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Op X-sas <opxsas>

	Ireland, the Emerald Isle	872 días hace
	Brussels We spent a night in Brussels following a 2-hour train ride from the 'Dam, throughout which I had to sporadically check to see if Wean was still breathing - he laid there comatose throughout the whole journey and I was afraid that he's died of alcohol poisoning!!! Now that he's hit the big 3-0, he ought to know that he's no longer invincible, and that hangover-free morning afters are a thing of the past! So anyway, it didn't stop raining the whole weekend while we were in the 'Dam, and the rain continued in Brussels. We revisited our favourite haunt Delirium (where we pretty much spent all of our long weekend in Feb '05...simply because there is very little else to do, and alright, also because of the 2,500 different beers available and we felt obliged to make a dent in the drinks menu!) for a couple before heading to yet another of our favourite restaurant Chez Leon (or was it Chez Vincent? Chez Jean-Luc??) for some sumptuous mussels in Brussels. Early next morning we set off on the 24 hour bus-ferry-bus-ferry-bus journey to Dublin via France, England and Wales. Not quite an epic journey like the Trans-Siberian, but long enough by European standards! Since arriving in Europe, the longest bus journey has been about 8 hours. The journey was rather painless, and we spent most of the night on the Hollyhead-Dublin crossing where we could put our heads down on the sofa on the ferry, which worked out well. So....summertime in the Emerald Isle!!! Ehhh, what summer? It was freezing!! Apparently they already had their summer a week ago when the heat wave hit, so we missed out. Instead, we got a taste of the real Irish weather ie, wind, rain and hail. Limerick After collecting our motor from Avis, we set off southwards to Limerick to see Karrie and Tony, with whom we floated down a river on rubber tubes in Laos, beer in hand. This time, they have very kindly put us up in their new pad a few minutes from Limerick town. It was great to catch up with them again, although there was a distinct lack of Beer Laos. Nevermind, we made do with Guinness instead. Kerry Karrie took us to her hometown, Myvane in Co. Kerry, known as Fitzville to the locals, simply because most of the land in the tiny village is owned by her family, the Fitzmaurices!! We even got to visit her mam and dad at their garden centre and indulged in a very traditional scone and a cuppa tea before getting a pot of lillies for Iris (which we carried all the way down the drive of Meadowbrook with our backpacks and all, I'll have you know!!). A short drive away and we arrived in Ballybunnion, a seaside town very much like the Antrim coast - white foaming waves crashing on to steep rocky hills. Coupled with the mystical Irish sunshine which chose to reveal itself, the view was spectacular. All too soon, it was time to bid our farewells again to yet another couple who have been so kind and hospitable to us two wandering, penniless bums. Well, not before Wean got a footballer-style haircut (worth 48 euros, more than a day's budget!!!) by an award-winning hair-stylist - none other than Karrie herself!!! So with his new swanky 'do, we drove northwards, considered spending time in Galway but discounting it cos the weather was pish, and pushed on till we arrived in Malin. Malin Malin, northern-most town of Ireland, where we spent the last night of Op X-SAS. After a wee wander to picturesque Malin Head, we checked ourselves into a wee B&B - a stunning little cosy cottage that's absolutely luxurious compared to the hovels we've stayed in on this trip. Heck, it's still luxurious by any standards - talk about going out with a bang! Ballybogey After 203 days on the road - some days great, some not so great - we finally arrive at our destination. It's really difficult to believe that it was only 203 days ago that we left Compassvale on the MRT towards Johor Bahru and now after countless bus/train/tuk-tuk/tram/sickle/trishaw/boat/ferry/moto  rbike journeys later, we're actually in Ballybogey!! It's hard to imagine that if we simply took a plane, we would have arrived 202 days and 6 hours ago, but minus all the experiences we have been through, the things we have seen, and the people we have met. We still had the hired car, but it's not the same driving down Meadowbrook as opposed to sauntering down the driveway with our backpacks like we said we would, so we parked the car around the corner, put on our backpacks and potted lilly in hand, embarked on the last leg home. Halfway down the drive, we spotted Joanna from next door speaking to Iris and the poor girl didn't what hit her when Iris spotted us, gave an eardrum-splitting scream, and scuttled down the driveway towards us, Jenni following close behind. Let's just say the reunion was not without a few tears!!! Special thanks to Gordon who has been keeping everything together behind the scenes even though he was being under tremendous pressure!!! Only he know of our plan to turn up a week earlier than we'd said to surprise Iris and Jenni, and has thwarted many attempts made to get us home earlier so we would see Jenni before she flew off to Spain for her summer holiday. We think that man deserves a Guinness....or five. Back in 'Bogey, with all the home comforts we can get, the days of fried crickets, smelly feet and communal toilets somehow seem really far away. However, we wouldn't exchange our experience for anything. Even the really bad ones (ooohhh, the overnight bus journey in China springs to mind), in retrospect, are quite funny and always make a good story. Like they always say, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger - we certainly feel enriched for the experiences we have been through these past 9 months! For now, though, we are happy to indulge in modern day creature comforts like DS lite, squeaky clean toilets (yes, with toilet paper and soap) and roast beef dinners.
	escrito por Op X-sas