Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Life is so tough when you are locked into the hotel bar ðŸ˜‚                          20-12-2017

A tough 40 kilometres took me to a hamlet called Studholme. On the way, I passed a major milestone, the 45th parallel, halfway between the South Pole and the Equator. I would have to find a way to celebrate that night!
Looking for a place to camp in Studholme I asked the security guard of the Fonterra milk processing plant if I could pitch my tent on a nearby patch of grass. Instead, he pointed me down a laneway towards The Studholme Hotel.

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When I said I might stop in there for a plate of chips he obliged by ringing on ahead for me. I was greeted at the door by Sarah, the duty manager. What transpired was nothing short of amazing. My bangers 'n' mash dinner was on the house. Just before she locked up and went home she gave me a key to a hotel room. She had phoned Sam, the owner who invited me to stay a couple more nights. I could launder my clothes and I had a great time for the three nights I was locked in there lol!  I was told to help myself to whatever drinks in the bar that I wanted! Locked in a bar for three nights. ðŸ˜‚ Well, I'm not much of a drinker, even still this was amazing hospitality.

  Previously, the hotel was owned by the same Russian company that used to own the dairy plant. I was told that every few years that the owners had to get certificates of compliance that they weren't making too much noise and a nuisance of themselves to neighbours. To avoid hassle the Russians just bought up all of the surrounding properties near the plant. It's been refurbished and the rich wallpaper classic style fittings and antique furniture make the hotel a truly boutique-style country pub. 
On Monday I walked 21 kilometres without my baggage and then I thumbed my way back to the hotel. The driver was a Russian who has been living here for 17 years and before that, he lived in Germany. He mentioned (what many Russians told me when I was there) that much to the contrary to what many people believe, that Russians have always been free to leave their country. Even during hard-line communist times. However, he plans to go back to take up a land allotment scheme where the Russian government offers people free land in areas that they want to populate, like in Siberia.
Back at the hotel, Sam had a delicious lamb shank dinner waiting for me. Thanks so much to him for his wonderful kindness.
He chatted about his other business. He also runs a couple of trips per year where groups of about 15 couples get their kicks driving Mustangs across the historic American Route 66 highway ðŸ˜… See www.gilligansroute66.com Image may contain: outdoor

Tuesday, once again I thumbed a ride out to where I finished the day before. This time with a man called Rory Foley. His company raises money for a cancer charity. They have a unique approach to scaring people with their company called 'Fear NZ' Impressive Events. They put on a range of haunting games and shows. So I tramped out just under 20 kilometres as far as Timaru and thumbed my way back to the Studholme Hotel.

Monday, December 18, 2017

"A bit of deja vu and a question answered."




It's almost 19,000 kilometres and 22 months since I left Ireland to walk around the world. New Zealand is the first part of my world walk route which I took on my world run route. Back in February 2013 I was running along this same road that I am now walking on. Then, I was running south, now as I walk north I can't help looking across the road and reflecting that I actually ran along there before. 

 Thanks to David Brankley for his excellent question. David wants to know how a world run day compares to a world walk day with some pointers to my speed, distance,  logistics, wear and tear to my body?
Well the distances are definitely down on the walk. On the run I averaged around 43.3 kilometres per road day. Now it's about 37. However, my current average is about 30 and i expect it to stay there. The only reason it's at 37 is because I put in a massive effort coming across Russia when I took full advantage of the northern hemispheres long summer evenings and walked late into the evening and often into the early morning. The reason for that was to get through Mongolia before the onset of their harsh winter. That took me nice and neatly to Australia in April, an ideal time to cross the Nullarbor plains. On the run my pace started at about 9 kms per hour and slowed down to around six near the end. I know some people may not.consider that running and there are often debates on forums as to what pace equates to walking and what is running. Naturally, I won't allow anyone to tell me that my six kms an hour wasn't running! It depends on what you are doing and what preceded it. I was even paced into Dublin by my sister who is a smoker lol 😅 Thanks Ann! That was chronic fatigue which I had been battling with for about two years! 
On the world run I had a date set in stone : 27 October 2014, as I wanted to finish where I started, with my city marathon, which obviously only comes around once a year. Now, I don't have that pressure as I don't have a finishing date in mind. I can walk as little or as many kms as I want to on any given day, and take more rest days if I want to. I am living in the moment. On my run I was focused on a date ahead, so I guess I was living in the future. 
On my world run which comprised of 50,000 kilometres I pushed my gear in a cart (which I called Nirvana) about 30% of the expedition. Crew support, Police escorts in Mexico and Burma/Myanmar totalled about 20% The other 50% of the time I ran with just a backpack which mostly weighed around a couple of kilograms. That was in the cheaper poorer countries where I ran from cheap hotels to squalor dollar hotels and even did a lot of commuting on mini buses where I always returned from these places of rest to my previous days finish location.
On this world walk I have walked about 16,500 pushing my gear in Karma my cart. The other 2,500 I was supported by Michael Gillian in Australia and other people on short stretches. 
  My body is pretty sore now. It never really recovered in the 16 months between the end if the world run and the start of thus world walk. My left leg is pretty weak. To demonstrate I can hop on my left leg for a prolonged period of time but on my right I have to stop almost immediately. Am I worried I will not get to the finish line? No, not in the least as I am pacing myself and know I will be okay. Incidentally, a few months before I began I was checked out by an orthopaedic specialist and the result was that my ultra distance days of cycling, running and walking were over. I'm glad I didn't listen too closely.  No I wasn't going to give up on my dream. I encourage everyone never to give up on your dreams, just go back asleep
😂
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Sunday, December 17, 2017

My world walk blog new Zealand 3

Date: 16 Dec 2017 22:00

Friday 37 kms I arrived in Maheno, on New Zealand's picturesque south island. 
Thanks to my kind hosts Neil and Sandy for a lovely time 😅 
I stopped to ask permission  to camp on a patch of grass beside their house. Neil response was: "You can if you prefer that to a bed inside with a shower, a feed and someone to do your laundry!" 
Neil went out to the garden to pick some fresh lettuce for my dinner. Today, Saturday Neil has offered to take my pack 16 kms ahead to Oamaru! 
While chilling out I was so impressed by their local radio station called Brian Fm that I downloaded the app. Its constant classic rock with almost no talk for 24 hours. Check it out, it's great 😅
I expect to spend Christmas in Christchurch.
During these last few days I have passed by many world war one memorials. Its always especially so sad when I come to a village and see one where two brothers lives were taken in the war. 
Thanks also to the many kind people who stopped on the road to check on me 😀

A short day today as I mentioned in my last post that Neil, the man I stayed with the previous night delivered my backpack to his brother Jeff in Oamaru  for me to pick up.  

