpoint before a further pit stop at Cahersiveen. Another stereotypically colourful Irish town. I then took in the additional loop of the Ring of Skellig. This was a smaller road, no buses, and in some spots it’s single track with passing places. But it is beautiful. Stopped off in Portmagee and at the Kerry Cliffs (€5) where the coastline is absolutely stunning.

After this I carried on to Sneem and to meet my cousin-in-law and his family for the first time which was really lovely. Dinner at the local pub before I headed back to Killarney through the National Park, just as the sun was setting. All in all a pretty epic day.

The next day it was off for another scenic drive to my home for the following night, Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula. My first stop was at Inch Beach, just as some very ominous grey clouds were about to dump their contents on the beach. A quick walk before a car picnic whilst the rain passed. As I carried on into the peninsula, the weather improved significantly and by the time I got my first glimpse of the colourful houses in Dingle, the sky was blue.

Beyond Dingle is the scenic Slea Head Drive. Not as touristy as the Ring of Kerry, and plenty of stunning coastline.

Views on the Slea Head Drive, Dingle Peninsula

After an evening in Dingle involving fish and chips and the strains of live music in many of the pubs, I was up and off early the next day towards Limerick. The hotel I had booked in Limerick did not have any parking so I utilised a town centre multi-storey car park (€23 for 24 hours parking). At the time, many roads in the centre of Limerick were being dug up which meant a couple of false starts before finding the car park entrance.

I’d arrived in Limerick in the early afternoon and after checking into the hotel, I headed out and about. Firstly to the Hunt Museum, then to King John’s Castle, and finally to St Mary’s Cathedral. A very pleasant way to fill a Saturday afternoon.

Off again the next day, back out to the coast. I was on my way to Galway, but I stopped along the way at the Cliffs of Moher. A truly spectacular stretch of coastline. There was a large car park which was already filling up with cars and coaches by mid morning (though it was a Sunday at the tail end of the summer). There is a coastal path along the cliffs, and whilst the hoards gather around the visitor centre for views, you only have to walk about 10 minutes along the cliffs in either direction to get a more peaceful view. In the end I made a much longer walk of it, and had a good stretch of the legs along the cliffs for a couple of hours.

By mid afternoon I was back in the car and heading towards Galway for a 2 night stop. I was staying in a hotel in Salthill, slightly out of the main town. It was a gentle 25-30 minute walk along the prom to Galway itself, which I did the following morning. Galway is another very pretty town.

After Galway, it was a straight drive to Dublin for the final 2 nights of my trip. Driving in the centre of Dublin is not for the faint-hearted!! I think I ended up driving around the block 3 times before I managed to find somewhere to park in front of my hotel. I’d arrived late afternoon, and as it was now the end of September, it was a little on the cool side. I went for a wander around the city centre, to get my bearings before a day of sightseeing the next day.

Made it to Temple Bar for a photo, but not a drink. The following day I saw Dublin Castle, several cathedrals, headed into an art gallery during a downpour, and meandered along the river to find the Spire

Temple Bar; Ha’penny Bridge; the Spire – all in Dublin

My final day was a drive down the coast back to Rosslare for the ferry. I stopped off in Bray for a coffee and a stroll and then later on at the beautiful Brittas Bay Beach before heading off for my early evening ferry back to Wales.

All in all I really loved this road trip. Part of me can’t believe I’d never been to Ireland even though it’s so close. Taking the ferry was so straightforward, I’d definitely do it again.

Pembrokeshire

April 30, 2023April 29, 2023 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

2020 was certainly a year like no other, and forced me to look closer to home for holidays. During the summer, I’d booked a glamping pod on a farm on the Pembrokeshire coast for 3 days in late November. As autumn progressed and things got worse with the pandemic, I’d resigned myself to not being able to go. As it turned out, there was a short window here in Wales where we were able to travel. And so it was that I set out on a beautiful, crisp, late November morning from Cardiff, and a couple of hours later I stopped for a packed lunch on the beach at Newgale.

After lunch I headed a few minutes down the road to Solva and had a brief wander to the lime kilns, before hopping back in the car and carrying on to the small city of St David’s. I visited the cathedral (hence it being a city) as well as the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace.

