Mick McCarthy's Republic of Ireland squad arrived safe and well today on the tropical island of Saipan, in the Western Pacific, to begin their acclimatisation for the World Cup finals.
Following Thursday night's 2-1 defeat by Nigeria at Lansdowne Road, McCarthy's squad left Dublin early Friday morning for a flight to Amsterdam.
That was followed by an 11-hour flight to Tokyo, and a further three hours on to Saipan, a paradise setting and the largest of the three Northern Mariana Islands.
They were greeted Hawaiian style by a local beauty queen who placed lei crowns on the head of every player, plus McCarthy and his backroom staff.
The 23-man squad were then taken to their luxury beachfront hotel so they could be fed and then get some rest after the 24-hour long journey, as well as adjusting to the nine-hour time difference.
The whole point of coming here is to allow the players to relax and get used to the fierce humidity that awaits them when they kick-off their World Cup campaign against Cameroon at the start of next month.
McCarthy would not have been disappointed by the conditions, as the temperature here on arrival was 86 degrees, and overcast conditions ensured the humidity was stifling. The average humidity is 82%.
McCarthy's men will train early tomorrow morning, in order to finish before the midday sun burns, on a pitch specially laid for them at their training base.
They will follow the same daily pattern for their six-day stay, of training and resting, although a competition has been set aside at one of the island's five golf courses, with manager McCarthy a golf enthusiast.
The most encouraging sign for McCarthy was that there were no injuries after Thursday's friendly, and skipper Roy Keane in particular is sure to get fitter with every passing day.
"Everyone is fit and well," said McCarthy, who is now looking forward to preparing his squad for their three Group E clashes, with Germany and Saudi Arabia following their opening match of the tournament which gets under way officially in less than two weeks. -PA