It was a pleasant stroll with the temperature hovering around 23C, it sure doesn't feel like Christmas. An odd feeling looking at frosty decorative shops and houses with the sun beaming down on me as I walked along route 1.
  After walking New Zealand I will be returning to my route in Australia to walk to Darwin. For New Zealand I decided to walk it with a backpack as there are so many one way bridges roads which are tighter than in Australia and with narrower hard shoulders. So far I think that I made a pretty conservative decision and I could have managed pushing Karma, my trusty cart. However, I am having a bit of a break from pushing her. It certainly makes camping much easier and I can jump over a fence as I did a couple of nights ago and camp in a forest. It does make the country a bit more expensive than it would have been with Karma as I am not carrying any cooking gear. My pack weighs about five kilos and includes my new light-weight  tent which weighs only 1.3 kgs and a summer sleeping bag. Lately, I have started to slip the yellow rain cover over my pack as it gives me higher viability, and besides there are a lot of short showers. I stock up on snacks of mostly dried fruit and peanuts in supermarkets. I also carry a few packets of noodles and any chance I get to get boiling water I lash a packet into my thermos mug. Sometimes I consume that along with a tin of sardines on the road. Instant oatmeal is another handy snack when I can get hot water. On the odd occasion that I do stop in a restaurant I never buy tea or coffee as it's about five dollars a cup. I usually just ask the friendly staff for boiling water and make my own!
 Fortunately, here in Kiwiland towns and villages are pretty close and I have fish 'n' chips at least once a day. I try to go to a regular chip shop as it costs only the equivalent of a few Euro.
One such place was in the picturesque Victorian town of Oamaru. The gentile  Chinese owner told me that he has been living here for eighteen years and knows New Zealand better than China. I couldn't help wondering if I know more of the land of the dragon than most Chinese do.  

I walked a couple of kilometres beyond the town as far as the racecourse.  As  arranged I phoned Jeff who came out of a nearby house with my pack. He mentioned that there was a chance of a rain storm and as he was watching darts on television it seemed like a sensible option to take him up on his invitation to stay the night in his home. 
Then we watched snooker and the Ashes cricket. So, it was a lazy 18 kilometre day but still nice to chill out watching sports which I haven't watched in many years.

 


"Baldwin Street: The steepest street in the world."

My world walk blog new Zealand 2

Thanks to Brian Railton for great crew support today. You may remember he crewed for me last week. Today he was in Dunedin buying a window so he picked up my pack from the backpackers hostel I was staying at.On the way out of the city I stopped at Baldwin Street which is the world's steepest street, please see info on photo for details. It was 350 meters long and not as difficult as I had imagined.  I walked up it in a leisurely seven minutes which included taking pictures. It was crowded with Japanese tourists. In Feb 2013 while on my world run I actually ran past the foot of it. I was at km 49 of a 50 km day on that occasion, and I was too knackered or more likely wimpy ðŸ˜… I said that I would return the following morning but I didn't 
Today was wet, so I was glad when I met Brian at a cafe 15 damp kms up the road. Then Brian offered to deliver my pack to a campsite in Waikouaiti a  further 24 kms up the road. That gave me a great 44 for the day.

Friday 37 kms I arrived in Maheno, on New Zealand's picturesque south island.
Thanks to my kind hosts Neil and Sandy for a lovely time ðŸ˜…
I stopped to ask permission  to camp on a patch of grass beside their house. Neil response was: "You can if you prefer that to a bed inside with a shower, a feed and someone to do your laundry!" 
Neil went out to the garden to pick some fresh lettuce for my dinner. Today, Saturday Neil has offered to take my pack 16 kms ahead to Oamaru!
While chilling out I was so impressed by their local radio station called Brian Fm that I downloaded the app. Its constant classic rock with almost no talk for 24 hours. Check it out, it's great ðŸ˜…
I expect to spend Christmas in Christchurch.
During these last few days I have passed by many world war one memorials. Its always especially so sad when I come to a village and see one where two brothers lives were taken in the war. 
Thanks also to the many kind people who stopped on the road to check on me ðŸ˜€

A short day today as I mentioned in my last post that Neil, the man I stayed with the previous night delivered my backpack to his brother Jeff in Oamaru  for me to pick up.  