After a very short walk around the town, I then headed approximately 10 minutes up the road to the farm where my pod was located, in the hamlet of Square and Compass (such a great name!). Whilst it looked as though there were hookups for caravans, there was no one else staying, and so it was a blissfully peaceful few days. The pod was super-cute, and you could just about glimpse the sea from the front decking.

I’d planned myself a little itinerary, and so the next morning, after making a packed lunch, I headed back to St David’s and across to Caerfai Bay. After a walk down to the beach, where I was the only person, I then set off west on the coastal path and arrived at St Non’s Chapel and Well.

It was a glorious late autumn day, and I carried on along the path to Porthclais Harbour, where I found myself a sheltered spot on the harbour wall for lunch.

After lunch I retraced my steps back along the coastal path, back to Caerfai Bay and my car. I then drove back through St David’s and out to Whitesands Bay. A lovely, sweeping bay, which looked evocative in the setting sun on a winters afternoon. I had a walk to the north of the bay, towards Porthmelgan Beach, and back again, before calling it a day and heading back to my little pod.

The next day it was a short drive in the other direction, to Aberreiddy Beach and the Blue Lagoon, a remnant from this area’s slate mining past. I was so fortunate with the weather, which really highlighted the blue of the Blue Lagoon. I then walked north along the coastal path to Porthgain. This part of the walk was spectacular, hugging the cliffs, and with a couple of detours down to secluded bays.

Porthgain Harbour; the Blue Lagoon; along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path

I arrived in Porthgain at lunchtime and found a picnic bench for my packed lunch, before making the return trip along the coastal path. I then drove to Fishguard (somewhere I’d return to when going to Ireland in 2022), before returning to my pod for a relaxing evening with wine and S1 of Ted Lasso.

This part of Wales is stunningly beautiful and I was so lucky with the weather in November and the ability to travel more than 5 miles from my home during the dark days of the pandemic. I really do recommend it.

Mexico City Stopover

March 5, 2022March 5, 2022 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

On my way back from Cuba, I had a 3 day stopover in Mexico City – as I had a layover there anyway, I figured I might as well spend a couple of days there.

Mexico City, Ciudad de Mexico also stylised as CDMX, is the largest city in North America and is also at altitude – over 7,300 feet, which I hadn’t realised beforehand. The city is in a basin and surrounded by peaks and volcanoes which makes for an interesting descent into the airport.

I had arrived from Cuba in the early evening. I was staying at an Ibis Styles in Zona Rosa district. After a brief wander and a McDonalds (ordered in my faltering Spanish), I had an early night as I had an early start the following day for a guided tour around some of the main sights in the centre of the city.

I was met at the hotel by my guides and we took a local bus and then the Metro to the historic centre of Mexico City. We emerged from the metro onto the Zocalo, the main plaza in Mexico City. We visited the Templo Mayor and its museum which contains heaps of artefacts from the excavation of the site, and lots of history on the Mexica peoples. We popped into the cathedral briefly as mass was taking place, and then walked through the streets towards the Palacio de belles artes (Palace of Fine Arts) and Alameda Park. The trees all around the city had this gorgeous purple blossom (I visited in March 2019).

Cathedral; Beautiful blossom in Alameda Park

We then had authentic Mexican tacos for lunch (delicious) and visited Diego Rivera’s famous mural before heading to San Juan market to try some (less delicious) local delicacies including grasshoppers and ants. I can’t say I enjoyed them, but when in Rome…

Authentic Mexican tacos for lunch; Diego Rivera’s ‘Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park’

That was the end of the guided tour, and I took an Uber back to my hotel for a quick refresh before heading off down the Avenida Chapultepec towards Chapultepec Castle (featured as the starting point of series 2 of the BBC’s Race Across The World). I wandered around the castle and its grounds for the rest of the afternoon before heading back to the hotel for another early night.

The view down Avenida Chapultepec from Chapultepec Castle

The next day I had another guided tour – in the morning we took the metro out to the Basilica of Our Lady Guadalupe in the north of Mexico City. The site contains the Old Basilica and a Modern Basilica which was built in the 1970s as the Old Basilica was sinking due to the terrain on which CDMX is built. Following repairs, the Old Basilica is still open to the public to visit but the masses are mainly held in the Modern Basilica which can hold up to 10,000 people.

