The Wild Atlantic way, Ireland

Today we went on another afternoon drive from Westport along the coast on a highway called The Wild Atlantic coast road. It was finally sunny when we woke up! We saw some mountain tops covered in snow that we hadn't seen yet because of the clouds and rain. It looked like we were in a new town. 

This drive was a little different than the drive the last 2 days. This drive took us around mountains and along the coast. There were sheep on the road as we drove and some places where the grass grew up along the centre of the road. It was a little less curvy and the stone walls were fewer. 

                                 We stopped a checked out a castle.

We drove along another road call the upper sky road. It was even narrower and much less traffic. 

It gave us great views of the fiord. 

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

We decided that we needed to go for a drive and check out the famous cliffs of Moher. The drive there was crazy! Narrow winding roads with stone walls built right up next to the road. There was maybe 1 foot from the edge of the road to the wall. I was riding in the passenger seat. So the stone wall was whizzing past me about 2 feet away, I mostly leaned  in towards the centre of the car for the 6 hour drive. Dean did a really good job of not killing us. I did a really good job of giving little gasps and squeeks as needed to make sure Dean knew I was scared :)

We occasionally stopped to take in the amazing views. 

When we arrived at the cliffs, there was a big sign saying the cliffs were closed due to dangerous winds. Well this girl did not drive 3 hours with a death grip and not get to see those cliffs. So we parked in the almost empty lot and climbed the hill to get this most amazing view. It is spectacular. Very worth the drive. But was it windy! Wow! Honestly enough to blow you over!

It was actually a little scary. But we were not really in any danger as the wind was blowing inland. But at times it was really hard to walk. 

It was also wet. It rained all day. We had a small window when we arrived at the cliffs where the rain let up a bit. But the mist off the ocean was like rain. It was about +6. 

Westport, Ireland

We arrived in Dublin, Ireland after a long day and night traveling. I always feel a little off when we travel for such a long time. Spending a night on a plane is not easy. Miranda did not sleep a wink, Colton thinks he got a couple of hours, Dean finally feel asleep after he lay down on the floor between the seats. The stewardesses kept taking second looks at him as they passed by. But surprisingly they never made him get up. 

So we finally landed, feeling tired, but excited to be in Ireland. It was raining (of course), and cool +6 and a bit windy. But we are here! We grabbed our backpacks and headed to the car rental place. I booked a car using our air miles to save some money (we are on a major budget of $130/day). Our credit card also covered the insurance! Yay! 

Thankfully, we also rented a gps. At first we thought we'd save the $ and go by map. SO THANKFUL we did! The roads are not like in Canada. We would have never made it to the freeway if we hadn't had the gps. Worth every Euro.

The roads are narrow. They basically fit two cars passing. There is no shoulder. You either have a stone wall right beside the road, or a small ditch or cliff. It felt a bit like we were on a roller coaster ride most of the day. 

We arrived in Westport in the afternoon. We stopped at a cafe and had a bit of lunch. Everything feels a bit off when you miss a nights sleep. But we pushed through. We gave our friend Tara a call to let her know we had arrived. We met Tara 3 years ago Couchsurfing in New Zealand. When she heard we were coming to Ireland, she invited us to stay with her and her family for a few days. She also had dinner waiting for us when we arrived. Her brother, sister and dad also came for dinner. It was a fun night! 

Tara's daughter gave us her room to sleep in. Colton and Miranda got the office. We all slept like a rock that night. 

Pre travel stress

This has been a hard last few weeks. I've had a persistent stomach ache for about 2 1/2 weeks now. Dean and I have both been sleeping horribly. I feel like my brain is mush. I don't ever remember it being this stressful preparing for a trip. Today someone asked me how I was doing and I started crying. 

We are so very fortunate to be surrounded by people who love us and care about how we are coping. I talked about how our life has looked the last few weeks. I ended up feeling like a bit of the load was lifted. 

Planning for a trip this long and complicated is tough. Doing it while still continuing working, trying to get our taxes prepared early and trying to remember every little thing that needs to be done now and pre done for the next 4 months feels crazy. But when I have person after person that assures me that they are not only praying for us, but are willing to do things for us while we are gone is mind blowing. 

There are so many people that will be here at home, taking care of our beloved cat, watering our plants, taking care of our house, our apartment, our business, and even planting the garden in May. We feel so blessed. 

I know that I will feel better once we are sitting on the plane. The bags are packed. The food from the fridge is eaten. We are in the home stretch. 2 more sleeps. But right now I'm a bit sad. 

I will miss my people. The hugs I get regularly from people I know love me. The phone calls and texts I get throughout the day from my people. I will miss that in the next 4 months. But this is what we signed up for when we chose to explore and travel. But I will miss my people. My friends, my parents, my clients. They/you are such a very important part of my life. 

Christmas in Mexico 2015

We spent 10 days visiting Deans mom Hilda in PV. 

Around the world itinerary

Wow, it has been 3 month process booking tickets for this trip. We still don't have our e-tickets. But we know our dates and destinations. Here it is for the record. Even though with these tickets we are able to change any flight at any time. This is the plan and we are hoping to stick with it.

Ireland-1 week
Tanzania- 2 weeks
Namibia- 1 week
South Africa- 2 weeks
Perth, Australia- 1 week
Tasmania, AU, 1 week
New Zealand- 5 weeks (Colton is staying for a bit longer)
Bali, Indonesia, 1 week
Philippines, 2 weeks

Planning and getting ready

                                          I love this picture! It represents so much to me. 

Dean is such a teacher. He is so full of knowledge and I see how he has taught Colton and Miranda so much. They have always looked at him and trusted that there is always something new to learn. This is such a good example of what this process can look like. In 10 day we start our newest adventure. Our biggest, most complicated and hopefully best ever trip together. That sounds a little scary to me...

I think I will just let that go. We will go and be together and whatever comes our way, we will be up for the challenge. I can't wait to be on the plane and get that, ahhh we are done planning and ready to start feeling that I always get once I'm on the plane. The calm after the storm.