It was a pleasant stroll with the temperature hovering around 23C, it sure doesn't feel like Christmas. An odd feeling looking at frosty decorative shops and houses with the sun beaming down on me as I walked along route 1.
  After walking New Zealand I will be returning to my route in Australia to walk to Darwin. For New Zealand I decided to walk it with a backpack as there are so many one way bridges roads which are tighter than in Australia and with narrower hard shoulders. So far I think that I made a pretty conservative decision and I could have managed pushing Karma, my trusty cart. However, I am having a bit of a break from pushing her. It certainly makes camping much easier and I can jump over a fence as I did a couple of nights ago and camp in a forest. It does make the country a bit more expensive than it would have been with Karma as I am not carrying any cooking gear. My pack weighs about five kilos and includes my new light-weight  tent which weighs only 1.3 kgs and a summer sleeping bag. Lately, I have started to slip the yellow rain cover over my pack as it gives me higher viability, and besides there are a lot of short showers. I stock up on snacks of mostly dried fruit and peanuts in supermarkets. I also carry a few packets of noodles and any chance I get to get boiling water I lash a packet into my thermos mug. Sometimes I consume that along with a tin of sardines on the road. Instant oatmeal is another handy snack when I can get hot water. On the odd occasion that I do stop in a restaurant I never buy tea or coffee as it's about five dollars a cup. I usually just ask the friendly staff for boiling water and make my own!
 Fortunately, here in Kiwiland towns and villages are pretty close and I have fish 'n' chips at least once a day. I try to go to a regular chip shop as it costs only the equivalent of a few Euro.
One such place was in the picturesque Victorian town of Oamaru. The gentile  Chinese owner told me that he has been living here for eighteen years and knows New Zealand better than China. I couldn't help wondering if I know more of the land of the dragon than most Chinese do.  

I walked a couple of kilometers beyond the town as far as the racecourse.  As  arranged I phoned Jeff who came out of a nearby house with my pack. He mentioned that there was a chance of a rain storm and as he was watching darts on television it seemed like a sensible option to take him up on his invitation to stay the night in his home. 
Then we watched snooker and the Ashes cricket. So, it was a lazy 18 kilometer day but still nice to chill out watching sports which I haven't watched in many years.

Thursday, December 7, 2017

New Zealand 


I have begun walking New Zealand from Slope Point, the most southern point in the country 
Thanks to my great friend Brian Railton  for great crew support in the semi-remote area of Catlins region of South New Zealand. Previously, he won several national titles as a power boat racer and even represented his country in a world championship event in China.
 ðŸ˜…
He was also a great help when I finished off the country in February 2013 on my world run when I finished in Bluff.
Today he dropped me at the start and commuted me back to his home in Windred that he shares with Rose, his wife. I was delighted when he said that he would do the same again tomorrow.
After a couple of weeks off the road I was a bit stiff and lethargic. There was even a road closure at the area where I wanted to begin. We managed to bluff our way in by claiming to be local residents asking for local access. A sign pointed out 4803 kilometres to The South Pole; a bit too cold for me, I will leave that to my mate Richard Donovan who's burning dream is to run across the white continent.
Another sign suggested a more leisurely 5,140 kilometres to the Equator. As always my route will be a lot longer for I never seem to take the shortest route across a continent. I have been warned to watch out for strong winds coming from the south for it can be freezing cold, all the way from Antarctica and weather can change dramatically. That day it was overcast but the temperature soon picked up to around 27C and became pretty hot and humid. After 15 kilometres I had totalled 18,500 kilometres of my world walk. Tomorrow will be road day 500.
I walked past small man-made lagoons. One man told us that it was dug out while a gold mine was in operation in the 1800's. Further on up the road I heard about a passenger ship which was sunk when it hit a reef in the dark. In those days roads were not in existence and people travelled by coastal shipping routes. Towards the end of that century roads were built. I passed by a concrete horse trough where a sign said:  Circa 1890 the concrete horse trough was situated by the roadside allowing the  horse teams a welcome drink when they had completed the climb up Cemetery Hill.The trip down the hill, however was often more perilous. It is known that the brakes failed at least once on the Waikawa-Fortrose coach on the downhill journey. 
I walked on further and when we arrived at a lovely cafe called the Niagara Falls, Brian stuck my head and arms inside a set of stocks. Later, he said that he should have left me there instead of releasing me on his country people! 
Inside the cafe we got a warm welcome from the owner, Susan Thompson who treated me to a delicious lamb burger and piping-hot  chips. Thanks so much Susan 😀
I walked another half hour and eventually finished my first day in New Zealand with 27 clicks.

Next day, once again Brian Railton provided his services and gave me a great days crewing. We had many laughs while I strode out 26 kilometres as far as Lake Wilkie with a minimal breaks in a little over a half days walking. On the way I walked past some lush green fields full of grazing cows and sheep and even a few curious horses and small wodden houses. Signs that told poachers to piss off, and small rolling hills that rolled beneath my eager feet like an asphalt  treadmill talking me on an epic journey of discovery. To walk is to wonder, to come alive. Not only do I see the world, I immerse myself within my world at its best. I try not to worry too much about the past or my future destiny, days like that day I lived in the moment. I say to anyone who is considering a long journey to find a way to do it, surely life's great shame is to not even make an effort to try. 
Earlier, I met a school bus driver who takes his job seriously. He loves his job but spoke of the need to be well rested each night. "For driving a school bus is not like driving a truck where a tired driver can pull over and have a snooze. 
"It doesn't happen to me very often. If I was tired, I would just stop and check the tyre pressure."
  That evening I enjoyed a huge steak in Big Willys Sports Bar & Grill with my hosts  Brian and Rose and some of their family members. We went out to celebrate Roses birthday and even cooked out own steaks on an indoor barbecue grill.
The restaurant bar and hotel is part of the 'Invercargill licencing trust' project. Prices are more affordable here than in other establishments. I guess it's a kind of bases on a socialist model as profits have been pumped back into the region for the past 70 years. Small sporting arenas and stadiums have built as a direct result of the trust project.
Later we checked out one of Brian speedboats called Otherwise Fine as he has a race coming up soon. 
  Next day I took a rest day and went around town with Brian as he promised a couple of people that he would mow their lawns and gardens. We continued to have a laugh and he expensed sorrow at me moving on in the morning. "Its my birthday soon and if you stayed for it you would age me ten years!