Old Basilica (left) and modern Basilica (right)

In the afternoon, we took a local bus about 25 miles outside of the city, to the Teotihuacán pyramids. The 2 main pyramids here are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. I was quite surprised to find that we were allowed to scale both of them, as well as some of the smaller pyramids surrounding the site.

We then went to a local obsidian shop, and stopped by a local hostelry where we tried pulque and tequila, and then went for dinner for some more genuine Mexican fare. After dinner we headed back to the city on the bus, and then I took the metro back to my hotel.

The next day was my final day in CDMX, though my flight wasn’t until late in the evening so I still had a full day to explore. I’d booked a ticket to the Frida Kahlo museum, and made my way there via the metro. The metro in Mexico City definitely has a reputation and as a solo female traveller I certainly had to have my wits about me. The front carriages on Metro trains are reserved for women and children only, and I used these when travelling on the metro by myself. I also wore my backpack on my front, as indeed many of the locals were doing. I didn’t feel unsafe, but I was well aware that I needed to look out for myself.

The Frida Kahlo museum is in her former house in Coyoacán, and is a bright azure blue. That, along with the queue, makes sure you can’t miss it! An incredibly interesting woman.

Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo Museum, Coyoacán, Mexico City

So, in summary, Mexico City was well worth a couple of days on a stopover. Lots of history, great food and loads of interesting things to see. Definitely recommend!

Cuba

January 15, 2022January 15, 2022 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

In March 2019 I went to Cuba, having been inspired by seeing some amazing photos from someone I met on previous travels.

A short indulgent interlude before I get into the trip. I’d decided a few years ago that if I was on a long haul flight over 7 hours, that I would try and go ‘not economy’ if the price was not completely outrageous. By and large, this meant going premium economy, which I did when I went to Seattle and Alaska in 2018 and Utah and Arizona later in 2019. When looking for flights, I will always have a look and see what’s available price-wise. Usually, business class is prohibitively expensive (£4k+), but I’d spotted a deal via Skyscanner from Heathrow to Havana via Mexico City with Aeromexico for £1900 return. Obviously still expensive, but very reasonable by business class standards, plus as the UK-Mexico leg was 11+ hours overnight, and long time readers will recall my inability to sleep on aeroplanes, plus with a 3-4 hour stretch between Mexico City and Havana, I was eager to grab the deal before it disappeared.

One of the many advantages of travelling business class is the swift journey through the airport – priority check-in, fast track through security and relaxing in the lounge. I did get a slightly odd look at check-in as I was travelling with a backpack and was in my smartest ‘comfy’ pants. After relaxing in the lounge with a glass of vino, the flight departed at approx 10.30pm. We were then fed an evening meal before I then spent 7 hours lying horizontal in the lovely flatbeds on the Dreamliner. I know I’m rubbing it in but it was utter bliss, and definitely helped me cope with the 6 hour layover in Mexico City which was between the hours of 4am-10am local time. Another advantage of flying business class was that I could spend that time in the business class lounge at Mexico City Airport instead of trying to find somewhere to sit in the not-enormous departure lounge..

I arrived at the airport in Havana (actually a reasonable distance out of Havana) in the middle of the afternoon, and negotiated immigration successfully (I was ready to produce all the documentation that I’d been warned about but needed none of it). After changing approximately £300 for CUC (Cuban convertible currency, mainly used by foreigners, there is a second currency CUP used by the locals) I then had my organised transfer to the casa particular in old Havana. A lot of the accommodation in Cuba is in casa particulars which are nominally rooms in people’s houses, but in most of the cases that I experienced, are analogous to boutique hotels.

Some of the casa particulars we stayed in

After meeting the group in the evening and going out for our first meal (roast pork with salad and the first of many Cuba Libres), we bonded over rum on the casa terrace. I caved in at 11.30pm having had a very long day.

The next morning we had a vintage car tour around Havana – definitely a must-do. The vintage cars are an iconic part of Cuba and it’s so cool to be riding around in one. We went to Revolution Square, drove around some neighbourhoods and down the Malecon before ending in Old Havana where our tour guide then gave us a guided walking tour around some of the beautiful squares in Old Havana. The architecture is amazing – crumbling facades and buildings alongside some brilliant, bold, colourful ones.

