One of the most life changing trip I've embarked on was visiting Ireland. It was the first time I went on a road trip and I can't stress how much I enjoy going on road trips.Singapore has a population density of 8,000 people/km square whereas Ireland's population density is at 73 people/km square. Even though both countries have similar population size, there is so much more space and land in Ireland.
Transportation around Ireland is not frequent and the preferred mode of transport is to rent a car and explore Ireland in it.
I touched down at Shannon Airport and got our Thrifty Ford Focus. Upon arrival, we drove our way up to the Cliffs of Moher. Did you know that one of the scenes in Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince was filmed here?As we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher slightly before sunset, we were welcomed with this view of the cliffs. It was so surreal and blew our minds.
We spent our first night at Doolin Cottage B&B which was a lovely cottage along the Wild Atlantic Way road. The host was lovely and the breakfast was delicious. After recharging for the night, we drove along the Wild Atlantic Way towards Galway.
It was really therapeutic to drive along the Wild Atlantic Way, having the ocean breeze against our faces. We even made a couple of pit stops along the way because the view was simply too stunning.
We had to cross over a field where a couple of cows were grazing. Imagine all the cow dung we had to carefully avoid while heading to this place. It looked really dangerous at where the waves were hitting because they were really strong so we did not dare to go to close to the ocean.
And this taken at the blackhead, which was part of the Burren National Park. Driving along all the black rocks was really amazing. The rocks were smooth and looked as if they eroded gracefully.
We went over to the edge of the cliff which was really terrifying. There wasn't a single soul around so if my partner was to push me down the cliff into the ocean, nobody would have known and my body will probably never be found. This signifies the importance of getting a travel buddy whom you have absolute trust in.
Also, take note of your travelling time because as you can see, there are no street lights! It'll be extremely dark and hard to navigate when the sun sets. Plus, some of the roads can get really scary because they are only one lane with cars from both directions.
We were travelling in one of the shortcuts and it was two-direction road with only one single lane! The roads were hilly and surrounded with tall grasses so when we were ascending, we had to be really careful because we could not see the car in front of us.
There are plenty of tiny villages and towns along the way which made it easy to stopover for meals. One of my recommendations is Bofey Quinns Bar & Restaraunt. It is along the way to the Burren National Park. Try their traditional Irish stew, definitely the best Irish stew I had while in Ireland!
The buildings in Western Ireland are really pleasing to the eyes and I love driving through these towns. Their vibrant colours stand out from the natural environment along the Wild Atlantic Way.
It'll be really nice to retire and move to Western Ireland and live in one of these houses.
The drive from Galway to Dublin took three hours and it was easy to navigate as it was a straight expressway across Ireland. I didn't really like Dublin as much as I love the Western Ireland and Wild Atlantic Way.
Ireland is definitely deeply missed and if I have the opportunity again, I would love to do another road trip in Ireland.
We spent two days in Sydney. I'm not exactly the city traveler so two days was enough to explore the major attractions. We stayed in a really 
We rented a car and drove up to Blue Mountains. I definitely recommend staying a night here as it was one of the most memorable nights I ever had. The milky way was visible with our naked eyes and it was beautiful beyond words. It was definitely a lot more beautiful when you can see it.
Hunter Valley is the place for wine and good food. It's where we had the best meal in Australia, and tasted some of the best wines. My favourite wine tasting place was Scarborough Wine Co. Definitely one of the best.
Nelson Bay is the place to go if you want to whale watch. We got on a 3hour cruise and unfortunately, luck was not with us. We were near a whale but she was sleeping under the surface so there wasn't any show for us to see. We did see some seals though! And we had a free cruise again because even though we did see the whale blowing water, we didn't actually get to see much of it.
We did not make it to Port Macquarie before sunset so we missed that stop. A pity though as I was looking forward to it. Coffs Habour is the right in the middle of Sydney and Gold Coast, which made a perfect stop for the night. The weather was getting warmer for us by then so it was perfect to drop by the beach. I love my 
One of the locals I met there said he moved to Byron Bay after a short vacation there made him fall in love with the place. Byron Bay definitely has its charm. This was the place where I first learnt to surf and the first time I dived (and was within 3m away from a grey nurse shark!) Diving was definitely a highlight and was incredibly glad to be able to see the endangered grey nurse shark just when we were about to end the dive.
This photo was taken on the road to Brisbane. I highly recommend going to the Mount Coot-tha Lookout to have a view of the Brisbane city night skyline. If the weather is good, you may even get to see Gold Coast.
We ended at Gold Coast because we were flying off from here. We covered both Dreamworld and Whitewater (despite it being winter). It was close to 28 degree Celsius at noon time so it was a nice weather to play at the water theme park (also, there was no crowd because it was winter). We even made a day trip to Springbrook National Park and stayed to admire the glow worms under the natural bridge.