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

 
Cinderella is almost ready for the Ball!
Tomorrow, Sunday 3rd I fly from Sydney to Queenstown, New Zealand and then in a couple of days I will walk from the southern coast to auckland in the north island. 
Last Sunday I had a great time in Jimmy's Irish bar in Randwick with Tom Denniss, my fellow around the world runner. Thanks to the Irish lads there for a great time and buying us some drinks ðŸ˜…
Earlier, Tom kindly gave me a loan of his suit for my invitation to the Christmas Ball in Sydney.  This event is on tonight,  Saturday and is a fundraiser for the St Patrick’s Day Festival. I also put a shout out for a loan of a pair of black shoes as my walking shoes wouldn't suffice, lol! Thanks to Paul King for answering the call so Cinderella can go to the Ball 
😅
 
Here is my invitation from the president:
 
"Hi Tony,
   Word has spread quickly in Sydney about your great efforts to raise Awareness for Cancer with your world walk.
Each year the Sydney St Patrick’s Day Committee holds a Christmas Ball which will take place this year on December 2nd at the Shangri La Hotel.

On behalf of our committee I’d like to invite you to be our guest at our Christmas Ball and we would love to assist with publicising your great work and efforts.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Regards,

Robert

 

Robert Kineavy

President - Sydney St Patrick’s Day

_____________________


A. QVB Post Shop, PO Box Q1168 NSW 1230

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

My world walk blog Australia 40  Nov 21,2017


Staying Alive! 
A further couple of easy walking days took me to the outskirts of a sizeable city called Toowoomba where I planned to take a summer break from Australia. Weather-wise, it seemed that I had made a good decision, for the days were beginning to heat up in southern Queensland state. I had been walking on parallel roads at a distance of approximately 100 kilometres from the coast. Friends had also told me that it was a fortunate decision, for much of the Pacific coast had experienced a substantial amount of rain storms and hail the slow of eggs. A month previously Brisbane suffered a months rainfall in just 48 hours. Somehow, as on my world run I just seem to be lucky at avoiding the worst weather extremes, long may that continue 😅
  Near Toowoomba I was met on the road by Paddy, Patrick Farrelly of the Irish Support Group. He had offered to commute me to Brisbane, almost a hundred kilometres away. Before I loaded Karma into Paddy's minibus I took some photos and referenced my paused location in my log book, for this is the exact spot that I will return to in late February after I walk New Zealand. 
To date I have walked 18,485 kilometres for 498 road days since leaving Ireland on February 27th 2016. 
Paddy, like most other Irish people that I have met in the country has been living here for most of his life. A lover of the arts and cultural heritage he is a noted stage actor and even obtained me a ticket for an entertaining show that very evening called The Lonesome West. One thing I miss on this walk is theatre, and also live music. So, I thoroughly  enjoyed Martin McDonagh's 'brutal and savagely funny' comedy.
   Arriving in Brisbane and before he drove to my hosts house we stopped off at the Irish Support Group. There, we met a friendly woman called Sarah who is the manager of a neighbouring charity group called Rosie's - 'Friends on the street' being the groups motto. Herself, and some volunteers pay regular visits to offer donated food and make friendship calls to homeless people and also to others who are down on their luck.
So, it was a mad dash to get to Sally's house that night and I had to gobble down a steak dinner She is a wonderful kind person who gave me the run of her luxury house for five nights and four rest days. Originally from County Donegal in Ireland she had just retired from her job as a hospital manager only two days previously. So hospitable is she that a former guest gave her a joke sign calling her house 'Hotel Carpenter.'
Then, I dashed off to the theatre with another great servant and former president of the Irish Support Group, a man called Des and his wife Bernadette. 
When the show was over I got to meet one of the leading actors, a Dubliner with a great personality, called Derek Draper. I really enjoyed the night. Next day, a couple of radio interviews including one in in Sydney and the other in a Brisbane studio with Deagláin Hosey. 
 Thanks to Des's son Emmet who was my chauffeur that day and later fixed some bugs in my phone settings. The following night I was invited over to Des and Bernadette's house for a barbecue and great chat with his family and some friends. On the way in I stepped on a treadmill and had a flashback in time when I used to run on one seriously! Des spoke about how he came over from Ireland and at first worked as a high school teacher.  After a while he quit and with a couple of friends opened three discos. That was in the 1980's and disco dancing was booming. People were inspired by John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever and then Staying Alive; so he opened up a shop selling amplifiers and other music equipment. Unfortunately, that business went belly-up and he reinvented himself as a relator after taking a real estate course. Later, when he knew what to look out for he started to buy up houses and land and went onto build about a thousand houses by the time he retired. 
Before I  fly to New Zealand (Dec.3)  I am making a stop in Sydney to do some talks and also I am excited about being invited to attend the annual St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser Christmas Ball. I fly to Sydney tomorrow, 22nd November. The last picture is the location near Toowoomba city where I took my Australian summer break. I will return there in about three months time. I will continue walking north from here towards Rockhampton, Mt Isa and Darwin


My world walk blog Australia 39 comprehensive update 12/11/2017
 
This past two weeks I have made sporadic posts. I spent a rest day catching up on some of writing commitments, including stitching some of those disjointed reports together. So here is a comprehensive summary of my last two weeks. Hopefully you will enjoy even if you have read some of the following text and seen the photos before.