Then we were treated to normal Cuban service for lunch. The longest lunch ever – we waited over an hour and a quarter from arriving to getting food – the food was good once it arrived, but it just took forever to do so!

We had what was left of the afternoon to ourselves, so I continued wandering around the streets of Havana Viejo. In the evening we went for dinner and then went to the Buena Vista Social Club to listen to some fabulous Cuban music – very enjoyable.

The next day we headed west, and after stopping at Fusterlandia in the outskirts of Havana (inspired by Picasso and Gaudí), we continued our drive out. After a baños stop and a morning Piña Colada (when in Cuba…), we carried on to a tobacco plantation for lunch (roast pork, pumpkin, rice, beans and salad). Cuba is world-famous for its cigars and it was interesting firstly to see how tobacco leaves are grown and then dried, and then to see Cuban cigars being rolled.

Afterwards we continued our journey west towards Viñales. We stopped off to watch more cigars being rolled, and they were passed around the group. I’m not a smoker and so didn’t partake. The one thing I did notice was that Cuban cigar smoke does not linger on clothes and fabric like cigarettes do, and I actually quite liked the smell of the cigar smoke.

We arrived at the casa in Viñales in the afternoon and after a brief wander which was cut short by rain, we went for dinner (and got absolutely soaked on the way there). Tapas and cocktails, followed by a bar with Cuban dancing.

The next morning we went for a hike through Viñales Valley. It was a little cloudy and it briefly rained but the scenery is insane – like Jurassic Park. In the afternoon we had a salsa lesson which was fun (and involved more drinking) and then we played dominos – a massively popular pastime here – with more drinks.

In the evening we went to a restaurant a little way out of the town which had a great view over the valley. We then went to a bar for a dance show, and carried on drinking.

The next morning was an early start as we had a long travel day from Viñales in the west of the country, to Cienfuegos on the southern coast, towards the centre of the island. On the way out of Viñales valley, we stopped off at a wonderful viewpoint. With the blue skies it really looked like a landscape out of pre-history.

After one too many Cuba Libres the previous evening, it was a quiet journey. After lunch, we stopped at the Bay of Pigs for a refreshing swim in the sea – definitely a recommended hangover cure!!

We arrived in Cienfuegos in the early evening and went for dinner. After dinner we walked along the Malecon, which had a wifi spot and therefore large groups of people using the internet! The notion of mobile phone data hadn’t made it to Cuba, and very few of the casas had internet.

The next morning we had a walk around Cienfuegos including to the plaza major, and also went up a casa tower for a great view over the town. Cienfuegos felt much more well-maintained than other areas of Cuba and the architecture had a different feel from other areas we had already seen.

We then carried on travelling east for a couple of hours to the town of Trinidad. The heat was more intense here than the other places we had been. In the afternoon we had a wander around the old town – very colonial and Spanish-influenced. Another good view from the top of a monastery tower.

In the evening, after dinner we went to watch salsa by the steps, and then went to the Cave for some Cuban raving.

After a 2am finish, we went for a walk the next morning to a waterfall, and then went to the beach at Playa Ancon in the afternoon. A beautiful blue Caribbean Sea to swim in and some palm trees providing me with some shade to sit in. We stayed for sunset which had beautiful orangey red skies. After dinner I had an early night for a change as I was full of rum and sugar at this point!

The next day we headed back to Havana, via Santa Clara and a visit to the Che Guevara museum and memorial – an enormous statue of the revolutionist.

Back in Havana we had our final dinner of the trip at an Asian Fusion restaurant and a couple of enormous cocktails to finish me off.

So, my impressions of Cuba – a fascinating country, loved the architecture especially in Havana and Trinidad, the scenery in Viñales was spectacular. The food was ok, be prepared for menu items to not be available. There were signs that capitalism is encroaching. I didn’t go to Varaderos, which is the main ‘resort’ part of the island where the all-inclusive hotels are, but there was a lot of building going on in Havana, especially on the waterfront. I’m glad I went when I did as I can imagine it might be very different in 5-10 years.

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