Halloween,  was a Spook-tacular day and there was no need for me to dress up, I suppose I always look scary! Nice and warm but with a pleasant breeze but flies have started to become a pest. For some reason that day I walked along a parallel secondary road which cost only an extra two kilometres. It led to a village called Ben Lomond and my decision proved to be a good one for there were only a few cars during the two hours that I walked along it without a care. There is so much crap going on in the world,  this walk for me is an opportunity to tune out, should I care to take it.
Once in the pretty village a friendly gardener suggested that I pitch my tent under a shelter at a disused tennis court beside a graveyard. Ah! Yes, Halloween beside a graveyard  However, the real scare there was a man, a white supremacist, a holocaust denier who was camping in a nearby field. Like many other so-called grey nomads I met he has been travelling around the country for over twenty years and living out of his motor home. He was retired and I was informed that his government pension of 800 dollars a fortnight was more money than he could spend. Before I left the following morning he mentioned that his unsavoury views would have him imprisoned in some European countries. Escape from the realities of the world only goes so far.
Next day, I only walked 15 kilometres and stopped at the Red Lion bar for lunch. The owner, a woman called Anne told me that it was for sale for 530,000 dollars.  A lot of money I know but when you consider that the sale included a house which would cost about half the total sale price, a small RV park, and a 20 seater shuttle bus and a three room mini hotel which usually has its 90 dollar a night rooms filled. I was planning to pitch my tent on a patch of grass  when a man called Alan invited me to stay the night  with him and his wife Nancy at their  home across the road. At their dinner table I heard their story about how three local community activists had reason to wonder when three of their dogs wrre poisoned. Only one dog survived. 

A business-like 24 kilometres took me to the outskirts of picturesque Glen Innes where I did an interview for a local newspaper. It seemed that word of my cancer awareness world march had spread. Then a man called Dave came out to me and I had an invite to meet some people at a food bank which was staffed by volunteers from a local church. It was perfectly good food which mainly had damaged packaging or was short dated. It was being distributed to anyone in need. The supervisor, a kind-hearted woman called Jenny who even gave me an invitation to pitch my tent in her garden at the far end of town.
Upon arriving at her family home I was soon upgraded to sofa accommodation  and later to a bedroom. Such was the hospitality that I ended up spending three fun-filled rest days there, as there was a lot to do. 
First, we went to the so-called Standing Stones which were a replica and built as a tribute to the towns Celtic heritage. Each year the town hosts a popular Celtic festival. I preferred to call the Standing Stones the Holy Stones as in the episode of the hit comedy called Fr. Ted,  about the life of three Irish priests. The Irish comedy is also a hit show here in Australia. That night we watched the Holy Stones episode on YouTube, along with four other episodes for I can never get enough of  this hillarity. Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about; please do yourself a favour and check it out to watch for free on YouTube.
In all I spent three nights in Glen Innes and even presented Jenny with a birthday present of my 13th pair of worn out shoes. One night we went over to her friends house where Anne and Mitch hosted us to a lovely evening and dinner. Their passion is for their 'Fatty The Rat Rod' project. A few years ago they came across a 1951 Dodge truck that they  pulled out of a scrap heap in Dubbo, Australia. Then they  went on to write children's books and set up children's workcamps around it.
   Eventually, it was time for me to walk on and I hadn't gotten far when a man called Malcolm who had read about me stopped to offer a bed for the night in his home. He lived near Dundee with his wife Dayle, 22 kilometres away. Quick as a flash I asked him to transport Karma, and so we loaded my trusty cart onto his pickup truck. I could walk almost the whole day without the drudgery of pushing it. At his farmhouse we had an interesting chat about farm life on his 4,000 acre, 4,000 sheep/lamb and 200 cow farm. Their son Ian, is conveniently married to a vet. I remembered the story of how a previous host, also  a farmer had regular 200 dollar vet fees for animal visitations. I got a laugh when I asked how their son and daughter-in-law met. "He used to sell her firewood, so much so that in the end he just said... Listen Kate, you don't need to buy any more firewood, you just need a boyfriend!"
   Next day, I was delighted when Malcolm kindly transported Karma the 21 kms to Deepwater as Jenny had managed to get her friends Ronnie and Brenda to bed me!
 I arrived just before the Melbourne cup horse race began. This is an Australian institution which is talked about and celebrated by a huge amount of Aussies. Upon arriving at my latest hosts house I asked Ronnie if he was watching it but alas he said that he didn't have the premium television channel which was showing it live. Suddenly, an uncharacteristically afternoon tiredness came across me so I took a two hour nap. When I returned to the living room Ronnie was talking about the Irish trained winner and what a great race it was. Puzzled, I asked him how he saw it and we both laughed when he said he saw it on a non premium channel which was able to show the re run of the race five minutes after the finish. Ah! Had I of known he meant that he couldn't watch it live but a few minutes later, as if a few minutes made much difference in my world! Later we watched the race rerun online.
Next morning I had only walked a couple of kilometres when a man called Gerd stopped me for a chat. He invited me inside for lunch but instead I stopped for a coffee. I was delighted when they took me up on my offer for me to walk on for a few hours and I would be transported back and returned to my route in the morning. As Gerd and his son Simon were going to Tenterfield the following day and that plan was perfect, they would transport Karma for me there. A fourth consecutive day with pushing her 😅 They have a friend who works in a car dealership who would take delivery of Karma until I arrived.
 I was returned to Gerd's house by Simon. On the way he spoke of a bicycle trip he made half way around Australia. His dream is to one day do a full lap of his country. That night we had a steak dinner at an interesting bar called The Longhorn Bar. The owner was a budding artist and and had her studio in in a corner of the bar. That way during quiet periods she could paint portraits of her locals. Back at his house and over copious amounts of cans of Heineken  Gerd spoke about how he was a wandering 23 year old backpacker who didn't want to return to Germany. After visiting the Australian embassy in Singapore it seemed that he impressed the immigration officers when he said that all he knew about Australia was that they had previously held the Olympics in Melbourne and there were kangaroos there. "So why don't you go and check it out?" He was asked, and he did and loved it. A little later at a German club he met his soon to be wife Brigitte. After almost fifty years in Australia, Germany is still very much in his blood. 
"Yes I know Heineken is a Dutch beer but I love it so much. I love watching football and now that I am retired I can get up and watch Champions League soccer at three in the morning and enjoy a few grogs! Life is great now and I can always go back to bed after the football!"
Next day I arrived in Tenterfield and after picking up Karma I camped in the town park. Many years ago when Australia was picking its future capital city Tenterfield was on a short list of potential contenders along with Canberra, the eventual winner.
Just before I left I got a photo message from Gerd who had nailed a pair of my abandoned socks to a tree in the shape of a letter T. I was told they would immortalise me as long as the tree stood there!
 While walking out of town I got talking to a Scotsman called Duncan who treated me to a fish and chips lunch. He has been living here almost fifty years since his father answered a newspaper advertisement in a Scottish newspaper. A Tenterfield cultural society was looking for a master bagpiper. Obviously, in those days such tedious job search negotiations and applications had to be processed by snail mail. There was an element of trust involved that he could play his bagpipes as required. A few months later he arrived along with his young wife and four children. Duncan was a young teenager.
The restaurant where we ate was once the same one where Paul Hogan, aka Mr Crocodile Dundee once had a milk shake during the filming of another movie.

After three months and almost 2,000 kilometres of sheer bliss I walked from New South Wales to Queensland state. Thanks to the countless amount of people who helped me to make NSW one of my favourite places on earth
Before I crossed the state line I saw a dead redish-brown snake with black hoops and was about 3 or 4 cm in diameter and less than a metre long. Later, I was told that it was a young red bellied black snake.
After camping at a town park at the state line in Wallangarra I walked about 18 kilometres before stopping at the Ballandean Tavern. I only stopped to charge up my phone and battery pack and soon found myself invited to stay a couple of nights at a nearby cabin resort called Rovers Rest which Tracy and Graham, the taverns proprietors own, such extraordinary generosity. 
I had been planning to camp in a park across the road and the reason I stopped at the tavern  was because I hoping to listen to Ireland vital world cup qualification game against Denmark on the radio and needed to charge up my phone and battery pack. In the bush near the cabins I saw some kangaroos and Graham said there were plenty living on his fifty acres. I went out before dark and other times but unfortunately, the only ones I spotted where too far away to photograph. Nevertheless, I had an enjoyable experience and a nice rest day.

   These days I am just moseying along the road and like a train off its tracks I don't care what distance I walk. When I get to Toowoomba City in a few days time I plan to take my aforementioned summer break from Australia to walk New Zealand.
Before that​, I will spend a couple of days in Brisbane with some members of the Irish community. Then I fly to Sydney for some speaking engagements. I fly to Queenstown, NZ on Dec 3 and walk the south island first. I should be in the Christchurch area around Christmas. On Feb 14th I return to Australia and a little later I will continue walking north from where I left off in Toowoomba City towards Rockhampton, Mt Isa and Darwin. Yes, I know that it will be still warm at that time. I am well prepared and will walk during the cooler hours

 

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

My world walk blog Australia 38


So much happening and so little time to report! I having such a great time in New South Wales! I have been in the state for almost three months now! Three of those nights were in Walcha and as I mentioned before I spent two nights in an apartment beside Clints Prime Butcher shop where I was a guest. Thanks to John and Thomas for spoiling me with so many steaks that I was relieved to eventually dine on chicken wings for breakfast before I departed. In Amidale I camped in the town park. It was dark and as I was setting myself up to cook my dinner under a sheltered picnic area I took my eye off Karma, my cart. A few seconds later I turned around and she was gone! How could I lose her so quickly and right from right under my nose, I wondered? I saw a pickup truck with its beaming lights. Surely, I couldn't have been robbed so easily. I ran towards the vehicle and discovered that the driver had spotted my cart roll down a slight hill and out of the area where I had been cooking. Luckily, it didn't hit any vehicles and crashed into a ditch. Bizzarly, the driver was Clints the butchers ex - wife. No, as i am hoofing around the world on foot, I never say it's a small world, it certainly is a remarkable world.
 Sunday,  I stopped at a bus shelter as a heavy rain shower looked imminent. Half an hour later it poured for ten minutes. I thanked my smart decision to wait it out. Then just as I thought about sleeping there the night Wayne who was originally from England stopped by and after checking with his wife Cathy I was invited to their lovely country home. 
He is an art teacher and she a music teacher and we had a long conversation about the importance of the arts and why many governments usually give it the first chop in their financial budgets. 
On the road it was a hot 27 degree C day and I was glad of the coke a woman gave me. Earlier another woman stopped and gave me a packet of Lifesavers candy. They might just save your life she said! 
After a long climb through the Black Mountains  to an altitude of about 1,300 metres I arrived at a BP roadhouse. On the way in I got talking to a man who insisted on paying for my dinner. I stayed there for over two hours so as to walk the remaining remaining 12 kilometers to Guyra in the coolness of the early evening. While I waited the nice Pakistani owner called Zahoor kindly gave me three cappuccinos and another chicken dinner to go! 
Arriving in Guyra I walked past a picturesque lake called The Mother of Duck Lagoon  and continued through the historic town. 
At the Royal hotel I took a notion to go inside for a beverage and to discretely eat my dinner in a corner while charging up my phone as I had many emails to send. Soon, I was the centre of attention and Kevin the manager arranged a complimentary room for me while a man called Dave treated me to a couple of drinks . Australians are such generous people, everywhere I go people spoiling me. Its now my favorite country on this world walk. Thanks everyone


Halloween,  was a Spook-tacular day and no need for me to dress up, I suppose I always look scary! Nice and warm but with a pleasant breeze and the flies have started to become a pest. For some reason that day I walked along a parallel secondary road which cost only an extra two kilometres. It led to a village called Ben Lomond and my decision proved to be a good one for there were only a few cars during the two hours that I walked along it. 
Once in the pretty village a gardener suggested that I pitch my tent under a shelter at a disused tennis court beside a graveyard. Ah! Yes, Halloween beside a graveyard ðŸ˜… However, the real scare there was a man, a white supremacist, a holocaust denier who was camping in a nearby field. Like many other so-called grey nomads I met he has been travelling around the country for over twenty years and living out of his motor home. He was retired and I was informed that his government pension of 800 dollars a fortnight was more money than he could spend. Before I left the following morning he mentioned that his unsavoury views would have him imprisoned in some European countries.
Next day, I only walked 15 kilometres and stopped at the Red Lion bar for lunch. The owner, a woman called Anne told me that it was for sale for 530,000 dollars.  A lot of money I know but when you consider that the sale included a house which would cost about half the total sale price, a small RV park, and a 20 seater shuttle bus and a three room mini hotel which usually has its 90 dollar a night rooms filled.
I was planning to pitch my tent on a patch of grass  when a man called Alan invited me to stay the night  with him and his wife Nancy at their  home across the road. At their dinner table I heard how three local community activists had reason to wonder when all three of them had a dog poisoned. Only one of them survived. 
A bisiness-like 24 kilometres took me to the outskirts of Glen Innes where I did an interview for a local newspaper. It seemed that word of my cancer awareness world walk had spread and I had an invite to meet some people at a food bank which was staffed by volunteers from a local church.
 Perfectly good food which had damaged packaging or short dated was being distributed to anyone in need.  
The supervisor, a kind-hearted woman called Jenny who even gave me an invitation to pitch my tent in her garden at the far end of town. 
Upon arriving at the family home I was soon upgraded to the sofa and then to a bedroom. Such was the hospitality that I ended up spending three fun-filled rest days there for there was a lot to do. First, we went to the so-called Standing Stones which were a replica and built as a tribute to the towns Celtic heritage. Each year the town hosts a popular Celtic festival. I preferred to call the stones the Holy Stones as in the episode of the hit comedy: Fr. Ted,  about the life of three Irish priests. Its also a hit show here in Australia. That night we watched the Holy Stones episode on YouTube, along with four other episodes for I can never get enough of  this hillarity ðŸ˜… 
Eventually, it was time for me to walk on and I hadn't gotten far when a man called Malcolm who had read about me stopped to offer me a bed for the night in his home. He lived near Dundee with his wife Dayle, 22 kilometres away. Quick as a flash I asked him to transport Karma, and so we loaded my trusty cart onto his pickup, so as I could walk without the drudgery of pushing it. At his farmhouse we had an interesting chat about farmlife on his 4,000 acre, 4,000 sheep/lamb and 200 cow farm.
Their son Ian is conveniently married to a vet. I remembered the story of how a previous host, also  a farmer had regular 200 dollar vet fees for animal visitations. I got a laugh when I asked how their son and daughter-in-law met. "He used to sell her firewood, so much so that in the end he just said... Listen Kate, you don't need anymore firewood, you need a boyfriend!"
Next day, I was delighted when Malcolm kindly transported Karma the 21 kms to Deepwater as Jenny had managed to get her friends Ronnie and Brenda to bed me! 
I arrived just before the Melbourne cup horse race began. This is an Australian institution which is talked about and celebrated by a huge amount of Aussies. Upon arriving at my latest hosts house I asked Ronnie if he was watching it but alas he said that he didn't have the premium television channel which was showing it live. Suddenly an uncharacteristically afternoon tiredness came across me so I took a two hour nap. When I returned to the living room Ronnie was talking about the Irish trained winner and what a great race it was. 
Puzzled, I asked him how he saw it and we both laughed when he said he saw it on a non premium channel which was able to show the re run of the race five minutes after the finish. Ah! Had I of known he meant that he couldn't watch it live but a few minutes later, as if a few minutes made much difference in my world! Later we watched the rerun online.

current location: Deepwater, New South Wales

Tuesday Nov 7th I am in Deepwater, New South Wales. Thanks to my hosts Ronnie an Brenda. Also to Malcolm and Dayle who hosted me last night near Dundee. Today Malcolm was good enough to take my cart on ahead so as I could walk hands-free for a second day.
To date I have walked 18,234 kilometres in 489 road days.

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Thursday, November 2, 2017


 My world walk blog Australia 37  Gloucester to Walcha

It took me five days to walk the 152 glorious from Gloucester to Walcha. That first drizzle-splattered day out of the dairy and beef country town I made slow progress and did well to muster 21 kilometres over many leg-sapping hills. One man called Dave stopped and sponsored my next meal. Log trucks flashed past me. They carried soft wood bound for China. I'm told that soft wood is from trees which were planted in the last forty years and used mainly for the construction of furniture. These same finished products may one day return to Australia.
Just as I planned to finish out my day the heavens opened and I got wetter than a goldfish in a pond in the few minutes it took me to pitch my tent.
Too tired and lazy to cook my dinner from my tent flap I settled for a meal of beef noodles made from the hot water in my thermos and sardines. That night it rained heavily and in the morning I collected another litre of rain water from the saucepan I left outside my tent and from the indentation I made in the tarp which I had covered Karma, my cart. Every needless litre that I don't have to carry means a kilo less to push. I was told that there was little water on this stretch, except for a couple of creeks. That was not the case, as drivers tend to think of towns and cities. The pedestrian wanders from tap to tap to remote farmhouses which most motorists are blind to. 
On I walked and pushed my way five kilometres up a mostly 12% grade  mountain. I walked through pristine nature reserves on a lightly-travelled roads and sang back at the birds. Curious cows sometimes stared back at me in their fields. Often they followed me galloping along on their side of a fence and only stopped when they reached their boundary. 
Next day, my friend Tina King aka Tee Kay Gee drove the 350 kilometres from Sydney to surprise me. She has volunteered to do a PR job for me and wanted to discuss our strategy. It seemed that a lot of interest in my world walk was awakened after I left the New South Wales capital. So, I decided that before I walk New Zealand that I will fly from Brisbane to Sydney and spend some days there (Nov 22-Dec 2) and give a series of motivation and entertainment talks to a few cultural, sports and Irish clubs in addition to some schools. Busy times ahead!
After New Zealand I will return (Feb 14) to my route in Brisbane and continue walking towards Mount Isa and Darwin. 
Tina has gone to huge lengths tapping out dozens of long emails on my behalf. Thanks also to Amanda Carrolll for her great assistance to Tina in this regard. While she was  on the road that 31 kilometre day I put her to work to crew for me and she kindly took the bulk of my heavy gear onto Nowendoc. Then she returned with snacks. Alas, when she eventually drove off for Sydney she mistakenly took my cooker for a long ride. ðŸ˜£ How will I manage without my coffee and cooked meals until I can get another one? 
Meanwhile, local farmer Dave Daly stopped to give me some refreshments and told me that dinner was on him that night and that I was to ask for Max at the Nowendoc General Store when I arrived. Quick as a flash I asked him to take Karma on ahead! When I arrived a welcome party was in full swing and as we would say in Ireland, the craic  (fun) was ninety! 
I was headed for Walcha two days away and one of the men in the store was called Clint, he just happened to be the mayor of Walcha and owned the towns only butchers. Soon I was told that I had a place to stay in an adjoining house and that his boys would cook me as many steaks as I could manage ðŸ˜… Invitations like this should never ever be left in the vague folder. Experience told me to always firm what may seem to be a casual but valuable invitation. Before long I had Clints phone number written down and told him to put a T-bone on slow cook!  My friend Jacqui Windred in Gloucester had mentioned that she was working on an invite from her in-laws who also live in Walcha. No worries, just as I did in Gloucester I would stay with each and take a rest day. To me travel is about 'people connections' and learning as much as possible from them. 
As I have been walking 30 kilometre days lately the 72 to Walcha was an awkward distance. To walk it in three would be a bit pointless, especially that I had no cooker to cook the food I carried in Karma. Instead, I planned for two and didn't get the early start out of Nowendoc. That day I wanted forty-plus kilometres and hopefully with an early start the following day That way I would arrive in Walcha at a sociable hour. In the end I made that happen by walking long into the evening and by 9:30pm I had amassed a marathon, 42 kilometres. Tired and hungry I dined on cold noodles and a can of corn. I camped behind a bush where lighting a fire wasn't an option. 
After an early awakening I  was packed up and walking by 9 am. Not bad as it was still early for me but it could have been better. It was another warm but glorious day and when I got to Cobrabald I had walked my 18,000th kilometre of this global oddessy. 
That put me in great spirits for the day. I walked past beautiful landscapes and even spotted a mob of about ten kangaroos hop through a herd of cows. They paused and stared at the cows. I laughed when I remembered how about fifty cows followed me a couple of days before. Not here, the cows just ignored them. On I walked and Tina texted me to say that she had managed to get me a replacement stove in Walcha. I was to pick it up from Brian in Richardson's hardware store. That night I was staying in Brian's and Shelley's house and they were Jacqui's (from Gloucester) in-laws! Don't you just love these small towns where everyone knows everyone?
A couple of hours before I arrived I met Andrew Robertson who is a motorbiker from Brisbane. His bike is a Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic with a displacement of 1449cc.
He is originally from Glasgow, Scotland but has long since lost his accent as he has spent most of his life outside the UK. He grew up in Malta and then worked for twenty years for the electrical company in Papua New Guinea, of all places. After Australia I had been thinking of walking it, but according to Andrew crime is through the roof there, so now I will give it a miss and the Philippines​ for the same reason. Likewise, I had been thinking about Amazonas in Brazil until I heard of a British woman who was murdered by a 17-year-old thug, just for her small possessions and her kayak. That 45 year-old woman had given up her stressful job as a headmistress in an English school in favour of living her dream. I asked my friend Benjamin Kniebe from Berlin to check it out as he does some research for me. He came up with an area riddled with crime and drug cartels that operated nearby. From now on I am only going to travel in civilised countries.
Anyway, back to nicer things. After picking up my cooking stove Brian and Shelley's we had a delicious curry followed by rhubarb, blackberries and ice cream. They spoke about how the lack of rain can have a detrimental effect on their  local economy. A lot of people are saying that there is less this year than other years. I remember when I was walking through a Sydney suburb and my friend Tom pointed to a patch of grass and said that this is the first time he has ever seen it bare.
As Brian says: "When there is a drought and farmers are struggling to meet their bank repayments they generally cut back on all the normal hardware stuff, after all, a 200 dollar  wheelbarrow can wait. So when an order like a 1,000 litre of Ultra Max weedkiller comes in its a big deal for us as that's a 6,000 dollar sale.
And as Shelley who owns a local ladies fashion shop called New Birds says: "And clothes are other items that are often put on hold. So something like a drought often has a knock on effect on the entire community."
She also has a huge passion for art. Especially the works of Vincent Van Gogh and also Monet. 
"Van Gogh was little understood and most people though he was mad. He eventually drank himself to oblivion, aged only 37." 
"Myself, I am inspired by nude art."

Next morning, I moved over to Clint's butchers and as promised his men cooked me as many stakes as I could muster. I spent a pleasant day chatting to Thomas and John. Thomas is an avid rugby league player and dreams of spending a couple of years playing rugby in the small English and Irish towns. Maybe one day I will live that dream he says while preparing me another barbie
Albert Einstein once wrote in his so-called 'theory of happiness' that achieving a long-sought after goal does not guarantee life-long happiness. I guess it can also leave a difficult to fill void.
 Having dreamt of running around the world for almost every waking hour for over twenty years - and another four years running it on the road; that was ticked off my bucket list. Well, in my own case despite the devastating loss of my mother and brother within the last three years I have come to terms with these three huge voids in my life as best as I can. 
Einstein also coined the phrase: Where there is a will there is a way. So, I reinvented myself as a world walker. Never, ever, ever let anyone tell you that you can't do anything. Sometimes we may have to modify our dreams. At this stage in my life its looking highly unlikely that I will ever achieve my other dream to walk on the moon. But walking the earth is not a bad Plan B ðŸ˜…